Eureka!!! There is gold in them there hills...

The Starks' clan hit the road early this morning and joined Outlaw Tours group out of Durango to take us up to Silverton in a van, transfer over to some sort of SUV and hit the back country, then return to Silverton eat lunch and take the Narrow Guage Rail back down to Durango.

Our guide, we'll refer to as John as that is is his real name, turned out to be from NC. He was super groovy, knew all the good facts about the area, and still had that good ole' Southern sense of humor. He drove us up to Silverton while explaining the area (very rich in mining history), and then we tranferred the clan over to probably the coolest, most reliable, utilitarian vehicle available. You all know I love anything with wheels, so bear with me a second. It is a Swedish Army vehicle called a Pinzgaur (pictured). This was the 6X6 version, meaning it could tackle pretty much any terrain. It only has a four cylinder 87 hp 133 ft/lb of torque engine, and believe me that is all that it needed. We had it loaded down with twelve people, and it didn't falter once (except when John forgot to turn the magnetos back on to start it one time). I've already been on the internet looking for one:-). If only there was a use for one back home. I could certain haul the Starks' clan.

We headed up into the old abandoned ore mining country out of Silverton. There is a ton of history concerning mining in the area up until the 70's, and there are actually a couple of companies that are revitalizing a couple of mines for further excavation. It was a nasty, arduous occupation, and the conditions in these mountains were extreme. Some of the old ghost towns (one of the most famous being "Eureka") that we visited almost looked like they were abandoned yesterday as cars were left there, and things looked somewhat normal. It was really an odd feeling standing in these deserted towns that once provided work and home for thousands of people. The environment was certainly harsh as you can see. Again, we have it pretty easy in our nice cush "day jobs".

We then headed back into Silverton, got some grub at Grumpy's (best service and food in Silverton) and headed to the train station.

Luckily we arrived early, only to learn that our train had broken down coming up the mountain. The train that was currently set to leave in a matter of seconds had available seats so we hopped aboard. It was a good thing, as we wouldn't have been able to board our train for three to four more hours. Whew, so off we went up and over some of the most beautiful land that I believe exists. The locomotive is one of the original trains that carried the ore from Silverton to Durango for smelting. The feat of actually building this railroad through the rugid terrain baffles me. There were times where you could look down and not see anything but the bottom of a huge canyon, and the train was literaly hanging from the side of the mountain. So here we were riding on a railway built in the early 1900's behind a locomotive of the same era. It just doesn't get any better.

If you ever choose to take the train, only take it one way as it is at least a three hour trip. It turns out to be pretty long. We passed the train we were supposed to be on, and we felt pretty sorry for the folks as they had been on the rails for five hours. Apparently, they were able to bring another locomotive up to pull them on up the mountain. They are probably still headed back down the mountain as I write this.

All in all this was another awesome day that I would recommend to anyone. If anything, we now know which SUV will fit the Starks' clan for some "real" back country exploring.

Again, this internet connection is not allowing me to post the blog pics, so go here for the full day's pictures.

So we pack up the tent (Starks' Mahal) tomorrow, and head to Santa Fe tomorrow for some fun and relaxation before we make the trek back to the East Coast. We are staying on the Plaza in a really swanky place so that we can recharge the batteries for our 24 hour straight trip back home. That's right folks, Jenny and I are going to marathon that sucker. Don't worry, we can do it. Remember, we are the parents of four children, and have learned not to sleep:-).

I hate mosquitos...