Day 7: Durango (Mesa Verde and Bar D Ranch)

This morning started with a group breakfast at McDonald's in place of a continental breakfast.  We then loaded the bus heading out of town to Mesa Verde National Park. Still sleepy from yesterday's early morning, a few students quickly fell into nap mode while others sat quietly watching the plateaus of Mesa Verde grow closer. 

Once inside the park, we picked up our step-on-guide for the afternoon. This is a Grand Western Tour first, and a successful one in our eyes. As we traveled up the winding road toward the Mesa top, the guide educated the crew on the ancestral Pueblo Indians and their lives in the Mesa Verde region. We learned about their food, farming, architecture, and cultural practices. We stopped at an overlook that allowed us to see the four corners. The students enjoyed the amazing 8,500 foot high views of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Many students took time to talk with the Fire Rangers in the fire lookout tower where they learned about the most recent fires in the area and how the Rangers predict forest fires in this area. On the drive we got to view the damage from the most recent fires (2000 and 2002). It is estimated that these areas won't grow back for another 400 years. 

The next stop inside Mesa Verde was the Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in the park. The group took a short hike down to the dwelling behind the tour guide. Once at the bottom they were able to pear through "windows" and go down into religious Kevas built before 1300 by the Ancestral Pueblo Indians. 

(Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde)

The hike out was tiresome and by the time it was over the group was ready for their picnic lunch. After lunch the step-on-guide proceeded to educate the crew on Mesa Verde history and agriculture as we wound our way down the Mesa and out of the park. The rest of the afternoon consisted of free time during which many students did laundry, worked out, or enjoyed downtown Durango.

Dinner was at the Bar-D Ranch which is like a tiny town. The crew got a really warm cowboy welcome from Cy Starboro, the Bar-D owner. Free time at the ranch gave students time to ride the mile long train, play on a playground, shop, enjoy preview music from Wranglers members, and take lots of pictures with the adorable buildings and western artifacts placed around. 

The Bar-D serves dinner chuckwagon style just as the pioneers did. This means when they ring the dinner bell everyone goes through the line table by table being served as quickly as possible. We had the choice of bbq chicken or beef with sides dishes of a baked potato, baked beans, applesauce, a dinner roll, and a piece of spice cake. Delicious! We had many group members join the clean-plate club tonight! 

(Bo gave the chuckwagon dinner a thumbs up)

Following dinner was a western music and comedy show by the -D Wranglers. The Wranglers have won many awards in the chuckwagon show world. Along with their musical talent, their comedic personalities had the crew laughing throughout the whole show! We ended the night joining in to sing some patriotic tunes with the Wranglers and other Bar-D chuckwagon guests. 

(Bar D Wranglers)

Overall, we had a successful few days here in Durango. Tomorrow it is off to Salt Lake City!

Day 6: Colorado Springs to Durango

The crew brought their bags to the bus this morning as the sun was beginning to think about rising over the beautiful Colorado mountains. After a sleepy, but wholesome, breakfast, we loaded the bus and headed toward Silverton, CO. The excited nature on the bus slowly fell quiet as we headed out of the city limits and the Colorado mountains began to engulf us on both sides. Some students slept off their early morning, while others sat taking in the "live movie", as Glenn liked to call it, playing outside our windows. 

This drive is easily in the top 3 for scenic drives on the Grand Western Tour. It is spectacular to watch the pine tree covered mountains outside Colorado Springs turn to rolling green hills as we pass through Salida, and then transition to the rock covered mountains that earned the Rockies their name.

About halfway through the journey we found ourselves on the Million Dollar Highway (the name comes from the fact that it took a million dollars to form just one mile of the road). This became our first driving "group activity". All of the students were woken up and encouraged to enjoy the "live movie" still playing outside their windows. Phones and cameras were plastered against the windows once again as we drove between the Rockies with the Arkansas River at our side. The sights of the Million Dollar Highway were breathtaking and left many students in awe of their natural surroundings. A few students found the proximity of the bus to the edge of large droppoffs to be breathtaking as well, in a more literal sense of the word. However, Clarence did a wonderful job as always in getting us safely to our destination.

We pulled into Silverton, CO just in time for lunch. The crew split off in groups of three or larger to eat and enjoy the small town. Silverton is an old mining town turned tourist town. Many of the original buildings have been restored to fit the needs of tourists while simultaneously taking them back in time. 

Once it was time to catch our train, the crew met back up accompanied by full stomachs and some shopping bags (both will be a trend throughout the summer). We then boarded the Narrow Gauge Railroad from Silverton to Durango, CO where we are spending the next two nights. 

The railroad twisted and turned through the Colorado Rockies following the path of the river. The students enjoyed postcard views for 3 hours of the steady-rocking train ride. Mountains, valleys, waterfalls, bridges, kayakers, and campers passed by on both sides of the train. 

Upon arriving at the depot in Durango, CO, we checked in to the hotel before being given free time for dinner and exploration. The students spread out and picked from many local restaurants for dinner (pizza and burgers were best sellers this evening). 

The whole crew is back safely at the Durango Downtown Inn and ready to catch up on some sleep. 

Until tomorrow-GWT

Day 5: Colorado Springs

Day 5 of the Grand Western Tour began with a breathtaking view of the Colorado Rockies. With sunny skies, Pikes Peak and the surrounding hills were just a quick look outside our hotel window. Talk about a great location! 

The first activity of the day was a trip to the United States Air Force Academy. The crew took a short hike to the famous Cadet Chapel where they were pleasantly surprised by its unique beauty. The blue stained glass windows created quite a majestic glow on everyone's faces. After a look around the campus, we spent time in the visitors center which had a small museum and a gift shop.

The next stop was the National Olympic Training Center. As soon as we arrived, we watched an empowering film about the London, Sochi, and upcoming Rio Olympic Games. I'm pretty sure everyone left the theater feeling extremely proud to be an American or wanting to become an Olympic athlete. During our guided tour, we saw several training areas for weightlifting, wrestling, gymnastics, riflery, and swimming. The crew was lucky to stumble across Olympic taekwondo gold medalist, Steve Lopez, while he as training. There was rumor that the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, was on campus. Unfortunately he went undetected during our visit. 

Around mid-afternoon, we headed to Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The train ride to the summit took about 1.5 hours and covered 8.9 miles of track. Along the way, we spotted yellow-bellied marmots, deer, and bighorn sheep. The crew was blown away by the scenery and took photos almost the entire time. The pictures below prove it!

When the train left the railroad station in Manitou Springs, the temperature was around 75 degrees with some light rain. When we stopped at Pikes Peak Summit, at an elevation of 14,115 ft, the temperature was a brisk 47 degrees. It was also thundering, lightning, raining and sleeting! The sudden weather change created some additional excitement! Once inside the Summit House, the crew indulged in delicious donuts, hot chocolate and a variety other treats.

The last stop of the day was at the Garden of the Gods. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Day 4: Salina to Colorado Springs

"We're not in Kansas anymore!" 

After an early morning and long bus ride, the group has safely made it to Colorado Springs, Colorado (nice and cool, might I add). The crew sleepily made their way to load the bus around 6:30am. Lucky for us, the hotel served us a buffet breakfast before sending us on our way West. 

Many students caught up on sleep as we headed toward Colorado. Some played games or read. Others sat staring out the windows watching the peaceful, rolling Kansas plains and fields go by. Sometimes it's the part of the trip in between stops that is really interesting. These portions show the crew first hand how diverse the terrain of the United States is; Western Kansas is one of these portions.  

Upon arriving at the Quality Inn and Suites here in Colorado Springs the crew was given some pre-dinner free time. The first set of laundry was done by some of the crew, while others set out to find snacks (in groups of 3, of course).

Dinner was had at the Adelweiss German Restaurant where the crew could pick from traditional German dishes such as wienerschnitzel and chicken cordon bleu.  By all the clean plates that could be found I would say the crew enjoyed themselves.

More free time around the hotel followed dinner. Once again, many students went in search of snacks and found themselves indulging in chick-fil-a milkshakes. Others took a dip in the pool with a view of the sun setting over the Rockies. 

Tomorrow is a busy day with the United States Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic Training Center, and Pike's Peak. 

Check back tomorrow for what is sure to be exciting updates!-GWT

Day 3: St. Louis to Salina

Day 3 began with a bright and early departure from St. Louis as we set off for Salina, Kansas. We stopped for breakfast at a McDonald's, not far outside of the city, where we got a real taste of American culture. 

The bus ride through Kansas provided scenic views of wind blown trees and wheat fields. The crew passed the time with card games, selfie stick photos, and the occasional nap. 

We took a break for lunch in Lawrence, KS, home of the University of Kansas. Jayhawk pride was easily spotted during our quick drive through the town. 

The Ambassador Hotel in Salina is our resting stop for the evening. This hotel has a unique 70's style set up with an indoor pool and waterslide! 

The entertainment for the night was going to the movies where the crew watched Pitch Perfect 2, Insidious 3, or San Andreas. Hopefully the daring group that saw Insidious 3 will be able to sleep soundly! 

Everyone is getting excited for our journey to Colorado tomorrow!