RUN FOR THE WALL Jean and Larry: May 9, 2024

May 9, 2024 - Day 5 to Ontario

Today we took a break and did not ride on the bike. Instead, we took a ride on the railroad. Ron looked this up and what a great trip. It is from Durango to Silverton, CO. We will go from 6500 feet to 9300 feet in elevation. It is about 45 miles and, in the San Juan National Forest.

All aboard. Tosh is our guide for the day.

This is our break man. He is the assistant conductor.

Interesting notes:

Engine is 112 years old
It is a steam engine
Runs on recycled oil, like from semis, and uses 900 gallons per trip
Every trip in Durango and in Silverton, then again on the return trip in Durango, they check over the full train; breaks, lines,.....
The track is also checked daily prior to the trains leaving. Making sure nothing fell on the tracks over night.

As we roll out of town, we pass a golf course. Funny story, she said the geese will sit on the golf balls and not let the golfer get them. They get pretty possessive.

Fairways are so narrow and there is a lot of water, you better be a golfer and hit them straight.

After a short time on the train, I would say the motorcycle is a much smoother ride. Get a wide stance and be ready to rock with the train. Rule is if you fall in someone's lap, you owe them a drink. No one had to pay today.

Interesting fact: the train whistles are signals. Like Morse code. So, a lot of the time, conversations would stop so we could figure out the signals.

Pass Hermosa, you can see where all the repair parts are stored.

This our first bend where you can see the front of the train.

There are some parts where you could literally touch the rock walls.

Watch out guys!!!

Now look at the other side. Yikes!!! that is a long way down.

There is a section further down the track that the train is actually tight on both sides.

Heading across an old and refurbished bridge.

You will see this in a lot of pics. It is the Animas River.

It is a free flow river meaning there are no dams in it.

Few times along the way you need to get water.

You could step out the front or back of the car and look around. Just hold tight.

This is Shalona Lake and is privately owned.

There are several waterfalls along the way.

If you look at the engine, you will see white off the right side. This is called a "blow out'. It shoots water to clear any sediment that may have settle in it. Sounds like a big wave of water from the ocean.

Too bad it was not a real sunny day but still beautiful pics of the area.

If you look in the middle of the pic, there is beaver's dam.

Beavers will work on very large trees. They need to do this to keep their teeth short. They grow constantly. Here is on example of one of the trees. Pretty big !!!

This is an old water tank from 1885 and decommissioned in 1978. It was made of wood, but they have since replaced it with metal ones. What show aired in the 1960 that this reminds you of? For many, you have no idea. It was Petticoat Junction. Wow!! am I showing my age or what.

This train only runs May to October because Silverton gets 200 inches of snow a year. Over the years the high water causes a lot of damage. This is one of the old bridges.

Check out the support. Pretty bad shape.

Look how close this is to the edge. Pretty cool pic.

We get to Silverton and get lunch. Cool small town and lots of great restaurants. Most are just getting open for the season. Here is a close up of engine.