Start: Twin Lakes, CO
Finish: Snowmass, CO
Total Bike Mileage: 47.6 mi
Cumulative Bike Mileage: 1750.9 mi
Once again, as we have enjoyed every day in the Rockies, a beautiful blue-skies crisp-air day broke our sleep. I arose early and took a stroll outside the Inn and then wrote a bit in the comfortable foyer. My colleagues arrived and we enjoyed a relaxing tasty breakfast chatting with the Twin Lakes Inn proprietors, husband and wife, Doug and Maggie along with the very kind and helpful manager, Andy. Turns out Doug has finished a number of the Leadville Man 100mi runs in the past number of years. He was proud to show off his earned belt buckle as he should be. Quite a feat! And multiple times for good measure. Peter chuckled how crazy Americans are, pushing themselves to the limits. He feels a bit the same about us Blaze Brothers on this journey tackling Continental Divide climbs like they were rock candy to chomp and savor, and then pop another, of course. Endorphin inebriation?! What else can explain the unceasing desire to conquer mountains, to capture the clouds in one's nostrils, to taste the salty secretions from one's brow, to hear every echo, chirp, screech, or snap in the forest, to feel the texture of the winds from every angle on one's torso and whistling through one's helmeted hair.Cycling is both microscopic and macroscopic introversion into the sensory world that abounds. A fluttering butterfly or songbird accompanies you playfully and you experience and study the precise magical nuances of flight. A vast view of the snow-capped peaks, or lush pine-covered slopes, or verdant valleys where odiferous pastures lay quietly in the sunshine, or grains growing in unison swaying like massive schools of fish darting through the seas.
We depart Twin Lakes. Refreshed. Happy. Excited for the Independent Pass climb ahead. A steady grade upward begins shortly after. Other cyclists soon join the march upwards. Absolutely beautiful concerto sings forth from Lake Creek, musical lyrics of water and boulders, as it rushes down the mountain beside me to its encore in Twin Lakes. This unsullen territory seems to be a secret. Not heavily traversed by motorized engines this time of day.
I feel both heart and leg-strong this morning. I decide to set a personal goal - a persistent non-stop climb to the apex. It will be an 18 mile challenge (there's that Kabbalistic number 18 again, numerological equivalent for 'Life' force) and, to some degree, a way for me to feel as if I can conquer Goliath (of Mt Evans of days gone by) on any given other day. The churning thigh-march continues. Switchbacks begin as the degree of difficulty increases with the pitch of the mountain road. A breathtaking view arises of the valley from which we traversed, green grass palates dotted with aspens and creek waters. Spectacular! Steady, onward, no stopping now. I ascend further and can see the snowy apex approaching. Steady in the saddle. No need to get bucked. I give a full throttle sprint for the final ascent. Endorphins abound. Zen has returned to me. I have no pain. I am very happy and I laugh well. The continuous climb is done. The apex and fifth consecutive Continental Divide has been devoured in these milk-chocolate covered Rockies.
Brief rest and photos and celebration as my friends complete the climb. Along comes three older gentlemen driving classy British Morgan Roadster cars. Hmm. Three cars aligned at the summit, three Blaze Brothers... I kindly swagger over, my cool sunglasses and Blaze jacket on, and ask one gentlemen, "Sir, that's a beautiful car. My son Jonah, who loves cars and probably knows all about these, would envy a photo of me sitting in the driver's seat. Can I?" And so a memorable photo is born as the contagion spreads to my friends. We delight in the musketeer moment. Someday, perhaps when the legs won't quite peddle as we ask, a classy Roadster will be my way to other life adventures! Or a real nice Harley with my biking babe holding on!
You take what the road gives you. You make lemonade from life's lemons or, in this case, you squeeze every drop of pure joy from the long winding downhill traverse into Aspen. Cool air, Aspen groves, angel-crafted massive boulder walls, river creating marshlands, sculpted homes tucked around rushing waters.
Arrive into center of Aspen. A visit to one of my spiritual kin, John Denver's Sanctuary. Here is an urban garden like none other I have seen. Marsh ponds and boulders meandering through, solitude, John's songs chiseled into stones that line the path beside a natural amphitheater of a grassy knoll overlooking rushing waters. Nature in harmony at this very spot. I intently read the lyrics on the stones - Rocky Mountain High, Sunshine On My Shoulders, Windsong, Perhaps Love, The Eagle and the Hawk...
Here are a few selected verses I'd like to share etched from his "Poems, Prayers, and Promises":
I've been lately thinking
About my life's time
All the things I've done
And how it's been
I can't help believing
In my own mind
I'm going to hate to see it end...
And talk of poems, and prayers and promises
And things that we believe in
How sweet it is to love someone
How right it is to care
How long it's been since yesterday
What about tomorrow
And what about our dreams
And all the memories we share
We have lunch at a Deli in Aspen. Filling. Ride-on as we exit town westward. Climb steadily through beautiful horse country estates and arrive at Snowmass Resort. A cushy stopover at the Westin hotel (a fantastic summer room rate for us booking 6mo earlier). Thank you to registration clerk, Lindelwa from South Africa - very curteous and helpful at check-in. Warm jetted hot tub soak at the outside pool. Water not muscle-jelly hot as in Idaho Springs, CO or Hot Springs, AR. Just right. Short Gondola ride to dinner at Snowmass village. Life is very good among friends in the mountain setting on a pleasant evening.
Restful sleep after a wonderful day!
Blaze Stage 24 Photos & Video
Indexes:
Weather: (10)
Terrain: (10)
Scenic: (10)
Endurance: (11)
Medical Report:
none
Bike Report:
none
Still Having Fun: (11)
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