Travel - The Durango Herald

Bikes and craft beers

From N.M. to Vermont to Oregon, cycling tours pedal to breweries

DATE: Sep 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

2 killed, tourists hurt in Papua New Guinea attack

SYDNEY – Machete-wielding men attacked a group of Australian and New Zealand tourists hiking a popular trail in the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, killing two porters and injurin...

DATE: Sep 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

In Jamaica, (illegal) tours for pot lovers

Caribbean nation considers legalization to help tourism, economy

DATE: Sep 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Hotels offer groceries as alternative to room service

Forget room service. At many hotels across the country, you can now easily have groceries or ready-to-make meals delivered to your room. Hotels are increasingly arranging for gues...

DATE: Sep 14, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Adventure not over for Lonely Planet founder

Wheeler’s new book chronicles travels in Congo, Colombia, Pakistan

DATE: Aug 31, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Now might be time to set sail on a cruise

If you’re one of the 303 million Americans who won’t take a cruise this year, you might want to reconsider your vacation plans. This may be the time to head out to sea. The reason...

DATE: Aug 31, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Cruising Alaska

Alternatives to pricey excursions when you reach a port

DATE: Aug 31, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Airline seats get a makeover

DATE: Aug 31, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Smokejumper base features parachute corps

MISSOULA, Mont. – Fighting wildland fires is grimy, exhausting, dangerous and impressive. When smokejumpers do the work, parachuting in to wage the initial attack on fires in remote, rugged ...

DATE: Aug 17, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Hiking Shi Shi

Solitude and sea stacks are the draw at pristine Washington beach

DATE: Aug 17, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Into the Outback

Touring Australia by motorcycle

DATE: Aug 3, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

The endless quest for better boarding

Airlines try different ways to fill planes fast

DATE: Aug 3, 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

Bikes and craft beers

2 killed, tourists hurt in Papua New Guinea attack

In Jamaica, (illegal) tours for pot lovers

Hotels offer groceries as alternative to room service

Adventure not over for Lonely Planet founder

Now might be time to set sail on a cruise

Cruising Alaska

Airline seats get a makeover

Smokejumper base features parachute corps

Hiking Shi Shi

Into the Outback

The endless quest for better boarding

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