Karen and I stayed in the Major Ross Cabin, which is original to the site, although it has been extensively renovated: jacked off its foundation and taken apart so its hand-hewn beams could be cleaned, then put back together. A shiny bathroom was added and heating installed under the wood floors. Other lovely details were a fireplace stocked with wood, a buttercup-colored cowhide bedspread with red stitching, a bearskin rug and, on one wall, rifles that were probably used to dispatch the animal. Of the cabins we saw, the Major Ross turned out to be one of our favorites. Another great choice is the Well House, in the middle of which is a big sandstone tub, with hot water piped in from a spring.
Dunton felt so comfortable to us during our winter visit that we headed back in late summer. In that season the collection of cabins looked even more convincing in their role as the ultimate Western ghost town. The grounds were completely au naturel (I was told that the property doesn't own or need a lawnmower). Karen and I settled in quickly: strolling, hiking, reading and soaking in the hot springs. More active pursuits include Jeep tours, fly-fishing, white-water rafting and the popular horseback trips to Sutcliffe Vineyards, over in McElmo Canyon (be sure to get yourself some of its very nice Cabernet Franc, which Dunton pours by the glass). In the winter there's snowshoeing and cross-country and even helicopter skiing.
Although meals can be taken pretty much anywhere, guests begin to gather near the saloon's carved wooden bar around 7 p.m., when hors d'oeuvres are set out. After a few drinks, debates erupt over the authenticity of the names "Butch Cassidy" and "Sundance" scrawled into the bar's top. (The pair allegedly hung out in Dunton after robbing their first bank, in Telluride.)
On our two visits, the other guests were an interesting bunch. Dennis and Linda checked into the Honeymoon and spent the days with a fly-fishing guide, practicing their casts in the West Dolores. Irene and Rob showed up for a soak in the hot springs after Rob's very first horseback ride. The family-style meals quickly felt like dinner with if not family, then good friends. "The seven couples who were here on the Fourth of July hit it off so well that they all booked the same time next year," general manager Clare Evans told us.
Dunton chef Doug Glen does a fine job of keeping everyone well fed, relying heavily on local products. "We've been buying the prizewinning steer, lamb, and pig from the Montezuma County Fair," he explained. "And in season, vegetables come from the farmers' market down in Dolores." Our dinners, served on a long wooden table under chandeliers fashioned from wagon wheels, included smothered lamb, roast chicken, poblano chilies in onion cream, chocolate cheesecake and lime tart.
After dinner I usually headed for a dip in the outdoor hot spring. I became addicted to the profound silence, not to mention the profound darkness; in such a place you grasp how much of your life goes by without your experiencing either. Easing into the spring, a natural pool that has been there for aeons, I lay back against the stones. The warm water, direct from the core of the earth, flowed across my shoulders. I realized that I had become addicted to Dunton, too.
From $250 to $500 a person a night, including meals. The nearest airports are in Telluride, Montrose, Cortez and Durango, Colorado. Those in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Grand Junction, Colorado, have more flights and, in the winter, better weather. The resort can arrange transfers by SUV or helicopter. If you are driving — at any time of year — be sure to check with Dunton about road conditions. 970-882-4800; fax: 970-882-7474; duntonhotsprings.com.
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