This morning we woke up in luxury once again at the Sky Hotel in Aspen. We afforded ourselves the luxury of sleeping in. I also took advantage of having woken a bit before everyone else to give myself that Kimpton Spa time Molly loves to make fun of me for. After shaving for the first time in a week, and applying my Bichbox clay mask I was even able to get the rest of the dirt out from my fingernails. I think this is the cleanest I’ve been in three weeks.
We had debated a lot about how to spend our morning in Aspen, but eventually decided to spend it wondering around town. It seemed too cute to pass up. Full of boutique shops, restaurants, and park spaces. Since most things didn’t open up until 10 or 11 we headed for the John Denver memorial. I’ve been a fan of John Denver my entire life. In fact, he gave the first concert I ever attended when I was five years old at the Minnesota State fair. I can still picture him belting out Calypso. His songs still speak to me. In particular the first verse of Rocky Mountain High about a man just discovering the mountains as an adult but immediately feeling at home and pretty much every word of Poems, Prayers, and Promises (with the exception of wanting to raise a family since I’m already doing that).
In any case, I had wanted to visit this space and am so glad we were able to. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. Rock pathways winding among flowers in full bloom and flowing water. Another section featured an amphitheater full of rock seats for thinking and reflecting (or buying tickets to the Packer’s Family Night) and throughout the entire park there are quotes both by John and others about the beauty of life and nature.
From there we turned back to town and embraced the luxury of Aspen. We wandered through several of the boutiques eventually ending up at Aspen Over Easy. We had one of the best brunches I’ve ever had there. Mine was a sausage and biscuit bennedict, and it was perfectly done. Fluffy biscuit, meaty gravy, and perfectly poached eggs topped with a creamy hollandaise and served with crispy hashbrowns. We happened to be seated at the same time as and right next to a family that we hit it off with right away. One of the best parts of the trip is meeting people from all over the country and trading information and stories about our lives. If they happen to be reading, enjoy the beautiful city of Aspen / good luck with the move to Chicago!
Afterward we moved to that sadest part of every Kimpton say where had to check out. At least this time we know the Monaco Denver is less than two weeks away! For now, we’re hanging out in a cute little cafe in Leadville and taking care of our blog since we’ll be in the backcountry for the next 24 hours or so. Tonight we’ll be camping at the trailhead for Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak and our first attempt at a 14er. We’ll be waking up bright and early tomorrow as we try to get Rocky Mountain high!
