Thursday, September 29, 2011

Wed., Sept 28, 2011 – Aspen, CO








We set out early this morning for the John Denver Sanctuary which was just a short walk from downtown Aspen. Barb has been a fan of his for a long time and heard about this place from a TV special. After John’s untimely death in 1997, the memorial gardens were created in tribute to him and his work. It is a very peaceful and quiet setting with beautiful landscaping right along a stream that is home to several trout. The walking path meanders through granite boulders that are inscribed with the lyrics form some of his most famous songs. Visitors sometimes bring flowers to lay at the base of the rock with their favorite song in his honor. After leaving the park, we took the short walk into town to do some shopping and have lunch. The shopping here ranges from the upscale designer stores, to the touristy T-shirt and collectible shops. We had lunch at a restaurant right at the base of the gondola. The view up the slope with all of the fall colors was just breathtaking! We couldn't have asked to be here at a more beautiful time of year. We headed back for a little more shopping, and then hit the road to check out Vail.

Vail is what I consider to be the typical Alpine ski resort town. At a little over 11,000 feet, you feel like you have been transported to a village in the Swiss Alps J Everywhere you look there is a lot of carved wood trim on the buildings, window boxes filled with flowers, shops along stone pathways, and even a glockenspiel clock tower! We did a little shopping and then treated ourselves to some ice cream. There were still a few hours of daylight left, so we decided to hit one more ski town – Breckenridge.

This town has the same feel as Aspen, only on a much smaller scale. We had dinner at Eric’s Downstairs, a pizza pub and sports bar kind of a place. We did a little more shopping, and then headed back to Glenwood Springs. Wow! Lunch in Aspen, ice cream in Vail and dinner in Breckenridge – what a day!!! Tomorrow it is off to Moab, UT.

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