We were finished in Aztec in time to drive to Durango, CO, for lunch.  We had a choice of two routes to Mesa Verde National Park, one of which went through Durango.  That route was about five minutes longer, but Durango is the home of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s first store and so, well, it was absolutely necessary to go there.

Note:  Some years ago, I was in Estes Park, Colorado, with my mother-in-law, visiting Rocky Mountain National Park (still my favorite), and we discovered the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store there.  The claim to fame of the Estes Park RMCF store is that one night, a year or two before we were there, a bear broke into the store and ate a bunch of chocolates.  This was all caught on a security camera, so no speculation involved.  For some years after that, the Estes Park store sold the Bear’s Choice collection, which, of course, I had to buy. So after our visit to Durango, I have been to two famous RMCF stores!

Almost immediately upon crossing the border into Colorado, the terrain changed dramatically. From the high desert of Arizona and New Mexico in which we have spent the past few days, we entered into the forested mountains of Colorado and the Rockies came into our view.  This is also gorgeous country—another type of beautiful landscape to add to our vacation experience.

Durango is a pretty touristy town, even on a weekday in September, after Labor Day.  Most of the people there were our age, however; September appears to be time for retirees to travel.   In addition to the very first Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Store, however, it does have a particularly individual attraction: the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.  This railway is a National Historic Landmark AND National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.  It has run continuously since 1881, and has continuously run with a steam locomotive.  Originally, it was used to transport silver and gold ore from the San Juan Mountains. These days, it is an excursion train that runs between Durango and Silverton, CO.  We did not get a look at the excursion train, as it was out and would not be coming back while we were in town, but we did get a look at the station and tracks, as well as at some narrow-gauge cars and the railroad museum.  We were wondering what the advantage was to narrow-gauge tracks, and the museum held the answer.  Tim’s guess was correct: narrow-gauge trains can make tighter curves.

We ate lunch in a very cowboy-y restaurant.  A little kitschy (see photos), but good food.  I had a brisket sandwich with barbecue sauce, which I can’t get at home, was very good, and wasn’t (wonder of wonders) too much. 

We did, of course, visit the RMCF store, and I did, of course, buy some chocolates.  I had them shipped home.  If you mind your Ps and Qs, you might one day see some of these yourself.