Durango - Old West Weekend

Your Singles Weekend begins when you land at the Durango Airport and make your way to the group's hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Durango, located in the heart of downtown. Check-in to your River-View Room and relax, take a swim in the pool or take a walk around downtown. Meet your Singles Host at 6:30 pm in the lobby for a meet and greet and walk about 2 minutes to the 11th Street Station, where seven food trucks encircle the original service station, now turned into Ernie’s Bar. From tacos to pizza, sushi to Thai cuisine and gourmet sliders, each food truck vendor is locally owned and operated. The Station provides enclosed and exposed dining right in the heart of downtown Durango.

Today we ride the rails of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, known around the world as one of the most scenic American train journeys. Relive the sights and sounds of yesterday with a spectacular ride aboard the historic, coal-fired, steam-powered train that has been in operation since 1882. As the train winds through breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the San Juan National Forest, experience the wilds of Colorado like the original miners and pioneers did.
After breakfast we board our bus bound for historic Silverton, CO via the Million Dollar Highway. Offering breathtaking mountain, valley and gorge views, the Million Dollar Highway winds and clings to the mountain providing dramatic views at every turn. The moment we step off the bus and meet our local guide, you will feel like you stepped back in time as Silverton's roots are in mining. Our guide will show us many of the fascinating sights in the historic district, including Blair Street known for its shady ladies
Then we head to Cunningham Gulch and the Old Hundred Gold Mine. At the picnic area enjoy the views, the fresh air and a freshly-made picnic lunch before we try our hands at panning for gold and silver! "Suit up” and board the electric mine train for the 1/3 mile ride 1,600 ft deep into the heart of Galena Mountain. Here we will see gold veins with tunnels and shafts built by the hard-rock miners between 1907 and 1972.

After we return to sunlight, our tour continues with views of the boarding house, which is still stubbornly clinging to the steep mountainside. As we head back to town we will pass the Mayflower Mill as our guide describes the way ore was processed in the late 19th century. Our next stop is the Silverton's state-of-the-art mining museum and historical jail. Slip into the jail and feel what it was like to be "behind bars" in the old town of Silverton. We arrive at the Silverton rail station in time to depart on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s steam train headed to Durango. We will ride on the same rails gold and silver ore took on its way to the smelter and see the same breathtaking views in the Animas River Canyon that the train crews did back in the 1880s.
Tonight we walk back towards the train depot for dinner at T's Smokehouse & Grill. T's specialize in Hickory Smoked Bar-B-Que, Southern & Creole/Cajun Food, Fresh Ground Angus Burgers and Po'boys on Leidenheimer Bread shipped from New Orleans.

About 35 miles from Durango is the Mesa Verde National Park. Today we will spend the day exploring the National Park that was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. Sometime during the late 1190s, after primarily living on the mesa top for 600 years, many Ancestral Puebloans began living in pueblos they built beneath the overhanging cliffs. The structures ranged in size from one-room storage units to villages of more than 150 rooms.

Our first stop is at the Mesa Verde National Park Visitor and Research Center for an orientation of the park and to view native artifacts. As we depart the Center, we will see archaeological sites along the Mesa Loop Road, a 6-mile drive that leads to 12 surface dwellings and cliff-dwelling overlooks, including Sun Point Overlook, Square Tower House and magnificent views of Cliff Palace. Our guide will point out some of the most notable and best-preserved cliff dwelling ruins. We will visit the famous Cliff Palace, the largest and most famous cliff dwelling with over 150 individual rooms and more than 20 kivas (rooms for religious rituals). We enter an exceptionally large dwelling, which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Mesa Verde Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.
Let's check out one of the local Brew Pubs for dinner tonight then we will go to the Wild West Saloon, Durango’s favorite and largest adult playground.

This morning you have a choice between whitewater rafting or Jeep Tour - both are about 4 hours.
Experience the adrenaline-pumping excitement of a rafting adventure and ride along the clear, crisp waters of the historic Animas River. With an experienced river guide, we'll paddle through Class I, Class II and intermittent Class III rapids, taking in the scenery of Durango from the water and the natural beauty south of town.

Enjoy an off-road expedition into La Plata Canyon (20 minutes West of Durango), a hidden treasure nestled in the La Plata Mountains. Several small waterfalls and cascading rivers follow the rugged jeep trails in the springtime along with lots of wildlife such as marmots, mule deer, elk herds, juncos, kingfishers, turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks and bald eagles. Our knowledgeable tour guide will regale us with stories of the old mining days and provide interpretation of the local geography, flora, and fauna as we travel to the top of Kennebec Pass. Once we arrive at the summit, get out, stretch your legs, and snap photos of Durango’s most iconic mountain peaks.

This afternoon is your time to shop and explore Durango on your own or with you new friends. Durango is the perfect place to shop 'til you drop with over 500 shops, from clothing stores and home & gift stores to bike and outdoor gear shops. Need do something more active? Then go for a hike, try zip-lining, rent a kayak or a bike. Whatever you decide upon, you will have a wonderful afternoon.
Tonight we celebrate great times at the Diamond Belle Saloon, revered as one of the most famous original ragtime piano bars in the Wild West. The Belle menu includes some of the locals’ favorite, served by the famous Belle Girls in period costume. Listen to good music and enjoy fine food at our Farewell Dinner.

Time for breakfast before our wonderful weekend in Durango, Colorado has comes to an end. Make your way to the airport according to your individual flight schedules and have a safe flight home!