Puebloan Mysteries: Begin in Durango

On May 3rd, 2024, Joan and I flew to Durango, Colorado, to join an Off the Beaten Path small-group tour titled "Puebloan Mysteries." We arrived a day early, wary of our recent history of canceled flights and missed connections, and were rewarded with gorgeous weather and an on-time arrival. We stayed at the historic Strater Hotel, founded in 1887. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Joan had done her research and chosen the Chimayo for dinner; then, in the darkening evening, we were entertained by the back-and-forth maneuvering of locomotives and railcars at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway station.

Our group was to meet at 5:30pm on May 4th, so Joan and I had a chance to explore the plateau where Fort Lewis College sits. We bought a bag lunch at the fabulous Jean-Pierre Bakery (hello, Adam and Victor!), including an apricot strudel and a raspberry croissant. The calories would not be wasted; we walked to the foot of the Sky Steps that led up to the college and began our ascent.

When we reached the intersection with the Nature Trail, we instantly decided that switchbacks were preferable to staircases.

Joan and I reached the top near the college chapel.

The Fort Lewis campus is spread out on the plateau. No students are visible in this photo; we were here on graduation day, and everyone was gathered at the sports field for the ceremonies. We heard a lot of cheering!

This school has evolved: from military outpost to Indian boarding school to rural high school and now a public liberal arts college. Inside the clock tower,

There is a plaque acknowledging the weight of its history,

and one describing the career of the first president of the college.

There was a stunning study in illusion on the side of an arts building.

Further on, we encountered the Center of Southwest Studies.

Then it was time for us to explore the rim trail, a few steps from the road hugging the west side of the plateau. We were surprised at the number of exhibits along the way. We had a broad and gradually shifting view of Durango on our left.

Zooming in on the Animas River.

Wait ... what's this?

It's a model of the geological history of this area, constructed with stones from each layer. There's an explanatory plaque.

Nearby, we encountered a relief model of the area,

and its attendant lizard.

Joan and I journeyed on, wondering when the trail would begin to take us to the other side of the plateau. When we saw that we were now parallel to a golf course, we retraced our steps for about 100 yards and found a foot/bike path along the road that separates the college from the golf club. It led us to the eastern edge of the campus, and there we headed south. At one point we spotted this hawk waiting patiently for a prey item to pass by.

Our exploration took us past recreational facilities such as the

disc golf course, then around the rim to a bench where we finished our lunch goodies.

Joan and I had completed an orbit around the campus, and now it was time to return to our room at the Strater (with ice cream along the way, at the Cream Bean Berry). We linked up with our guide, John Ninneman, and the rest of our group at 5:30 and headed out for dinner. Tomorrow, the Off the Beaten Path journey would begin with a visit to Mesa Verde.

CW: Durango and Transit to Las Vegas

Our final day of this Country Walkers trip began with an optional pre-breakfast sunrise hike above the Red Cliffs Lodge. The beginning was almost as dark as this photo implies, but the sky brightened quickly.

We continued up a trail, gaining height and a view. Every few steps the air would fluctuate between overnight chill and morning warmth.

Near our turn-around point a herd of mule deer, so named for their large ears, ran by.

This photo shows how deeply the Colorado River has cut its canyon, and the narrow strip of greenery it supports.

After breakfast we quickly loaded the vans and set off for Durango, where we had started only five days before. On the way we detoured to Newspaper Rock,

where petroglyphs have been chipped into the desert varnish that gradually accumulates on the rock.

Here is an overview of the rock, whose dark color comes from manganese oxide.

This photo was taken as a "close up." The symbols are likely a mixture of event depictions, migratory routes, spiritual themes, and notions we haven't though of yet.

Our journey paused in Cortez, New Mexico for a hearty lunch at The Farm Bistro. Once we reached Durango, those of us who would fly out tomorrow (Saturday) disembarked and checked into the Double Tree Hilton, and the rest continued to the airport.

Many of those staying overnight went to Mutu's Italian Kitchen for a group dinner, and our guide Tim Smith arrived in time to dine with us. He took a group photo with each the various cameras passed up to him.

For dessert I ordered a tiramisu. It's an Italian restaurant, after all!

The next morning Joan and I explored a section of the Animas River; a paved riverside path ran just behind our hotel. This river was the victim of a mining waste spill earlier in the year. To the casual observer it now looks fine.

Periodically observation points leaned towards the river. In this photo, there's a street crossing upstream that we'll take to head back into town.

Moseying on, we strolled through an open air market and then took a good look at the exterior of the Strater Hotel, dating from 1887.

Next we went to the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. No photos were allowed inside, but this link will reveal museum exhibits of life-size train cars and a locomotive, a recreation of the first airplane to fly in Durango (1913), and much more.

Joan and I stepped out of the museum just as the D&SNG was about to pull out of town.

Folks were gathering just beyond the museum. Today was the "motorless parade" of the annual Durango Cowboy Gathering! These ladies were in costume, waiting for their spot in the procession.

Joan and I took up our position at the corner where the queued paraders would turn right to make their way down the main street. First, or almost first, was the Grand Marshall.

That horse knew it was elegantly decked out.

There were several dozen groups in the parade. Here's a stagecoach. The fine print under the driver says "Durango and Silverton Mail and Express." (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Equestrian finery was in abundance.

Miniatures made several appearances.

Local organizations were participants.

We had lunch downtown, collected our luggage, and took the hotel shuttle to the airport. The flight from Durango to Phoenix was flawless, but after we boarded the flight to Las Vegas, where we would join the next trip, one of those dreaded announcements was made. During pre-flight inspection the captain had noticed a small hole in the sound deadening material of one engine. An epoxy fix (OK according to Airbus documentation) was being applied, but we would have to wait for it to cure, and we all got off the plane. After a while the gate agent informed us that we would have a plane swap instead. Fortunately, American Airlines had an equivalent Airbus handy. It's interesting that our two small-plane regional flights, into and out of Durango, were uneventful, but the two larger-plane flights, into Dallas and out of Phoenix, were both delayed by maintenance issues, whether paperwork or needed repairs.

On arrival in Las Vegas Joan and I walked through the terminal, passing by innumerable noisy electronic gambling machines. From our 'D' gate we needed an underground train ride to reach baggage claim in terminal 1.

The baggage claim area was a shock. There were multiple huge screens advertising various casinos and their shows, blaring at maximum volume. Cellphone users were forced to seek a sound shadow, a corner somewhere were the audio assault diminished enough to allow them to hear and be heard on the phone. I hope I never need to visit baggage claim in Las Vegas again.

The hotel shuttle driver expounded on Las Vegas' extravagant use of water, the falling water table, and the inevitable doom that would strike the city as water became harder and harder to find.

Then we checked into the hotel. Tomorrow morning we'll meet our new guides and fellow travelers for another week's adventure in Bryce and Zion Canyons.