NewsBreak Original

Durango, Colorado is known for their beautiful mountains and scenery, and it was recently named a top 21 best small town to visit during Christmas by Tripstodiscover.com. Luckily this year, Durango will have plenty to discover with its First Annual Holiday Station. The celebration kicks off Nov. 25 with the Singing with Santa festival and concludes on New Year's Day. The Holiday Station event calendar boasts festivities for all ages, interests, and adventure levels. It was created by Visit Durango and the City of Durango to showcase the local community and traditions that make Durango such a magical place during the holidays.

I stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel and loved its charm. I thought I would film a room to show everyone the charm.

What a great town Silverton Colorado is. I can remember coming here in the 70s and thinking how neat of a town this was. Coming here again as an adult was very cool. Silverton is a must-see if you're in the area.

Blacksmith Making Keychain at Bar D Chuckwagon in Durango

The Durango Silverton Train ride is so amazing with all of the beauty of the Colorado mountains and Animas river.

I am a sucker for a good garage or yard sale. I know that I am not alone here when I say that sometimes I get carried away searching for liquidated or used items that I likely won’t need – but I truly cannot escape a good deal.

I shot this video in 2019 when I was in Colorado. The mine tour was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommended it. When I was filming deep in the mine, I kept seeing orbs flying by my camera. Some people think they are spirits. In the 1920’s, a new tunnel was driven to access the Bachelor’s old workings from below. Dubbed the Syracuse Tunnel, it was financed by investors from Syracuse, New York. This is the part of the Bachelor that is open to the public. Mining was the industry that built the communities of the San Juan Mountains. There were other Bachelor mines in Colorado - it was a pretty popular name in the late 1800’s - but this was THE Bachelor Mine on Gold Hill, and for 100 years it was one of Ouray’s strongest and most reliable producers. So rich was its ore that its three owners made about $250,000 each in its first few years; even after the disastrous silver crash of 1893 when the price of silver plummeted 25% in four days. Today, that would be over $4 m

I have loved trains since I was a little boy in Capitola, CA waiting for the train to cross the trestle through town. It's in my blood and I always take the time to ride one, or simply watch one go by. It brings a smile to my face. Enjoy the video I took this July 2021. Engines: Locomotive 473: The 473 was one of ten K-28 locomotives built by the American Locomotive Works in Schenectady, New York in 1923 for the narrow gauge D&RGW. All ten engines which were called the Sport Models, were sold to the Rio Grande Railroad. The 473 worked the narrow gauge rails in Colorado and New Mexico with her sisters 470 through 479. The 473 spent a lot of time on the Silverton line, also working Durango to Alamosa and the Chili line, which ran from Antonito, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The 473’s life changed forever in 1941 when the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. feared a Japanese invasion through Alaska, across the Bering Strait.

I have always loved trains, and this was a treat to see coming into Silverton, Colorado. From their site: For a truly unforgettable step back in time, enjoy a leisurely trip to yesteryear riding 3 1/2 hours each way on this train plus spend 2 hours in the historic mining town of Silverton to enjoy the sights, shopping, food, and libations that Silverton offers. We’ve been in continuous operation running train excursions on this 45-mile spur of the Denver & Rio Grande rail line since 1882. Much of the scenery remains unchanged since then. There’s no cell service or Wi-Fi through much of the terrain so you’ll be unplugged from the modern world. Soak in the views, listen as the steam whistle echoes through the canyon, hear the vintage locomotive work to pull the train up the grades. If you long to unwind and enjoy Colorado nature at its finest, this is the trip for you.

You are sitting on an inner tube floating around a pond – to your left, you have adults and kids testing their skills at the intimidatingly large water slide, and to your right, you catch a quick glimpse of someone flying across a zipline.