Pardon Me Boy...

We awoke early on Saturday morning to a leisurely oatmeal breakfast before we had to catch a train. We had tickets to ride the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It’s a historic coal-fired steam engine that was important for delivering workers to and from the mines in mountainous Silverton. The railway winded next to the Aminas river with gorgeous cliff and mountain overlooks. It was a three and a half hour trip with steam and soot flying through the air.



Hungry and arriving in Silverton we eyed Thee Pitts Again Barbeque - a bright pink building with a matching pink car in front. We gorged ourselves on ribs and pulled pork until we started to drift into barbeque coma. Before falling asleep, we stumbled out of the joint and waddled down the street. We found an antique store with a double-bell euphonium in the window (I know that no one reading the blog knows what that is, but being a brass nerd, it seemed cool to me...).

The ride back towards Durango rocked us into a sleepy state, but we managed to wake up for some of the scenery. When we arrived back, with an adequate layer of soot on our skin, we went to get another Chocolate Avalanche for dessert. We were still full of barbeque, but there’s always room for dessert! We drove to Mesa Verde National Park, where we camped that night.

We woke up first thing in the morning (which seems to be our habit anyway) and headed to the visitor center to buy tickets to tour the cliff dwellings. Expecting a large line, we were pleased to encounter only a few people waiting. We bought tickets for three tours throughout the day!

Our first adventure was through the Cliff Palace with a dramatic raconteur for a guide. He emphasized the mystery behind the dwellings and the fact that they were abandoned quickly after being built. The ruins are preserved well and we were amazed at the Puebloan’s agility to navigate from the mesa to their dwellings.



The second tour brought us to Balcony House (which had balconies). We got to climb a thirty-two foot ladder (double-wide) and scurry through a tunnel to view the dwellings up close. This certainly wouldn’t be the tour for anyone afraid of heights or closed spaces...



We stopped at Spruce Tree House for a self-guided tour through the dwellings. We went into a reconstructed kiva, which was an underground round room used for ceremonial purposes. The builders were clever enough to build a hole to ventilate air in the tight space.



The last tour of the day was the Longhouse tour (aptly named because it’s long...). We saw some of the most intricately preserved buildings on this tour. The ranger discussed the functionality of the rooms and the fact that without a blueprint, their shape and purpose could be changed at any time. We also got an up-close look at ancient pictographs on the alcove wall.



We’re on our way towards Hovenweep National Monument to find a campsite for the evening. Tomorrow will be filled with more ancient Pueblo ruins!