Durango

In Southwest Colorado, towns are small and far apart. The nearest neighbor to Cortez is Durango, some 45 miles east. Today was a beautiful day for a drive, so we decided to head to Durango for lunch. The San Juan Mountains provided a scenic backdrop along most of the way.

Durango is a quaint mountain town with a classic Main Street filled with shops and restaurants. Minutes after we stepped on the street to begin our pre-lunch stroll, we heard a gentleman standing on the curb say, "Rock chalk!" To which we automatically responded: "Jayhawk!" He had spotted Paul's Jayhawk t-shirt and made the KU call. When we stopped to meet this fellow Jayhawk, he revealed his University of Kansas shirt from the School of Journalism, no less. With that, we made instant friends in downtown Durango! Sharee and Gary (left) are the fellow Jayhawks who live in nearby Pagosa Springs. Sharee is demonstrating her "Hawk hands". We like! Just moments earlier these two met a couple they had much in common with. These good people (whose names escape us) are from one of our favorite spots: Kerrville, Texas.

After our small world meeting, we completed our stroll and stopped in Old Tymer's Cafe for lunch. It was a friendly spot with good food and great service.

After lunch we did a bit more exploring around town. Durango has a lot to offer, including the historic Durango-Silverton Railroad, which according to just about everybody around here is a "must-do". We didn't have time for the all-day excursion today, but we've put it on our list. Next time we're in these parts, we think we'll stay in Durango. For now, we're happy with this delightful taste of the town.