Historic Hotels: "Could we be any closer to the trains?" the exclamation went out, by my God love him, train obsessed spouse. Yes, it was pretty exciting to drive up the General Palmer Hotel in Durango and discover that the beautiful historic hotel was right next to the Durango and Silverton Railroad. There are experiences in your life that you will never forget, and riding the Durango and Silverton is definitely one of them. Staying at the General Palmer was the whipped cream and sprinkles on top of our sundae. The Victorian hotel, named after General Palmer who co-founded the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, is beautifully appointed. And our stay there was made all the more pleasant by the friendly staff.
When we opened the door to our room, an adorable teddy bear greeted us on our lace covered bed, and our room, filled with comfortable period furnishings, literally faced the open tracks next to the depot so we were able to lower the window sash and enjoy the sounds of the steam engine as we unpacked.
A visit to Durango, is truly an adventure into the past, and I felt right at home there. After a wonderful dinner of juicy prime rib at Ken & Sue's just a short walk from the General Palmer, we picked up some tea and cookies in the lobby and headed to the veranda just outside our room. Pulling a couple of comfortable wicker rockers together, we watched the sun go down as the train crew put the engines to bed. What better entertainment could there be?