Closing out our time in Colorado and cruising into New Mexico

Our time in and around Durango, Colorado was so nice; the people were welcoming, the sights - beyond wonderful, and the food - mouthwatering!

We met a delightful bookstore owner, a tiny woman, who was quite a character; a waitress that was a breath of fresh air; the couple that had managed the campground for 17 years - and cheerfully delivered delicious made-to-order pizzas to our campsite; and the young railroad steward who seemed as thrilled as we to be riding the rails. The folks in this great country of ours are pretty hospitable, as a rule. Oh, sure, one can find a bad apple every now and again, but generally speaking, we are a good lot.

As we explored the Durango area, we enjoyed historical areas such as the awesome Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde. We were allowed to walk through the ancient structures. I kept wondering about the condition of the feet of those inhabitants. A pedicurist would have made a killing! The guides at the site invited us to climb down a ladder, through a 40-inch diameter hole, that went down into a very dark place called a 'Kiva,' a circular pit that was used for spiritual encounters, etc. I passed on that invitation; some sort of phobia shivered up my spine as I contemplated the scene...

The trip on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was amazing. The heights were breathtaking; the sheer drop-offs were, too! We saw bubbling mountain streams that suddenly became thunderous falls, and rapids complete with skilled kayakers enjoying their close encounter with nature.

On the way back from Silverton, all of us in the 10 or so railcars were treated to quite a scene of bare behinds - and some fronts - by several groups of young folks rafting and sunbathing on the shores of the Animas River. It is some kind of tradition, apparently - we have no pictures for evidence, however!

Of course, Dennis and I 'played at' golf one afternoon at the beautiful public course in Durango. Thank goodness God rained us off the course on the back nine, or we'd have felt compelled to record our scores for posterity... golf - what a wonderful, horrible sport.

One evening at the end of our time in Durango, Dennis treated me to a lovely dinner at the Mahogany Grill in the Strator Hotel. Afterward, we thoroughly enjoyed watching a local production of 'Dames at Sea' in the little community theater. The entire cast of 6 (college students - what energy and talent!) were exceptional - not a weak voice in the bunch!

Finally, we bid Durango and the surrounding area a fond farewell and drove back to a place that we dearly love - Ruidoso, New Mexico. We've been here almost a week now and are all settled. A few days ago, while I was off enjoying a respite at a day spa here (thanks to my dear 'sisters' back in Austin - a terrific idea for a BIG birthday I recently celebrated), Dennis kept himself busy by hosting a Dish Network satellite installer at our campsite. Don't boys and girls find unique ways of entertaining themselves?!?!

Anyway, we are planning to thoroughly enjoy ourselves in the lovely small-town pace of Ruidoso for the next 2 months. We'll no doubt come down off our mountain as Moses once did - with faces shining and peace & contentment exuding through our pores.

Until the next installment - love to all!