Who thought that driving Coach Addy over the Million Dollar Highway, listed as one of the most beautiful drives and the 2nd most dangerous highway to drive, was a good idea? We did get to experience one of America’s best steam train journeys on the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad; And..not one, not two, but three incredible Harvest Hosts this week, including the deserted ghost town of Cisco, UT where Thelma and Louise was filmed; and we made it to Peder’s sister’s house in Pocatello, Idaho! What an eclectic week!
We left Durango, CO and took The Million Dollar Highway to Ouray, CO. This road is known as one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in the United States, it is also listed as one of the most dangerous! Yes, it was beautiful and YES, IT WAS SCARY! Peder had done his research and felt confident that his driving skills were up to the challenge. Who cares that it is known for its steep grade, many hairpin turns, steep drops just off of the road and did I mention that most parts do NOT have guardrails! Let’s just say that we weren’t even to the scariest parts and Peder was definitely questioning this decision. I could try and explain the intensity of our journey, but I think the video we took and our “friendly” banter says it best! Click below for Peder's Post and Video
Hot Tip #1: When the RV blogs suggest you shouldn’t take a road, you may want to listen to them-especially if it involves steep drops and the driver is a bit afraid of heights!
Our first hint about the Million Dollar Highway should have been when we took the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad the day before, you see the railroad actually follows much of the same route and the mountains are steep and many parts of the railroad are right on the cliff. But we figured certainly the highway wouldn’t mirror the train track…we were right-it was much worse! But back to the train ride, what a great trip. The railroad has been transporting passengers through the remote, scenic wilderness and high mountain landscape of the San Juan National Forest for over 140 years! The views were spectacular and the stop at Cascade Canyon for lunch by the river was so beautiful! What a fun and memorable adventure!
We continue to enjoy our Harvest Host experiences. The week began with a stay at Jack-a-Lope Acres just outside of Durango, CO. What an adorable place. This is a family farm owned by a lovely young couple. They have a clear vision of what the farm can be and how it can be a community gathering place. Fall is their busy time, reminding me a bit of Bates Nut Farm outside of San Diego. We pulled up and were met by Kristen and her sweet daughter, Taylor. She shared that we could park anywhere in the open field that we wanted. Well this was an easy decision. In the middle of the field was a large oak tree with an old red truck parked next to it-talk about a Norman Rockwell scene-This is Americana at its best! What an incredible view from Coach Addy. Charlie loved that he could run around off leash, as it was just open land.
Hot Tip #2 Pay attention to the details and place yourself in the middle of the beauty!
Following our relaxing three days in Ouray we began our trek towards Idaho and spent the first night at Buzzard’s Belly, a Harvest Host in Cisco, CO. One of the things that we love about Harvest Hosts is that each one is different. Buzzards Belly General Store in the old deserted Ghost Town of Cisco is indeed one of the most unique Harvest Hosts where we have stayed so far. I don’t know what we expected, but it wasn’t this, and yet it was great in its own right. I should add, that we had a epic thunder and lightening storm that evening that only added to the mystique of this old deserted ghost town!
Cisco is now completely deserted, except for the general store, but it is probably most famous for being the location of the gas station where Thelma and Louise stop and Susan Sarandan’s character trades all of her jewelry for the older man’s cowboy hat that she wears throughout the movie; Vanishing Point, the 1971 cult film’s explosive ending was also filmed at this gas station; And last, but not least Johnny Cash stopped at a service station about a mile southwest of Cisco and later recorded a song (Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station) about his experience.
And our last Harvest Host was just outside of Provo, Utah at an Elderberry Farm. The farm wasn’t really all that special, but it was a lovely drive from the freeway through some amazing countryside and we did learn a bit about elderberries. We purchased some elderberry honey, elderberry syrup and some dehydrated elderberries for baking. I’m looking forward to making an Elderberry Cocktail with the syrup! The sound of the cows across the highway was new for us and reminded us that we really were out in the country!
We arrived yesterday in Pocatello, Idaho and we are looking forward to spending some time with Peder’s sister and her family. Yes, we are Moochdocking off of family again! We will be here for a few weeks, but we will do side trips to Canada, Yellowstone and Bozeman. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks, but I am so looking forward to exploring this part of the country!
Lesson Learned: Roku Rocks! We purchased a Roku remote in Denver and it has been a game changer for our TV watching-especially MLBTV. The LG TV’s in the Coach are not that smart and the remote is very clunky. So we are really enjoying the ease and simplicity or our Roku Remote! Wondering what took us so long to do this?? Ahhh yes, the simple things in life!
Bummer of the Week: This is a recurring theme, but I think I have to say that the rain continues to put a damper on our trip. The mornings are nice, but most afternoons have brought rain. The exception to this bummer would be the outstanding Lightning/Thunderstorm that we had while we were at Buzzard’s Belly! How appropriate for an abandoned ghost town!
Highlight of the Week: We survived the Million Dollar Highway! Enough said…
We leave tomorrow for Canada! We will be gone for the week and we can’t wait to see Banff, Lake Louise and all that Alberta, Canada has to offer. I hope you have a great week, there is so much for which to be grateful! And Happy Father's Day to all the dads-especially my step dad Ray! Thank you for being a wonderful father for all of these years!
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