Aspen, Leadville, and Denver, CO

Headed out of Glenwood Springs on state highway 82, through a valley lined with vacation homes.

Spent a couple hours in Aspen, home of the rich famous. It's a charming, elegant, upscale, and expensive mountain community surrounded by world class skiing. But then, you all know what Aspen is. There was a farmers market in the morning.

Then further up the highway we crossed the Continental Divide at 12,000 feet high Independence Pass.

Stopped in Leadville, Colorado, the highest city in America at over 10,000 feet. Leadville was famous for gold mining, lead mining, silver mining, and molybdenum mining.

Then we crossed the continental divide again, re-joined I-70, then went under the divide in a tunnel and descended down into Denver, thus bringing an end to four days of mountain driving.

Denver's cool. We stayed downtown, one block from the pedestrian 16th street promenade. Did a lot of walking around, cool restaurants, bars, clubs, modern architecture, rode the light rail, etc. Got stuck in a downpour, then the sun came out.