Aspen, Colorado

   We finished up our time in Colorado camping near Aspen at the Silver Bell Campground. What an incredibly beautiful place.
   We left the day before David and Sarah and proceeded to find our way to where we would be camping. Gotta love GPS! What we did not realize was that the route we chose was closed to any vehicles that had a total length greater than 35'.  We could not go over Independence Pass as we originally planned so we wound up going over 100 miles out of our way. What a long day that turned out to be!
    We stayed at Silver Bell and David, Sarah & Jax stayed at Silver Queen about a mile away. All of the campgrounds in the area were very small...ours being the largest with 14 spots. Only two were large enough for RV's and that was a stretch. We quickly realized there was a reason our spot specified a 30 foot limit. It was no easy thing getting into our spot...to say it was stressful is putting it mildly. I was directing, trying to keep Mike out of the bushes and grass and trying not to rip the roof off of our fifth wheel with trees that were everywhere! (I've already done THAT once before)! After we got in and got parked we realized we failed to fill our fifth wheel with water. Up there is the campgrounds there was very limited drinking water available. Not nearly enough to fill this monstrosity we call home. Ugh! So.....we pulled out and went in search of water...there was nothing to be had in the town of Aspen. No kidding. We were the only RV that we saw there in the four days we camped. We finally found a gas station just north of Aspen that we were able to slip in and take on water and fill the truck. The lady that managed the gas station took pity on us and let us park right in front of the store in front of the lines of gas pumps!  Back we went to our camp spot and once again squeezed in and got set up. Now we could breathe a sigh of relief!

   We ventured into Aspen a few times but quite honestly, really preferred being away from the crowds and out in the wilderness. There was so much to do and see and we were able to take some hikes to see the incredible beauty that this area has to offer.

 The area that we camped in is near the Maroon Bells. These mountains are incredibly beautiful. These photos do not do them justice. During September and October the banks of the lake are lined with photographers coming to take photos of the mountains and the aspens that surround them. I would love to come back in the fall.

 A beaver dam in the Maroon Lake. Aspens and mountains surround the lake.

 We hiked to Crater Lake which is at the base of the Maroon Bells. It was a tough hike...we were continually climbing and the path was covered with rocks. We were thrilled when we made it to the top! Crater Lake sits at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. That explained how much we were sucking air on the hike!!

                                           Crater Lake

   David and Sarah were able to travel over Independence Pass when they came the day after us. Their tent trailer and pick-up were not too long. We decided to drive up to see what it was like. It was incredible!

 At the top of Independence Pass. The elevation was over 12,000 feet.

 You've heard comb over?? How about a blow over! It was so windy and so cold but we had to snap a photo!

At the top of the pass the wildflowers were beautiful...

What a wonderful way to conclude our five weeks in Colorado. We got to see so much and yet we barely scratched the surface of what this beautiful state has to offer.

Best of all, we got to bond with our little grandson Jaxon and spend some great time with David & Sarah. Oh yes, we will definitely be back!