We will have been here a whole week tomorrow. Our destination today was Durango based in Colorado. After a restless night of boogie men we packed up the house and stuffed the car. We might need to upgrade the car to a bus as it is getting a wee bit tight on space as we are like magnets and collect things.
Within 30 minutes we are at the border after chasing wavy roads that made me feel sooo sick. we were in between two states, parked at the Stateline Grill and Bar. The nearest town is 15 minutes drive away. Took obligatory pictures of the Welcome To signs and had a hot meal. Left to "Ya'll have a good day" - I looked around and did some counting yup still just Matt and I. We hadn't picked up any stragglers that we hadn't named. Querty was still in the well of the car and had been tested a few times, and we had left Sandy behind in some hills. Utah lay in our rear view mirror as we dipped into Colorado.
We meandered through little dusty towns like Dove Creek the capital of pinto beans and wild coffee, Pleasant View where not much was happening. The landscape changed again to be filled with trees and prickly bushes. Most of the landscape is intent on stabbing you - the Cactus is a prickly monster and evil on the feet. Farmland took over and many fields were filled with green squares of bundled greenstuff ready for storing.
We took a right turn to see Narraguinnip Reservoir State wildlife area where the wind ripped the enamel off your back teeth. We didn't stay long but took way too many photos.
Stopped at a discovery centre for 30 minutes but stayed near to two hours, welcomed by an enthusiastic volunteer. I learnt way too much about pottery and the hundreds of recognised corn seeds. We took a divert and climbed a steep hill to see a reservoir below at the Big Bend. I can tell you that it did indeed have a big bend and the views were pretty breathtaking as we took our time to catch our breath. Back in 1870 rent for a house was 2 dollars a month - bargain, however if you wanted electricity you had to part with 10 dollars . Then the railroad moved in and the 100 or so folk moved to Durango (I guess they were miffed that they had been excluded from the census).
On arrival at the Hotel, Gerry was keen to help us settle in and even phoned us in our room to check we were happy. This hotel is full of quirky souls who are intent on talking to themselves. The town is huge where ALL the shops have been sucked in from all the smaller villages. A quaint railroad passes through with an old steam type choo chooo that buffers against the motorways and malls. We met a group of kids who were collecting car "honks". This is what passes for fun in Durango.