I'm talking about a place where the beer flows like wine...

"where beautiful women flock instinctively like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a place called Aspen."
-Lloyd Christmas

Since Sean started flying, he has been great at spotting potential day trips from the air. I remember when we were in Korea, well before we had a GPS, he'd come home telling me about large Buddha statues and shrines in the middle of nowhere. Then on the weekend we'd drive out that way, based upon his memory, and visit them. I'd get motion sick trying to navigate with the map and shortcuts were actually long cuts, but we'd get there. It is much easier in Colorado to locate areas he has spotted while flying and google/TripAdvisor/Yelp them ahead of time. He has flown into Aspen a couple times and really wanted me to see it for myself.

The drive to Aspen takes about 3 hours, or close to 4 with a small-bladdered child and a dog. The drive takes you through Independence Pass, a 12,095ft elevation on the Continental Divide. This year, we've had plenty of rain so everything is lush and green and teeming with wildflowers.

The downtown area is really pretty with quirky little shops & restaurants and beautiful people riding bikes with dogs in front baskets. As is typical in high end areas, there were multiple dog boutiques and every restaurant offered goat cheese options. The town square is a lot like a German walkplatz; no cars, lots of places to sit and eat and a huge green park and playground adjacent. After lunch aside the babbling brook which curved through the outdoor restaurants, we headed off to hike Maroon Bells.

The hike requires parking outside the park but they provide a shuttle to the park entrance. (The shuttle allows dogs). Once arriving at the park, there are several trails. And various wildlife warnings:

We started out slow and eventually found ourselves climbing some bigger rocks. Then it began to rain. Teague became cold and put his hands in his coat pockets and then slipped on a wet boulder, falling face first into the rock and knocking out his permanent front teeth. Eeek! At first we though he had bitten his lip and then when he opened his mouth, Sean looked at me, horrified and mouthed "no teeth". I looked down, and there they were, in pieces on the ground. Our hike back was obviously terrible. So that ended our Maroon Bells trek. 

On a positive note, the ER at Aspen had a dentist on call who looked at Teague immediately. We then went back to her office where she was able to make very realistic-looking front teeth for him on the spot. We wondered, because it was Aspen, if they might botox him up a bit too, but luckily, he didn't leave looking like a BravoTV Real Housewife.

                                 Teague at Maroon Bells, pre-fall. RIP front teeth. 

                           Even the view from the ER was gorgeous!

             His new temporary teeth. Dental technology is pretty incredible.

I can only imagine how beautiful Aspen is when it is covered in snow. The hiking trails are plentiful, and what we saw of Maroon Bells was stunning. I don't think we'll get Teague to agree to return any time soon (and I don't blame him)!