Our Lovely Life: Trip to Aspen and Snowmass

We enjoyed a lovely 4 days in Aspen and Snowmass this week. Justin and I visited this part of the state right after we moved here in 2004, so it was fun to go back with the boys and explore.

We drove to Aspen through Leadville, CO, which boasts being the highest city in the U.S at 10,152 ft., and up over Independence Pass. It was a beautiful drive and the boys enjoyed the scenery as well as a new pile of library books. The condo we rented in Snowmass was also beautiful and located right on the Snowmass Club golf course. The boys loved exploring all of the nooks and crannies, particularly the ones not kid-proofed, and it ended up being a very good home base for us in between our activities.

La Plata Peak -- Colorado's 5th tallest mountain (14,361 ft)

Here's a quick re-cap of our trip:

Day 1 -- Silver Queen Gondola and Swimming
We rode the Silver Queen Gondola 2.5 miles (and a gain of 3,000 ft in elevation) up to the top of Aspen Mountain. The boys loved this and have added this to their list of favorite transportation machines. We spent several hours at the top of the mountain walking, exploring some of the activities for kids, and had a picnic. The views of the Elk Mountain range were amazing. We were at 11,212 ft, so the temperature was perfect and the air very thin! Jacoby did a great job hiking all around despite the thin air. We rode down the gondola and headed home for naps and then enjoyed a swim at the pool after dinner. After a full day out in the sunshine and at high elevation, we were a tired little family but it was a great, great day!

Mommy & Jacoby in the gondola

Pretty view

Lots of activities await visitors at the top of Aspen Mountain. Here we are exploring the sand pit and all of its toys and shovels.

Playing in the tree house

A great spot for a picnic (Aspen Highlands ski area is in the background)

Headed back down the mountain

View of the chair lift far, far below the gondola

Swimming at the pool

Day 2 -- A Visit to the Maroon Bells or Morgan's Melt-Down
So the background for Day 2 is that whenever we travel the boys sleep pretty well but they usually don't sleep quite as well as when they're at home and probably not as long either. By our second day they were starting to show signs of being tired, and allergies were bothering all of us. I'm not sure if there was something in our condo or in the environment or both, but it was affecting all of us. Poor Jacoby got the worst of it and came down with a pesky cough (and his trademark croup).

Since the late 1970s, the U.S. Forest Service has provided bus service to a majority of the visitors to the Maroon Bells as a preservation measure, since they are the most photographed peaks in North America. When we went to buy our bus tickets we were told that the Forest Service would let us drive in since we had small children in car seats, but by that time we'd already mentioned the possibility of riding a bus and Jacoby was not to be deterred. And also by this time, it started raining and looked kind of ominous up the valley where we were headed. But we enjoyed the bus ride up the valley and learned about the wildlife, aspens, and the avalanche shoots. Morgan had soon had enough with the educational tour and started protesting shortly before we arrived. The bus left us by a small shelter where we hunkered down while the thunderstorm passed. The sunshine came out and we began a very muddy trek around Maroon Lake (which is very green, so Jacoby was sure it was full of alligators). Interestingly, Jacoby and Morgan were the only children in the area while we were there. I'm not sure if we received more comments about them being twins or about their hats. But in any case, shortly after finishing our hike Morgan went into melt-down mode and proceeded to cry and cry and cry until he finally passed out in Justin's arms. I think he had been trying to tell us all morning that he was really worn out but sometimes Mommy and Daddy just don't pay close enough attention. ): So, despite Morgan having a rough time and the crazy weather we really loved visiting the Maroon Bells--it's a captivating area and one where you can spend hours just taking in all of the loveliness.

On the bus to the Maroon Bells

Waiting out the thunderstorm in the shelter

The peaks behind clouds

The Maroon Bells

Starting our trek around Maroon Lake

The wildflowers were really pretty

Mommy and a really tired Morgan

Jacoby and Daddy

Maroon Creek

By the time we were leaving the clouds had moved back in again

Day 3 -- Elk Camp Gondola and Chair Lift at Snowmass
Before heading home, we rode the gondola and chair lift up to Elk Camp which sits at 11,300 ft above Snowmass Village. The boys thought riding outside on the chair lift was really fun and we enjoyed yet another picnic with a beautiful view. Once we got back to Snowmass, we packed into the car and headed home. This was a great trip for us--lots of time outside in the mountains and fresh air. We made a lot of good memories and look forward to visiting this part of Colorado again!