more Durango

 

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

 We took the Durango Silverton steam train about half way to Silverton. We didn't know until we booked it that the trip that goes all the way to Silverton sells out months in advance. Even the half trip is beautiful, from Durango you head up a valley into a gorge high over the river.

 

We stopped near the river for lunch and time to hike a little.

I had my tripod so I spent some time playing with long exposures.

Royal Gorge Railroad

 In the summer of 2023 we had a wedding to attend near Salt Lake City so we made a long road trip out of it. The first stop was southwest of Canon city Colorado, southwest of Colorado Springs. We took the Royal Gorge Railroad trip through the gorge next to the Arkansas River.

We had some extra time the morning of the train so we took a drive along the river and watched rafters.

 

In addition to rafters there were quite a few kayakers on the river.

My favorite car on the train was the open car where I spent most of the trip (except lunch) taking photos.

Once in the canyon the walls get steeper and higher, this is the Royal Gorge Bridge, 955 feet over the river.

A really exciting way to get a view down into the gorge.

After the train we headed to Durango next.

just a few more RTD 2023

 

Home base for Dragon trips is Fontana Village.

 

Our driver meeting before I big run through the dragon on Sat morning.

Back up to the top of Blood Mountain.

One of our drives was south into Georgia to Helen which is a cool little german town.

No trip across the Cherohala Skyway is complete without a stop at Tellico Grains for lunch.

We always have newbies but we also have a large part of the group that has been to many, many trips and has the magnets to prove it.

No trip is done until we take the group photo.

more RTD 2023

 

There is an awesome country store in the middle of the snake we usually stop at for lunch, great chili dogs. We pull in to find a bunch of guys we know from Canada.

 

A short way north of the country store is the shortest tunnel you can find, Backbone Rock Tunnel.

After 4 or 5 days on our own we met up with most of the group at base for the trip, Fontana NC.

We almost always follow all the rules and traffic signs.

Lunch south of Tellico Plains off of 68 (I think).

RTD 2023

 It seems every year our spring trip gets more epic. At first this was a 4 or 5 day trip and it's slowly grown over the years. This year I started from Florida and meet a friend, Bama Dave just north of Atlanta and spent the first day in the north Georgia mountains doing the 6 gap roads.

The car always starts clean inside and out and that usually only lasts the first half of the first day.

On of our favorite drives is up Blood Mountain. Coming up from the south the uphill is two lanes wide and if there isn't any traffic you can use both lanes to have a whole lot of fun. At the top there is a store to support Appalachian Trail hikers and it's a custom to leave your worn out shoes in the tree outside the store.

Bama Dave's copilot.

On the second day we met up with Tim from Maryland and drove the back of the dragon, the snake, and a bunch of our other favorites.