Finally the road descended to the more reasonable altitude at Glenwood Springs, and then from Carbondale we drove to our KOA campground on Crystal River in the shadow of Mount Sopris. That's Mount Sopris below, partially obscured by clouds.
This is one of the prettiest RV parks we've stayed in, especially with its nice fall colors.
As I stepped out of the motorhome, the retractable steps hadn't fully deployed, and I landed awkwardly and hurt my left knee. Damn! I had always felt younger than my stated age, but after the last two weeks, with my pulmonary emboli and now my sprained knee, I wondered if I was almost ready to be put out to pasture. I found the knee brace I had been given in North Carolina, applied it, and soldiered on. Presumed initial diagnosis: quadriceps tendon strain.
I was unable to drive our little pickup truck because pushing in the clutch was too painful, so the next day Nancy drove us up the road that leads to Snowmass and Aspen, where we had skied so many years ago. We stopped in the charming little town of Basalt. Ah, the memories from way back in the early 70's when as young squirts we drove a primitive little motorhome from southern California to a campground in Basalt (since closed) which we used as a base for skiing Snowmass and Buttermilk. We remember fondly those incredibly cold winter mornings in our poorly insulated motorhome when we argued over whose turn it was to crawl out of bed and relight the pilot light on the propane furnace.
Basalt has undergone dramatic further development over the years but is still gorgeous, and if we were ten years younger we might seriously consider moving there.
We drove on to Aspen, which is where the rich and famous have played for many years. We loved it back in the day and especially have fond memories of dinners in the Parlor Car Restaurant and the Ute City Bank. The Parlor Car is long shut down and today Nancy could buy haute couture in the Ute City Bank building, were she so inclined.
We walked up to the tourist booth in the center of Aspen. I said, wouldn't it be fun if it's the same lady we talked with when we visited six years ago. And it was! She was visibly six years older, as are we, most likely. She is a long-time resident and in fact had worked in both of the restaurants we mentioned above, and our guess is that in this sky-high real estate market her home is paid off but she needs to supplement her income with this job.
She suggested a lunch spot nearby - Meat and Cheese - which was classier than its name suggests. We enjoyed our sandwiches and especially a wonderful Napa chardonnay from John Anthony Vineyards, which we weren't familiar with. We asked the manager how that wine happened to be on their menu, and it turned out that he had met John Anthony at one of Aspen's amazing Food and Wine Classic events, which cost around $1700 per person for three days of bacchanalia. (Shall I put you down for several?) We told him that we would visit that winery on our next trip to Napa and let Mr. Anthony know about our experience in Aspen.
Aspen is still something special. Fun to stroll by the upscale shops and wonderful restaurants. Shame that the price of housing has become even more astronomical and beyond the reach of mere mortals. Unfortunately I failed to take adequate photos of the Aspen scene except that here is a view of one of the ski runs, waiting for snow, at the end of a pretty street.
Driving back to our motorhome, I was struck by the sheer beauty of Colorado. It may be second only to Alaska in scenic splendor, at least for those of us who are most moved by spectacular mountain views.
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