During all the years we lived in Colorado, growing up and then raising our own family in the state...we loved the Rocky Mountains. When no one was in school, or not at work, we'd take a trip in the car to some remote area and enjoy the scenery. Even, as much as I hate it now...in the snow!! One of my favorite memories was a small town high up in the San Juan Mountains, in the southwest area of the state. A town, in a deep valley, surrounded by some of the highest mountain peaks...at the elevation of 9300 some odd feet above sea level. [approximately: 2835 meters]. The population is reported just over 500 residents. Tho, back in my time in Colorado, it was more or less a tourist attraction because of the historic narrow gauge train that ran in the summer months from Durango, Colorado to my favorite mining town...Silverton, Colorado. As I posted yesterday in part, the song recorded by C. W. McCall, "The Silverton", I mentioned I scanned a lot more photos from our trip on the train itself. 
Most always, back then, Silverton nearly became a ghost town when winter hit. [Now I hear that they remain open during those months with skiers and Olympic trainers...but not when we lived in Colorado.] The snows were atrocious, the heights would be so deep there was no way to get in and out of Silverton very often unless the highway from Ouray Colorado over Red Mountain Pass was opened...and very seldom was it open to traffic in winter. 
That road trip even in the heat of the summer in mid July to August when the highway was halfway cleared of snow and ice, it was scary and a treacherous drive....what an experience!! Try meeting a family towing a trailer on that narrow, high drop-off highway once!! If you don't have toilet paper with you....you're screwed!! It can be frightful, even to the experienced high mountain driver!!
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Okay, so at the time the rest of these photos were taken, it was a another extended weekend trip we took to the Durango, Silverton area. Both kids were small and our son, Erik, loved trains. What boy doesn't? And a few years prior to this trip, the classic movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman was filmed in part here. The engine #473 was used for the movie. We wanted to treat Erik to a chance of a lifetime to ride the rails of a narrow gauge train. The old ones!!! But, I must admit, this time we came into Durango [where the train station is] from the EAST side of Colorado through Colorado Springs and heading west over Wolf Creek Pass [by the way, C. W. McCall also recorded a song called Wolf Creek Pass which is so true in words! If you haven't ever experienced driving over Colorado Mountain Passes, you've missed out on some hairy, scary, adventures!!! Here is the link to the "Wolf Creek Pass" song.] I, of course, with my infatuation with the two celebrities and the movie being a favorite of ours, what lady with hormones couldn't pass up the chance of having the opportunity to sit on the same train those two guys did!! Be prepared, if you ever go...make sure you get an open car...where you can lean over the edge and view the river way down the drop off of the canyon!! It's just a lot of fun. The scenery is just breathtaking...the history of the train and the area is phenomenal...the little town of Silverton is out of this world 'old Victorian'. Of course, with the town relying on the tourism, the townspeople are super friendly and all in all it is something to do...the memories will last a lifetime!! I scanned scads of photos of the area, but settled for just posting these. I sure hope it doesn't slow down loading time very much. I made them all in thumbnail size, hoping it'll be quicker to load. You can click on any or all the photos to enlarge 'em. They'll open in new windows/tabs....
FURTHER READING:
History of the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train
History of Silverton, Colorado
Hillside Cemetery in Silverton Colorado
Filming Locations of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969]
Most always, back then, Silverton nearly became a ghost town when winter hit. [Now I hear that they remain open during those months with skiers and Olympic trainers...but not when we lived in Colorado.] The snows were atrocious, the heights would be so deep there was no way to get in and out of Silverton very often unless the highway from Ouray Colorado over Red Mountain Pass was opened...and very seldom was it open to traffic in winter. 
That road trip even in the heat of the summer in mid July to August when the highway was halfway cleared of snow and ice, it was scary and a treacherous drive....what an experience!! Try meeting a family towing a trailer on that narrow, high drop-off highway once!! If you don't have toilet paper with you....you're screwed!! It can be frightful, even to the experienced high mountain driver!!- - -
Okay, so at the time the rest of these photos were taken, it was a another extended weekend trip we took to the Durango, Silverton area. Both kids were small and our son, Erik, loved trains. What boy doesn't? And a few years prior to this trip, the classic movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman was filmed in part here. The engine #473 was used for the movie. We wanted to treat Erik to a chance of a lifetime to ride the rails of a narrow gauge train. The old ones!!! But, I must admit, this time we came into Durango [where the train station is] from the EAST side of Colorado through Colorado Springs and heading west over Wolf Creek Pass [by the way, C. W. McCall also recorded a song called Wolf Creek Pass which is so true in words! If you haven't ever experienced driving over Colorado Mountain Passes, you've missed out on some hairy, scary, adventures!!! Here is the link to the "Wolf Creek Pass" song.] I, of course, with my infatuation with the two celebrities and the movie being a favorite of ours, what lady with hormones couldn't pass up the chance of having the opportunity to sit on the same train those two guys did!! Be prepared, if you ever go...make sure you get an open car...where you can lean over the edge and view the river way down the drop off of the canyon!! It's just a lot of fun. The scenery is just breathtaking...the history of the train and the area is phenomenal...the little town of Silverton is out of this world 'old Victorian'. Of course, with the town relying on the tourism, the townspeople are super friendly and all in all it is something to do...the memories will last a lifetime!! I scanned scads of photos of the area, but settled for just posting these. I sure hope it doesn't slow down loading time very much. I made them all in thumbnail size, hoping it'll be quicker to load. You can click on any or all the photos to enlarge 'em. They'll open in new windows/tabs....
FURTHER READING:
History of the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train
History of Silverton, Colorado
Hillside Cemetery in Silverton Colorado
Filming Locations of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969]