Not a cowboy in sight

Life is one beautiful trip

I've been tooling around Durango, Colorado. Downtown is a few blocks long with some well preserved old buildings. It's semi-hip and expensive. There is a French Cafe, Jean Pierre's, on the corner of 7th and Main where a croissant sandwich and coffee cost three times what it did in Ocean Beach a few days ago. Actually the croissant and coffee cost me nothing in OB because Joelle bought our breakfast that morning. The service at Jean Pierre's was wonderful though. They let me bring Scooter into the cafe to order and then brought everything to me at an outdoor table, including water for Scooter served in a French onion soup bowl. 

When I hear the name Durango, I think of Westerns. After all, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was shot here. Support Your Local Gunfighter was shot here. The Sons of Katie Elder, too. Only one fella with a cowboy hat, and he had the distinct look of a tourist. 

We talked to two lovely ladies (Kim the stylist and her sister) while we were having breakfast, who suggested a couple of good hiking trails. Kim gave me her card and encouraged me to call if I had any more questions.

We stopped into the outfitters to buy another little propane canister for the rapid boil and got into a conversation with Mike. Mike suggested I buy some bear spray. He also offered to take me out to see some moose if I wind up staying here til Friday. He gave me his card.

My canine companion and I were also welcomed at Maria's, a real bookstore. There I purchased an actual book to read as a backup if my Kindle battery runs out. Angels in My Hair, by Lorna Byrne. It is the autobiography of an Irish mystic. 

We then drove up the winding road to Lightner's Creek to inquire about a cabin. Tom, originally from Alabama, drove me around in a Gator and let me choose the cabin I liked best. He said he's never seen a bear up here.

The Honeymoon Suite

Soon after I took Scooter out for his last pee of the evening, I heard the banging of pots and pans, some hollering, and a few gunshots. Could I have arrived in time for the first bear sighting? Was Tom trying to allay any fears I might have? Maybe there are bear sighitings up here all the time. That might explain the gouges on the cabin door. There will be no peeing in the bushes for me tonight. I'm holding it til morning, just to be on the safe side. 

There is no electricity, no plumbing, and no heat. But there is wifi. How funny is that? I eschewed this modern indulgence for most of the evening until I got a fb message from a friend. I couldn't resist.

All snug in my sleeping bag, with the hood pulled up, Scooter tucked inside – I'm returning to my Luddite ways and my throwback book, which I will read by the light of my battery operated lantern.