Sunshine almost always makes me high! (John Denver)
Following Snowmass, we drove to Historic Basalt where we roamed the streets, did a little window shopping, and enjoyed lunch on the banks of the Roaring Forks River.
In the evening, we went to see Money Ball at the local cinema.
That's about it for today!
About 50 people participated in the Meet n' Greet. Following some announcements an distribution of the schedule of the week's tribute activities, five guitar players/singers lead the assembled crowd in a sing-a-long. The featured songs included, "Welcome to My Morning," "Back Home Again," and "Rocky Mountain High."
At the conclusion we set off for another walk around Aspen, stopping for lunch at the Bakery.
Following lunch, we continued our walk and then drove to Maroon Bells, two peaks that are over 14,000 feet. We hiked the trail leading to Crater Lake and got a great picture from high above Maroon Lake.
The following description was excerpted from beentheredonethat.com and the GORP link on the webpage:
"The Maroon Bells, at 14,156 and 14,014 feet above sea level, are two of the most spectacular of Colorado's 53 mountains above 14,000 feet. Located very near Aspen, Colorado, this view has become symbolic of the beauty of the Rocky Mountains."
"Not enough words are available to describe the beauty of this area. Panoramic high passes, beautiful alpine lakes, quaking aspen groves, meadows sprinkled with wildflowers and jagged peaks greet visitors to this area. This is not the wilderness to visit if you are seeking solitude. Large numbers of visitors are drawn to the beauty of this area. Many come to traverse some of Colorado's best-loved mountain passes, among them Avalanche Pass, Buckskin Pass, and Electric Pass. By far the most popular area in the wilderness, however, is Maroon Lake. Visitors to the Lake are treated to views of the twin peaks of the Maroon Bells reflected in the waters of Maroon Lake. Maroon Lake is set in a beautiful U-shaped alpine valley which is sprinkled with wildflowers. This is probably one of the most photographed spots in all of Colorado!"
The scenery is spectacular! The Skyway did not disappoint. It lived up to all our expectations. The snow covered Rockies are impressive, the grandeur magnificent. Perhaps even more impressive than the Grand Canyon!
Here we are, riding up, down, over and around the Rockies Mountains listening to and singing along with John Denver. It is nirvana!
After almost six hours of impressive mountain scenery, the likes of which we have not experienced, we found ourselves in Carbondale, home of the Eco Goddess, an eating establishment owned and operated by Lisa Ruoff. The Ruoff family and I go back to the 60's when I was best friends with Lisa's Uncle Bob. His sister Janet married Rob Ruoff. I got to know Lisa's Mom, Dad, and siblings very well. Lisa, the baby of the clan, came along at about the time I was starting my career. That limited my time with her and her family.
Anyway, here she is, in Carbondale, CO, running her own business. We planned to arrive in Carbondale at around lunch time, find her establishment, say hello and enjoy a healthy lunch. We had a lovely visit and an outstanding lunch.
Eco Goddess is all about healthy, organic food. There are not meat dishes on the menu, but that's OK when you can do such amazing things with vegetables! if you're ever in Carbondale, do yourself a favor, skip the Fat Burger and enjoy a healthy meal (try the Veggie Lasagna) in a warm, friendly establishment run by an owner who cares about you, healthy consumption, and her business. You won't be disappointed!
When our meal was over, we drove another ten miles or so to the Aspen-Basalt Campground where we set up camp. We'll be here for the next week to check out Carbondale, Basalt, and Aspen
We were successful and had the best Ranger Tour of the trip. Ranger Jeff Brown is passionate about his job, the subject matter and clearly enjoys involving people in his interactive presentation.
The history of the Ancient Puebloans is incredible and follow up reading is high on our list.
Following the tour, we took a self guided tour of the Mesa Top. It was great.
We enjoyed excellent lite fare at the Spruce Tree Cafe. Before making our way down the mountain we watched the orientation movie and walked through the museum. The collection of artifacts is most impressive. Included on the site is a research library.
Crews are currently building a new Visitor Center and Research Center.
We're off to Mesa Verde NP but first, a stop at Four Corners, the only place in the USA where the boundary lines of four states meet.
The Four Corners Monument is operated by the Navajo and Ute Nations.
Surrounding the medallion marking the intersection of the borders is a viewing patio. Around the patio are booths from which Native Americans sell their wares. Some of the pottery and Arts and Crafts are very well executed.
After driving almost three hundred miles, we chose to set up camp in a private campground outside the Mesa Verde NP.. The campground offers free Internet access (it works but it's SLOW).
Tomorrow, we'll get an early start in order to score tickets for a guided Ranger tour of the Ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings.
Just to our north, we can see a mountain range. The peaks are covered in snow. The weather forecast for Aspen (we'll be there in two days) is for highs in the 60s with lows in the 40s. That's acceptable to us. Let's hope it's accurate!
After breakfast, Marje and Ed pulled up stakes and headed for Sedona. In addition to a weekend Arts Fair, they hope to find thicker air and warmer temperatures. Morning temps have been in the low 20s and the daily highs hover near 50. We have been waking up to temps in the low 40s inside the RV. It's tough to get out from under the covers when it's that cold!
After bidding goodbye to our traveling companions, we set out for a walk on the Bright Angel Trail. The trail, one of the most popular in the world, descends rapidly from the trail head near the Bright Angel Lodge. We went down far enough to feel enveloped by the walls of the Canyon on one side while on the other side, sometimes only two or three feet away, the drop off was deep and scary.
Surprisingly, the walk back to the top wasn't nearly as rigorous as the walk up the Navajo Trail in Bryce Canyon.
We had lunch in the Arizona Room at the Bright Angel Lodge before heading out on the Red Bus to Hermit's Rest. Mary Coulter was the architect for the building which blends perfectly into the surroundings. If your in the neighborhood, the views from Hermit Road shouldn't be missed.
On the way back to the campground, we bought souvenirs of our visit to the Grand Canyon for the grandkids.
There's a famous quote by President Teddy Roosevelt in which he stipulates his opinion that every American should see the Grand Canyon. Certainly this is an amazing place. The size and scope of the Canyon defies belief. Every time I get a glimpse of it from the rim, I'm awestruck by its enormity, beauty and unforgiving ruggedness. It may well be something every American should experience at least once in his/her lifetime. During our five days split between the north and south rims, we didn't get the feeling that many Americans were here. Yet there were no vacancies on the North Rim and there are crowds of people here at the South Rim. Most of the people it seems are from other countries. We have heard conversations in German, French, Spanish, Swedish (and perhaps other Scandnavian Countries), Australian, Japanese and perhaps Chinese. Indeed, foreigners seem to outnumber the Americans by a significant number.
There is a significant Native American presence although not in the tourist areas. The Park is surrounded by Indian Reservations. To the west is the Havausupai Reservation. This tribe operates the Sky Walk, a five hour ride from the South Rim (only 1 1/2 hours by car from Las Vegas). To the east is the Navajo Reservation. Six other tribes, the Havalapai, Yavapai, Southern Paiute, Zuni and Apache claim portions of the Grand Canyon area as their native lands.
