When Jason and I found out that we were moving to Colorado for a few years, one of the first things I told him was that I really wanted to take a trip to Durango. At the time that we found out about the move, we had no idea we would be adding Miss Addison to our family.

When I was about 8, my Dad took our family on a vacation to Colorado. We spent a day or two in Durango and while there, we rode the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train. I have such great memories of that trip to Colorado with my family. Now that I am older, I understand just how much money it must have cost for us to take this trip when our family did not have the extra money for a vacation. I am so thankful that my parents thought it was important to make memories like this and take trips together. Now that my Dad is no longer with us, all I have are memories like these that I cherish.

When we knew Addison was joining our family, we decided to wait to take this trip until she could enjoy it with us. She will be 2 at the end of this month, and this was absolutely the perfect time for her! She has been really into trains for the past few months and loves to see “choo choos.” She was mesmerized by the train and once she went out to the viewing deck, she did not want to come back inside, despite the fact that it was quite brisk the morning of our journey.

The Durango railroad arrived in Durango in August 1881 and within a year, construction began on a line to connect Durango to Silverton. Once the line was complete, passengers along with freight were moved between the locations. The railroad was always promoted as a scenic route for passengers, but the line was constructed for the purpose of hauling mine ores in gold and silver from the San Juan Mountains. An estimated $300 million in metals have been transported on this line. (Durango Train)

Once we arrived back in Durango, we ate an early dinner at Steamworks Brewing Company. We started our meal with their cheese curds with jalapeños and a green chile dipping sauce – so good! I ordered their curry salmon that was baked in a banana leaf and Jason ordered the delicious fish tacos. We finished out our meal with a caramel apple skillet “Spent Grain” cookie.