Todays trip:
Denver – Golden (Buffalo Bill grave) – Vail – Leadville – Twin Lakes – Independence Pass – Aspen
We left Denver with blue sky and sunshine. Before proceeding our trip we drove back to the airport and took some pictures of the “snow-capped Rocky Mountains building”. We had to drive around the airport for three times until we finally had all the photos we wanted. Here are the results:
When driving to the Lookout Mountain (Golden) clouds were coming up and the sky became grey. We still enjoyed a foggy view over the Denver skyline in the distance. A must visit was the grave of Buffalo Bill.
The Rocky Mountains welcomed us back with blue sky and sunshine. After a cesar salad lunch in Vail we drove Highway 82 up to the Independence Pass, 12’095 foot above sea level (ca. 4000 müM). The scenery at the pass and all along the 44 mile route is some of the most spectacular in all Colorado, and perhaps the finest viewable from a Major highway – says www.americansouthwest.net! The road runs right beneath many great mountains including the highest in the state (Mount Elbert, 14’433 foot) and rises well above the treeline into the stark Alpine tundra zone, while also passing lakes, rivers, steep-sided valleys, thick forest of fir and extensive aspen groves(reminded me of the Black forest!). Independence is the highest paved mountain pass in Colorado.
The land around the summit is flattish, windswept, lonely and covered by sparse vegetation of grass and delicate tundra plants – the treeline is a 1000 feet lower down! It reminded me a bit of San Bernardino Pass in Switzerland.
Aspen is a cute village with much more character than Vail. It seemed astonishingly laid-back, no streets lined with gold and fur coats in every window. I quite liked it. We tried very hard but we didn’t meet neither Heidi Klum and Seal, nor Jack Nicholson or Kevin Costner…
