Steve and I grabbed a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant at the hotel before we headed out for today’s adventure.
Steve had wanted to see the famous Frying Pan River. Here it is. South of Beaver Creek and North of Aspen. Not easy to get to but this devoted fisherman’s wife does much to keep her man happy. With an occasional bauble thrown my way, I am kept happy also.
There is a dam on the Frying Pan River creating Reudi Reservoir. Steve doesn’t do reservoir fishing, so we didn’t stop here! (Except for a picture to show us that we actually did stop, but not for long!)
Now that you see the sign do you believe that it is Gold Medal Water?
This is a very famous spot called “The Toilet Bowl”. Very famous and very crowded. You need to get there early if you want a spot to fish.
Fishing can be very good in turbulent water, but if you lose your balance and fall in…well, that’s no good. Especially if your friends have Verizon cell phone service as there is no service here!
Steve looking for fish, he didn’t see any.
Such a pretty valley.
In this section we saw six anglers. We didn’t see a single fisherman catch a fish, nor even a strike.
This was the name of the area. We were looking for signs that said “The Toilet Bowl”!
Next stop was Aspen, we have never been there before and wanted to check it out. If there were movie stars and famous people, I wanted to see them also!
The famous Hotel Jerome. Jack Nicholson and Arnold Schwarzenegger hang out in the bar. The hotel was much smaller than I expected. The AAA rate for mid December was $1100 per night plus taxes. If Arnold or Jack were there, I will never know as we didn’t go in.
Saturday and the Farmer’s Market was going strong.
They don’t do tear downs here, but gut rehabs.
Like Vail and Beaver Creek, the ski trails go right into town.
Dior, but not today for me!
Here you can see the destruction and then regrowth from an Avalanche. Snow and rocks clear the path and then Aspens fills in over time. I bet you thought that this was a picture of a ski run!
Aspens are turning in the higher elevations.
A good view of the tree line. Trees need a certain number of months of the year at warmer temperatures. I’d ask Steve the correct number but my allocation of questions is all over for the day! (Steve says they need at least one month with a mean temperature above 50 degrees)
We didn’t stop to listen to him, but I am sure that Rocky Mountain High by John Denver was in his repertoire.
Lots of hikers out today, and many bikers also. Bikes and motor bikes.
Now we are above the tree line.
The bathroom at Independence Pass.
Continental Divide. Rain drop on one side goes to the Pacific Ocean. Rain drop on the other goes to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
At the summit of Independence Pass.
60 degrees at the Summit and windy.
There were little ponds called tarns. That’s a crossword puzzle answer for you!
Hardly any soil. Mostly rock.
They don’t want you tramping on the ground. The soil and plants are very fragile!
Beautiful view! This was a panoramic picture.
Heading down!
Here is the Arkansas River. This river flows into the Gulf of Mexico. After this we drove over the Tennessee Pass and back over the Continental Divide and back to the Hyatt.
No time for lunch today. We have to hurry back and change for the Wedding! Thank heavens for M&M’s and Peanuts!
No pictures of the wedding except these flowers.
Breakfast at the Hyatt and then we were off to Denver and the airport and home.
I hope you enjoyed another one of my Excellent Adventures!
Do you prefer regular, chocolate or almond croissants best?
Have you ever skied at Aspen?
Have you ever had a picture taken of you straddling the Continental Divide?
It’s incredible how Colorado is magnificent in summer and winter! We have skied Aspen (Ajax) mountain. You need to be a confident skier – it’s difficult – and there are so many “beautiful” people. No one seems to have “helmet hair” there! Was the wedding at the Hyatt? How was it? I had my first fly fishing experience just outside of Avon/Beaver Creek. Standing in the water, with no turbulence, is a bit tricky. But definitely fun even though we didn’t catch anything. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful pictures! I prefer almond croissants.Never skied at Aspen. Not sure about pictures straddling continental divide, but probably.