By TR Robertson
My wife, Carolyn, and I had already celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary several months ago with a trip to the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, the hotel we honeymooned in 50 years ago; but I had also wanted to take her to Aspen to see the John Denver Sanctuary, a memorial park built to her favorite singer. With this in mind I had planned a trip to Colorado to take place after I had finished working at the San Diego County Fair.
We left on United Airlines, on a Monday morning, for the 2 ½ hour trip to Denver. If you have never flown into Denver International Airport, you are in for a surprise. The airport is massive, using underground tram systems to take travelers to and from the main terminal and 3 auxiliary terminals. Each of these terminals is huge with numerous gates and central eateries as well as clothing and gift stores. Exiting the plane and working our way to the Main Terminal and the baggage claim area, we picked up our luggage, walked out to the shuttle area and took a Hertz shuttle to their location about 8 miles from the airport. The Hertz Rental Facility was a busy location with many travelers waiting in line to obtain rental cars. Around half hour later, I met with a Hertz employee, filled out the required forms and was directed to Zone 3 to pick out any of the cars parked there. As Carolyn waited, I walked the short distance to Zone 3 and picked out a gold-colored Chevy Malibu. Picking up Carolyn, exiting the Hertz lot and getting some quick directions from the girl checking our paperwork at the exit as to how to get to Highway 70 West, we were finally on our way.
Following the directions we were given, we entered Pena Blvd., which led us to Highway 70. The traffic was heavy, but not as bad as bad as Highway 70 East. Leaving Denver, we noticed that the surrounding area was relatively flat. Denver is called the “Mile High City” and sits at 5,280 feet above sea level. According to Google maps, we were in for a 3 ½ hour drive to Aspen. The drive would take us closer to 5 hours as we stopped for lunch and there was construction along the way that slowed us down a bit. We stopped for lunch in Idaho Springs, Colorado, a city along Highway 70 in the Rocky Mountains, and had a delicious BBQ lunch at Smokin’ Yards BBQ, “Where Smokin’ is More Than a Hobby”. The restaurant sits along Fall River and is close to Clear Creek, a popular rafting river in Colorado. Idaho Springs is not far from Golden, Colorado, home of the Coors Brewery.
Driving Highway 70 through the Rocky Mountains, we headed to the turn off to Aspen, Glenwood Springs. Along the way we drove through the longest and highest tunnel in the continental United States, the Eisenhower Tunnel. The 1.7-mile tunnel was constructed in 1973 and at its highest point is 11,112 feet above sea level. Highway 70 also is called by a variety of names in different sections, such as the Gerald Ford Memorial Highway and the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (honoring Union Forces in the Civil War). Also, along the way we passed by well-known ski resorts that bring thousands and thousands of winter enthusiasts to the mountains each year. Some of the towns and resorts we passed were Breckenridge, Vail, Loveland, Copper Mountain and the turn-off to Steamboat Springs. We also passed signs saying the area has sections for Deer and Bighorn Sheep crossings, although we did not see any along the way.
Arriving at Glenwood Springs, we turned on Highway 82 for the 42-mile drive to Snowmass Village, where we would be staying for the next three days. I had chosen the Stonebridge Inn in Snowmass as the price for the hotel was lower than anything offered in Aspen and the Inn offered a restaurant, pool and good location. Aspen was only 6.5 miles from Snowmass, but we would find the traffic on Highway 82 absolutely horrible in the mornings and late afternoons as the two-lane road in each direction went to a one lane road as you approached Aspen and the amount of traffic from visitors to Aspen and workers going to and from work at the majority of businesses was unreal. There is a separate bus lane on the highway and the people we spoke with said that is the best way to get around when traveling from nearby cities to Aspen. Due to the cost of living in Aspen, most employees live in places outside of the city, many drive an hour or more to work. In the local Aspen newspapers, we saw homes priced at $27 million and higher. We were told the rent in Aspen is extremely high as well. One survey company indicated Aspen is considered one of the most expensive vacation destinations in the United States.
For the first day, since we arrived mid-afternoon, we decided to stay in Snowmass for the day, actually at the hotel, and get acclimated to the altitude. Snowmass is 8,209 feet above sea level and has a recorded population of 2,983 people, but I imagine that the population quadruples or goes higher in the winter season with the influx of winter guests. Snowmass is the second biggest ski resort in Colorado. The first ski area was established in 1967, opening with 5 ski lifts. Today when ski season hits there are 20 chair lifts and several gondolas operating. The ski area is owned and run by the Aspen Skiing Company. Snowmass Mountain reaches a height of 14,099 feet, the ski area at 12,510 feet.. Lift ticket prices in 2023 for Aspen and Snowmass ran $244 a day for adults on the weekend and $164 for half-day and $179 for children ages 7-12 and $114 for half-day. Our hotel in Snowmass, the Stonebridge Inn, was located close to Snowmass Village, located as the road rose up the mountain in the back area of Snowmass. Stonebridge was a very comfortable hotel with a small restaurant, bar and a pool. We were still full from our great lunch so we decided to relax, have “Happy Hour” drinks and enjoy an appetizer for our dinner. Day one would end with an early bedtime in anticipation of a busy day for the next day of exploring Aspen.
Part 2 will cover our exploration of Aspen, our visit to the Maroon Bells, a great meal at The Edge and our flight home that would be one I would never wish on any traveler.
