Aspen, CO

​July 20, 2022


What a difference a day makes. I slept really well and felt energized this morning. By 8 AM I was on the road determined to get through Independence  Pass. This was a climb up and over the mountains, well over a 12,000 foot elevation. With a full tank of water, and a full tank of gas, and a good nights sleep, I was ready for the challenge. After 4 1/2 years of driving the Sylver Gypsy, and a lifetime of driving all types of vehicles, I was not used to doing any type of manual shifting. I’ve been an automatic transmission shift driver. But I’ve done research, and I’ve done practice, and these skills have brought me here. As anxious as I was to drive over this pass, in the end, it was actually relatively easy. Apparently I’ve been driving plenty of mountainous roads all over the country to use as a comparison. Not to say that this was easy, but the challenge that I found most, was the elevation difference and dealing with my light head. I made it into Aspen finding parking, and walking the urban neighborhood. I found several galleries, as well as window shopping, winding up at yet another bakery. I had to watch my parking time, as the meter attendant was visible. Finally, I headed into the mountains towards the Maroon Bells, where I am spending the night at the Silver Bell campsite. There was definitely a challenge to get the site with some mixups, but I found my way to Maroon Lake where I sat and did some sketching, and people watching, and best of all mountain watching. What I mean by that is that the clouds were in an out of the sun, offering majestic shades, changes in color,  contrast, and light. It was truly beautiful. The sun was pretty intense, and I waited patiently for it to hide behind the clouds. Unfortunately the biting flies were out as well. I lasted for quite a while before getting back to camp. It was wonderful seeing the colors that changed while the sun was peeking in and out of the clouds. For a moment it looked like it would rain and I heard a distant rumble of thunder, but the clouds kept moving and rolling along keeping me quite warm when it was out. This was certainly an incredibly beautiful spot.





















































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