John West Wrote:
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> I dunno, I've been to both Heber and Chama, and
> I'd take Chama over Heber anytime. Which is not
> to say that Heber isn't a nice small town, but
> Chama is a genuine old time wild west wide spot in
> the road.
>
> JBWX
But John, you are a railfan, not the average tourist. Folks on this list keep ranting all the time to forget history and paint the train bright colors so it will attract average joe, his wife and kids. You may like Chama better than Heber, but my wife doesn't and I would suspect that many, many other wives feel the same way. I have had food poisoning three times in Chama since 1971 and the only other places where that happened to me was Vietnam.
The mindset that the government has to do something for Chama and Antonito is part of the problem. I do not think the government did anything to make Durango what it is and I am pretty sure the government doesn't pay the bills in Heber. There are many sucessful tourist areas that started off with less than what Chama and Antonito have and they were sucessful without government bailouts.
Regular, ordinary famiies are not going to stay in a place where there aren't good places to eat and nice motels to stay. Last time I was in the area, I stayed in Alamosa which at least has some familar names where people feel safe.
Jerry Day