Re: All roads lead to the Iron Horse Roundup (map)

jcpatten Wrote (approximately):
-------------------------------------------------------
> The US is a BIG place.  It's easily a thousand
> miles from Chicago to Chama.  Most of that
> will be in the Great Plains, which will be flat
> {and boring} as a pancake.
>
> I can't speak to cost, but if you want to see the
> place (and hit all the good narrow gauge spots
> in the bargain), it might be worth your while to
> fly into Denver and rent a car from there. From
> Denver you get both mountains and plains in
> one scenery sandwich.


I'll second that motion!

Just to make it a bit easier to visualize what several people have mentioned in their posts (below), here's a somewhat enhanced map of Colorado south and west of Denver (plus a narrow strip of northern New Mexico):


Note that it's about 380 miles from downtown Denver to Durango via Highway 285 to Monte Vista (Alamosa, more or less) and then west on U.S. 160, or about 500 miles to Durango from the Denver Airport, which is located out on the plains at least halfway from Denver to Kansas City . . .

In addition to all of the railroad-related highlights that others have mentioned, you might want to spend at least one afternoon and evening in Pagosa Springs when en route between Chama and Durango (or vice-versa).  There's a superb hot-springs resort there (the source of the town's name) where you can soak for a bit and ease some of the tensions of traveling (and the stress of driving on the wrong side of the road).  If you're at all into the history of America's "Wild West", don't miss the Fred Harmon museum on the west side of town.  Harmon was a very fine artist, right up there with Russell and Remington, who is also known for the comic strip 'Red Ryder' many years ago, set in the surrounding area.  The well-known Gomez Store was moved from Gato to the Museum a few years ago.  When you're ready for a bite and a pint, the Pagosa Brewing Company on the opposite side of highway 160 from the Museum offers excellent food and a wide variety of prize-winning beers in a pleasant bier-garten setting.

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender

p.s.  I've updated the map a bit with the addition of a few more points of interest — such as the Georgianatown Loop-de-Loop just off I-70 west of Denver, and the DSP&P display at the top of Kenosha Pass on Highway 285.  (There are bits and pieces of the old DSP&P r.o.w. visible alongside 285, mostly on the north side of the highway, and more and more visible the farther west of Denver you are.)   BE SURE to take #285 either coming or going, and Do NOT Miss the fabulous renovations at COMO, roughly a mile off the highway out in the empty spaces of South Park.

pps.  OOOoops — I forgot to add the small remnant of the Colorado Midland bridge over the DSP&P at the top of Trout Creek Pass, where U.S. 285 and U.S. 24 share the pavement for a few miles between (roughly) Hartsel and (roughly) Buena Vista.  There's only a few traces of the bridge abutments left these days, several yards off the pavement at the very top of the pass.  I don't remember ever seeing a photo of a train on either railroad at this location; here's artist Howard Fogg's interpretation of what the overpass looked like about 130 years ago:




Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2020 10:07AM by Russo Loco.