Wednesday, 15th May - Durango to Denver

The "Grand Circle" is complete - after 21 days, 13 motels/hotels, 5 states and 3,000 miles we are back where we started in Denver, Colorado. We have, largely, been blessed with good weather - dry and sunny - although heavy snow did prevent us from visiting our original first port of call, Estes Park, and marginally curtailed our visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. Our planned drive across the Oatman Highway in Arizona was ditched simply through lack of time. Otherwise we visited and experienced everything we had planned - a huge "thank you" to David Mortimer, now retired, and Duncan Harwood at Complete North America for organising this fabulous holiday and ensuring everything ran to plan - greatly appreciated.

Anyway, today after a return visit to Jean Pierre's French Cafe and Bakery in Durango for breakfast a final hour of retail therapy in Durango Main Street resulted in the purchase of (another) picture and some replacement trainers (bargains too good to miss!).

We, all rather reluctantly, left behind the Strater Hotel, Kevin Costner and Durango and headed out north east across Colorado for a long drive, over 330 miles, back to Denver and the rather excellent Hyatt Grand in downtown.

We stopped to view the Treasure Falls, as recommended by a couple we chatted to on the train yesterday.

Also, we once again drove through some magnificent scenery as we skirted east of the Rocky Mountains still very much snow capped.

We drove through some high passes, notably Wolf Creek ski area (elevation over 10,000ft) and Red Rock pass with the tail end of Winter still very much in evidence at the side of the road and also travelled across and alongside the Rio Grande River.

Exhausted after a long day we enjoyed a final dinner and set about packing ready for our flight home tomorrow. Oh, and bade a fond farewell to a pair of faithful friends (served well over the past five years but finally fell apart)........

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