Well, I totally spoke too soon about falling in love with Texas. Over the course of the last week, Durango took the top spot on the list of our favorite stops. A small valley town in the southwest corner of Colorado, Durango has a charm and sensibility that we've not yet seen. With a vibrant downtown atmosphere, spectacular 360 degree views and a totally laid back ease, it stole our hearts!
We were so fortunate to have our own personal tour guide in our dear friend, Sue Croom. Shortly after we arrived last Saturday, she came and swooped us up for church. We loved attending her little mountain Methodist Church and having dinner with she and friend Mary, afterwards.
On Sunday, we took off for a scenic drive to the absolutely picturesque towns of Silverton and Ouray. Driving through the mountain passes was, of course, thrilling for Jeff and I took tons of pictures. Many of the mountains were still snow covered, as well as much of Silverton. Sue joined us and gave us all the insider info on mountain names, trails, and taught us a great deal about the old mining activities in the area.
It was a busy work week with Jeff doing deals and us bouncing from meeting to meeting with distributors. Every time we walked out of a meeting, Jeff said, "the people here are so friendly!" We found that every where we went which only added to the 'homey' feel of Durango.
We absolutely loved the campground we were in, Alpen Rose. It was in the north valley of the Animus River, and a stones throw from the Silverton-Durango Railway, so we loved hearing the steam train toot it's horn as it passed by in the morning and afternoon. The campground staff were gearing up for their season which will officially begin in May, so it was nice and quiet and we were in a spot that even had a little lawn area. Between that and the two acre dog park, Seuss and Cookie were thrilled with it as well.
We killed some time after meetings, just driving around. In the hillside neighborhoods, we were totally surprised to see mule deer, EVERY WHERE. Like our squirrels, there would be four or five in every other yard. They have huge ears and I'm fairly certain are the cutest of all the deer.
I can't say enough how much we enjoyed being with Sue! She had managed incoming mail for us so we stopped by her place on Tuesday to grab what was there. Her little farm is so her and it was so fun to get a glimpse of her new life in Durango (she moved from Vero right about the time Jeff and I got married). We had a great send off dinner with her and her friend Rose last night before leaving and I just found myself so grateful for the friends I made in Vero and for the ability to catch up with so many people while we're out on this trip! God has been so very faithful to me, and friendships like Sue's are such evidence!
We set off this morning to Scottsdale, AZ. I wish I could put into words the absolute expanse of the terrain we have seen. From Buttes to Mesa's, huge canyons and bewildering rock formations, this drive has had it all. Even a few still-snow capped mountains. We had a quick stop at the Four Corners monument, that was really just a fancy Navajo flea market with some fancy markers. Totally in the middle of nowhere, the surrounding area was astoundingly beautiful.
We've now driven through several Indian Reservations. The Navajo Reservation was HUGE and felt like much of our drive today. It befuddles me that vast regions of the US don't have running water, but from the thousands of outhouses we saw today, that's surely the case. I'm sure many didn't have electricity as well. It's just hard for me to even fathom that kind of dustbowl existence. I'm grateful that though they lack much, God has given them the most astounding scenery to live amongst. Fun Fact: The Navajo Reservation is the size of West Virginia.
I'm going to leave on Monday and fly back to Georgia to spend some time with my mom who has had a rough recovery from a spinal surgery only to learn this morning that she actually has a broken back. Jeff will hang out in Scottsdale until I get back Friday night and then we'll start making the trek to and through California!