CE: Mike Coachman, & ‘The Judge’, Sep 1979

Mike and the Durango & Silverton RR Steam Engine

In Sep 1979 my former wife & I was traveling in the west for the first time (by automobile) and stopped in Durango, Colorado to ride the Durango & Silverton RR up to Silverton.

It was a chilly 6:00AM when we were waiting in line to get the tickets for the train ride.

My wife asked me to cross the tracks to the McDonald's and get her a cup of coffee. While standing in line at the inside counter someone behind me spoke asking what I was doing in the McDonald's at 6AM in Durango, CO?

I turned around and recognized an old family friend, Circuit Judge BJ "Bill" Driver. He was there to get a coffee before going out horseback riding in the mountains in the area.

We had a nice chat for a while before we went our separate ways.

This photo and the one above were taken in 2012 in front of the Durango & Silverton train's engine at its terminus in Silverton, CO.