By Staff Writer James Schryver
We will be travelling to the North from Farmington in order to experience the awe-inspiring forested mountains and hidden treasures of Southwest Colorado. This tour might have to be split up into several days in order to accommodate for everything there is to do in this area.
Head West on US 64 until you reach Highway 491 N out of Shiprock. Follow this road until you reach Cortez, CO, and take Highway 160. As a side note, there are several good restaurants in Cortez, including Gustavo’s Mexican Restaurant and Bar. After passing through Cortez, keep an eye on the right side of the road and you will pass the Sleeping Ute Mountain. This mountain, when looking at it from a distance, looks like a man with a very large nose laying down asleep. Now, keep travelling east on Highway 160 until you hit the exit for Mesa Verde National Park.
Mesa Verde National Park is an archeological site with homes built from the hands of ancient Anasazi Indians. These pueblos were built into the side of the rock out of mud, clad, stone, and many other natural materials. Some of these homes have separate compartments for the rooms and separate for the storage. Some homes were even built just as a storage shed and other homes were built to be living areas. In some of these homes one is still able to find pottery shards, arrowheads, and tools, as well as some of their basketry equipment. Mesa Verde also offers a lot of very interesting hikes and trails.
Once you are done seeing the sights around this part, it is time to go back to Highway 160 and head east towards Durango. Durango, CO is a tourist destination due to its proximity to great skiing and snowboarding in the winter and excellent hiking, backpacking, and biking during the summertime. It is also a college town home to Fort Lewis College. Durango has a new age hippie feel to it. There are a lot of people from California that have moved East into CO. People are always active and outdoorsy because there is so much opportunity to get into something in the outdoors.
There are a few bars in this town that have some very good brews as well as very good places to eat. There are places like Steamworks Brewing Co., Ska Brewing, Zia Taqueria, and Lonespur Café. One of the most fun activities you could do with the family just north of Durango is something called the Bar-D Chuckwagon. At the Bar-D, you are served one of three meals of your choosing and after eating on picnic benches, you will direct your attention to the small stage. Four men will appear to play Country/Western/Cowboy music in a family friendly, fun oriented environment. The Bar-D is open every evening from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Durango happens to have an old timey train that runs throughout the town. This train goes up to Silverton, CO. I recommend taking this journey from Durango to Silverton via the Narrowgauge during the first week of October or so because this is when the leaves begin to change color. Silverton is also known for its silver mining capacity. There is so much history within that town, even their cemetery has special plots for specific people.
There is going to have to be a part two of Southwestern CO. This is where is spend most of my time when I am not in Farmington.