Author – Grant
From – Taos, New Mexico
To – Durango, Colorado
Via – Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Miles Driven – 202
Today’s Photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157615430027183/
After being settled for a week, the prospect of packing all our worldly belongings into Bridget is about as enticing as a red hot poker in the eye but the promise of a super-
scenic drive through the planes of northern New Mexico and into the Southern Colorado Rockies provided enough of an enticement. In fact, just a few miles into the journey, barely minutes after I had finished sweating from weight-lifting Kate’s Imelda Marcos shoe collection, we were rewarded with a crossing of the mighty Rio Grande. Over the years, the river has cut a deep canyon into the New Mexican landscape that makes for an awe inspiring sight off the bridge that spans it. Molly, however, didn’t share our enthusiasm as we found out that we can add vertigo to her list of un-dog-like attributes alongside sneezing when you rub her belly and loving cherry tomatoes. She must be the world’s weirdest canine. With a tip-off from a Texan Jock, just a few miles further down the road we came upon the Earth Ship village which contained a couple of dozen houses made completely from natural, ecologically friendly materials that harness the abundant New Mexican sun to completely power each house using solar energy. Clearly it’s a very admirable project and their hope is that their template will be copied across the globe but unfortunately Manchester gets an annual average of just 14 minutes of direct sunlight which is barely enough to recharge a stolen Game Boy, let alone an entire drug den.
The requisite mid-journey food stop was taken in Pagosa Springs which luckily
has a self explanatory name so I don’t have to bother with a description. Still, I can report that it’s an exceptionally picturesque town although, given the number of people lining the river bank to watch a digging machine move rocks around, I’m assuming the nightlife isn’t exactly on a par with Ibiza. Who cares though as we were only there to take advantage of their burgers, waffle fries and urinals. Mission accomplished.
Our final destination was Durango which is conveniently located in the heart of the Southern Colorado Rockies, providing a ski resort base in the winter and a hiking/biking base in the summer. Today, however, was St Patrick’s Day so it was a base for excessive drinking. Being old, we only managed to hit a couple of boozers but it was enough
to ensure we got a good dose of the craic. Carvers was the first destination where an Irish Band that rivaled The Polyphonic Spree and UB40 in number of musicians (but unfortunately not in quality thanks, presumably, to 12 hours of boozing) left room for just a handful of punters. They only served their own micro-brew beers but their Chocolate Stout was excellent and, judging by my increasingly non-sensicle conversation, clearly had a bit of a kick. Our second and final stop was the Irish Embassy which, despite its name, had very little to do with clerical immigration issues. As the only Irish bar in Durango, obviously it was packed to the rafters and walking through the door made us regret not starting drinking at 8am that morning because the average client was annihilated and it was clear that no amount of speed drinking would allow us to catch up. A pretty feeble effort on our behalf but we’ve made a resolution to celebrate St Patrick more vehemently in 2010 as it would be a travesty not to salute his…erm…OK, I have no idea who he is or what he did but I do love a good drink.
From – Taos, New Mexico
To – Durango, Colorado
Via – Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Miles Driven – 202
Today’s Photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157615430027183/
After being settled for a week, the prospect of packing all our worldly belongings into Bridget is about as enticing as a red hot poker in the eye but the promise of a super-
scenic drive through the planes of northern New Mexico and into the Southern Colorado Rockies provided enough of an enticement. In fact, just a few miles into the journey, barely minutes after I had finished sweating from weight-lifting Kate’s Imelda Marcos shoe collection, we were rewarded with a crossing of the mighty Rio Grande. Over the years, the river has cut a deep canyon into the New Mexican landscape that makes for an awe inspiring sight off the bridge that spans it. Molly, however, didn’t share our enthusiasm as we found out that we can add vertigo to her list of un-dog-like attributes alongside sneezing when you rub her belly and loving cherry tomatoes. She must be the world’s weirdest canine. With a tip-off from a Texan Jock, just a few miles further down the road we came upon the Earth Ship village which contained a couple of dozen houses made completely from natural, ecologically friendly materials that harness the abundant New Mexican sun to completely power each house using solar energy. Clearly it’s a very admirable project and their hope is that their template will be copied across the globe but unfortunately Manchester gets an annual average of just 14 minutes of direct sunlight which is barely enough to recharge a stolen Game Boy, let alone an entire drug den.The requisite mid-journey food stop was taken in Pagosa Springs which luckily
has a self explanatory name so I don’t have to bother with a description. Still, I can report that it’s an exceptionally picturesque town although, given the number of people lining the river bank to watch a digging machine move rocks around, I’m assuming the nightlife isn’t exactly on a par with Ibiza. Who cares though as we were only there to take advantage of their burgers, waffle fries and urinals. Mission accomplished.Our final destination was Durango which is conveniently located in the heart of the Southern Colorado Rockies, providing a ski resort base in the winter and a hiking/biking base in the summer. Today, however, was St Patrick’s Day so it was a base for excessive drinking. Being old, we only managed to hit a couple of boozers but it was enough
to ensure we got a good dose of the craic. Carvers was the first destination where an Irish Band that rivaled The Polyphonic Spree and UB40 in number of musicians (but unfortunately not in quality thanks, presumably, to 12 hours of boozing) left room for just a handful of punters. They only served their own micro-brew beers but their Chocolate Stout was excellent and, judging by my increasingly non-sensicle conversation, clearly had a bit of a kick. Our second and final stop was the Irish Embassy which, despite its name, had very little to do with clerical immigration issues. As the only Irish bar in Durango, obviously it was packed to the rafters and walking through the door made us regret not starting drinking at 8am that morning because the average client was annihilated and it was clear that no amount of speed drinking would allow us to catch up. A pretty feeble effort on our behalf but we’ve made a resolution to celebrate St Patrick more vehemently in 2010 as it would be a travesty not to salute his…erm…OK, I have no idea who he is or what he did but I do love a good drink.It’s an attempted return to a healthier Team MacNaughton tomorrow as we plan to navigate the vomit strewn streets of Durango on bike and foot. There’s even a swimming pool in our hotel and that’s technically a Triathlon. Boo Yah!
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