Day 27--Durango

Absolute Bakery and Cafe, unassuming but not
to be missed in Mancos, Colorado

Inside Absolute Bakery

We left Cortez this morning headed for Durango and a day of "rest" before our narrow gauge railroad trip tomorrow to Silverton. I was surprised to learn that Durango is a big city. For some unknown reason, I had pictured it in my mind as a small town, quiet and unassuming. It is quite a bustling city, and today is picture perfect, with temperatures in the 80s and blue skies!

Before Durango, we passed through the small town of Mancos. Now this was the quiet and unassuming small town I was looking for. It calls itself the "Gateway to Mesa Verde" and indeed it is just a few miles east of the entrance to Mesa Verde. Because we had some extra time today, we took a detour off Highway 160 to stop at the Visitor Center. We didn't get there, but we did find a great bakery, Absolute Bakery and Cafe, right across from a small park. 

Coconut macaroon, Absolute
Bakery and Cafe

While Smoky photographed an old wagon in the park, I checked out the bakery. My, oh my, what a lot of yummy items there were! It was hard to decide what to get, but we settled on a fresh baked cinnamon roll for Smoky and a coconut macaroon for me! Both were wonderful. While we were there, we asked if they would make us some lunch to take with us. Even though they were serving breakfast, the chef agreed to our request. Smoky ordered a fresh-baked turkey on homemade sourdough rye with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickles. I had a "sampler salad" with tuna, homemade hummus, fancy salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and the Absolute house dressing. Everything was wonderful!

Bauer House; anyone interested?

As we drove out of town, we noticed a huge, very old house for sale by Sotheby's. The Bauer House was built in the early 1890s by George Bauer, who just happens to be the founder of the town of Mancos. This old home is now on the Colorado State Registry of Historic properties. According to the listing at Sothebys, this home has been a grand personal residence, a hospital, an antique store, a general store, and one of the top B&Bs in the country. What stories this old house could tell!

Durango was just a short drive further down Highway 160. After a stop at the Visitor's Center, we drove through the historic district before heading for our motel. After unpacking and resting for a little while, we returned to the historic district of town, checking out the shops. One fascinating place was the Toh-Atin Gallery (http://www.toh-atin.com/), which specializes in Native American art. When we entered, there was a large group of college students listening to one of the curators, a young Native American man, talk about Navajo weaving and show many rugs. This gallery had a mixture of older pieces and new ones, and everything I looked at was exquisite. I could have spent hours here.

Toh-Atin Gallery presentation of Navajo rugs

Pottery fom Toh-Atin Gallery

Street scene, Durango

We continued our walk around town, stopping in one photography gallery, Open Shutter, where examples of the life work of National Geographic photographer Jonathan Blair were being shown and sold. Seeing prints made from photographs that cost thousands of dollars was encouraging, especially when the entire gallery was focused on one person's work. 

Inside the Diamond Belle Saloon

At about 6, we stopped for dinner in the Diamond Belle Saloon at the historic Strater Hotel, which was built in 1887. The saloon has a beautiful old bar and a player piano. The live music tonight was a guitar player who reminded us a little of Willie Nelson. The waitresses were dressed in period costume, and Smoky couldn't resist photographing them! And the food was great!

Period costumes at the Diamond Belle Saloon

Back to the motel a little earlier than usual tonight because tomorrow we "have to get up in the middle of the night" (per Smoky) to catch the train to Silverton!