After leaving Mesa Verde, on my way to Great Sand Dunes, I indulged in a day of lavish self-care. Durango, Colorado has long been a favorite city of my parents’, so I had to stop on my way across the state. If we were to relocate to Colorado, this spot is high on the list!
Durango is a lovely small city nestled between the mountains with a bustling main street. Here you can shop, eat, drink, enjoy the mountains, and visit the recreation center for a workout, swim in the pool, or dip in the hot tub. Sounds lovely, right? I spent the day walking around and poking in and out of stores. A local business owner recommended Dandelion Cafe, so there I went for lunch.
Other than a pick up order from Chipotle mid-trip, I haven’t eaten out in nearly two months! Dandelion Cafe was the perfect place to treat myself. I had a patio table in the corner all the myself, great for people watching and privacy. Assorted olives for an appetizer, salad special with shrimp for my main, and a delicious house cocktail for a splurge. Yum!
After, I went to Cream Bean Berry for ice cream. Homemade and full of delicious flavors, I couldn’t pass it up. In case you don’t know, I LOVE ice cream and am bit of an “ice cream snob.” I’m chipset about where I patron, usually only homemade places. I know, I’m spoiled. This spot didn’t disappoint. A triple scoop let me enjoy three flavors – honey lavender, strawberry rhubarb, and vegan peanut butter fudge. Delicious!
From there I went to the post office to mail notes and headed to my Harvest Host spot for the night, an alpaca farm!
Pleasant Journey Alpacas is outside of Durango on a quiet farm. There Sue gave us a tour of the alpacas and taught us all about how to care for them. I learned that people also show alpacas, like they show dogs or horses! The alpacas are judged in their fleece quality as well as their body shape. PJA has many award winning alpacas! Another interesting thing is that there are 16 different fleece colors for alpacas. Who knew? Alpacas also can lay down on their legs, the front two folding under in a V and the back folding like a Z. It doesn’t look comfortable, but apparently it is for them! Finally, I learned how to tell the difference between llamas and alpacas. Llamas are much larger, but they also have banana shaped ears while alpacas have straight ears! Now I will never be confused.
After meeting all the babies, petting a few and feeling their super soft fleece, we met the adult males and females and the guard dogs. It is quite the operation! PJA has their own herd and boards alpacas for many other farmers. There were at least 40 animals here!
That evening was quiet and calm. The sunset spectacular. And then off to bed.
The next day I stopped by Durango again for some gluten free goodies. A piece of spinach quiche, a nutty bar, and brownie were my treats of choice! Picked up some Colorado cider for later and then hit the road!
Along the scenic road I climbed into the mountains and crossed the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass. 10,857 feet high! Snow still graced the ground in the woods. After a quick pit stop, I continued on to Great Sand Dunes, the next great adventure.
Tonelli's Travels 