Aspen

We drove up to Aspen on Friday after school. The drive was incredible beautiful and we stopped at Independence Pass on the way. It was truly awe-inspiring. I felt like I was on top of the world.
We stayed in a cute Wyndham condo called Woodrun Place that we found in VRBO. We shared it with Suzy and Jason and their kids. It was nice and in a good location. It was oddly situated though, in that it was on four different floors that started three floors up. Lots of stair climbing was required.
Saturday we got up and leisurely made our way to Maroon Bells. We took free public transportation which meant transferring lots and finding our way. I enjoyed this tremendously as we saw lots of interested and different people and places and the getting there was half the adventure. We ate amazing eggs benedict in Aspen and finally made our way to Maroon Bells. We saw a yellow bellied marmot (whistle pig) and gorgeous aspen (already changing!) and had a nice tour guide. At the top was the most beautiful sight I may have ever seen. Maroon Bells reflecting in the lake below is incredible. The weather was perfect and we decided to hike the creek trail. It was four and half miles of down hill trail, weaving along a creek in and out of meadows and aspen groves. It was wonderful!! Even the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we hailed a bus and went back down to Snowmass to swim at the pool at our condo. We ended the evening with pizza, wine, popcorn and Catan. It was a win.
Sunday we attended the Aspen Jazz Festival. This is a bit of misnomer as there is really no jazz there. It was hot and shining, but it was a beautiful location. We saw The Revivalists which I didn't love, the Roots which I did and Maroon 5, which was good, but not my favorite. I'm not so much into Pop. But Adam did a great job. We ate festival food and the kids enjoyed the kids area. It was fun, but I'm not sure it was my kind of festival. Maybe after Jazzfest in New Orleans, nothing can compare. Still, it was a nice day with sunny skies and soft, green grass. And the wine was good.
Today we packed up, ate brunch in Snowmass on a nice balcony and drove home. The drive was long, but very scenic. We even saw a big brown bear running in the meadow beside us! We are listening to the Raven Boys on audio book and it kept us entertained.
Colorado is just so beautiful, especially in the mountains at this time of year. The aspen trees shimmer shake and the wildflowers still color the meadows and the streams tumble over rocks. The mountains are crisp cool and sunny and the air is clear.