Travel Date: September 10, 2025
Our final train ride on the Road Scholar tour was on the Durango and Silverton Railroad in southern Colorado. We stayed at a nearby hotel in Durango the night before and walked over to the depot and museum before it was time to board.
In the museum we saw the engineers view of a steam locomotive.
That looks so complicated. Major props to the steam engineers.
When we left the museum our train was waiting for us.
Soon it was time to board and we got a group shot of the fearless travelers,
The views were breath-taking as we wound through the San Juan National Forest in the southern Rockies.
The curves are the best because you can get a view of the locomotive pulling you.
Want to see a steam locomotive in action? I’m glad you asked; here is a video from my YouTube channel.
It looks a little like a toy train to me. I think that is because of the old cars and the size compared to the mountains.
We travelled along the Animas River part of our trip.
When the outing was over we got on the motor coach and Victor took us to the old mining town of Ouray. Along the way we made a stop at the Red Mountain Overview on the winding Million Dollar Highway (US 550). As you can imagine wonderful views were all around. In this one we can see a trestle for the train we just took.
Carl and I couldn’t resist gettin a picture of ourselves in front of the mountain.
A little farther along we stopped at the Bear Creek Falls Overlook.
Panoramic shots don’t always work; but this spot deserved an attempt.
And here is a closer look at that crevice in the bottom middle.
If you stop at the Bear Creek Falls Overlook you’d better look over the water fall.
We eventually arrived in Ouray for the night. The sunset was beautiful
Ouray is named after Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute tribe. He did the best he could to keep his people safe my negotiating treaties with the US government. Although he saved his tribe from death in battle; the end result was the same: loss of land and relocation to a reservation.
The next day we would take a jeep tour up into the mountains; then the long drive home. Stay tuned.
