April 7, 2001
DURANGO, COLORADO

Called the "Centennial State," because it became the 38th state when the U.S. turned 100 in 1876, Colorado is most closely associated with the Rocky Mountains and has numerous peaks over 14,000 feet. The state's name comes from a Spanish word meaning "red" or "ruddy," the color of much of the state's terrain. Today, Colorado is known for its vast cattle ranges, agricultural acreage, and snow-covered mountains that are ideal for winter sports. Its capital is Denver and state flower is the Rocky Mountain columbine.

Where the hell is Durango

A Southwest Colorado Picture Tour

News from Durango

The City of Durango

THE VACATION PLAN

We are renting an RV from Cruise America - RV Rental and driving to the Durango Area.  The RV cost is almost identical to renting a car for the drive then staying in hotels during the vacation.  If we keep the rental car during the vacation the RV cost is around a $1,000 less.  Flying to Durango renting a car and staying in hotels would cost $3000 more the the RV.  With the security regulation in effect flying from San Francisco to Durango would take almost as much time as driving.

We would drive from Carson City to Moab, Ut and spend our first night at Moab Valley RV & Campark, located at the intersection of scenic Hwy. 128 and Hwy. 191, which is just outside of Arches National Park.  We spent our first full day on vacation exploring Arches N.P. and the surrounding area.

Arches National Park lies atop an underground salt bed, which is responsible for the arches and spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins and eroded monoliths that make the area a sightseer's mecca. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited across the Colorado Plateau some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed in the region and eventually evaporated. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with residue from floods and winds and the oceans that came and went at intervals. Much of this debris was compressed into rock.  At one time this overlying layer of rock may have been more than a mile thick.

Arches contains one of the largest concentrations of natural sandstone arches in the world. The arches and numerous other extraordinary geologic features, such as spires, pinnacles, pedestals and balanced rocks, are highlighted in striking foreground and background views created by contrasting colors, landforms and textures. With the addition of the Lost Spring Canyon area, the park is 76,519 acres in size.

Faults deep in the Earth contributed to the instability on the surface. The result of one such 2,500-foot displacement, the Moab Fault, is seen from the visitor center. This movement also produced vertical cracks that later contributed to the development of arches. As this subsurface movement of salt shaped the Earth, surface erosion stripped away the younger rock layers. Except for isolated remnants, the major formations visible in the park today are the salmon colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches form, and the buff colored Navajo Sandstone. These are visible in layer cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over time water seeped into the superficial cracks, joints and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces.

Next we drive south to Mesa Verde National Park and stayed at A & A Mesa Verde RV Park which is just outside of Mesa Verde National Park.  Mesa Verde National Park preserves a spectacular reminder of the 1,000 year culture of the Ancestral Puebloans. Archeologists have called this people Anasazi, from the Navaho word that means "ancient". They are now called Ancestral Puebloans, reflecting their modern descendants.  The sequence of rocks exposed on the mesas originated in a great inland sea that began to cover this area about 100 million years ago. As the water encroached over a low, relatively flat erosion surface, streams from the west brought sands and muds into the shallow water.  These shoreline deposits consisted of beach sands, shallow water cross bedded shore sands, lagoonal and swamp muds, and deltaic sands at the mouths of inflowing streams. These deposits are now the brown Dakota Sandstone seen in the Cortez Valley below the Mesa Verde.  This particular layer is not exposed within the boundaries of Mesa Verde National Park.

We spent the next few days exploring the Durango Area.  This includes riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that operates between Durango and Silverton.  Experience the adventure of traveling by a coal fired, steam powered locomotive on the same tracks miners, cowboys and settlers of the old west took over a century ago. If you didn't hear the train whistle, click here to listen.  The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad winds through spectacular & breathtaking canyons in the remote  wilderness of the two million acre San Juan National Forest for an unforgettable year round adventure.

The final adventures of this vacation took place in the Silverton Area.  Silverton is the gateway to adventure in the San Juan Mountains, the most spectacular range of the Rocky Mountains.  We will be staying at the Silver Summit RV Park it is the highest rated RV Park and Campground in the area.  The Park also rents the new Jeep Wranglers and Cherokees with unlimited mileage. Explore ghost towns, visit waterfalls, and see wildflowers for as far as the eye can see. Hike, fish, mountain bike, or just stay at our campground, sit in the hot tub, and gaze up at Kendall Mountain. Silverton's many attractions are as varied and diverse as the history and people of Silverton. There are places to go and things to see and do for every interest and every age group.  The Alpine Loop Scenic and Historic Byway leaves the pavement and people behind, crossing the remote, rugged, spectacular heart of the San Juan Mountains.  It's demanding: the two 12,000-foot passes (Cinnamon and Engineer) require high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles, but the rewards you will reap are unparalleled: pristine mountain views, hiking and biking trails, spectacular camping opportunities, and plenty of solitude. Part of the loop is accessible by 2 WD vehicle and is well worth the drive. You'll find seven ghost towns along the loop (three of which are accessible by 2 WD), two unbelievable alpine passes, and extensive BLM/USFS Wilderness Areas. Don't forget your fishing license and rod and reel. The high alpine lakes and streams offer exceptional fishing opportunities. The rocky roads of the Alpine Loop were first used in the nineteenth century by miners who carted their mule drawn wagons, laden with ore, to the mining towns of Silverton, Ouray, and Lake City. The Alpine Loop is 78 miles in length. The average driving time is five to eight hours. Special considerations for this trip: bring a full tank of gasoline, extra food, and water. These roads can be muddy.

Things to do around Durango
Virtual Tourist Information about Durango

Durango.Com

GoDurango.Com

You are visitor number  to this page since 01/27/02