American SouthwestTrip: Day 4 I-Historic Durango, Co

     It used to be painful to wake up in the early morning. But my traveling seemed to change my sleeping pattern. I automatically got up at 6 am and waited to see the sunrise. Maybe it was the sign of getting old. Probably my husband was the most happiest man to see the change in me. Ya, I should pat myself on the back and say, "good job or good girl." Also my sore and aching muscles were fine after soaking in the pool and hot tub. Although the breakfast in the hotel couldn't compete with Taiwan buffet style, it was still descent than other hotels in the States.   

Our travel plan was to visit Durango and Silverton in
Colorado. It was about a 51 mile drive to Durango on
a mountain road. We didn't stay in Durango because
of the high hotel rates.

After driving on a curvy, we were approaching
the historic city of Durango which was established
in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. 
I was not surprised by the rain in Colorado. We have 
been hit by rain every time that we traveled through  
Colorado. Rain makes Colorado a greenish state. 

Entering the town, we were welcome by the old time
architectures and streets. I was getting excited and
couldn't wait for visiting the town. 

This was the famous Historic Durango-Silverton Narrow 
Gauge Railroad which attracted us to visit the city. 
Originally, it was designed to transport gold and silver 
ores. My first acknowledge of Durango was from a 
Jewelry store which emphasized its silver was Durango-
silver not Mexico silver. Because of its pure quality, 
the jewelry price was higher than none Durango silver. 

My husband asked me to take this photo. I asked him
"what does it mean?" Over the past years, I have
learned a lot of things from him. 

My husband's philosophy is to pick someone's brain
when we travel to some unfamiliar places. He was
asking questions about the train. That was the way
we learned things during our travels

The whistle was very loud when the train got ready to
leave. I was very excited to engage with this event.
This was the first time that I saw a steam engine
running in my entire lifetime. I was very impressed
and the effectiveness of soot was also very
unforgettable . 

It was fun to see the little kid interacting with the train
and the passengers. He was a little enthusiastic railroad 
fan. It was a great environment to cultivate a small 
child's passion for railroading.  

Good Bye

The train was gone and left the heavy emission for 
me to remember its beauty.  

The boarding platform

Train Schedule

Inside the train station

The front of train station
We started from the train station and would take a
walk around this historic city. 

We visited the city on a Saturday morning. It was
really lay-back and a relaxing morning. If my tummy
was not full, I would like to sit down and have a cup
of coffee to enjoy my morning there. 

A Victorian style hotel

Our curiosity for the city real estate prices. 

City Bus

This was a bicycle friendly city. It offered many
bicycle lock stands for bicyclists to secure their
bikes.   

An adult community educational event was going on 
this morning.

A local student band performed in the event. I
admired the society and the audiences giving children's
opportunity, supporting them, and being good audiences.
Most Children who learn any instrument in Taiwan are 
require to attain a certification or any award. The fun
of learning music becomes a stress for those children.   

We were lucky to walk around a local farmer
market. It was a great way to learn the local cultures. 

This was the first time I saw a portable pizza oven. 
The pizza smelled good. Unfortunately, I didn't have 
a chance to try it because I was full. However,  
it might be a good idea for my husband and I to sell 
pizza when we travel in Taiwan just like many 
mobilized coffee shops which can be seen on about 
10,000 feet high road sides in Taiwan.

The little girl was not afraid to follow the performers'
dance and was enjoying herself in the public when
people were watching them. What a brave girl!

Roasting Jalapeno or Chili(?): This was another first time
experience to me. It smelled so good. Looked at these
kids expression. It says all. 

The city assumed everyone was honest. Personally,
I liked the way that the city trusted and respect
everyone who parked her/his car in the public parking
zone. Our mistake was to park our vehicle in the public
parking lot which was designed for people who took the
2-3 hours train ride and stayed in Silverton for 2 hours.
The fee was US$ 7 for a day. We stayed in the city
only about 2 hours. It would be better to park on the
street and pay by the meter. This was the lesson
we learned as a first time visitor.    

I thought all women liked this idea
when it was time to go shopping. 

My husband learned the railroad museum was free
to the public. So we didn't want to give up the chance
to visit the museum. 

Inside the museum

One of the luxury carts  

Model train track 

Turntable behind the museum 

It was time for us to visit Silverton.