Durango’s celebrity’s came out today for an afternoon of Old West fun with the 2010 Railfest Celebrity Quick Draw Competition. Your’s truly was one of the celebrity contestents (going to prove that our celebrity scene is less than desirable) but even though I sported a Cowboy hat for the event, I was, unfortunately, disqualified for showing up in shorts and flip-flops… ;-(
After weeks of drawing down on my wife and dogs, I left disappointed and shamed for showing up in true Durango style. However, the rest of the contestants seemed to have a great time showing their stuff and competing for bragging rights for years to come.
I left with another dream shattered but I remain resolved to practice and come back stronger (and better dressed) next year! Check out more of Durango’s fun and unique events and plan your trip for some small town / Old West charm!
Returning for its 4th year, the Durango Tour de Farms gives bike riders the opportunity to sample delicious, locally grown farm products and will learn about urban and rural farming and gardening, eating seasonally, preserving fresh, local foods for the winter and how to actively support local food and agricultural efforts. The primary goal of Tour de Farms is to highlight what is unique, healthy and homegrown about Durango’s agricultural community.
This years event will feature :
Two routes in 2010: An in-town, 5-mile ‘family friendly’ route & a 30-mile leisurely ride through the Animas Valley to visit James Ranch, Linnaea Farms and more.
Discussions with growers on community and backyard gardens, and local farms and ranches.
A local foods lunch, live music by Wild Mountain, and a commemorative glass.
Enjoy one of Glenwood Springs’ most adventurous activities – Paragliding over the Glenwood Springs valley! Believe it or not, this adventure is good for almost anyone in the family and can be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 3 years old with a tandem flight! To learn more about this incredible adventure, click on our Adventure Paragliding page or call one of our travel experts at 800.828.4228 today!
Tuesday morning I got up at 6:00am to take 3 hikers from Mississippi over to Creede, CO. Our objective was to get these guys to the 30 Mile Campground which is near the Rio Grande Reservoir for the trail head to the Weminuche Wilderness to start their trek over to Elk Park to catch the D&SNGRR back to Durango.
Weminuche Wilderness by Jeff Sambor
Their plan was to spend 4 nights and 3 days on this hike which is approx 30 miles. I could not get over how beautiful it was following the Rio Grande River from South Fork heading north to Creede. As we headed to 30 mile Campground we got out of the car to stretch and it was 56 degrees – it actually felt a little cool at 10:00am. What a great way to spend some quality time in the back-country – father, son, and a fathers friend. They had their backpacks, maps, hiking boots and off they went into the Weminuche Wilderness. They left their car at the D&SNGRR parking lot so when they returned to Durango they had their car. The drive from Durango to 30 mile Campground was almost 3 hours. What a pretty drive though – lots of gorgeous valley’s, green mountains, great fly fishing along the Rio Grande river. Hope these folks have some great weather on their trek over to Elk Park. I was jealous I had to drive back to Durango while they headed off into the wild.
Check out the driving route to the 30 Mile Campground:
After a quick hike up the side of the mountain, the Gateway Reservations team was excited to get off and “zipping” on the newest addition to Durango’s already incredible activity line-up – the new Full Blast Adventures Zipline! Just as exciting as it sounds, this great new activity offers a unique adventure as you zip high above the spruce and pine forest just outside of Durango’s historic downtown area. Completed in the beginning of August 2010, this zipline is a super exciting, family friendly adventure and, in addition to being the newest, it is also one of the safest zipline’s in the world with redundant double lines and triple connection points on every “zip!”
The adventure started as we met our super friendly guides, Jessie and Aaron (ask for them!), and they got us outfitted with our safety gear and walked us through all of the standard paperwork. After the legal stuff, they took us for a quick orientation to understand how all of our equipment was going to work, how to go faster, how to slow down, how to hold your body, etc. Once we were orientated, it was time for the short but steep hike up the side of the mountain to the first platform (not overly strenuous but still a bit of a haul – I found it to be a great way to get your heart pumping to start your adventure!).
Once we reached the top and after a short water break, our guides took us over to Tower 1 where they belayed us up to the top.
"Zip On!"
From that point on, you don’t touch the ground again until the end of the adventure so get ready for an unforgettable, adrenaline pumping trip. At the top of the tower, the first guide zips to the other platform to “receive” you and, once set, you are prompted to holler ”Zipping!” and from across the span we hear a “Zip On!” go-ahead. Before you know it, your feet are leaving the platform and you are soaring above the forest floor, surrounded by Durango’s beautiful mountain scenery. All together, you zip across 6 amazing lines among 7 wood towers and it is about a 3 hour adventure including the hike, paperwork and orientation.
As you can guess, words can’t really describe the experience. To give you an idea of what the zip in action, check out this clip from YouTube that we put together. However, ultimately, you have to come out to try it for yourself and find out why this is sure to be one of Durango’s most popular and exciting trips yet! We have also put together a unique Zipline Package where you can save money and time by combining your zipline adventure with lodging and much more. As always, if you have questions, want to learn more or just want to talk to a real person, we are hear for you at 800.828.4228. Call or book your trip online today!
NEW FOR 2010! A Pullman-green consist last ran on the D&S line in the 1940s. In 2010 the D&SNG has repainted 3 coaches and 1 RPO (Concession) car to emulate this historic look. For the Fall Photographer Trains, the green consist will be joined by the Silver Vista for the first time since 1949!
Join amateur and professional photographers as we take the train into the remote wilderness of the San Juan National Forest and drop you off to photograph the train steaming past. Be sure to have plenty of battery power, memory cards or film to capture the unique opportunities not available to passengers on the regularly scheduled trains. These special trains are scheduled for optimal autumn foliage colors!
The Silver Vista will be available as an observation car for all passengers to visit.
Our concession car will offer complimentary soda, coffee & donuts and will have lunch, snacks, additional beverages and souvenirs available for purchase.
The Train will be running on September 25th and 26th and October 2nd and 3rd. The caboose will only be available on October 3rd. (The 26th already sold out!)
Southwest Colorado is well known for its “Old West” heritage and rich cultural history. In addition to the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad or a visit to Mesa Verde National Park, there are a wide variety of other cultural and historic activities to enjoy including historic tours in Silverton, the ghost towns and mines with a jeep tour, farm and ranch tours, and much more! Come to explore the unique history and culture in the Southwestern area and don’t forget your camera, because no matter where you are, the scenery and rich cultural heritage is beautiful and awe-inspiring.
We are excited to announce that you and your family can enjoy a day out with a bike rental in beautiful Durango, CO. Enjoy a day of trail riding on the mountain bike, an adventure up into the mountain passes on a high performance road bike or just cruise the bike trail that runs throughout Durango along the Animas river with a Cruiser rental.
Check out this piece on local rides and trails to enjoy and rent your bike today!
We are so sad to say goodbye to another exciting and entertaining Animas River Days festival. Like most things in Durango, we are look for any opportunity we can to celebrate and last weekend was dedicated to our beautiful Animas River! Despite a few showers, it was a great event with lots to celebrate including rafting, Slalom kayaking and rodeo kayaking – and even an inflatable rodeo complete with surfing Corner Pocket wave with a blow up Lobster!
Make sure to visit our Events Page to stay on top of all of the fun events in Durango and other Southern Rocky Mountain destinations for your next trip!
Here is one of our local kayaker’s pulling off a nice loop – the kayaking equivalent of a front flip:
“Always…Patsy Cline” is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer who died tragically at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963. The show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in l961, and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death.
The musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, includes many of Patsy’ unforgettable hits such as Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams and Waking After Midnight…27 songs in all. The show’s title was inspired by Cline’s letters to Seger, which were consistently signed “Love ALWAYS… Patsy Cline.”
