23 - 24 August 20 - Basalt

We did two more favorite rides in the area - the Frying Pan Creek road up to Ruedi Reservoir and the Rio Grande bike path to Carbondale then up the Crystal River path to the KOA.

A relaxing break along the Rio Grands bike path and the Roaring Fork River

Two of our favorite restaurants in Carbondale

Phat Thai Restaurant

Best pizza anywhere is at The Whitehouse

25 August 20 - Basalt to Albuquerque

Stayed at Los Poblanos again - "last night in the wilderness"

Welcome champagne cocktail at their La Quinta restaurant

26 August 20

Home to Tucson with a stop in Hatch, NM for our annual patch of roasted Hatch chilis. 

 20 Aug 20 Thursday - Frisco

Mike's birthday! Highlights were loving gifts and a card from Lauve, a Zoom with the kids, a hike around Rainbow Lake, many well-wishing emails from friends and a dinner out at Greco's Pasteria, again! 

At Rainbow Lake

22 Aug 20 Saturday – Basalt

We road the Rio Grande bike path from Basalt to Aspen. The path is converted from the abandoned rail bed and provides an almost ideal grade to cover the 1300-foot, 23-mile climb to Aspen. There are very few steep parts and the rest seemed almost effortless at moderate speeds. 

A  converted Pullman car along the path

Converted rail trestle

Our favorite place in Aspen

Always moving, year after year

 19 Aug 20 Wednesday - Frisco

Last ride for this year in Frisco - around Lake Dillon to Keystone.

Art overlooking the harbor - Lake Dillon

 18 Aug 20 Tuesday - Frisco

We drove to Vail today and biked up to where the official Vail Pass bike trail starts about 7 miles east of downtown Vail – it was still a climb! Some other time we'll do the pass - 9 miles and 1930 ft. of elevation gain. Then we had lunch and looked at the art galleries in Vail. There is way less face mask compliance in Vail than Frisco and Breckenridge. 

Gore Creek on the bike path to Vail Pass

Betty Ford Memorial Garden, Vail

Vail Village in its glory

 12 Aug 20 Wednesday – Frisco

We road up to Vail Pass (10,660 ft.) and back - 24 miles total, 1500 ft. of gain, a relief to know we still had it in us. It rained when we stopped in Copper Mt for doughnuts and coffee on the way back. Got a little wet, but it cleared up as we got back into Frisco.

 

Flowers on the bike path approaching Copper Mountain

The path out of Copper Mountain up to the Pass

 10 Aug 20 Monday - Ride Frisco to Breckenridge

Our favorite skate park on the way to Breckenridge - kids having fun

More kids having fun - rubber ducky catching contest in the Blue

Breckenridge street scene

11 Aug 20 Tuesday - Frisco neighborhood walk

Frisco public art - leading a blind skier

The Ten Mile Creek (it's everywhere) looking towards Mt Royal

Not a great wildflower season, but there is still plenty of beauty

 9 Aug 20 Sunday - Frisco

 We took Sunday off and had a big breakfast then today road the Swan Mountain Loop – around Lake Dillon to the east end then over Swan Mountain Pass near the south shore ~21 miles.

Looking west over Lake Dillon

Looking east towards Keystone - smoke from the Pine Gulch fire in western Colorado

5 Aug 20 Wednesday - Frisco

Hiked to Lily Pad Lake from the Silverthorne side

Lots of roots on the trail

Most hikers respected distance and mask protocols. Bright sunny day. 

Our typical happy hour setting by the Ten Mile Creek

3 August 20 Monday - Frisco

Biked to Breckenridge

The Blue River coming down from Breckenridge on the bike path

Pretty much everyone was

Still some snow left

Colorado August 2020

31 Jul 20 Friday – Tucson to Albuquerque

We cancelled all our 2020 travel after Bozeman/Big Sky in March because of Covid-19….except for Colorado! So, after spending the first part of Summer in unusually hot Tucson, we are finally on our way. We haven’t just been sitting around, though. Lauve has been working on her art, doing Zoom classes with two other friends and a well-known artist, Lawrence Lee. Here are some of her latest abstract landscape in acrylics.

I have been finishing up the tax season helping people who can’t afford to pay for preparation, through an IRS sponsored program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). I’m in charge of a large retirement community site where we did over 100 returns. The last half of the season we worked remotely due to the virus.

To break up the drive we stopped in Albuquerque for the night at a lavender farm/inn called Los Poblanos Ranch located close enough to the Rio Grande to be nicely vegetated. We arrive in time to have a walk around the lovely grounds, part farm, part garden. We enjoyed our complimentary sangria in their La Quinta garden. Dinner was outside on the patio at their restaurant, Campo.

                                                               Tree-lined entrance road to Los Poblanos

Lavender field and guest rooms 

Arrival lot

Tea is served at La Quinta

Part of the garden

Rained half way through dinner

Birthday dessert under cover

                                                          Delicious breakfasts

It is new for us to be out in public settings other than grocery stores or take out restaurants. So being close to hotel reservation clerks and restaurant wait staff is difficult to get comfortable with, feels strange. Like when the waiter wants to give a long explanation of the specials.

1 Aug 20 Saturday - Albuquerque to Frisco, CO

The Ten Mile Creek off the deck of our place in Frisco

Finally, cool weather! Frisco seems as busy as last year. Main St. has been blocked off so the restaurants can seat people 6 feet apart in the street. Almost everyone is masked. It is taking a time to get used to.