Durango

Dave says: Our last summertime escape was to the mountains as we headed up to the beautiful town of Durango, Colorado. Skye is getting good at adventures and we brought Debbie along for some help as well. We got in two mountain bike rides. A short and steep one up Animas Mountain and a long and steep one down the last section of the Colorado Trail that we did with Debbie as our shuttle to the top. Even with the shuttle this was a long and tough ride with a killer uphill in the middle but the scenery was beautiful.

We took the Pilot offroading outside of Silverton on some dirt roads up to the ghost town Animas Forks. It is a spectacular drive and a gorgeous place for a picnic. Walking around the old cabins makes you appreciate that you didn't live 200 years ago. We came during the best time of the year but the other 10 months would not be so pleasant in Animas Forks at 11,000+ feet in the mountains.

We did the "must do" tourist attraction in Durango which is the narrow gauge train ride. We did the leg back from Silverton to Durango which takes 3 hours but is very scenic. We started the ride in the indoor car but soon left for the outdoor car where the breeze was flowing and the sights were grand. Skye did quite well on the train.

Silverton is a charming little mining town that has been remade for the tourists and the railroad. There is one main drag to walk but the town and the mountains are beautiful.

One of the most fun parts of the trip was floating down the Animas river through town. There are enough rapids to keep things interesting and enough slow parts to relax. We got high centered on a few rocks but the tube held its air and we didn't tip out. On day 1, Debbie and Alisha floated the river and I got my turn with Alisha a few days later. The combination of cold water and warm sun was perfect.

We did a short but grand hike in the mountains near the top of Molas Pass outside of Silverton on the Colorado Trail. The views were amazing and the gradient wasn't too steep. Skye is a good little hiker and loves being outdoors.

In some ways life has changed with a little one but in other ways we just keep on adventuring. Skye does great with all the new stuff and when we travel in the car we leave super early and she sleeps most of the way. Debbie was a lot of fun to have along and is great with Skye. Some of our not pictured adventures include Debbie and Alisha going to the Bar D Chuckwagon for a western dinner and music. We walked around Fort Lewis College one evening up on the mesa which had great views of the town below. We checked out the Durango downtown on another walk. And, although Skye is a good traveler she only sleeps with her parents on the road and rolled around between us in the hotel bed every night while her pack and play sat empty.