US Travel
Rocky Mountain Adventure, Aspen Sports
Photos & story by: Denise Morrison
After several days of feasting and imbibing it's fortunate the region offers an abundance of calorie-burning activities.
Backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rollerblading, kayaking, fly-fishing, and a disc golf course, are popular warm weather activities.
We spend a day hiking in the nearby Maroon Creek Valley in search of a good vantage point to view the majestic Pyramid Peak (14,018 ft.) Another beautiful, sunny day finds me donning a swimsuit and a lifejacket for a white water rafting trip. The Roaring Fork River seems at high levels and the swirling currents and crashing waves causes me to catch my breath.
It's a thrilling and scenic 4-hour trip (with a seasoned outfitter I might add) in an inflated raft thru foamy rapids featuring names such as Toothache and Sledgehammer!
Aspen's cultural sites beckon, too. In addition to the historic Opera House, the Aspen Art Museum presents contemporary artworks with a new, expansive Shigeru Ban-designed building. The Jazz Aspen Snowmass concerts are a favorite where we get to be treated to talents such as Boz Scaggs, Sheryl Crowe, and Jennifer Hudson in an intimate tent-like setting.
The area is host to many popular events during the warmer months: The annual Snowmass Balloon Festival, the Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration, Motherlode Volleyball Tournament, the Aspen Antiques and Fine Arts Fair, Aspen Filmfest; and, the Aspen Ideas Festival attracts many prominent luminaries. After several days of idyllic weather, excellent dining and entertainment, more than welcoming hospitality/making new friends, it is difficult to bid Aspen farewell.
Before heading out of town, we stop by the Woody Creek Tavern off Hwy 82 for a bite to eat. The low-key, rustic hideaway with indoor and patio seating may seem off the beaten path, yet I'm told they serve 400 tables during lunch in high season. Old Chevys are parked out front, kitsch and memorabilia line the walls and smoked trout and classic burgers are featured on the laminated menus.
The fresh-squeezed lime Margarita is the house specialty drink, in addition to Colorado Native Beer (a pale ale with Rocky Mountain ingredients.) A couple folks stroll in looking as though they just returned from hunting wild boar. A favorite watering hole of the late Hunter S. Thompson, most of the locals seem to have a story or two about the Gonzo Journalist.
Driving south of Aspen, we pass the expansive ranch-cum-enclave of a well-known celebrity, and cross Independence Pass. Traversing beautiful Colorado country, skirting the Black Canyon National Park where vertical walls lure serious climbers, and a region boasting names such as Cimarron Valley, Dolores River and Rio Grande Railroad. We stop at family friends' for a not-so-brief respite.
The following day I saddle up with some fellow equestrians along a scenic trek through trails of evergreen forests and unspoiled country of mighty mountain landscapes and rocky ravines.
Our next stop: Telluride