Images of Durango

 

It’s been a fine couple of weeks in Durango, in spite of the 4th of July holiday we were concerned about. Junction Creek Campground has been especially quiet and there were always open sites. It may have been the excessive heat our first week here, or the fact that the 4th was on a Wednesday, or the ban on campfires, charcoal grills, outdoor smoking and fireworks. No matter the reason, it made for a very pleasant stay with the proximity to Durango, plenty of nearby hiking trails, a place to ride bikes, and the discovery of some good new microbrews.

We took lots of photos so here they are.

The historic Strater Hotel, opened in 1888. The lobby was nice, too.

 

The Saturday morning Farmer’s Market. Yes, everything was organic and expensive but this is Durango!

 

Besides several hikes on the Colorado Trail, we also hiked on the Log Chutes mountain bike trails adjacent to the campground. Never saw a mountain bike on the trail, nor any other people. We figured we might see some wildlife there but no luck.

 

  

On the 4th I found a trail not far from the campground that said it was little known except by locals. We figured the well-known trails would be crowded that day and we were right. The parking lots for the Colorado trail were full and cars were lined up along the road. Not so on the Falls Creek trail. There were only 2 other cars at the trailhead. We got to walk through a meadow in a lovely valley, into the forest, then along the creek to numerous small waterfalls.

There is a 2/3 mile trail at the Animas Overlook, 5 miles up the dirt road from the campground. We just dodged a thunderstorm, as we have every day this week.

Other than 2 deer walking through our site, an Abert’s squirrel, and loads of chipmunks, the predominant wildlife here are hummingbirds and more hummingbirds. We just  had to put out our feeders.

Sharing the love.

We thought they were all broad-tailed hummingbirds.

But then this one showed up. A rufous hummingbird maybe? He should be in the Pacific northwest at this time of year.

 

Anyway, they’ve kept us and Quincy entertained. And speaking of Quincy, he’s turned into a real exercise freak.

On the balance beam.

And his upper body workout.

I think we have a destination in mind for tomorrow, after a free (and much needed) dump at the Durango visitor center.