4th of July in Durango, Colorado

Bailey here again –

I had the best 4^th of July with Jasmine! In the morning, we went on a gorgeous hike in the mountains. We took Bear Scat Trail and encountered three bear scat piles that were left right on the trail. A bit unnerving, but we didn’t see any bears – but I wondered how many bears saw us. Anyway, the trail sure lived up to its name. We hiked at least 500 feet vertical and ended up right beside one of our red rock mesas. It was way cool. If you look close in the picture, you can actually see the lake way down through the trees

Then we went to the lake for a swim. Two cute little girls were playing on the kayaks so I had to take their picture. The water was cold – really cold – but Jazz and I braved it and dove in. Once I got over the initial shock, it felt great after our long hike. Later a thunderstorm threatened to shorten our lake time, but it ended up going the other way. Which was good because we didn’t want it to rain out the parade or the fireworks.

After we showered and got our red, white and blue on, we headed to Main Avenue for the annual 4^th of July Parade. Durango is very festive on the 4th of July with almost eveyone in patriotic clothes. Everyone lines the street to watch the hometown parade. Some of the entrants throw out candy, sending the little kids scurrying around in the street. Others spray the crowd with water, sending some spectators running away, while others raise their hands in the air and to encourage a good drenching. As you can see in the picture, someone drove a beautiful orange Mustang Fastback in the parade. Of course I screamed and gave him a thumbs up. I asked how much he wanted to sell it for, but he said he wasn’t selling. Darn.

Then we went over to The Palace for an awesome pasta dinner. The Palace is one of my favorite places to eat. They’re famous for their chicken and dumplings, but the pasta with tomatoes, olive oil and parmesan cheese is my absolute favorite. Yum!

 

We rounded out the night by sprinting over to the Albertsons parking lot before the fireworks started. They shoot the fireworks from the mesa just up the way, so its a perfect place for viewing. Everyone brings snacks and lawn chairs to enjoy the show. It was a perfect day!