Day Eight: Leadville, Co - Independence Pass - Aspen, CO - Salt Lake City, UT

I left Leadville at 7:20 - the sun was warming things up a little, but the mountains all had snow from last night. The high plains that 24 runs through (Lake County, CO) is a beautiful place, even though it is a little cold, and the elevation would certainly get to some people (2 miles high)







(I don't want this to turn into one big slide show, so I will try to limit the rest of the pictures)

Going on Colorado 82 West takes you up and over Independence Pass, which is closed during the winter (for obvious reasons - look at the snow today in the middle of September!)



Once you are over the Pass, the valley down to Aspen begins



Aspen, of course, is "larger" than it was when I last went through 40 years ago (a lot of Sotheby's Real Estate signs), but it still seems low-key and is certainly beautiful:



Continuing west, the geography rapidly becomes "southwest" - arid, scrub brush, buttes



Green River, Utah announces itself:



I saw this butte over Green River and immediately though of the Thomas Moran painting. I did research, and it is "Green River, WY" that Moran painted - maybe I'll get there next week



I know the "colors don't match", but I guess that is why they call it "Artistic License"

More buttes, and canyonlands, and windfarms!





After my perfect timing (see Note below), we saw Muse in concert - excellent show!



Thursday, Sept. 19
Super 8, 1128 US 24, Leadville, CO 80461 719.486.3637
1 hour -- Independence Pass
6 hours -- Aspen, CO
1 hour -- Salt Lake City, UT

fun note: I told Alison that I would be there at 6 PM. After driving 484 miles, I arrived at 5:58 PM!!

here is today's playlist:

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell (because it sounded so good yesterday)


no music going up and over Independence Pass - it somehow seemed a little sacrilegious/disrespectful

(no problem going down the backside) The Marshall Tucker Band - Anthology: The First 30 Years


Curtis Mayfield - Anthology


Todd Rundgren - Anthology


Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited


Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde


Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse


Jefferson Airplane - 2400 Fulton Street (disc 2)