Ski Resorts to Evergreen

And then it was back to the two of us. I needed time to readjust and so we camped another night in Bogan Flats.  Not a tough choice with the river, snow capped mountains and Hummingbirds to keep us company. Then when it was time to move on, we drove out to Marble to check out the huge chunks of quarried marble visible along the roadside. It was very chalky and different to the marble I brought back from our Contiki trip around Europe many years ago.

Relaxing in downtown Aspen

Gleaming brightly in the sun, row upon row of private jets come into view as we drove into Aspen. Lush green ski runs above the town completed the picture of wealth and prosperity. We camped just out of town in a wonderful campground full of Aspen trees, lush foliage and a myriad of flowers. To our surprise a 5 mile bike trail wound it's way from the campground along a wildlife reserve and into Aspen. Considering Aspens four lane main street, in reality only wide enough to fit two regular sedans (the town planners were dreaming when they came up with that idea) and Dude’s behemoth size riding our bikes in made lots of sense and exploring Aspen so much easier.

Maroon Bells

I had finally arrived at the iconic scene coveting all the tourist brochures and backpacker magazines.......Maroon Bells. With time restrictions on vehicles using the road we were now only a bus ride away from getting to see this picturesque wilderness. The previous day we had driven out on this road only to find that we had to turn around in a two tiered car park with acute grades and concrete barriers not at all friendly to anything larger than a regular sedan....Dude still carries the scars on his rear end. With clouds aloft and some rain falling we loaded our bikes onto the bike rack on the front of the bus and headed up to Maroon Bells. What can I say......it was all beautiful and after a couple of hours hiking accompanied by many ooh ahhh moments and a sighting of a marmot sunning himself it was time to don our helmets and with no effort at all enjoyed our downhill ride back to Dude.



Downhill all the way

We glanced at the sign indicating vehicles over 30 feet prohibited and gave it no more thought, with the bikes on the back we lengthed out at 25 feet. So as the road narrowed and then narrowed again it seemed at odds to the signs warning and we began thinking would we be able to continue on up to Independence Pass.  At one point the road turned into a single lane with no turn outs and I held my breath hoping not to meet any oncoming traffic.  

Chillin' out at the top of the mountain

Then in no time we arrived at Dave and Sandra's home in Evergreen. Dude fitted very snugly into the driveway and obscured most of the house and entry to the garage but no one complained. Life on the road had temporarily stopped.

It was wonderful to spend time relaxing with family chatting, watching movies, playing board games, learning a move or two on the trampoline..!!, riding our bikes on a nearby trail, watching the Tour de France and enjoying an ale or two on the balcony. A highlight was being able to watch the girls performances in Drama plays at the Centre Stage in downtown Evergreen.

One morning we were called eagerly out of bed early to watch a bear in the front yard (alas the bear disappeared before we could get upstairs) and we later learnt that she has a cub.

One morning we drove up to Mt Evans at 14,204 feet our first 14’ teener on this trip and got to see some goats hanging out amongst the rocks on our way back down.

We would like to thank Johns work mates for the REI vouchers.....we were able to use them in Denver.

I’m pleased to say we received our vehicle registration sticker…..!!