This Is the Life

Destination: Colorado
Total Miles: a lot...
Total Cost: $450 (roughly)





Colorado...I love Colorado. If you have followed my blog at all, you have seen this state crop up more than once.

This was my third summer going out to visit and go adventuring with my friend, Caroline. Her family lives just outside of Denver, and she-being a nurse like me-loves to travel and see new (and old) things.

Instead of hanging around Denver this year, we opted for a more adventurous trip. I had worked the four nights before flying out, and she had worked the three days before (including the day I flew in...which worked out beautifully with my late flight). After catching up on some sleep and finishing up errands (and my last projects and papers for class), we piled into her car, Cherry, and headed southwest.

Sixish hours later, we made it to Durango and checked into our cozy cabin at the local KOA. The evening was spent lolling about downtown Durango and trying out a local coffee shop.

We arose early the next morning to start out on our journey. Traveling by train, we wound our way through the mountains to the town of Silverton. The views were spectacular! Even though the train ride ended up being much longer than planned, Caroline and I enjoyed discussing everything from the past year while enjoying the remnants of our Starbucks hot chocolates.

While I doubt I would have appreciated the long and sooty rides when trains were the main mode of transportation, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my friend.

Our time in Silverton was short but profitable. We grabbed a late lunch and shopped around for some silver aspen leaf earrings. Fortunately, Caroline's parents had recommended we take the bus back, thus we were able to see some spectacular views! That area of Colorado boasts some of the most gorgeous and pristine scenery.

After arriving back in Durango, we opted to hop down to New Mexico (being as that I have never been and it was all of 30 minutes away). After searching around a couple of towns and not finding any reputable appearing restaurants, we headed back to our cabin in time to watch the sun setting as we chowed down on our grocery-store-supper.

Friday was sure to be another crazy adventure, and after the sun went down, we hit the beds in order to be fresh for Friday's exploits!

Below are just a few pictures from this leg of the trip...