All aboard

DURANGO, Colo. – Standing in the cold, we heard the train long before we saw it.

In the late afternoon twilight, just as the sun dipped behind the San Juan Mountains in Durango, Colo., the clickety-clack of steel against steel was unmistakable as the engine gained momentum.

From the platform, we watched as great puffs of bluish-gray steam rose to the sky as the train chugged toward the station. Then the whistle sounded, a sort of a high-pitched “Mum-wah-ah! Mum-wah-ah!”

As my husband and I waited for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s Polar Express, all around us were kids and adults in flannel pajamas adorned with images of Snoopy and Superman, hearts and flowers, and stripes and plaids. Make that lots of plaid.

The high-octane excitement and anticipation of the ride were contagious, and the chilly air practically crackled with the yuletide spirit.

“All aboard!” the bespectacled conductor shouted to the pajamas-clad crowd. “All aboard for the Polar Express!”

We then stepped aboard for a magical hourlong journey from Durango to the “North Pole.”

Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s popular children’s book “The Polar Express” and the subsequent 3-D movie starring Tom Hanks, the ride is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events that will leave you overwhelmed by its specialness.

The story begins to come to life as the coal-fired, steam-operated vintage train, looking for all its might like a long golden necklace, pulls away from the station.

As “chefs” pass out steaming cups of hot chocolate and gaily decorated Christmas cookies, the conductor walks through the train, punching tickets and sending snowflake-like confetti every which way.

The inside of the train is warm and toasty and adorned with holly and white lights. Even I found myself “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing” at every turn.

The windows frost up quickly as the train winds its way to the North Pole where Santa Claus and his elves await, and as we rode through this slice of the Rockies, the combination of snow and moonlight brightened up the mountainsides.

Along the way, a narrator reads “The Polar Express,” which is a story about a pajama-clad boy who comes to believe in Santa Claus through a magic train.

To keep with the theme of the book, both children and their parents are encouraged to wear their jammies and bedroom slippers aboard the train. Believe me, it’s as cute as cute can be.

Once the Polar Express arrives at the North Pole, Santa and his elves board the train and, following the tradition of the book, give each child (and some grown-ups) a silver sleigh bell.

On the return trip, everyone joyously sings Christmas carols as Santa moves from car to car. I will never again hear “Jingle Bells” or “Silent Night” without thinking of the Polar Express and reliving that extraordinary journey.

It is Christmas personified, and for kids it is the highlight of the season. For adults, the best part of the trip is seeing the sweetness and innocence of the young faces lit up like tinsel and lights.

By the end of the ride, I found myself believing in Santa Claus and in all that Christmas is and should be. I must admit that it was the first time I’ve felt like a child in years, and I very much so liked that feeling.

After your train journey ends, be sure to take a stroll up Durango’s Main Avenue to its cornucopia of restaurants. On a per-capita basis, there are more restaurants in this town of about 17,000 than in San Francisco, and it’s known as sort of the beer mecca of the Southwest.

In our short stay, we opted for warm and friendly Seasons for dinner of American fare, Carver’s Brewing Co. for lunch and locally brewed beer (“It’s where everybody meets,” says one local), and another dinner at the more upscale Cosmopolitan for options ranging from stone hearth pizzas to gourmet seafood and beef dishes.

Durango, a dog-friendly town perched at 6,512 feet elevation, has an amalgamation of American Indian, Southwestern and Contemporary Western art galleries and museums. For shopping, there are plenty of one-of-a-kind boutiques.

The Durango Mountain Resort is nearby for skiing, and if you visit before next October, be sure to see the mountain lion exhibit at the Center for Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College.

Lodging in Durango runs the gamut from historic bed and breakfasts to cabin rentals to the Durango Mountain Resort to national chains.

We stayed at the Rochester Hotel, a cozy Old West-style inn that was the backdrop for several movies filmed in and around Durango, including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “City Slickers.” The ever-changing gourmet breakfast alone is reason enough for a visit.