The B & B Beckons

(I am chronicling our recent trip to Western Colorado.  Here’s another installment).

I’m going to back up a day or so to our overnight stay in Silverton.  We did some shopping on Tuesday morning before the train left for Durango.  We found a shop with all kinds of the normal touristy things in it.  Normally, I take a quick look around and am ready to get out quickly.  This time, something caught my eye.  There were a few bowls on a shelf that looked a little different than the normal tourist things.

These bowls looked, well, unique.  I found that they were made of some kind of light wood…all one piece.  They were sanded and lacquered and looked really good.  A man by the name of Luke Duncan evidently makes them.  I found one in my price range and bought it.  I asked the woman if she would ship, and for a small fee, she did ship the bowl to our son in Wichita.  It’s not a bowl that one would eat from; it’s more decorative.

We headed north out of Durango on 550.  It parallels the railroad in spots, but otherwise, takes it’s own path through the mountains.  A genuine mountain drive, it was filled with curves, canyons, and great scenery.  We pulled into Silverton via road after awhile and stopped at the welcome center…a place we hadn’t seen when we were there the day before.

A few minutes later, we continued on 550 toward I-70 farther north.  On the way, we encountered continued mountain driving, hairpin curves, mountain passes, blind turns, deep canyons, and a great place to stop along the way…Bear Creek Falls is right at the side of the highway, and they’ve made a place where vehicles can stop along the road.  They’ve also built a viewing deck over the edge of the canyon and where one can see the entire falls and enjoy it’s beauty and power.  You really need to stop here if you go that way.

We went a little farther and took a detour to the Black Canyon National Park east of Montrose a few miles.  A must see, it is readily accessible, and there are many great views on a path that is easily negotiated.  As in many of the places we saw, words don’t do justice to the incredible scenery and the awesome sights.  So I decided to not even try very hard to do that in these blogs.  You’ll have to go see these things for yourself.

After lunch, we made it to I-70 and turned eastbound toward our destination…a B & B in Eagle.  Called The Hitching Post, it was the only B & B in this part of Colorado that was listed as a member of the Colorado Bed & Breakfast Association.  We have two nights scheduled there, and are looking forward to a little quiet and rest following several days of noise, people, and mountain driving.

The Hitching Post is a place you would want to stop at for that peace and quiet.  In 1908, John Love built the house using plans from Sears Roebuck.  It has a certain charm that comes from age and the craftsmanship of years ago.  The woman who runs the B & B is a great example of a hostess who anticipates the needs of her guests, and quietly makes sure those needs are met…and then some.

The front porch is a good place to read, visit, or just take in the mountain air.  There is hardly any need for air conditioning in that part of Colorado, and one can sleep with the windows open at night.  The outdoor gardens are filled with various kinds of plants and flowers, and are a joy to behold.

This was our starting point over the next couple of days for some getting-acquainted activities.  One of the first places we stopped at was the welcome center in Eagle.  I’ll begin with that in the next post.