Aspen and Independence Pass

Friday morning we checked out of The New Sheridan, grabbed some pastries from a local bakery and by 8:30 we were headed out of Telluride and bound for Aspen.  The itinerary called for a stop in Redstone, CO for a "pie lunch".  KC had planned this based on an old memory of having stopped here during one of his motorcycle trips and had us all salivating.  Unfortunately, Father Time had done his thing and the pie shop was gone.  We had to settle for microwaved croissant sandwiches (actually they were not bad) on the front porch of a tiny store in town.  Lucy and Ethel wanted to walk around the tiny town and shop, which seemed like a perfect opportunity for KC and I to indulge in to delicious Black Cherry ice cream cones.  After ice cream, we walked across the street where some children were engaged in a game on the grassy slopes of Coal Creek.  I could be wrong, but I'd venture that Coal Creek holds a few wild trout.  Blue skies, low humidity and temps around 70F and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains..it was indescribably beautiful.

After lunch we struck out for Aspen, slogging our way through several construction delays, but otherwise enjoying a beautiful drive through the Colorado Rockies in KC's new Ford F150.  By 3:00PM we'd arrived in Aspen and checked into our hotel...The Limelight.  A gorgeous and recently renovated facility the staff was super friendly and whisked us to our rooms...with adjoining balconies.  Very slick.

Lucy and Ethel wanted to hit the shops of Aspen, so KC and I piled back into his truck and headed to Independence Pass.  The narrow road followed a freestone river with massive boulders and very quickly began gaining altitude.  With our ears popping, we both began feeling the effects of the thinning oxygen.  As we passed the tree line, the terrain began taking on a more barren look...first with just small shrubs and then nothing but rocks.

The approach to the summit was up a long grade which I estimated to be 10-12%....reminiscent of my bicycle climb up Teton Pass in 2007.  There were many cyclists at the top and lots of them working their way up the climb.  I felt their pain.