Hesperus, Durango

This is the first family vacation I've been on in two years. Last summer, I traveled a lot, but not with my parents. Last summer my parents traveled a lot, but not with me. This summer, we're doing some traveling together.
The vacation of mention is Colorado, to get some R&R, as well as to watch my childhood babysitter/next door neighbor neighbor's daughter get married. Also, to bring Brenna back home.

All four states at once. Utah and Colorado are my favorites.

The first stretch of our journey was from Phoenix to Hesperus. Hesperus is a little town outside of Durango, with a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast.
We took a pit stop at Four Corners, and I enjoyed the beauty of being in four places at once, as well as the Native American jewelry available (I finally got my pinky ring. Finally. Lapiz and silver.)
From Four Corners to Hesperus, I slept. The views were beautiful, but I was tired and slightly carsick.
When we got out of the car at Blue Lake Ranch I was amazed at the greenery and flora. I haven't seen this many flowers since...who knows when. There are gardens abundant. They grow their own vegetables here, and everything is a cheery shade of tan, yellow or green. All of the guest rooms/houses are private and distant. It really is a ranch, complete with a motherly figure to cook you delicious breakfast in the morning.
We arrived yesterday.
Today, we consumed breakfast, indulged in the spa-like shower, hiked down to the lake, and visited Durango.
Ahh, yes. Durango.
The beautiful, green, small town of Colorado. I first visited here four years ago (perhaps even five) for a Christ In Youth conference (basically summer camp) and really loved the area.

Next time, we're taking the train ride.

We spent a few hours touring the city after a large lunch. We split up into two groups (my parents, Becca and I) and did the usual touring, coffee stops, and train watching. Becca and I stopped at an amazing book store, snagged a book, and then got coffee from Durango Coffee Company, and then split chai latte from Magpie Newsstand Cafe, where "Nine out of ten mythical creatures say we have the best chai in the world!" I must be the one mythical creature that disagrees. While delicious and spicy, just as chai should be, there was far too much clove and not enough honey. Aside from that, it was delicious.
After we caught the train (my dad and I, along with all my cousins and uncles, have a serious obsession with trains) we headed slightly out of town to Ska Brewing Company, a gem I found on Yelp.
My mom was less than pleased with the amount of cars in the parking lot--she didn't want to wait forever for food, but we soon learned that their Thursday tradition is a Ska-B-Que, or barbecue food outdoors with live ska music.

Bob, Anne, their granddaughter and son.

We were in luck: The food was complementary today, too, and beer was $1 for a brew that had been shipped back from Texas (the can design featured a half-naked nymph and what I believe were marijuana leaves...too provocative for those Texans) or $5 for two cans of other brews. I, of course, was too young to enjoy the beer (I'm turning 20, not 21...) but definitely not too young to enjoy the company shared at our picnic table: two Durango locals named Anne and Bob.

Bob shared the story of Ska Brewery with us: Three college students brewed beer while at Fort Lewis College, but stopped after graduation. People came to miss their beer, so they brewed on a small scale. Eventually, the demand was so high they built a microbrewery and began running it full time. Currently, one of the three is designing and marketing a machine that cans beer as well.

Bob even got us an in with one of the owners: We got to tour the brewery. 

I'd never been in a brewery before. I've never even set foot in a bar (aside from one or two times when I

I learned one large tank = 90 barrels = 180 kegs

was little and accompanied by an adult.) But it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Listening to one of the co-owners (I think it was Dave) talk about the brewing process was enlightening and enjoyable. I love listening to people talk about things they're passionate about, and it is very evident these people are very passionate about beer.

It ended with a free sample of beer...for my dad. It was a lager of some sort. I'll have to go back and try a full can when I'm 21.

After a beautiful dinner with acoustic-country influenced ska music from Running Out of Road, and friendly locals, it was time to head back to the ranch, where I just finished my final macroeconomics quiz and started writing this blog post. 

So far, my favorite part of this trip has been kicking back and relaxing. I've been able to spend time in the beautiful outdoors, eat delicious food (albeit too much food) and enjoy down time I haven't had in a long time. I also really enjoy how strappy hiking sandals, dogs, knee-length skirts and Subaru wagons are the norm here. Durango has it's own newspaper...I may move here someday.

Still to come: Denver/Westmister/Longmont and my birthday. Stay tuned, adventurers!

Catch part 2 here!