Travel - The Durango Herald

What to do when car rental reservations aren’t honored

We’re sorry, sir, but we don’t have any cars left. That was my unpleasant welcome to Michigan by Hertz. I had a reservation. They saw the reservation. The problem: Hert...

DATE: Jun 29, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Coney Island comes back

Two iconic NYC summer destinations rebound after Superstorm Sandy

DATE: Jun 29, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

From art to trails, 5 freebies in Helena, Mont.

HELENA, Mont. – Montana’s capital is perfectly positioned as a halfway point between Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, but visitors often decide to extend their stopovers once they get...

DATE: Jun 29, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Giving Guatemala a chance

Stay safe with careful planning, be rewarded with spectacular sites, ancient ruins

DATE: Jun 15, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

From beach to the boardwalk: Freebies in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Myrtle Beach, this year celebrating the 75th anniversary of its incorporation, is the heart of South Carolina’s $16.5 billion tourism industry. Myrtle Beach is in the ce...

DATE: Jun 15, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Do your homework before booking historic inn

Don’t be surprised by lack of Wi-Fi connection or communal bathroom

DATE: Jun 15, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Dr. Beach names top spot

N.Y.’s Main Beach tops annual survey of best

DATE: Jun 1, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Rev up to these freebies in Black Hills

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Mount Rushmore National Memorial may be the most famous landmark in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but it’s not the only one. Covering about 8,000 square mil...

DATE: Jun 1, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Historic ride on Zephyr

Scenic route takes Amtrak train from Bay Area to Reno

DATE: May 18, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Parks, markets, among free options in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two decades ago, the city of Portland’s Yellow Bike Project put hundreds of canary-colored two-wheelers on the streets for public use. It was an earnest effort, utterly with...

DATE: May 18, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Musical happenings

Fans travel far and wide to attend festivals

DATE: May 3, 2013 | CATEGORY: Travel

Plenty free in D.C.: Here are 5 suggestions

WASHINGTON  There probably are more free things to do in the U.S. capital than nearly any other major city in the world. The most popular museums and the zoo are free, thanks to govern...

DATE: May 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

What to do when car rental reservations aren’t honored

Coney Island comes back

From art to trails, 5 freebies in Helena, Mont.

Giving Guatemala a chance

From beach to the boardwalk: Freebies in Myrtle Beach

Do your homework before booking historic inn

Dr. Beach names top spot

Rev up to these freebies in Black Hills

Historic ride on Zephyr

Parks, markets, among free options in Portland

Musical happenings

Plenty free in D.C.: Here are 5 suggestions

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