149 Miles in 11 1/2 Hours

I departed Alamosa at 9:30am. I wasn't in any hurry to get to Durango as its only 149 miles away. I arrived in Durango at 9pm. Here's why:

My first stop was in the small town of South Fork, CO. I made an appearance at the local tourist information place looking for interesting things to see along the way. Next door was the city hall with the town's only police car sitting in front. I stopped in and said hello to the officer and we chatted cop talk for a bit. I was going to continue west towards Durango but was convinced to head north to Creede. They had just shot a new movie there with Johnny Depp called The Lone Ranger (It will be released soon). It was only 22 miles up the road, so why not. I had plenty of time. As I was leaving town I saw an old railroad depot on the left and decided to stop in for a minute and get some pictures of some of the equipment on display outside. My 5 minute visit turned into three hours! The two brothers that were there are both owners of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, which is now located in this town and headquartered at this small depot. My railfan friends reading this probably think there is a mistake, but there isn't. When Union Pacific didn't re-incorporate the D&RG name, as well as all the subsidiaries of that name, these two brothers scooped them up and incorporated them under their names. Union Pacific didn't mind, and in fact they only retain the rights to the speed lettering style of the names, but not the names themselves. Both the brothers are railfans and were watching for the opportunity, and they succeeded. What a name, and what a history to be the proud owners of! They run a small excursion trip from South Fork to Creede using a Maintenance of Way crew hauler. Kind of like a Doodlebug, just smaller and open-air. It carries about 14 comfortably.

After my visit I drove north to Creede. Not much to see there, so I continued north to Lake City. I was told I could get to Durango from there but it would take a little longer. I punched the destination of Durango into the GPS unit and away I went. It told me to turn right on a certain county road, so I did. It was paved for a few miles, but then it turned into unpaved road, but it was smooth and no problem. About ten miles down the road it started to climb to the top of a large ridge very quickly, and it got a lot rougher. I started to see signs warning people to use 4-wheelers and 4-wheel drive vehicles carefully. The path narrowed, the rocks got bigger, and I started to bottom out on some of them. As is usual with me, my Guardian Angel stepped in and saved the day. I met two fellas in a 4-wheeler going the opposite direction and the first thing they said to me was "what the hell are you doing up here in a Kia?" they told me to back up and go back to town and get off the mountain, which I promptly did. I got back to town and stopped for directions to Durango. They told me to go back the way I came from Creede and South Fork, but I wanted to go the other way since I just came from there. They said that would be fine, but it will take about 5 hours to go that way, and it was already getting dark. I gave in and headed back the way I came, and at this point I'm embarrassed about being on a rocky trail in a Kia, and pissed that I have to go back the way I came, which by the way was via a very, very twisty road through the mountains. Eventually I got back to South Fork and headed west towards Durango. The GPS said I had a little over 100 miles to go. Now I'm REALLY pissed AND tired AND hungry! I never knew it could be so fatiguing to drive mountain roads at night, twisting and turning the whole way, and having to watch for large Elk along the way. By the time I got to Durango I was about ready to fall asleep at the wheel, but I found the hotel and a place to eat and started to feel better.

So, instead of 149 miles in 2 1/2 hours, I actually drove a little over 400 miles, in every direction, across every kind of terrain, partly at night, and it took me 11 1/2 hours. I feel like a total idiot.

Looking to tomorrow, I will once again ride the world famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train. It will be in the 40's in the morning so the heavy jacket and knit cap are ready to go. When I get back to Durango about 5:30pm I will head directly to Chama, NM, which is 109 miles away. No detours. No dirt roads. No stops of any kind. Straight shot with no distractions.

I refuse to be an idiot two days in a row. Once is enough.

Information: http://www.denverandriogranderailroad.com