We ventured to southwest Colorado for the first time over spring break. We stayed in Durango, and explored from Four Corners through Silverton for a few days. The first day we drove to Four Corners. The boys did get a kick out of the idea of standing in four states at one time, but overall this was a pretty disappointing stop. It costs $5 per person just to enter, which buys you the privilege of waiting in line to stand on the geographic marker. The monument is surrounded by kiosks where locals are pedaling all sorts of crafts, but that’s about it.
The next day we went to Mesa Verde National Park. This was much more interesting. The boys enjoyed seeing the numerous cliff dwellings, even though none of them were open to walk through this early in the season. We had beautiful weather, and were able to do some hiking, which allowed us to see some petroglyphs up close.
We also toured the narrow gauge train museum. While we weren’t able to make the train ride, we drove over the pass to the north to see the town of Silverton. It is definitely pretty country. We hope to go back and ride the train next time.
If you ask the boys, they’ll probably tell you that the highlight was the hotel pool. It’s amazing what a draw the little pool at a Hampton Inn can be. We were there every morning and evening, getting in some splashing and soaking in the hot tub. All in all, we had a great trip.
