I just got home last night from a fabulous week in Telluride. I am dying to hear what you think of Blue Lake Ranch. We took the Silverton to Durango train ride (a very long day) and several in my group felt after seeing Durango that they would consider a trip there again. I have considered Blue Lake for years, it does look great. Have fun!

One of these days, cmc!!

I tell you, Deb, Telluride was fantastic. We are all sold on Colorado!

We are in Durango at the cypress cafe. We did not drive off the road coming from ouray. The public pool was closed for cleaning today. That is so wrong, so unfair, as we were there this morning hoping the natural spring waters would liven up up my trip report. Now I need to talk to dw, whose phone I am using for this flash from the trip. More stuff later.

if you get back to Durango for a meal, we had an excellent late lunch/early dinner at the Palace right next to the train station. Fantastic salmon with greens for $15. Hard to beat that! Have fun.

Wasn't the drive from Ouray to Silverton spectacular? We loved that drive.

Phooey. I wrote what we did today but forgot to post it, or something, and now it's gone. I must have previewed it but not posted it. So I'll repeat myself.

Yes, the drive from Silverton to Durango was spectacular (like the drive from Harrisburg to State College, only more so). We had lunch at the Cypress Cafe, which is very LA-like, with bunches of Mercedes and patio dining. Very nice, one of Deb's recommendations.

Across from the Cypress is the Hotel Rochester which is a very cool little hotel with a garden next door where I sat and listened to the coffee shop channel of sirius music whilst DW shopped for my birthday (this thursday. time is running out). I think you would like the Hotel Rochester if you wanted to stay in Durango.

The Blue Lake Ranch is stunningly pretty. It's like being in a Monet painting, if Monet had painted in Colorado. We went swimming in the lake which is very cold. Then I drove the 20 minutes back to town to get food to fix for dinner (Pinon Suite has a little kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom). Then we ate dinner. This place is really beautiful.

I'd like to go on a half day tour of the Ute tribal area but we may have trouble arranging it with such short notice for tomorrow morning.

Here are some links for places where we've stayed and eaten (and cmc's recommendation too):

http://www.capitolhillmansion.com/

www.twosisinn.com/

boxcanyonouray.com/

http://www.bluelakeranch.com/index.htm

www.cypruscafe.com/

palacedurango.com/

Blue Lake Lodge is saved in my favorite places for a future trip.

Maybe I have to check out that drive from State College to Harrisburg. It seems like we are always on 80 when we are in Pennsylvania.

Today we had fruit, eggs, and enchiladas at the B&B and drove to Mesa Verde. You drive up and up to the top of the mesa, get tickets at the visitor's center (after warnings about narrow passages, climbing ladders, etc), and drive to the Cliff House or Balcony House, which are the sites you walk and climb around in. The tour guides are pretty interesting. It was a lot of fun, although the driving gets to be a little tiring.

We came back to the B&B, napped, swam in the lake, wondered why our kids never answer the phone, and came back to our room to fix dinner. This time left over chicken, rice-a-roni, and salad (travel writing with a shout out to foodies).

Tomorrow we visit Trimble Springs and Pool. I'm sorry, fodorites, we probably won't take the train to Silverton this trip.

I did the train ride and would say you are making a good decision. Have s great day!

In the mornings by the fountain at the front door of the Blue Lake Ranch there are many, many humming birds. I thought you should know in case you don't like humming birds.

Sounds like a great trip! And better than the train ride is driving it -- absolutely gorgeous, so much so that it is one of my favorite drives.

It has been a great trip. I'm really glad we got to this place, it's been lovely.

We left the humming birds this morning to shop for an air mattress at walmart (we bought a sofa for ds#1 instead of a sofa bed).

Then we went to Trimble Spa where DW got a pedicure (I think pedicures are very extravagant but I understand that many people think of them as something normal people do) and I floated on my back in a hot spring pool, which was quite zen like and cheaper than a pedicure.

Then off to lunch at the Palace Restaurant (per deb and cmc) which was quite good. Then to Southwest Book Trader, a used book store with piles and piles of very readable books. Then to rent bikes at 2nd street bikes, and bike on the very nice bike path along the river, watching rafts and kayaks and wading a little.

Then to a little benefit concert for the farmers market (we didn't mention shopping at walmart) in the garden next to the Rochester Hotel. Then back to the Blue Lake Ranch, a final swim in the lake (there is some algae in the lake, and it's cold, but really refreshing), and DW is fixing pesto for dinner.

Is life good or what?

Tomorrow we drive to Pagosa Springs and then up 285 to Denver. Long day of driving.

You did good!

Sounds great!

I'm sorry to top this thread which I'm sure many of you were just starting to think, thank goodness, it's finally over. But we had a day in Denver before we flew home and we spent the morning in Boulder, only a little more than half an hour from Denver. We went hiking in Chautauqua Park where there are many healthy happy looking people and wonderful trails of varying difficulty. This is an easy and fun thing to do if you have even half a day in Denver with nothing to do.

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index...96&Itemid=1035

Then we drove back to Denver, stopping at a Target along the way to buy sheer curtains and a table lamp for ds#1's apt, which now looks better than our house (and completing the big-box shopping trifecta of Ikea, Walmart and Target).

Then, back in Denver, we went for lunch to the Black Pearl Restaurant (very good), across the street from the shop Gretchen recommended, 5 Green Boxes, where I bought some stuff we didn't need.

http://www.blackpearldenver.com/

Then skeeball and beer with ds#1 at a skanky place on Colfax near the Filmore, dinner for the three of us in the apt by DW, bed, and flight home very early this morning.

Thanks very much for all your suggestions. Sorry we didn't get to the pizza place in Boulder, or the bookstore in Denver, or to many of your other good suggestions, but we had a lot of fun.

Welcome home. It was fun traveling along with you.

Thanks for reporting!

You did a lot, and got to see DS settled in. Enjoy your next visit.

Enjoyed your trip report....we always seem to be combining family and college visits etc etc on our trips, so it's actually a relief to read other people do too.

As to Pike's Peak, we did eat the doughnuts and they were good, I think primarily because they were really fresh and still warm.

<wondered why our kids never answer the phone,>

A common theme in my life too. My daughter is the worst on this point.

<Then we went to Trimble Spa where DW got a pedicure (I think pedicures are very extravagant but I understand that many people think of them as something normal people do) and I floated on my back in a hot spring pool, which was quite zen like and cheaper than a pedicure.>

My husband so could have written this!