Our 4th Summer in Snowmass

1 Straight back to action at Meadow Ranch with M being appointed gardener for the Residents' Association. Not a great money spinner , but fun and it may lead to more independent work. Recession biting hard here though and nothing like the work of previous years. Bus driving got off to good start and a full 2 weeks of driving immediately on return. Slowed down a lot since though.
2 Much time for mountain biking with many new trails in Snowmass opening up . Elk Camp gondola and upper Elk camp chair open this summer for first time . This was taken from cross mountain trail above the ` government trail ` at bottom of Big Burn lift.
3 Katy's parents, Judy and Murray from Australia, en route to Columbus. A lovely visit and the bike ride to Basalt via Old Snowmass ( this one high up the Old Snowmass canyon ) and
4 hike up to Maroon Creek and Crater Lake were highlights in addition to a delightful day biking round Aspen and the gondola to top of Aspen Mtn.
5 Both of us back to violin and oboe practice respectively . Amanda's parents' Figaro duets have been fantastic. M's violin teacher Heidi seen here on her big end of term pupil concert - M just visible behind her young Susuki co-pupils.
6 M & I had a delightful hike up to Lost Man Lake - except that we never made it - despite our having left bikes earlier in day at top of the loop close to top of Independence Pass
7 Thwarted by deep snow at about 11,500 ft - at top of this pic.
8 & 10 These taken on solo bike trip over Divide to Old Snowmass and from there , where road meets Hwy 82, down all the way to Glenwood Springs entirely on dedicated Rio Grande bike trail ( 40 odd miles in total - sheer bliss ) - a) Mt Daly and b)Lower Roaring Fork river close to its junction with the Colorado river at Glenwood. RFTA bus back to Snowmass made a great day.
9 One of the purposes of trip to Glenwood was to explore how we get to Portland Oregon next year for our trans Am bike trip . This is the answer - Amtrak. Means that we can bike right from 270 Meadow Ranch and no need for Uhaul trucks! Glenwood direct to San Francisco and straight connection north . 3 days though and not cheap. May still be the best bet.

The long drive home

1 The start of the marathon 4 day drive from Asheville back home to Snowmass. The first 800 miles in this UHaul truck with Betty seeing us safely off the Deerfield premises. Ridiculous as it may seem , this was the least expensive option of getting back to our car in St Francisville , Louisiana.
2 The Buick , as reliably as ever , cruised back through Texas to Santa Fee , NM where , for the first time ever , it stuttered to a halt with complete loss of electrical power after allowing us to free wheel ( with no power steering ) right into the forecourt of this service station in downtown Santa Fee. Remarkable , after some of the country we had just come through. One of the main leads to the battery had burnt out . A new part ( delivered from another garage within 15 minutes ) and 5 minutes of labour from a very obliging mechanic saw the Buick restored to full health and us happily on our way.
3 & Exploring on bike the state legislature of New Mexico in Santa Fee and a hugely impressive statue of the old pioneering ` covered wagon ` days .
5 Staying the night with tent in garden of an old school friend of M's, Hannah and her husband David and their 2 children Tony and Sophie in Lamy just outside Santa Fee.

The drive next day through southern Colorado and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was stunning arriving back at 270 Meadow Ranch in late evening.