If it's not broken, don't fix it, right? That's how I feel about returning to my favorite place, year after year after year. The southwestern region of Colorado never disappoints and I will never grow tired of it's beauty, so we returned exactly one year after coming for the fall colors last October...to revisit classic spots and try something new :)
I booked a room at Twin Peaks in Ouray about 6 months ago when I was notified that it was the last room available. We drove up on Monday, hitting up an old favorite: The Old Lime Creek Trail. Just past Durango, the rugged trail takes off to the right and winds along the river and mountains for several miles, coming back out onto the San Juan Scenic Byway just before Silverton.
Worried that all of the restaurants would be closed by the time we got to Ouray, we stopped for dinner at a brewery in Silverton, had pizza and caprese, and then continued to our motel. Somewhere along the way, I came down with a migraine, so after a horrendous drive through the switchbacks in the dark, we got settled in and Brian took the kids to soak in the hot springs while I buried my head in pillows and tried not throwing up.
The next morning, we stopped at Box Canyon Falls and explored. Remarkably, I'd never gone down there and it was actually really cool. It was like a miniature version of Trummelbach Falls in Switzerland and then climbed up to the Ouray Perimeter trail which was gorgeous. We weren't really prepared for a big hike, so we just went a little ways, but the views were incredible and it was the most beautiful day.
...and of course, we had to stop at one of the coolest places in the canyon, a waterfall next to an old mine that is tucked away behind an embankment on the side of the road.
We got back to the motel late in the afternoon and walked around town before grabbing dinner and soaking in the hot springs. Wednesday we woke up at 4:30 to drive to Durango and catch the train. We got the kid's tickets for free and opted to do the round-trip ride to Silverton. They have a refillable cup available for $8, and over the course of 10 hours, we certainly got our money's worth several times over. The forecast showed cold and rain, but it ended up being the most beautiful day so we hung out on the open-air car and enjoyed the crisp air and sunshine while sipping hot chocolate and chai. Occasionally, the cinders from the engine would get stuck in my eyeball, but it was a small price to pay for one of the coolest experiences ever:)
It was pretty overcast on the ride to Silverton, but after lunch at Handlebars and some shopping, the sun came out and hit the leaves perfectly and the mountains were glowing.
