Travel - The Durango Herald

Building winter

Elaborate ice castles draw tourists in Breckenridge, Utah and N.H.

DATE: Jan 18, 2014 | CATEGORY: Travel

Travel agents can play vital role for business travelers

Larry Seal, an executive leadership coach who spends about 100 nights on the road each year, uses a travel agent any time he travels for work even if he has to pay for it out-of-pocket. ...

DATE: Jan 18, 2014 | CATEGORY: Travel

Southwest Airlines ranks last in on-time performance

Southwest Airlines, once the most on-time airline in the industry, has lately been the least on-time, according to an analysis by the Chicago Tribune. The Dallas-based airline, th...

DATE: Jan 4, 2014 | CATEGORY: Travel

Seattle museum celebrates the silver ball

Couple shares pinball machines from 1960s to modern day

DATE: Jan 4, 2014 | CATEGORY: Travel

Destination: Food

Cooking, eating, drinking at new Tampa hotel focuses on culinary

DATE: Jan 4, 2014 | CATEGORY: Travel

Stonehenge receives modern-day revamp

STONEHENGE, England – After thousands of years, Stonehenge has had a makeover. But visitors may initially feel something is missing: the prehistoric monument itself. Tourists now ...

DATE: Dec 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Jordan’s warm welcome

In a tumultous region, an island of tranquility, hospitality

DATE: Dec 28, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Fliers oppose calls on planes

Only 19 percent back cellphone use in cabins

DATE: Dec 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Book it

Travel guides offer inspiration, practical advice and a gift option

DATE: Dec 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Travel gifts to keep organized, connected

NEW YORK – Today’s travelers want to be comfortable, organized and connected. With those themes in mind, here are some gift ideas, starting with suggestions from three people who travel for ...

DATE: Nov 30, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Travels with Fido

Tales – and horror stories – from pet-friendly destinations

DATE: Nov 30, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Be prepared before flying with your pet

Millions of people travel during the holidays to visit relatives and friends. But if you must board a plane to see grandma or your best buddy, should your dog or cat come along? O...

DATE: Nov 30, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members wore costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho’s bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the Secret Circus Society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this year’s costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don’ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since its inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this year’s fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unfazed by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

Building winter

Travel agents can play vital role for business travelers

Southwest Airlines ranks last in on-time performance

Seattle museum celebrates the silver ball

Destination: Food

Stonehenge receives modern-day revamp

Jordan’s warm welcome

Fliers oppose calls on planes

Book it

Travel gifts to keep organized, connected

Travels with Fido

Be prepared before flying with your pet

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