USA Tour Day 8 - Telluride CO - Aspen CO

Some free time for R& R had been allowed for in Telluride, the cynics amongst us might have thought there was an ulterior motive in the form of recover time but surly not!! Our late night revellers looked a little fragile, even moreso than usual.

Telluride provide free chair-lift rides into the mountains using the ski-lifts, so being a tight-fisted Aberdonian I was keen to get something for nothing and decided to check them out. A short walk to the lift through the residential part and then we were off up the mountain. It climbs steeply rising quickly above the town giving and excellent view of the streets and the surrounding mountains. As the gondola rose higher I felt it was becoming "stuffy" although it was not a well-sealed compartment. It dawned on me that he altitude was to blame with the air quickly becoming even more thin than in the town which was at 8,000 feet.

The view of the town from the lift was spectacular and the altitude gave a new meaning to the phrase "breathtaking scenery". The lift continues on over the mountain to the next valley where there are many more ski runs and hotels hidden from view of Telluride. The round trip was well worth the time spent.

We window shopped some more then went back to Floradora's for some lunch before we gathered in the centre to make ready to go saying a sad farewell to a lovely town. We finally left at 12.30 doubling back on the solitary access road west then north then east in a big circle to Ridgeway joining US 580 to Montrose where we then made east on US50 further into the Rockies again and the rain started. A twisty road needing a bit of care as we negotiated the bends at a brisk pace. We passed through a small settlement called Cimarron, so "Rose of Cimarron " played in my head for the next hour. We stopped at Blue Mesa Dam for some photos then continued on upwards into the mountains.

Another stop to take in the scenery and we came across some fairly tame chipmunks which would nearly feed from hand and gave us some entertainment. On through open hill country to Crawford and Hotchkiss then North towards Carbondale. The combination of twisty roads, rain and fantastic scenery is a tricky one, always trying to keep up the pace while craning the neck to see the next sight. I always tended to drop back a little so I could look around without fear of running into somebody in front because I'd looked away a little too long.

We came across a long stretch of road construction, a two-mile stretch of dirt road with enough loose gravel to give quite a high pucker factor. Not only with the scoots skipping on the loose surface but with flying missiles from traffic passing in the other direction. Not something we ever come across in the UK.

At Carbondale we then doubled back in a southeasterly direction towards Aspen. The town is smaller than I expected, set among high hills in quite a broad valley, ski slopes easily visible from the town streets. In some cases I imagine the less able skiers probably end up taking lightening tours of some of the shops as the career out of control straight from the piste to the main street. On the way into town we passed the airport. The large amount of executive jets and small planes an indicator of the new breed of townsfolk, rich and able to afford the increasingly expensive real estate in the area.

We reached the hotel and checked into the rooms to find that they were very warm and no air conditioning to cool them down. We were told that air conditioning is not normally required in Aspen and it was unusually warm. We showered and changed and met up in separate small groups to explore and have dinner. The town was full of the kind of shops with not a lot of stock and no prices on things. Always a bad sign for me.

Although we were only there for a short time I decided I wasn't a fan of Aspen, which was a little too designer and up market for me although I imagine this may be a recent change. It seemed very cosmopolitan with locals, Aussies, Kiwis, Irish and Scots among the bar customers but it's not a place I'd miss if I never went there again.

Maybe we'd been spoiled by Telluride, maybe not but the contrast between the two towns was, in my opinion immense. One full of character and a real Wild West feel, the other a little shallow and unable to find an identity.