Aspen

I went to Aspen Colorado for a few days, to do a site visit. All my Aussie ski friends have raved about this mountain town; the thick, white powder, the long ski runs, the apres-ski life, the beautiful Rocky mountains. I was excited to be going,  even if it was in spring and not winter.

Sitting at 10,000 feet, the town itself for me was hit and miss, like alot of American towns. It lacked the charm of a European ski village or even an Aussie one which offers the snow gums. But it is actually much more than a resort town. The city was founded in the late 1800s during the Colorado silver mining boom. It was named Aspen after the Aspen trees that cover the area (think silver birch to look at). Today, it is not only a celebrity hotbed in winter, but has a year-round population of over 6000 and offers a host of cultural activities including literary, dance and music festivals and is home to the famous Aspen Institute.

The beauty really begins when you get out of the town. It is breathtaking. The mountains are majestic and the air was crisp and clear and beautiful to inhale. People travel here from all over the world to hunt, hike and fly fish in summer. Even though spring had not broken everywhere in the valley, the sense of space and size and beauty  hit you every time you go around another wind on the road.