This is just going to be a post with random pictures of Aspen, without much substance, so I’ll apologize in advance. The weather didn’t really cooperate the entire time we were there, so we were forced to grab an hour here or there to explore when we could. We didn’t do any tours or visit a single museum or historical society, even though there were plenty to see. We didn’t even check out a whole lot of nature, except for a few things in this miss-mash of a blog and, of course, the Maroon Bells (a previous blog) which is definitely worth a look. That being said, this was one of the most fun and relaxing trips we’ve been on in years!

The pictures below were taken on the road to Independence Pass. We stopped along the road at a turnout to snap a few pictures. I just love the way the trees seem to be growing out of the rocks. We had gotten a late start and turned around before the Pass because we were going to get up a little earlier and head that way the next day. It ended up snowing that night and the Pass was closed the next morning. That was the one day we thought might work out according to our phone weather-apps and we were both headed back to the Midwest the day after. Oh well…

The road to Independence Pass.

We had hoped to go over the Pass on our way back to the Denver airport, but ended up having to go back through Glenwood Canyon again, which was just gorgeous, but we missed the Pass. Oh well. We definitely have a lot of things to see on a return trip, and there definitely will be one because this was a very nice town. Expensive, but nice.

Shopping is usually something I LOVE to do on vacation and I don’t mind spending a little extra on a trinket if I LOVE it and it will always bring back memories of a trip. This time I found myself checking price-tags BEFORE I got too attached – because whoa-baby – most things were WAY out of my league. We enjoyed our shopping nonetheless, because the shops were filled with beautiful things, but $1200 for a set of four wine glasses is a little pricey – even though they were beautifully bedazzled.

So we spent most of our time checking out the restaurants and bars. We spent our Sunday at a great bar called Zane’s watching the very last GREAT Packer game of this season (so far anyway). Best wings EVER and the beer was tasty and just kept coming! Our timeshare offered a shuttle service, which we definitely enjoyed that afternoon!

We did have to do a little research into the dispensaries. Lots of rules and regulations with it being legal in the state, but illegal federally. It was a lot more complicated than it was in the 70s, but very interesting and worth a good laugh or two. A rough night was spent at the Hotel Jerome. We girls decided to do a little shopping and then have a couple of cocktails and solve all of the world’s problem with our wit and intelligent conversation. After lots of chatting, catching up and gin and tonics, we found out the J-Bar had an audience participation Jeopardy game starting soon, so we had to join in! I will say, I was very proud of our results. I think we came in 5th out of at least 12 teams, which was pretty good for our two-woman team – when some of the other teams had at least 4, or 6 or 8 minds working together.

Below are some pictures that Laurie took on another visit with her hubby a day or so later. It was a beautiful place, with a dispenser of oxygenated water as you enter, to help with your light-headedness (from the elevation). They do give tours, but only on certain days and we missed them, unfortunately.

Jerome Hotel ©Laurie

Jerome Hotel ©Laurie

Jerome Hotel ©Laurie

Jerome Hotel ©Laurie

Another day Jim and I just drove around to explore the beautiful city, which has gotten some flack since most of the hospitality workers can’t afford to live in the city since the prices are out of hand. We did find a cheaper side of town after finding a lot of gorgeous houses with fabulous views just before that. Below are pictures of a local park and a few of the houses along the Roaring Fork River. Although not too “roaring” while we were there, it was still beautiful.

Here’s the cheaper side of town and the side of town with some pretty awesome views. I could see myself in a tiny house down there! OK, maybe not a tiny house, but definitely a small one lol.

Well, that about does it. Even though this post was not chock-full of facts and history, I hoped that I portrayed that we relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation, and I think that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?

Up Next: Just a Drive-by

Happy trails,
Barb