On our first (and only) full day in Durango, we made a plan to meet Carson for a bike ride. We'd start by riding the Animas River Trail through town, then Barry and I would continue on to ride some of the local roads. Carson was rehabbing from recent surgery and this would be his first bike ride in awhile, so he'd just stick to the river trail (or so we thought!) The Animas River and trail surroundings are gorgeous, and we had a beautiful day for our ride. We rode by an area where white-water paddlers were practicing their skills. Once we hit the road, the scenery got even more dramatic. The Durango area is known for mountain biking, but the road cycling on the surrounding county roads is fabulous as well. It had warmed up nicely by this time, so we'd peeled off our extra layers. I loved this fall display outside a house we passed. Had to stop and take a photo! Well, well, look who decided to join us for this phase of the ride as well! Carson is an intrepid cyclist, and although I worried that he was doing too much, he rode at his own pace and seemed to enjoy himself. I am not sure his doctor would have approved, though! Barry planned this route for us so we'd go right over Baker's Bridge, best known in recent times for a famous scene in the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Paul Newman and Robert Redford took a dive off it. Here's the view from the bridge. The water is so green when the sun hits it just right. Soon after crossing Baker's Bridge, we turned onto scenic highway 550 and headed south back towards town. Almost immediately we came across this very interesting hot spring bubbling away. Barry zipped across the highway to grab these photos. Wish it had been on our side of the road! After a good ride back into town and cleaning up, we met Carson and his wife Carol for pizza at Homeslice, right across the road from our hotel. Although Barry thought it was a bit pricey, especially for pizza by the slice, the pizza was really good, and his salad looks yummy too. Great beer selection as well. We had a great time catching up with Carson and Carol and chatted away until well after dark. They have recently embarked on the nomadic traveling lifestyle like us, so we exchanged tips and strategies for living this unconventional life. It was fun to see friends from North Carolina, especially so far from "home" (wherever that is anymore!) Stay tuned as we hit the road again and see some of the best fall foliage ever!
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Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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