Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series 2025: Part Seven – Durango, CO
We had just spent an entire week in Utah, a dream-come-true for this Mommy. Though I was sad to leave, I was looking forward to the itinerary for the day. Our plan was to take 89 toward Page, AZ and visit The Carl Hayden Visitor Center which overlooks the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, in addition to visiting the iconic Horseshoe Bend. However, as we traveled east, the smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire, which was responsible for burning the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, was getting closer. We could actually smell the smoke coming into our vehicle. While at the visitor center at Lake Powell, the smoke was directly overhead, which, amazingly, had an orange hue to it, which I assume was the smoke picking up the colors from the cliffs.
We opted to skip Horseshoe Bend since it’s a 1.5-mile hike and we knew the poor air quality was dangerous for our Trachie. So that bucket list item would just have to wait for another adventure. Our next stop was the Four Corners Monument as our travels took us to New Mexico for the first time. I would say this stop can be qualified as a “we’ve done it, so no need to come back.” I’m sure many people enjoy this destination but after a photo opportunity of the girls doing a backbend with an appendage in each state, we were ready to leave.
We made it to our next destination somewhat late that evening, so we just settled in and said a quick hello to our new vacation companions. On this leg of our trip, we spent four nights at HTR Durango campground with two of Daddy’s sisters and their families and his parents. The itinerary was much more laid back. Our first full day was spent swimming in the pool with cousins, socializing, and a trip to downtown Durango to meander on the Animas River Walk. On our second day, we visited Mesa Verde National Park. We didn’t sign up for any guided tours, but we did use the GuideAlong App which provided a lot of information on the archeological history of the park. We started our adventure at the Spruce Tree House where we got our first look at the cliff dwellings in the distance. We hit a few more pull-offs before the Cliff Palace, which was the best overlook in our opinion. The Far View sites were interesting as well; these areas are ruins which were built on the mesa tops rather than cliff dwellings. We were really looking forward to exploring at the Step House, but Wetherill Mesa Rd. was closed that day for construction, so our plans were thwarted. So, we opted to hike up to the top of Park Point Overlook to see the active fire tower and then headed to the Visitor Center for our magnet. We were only in the park for about three hours. It was an interesting park, and the girls were excited to see the cliff dwellings since they had talked about them in school.
Our final day in Durango was another lazy day at the campground, followed by a Championship rodeo at the fairgrounds. Yes, this vacation, we got to enjoy two rodeos. The girls were thrilled to see a trick rider perform; we have only been to one other rodeo that showcased that talent. It was a wonderful ending to our time in Southwestern Colorado. The following day we would be journeying back to the center of Colorado where we would wrap up our summer adventure.
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