Silverton

When we drove to Ouray the other day, we skipped visiting Silverton although the road goes there as well. Not wanting to miss any part of this lovely area we had to return to Silverton. It is an end point for the rail trip from Durango, as well as being an abandoned silver mine town. Now it is a tourist destination with fun stores to check out. When we arrived after passing through the aspen trees at their height in gorgeous colors and mountain tops crowned with new snow from last night's rain, we parked the car and immediately looked for a warm cup of coffee. Our waitress not only provided the necessary coffee but took pictures and explained the quilt collection on the walls featuring lots of Hallowe'en-themed pumpkins, black cats, and ghosts. We found out our waitress is named Pita, and she leaned over and said, "It means, 'Pain In The A.. .' " How we laughed.

With that fun beginning we carefully explored most of the stores except for the ones featuring candles, which can give me an instant headache. We found the Handlebar Restaurant, which has good hamburgers by reputation from several locals and visitors, and decided that was a good place for lunch. This time our waitress was Betty, and she brought us bison and elk burgers. The elk was the better of the two. With lunch satiating the hunger pains we wandered through any missed stores and stopped in a candy store for a treat. Then home.

Once back in Durango we discovered that a couple pulling a trailer was turning into this park when a biker tried to pass and got caught under the front corner of the trailer. He was not killed, but his bike was badly damaged. The campers had put on their turn signals, and we think that the biker was in their blind spot. How traumatic for all. Apparently there have been several accidents at this entrance, and the county will not put in a turn lane until there is a fatality. How stupid is that. The accident tied up traffic for quite awhile. I wonder how the biker is doing this morning. Maybe the office will know.

Ron and Julie found us watching the accident scene, and we all decided it was a perfect time to watch all of their recent pictures on a bigger screen than the computer. Ron used an HDMI cable to connect the computer to the television, which made for great viewing. Byron arrived to enjoy the show, too. While watching the slide show and talking non-stop as usual, we enjoyed several Lemon Drop Martinis, accompanied by Ron's smoked trout, pickled herring, and guacamole.

The evening was spent watching several new television shows and then off to bed. Happy travels.