3-Day Durango Roadtrip
First let me start by saying I really don’t like the trend in writing articles for public consumption that start with “5 Wonderful Days in….” or “I stopped eating fat for a week and this is what happened” or “10 things you can cook on a tar roof”, but we did have a great time in Durango and it just happened to be over 3 days. I’ll try to not use this style lead-in again.
Day 1
This time we decided to take the long way to Durango and go through Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray, and Silverton via highway 50 / 550. Up early and had a full breakfast before heading out the door around 8:30am. Really beautiful drive but there are a few places along the road that raise the pucker factor a notch or two. Seems that this part of Colorado doesn’t believe in guard rails so those 1,500’ drop offs can be a little intimidating.
The drive winds its way through the San Juan mountains and four mountain passes, Monarch Pass at 11,312’; Red Mountain Pass at 11,018’; Molas Pass at 10,912’ and Coal Bank Pass at 10,610’. Parts of this road are known as the “Million Dollar Highway”. Not sure about the origin of the name but according to the Dangerous Roads website, this is one of the most dangerous and scenic roads in America. Good thing I had a couple of drinks before attempting to drive this to settle my nerves!
Red Mountain
This was our third time in Durango and our second time staying at the Strater Hotel. The hotel is located in the historic district along with several other buildings that once served as banks, general stores, hotels and restaurants. Life began here as a mining town but towards the late 1800’s, things were winding down with the mines and it was questionable if Durango would survive. Then along comes Henry Strater, a pharmacist, and a load of cash. He believed that Durango would not only survive the downturn but thrive, so the only logical thing to do was invest his $70,000, the equivalent of $1.8M today, in building the largest hotel in town, the Strater Hotel.
Today the hotel has 93 rooms all fitted in Victorian era decor. Room 222 is a special room in the hotel. Seems Louis L’Amour took a liking to this room, located directly above the saloon, and spent many months there writing his famous western novels. Speaking of the bar, the Diamond Belle Saloon is the place to go if you want good drinks, good food and some of the best Ragtime piano music anywhere. Adam Swanson plays songs from the early 1900’s to the 1950’s but what’s really amazing is the fact that he plays all his music, 5 hours a night, from memory! “So what”, you say. Well, you’ll just have to go see for yourself. By the way, Adam made his debut at Carnegie Hall when he was 19 years old! He has also played at the Kennedy Center so Adam knows how to play a piano.
After settling in from the long drive, we headed over to the Ore House for a great dinner, a nice bottle of wine and fantastic service. This place is one of our go-to restaurants and never disappoints. I had filet and lobster while the Misses had halibut, risotto and artichokes, topped it off with a great bottle of French wine. We keep eating like this and the kids won’t inherit a dime!
Day 2
Breakfast at the Mahogany Grille then off to the train station to board the steam train to Silverton. After a quick walk-thru of the free train museum (lots of non-train collectibles here also) we found our way back to the train and our seats in the Observation car. Great seats with no obstructions so viewing or observing (the name) was perfect. About the only thing that wasn’t perfect was the soot and ash from the steam engine. With no windows and everything open, all that wonderful coal residue found its way into our car, and on us! Definitely needed a shower by the time we got back to town. 
It takes about 3 hours to make the one-way journey to Silverton, arriving around 12 o’clock and just in time for lunch. We strolled through town looking for a restaurant that was not too crowded and settled on the Handlebar restaurant. Named for a mustache not a bike, this restaurant had a pretty good menu and decent drinks. Nice to enjoy a cocktail during the day and not have to worry about driving. I did ask the engineer but he said no, so I said no to his tip!
Finished up lunch and wandered around Silverton a little more to check out the shops. Collette found a Christmas ornament to sanction our journey, while I looked at horse-turd birds, snappy tee shirts and walking sticks. Nothing caught my eye so we headed back to the train and settled in for the ride back to Durango. 
We were feeling a little like survivors from Pompeii but once back in Durango and a quick shower, all was good. We strolled downtown for a bit, enjoyed a steak pizza with wine then called it a night at the Diamond Belle Saloon in the Strater hotel. Tomorrow we head back to Fairplay via highway 550 for another look at those beautiful valleys and mountains.
Day 3
Breakfast once again in the Mahogany Grille, simple eggs, bacon and toast, then pack up the Benz and off for home. The stay at the Strater has been fun. Definitely on the recommended list so if you’re in Durango for the night, give them a try.
The views going back are just as dramatic as those on the way to Durango. Beautiful mountains of gold, red, green and brown; deep valleys, some with abandoned mines, some with small towns, most with lush forests; and those amazing drop offs just a few feet from the car! This time we stopped at a few vista points to take in the scenery and get a few photos, but somehow photos just don’t do it justice. 
One final stop along the way, the town of Ouray to do some exploring and see what the town has to offer. The entire Main Street of Ouray is registered as a National Historic District, with most buildings dating back to the late 19th century. Founded in 1875 as a mining town and named after Chief Ouray of the Utes, more than a million ounces of gold has been produced here. At its peak, more than 30 mines were in operation. Today Ouray is more about tourists, hot springs, and their claim to fame – the Ice Climbing Capital of the US! And let’s not forget the start of the Million Dollar Highway. Once again, Collette found a Christmas ornament to sanction our journey, while I looked at horse-turd birds, snappy tee shirts and walking sticks. ‘Bout time to head home. 
