2001 Soap Box Archives

Colorado

I woke up early one morning and got out of bed a little after four o’clock. We had a big wet snow overnight and the scrub oak forests looked like a giant cotton patch in the silver of the moonlight. Looking across the La Plata Canyon with all that snow clinging to the trees is one of the most beautiful sights you could ever hope to see, Colorado at it’s best. The Four Corners area is such a special place, unhurried, friendly and breathtakingly beautiful. If you’re into history, sight seeing or just plain fun you just can’t beat it. From the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde to the brand new Southwest Center for the Arts. In Durango there’s something for everybody. Skiing, dog sledding, snow boarding and sleigh rides help make up the myriad of activities available and there’s a little steam train which makes a daily round trip through some rocky mountain country that will have your eyes popping. Durango boasts some of the finest restaurants you’ll find anyplace on planet earth. Francisco’s, serves muy bueno mexican food, Chez Grande Mere is the best french restaurant I’ve ever set foot in and Ariano’s serves great northern Italian food, just to name a few, but just about anyplace that hangs out a shingle is a pretty safe bet in Durango. Hazel and myself found a new passion on our winter vacation this year when we discovered snowmobiling. Flying across the snow, up and down hills and scooting through the wooded trails on a snowmobile is just too much fun. And wildlife, I’ve seen elk, bald eagles and one day a coyote came right up on our patio. We’ve made friends in Colorado, good folks who will go out of their way to help you out. Everybody minds their own business and lets you mind your own. There’s a performing arts hall in Durango which does over fifty events a year ranging from a Russian Bela Lika Band to the Four Corners Symphony Orchestra. There is no other experience I’ve had quite like watching a couple of feet of fluffy snow fall as a big storm works it’s way down the La Plata Canyon, when the world turns white and you can’t even see the mountains across the way. And walking into a cold clear Colorado night is another reminder of what a beautiful universe God made. There are so many stars and they’re so bright. You can pick out the constellations one by one and the moon can be so bright that you could almost read a book by it. If this sounds like a commercial for Colorado I don’t mean for it to. We’ve just returned from there and I wanted to write down some of my thoughts while they’re still fresh on my mind. It’s just a great place, pristine and unspoiled and a wonderful place to spend time. Ain’t America wonderful?

What do you think?

God Bless America
Charlie Daniels