Road trip with my boys 14 and 11

[weisan]

Right now I am tied down for six weeks taking care of 20 high school interns at work. The week after the internship is over from July 15 till July 21, I intend to take my two boys out on a road trip. I don't have any lofty goals except to spend quality time with them doing something fun and/or outdoor. My initial thought is to drive up from Austin TX to Colorado and find a "basecamp" that we can set out everyday to do like 5-6 hrs of hiking or sightseeing and then come back to rest and just chill for the rest of the day.

We like to travel no frills to keep the costs down. Where would you suggest?

If there's a pal who don't mind opening up their home to host us, that would be even better! :D

[Ralph]

I had always told my grandkids when they got to be 12, they could take a trip of their choosing with GrandPa (me).

So...from Central Florida.....loaded up Jack and said...where to? He said Atlanta....he wanted to see the largest drive in restaurant in the country (go figure). So we had a mid after noon hot dog there. Loaded up and said...jack....where to? He said....how about Arches in St Louis? So we went there (and also spent time in the awesome Museum of Westward Expansion underneath the arches). After that....loaded up and said Jack....where to....And he said "Grandpa....how about Mt Rushmore"? and we went there. he also wanted to see a Mammoth dig in Hot Springs....not too far away.

So place by place I kept asking him "where to next? it was totally his trip. Had a blast. We saw the brewery in Ft Collins. Went into the mountains some. Then my wife called....and said it's time to head back to Florida....we had spent enough over 11 days. Looking forward to when more of the grandkids get to be 12.

Enjoy your trip with your kids. My best advice....make it their trip as much as possible.

[OtayBW]

Terlingua!! No... wait...

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[d_douglas]

Right now I am tied down for six weeks taking care of 20 high school interns at work. The week after the internship is over from July 15 till July 21, I intend to take my two boys out on a road trip. I don't have any lofty goals except to spend quality time with them doing something fun and/or outdoor. My initial thought is to drive up from Austin TX to Colorado and find a "basecamp" that we can set out everyday to do like 5-6 hrs of hiking or sightseeing and then come back to rest and just chill for the rest of the day.

We like to travel no frills to keep the costs down. Where would you suggest?

If there's a pal who don't mind opening up their home to host us, that would be even better! :D

I look forward to doing that with my kids - sounds so fun!

[oldpotatoe]

Right now I am tied down for six weeks taking care of 20 high school interns at work. The week after the internship is over from July 15 till July 21, I intend to take my two boys out on a road trip. I don't have any lofty goals except to spend quality time with them doing something fun and/or outdoor. My initial thought is to drive up from Austin TX to Colorado and find a "basecamp" that we can set out everyday to do like 5-6 hrs of hiking or sightseeing and then come back to rest and just chill for the rest of the day.

We like to travel no frills to keep the costs down. Where would you suggest?

If there's a pal who don't mind opening up their home to host us, that would be even better! :D

Glenwood Springs, CO

[Matt-H]

This is awesome.

I had always told my grandkids when they got to be 12, they could take a trip of their choosing with GrandPa (me).

So...from Central Florida.....loaded up Jack and said...where to? He said Atlanta....he wanted to see the largest drive in restaurant in the country (go figure). So we had a mid after noon hot dog there. Loaded up and said...jack....where to? He said....how about Arches in St Louis? So we went there (and also spent time in the awesome Museum of Westward Expansion underneath the arches). After that....loaded up and said Jack....where to....And he said "Grandpa....how about Mt Rushmore"? and we went there. he also wanted to see a Mammoth dig in Hot Springs....not too far away.

So place by place I kept asking him "where to next? it was totally his trip. Had a blast. We saw the brewery in Ft Collins. Went into the mountains some. Then my wife called....and said it's time to head back to Florida....we had spent enough over 11 days. Looking forward to when more of the grandkids get to be 12.

Enjoy your trip with your kids. My best advice....make it their trip as much as possible.

[Louis]

Terlingua!! No... wait...

... Paris !!!

http://oneofus.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Paris-Texas-3.jpg

[OtayBW]

... Paris !!!

http://oneofus.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Paris-Texas-3.jpg
I hear Ry Cooder playing in the background...


with images of Nastassja Kinski running through my mind!....

[weisan]

Terlingua!! No... wait...


When I was at Big Bend during Spring Break a few months ago, I shared a campsite with a very nice and generous German family. One night we decided to "eat out", so we all hopped into one car and drove over to Terlingua, hoping to dine at the famous Starlight Theater. When we got there, the wait time was like 2-3 hours. We were all starving so we decided to try the mexican restaurant down the street. Apparently, it was the main collection center for Starlight "refugees". We waited for 2 hours before we were served...and the food? Let's just say it was barely fit for humans. :eek:

[weisan]

Glenwood Springs, CO

Really?

Why would you suggest that, care to elaborate?

[weisan]

I had always told my grandkids when they got to be 12, they could take a trip of their choosing with GrandPa (me).

So...from Central Florida.....loaded up Jack and said...where to? He said Atlanta....he wanted to see the largest drive in restaurant in the country (go figure). So we had a mid after noon hot dog there. Loaded up and said...jack....where to? He said....how about Arches in St Louis? So we went there (and also spent time in the awesome Museum of Westward Expansion underneath the arches). After that....loaded up and said Jack....where to....And he said "Grandpa....how about Mt Rushmore"? and we went there. he also wanted to see a Mammoth dig in Hot Springs....not too far away.

So place by place I kept asking him "where to next? it was totally his trip. Had a blast. We saw the brewery in Ft Collins. Went into the mountains some. Then my wife called....and said it's time to head back to Florida....we had spent enough over 11 days. Looking forward to when more of the grandkids get to be 12.

Enjoy your trip with your kids. My best advice....make it their trip as much as possible.

Ralph pal, sage advice, i will take it!

What a beautiful story - if you write it into a children book with all the adventures and name it "Jack...where to?" it will be Amazon's best sellers.

[Ken Robb]

I think Colorado Springs would be fun and not too long on the road.

[charliedid]

Springs is a good call.

Lot's of hikes/parks...Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cheyenne Park etc. Hiking biking.

Good balance of outdoor vs city things to do. Music festivals in summer, a couple cool museums if I recall. It won't be overrun with people and won't be overly challenging terrain. Good value price wise compared to a big chunk of Colorado.

[jimcav]

Really?

Why would you suggest that, care to elaborate?

is near there, go early the lot is tiny. or get a hot springs room and bike down to the lot and

My rec: just go I40, hit Cadillac ranch near Amarillo and bring several cans of spray paint. then on to tucumcari (i think) and eat at kix (maybe kicks) diner on 66. on to gallup nm and mtb or hike the high desert trail system. there is the hopi sky city on the way, albequerqe on the way, pertrified forest on the way, etc. then decide if u want to go grand canyon and up into CO or maybe go to carlsbad caverns which is about the coolest place i've ever been. we timed it wrong, but there is a cool dusk bat viewing program the rangers do--i wish we had arrived later but we got there early.

[weisan]

is near there, go early the lot is tiny. or get a hot springs room and bike down to the lot and

My rec: just go I40, hit Cadillac ranch near Amarillo and bring several cans of spray paint. then on to tucumcari (i think) and eat at kix (maybe kicks) diner on 66. on to gallup nm and mtb or hike the high desert trail system. there is the hopi sky city on the way, albequerqe on the way, pertrified forest on the way, etc. then decide if u want to go grand canyon and up into CO or maybe go to carlsbad caverns which is about the coolest place i've ever been. we timed it wrong, but there is a cool dusk bat viewing program the rangers do--i wish we had arrived later but we got there early.

jim pal, you just planned the ENTIRE road trip for us!

:D

[weisan]

go to carlsbad caverns which is about the coolest place i've ever been. we timed it wrong, but there is a cool dusk bat viewing program the rangers do--i wish we had arrived later but we got there early.

I had a friend at work who travels all over the world, said the same thing.

Found the info about the bat viewing. If we want to see that, we would have to leave right away as soon as I get home after saying goodbye to my interns. 7+ hrs drive. Find a place close by to spend the night and get up early morning and drive to the entrance for the 5:30 viewing. What a way to start our trip!


Dawn of the Bats
Date & Time 07/15/2017 Fee Information FREE
One special morning each year, curious visitors join park rangers at the entrance of Carlsbad Cavern to witness the homecoming of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Between April and October these bats call Carlsbad Caverns National Park home. Each sunset, hundreds of people witness their mass exodus from the cave in search of food and water, but far fewer people are present as these creatures of the night return at sunrise with their bellies full. Join us Saturday, July 15, 2017 for the Dawn of the Bats, a FREE special event celebrating the bats as they arrive home in small groups and dive back into the safety of the cave.

5:30 a.m. - The main event begins at the outdoor amphitheater when we will view the bats returning to the cave.

6:30 - 7:30 a.m. - Naure walk to explore the life of bats in the park.

8 a.m. - Noon - Bat themed activities in the visitor center including kid's programs, talks about bat research being conducted in the park and more!

No reservations necessary. We hope to see you there!

[Louis]

^^^^^ Were he still with us, I'm sure Adam West would approve of this stop.

[oldpotatoe]

Really?

Why would you suggest that, care to elaborate?

Great little town, lots of hiking out of the town, mineral hot springs..

[RFC]

Glenwood Springs, CO


+1 Good choice. A real mountain town with lots to do there and in the surrounding area. Don't forget the hot springs. Perfect after a long day of hiking.

[bking]

If Durango Colorado interests you, and it should, so much to do and see around there, let me know. I might be able to help you out with a place to stay.
PM me and I can fill you in. I will be out of touch most of Weds/Thursday.
Bruce

[jimcav]

But the caverns were spectacular! reminded me of the innards of the ship in aliens (the 2nd one). i saw a herd of wild horse the last time i rode the high desert system in gallup--really cool.

I had a friend at work who travels all over the world, said the same thing.

Found the info about the bat viewing. If we want to see that, we would have to leave right away as soon as I get home after saying goodbye to my interns. 7+ hrs drive. Find a place close by to spend the night and get up early morning and drive to the entrance for the 5:30 viewing. What a way to start our trip!


Dawn of the Bats
Date & Time 07/15/2017 Fee Information FREE
One special morning each year, curious visitors join park rangers at the entrance of Carlsbad Cavern to witness the homecoming of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Between April and October these bats call Carlsbad Caverns National Park home. Each sunset, hundreds of people witness their mass exodus from the cave in search of food and water, but far fewer people are present as these creatures of the night return at sunrise with their bellies full. Join us Saturday, July 15, 2017 for the Dawn of the Bats, a FREE special event celebrating the bats as they arrive home in small groups and dive back into the safety of the cave.

5:30 a.m. - The main event begins at the outdoor amphitheater when we will view the bats returning to the cave.

6:30 - 7:30 a.m. - Naure walk to explore the life of bats in the park.

8 a.m. - Noon - Bat themed activities in the visitor center including kid's programs, talks about bat research being conducted in the park and more!

No reservations necessary. We hope to see you there!

[p nut]

If this were in the fall season, I'd say hit some of the great slot canyons in southern Utah. I've taken some boy scouts down there and they all had a blast.

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/antelope-canyon4.jpg

But it's just too hot in July. For me, anyway.

I'd look into Durango. Or Telluride/Ouray. Lots of nice hikes and outdoorsy things to do.

[93KgBike]

is near there, go early the lot is tiny. or get a hot springs room and bike down to the lot and

My rec: just go I40, hit Cadillac ranch near Amarillo and bring several cans of spray paint. then on to tucumcari (i think) and eat at kix (maybe kicks) diner on 66. on to gallup nm and mtb or hike the high desert trail system. there is the hopi sky city on the way, albequerqe on the way, pertrified forest on the way, etc. then decide if u want to go grand canyon and up into CO or maybe go to carlsbad caverns which is about the coolest place i've ever been. we timed it wrong, but there is a cool dusk bat viewing program the rangers do--i wish we had arrived later but we got there early.
Whoa, that is an awesome itinerary! I love Albequerque. Medium small cities are a hoot to bike.

[alexstar]

is near there, go early the lot is tiny. or get a hot springs room and bike down to the lot and

My rec: just go I40, hit Cadillac ranch near Amarillo and bring several cans of spray paint. then on to tucumcari (i think) and eat at kix (maybe kicks) diner on 66. on to gallup nm and mtb or hike the high desert trail system. there is the hopi sky city on the way, albequerqe on the way, pertrified forest on the way, etc. then decide if u want to go grand canyon and up into CO or maybe go to carlsbad caverns which is about the coolest place i've ever been. we timed it wrong, but there is a cool dusk bat viewing program the rangers do--i wish we had arrived later but we got there early.

+1 on this. My favorite road trip was a Southwest loop - from the Bay Area we headed south to Interstate 10, and drove around NM, CO, UT, NV, and AZ for about two weeks. Lots to see and do, national parks, monuments, archaeological sites, etc. Highlights included the Grand Canyon, Zion, Mesa Verde, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Sante Fe... too much to list. The Southwest a an amazing part of the country.

[zmudshark]

To keep it closer to your home, because driving sucks, I would look towards the Four Corners. My kids loved the Indian ruins in Mesa Verde. I would hit Canyonlands environs if time allows.

[Louis]

I agree - I'd go with Mesa Verda and Durango CO -there are tons of things to do in Durango.

History / anthropology, hiking, train rides, cycling, etc etc.

[p nut]

To keep it closer to your home, because driving sucks....

I don't know. For me, I love the driving. Maybe I'm spoiled, but land scape is just spectacular in every direction I go, except towards Reno.

But best thing about road trips is, I have my kids' 100% undivided attention, especially when there is poor reception in the backcountry. I find it's one of the most intimate times I spend with the kids.

[texbike]

Hey Wei,

If you're intent on hitting a spot in Colorado with a concentration of cool things to do around it, I'd shoot for a stay in Golden.

Here are a few things that you could do with the kids:

-Golden Gate Canyon State Park is just up the road with great hiking,
-Go see a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater (and go hike the park),
-Go tubing down Clear Creak,
-Do a tour of the Coors Brewery,
-Ride the train into Denver and hit some of the sights there, and
-Drive over to Boulder and hit the Wednesday Night Farmers Market downtown (go see Pro's Closet and Vecchio's while you're there).

Plus, Rocky Mountain National Park isn't THAT far away either.

Other than all of the outdoor options, the downtown area of Golden is fantastic and very walkable with plenty of decent places to eat and for coffee. It's a college town (School of Mines) so it does have less expensive options for food and places to stay.

Anyway, just a potential idea for you.

Have fun!

Texbike

[Ken Robb]

Hey Wei,

If you're intent on hitting a spot in Colorado with a concentration of cool things to do around it, I'd shoot for a stay in Golden.

Here are a few things that you could do with the kids:

-Golden Gate Canyon State Park is just up the road with great hiking,
-Go see a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater (and go hike the park),
-Go tubing down Clear Creak,
-Do a tour of the Coors Brewery,
-Ride the train into Denver and hit some of the sights there, and
-Drive over to Boulder and hit the Wednesday Night Farmers Market downtown (go see Pro's Closet and Vecchio's while you're there).

Plus, Rocky Mountain National Park isn't THAT far away either.

Other than all of the outdoor options, the downtown area of Golden is fantastic and very walkable with plenty of decent places to eat and for coffee. It's a college town (School of Mines) so it does have less expensive options for food and places to stay.

Anyway, just a potential idea for you.

Have fun!

Texbike
How about dinner at The Fort Restaurant?

[weisan]

Thank you tex pal and many others for the great suggestions, but guess what, looks like we are all set to spend several days at Durango, all thanks to bking pal for letting us stay at his condo, what a generous and kind offer, we are SO THANKFUL to him!

My boys and I are really looking forward to this road trip. We have not finalized on our daily schedule yet. in fact, what we do in Durango is still wide open for discussion. The only thing that is kinda set in stone is the day we will leave Austin (July 14) and what we will do on July 15, the rest are still in flux. We can use some help and suggestions on how to fill up our time while we use Durango as our "basecamp", and we are open to driving anywhere from 1-3 hrs to go do stuff and then return back to our basecamp to rest for the night and then ready to do that again the next day. We are interested in anything outdoors (biking, hiking, rafting) or indoors (museums, cultural centers). We can eat ANYTHING! We did a trip a few years ago and actually spent a night at Durango, taken the train to Silverton and also visited Mesa Verde.

Over the years, I have done several road tips based on the suggestions that folks have given me here and they have all turned out great!

Blue Ridge Parkway (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=75111&highlight=blue+ridge)
Spring Break 2017 (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=198735&highlight=blue+ridge)
Washington DC, Virginia Beach (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=74230&highlight=blue+ridge)
Yellowstone (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=90929&highlight=yellowstone)

So...Please help us plan our trip!
:hello:

Day 1 July 14 Friday: Depart from Austin, spend the night at Carlsbad

Day 2 July 15 Saturday 5:30am Carlsbad Caverns Bat Viewing Ranger's Tour, Explore, arrive at Durango around 9-10 pm

Day 3 July 16 Monday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 4 July 17 Tuesday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 5 July 18 Wednesday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 6 July 19 Thursday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 7 July 20 Friday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 8 July 21 Saturday - open to staying one more night at Durango or begin making our way back to Austin but stop somewhere for a night cap.

Day 9 July 22 Sunday - home in Austin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[oldpotatoe]

Thank you tex pal and many others for the great suggestions, but guess what, looks like we are all set to spend several days at Durango, all thanks to bking pal for letting us stay at his condo, what a generous and kind offer, we are SO THANKFUL to him!

My boys and I are really looking forward to this road trip. We have not finalized on our daily schedule yet. in fact, what we do in Durango is still wide open for discussion. The only thing that is kinda set in stone is the day we will leave Austin (July 14) and what we will do on July 15, the rest are still in flux. We can use some help and suggestions on how to fill up our time while we use Durango as our "basecamp", and we are open to driving anywhere from 1-3 hrs to go do stuff and then return back to our basecamp to rest for the night and then ready to do that again the next day. We are interested in anything outdoors (biking, hiking, rafting) or indoors (museums, cultural centers). We can eat ANYTHING! We did a trip a few years ago and actually spent a night at Durango, taken the train to Silverton and also visited Mesa Verde.

Over the years, I have done several road tips based on the suggestions that folks have given me here and they have all turned out great!

Blue Ridge Parkway (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=75111&highlight=blue+ridge)
Spring Break 2017 (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=198735&highlight=blue+ridge)
Washington DC, Virginia Beach (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=74230&highlight=blue+ridge)
Yellowstone (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=90929&highlight=yellowstone)

So...Please help us plan our trip!
:hello:

Day 1 July 14 Friday: Depart from Austin, spend the night at Carlsbad

Day 2 July 15 Saturday 5:30am Carlsbad Caverns Bat Viewing Ranger's Tour, Explore, arrive at Durango around 9-10 pm

Day 3 July 16 Monday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 4 July 17 Tuesday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 5 July 18 Wednesday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 6 July 19 Thursday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 7 July 20 Friday (Durango) - nothing planned yet

Day 8 July 21 Saturday - open to staying one more night at Durango or begin making our way back to Austin but stop somewhere for a night cap.

Day 9 July 22 Sunday - home in Austin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not leaving for over a week but

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/29/lightner-creek-fire-durango/

[weisan]

Not leaving for over a week but

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/29/lightner-creek-fire-durango/

Wow.
Thanks old pal.
Not sure how this might impact the trip.

[weisan]

Eat, walk, swim, hike, bike, sleep, climb, watch, touch, click, jump, wave, scream, laugh, cry.... Repeat.

[tiretrax]

From Carlsbad, drive up to Taos and across the gorge, then up through Chama, Pagosa Springs and into Durango. Beautiful trip. A day trip to Telluride is also a beautiful drive.

BTW, you can camp for up to two weeks with no charge in a National Forest (well, at least for now). After two weeks, you have to move to another one and wait at least 30 (?) days to return.

On the drive home, I suggest you go East to I-25 and drive back through Raton, Amarillo, etc. to see the amazing terrain on that route.

Have a great time.

[weisan]

thank you tire pal for the excellent tip and suggestions.

[weisan]

Leaving tomorrow with my boys on our road trip from Austin TX to Durango, CO, very excited!

We will stop by Carlsbad Caverns before we head straight over. We will spend almost the entire week in that area.

[Scuzzer]

Looks like everyone else has this covered but I'll throw in another rec for Mesa Verde. When my kids were that age we crawled around that place for a couple of days.

Sounds like a great trip, have fun.

[lookout2015]

A little late now, but in addition to Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon is very cool. Amazing ruins, great sky at night when camping.

[cetuximab]

Springs is a good call.

Lot's of hikes/parks...Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cheyenne Park etc. Hiking biking.


We are here in Pueblo.

I take my kids surfing on the waves here in our Whitewater park.

Definitely Colorado.

[weisan]

Thanks pals!

No, is never too late, keep the suggestions coming, we are super flexible and can make any adjustment or changes on the fly.

[weisan]

We will be passing by Albuquerque later today on route from Carlsbad to Durango...

Any particular suggestions for things to do at Albuquerque if we have a couple of hours to spend there?

[OtayBW]

El Patio de Albuquerque restaurant, Harvard Dr SE, ~1.5 mi SE of the intersection of I-25 and I 40. Nothing fancy - just good local NM red/green sauce.

[weisan]

Thanks for the tip Otay pal, unfortunately we ate like there's no tomorrow during lunch at Dragon Chinese Buffet@Carlsbad, so we decided to skip dinner and drove on past Albuq. and straight to our cabin in Durango.

[weisan]

Depending on weather, these are the things in consideration for today:

1. Whitewater rafting Animas river

2. Mountain biking - Hermosa Creek

3. Zip line pine forest

4. Jeep ride

[weisan]

Did the rafting thing with my boys yesterday and we were there when this happened.

Man tubing Animas Whitewater Park requires rescue Sunday
https://durangoherald.com/articles/172852-man-tubing-animas-whitewater-park-requires-rescue-sunday

A shot from my video cam, rendering cpr.

[Ken Robb]

Were you able to make this disaster a valuable teaching moment? How did the kids react?

[Louis]

I say we turn this into another pro vs con helmet thread !!!

Have fun, Weisan. ;)

[yngpunk]

Thanks for the tip Otay pal, unfortunately we ate like there's no tomorrow during lunch at Dragon Chinese Buffet@Carlsbad, so we decided to skip dinner and drove on past Albuq. and straight to our cabin in Durango.

Tsk tsk Weisan-pal, every town has a Dragon Chinese Buffet, but not every town has NM red/green sauce.

Then again, when you are traveling with boys 14 and 11.... :D

[OtayBW]

Tsk tsk Weisan-pal, every town has a Dragon Chinese Buffet, but not every town has NM red/green sauce.

Then again, when you are traveling with boys 14 and 11.... :D
Thank-you! I thought it was me for a minute....:cool:

Actually, probably every town (in NM) does have red/green sauce, but this place came highly recommended as being a local go to place. It was pretty good....

[weisan]

Were you able to make this disaster a valuable teaching moment? How did the kids react?

Of course. We got there probably about 10-15 seconds before he actually got separated from his party and fell off the tube. We came into direct contact with the family members and saw the panic look on their faces. They were still looking around for him and then one of them, probably a family friend, spotted him face down further downstream about 100 meters. And he immediately jumped into the river and swam towards him in the RAPIDS! :eek: That was probably the craziest thing I witnessed. I mean, he could have become another casualty himself. Fortunately, he survived and actually was the first one to get to the victim and started cpr immediately. I can see he's a pretty good swimmer but still....swimming in those rapids is not exactly what I would do. Anyway.... one of our rafts picked him off the water (he was already unconscious) and brought him to shore. Our captain decided to keep us a bit further back and rightly so because there were four young boys including two of mine on our raft and we really don't want them to see any closeups. My video cam was rolling and I would have captured everything but no, I don't think I want to. As we passed by, folks were rendering cpr and the ambulance had just pulled up. All in all, this all happened in less than 10 minutes, so yeah, the response time was fast!

[weisan]

Today we took the old hundred mine tour at Silverton, mountain biked along County 17 / river road from Ouray to ridgeway, hiked up box canon, relaxed at hot springs before head on back. Tomorrow, Purgatory!

[weisan]

Oh forgot to mention, the scenic drive to Ouray on 550 was SPECTACULAR!

[Louis]

Are you going to do the train ride?

[weisan]

Are you going to do the train ride?

Most likely...even though we have done it a few years ago when we left St. Louis and did a road trip out west to the national parks. We will try out what bking pal suggested in an email.

"Best if taken only one way in my opinion. Shuttle back. Or take it to needleton junction, get off with a pack, food etc and hike up Needle Creek into Chicago basin. Spectacular hike/scenery. Don’t miss the last train out, or you’ll be there for the night. Which would be a great overnighter if you’re a bit of a backpacker. You could stay up in the Basin overnight, hike back down the next day."

[Louis]

If you were heading back to St Louis I would suggest that you not miss the Great Sand Dunes NP, but since you aren't it's too far out of your way to justify, even though they are very impressive and fun to climb.

[Scuzzer]

Oh forgot to mention, the scenic drive to Ouray on 550 was SPECTACULAR!

Yeah, that whole area is kinda great. You could easily spend a week driving around jeep trails and back country camping (for free) if you wanted to. I know since I have with a buddy and our mountain bikes.

[weisan]

Yeah, that whole area is kinda great. You could easily spend a week driving around jeep trails and back country camping (for free) if you wanted to. I know since I have with a buddy and our mountain bikes.

scuzzer pal, I have considered doing that. Is it relatively safe especially with driving around on a rental Jeep?

[bking]

scuzzer pal, I have considered doing that. Is it relatively safe especially with driving around on a rental Jeep?

Yep, it's safe. You can rent in Durango or Silverton. Lot's of amazing country to see, rivers and mountain streams everywhere. You may want to consider Silverton as base as you get higher faster. Have someone point you to a mountain lake, take a fishing pole, buy a couple flys from Duranglers, grab some matches. You're set.

[Ken Robb]

When you rent a Jeep in that area do they delete the usual rental car prohibitions against driving off paved roads?

[weisan]

We didn't rent a jeep, mostly because of the cost.

We are leaving Durango today and starting to make our way home.
This whole week has been great. It's so nice to have a home base that we can return to every day after a day's worth of activities - to rest and be ready to do it again the next day. I will give a fuller report with pictures and videos later when we get home.

We will be stopping by Amarillo for the night, driving through Pagosa Springs. Places we might visit along the way:

1. Great Sand Dunes National Park
2. Cadillac Ranch
3. The Big Texan Steak Ranch

Any other suggestions?