I wasn’t in the best mood when I woke up. It had rained throughout the night making the roof leak a little and it was still depressing weather outside. I’d been in and out of sleep all night thanks to my sickness so wasn’t feeling that rested either. I got out of the van and into the Walmart to use the bathroom. Jon was stirring by the time I got back and I set up my tarp and got breakfast going while he used the facilities. Inside, he’d noticed that Subway had a good breakfast deal, so he abandoned van breakfast for that while I stuck it out and cooked away under the foul weather which turned from rain to icy sleet. Not ideal, Jon probably had the better idea.
When I was done, I drove to the door and picked Jon up. He was just finishing his coffee so my timing was perfect. We got on the road about 9am, early by our recent standards. I had a quick consult of Jon’s planned route and found that one of the passes into Silverton from the west was closed, probably due to snow, so we aimed for the direct route through Durango. We didn’t lose out any, it was definitely a scenic route. The weather started clearing as we drove through the valley of the mountains. We didn’t stop in at Mesa Verde National Park mostly due to weather, but also for time’s sake.
In Durango, a sweet looking town, we stopped for petrol but otherwise drove straight through. Blue skies were above us as we left the town and started climbing. On the way out, I noticed smoke coming from a huge fire, but as we approached it, we found out it wasn’t a fire at all, but a steam train! It’s a very popular tourist route between Durango and Silverton on a narrow rail that operates two steam engines through the mountains. Durango is at 6,512 feet while Silverton sits at 9,308 feet so we had a long way to climb. The Astro took it easy as we left green behind for dots of white snow and then blankets of the stuff. The blue skies also turned grey as we climbed, dumping snow onto us. It was a combination of beauty and eek! Not this stuff again!
We peaked the first mountain pass at 10,640 feet then after a quick descent we were on to the second. Molas Pass was at 10,910 feet and we parked for a bathroom break and a look at the view since there were a few pockets of blue in the sky. I dug my boots out of the car to replace my highly inappropriate Tevas and socks, though my socks were already wet. After discovering that the bathroom facilities were closed for the season, I was desperate so climbed a small rise and squatted behind a short rock wall to relieve myself. Halfway through my pee I realised I was not far from the lookout point and information signs and shortly after, I got caught fair and square with my pants down by a group of strapping young guys. Haha, I gave them a wave then pulled my pants up. I saw them later relieving themselves behind their truck, not fair that it’s so easy for them!
A few photos and cold faces later, we were back in the car and descending into Silverton. Jon gave Stoney a call as we rolled into the small town of over 700 people. With the grey air, it looked like an absolute ghost town. There wasn’t a soul in sight and most of the shops and restaurants were closed for the season. What was this place? We found Stoney’s house with the description he gave, a two story brown house with a purple roof. We drove round the back into the alley and I slotted in next to his truck with some difficulty, not knowing where the driveway really was thanks to the thin layer of snow covering the ground. Jon and Stoney said hello for the first time in years and I declined a handshake in the interest of keeping my cold to myself.
Stoney welcomed us into his apartment at the back of the house, the rest of the building being vacant. It was a sweet little place with a few rooms and boot-friendly floors. Stoney’s only housemate is a nine-year old big brown doggie called Clark, full of charm despite being almost completely blind. Looking into Clark’s eyes was like seeing into the universe, they were so glassy. After the tour of the house and exchange of pleasantries, we took a turn about the town, leaving Clark behind to guard the fort. As we walked, Stoney told us all about his two years in Silverton as a paramedic, trying to keep a low profile and keep out of the small town politics as much as possible.
Thankfully the sun had come out so the town was a little less ghosty and much more welcoming. Stoney walked us down the main street, pointing out the historic buildings and explaining that this was the season for renovations, hence why most places were closed. The houses within Silverton were quaint, cute and in all states of disrepair, giving the town its charm. The mountains that towered above the few streets made the scene all the more dramatic.
We had a walk through the county government building, then across the road to the city hall. In city hall, we met a local who straightaway offered us a tour of the jail cells that were being used for storage but destined to become what they were designed for. After the small jail, we got a quick viewing of the basement. Completely dark and dank, with an extra jail cell and boiler that took up most of the room. Not far from city hall was one of the town’s weed shops. Colorado was one of the first states to completely legalise marijuana and so, it is readily available in shops like these. While none of us partake, we were keen for the experience so walked through the covered doors.
I was hit with the smell of weed as soon as we walked in and we immediately had to show our IDs before perusing anything. The shop owner didn’t mind us just having a look around and happily answered our many questions as we looked through all the forms and functions of ingesting weed. I was the first to walk out, the smell of the weed getting to me a little.
It was early afternoon so we were all keen for a feed. Unfortunately, there weren’t many open options so we settled for the Pickle Barrel. We were the only customers so got the choice table by the fire. Everyone we’d come across treated Stoney like the local he was, giving him a wave or a hello by name. I’m sure everyone would be talking about his two foreign mates. The boys had beers while I stuck to water and we all got a round of soup. After Stoney explained that food is absolutely necessary to maintain bodily function at high altitudes, we didn’t hold back on the food. The boys shared some wings and then we all dug in to burgers. We were all stuffed by the end, but Jon still had room for key lime pie.
To finish off our walking tour, we visited the local grocers to pick up some milk for Jon’s morning coffee, then head back home. With all that walking and eating, we’d managed to while away most of the afternoon. Back at Stoney’s place, we were happy to be inside and warm. It got even warmer when Stoney stoked the wood stove with some fresh logs. For lack of anything better to do, I offered to put some F1 on the TV for everyone’s entertainment. Somehow, Jon’s gameboy ended up in Stoney’s hands and he was rendered immobile for the next half hour at least as I watched cars go in circles. The third race of the season was the most entertaining yet, with actual competition and Seb Vettel showed genuine joy having won the race.
No more engines screaming around, we got to talking about guns and Stoney started his display of firepower that he had contained within his house. It was a bit of a bottomless magic hat, he kept pulling out different guns, much to Jon’s glee. I held each of them as well, but couldn’t get over the idea that we were looking at and handling guns inside a residential house. ‘Murica!
We hung out some more, the boys drinking whiskey while I downed as much water as humanly possible. Beyond 5pm, we went for another wander through the streets to the post office to collect some mail that Jon was delivering to his mate in Japan. In typical small-town fashion, a ten minute walk turned into a half-hour gander with a pair of locals at their brewery. The Avalanche Brewery was under construction but its owners Austin and Casie were hanging around so came out to say high. Their dog Choof also came out to say hi to Clark. We all immediately got to chatting away about life in Silverton and life outside of it. Austin and Casie are fun happy people into their parasailing, I was astounded to learn that they’d jumped off some of the peaks around Silverton. The dogs played while us grownups talked until we walked another block to the post office.
Clark was dismayed to be left outside and I was surprised at how many PO boxes there were for the 700 residents. Package in hand, we returned to the warmth of Stoney’s place, me not being able to quite feel my nose any more. Comfortable back on the couch, Stoney suggested a game of Risk. It’s a boardgame all about strategy, one that Jon or I hadn’t played before. We set up my trusty table and Stoney set about explaining the rules. The game had a Lord of the Rings theme so Stoney set up Lord of the Rings music to set the mood.
The rules were simple enough, but as soon as the game got going both Jon and I felt like Stoney knew exactly what he was doing while we were stumbling around in the dark. To make a long story short, the game lasted for five hours, with an intermission for showers and a yummy chicken dinner in between. By 2am, we called it quits even though we didn’t have a clear winner. I was declared winner since I’d dominated all of the lands and beaten all of my assailants armies, it was only a matter of time and it was a school night for Stoney.
I took the couch right next to the fire while Jon took the single bed in the spare room. Not bad for our first day in Silverton.