Two Scenic Train Rides in Colorado

A big part of my vacation was riding two trains. I've ridden trains before, but they've never been so scenic. In fact, most of my train experience has been in subways where there is nothing fun to see out the windows.

My husband and I rode the Royal Gorge Route Railroad down into Royal Gorge where we had an up-close look at the Arkansas River. The trip lasted approximately two hours, and cost just shy of $300 for two tickets in Deluxe Class.

I sprang for Deluxe Class because my husband is 6 feet 2 inches tall, and I wanted him to have enough leg room. We were not disappointed. The car was set up like an old-fashioned dining car. We had padded chairs that moved freely instead of being affixed to the train car. We were free to go out to the open-air car where I took some of these amazing photos.

We sat across from a lovely couple named Carolyn and Jimmy. I will never forget them. First of all, they were delightful. Secondly, they have the same names as my mother-in-law and my late father-in-law. Visiting with them was bittersweet in that it brought to mind what could have been and how I wish things were.

The second train ride was on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. That trip to Silverton and back translated into a nine-hour excursion. It was three and a half hours each way with a two-hour layover in Silverton. It was long, but the scenery was spectacular, and many of those places I saw are inaccessible by other means. The town of Silverton was a quaint old mining town with plenty of tourist-friendly things to see and do. I tried my very first huckleberry ice cream there. It was delicious.

The most interesting part of that train ride was stopping to pick up and drop off hikers and campers. I had to laugh because on the ride back to Durango, we picked up a group of campers in a clearing. During the return trip, one of campers was talking very loudly to her son on her cell phone, which was on speaker, so we could ALL enjoy the conversation. She complained to him that she’d been on the train for two and a half hours. I wanted to tell her how long the rest of us in the car had been aboard, but I decided I would be better off not engaging in conversation with her. The lady's negativity would've ruined my Zen.

My week in Colorado was full of natural beauty, breath-taking heights, and clean mountain air. I enjoyed hiking a few of the easier trails, riding the rails, and exploring both ancient man-made wonders and natural ones alike. I have lived over half a century, and I have never seen anyplace that rivals the beauty of Colorado. I can hardly wait to return!

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