Skywatch Friday: Riding the yellow train

 We were in Durango a couple weeks ago and got to the ride the narrow gauge train.


Due to some track damage the train leaves from a depot about 18 miles north of town and only goes into Cascade Canyon and back for about a 2 1/2 hour ride.


The views were amazing.  The train runs alongside the Animas River in the San Juan National Forest.


We stopped for several minutes and this helicopter kept making runs back and forth through the canyon.  We decided they must be making a new promotional video or something.


The fall colors weren't quite at peak yet, but they were still amazing.



The color of the river was a beautiful turquoise.  My first thought was that it was glacier water, but after thinking about it awhile I remembered a mine spill that affected the Animas River a few years ago.  Initially the water was orange due to the high metal count in the waste water.  There's still a lot of orange along the river bank.  Perhaps that explains why the river is such an odd shade of blue and why we didn't see in single fish in the clear water.

I highly recommend this train if you're ever in Durango.  Personally, I think the 2 1/2 hour shortened version of the ride was perfect.  I've done this ride a couple times all the way to Silverton and it's an all day experience.  The ride back is not nearly as fun as the ride going.

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Comments

Yogi♪♪♪ said…
I've been a bunch of times and yes the all day is exhausting, especially the ride back. A little over two hours is perfect.
October 15, 2020 at 4:59 PM
s.c said…
Wow what a beautiful trip. I like that.
October 16, 2020 at 3:49 AM
Spare Parts and Pics said…
Looks like amazing sights on that train ride. I've been to Durango, although it was years ago. I do remember how pretty it is!
October 16, 2020 at 11:46 AM
Joyful said…
Wow! That looks like fun on a beautiful day.
October 16, 2020 at 5:21 PM
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