The Adult Version of Playing in the Backyard

Since moving to Texas, Queen B has missed the changing seasons in Colorado, so yesterday we loaded up the Tahoe and made a quick trip south over the Million Dollar Highway to the historic mining town of Silverton.

The leaves were in full color and the day was warm and sunny, which was a nice departure from the rain that we experienced throughout September (not complaining; we desperately needed the moisture).

We took our time on the drive, stopping at several pullouts for photos and to explore the various structures left over from the area's mining history. We weren't alone; the highway was swarming with out-of-state tourists enjoying the show.

Just outside of Silverton, we spotted a family of moose dining on pond moss, so we pulled over for pictures. Trust me when I say it did not take long for flatlanders to realize what we were doing and join us, which led to us overhearing some, um, interesting conversations about our wildlife, including a woman who asked her travel companion if the moose were eating fish. 

Um, no, ma'am. Moose are herbivores. Also, deer do not eventually turn into elk, in case you were wondering, like another woman was.

Not even kidding.

Anyhoodle, it was really cool to see the moose, and we managed to get a few good pictures despite the distance between us (unlike tourists in some national parks, we know better than to approach wildlife).

In an interesting coincidence, Queen B and I had been lamenting that we could no longer find our favorite flavors of Laffy Taffy. Not in Texas, not in Hooterville. We did, however, find them in the gas station outside of Silverton. 

We stocked up, as one does.

With our snack secured, we headed into Silverton proper, where our first stop was a turquoise shop that Hugh has frequented for holiday gifts for the women in his life (Queen B collects blue turquoise, I have an affinity for White Buffalo turquoise, and Shanti loves opals). We each got a new piece (Day-trip Hugh is super generous) and then set out to explore the rest of the shops in town before grabbing lunch at one of the restaurants. 

Several restaurants had already closed for the season, but we found a seat at Natalia's, a family-owned restaurant in a building that used to be a brothel, which isn't that unusual, given that there were at least three others (miners needed a distraction from mining, apparently). The chicken and rice soup was really, really good, and Queen B got an elk burger, which was an item on her Colorado wish list.

After lunch, we drove back home, stopping in Ouray for ice cream at a new shop on Main Street. The store was adorable, and the ice cream float I had hit the spot.

We made it back to Hooterville just in time to join Shanti and the Man-Cub for Shanti's birthday dinner. Then I met Mom at the community theater for a production of The Trials of Alferd Packer, an ironic way to end a day spent exploring a historic mining town.

Life is funny like that.