9/30 - SANTA FE, NM - DAY 1

With over 8,000 miles of road crime on both the Airstream and Tim’s truck it was time for both to get washed. Tim washed both of them while I washed clothes and tidy upped the interior of the Airstream. 

Next thing you know it was late afternoon and we had missed lunch. We then decided to go out to The Pantry Restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. This establishment has been open since 1948. That’s the same year our Airstream Liner was made! They serve a variety of classic regional dishes that are outstanding. Brisket tacos! Shrimp and chorizo quesadillas! Poblanos! Fish tacos! Queso! When we pulled into town yesterday there was a line out the door waiting to get in. It’s rated as one of the best restaurants in town. 

Nothing fancy inside. Just a simple family owned restaurant with really good food. They serve a few beers at at The Pantry one being a local brew from The Santa Fe Brewing Company. Afterwards we thought we would drive over to the brewery to check it out. 

Santa Fe Brewing is a very large operation.  Tim and I went to their headquarters location where they brew since it was close to another place we needed to go to tomorrow. Looks like they are doing some major additions at this location. And to get a beer you have to walk next door across the parking through a wood fence to The Bridge. 

This other establishment is called The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing. The entire place seemed a bit off. Maybe it was that the place was so big and not that many people were there? You can rent it out for parties of 1,000 people and there were at most 15 people there. Maybe it was the fence? Maybe it was the chain hoists hanging from the front of the stage? Maybe it was because it was Monday? Maybe it was the four bikers hanging out? Maybe it was the dad hanging out inside at the bar while his young sons played outside? Not everything added up. 

Tomorrow we get to do something Airstream related! 

Today’s quote - 

‘Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.’ - Cheshire Cat

9/29 - SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

Santa Fe here we are! This is a very beautiful city. Founded in 1610. Known for its Pueblo-style architecture and wealth of artists. There is so much to see and do and we only have a few days. Not near the time we need. 

Tim and I found it difficult to leave Silverton this morning but it was time. We could have stayed there forever! However with winter upon us we had to depart. 

And just like that we departed with rain, sleet and a few snow flakes. The goal was to get this rig over both passes, Molas Pass at 10,912’ and Coal Bank Pass at 10,640’, safely and down into Durango before conditions worsened. All went very well and we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico in less than five hours. 

The drive was just spectacular. Mountains. Forrest. Small towns. Beautiful valleys. Meadows. Desert. And areas that looked like we were right back in Utah. We decided to take this longer route through scenic byways and national forests for the scenery. We continue to be in awe of this amazing land we live in. 

Jett is even super happy to be here. Sort of! There is a half acre dog park and she found a favorite ball there to play with. BUT there is no grass. The only grass here in this RV park does not allow dogs on it. She will need to learn to deal with that. Our next location will have even less. 

Elevation - 6,630’

Temperature - 80* (on arrival)

Today’s quote - ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.’ - Marcel Proust 

9/28 - ALPINE LOOP DRIVE

Tim and I started out our day with hot camp coffee in the Airstream. Then, since we don’t know if we can meet the trains again tomorrow morning, off we went to meet the arrival of the first train of today. It never gets old. First you hear the loud piercing blow of the locomotives whistle in the distance. Then on the edge of town you can see the white puffs of smoke against the fall colored mountains well before the train arrives. As she rounds the bend you can now feel the roar of this massive piece of machinery!!! It really never gets old! 

Next up was a drive on the Alpine Loop. We drove for about four hours total. Finding the old mines and seeing the spectacular views of this scenic byway made for a relaxing day compared to yesterday’s strenuous hike. 

Alpine Loop is a spectacular drive with 63 miles of majestic and scenic views, located in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Tim and I hopped on the loop just a few blocks from basecamp here in Silverton. 

Along the way we viewed mountains covered with pines and golden aspen, old gold mines, BLM land, campgrounds, debris from recent avalanches, trails, small ski areas and slot canyons. The landscape and views were just dynamite! (no pun intended) 

It turned out to be a very special day touring the area. The evening ended with a visit to Avalanche Brewing Company. Tim and I had fun hanging out at the bar talking to the bartender and locals. We truly don’t want to depart here tomorrow but we have a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, event to attend by weeks end. 

Today’s quote - 

Happy National Public Lands Day!

 

"Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits." - National Parks Service

9/27 - LOWER ICE LAKE BASIN

What a hike! Just when we thought the views couldn’t get any better ... it did! Just amazing and the most spectacular views. We kept stopping to turn around. WOW! The trail changed with every turn. Creek crossings. Switchbacks. Meadows. Wildflowers. Brilliant yellow aspen. Towering pines. Waterfalls. Even a recent avalanche crossing from this past winter. This hike is rated as hard. I have to agree. Tim and I think we did pretty good considering we are flat landers. On the way up we had to periodically rest along the way. You could definitely feel the lack of oxygen. 

The elevation here in Silverton is 9,318’. Ice Lakes Trailhead is at 9,870’. Our hike took us above the tree line to 11,510’. As a reference we climbed over 125 floors. More than the height of the Empire State Building. The distance we traveled has been hard to determine. My watch tells me we did just over ten miles today. Minus a few trips into town and Jett walks. Trail maps say four miles. We can only guess we hiked somewhere between six to eight miles today. 

Tim and I only made it to the Lower Ice Basin. The trail kept going on up and continued to Ice Lake. We had to make the decision to turn around. At this point weather was moving in, the sky was dark, it had begun raining and we were already three hours into the hike. The serenity in the basin was incredible. It was a hard decision to make. We had our raincoats but with not being able to see what was coming over the next mountain we headed back down. This hike is definitely in the top three of our all time favorite hikes. 

Once we made it back to basecamp we walked over to the Handlebars Saloon. Weee doggi! I had the best chicken pot pie ever! Tim had the best chicken ever! We usually get a locally brewed beer and Tim did that but they had PBR on tap. Now that’s a rare find! We’ve wobbled back to the Airstream and have taken some vitamin I. Tomorrow will bring our last full day in Silverton and we hope to make the best of it!!! 

Today’s quote - 

‘The best view comes after the hardest climb.’ - Bryson Tiller 

9/26 - YOGA, COFFEE AND A NEW TIRE!

The day was to be a good one. I had found an early morning yoga class being held in an art gallery. The walk there took eight minutes. When I walked in a nice gentleman asked ... were you at that music jam last night? Small world.  What a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing class! And to have a dog present in class was fun too. My drishti to the mountains was like no other. I’m always learning new things in taking classes with different yogis during my travels. 

Since I had walked out of the Airstream without breakfast or coffee I stopped in a Coffee Bar on my return. And who is there? The violin player from last night AND the blonde singer with the round rose colored glasses. Small world! 

After I returned to the Airstream with our coffee we got ready for our hike today. Not so fast! Tim noticed a tire on the truck that was low on air. Long story short no one in Silverton had the proper equipment nor wanted to fix it. Tim then had to put the spare on and we headed south to Durango. 

Come to find out the nail that was in the tire was right on the edge of the tread and angled to the side wall. A patch would not have worked. Next option a new tire. I was actually dreading the worry of a patch blowing more than the cost of a new tire. Our minds are at ease now. 

On our return to Silverton we noticed the aspen trees had significantly changed in color from just a few days ago. WOW!!! The sun was perfect in the sky. Kissing the mountain peaks just before sunset. Just SPECTACULAR views. I’m just in awe. This was a great ending to our ‘gotta buy a new expensive tire’ day. And it made us realize even bad days are good days! 

Tomorrow we will hopefully be able to take that hike!

Today’s quote -

‘The Earth would die if the sun stopped kissing her.’ - Hafiz More

9/25 - WILD, WILD WEST

Today was really busy for doing a lot of nothing. It started with a walk into town for breakfast at the Bent Elbow. Then Tim and I walked the historic and infamous Blair Street. 

After a little walking around it was time for the first train from Durango to arrive. Tim suggested we walk to the old closed train station on the far side of town to get a good photo opportunity. 

Then we walked about some more in town and wandered into the San Juan Instrument store. It was a deja vu moment because we had been in this establishment before. Scott the owner gave us a demo on one of the dulcimers that he makes and invited us for a jam session later. 

Next thing we knew it was time for the second train from Durango to arrive. This time we stayed at the intersection of Blair and 12th to watch it come straight into town. I realized that I had completely shut off the outside world and was living in that moment. The rush from the arrival of that massive coal burning train is like no other feeling. I could go back every day just to experience it over and over. 

I hear the train a comin' 
It's rollin' 'round the bend 

The afternoon was taken up by stopping by the Visitors Center. Then the local hardware store where we met Denver the Hardware Dog. You can follow him on Instagram! We walked the streets again and figured out the history of why Blair Street was so famous. Back in the day is was a red light district. Even though fines were levied gambling and prostitution were generally accepted as long as the practice did not migrate to the more respectable section of town. 

The Golden Block Brewery is where we landed for a cold brew and pizza. Then decided to head over to the jam session late in the evening. We had a really good time. It was very organic. The group welcomed us like we were family. I think we could have stayed all night! 

Today’s quote - ‘We have a bad reputation to live up to.’ - The Avon Hotel, Silverton, CO

Elevation - 9,318’