Maroon Bells
Work has distracted me from blogging long enough! I finally have a weekend with nothing else to worry about, so I shall finish writing about my trip to Aspen, and more specifically about the Maroon Bells.
The first time I heard of the Maroon Bells, I was reading a book called Classic Treks: The 30 Most Spectacular Hikes in the World. I thought how wonderful it was that one of those spectacular hikes was in my backyard. It’s taken me several years and seeing multiple photos from other people before I finally headed to this wonderful location.
Supposedly this is the most photographed location in the United States and it’s easy to see why. It’s extremely beautiful and only a few hundred yards from a parking lot, which isn’t the case for most of the spectacular mountain views in the area. The hiking part comes in when you head toward this beautiful view and into the wilderness around these mountains which have earned this area the nickname, the deadly bells. The area got it’s nickname in 1965 when 8 people died on the unusually weak rock.
Wildflowers at Maroon Bells
After scoping out the area the night before, I dragged a friend with me at 4:30am to go witness the sunrise. I’m sure most people would appreciate that it was a cloudless day with gorgeous Colorado blue skies, but I was disappointed that my photos didn’t have the benefit of the sun’s reflection off a string of puffy clouds. All, however, was not lost. I did manage to get a few nice photos of the plethora of wildflowers that were in the area. (Friendly suggestion for those of you who want to photograph Maroon Bells at sunrise: GET THERE EARLY! The shore of the lake was lined with the tripods and other accoutrement of hopeful photographers.)
Aspen Church at Sunrise
After we abandoned my futile quest for the perfect sunrise photo of Maroon Bells, we drove back towards the crossroads between Aspen and Snowmass Village. At that crossroads is an intriguing church which we had passed multiple times over the course of the weekend. This time, however, we both gasped as we rounded the corner to see the church lit up by the rising sun shining through the stained glass, giving you the eerie feeling that the church was on fire. As soon as we realized what was actually going on, we of course had to stop to try to capture this unusual sight on film. It was absolutely stunning!
We decided that taking the long way back to Denver via Highway 82. Wow! This road has some great views. Be warned though, it is one of those high mountain pass roads that is closed in winter. I’m not sure I’d even want to try this one in the fall. The high point is the continental divide at Independence Pass. At 12,095 feet, this is the highest paved mountain pass in Colorado. (There are higher roads in Colorado, but they are not passes.) Highway 82 winds past Mt. Elbert and Twin Lakes before ending at Highway 24, which merges with Highway 285 as it travels east through the San Isabel National Forest. Weather permitting, this is a much more scenic alternative to sitting on the I-70 parking lot with the rest of the Denver area residents who flee to the mountains on weekends.
Next up: Reliving past travels!
