March 30th - Durango - Vail, Colorado

We woke up to the unexpected sight of thick snow! The car was completely covered in a 3 inch layer of snow. Suddenly what we had expected to be an easy drive of about 300 miles to Vail had become a great deal more difficult.


We gave up the idea of shopping in Durango and leaving about 11am, which was a shame because Durango is a very interesting and pretty town in the Rockies. High mountains ring the town, and covered in snow, the sight was one to be treasured. As we left the town, Bob wanted to see the steam railroad which takes passengers on five hour trips through the mountains. As luck would have it the train was just about to leave so we were able to watch it pull away from the station - a 19th century steam engine working is a great sight.



Our drive then took us high into the Rockies. We peaked at over 11,000 feet in thick snow.

The road was quite tricky at times and warnings of only driving with chains or snow tyres added to the sense of excitement. Once through the mountains we had a drive of about three hours along Interstate I70, heading towards Denver. The road follows the Colorado River and is a wonder of road engineering. Great lengths of elevated highway cling to the sides of the canyon and make for a great driving experience.

We arrive in Vail as the weather changed and thick snow fell, mirroring the start of our journey.
We were welcomed by Leejun to Jim and Leejun Taylor's house, high in the mountains, which has spectacular views over the Rockies.


Leejun then treated us to some great US hospitality. This included fine wines and good food. Three more days of this and we won't be able to move as we will have put on too much weight!!