After several rides over the years on the D&RGW from Durango and Silverton, and, then, the Silverton, I finally got a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec, from Antonito out and back to Osiris behind steam. I recommend anyone do the train all the
way through and back on the bus, and from Chama....but it was a quick decision, and I just wanted to be behind steam the
entire trip. I was there, unlike in the past, there were no forest fires to cancel trains, and the aspens were beautiful in SW Colorado, the best I have seen them, and I was afraid it was too early in the month for them. They were not even turned much farther north in Glacier or Yellowstone a few days earlier. (I was photographing Montana ghost towns, Bannack, Virginia City, Alder, etc. for structure model ideas) The C&T was a fantastic ride, standing on a coach platform (I don't think I was allowed to do that on the Silverton, although I had done it years ago on the D&RGW), or in the open tourist "gondola".
Soot in your face, smoke and your hair in the wind, aspens galore...highly recommended. Even photographed a double
rainbow over aspens.
