Jason and I have gotten in the habit of taking trips with my parents and sister every summer. I guess we like each other enough not to seek a cure for this habit. My sister suggested we visit Durango this year and that’s how we found ourselves there a few months later.

Jason and I have a different vacation style than many members of my family; we are ever ready to discover new places and try new things while others prefer just chilling. Fortunately, we rented a lovely home that made relaxation and exploration simultaneously possible.

The Durango fire, known officially as the 416 Fire, started just days before our excursion. It made the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad inoperable and tourist destinations like Purgatory inaccessible. We didn’t waste time crying over spilled embers though.

Our first day in Durango, we shopped on its adorable Main Ave and squeezed in a trip to Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico. Aztec Ruins, despite its name, has nothing to do with the Aztecs. (Those silly Spaniards thought every native was an Aztec.) Instead of Aztecs, Ancestral Puebloans were the monument’s former inhabitants. Over a thousand years ago, these people created this sophisticated community near the Animas River. I was surprised by the refined design elements incorporated into their structures. At Aztec, unlike other ruins, you can actually go through a number of the site’s 400+ rooms. It definitely merits the drive from Durango and is different than what you see at Mesa Verde.

No trip to Durango would be complete without investigating Mesa Verde National Park. We spent a day there; we could have easily spent a couple more. We did the Cliff Palace and Balcony House tours. Cliff Palace was physically difficult for some members of our group and Balcony House was a heights challenge for others; I’m A-OK with adrenaline spikes and muscle contractions when timeless curiosities are involved. We also drove along the Mesa Top Loop to sift through hundreds of years of the Ancestral Pueblo civilization’s evolving architecture.

After our packed day in Mesa Verde, some members of our group needed a breather. That breather came in the form of escaping from a room at Conundrum, painting nails, and binge-watching Stranger Things.

Our last day in Durango began with a hike in the San Juan Mountains on the Colorado Trail. The Colorado Trail crosses 500 miles of the state’s rugged terrain. We took it long enough to cross the Junction Creek bridge, about 5.5 miles. It was a bit muggy that morning, but the creek provided some toe-dipping diversions.

Although the ride home would have been wearing enough on its own, Jason and I made several not-entirely-on the-way stops in route that extended our travel time further and resulted in a return after 2:00 AM. We checked out Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, a stretching preserve that contains the highest concentration of archeological sites in the U.S. Over 6,000 have been recorded within its borders and a total of over 30,000 has been estimated. We visited its Anasazi Heritage Center, along with the Dominguez, Escalante, and Lowry Pueblos. Lowry Pueblo was our favorite of these. On Lowry’s windy plateau, we ate a peaceful picnic of salsa and chips while the stones of a remote civilization hummed a quiet history.

Our last stop was Hovenweep National Monument. Although a bit isolated, Hovenweep was both a curious and astonishing marvel! There, tall towers of remarkable complexity pack the rim of a small canyon like a prehistoric city block. These structures look almost medieval with their turrets and defensive positions along the ravine’s brim. Many were constructed so close to the canyon’s cliffs that chunks of them have crumbled into that gully over time.

Durango was a historic trip with many historic moments. We witnessed the remains of some remarkable cultures, got my sister hooked on Stranger Things, and got my mom to play a board game. (Say what?) We also got a hint of the power behind the 416 Fire as smoke infiltrated the air and ash drifted down on our heads. Dang Durango!