I finally left CO springs. I have been dragging my feet. Plans have changed a million times. I had a nice day in the springs on Sat visiting with friends while hiking, hitting the farmers market and enjoying a wonderful lunch. Then we finished packing up my car and I hit the road...
The car is packed and ready to go....with a little over flow this time.. Thanks for letting me borrow the car top carrier Billie!!
I made it all the way to Denver where I spent the night at a friends house and got to catch the movie Julie and Julia. Cute movie. Now I want to make Boeuf Bourguignon. The recipes looked yummy!!
So I hit the road after eating at my favorite breakfast place in Denver. It was the first place I went when I arrived in Denver a year ago with Rachel and the last place I hit this AM with Jess! Snooze has awesome pancakes if you are ever in Denver you should try them. Pineapple upside down pancakes, carrot cake pancakes, sweet potato pancakes... and of course New England style which have Maine blueberries and sunflower seeds?? Mine didn't have sunflower seeds when I was growing up in New England... and my favorite, cherry chocolate chip!! Anyway. I highly recommend the place!!
http://www.snoozeeatery.com/
I headed west about 8:30 Am thinking about stopping in Moab UT at Arches...so of course I stopped at the Euro deli in Breckenridge on my way across 70. (to get some fruit tart for later) Then decided on a whim to go to Aspen since I still hadn't been to the Maroon Bells. They are one of the most photographed places in CO! So I had to see it! Bad time of day for pictures but still beautiful!
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/recreation/wilderness/maroonbells/index.shtml
My new home away from home stopped in Breckenridge at my favorite deli!!
Aspen looks a bit like Breckenridge until you look at the stores and the prices!!
Even the play ground was cool!
I stopped at the deli to pick up a sandwich for my hike...the sign says Caviar and sandwiches... Yeah right! I am not in KS anymore toto!
I took the bus up to the Maroon Bells parking lot and then walked to the lake!Beautiful!!
Maroon Bells weren't too Maroon today the way the sun was hitting it.
Proof. I was there!The bus driver gave a little tour and description of the area. You learn something new every day. Did you know that Aspen groves are one tree? Well typically. Sometimes a few but the Aspen tree sprouts its branches underground and then they grow up into the trees we see... hmm....
So that is oh, one or two trees and the rest are all of their branches!!On the way back we were told to look out for bears since they are seen regularly. They could be blonde, cinnamon, brown or black. Then they also said to look out for Lance Armstrong. He would be wearing yellow....they said it not me!! Apparently he is seen there regularly too! He lives in Aspen. That road up to the lake would be a good hill for practicing for the Tour de France!
On the side of the road driving out of Maroon Bells parking area.I headed back up to 70 and decided not to go all the way to Moab tonight. I stopped in Grand Junction around 7pm. Actually a town called Fruita. (so a 4 hr drive only took me 10.5 with a few stops...) Lots of wineries around here...go figure! I am about 20 miles from the UT border. Arches in the AM!! Park City by dinner!
I love the sky when the sun does this!!
Heading out of the Rockies into Mesa County and Grand Juction, CO.
Did anyone know that Colorado had a national monument?
This is part of it. I drove through this last year. Mesa and canyons. Beautiful.This was on the Maroon Bells website...I like it...
"After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on -- have found that none of these satisfy, or permanently wear -- what remains? Nature remains."
"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."
---Walt Whitman---
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