The impetus for this trip in the first place was a picture Rick Wilson posted on Twitter of himself and a Corvette in front the Independence Pass sign showing 12,000+ altitude. That presented the Rocky Mountain region west of Denver as an area worthy of exploration.
We explored Salida a bit before leaving and found a very cool town. The Arkansas River flows through downtown and offer many options for river sports. In fact, we could see that they were setting up the course for a whitewater competition. There's also a very large trout hatchery and lake for fishing. There seems to be a lengthy riverwalk/bike path as well. Elevation here is 7,000'.
We headed north on Rt 285 and, although it was a bit out of the way, we went on up to Leadville. We were curious to see if the famous donkey race was still going on! It is!! We had learned about it in a book called "Running With Sherman" that had been a book group choice. (Great story if you haven't read it). There's a wonderful visitor center there, too. There was a rain/sleet shower while we were here.
Back down to Rt 82 and on up to Independence Pass. Mission accomplished! Spectacular views from the top. It was cold!
On the way back down, we reached Aspen, the home of rich people! Its all beautiful! It reminds us of Sun Valley and Jackson Hole.
Road road from Aspen to Glenwood Springs is a 4 lane road (doesn't look like on my map). Surprisingly, traffic was horrendous!
We had a reservation at the Glenwood Springs Lodge, right across the street from the historic "Spa of the Rockies" and next door to the historic Colorado Hotel. We walked across to the hot pools and spent a half hour or so soaking in wonderful 100 degree water. Very therapeutic!
Dinner tonight was a great meal at the Colorado Hotel. We love these old hotels!
We'll leave the mountains tomorrow and start the way home. We'll go as far a Little America - another historic hotel.
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| Leadville |
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