Gail & Glen's visit

Mary's cousin Gail ( who had been planning for last 2 years to join Mary on the Susuki camp at Beaver Creek but had to call off for health reasons ) and her husband Glenn drove up from Tulsa , OK to spend 3 days with us. A delightful visit, the highlight being the musical evening ( to celebrate Mary's violin teacher Heidi's birthday ) .  Very much a mixed ability group! Will try to post to Utube and include as link ( Meghan - help ! ) of the 5 of us playing and recorded on our Ipad. But in meantime,

these  give an idea of the fun we had.

Trail repairing - Rim trail

This was my 2nd day of volunteering for Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers a most impressive non-profit that organises days building new trails ( both biking and hiking ) , repairing them, creating new routes and generally enhancing the valley's rural outdoor facilities. Mary did it a few times last year and we did it together 2 weeks ago creating a new riverside walk in downtown Basalt. Hard, not to say exhausting, work , but very rewarding and good company. Then on Saturday , with Mary hors de combat with badly blistered foot after the Mt Elbert expedition, I joined the group for the day high up on the Rim trail above Snowmass.

Team leaders giving instructions at start of day - 8.30 to 3.45 with great food and drink laid on by RFOV at the end.

Mary's old boss Susan Cross now mountain manager for Skico at Buttermilk.

My team leader keeping an eye on me. This is a section on the highest part of the Rim trail on which Mary and I have had so many great biking trips over the last 7 years. Here creating a new diversion from a part of the trail that was getting worn.

Now re-instating the 'closed' section of the trail as the traditional afternoon storm blows in. About to put down grass seed and then cover with large amounts of dead tree material cut with power saw for the purpose.

Mt Elbert

A cracking day - Wed Oct 4, 2013 - and one to be savoured.

A long standing ambition of ours to summit Mt Elbert, at 14,440 feet, the highest of Colorado's 14ers.

Alarm at 3am, left house at 4, over Independence Pass and reached trailhead in pitch darkness at 5.15. Had huge difficulty finding it which delayed us 30 mins or so.

Equipped though with head torches and fair amount of gear - huge range of weather conditions to be catered for - set off at 6 on the dot. Ridge at 9.15 at 13,500 ft and summit at 14,500 ft at 11.15.  5.5 miles and 5,500 ft of climbing.

Just made it down to tree level before the first serious blot of lightning hit the mountain. Back though to car on Hwy 82 at 4.15 and home by 6. Epic.

Sun rising on La Plata  NW ridge  with summit in background

Good view of La Plata summit. Definitely smiling only for the camera. It was a tough pull to the ridge and still only 9am. Highway 82 on valley floor is where we started.

Auto pic having just hit the ridge at about 13,500 ft with summit in background still a couple of hours away

No , we didn't bring this with us or the flag!

Looking SE back towards Independence Pass

How's that for exhilaration and deservedly so. The summit.

Our Danish friends that we met on top. They had come up the traditional ( and very much shorter and easier route ) from the left of Twin Lakes that are in background. But would have meant a much longer drive for us.

Feeling a bit unsettled , but only thunder at this stage

More mountain biking - Ditch - Connector - Government - Powerline - Stark

Both of us put up white flag here. The ' Connector' between the Ditch and Government trails

Emerging from Connector, but long way still - forever upwards - to Government

Some of our many companions along the way

Never ones to decline a challenge, we took Government

Approaching the crossroads - where Powerline ( coming from Government ) crosses Tom Blake and joins the top of Starks taking us to Owl Creek Road  and home to Meadow Ranch

The final of the Labour day Motherlode Volleyball championship in Aspen. Couldn't quite catch on camera the subtle sign the non-server at the net gives to her serving partner.

Mountain biking - Rim and Sky trails

To have the quality of mountain biking on our doorstep is mind-blowing. We have a mass to choose from, all accessible right from our door and back again.  Some like the Tom Blake trail take an hour door to door often not seeing a sole on route. Rim trail can take 2 and a bit hours door to door. Sky trail a little more.  The Town has amazing plans to further upgrade the trail system, one such route being planned is a linking of the Sky trail with the Rim trail i.e. crossing Brush Creek Road skirting round the side of Medicine Bow and going up the long ridge on the far side of the Rim trail joining that trail near the top of Divide . Probably a 25 or so mile ride from our door back to our door with no more than a couple of road crossings. Mountain bike riding of a quality to match anything in the world I suspect. The following give a taste of what Mary and I have enjoyed in last 2 days. And tomorrow the cross mountain and government trails crossing the ski mountain.

A testing section nearing summit of the Rim trail - M going strong but  in no mood to smile for the camera.

Now a smile - cresting the summit ridge.

Good view of Snowmass ski area. Top of Cirque headwall just to the left of my helmet.

A typical section on the 5 mile descent to Horseranch from summit of Rim trail.

This tree I get to admire about 500 times each year - on Snowmass Club Circle Drive - far reaches of the No 3 bus route ! Winter and summer alike it's magnificent.

Now the following day on the Sky trail - part of the Droste property bought by the town and Pitkin County jointly with a marvellous network of new trails being created. High Alpine and Wall in center and Long Shot on left.

Good view of Snowmass Club golf course. Meadow Ranch just visible on the left of the futhermost fairway.

Looking now to the right of the previous pic showing the Rim trail on the far side of the golf course.

Top ridge of the Sky trail looking back to Mary with the ski area and Capital and Daly Peaks to the right

Far end of the Sky trail looking down to Aspen airport with city of Aspen slightly right of center in the V, Aspen Mtn ( Ajax ) rising on the far right.

End of music festival and start of the 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Suffering withdrawal symptoms with the last concert on Sunday and the last of the opera scenes masterclasses the day before. 8 weeks of staggeringly good music and opera though, enhanced by having our lovely flautist Erica staying with us. We miss the melodic sounds of her early morning practicing.

No sooner had all the musicians left than the pro cycling teams arrived in force. 16 teams of 8 riders each and all that goes with that.  All staying in Snowmass and quite a coup for the village with the event being broadcast on TV by NBC to 120 countries. The first 2 of 7 stages started in Aspen one of them passing a few metres from our house. M and I responsible for registering course marshals around Snowmass and the marshalling on the course. Quite a specatcle. No doping we hope. Chris Froome  and Peter Sagan both riding. No mention though of the D word at the opening ceremony at the Snowmass base village on Sunday night ( apart from a few audible murmurs from some in the crowd ). No word either of  disgraced local resident Lance who sensibly is keeping low profile as far as we know.

Top of Rim Trail - a nice 2 hour mountain bike ride from the house

A typical section of the descent to Horseranch

A delightful ride with Martha ( ever game ! ) down from Divide into the Snowmass Creek water basin and thence to the Village Smiddy in Carbondale Dick joining us there for a very jolly lunch.

Surely they could have fitted on another dozen. Part of the post peloton cavalcade.

My very comfortable marshalling spot. They went past here on each of their 3  loops from Aspen to Snowmass via Medicine Bow and the other side of the Roaring Fork - 66 miles (in total) , 3000 feet of climbing per lap and averaging about 25 mph.

The Canondale team including stage winner Peter Sagan in a sprint finish in downtown Aspen.

On lap 3 with Canondale team organising themselves to rein in a breakway group of 3 who had passed a couple of minutes before.

The morning of stage 2 from Aspen to Breckenridge. M and I left Buttermilk carpark before 7 and got to this position for a picnic and bird's eye view half a mile or so from summit of Independence Pass - 18 miles and 4,300 feet from downtown Aspen.

Took them an hour and us 3!

I thought they could fit more !

The summit of Independence Pass at 12,100 feet and just in time to see the back end of the party - Aspen style - Red Bull fueled .........

August in Snowmass

The usual Saturday morning pre opera scenes masterclass routine  - coffee outside Paradise Bakery, Aspen. Hardly a day has gone by in last 7 weeks ( one week only to go ) that we haven't been in (usually on bike) for a concert or opera.  Peter Grimes in the "Tent" with Tony Griffey and the whole Colorado Symphony Chorus has been the highlight to date. But many other stunning performances.

Mountain biking with Gaby. Descent from top of Elk Camp gondola.

Wild flowers just over, but a beautiful meadow none the less and quite unspoilt by the mass of biking and hiking trails above Snowmass Village.  Gaby here making a fast descent on one of them.

The Rio Grande bike trail between Glenwood and Carbondale heading towards the latter with the dominating Mt Sopris above it.

Typical view along the Rio Grande trail, this one looking SW across the Roaring Fork river towards McLure Pass

Our resident music student Erica and her boyfriend Pat.  She's been a most delightful guest. A gem from Iowa! And a most gorgeous flutist to boot. We've enjoyed hearing many exposed flute solos from her at the ACA Tuesday afternoon concerts.

New Resident Assn steps ( leading down to Owl Creel Road. Concrete pouring day. Our kitchen window on left.

This "aid" to the concrete pouring operation went right over the top of our house - incident free we're happy to announce.

Martha Stobbs and Mary after being forced to retreat from near top of Lost Man trail pass at over 12,000 feet. Hit a snow blizzard.

A truly Scottish experience. Lincoln Lake - just off Lost man trail.