Aspen

We’ve recently decided to be tourists in our own delightful corner of the country. Enough of the indignities of security screenings and the high costs of plane travel and the legitimate fear of E melting down at 35,000 feet in a steel-encased capsule!   

We’ve hit the road every other weekend – sometimes for research, but mostly for pleasure- and generally in an attempt to see more of the American West while we’re still able.  That’s right –capable, fit, adept, able.  These are the salad days! So in light of this new theoretical blueprint for life, last Friday we drove up to Aspen for the first time with the goal of glimpsing the town in all of its autumnal glory.  Thanks to Living Social, we intercepted a screaming deal for two nights lodging at the Molly Gibson Lodge.  While still pricey compared to our recent camping extravaganza up in the Tetons, it seemed shameful that we’d been in Colorado for eight years and never paid a visit to the place where notorious serial killer Ted Bundy jumped from a two storey building, escaping authorities for six days on Aspen mountain.

At first we wanted to slander Aspen for the fact that the lowest priced home on the market (back in March 2011) was around $559,000. Saudi’s Prince Bandar listed his Aspen compound for $135 million in 2006, reportedly the highest priced property in US history.  Thus we rolled into town late Friday in an older model Subaru and secretly wondered if the good residents of Aspen would kick the hillbillies out.  Didn’t happen.  With its glorious fall weather, affable people, enchanting Victorian architecture, and playground equipment matching the gold hue of the fabled Aspen leaf – what’s not to love? 

Included here are a few images of celebrity sightings.  Celebs will do just about anything to camouflage themselves, their kids, and their dogs, so viewers beware!