Silverton, CO

May 9th. We drove from Durango up to Silverton--a 50 mile trek up into the snowcapped mountains. Being afraid of heights, it wasn’t an easy drive for me. A two laned road, with no guard rails, and steep inclines and descents, and to top it all off, dozens of bikers were practicing for a future race so we had to navigate around the racers going up the mountains. No easy task. Once up in Silverton, we toured the shops, had lunch in their public park, and awaited the arrival of their famous narrow gauge train, complete with whistle and belching black smoke. Silverton is an old1800’s mining town that has many of the original buildings. From the very beginning, there was an imaginary line running down Greene Street dividing the town between the law-abiding , churchgoing residents, and the gamblers, prostitutes, variety theatres, dance halls, and saloons. After touring the town, you guessed it--we had to go DOWN the mountain road avoiding the bikers who were now traveling even faster, taking wider turns on the curves. Due to my white knuckle experience, my door handle will never be the same. I said many Hail Mary's! The beauty of the scenery was lost somewhere in my fear of maiming a biker or killing ourselves in the process of avoiding them. It was a memorable day trip!