Day 2: June 14, 2023
I woke up early for Colorado time. 5am. 7am my time and an hour later than I usually wake.
I ate a bowl of cereal and wandered around until Marcie got up.
Today was going to be our favorite place we visited on this trip, but didn’t know it yet.
We had a long drive ahead of us, so we headed into Buena Vista and stopped at Jan’s restaurant to grab a bite. Marcie had biscuit and sausage gravy, and I had a huge waffle. Both of us had water. We ate, paid and headed north on Highway 24, then over Independence Pass, then down to a tiny town of Marble, Colorado. More soon.
As we drove up Highway 24, we drove through a small town named Granite, then turned west on Highway 82 (Independence Pass) where on the left we encountered Twin Lakes. We stopped to take breathtaking photos of the lakes with the mountain range as the backdrop.
Continuing west on Highway 82, we drove the twisting and sometimes narrow road for mile after mile. Each turn brought forth spectacular views. The journey began at 7,965 feet and soon we would be at the Pass, which is 12,095 feet above sea level. Each mile the temperature dropped, the terrain changed and at one point, we both saw this narrow strip high on the mountain to our left. I remarked, “Glad we are not up there.” Marcie said, “That is probably a railroad track”. I kept driving parallel to this narrow strip when suddenly the road curved sharply to the left and began a steep incline to the place we just referenced.
Between mile marker 64 and 65 on Highway 82, there is a gigantic rock wall on one side and on the other, sheer death. The direction we were going was on the side of the wall, coming back however we would be on the edge. View here. By the way on the return trip I glanced at my watch and my heart rate was 128 beats per minute. The road is visible on the left I was referencing.
We reached the pass and everything, but the road was covered in snow. We began the day in the mid 6o’s and now we were standing by the sign at 36 degrees with views all-around of snow. Marcie and I snapped pictures of each other by the sign, hurried back to the car and headed down the other side of the pass towards Aspen.
Eventually we reached Carbondale, where we headed south on Highway 133 to turn east onto State Road 3. We were early, so we stopped and ate lunch at Slow Groovin’ BBQ. I had the Megatron sandwich and Marcie had the pork BBQ sandwich. I washed most of mine down with sweet tea, and Marcie had water.
We drove another ½ mile to RPS Rentals where we signed paper work then got into our Can-Am Commander XT. This is where the pilot changed. Marcie was the driver; I was the passenger. The owner said he “felt less anxious about her driving” as he grinned. He gave us a paper map. Instructions on where to drive and how fast. Finally, a great tip of “drive straight to your destination, turn around and then stop and take pictures on the way back.” See, we had the rental for 2.5 hours and stopping along the way up, he has learned, goes over the time limit and thus costing the renter more money.
Our destination was Crystal Mill (see above) and the town of Crystal. Round trip it is about 7+ miles. But a UTV like we had, dedicated 4×4, horse or hike, was the only option to get there. Marcie drove to the stop sign as directed and turned right into East 2nd Street, then right onto East Silver Street. We drove around Beaver Lake, following State Road 3 until we intersected Lost Trail. As instructed, we began our rocky ascent toward Lizard Lake, where we were specially warned to go right at the sign, not left. Left would not get us lost, but would add about 4 hours to our trip.
Marcie passed a few bikers at the start, and a few 4×4 (Jeep, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma) and one or two ATVs. My wife drove under 20mph as instructed and well advised. The UTV hit big rocks, when through large puddles, and she even passed two Jeeps and multiple ATV’s. I commented, “I don’t care what kind of 4×4 vehicle I had, I would NEVER take it up here.” See, the terrain was rough, but what many do not realize is the road is only wide enough (barely) for a vehicle. Problem one is, one side is a rock wall maybe 10 feet tall, and the other side is a steep drop-off, sometimes 40 feet up. Jason (owner of the UTV) said “Uphillers have the right of way. If you encounter someone you pull over or if there is no room, back up.” Picture backing up a loose gravel road with a 40-foot drop-off on one side going up a steep hill in reverse. NOPE!
My wife drove slowly and steadily. Passed two Jeeps, a parked truck, a few ATV’s and a couple of hikers and mountain bikers. We didn’t stop until we got to the mill. The Crystal River was flowing nicely. I grabbed a handful of shots, so did Marcie, then we went about 600 yards to the town of Crystal.
Marcie did a U-turn in Crystal, then we started back. We stopped periodically along the way. We grabbed shots of waterfalls, Crystal River, Aspen Trees, and an old truck that had fallen off the side, and whatever else caught our eye.
We again passed one of the Jeeps we had passed before, and they stopped to admire our UTV. Marcie guided us back safely to the rental place. She had a big smile on her face most of the drive and later told me, “I loved driving that.” I had no intention of driving it and told her before we got there. “You are driving.” Score one for me!
Returning to our rental car, we began the long drive back ‘home’. 270 miles in the car that day, but so worth it. I saw sights I will never see again, and most people will not see. I enjoyed this experience with my wife, and her smile told me she did as well.
The fresh air, the Aspen trees, the mill. It was truly magical. I love Aspen Trees and it inspired me to write this poem below. Hope you like it.
Aspen Tree:
In the breeze you sway,
In the breeze you play,
A white and silver dance upon the summer’s glance.
Your leaves are like a thousand hands clapping in the air,
Or a thousand white doves spreading their wings to soar.
Your bark is like a thousand souls singing in the wind,
Or a thousand white flames dancing in the night.
You are the tree of joy,
The tree of peace,
The tree of love,
The tree of life.
My favorite tree!
Links to places I referenced below.
Until next time.
Tim
Marble, CO – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble,_Colorado
Slow Groovin’ BBQ – https://www.slowgroovinbbq.com/
RPS Rental – https://www.facebook.com/rpsutvs/
Can-Am Commander – https://can-am.brp.com/off-road/us/en/customize-your-own/app.html?platform=SSV_STORM_RU&package=4X4_XT&unitid=0009APB00
Crystal Mill – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Mill
Scary place on Independence Pass – https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1056439,-106.5493222,3a,75y,169.35h,86.36t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIKA378bcqWfyupmI7lwX5g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu
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