Leadville, Aspen, and Snowmass, Colorado, July 6 and 7
Sylvia beaming in with a quick hello to all of you from Snowmass, Colorado. I arrived in Denver shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6 to temperatures in the 60s and rain, with low-lying clouds obscuring the mountains. Ann was there on time, and we whisked back to Leadville, stopping in Georgetown along the way to a picnic of nibbles. Leadville was also socked in with rain, which is the usual case during the afternoon there. Ann departed soon for the yurts, as she wanted to check up on them, since guests are going to occupy both yurts this week. While she was gone, I put up my things, read, and tried to partake of the Internet, but without any success, as Ann's account could not be accessed. Therefore, I have had to resort to commenting on two days at a time instead of one, depending on when and if Internet becomes available to me. When Ann returned, we took a late-afternoon walk across some old mining roads and to a lovely stream. Clouds had dispersed, and the sun pervaded the entire scene, wrapping the landscape in a mellow afternoon light. We returned as the sun was setting, had a tuna/noodle casserole that Ann had made, and then I read Ann a chapter of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in anticipation of the appearance of Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" on July 14 of this year. Then we watched the hilarious 50s comedy "The Long Long Trailer" with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, laughing so hard about the terrible situations those two got themselves into.
This morning we started with coffee and a pumpkin bread that a friend of Ann's had made. Then we packed our bags for a 3-day jaunt on the High Road to Aspen, over the Continental Divide. Our first stop was Ice Lake / Hayden Meadow, where we walked for about a mile and admired the play of the clouds among the mountains, the landscape which had been part of the Hayden Ranch, once one of the largest ranches in the United States, and the nature preserve that students from Washington had lovingly created and are maintaining. From there we proceeded to the cutoff for Highway 82, towards Twin Lake Reservoir and Interlaken. The little town of Twin Lakes has several B & Bs and small galleries. There is one which I have repeatedly visited throughout the years--Shooting Star Gallery, as only works from local artists are featured there. I found some delightful earrings for Ann and Alexandra, both sets featuring Twin Lakes beach glass which had been tumbled in a rock tumbler, then fashioned into earrings and other jewelry. Beautiful creations!
From Twin Lakes we drove higher and higher to Independence Pass, at 12,095 ft. Access to it is cut off from November to May, and there were many ice fields yet to be seen everywhere. We got out to a very brisk wind and snow showers, and the temperature, with wind chill factored in, was in the 30s. Neither Ann nor her dog Chase nor I bothered to walk around there too long, but revved up the car once more and proceeded down about 2,000 ft. and the now abandoned ghost town of Independence, where storefronts, remains of cabins, mills, and the flotsam and jetsam of a once flourishing gold mining town had experienced a short heyday and then had just as suddenly faded in the mists if time. We walked the mile-long trail delineating the once-flourishing community, read all the interpretive signs and then made our way back to the car after another rain squall and threatening lightning and thunder. Proceeding further east, we had a last hike at Grotto Wall and then had a quick lunch of cheese and crackers before heading northeast to Aspen, where we first visited the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, which detailed the flora and fauna of the area and sported a beautiful walk around a small lake on the property. It was raining again, but the center provided umbrellas, which really helped me, as I was trying to photograph the beautiful venue without ruining my camera. Then we picked up tickets for a Brazilian dance concert we are going to tomorrow night in Aspen. From there we drove 10 miles outside of Aspen to the ski resort of Snowmass, where we located our Westin Hotel venue, our habitat for the next three nights. We had a bite to eat, then explored the ski village, its shops, restaurants, gondolas, and chairlifts, practically right outside our door. We have just returned and are about to call it a day. Chase, Ann's dog, has been a great trooper today, and he is already out like a light. Ann is reading, and I am writing this blog. More tomorrow. As ever, S
This morning we started with coffee and a pumpkin bread that a friend of Ann's had made. Then we packed our bags for a 3-day jaunt on the High Road to Aspen, over the Continental Divide. Our first stop was Ice Lake / Hayden Meadow, where we walked for about a mile and admired the play of the clouds among the mountains, the landscape which had been part of the Hayden Ranch, once one of the largest ranches in the United States, and the nature preserve that students from Washington had lovingly created and are maintaining. From there we proceeded to the cutoff for Highway 82, towards Twin Lake Reservoir and Interlaken. The little town of Twin Lakes has several B & Bs and small galleries. There is one which I have repeatedly visited throughout the years--Shooting Star Gallery, as only works from local artists are featured there. I found some delightful earrings for Ann and Alexandra, both sets featuring Twin Lakes beach glass which had been tumbled in a rock tumbler, then fashioned into earrings and other jewelry. Beautiful creations!
From Twin Lakes we drove higher and higher to Independence Pass, at 12,095 ft. Access to it is cut off from November to May, and there were many ice fields yet to be seen everywhere. We got out to a very brisk wind and snow showers, and the temperature, with wind chill factored in, was in the 30s. Neither Ann nor her dog Chase nor I bothered to walk around there too long, but revved up the car once more and proceeded down about 2,000 ft. and the now abandoned ghost town of Independence, where storefronts, remains of cabins, mills, and the flotsam and jetsam of a once flourishing gold mining town had experienced a short heyday and then had just as suddenly faded in the mists if time. We walked the mile-long trail delineating the once-flourishing community, read all the interpretive signs and then made our way back to the car after another rain squall and threatening lightning and thunder. Proceeding further east, we had a last hike at Grotto Wall and then had a quick lunch of cheese and crackers before heading northeast to Aspen, where we first visited the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, which detailed the flora and fauna of the area and sported a beautiful walk around a small lake on the property. It was raining again, but the center provided umbrellas, which really helped me, as I was trying to photograph the beautiful venue without ruining my camera. Then we picked up tickets for a Brazilian dance concert we are going to tomorrow night in Aspen. From there we drove 10 miles outside of Aspen to the ski resort of Snowmass, where we located our Westin Hotel venue, our habitat for the next three nights. We had a bite to eat, then explored the ski village, its shops, restaurants, gondolas, and chairlifts, practically right outside our door. We have just returned and are about to call it a day. Chase, Ann's dog, has been a great trooper today, and he is already out like a light. Ann is reading, and I am writing this blog. More tomorrow. As ever, S
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