We left the Grand Tetons and headed toward Silver Queen Campground near the Maroon Bells. The Maroon Bells are said to be the most photographed mountains in Colorado, so we wanted to check them out, do a few hikes, and maybe visit to the nearby town of Aspen.
The shortest (and fastest according to Google Maps) route to Maroon Bells was south toward Rock Springs, catching WY430 to cross into NW Colorado. WY430 was a beautiful drive, but as we proceeded we could see that we would be driving through some rain. The rain turned to a downpour, and we were starting to see signs of flash flooding all around. As we rounded a bend the oncoming lane looked like a river rapid! We avoided the mess and made it to the top of the grade. Just then, we watched lightning strike a nearby bush, exploding it to bits, leaving nothing but a smoke cloud. As we neared the Colorado border, the road surface seemed to change….it was a dirt road! Yes, the nicely paved highway abruptly ended and we were rolling on the wet, pink soil of Colorado. It was well graded, but it was a 22 mile slosh over wet dirt. We merged onto CO318 (and blessed pavement again) only to be greeted by thousands of locusts crossing the highway. We were driving through Exodus!
By the time we reached the Maroon Bells, our trailer was also maroon from the mud. We arrived in the evening, and squeezed our magenta rig into a very tiny site and went to bed. The next day, Korin wasn’t feeling so great (some kind of allergy) so I made my way to Aspen and wow…I didn’t expect the amount of money in that town. It was like being at a Range Rover/G-Wagon convention. Not surprisingly, it was easy to find a bakery that made excellent vegan/dairy free pastries and served them with a smile! They were a bit on the pricey side, but they were worth it! Eli was totally pumped to have pastries for breakfast. As we waited for allergy medicine to kick in, we took another ride into Aspen to grab a burger at CP burgers. Again, excellent food, but at Aspen prices. We took a ride over to Snowmass to wait out the thunderstorms. Eli and I found a ping-pong table and had an epic game.
The next day we were all feeling much better, and we headed for the Maroon Bells, dual 14,000 foot peaks made out of Maroon Formation mudstone. The rock is very unstable, and difficult to climb because it breaks apart so easily. We decided to hike on the valley floor toward Crater Lake. It was beautiful, but crowded. We ended the day by splitting up. The girls went back to Aspen to do some window shopping, and Eli and I went to Snowmass. Snowmass is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, but we were there for summer activities. We decided to check out the Alpine Coaster. It was pretty cool! We enjoyed sliding at 28 mph down the coaster. After that, we took the chairlift to the summit, and we got another great view of the Maroon Bells! We ended the day together back at Maroon Lake. It was a gorgeous evening! We even got to see two beavers working the edges of the lake and diving in and out of their den. They were so cool!
