Bryans Take Ouray, Day Six

We left Ouray bright and early to drive to Durango to ride the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

There was rain forecasted, and the clouds were hanging really low in the mountains. It was eerie and beautiful. 

The road between Ouray and Durango was full of switchbacks, so the seventy-mile trip took almost two hours. 

We boarded the train around 9:00 and got settled in our seats.

The car we were on was open on the sides and the seats faced outward so we could see everything really well.  

The car behind the first two yellow cars is the same kind that we were in.  We were very close to the edge of the cliff face on many parts of the track.

Every now and then we felt the spray from the steam and cinders from the coal got all over our clothes and stuff we had with us.  Harper and I got a few cinders in our eyes.

The view was amazing. 

The Animas River

We were very close to the sides of the cliff on many parts of the ride.

About halfway through the trip, we had to stop so the train could refill the water supply they needed to make steam.  We could see the engineer and brakemen working quickly to get the water refilled.

The three-hour train trip between Durango and Silverton was forty-six miles long.  The 500 men crew took only two years to build the track back in the 1880s.  Once we got closer to Silverton, it got much colder.  We were bundled up in coats and blankets and snuggled to stay warm.  After we arrived in Silverton, we had just enough time to eat before we had to board the train again.  We found a saloon called Grumpy's.  A lady played familiar tunes on an old piano while we ate.

The girls enjoyed snacks from the concession car.

The train ride was a big hit!