Moab, UT to Cortez, CO., Durango - Silverton Train, Mesa Verde Nat'l Park, 4 Corners
My visit in Moab was great but it was time to move on and I drove over to Cortez, CO., where I stayed at a nice RV park there. Cortez in the south west corner of Colorado is located close to several interesting places to visit.
I took a drive up into the Rocky Mountains to Telluride. This ride took me over a mountain pass at 10222 feet and then down a steep road into Telluride which I thought was a very yuppie type community. Continued the loop through little mining towns like Placerville, Ridgeway and Ouray. Ouray calls the town the Switzerland of America as it is deep into the high Rockies. From Ouray, the road continues through a high pass and around Red Mountain where there were several recently abandoned gold and silver mines. From there the next stop was the town of Silverton, an old mining town that really caters to the tourist trade.
A couple of days later, I drove over to Durango and took the steam train up to Silverton. What a great trip that was. It follows a river the whole way and the views from the open car I was on were spectacular. I commented to one of the train crew that the smell of coal smoke when he got older would trigger some great memories. My three years as a brakeman and fireman on the Cog Railway up Mt. Washington on NH made this trip memorable. Better than Viagra as it brought back so many good memories of my youth. On the trip back to Durango, we got caught in a hail storm, got wet and cold even through it was a hot day. This train ride is one you don't want to miss.
Close to Cortez was the four corners monument where four states meet. This is the only place in the USA where four meet. it is located on a Navajo Reservation and they charge a fee to drive in to the monument. Not a big deal and I would recommend passing on this one.
Mesa Verde was next on my visits from Cortez. This National Park high on a mesa has within it a group of Pueblo Cliff dwellings. Through out the park there are many places where you can stop and view them. A couple of the larger ones are open to tours accompanied by a Park Ranger. I passed on the tours because the trails looked steep and it was very hot. A very interesting place to visit.
Summary: Elk RV Parking; 33; Escapee RV Parks; 20; Public RV Parks: 25; National Parks: 38; Ships: 9; Forts: 17.
Expenses: 27 months on the road with an average of $1855/month.
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