We got our tree by train. That is the Durango Silverton Train up in Cascade Canyon, where the trees near the tracks needed to be thinned out, since hot coal ash spits out along the tracks. So early in the morning we drove over the snowy pass....
to Durango and load up in a sunny enclosed car.
Where on the outskirts of town, we were greeted with a show, and a nifty form of advertising...
Though the inside cars were warm and sunny, we opted for the outside observation car, since we were dressed in about three layers, ready for snow and harsh conditions...
Ahhh, not, our breakfast was champagne mimosa and yummy sandwiches from Breads back in Durango, their turkey cranberry is like Thanksgiving between two slices of bread...
The views were amazing for the hearty, climbing up past Missionary Ridge...
Picking up passengers at Rockwood
The cars were full, but only thirty of us had tree permits. We were dropped off...
but the train kept going a little bit farther to the Cascade stop where the passengers could sip hot cider and warm themselves around fire pits, while we found our trees...
We took our chances with one that looked good on the front, but was crammed up against other trees, since it has to go up against a wall, near a pathway in our house. We were a little worried about getting back to the tracks, since the train is the only way out. We could have taken a little bit more time...
Here is video, love the sound of that whistle blowing, especially when it is your only way out of a deep snowy mountain canyon!
or click HERE for the video of the train coming back to pick us up...
And then we headed home...
And Jon carried the tree through downtown Durango to the truck.
The red Christmas ornament was soooo not my idea, makes the elk skull look like a combo of Zero and Santa's reindeer from the Nightmare Before Christmas...
