Aspen

This town is not as cool as Telluride, but the campsite 3 miles out is one of the best we’ve seen. Except for a day or so in the public library working and taking care of home business, ( and of course some window shopping at Valentino’s) we stay at camp and hike the trails and enjoy the roaring fork river.

There is so much more opulence in Aspen, and of course movie stars are apparently everywhere, at least according to the folks you meet. I did pump gas at the pump next to the lead in Fargo, but I noticed his truck is as dirty as mine and nearly as old. On our driving/hiking trip up to the ghost town of Independence Colorado we were pretty sure we passed the Costner estate, but to paraphrase his oft-quoted line in “Open Range” – I’m not sure.

After Santa Fe, this was the first camp we had to take precautions against bears. The rangers are very serious about enforcing the clean campsite rules, and we were not at all inclined to cheat. While someone else encountered a bear in Santa Fe, our Difficult Creek Campground stay saw none, even though the expectation may have been greater.

All in all Aspen is what you’d expect. They have a beautifully done John Denver memorial garden that is well worth seeing. The Roaring Fork running through town has been improved, landscaped and made absolutely gorgeous, even if it isn’t exactly natural. Where else can you find 30 or 40 private jets on any given day at an airport the size of Lincolnton?

Don’t get me wrong, hanging out in Aspen is fun – like eating a big fat honey bun for breakfast – but for me and the bears, that may be a bit rich for regular consumption.