Althouse: Meade had gone back out to Colorado.

July 29, 2015

Meade had gone back out to Colorado.

He's back now, but this was one of his texts (from Eagle, Colorado, where we got married almost 6 years ago):

28 comments:

Ignorance is Bliss said...: Does he smell of apple and cherry pie?; 7/29/15, 10:36 AM
Ann Althouse said...: He smelled great after days of biking and sleeping in the car. But I have almost no sense of smell.; 7/29/15, 10:48 AM
Big Mike said...: Fox, Cecil the Lion, Tiger the dog, a bear, and now an Eagle (Colo.) Add in Bernie Sanders the national socialist and today's theme (so obvious even I can see it!) is wild animals.; 7/29/15, 10:50 AM
Danno said...: Sleeping in the car? Is he too cheap to get a motel/hotel?; 7/29/15, 10:57 AM
pm317 said...: Hey, I was hoping you would mention Colorado in a post. We are doing a trip to Colorado later in August. We will be cramming a circuit drive from Denver to Boulder to somewhere in the West as far as Telluride and back to Colorado Springs and to Denver before flying back. All crammed in 5 days. What do you guys think? Any recommendation/suggestion?; 7/29/15, 11:06 AM
Anne Freedman said...: @pm317 Telluride, Ouray, Silverton. All worth a trip; 7/29/15, 11:12 AM
Sprezzatura said...: "Sleeping in the car? Is he too cheap to get a motel/hotel?"

This fits with Meadehouse going to McDonalds for free wifi.

And, during early-Meadehouse there were pictures of a dilapidated shack. IIRC, there was some implication that Meade lived there, or something like that.

Fiscally conservative.; 7/29/15, 11:34 AM
Big Mike said...: @pm317, watch for speed traps around Denver airport, especially returning.

There's a national park featuring fossilized insect and plants in Florissant, Colo., which is just up Ute Pass from Colorado Springs. You might try driving up Pike's Peak if your car can take it.

There's a toll road from Denver airport to Boulder, and you will get a belated charge from your rental car company which will be quite steep. You may want to take a more leisurely drive.; 7/29/15, 11:53 AM
Big Mike said...: @pm317, and if you like trains take a look here.; 7/29/15, 12:12 PM
Heartless Aztec said...: Was just there - passing through on my annual Great American two lane road trip.; 7/29/15, 12:18 PM
ngtrains said...: @pm317 - Take you time b between Ouray and Durango - spend a day
Some of the most beautiful scenery and history. Silverton is really
an old western town. Only main street is paved. before you get there, you will
see Red Mountain. - beautiful sight and site.

Telluride - meh - not so much. They even have parking meters. Pretty setting,
but the town is just Aspen with different mountains. Durango is a really
dynamic place. stop to see the trains.; 7/29/15, 1:15 PM
rhhardin said...: There's a perfectly good really steep bike hill right here in Ohio. I climb it every day on the way home.

I don't go down hills if I can help it. It wears out the brake pads. So I assume Meade is out there for a climbs and takes the car back down.; 7/29/15, 1:24 PM
pm317 said...: Thanks, everyone! I have not taken a vacation in two years and this will be good.

@Big Mike: watch for speed traps around Denver airport, especially returning.

While driving back from Jackson, WY after visiting the Tetons and YS, we decided to take the leisurely route and underestimated the time. So when we got near Salt Lake City, it was a mad dash to the airport to catch the plane. Of course, a cop stopped us. But I used my charm (nah), just explained to him our predicament and about being late to catch the plane, and he let us go! He even helped us with the traffic to get back in the lane. How nice!

And along the way, in one of the nameless small towns, at a 25mph zone, my very smart husband chose to pass a cop car at <35 mph and was promptly stopped and given a ticket. His explanation was that he was allowed to do <10 over. :) not if you pass a cop car.; 7/29/15, 1:36 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Not to rain on Meade's parade, but don't think there are any 14ers that close to Eagle. Maybe just feels that way, since the Eagle/Colorado rivers drop from aye 8k to 5k from Vail to Glenwood Spgs. Driven by Eagle innumerable times, but last time I remember stopping was during the Kobe Bryant rape trial. Had to wade through all the press to get into the courthouse. It was in the fall, because I went back to Dillon through Aspen and over independence Pass. I do remember hitch hiking through there almost 45 years ago. Much different (it was before I-70). Girlfriend and I were going to Aspen, and I had a pair of 225 Head Downhills. Stopped by state patrol a couple miles short of Eagle, spent the night there, and then headed back east.; 7/29/15, 2:50 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: What to see in CO?

One trip might be up the front range from US 6 up by Blackhawks, Nederland, Estes Park, into Rocky Mtn Nat Park, over Trail Ridge Rd to Grand Lake, etc. From there you can head east on US 40 over Beethod Pass to I-70, or west towards Steamboat. My partner thought it was boring west of GrandLake/Granby, but I don't. We cut up to Dillon from Kremling.

Summit County, including Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco, and Breckenridge, is one of the better places to stage from. Surrounded by 13k-14k peaks in almost every direction, and looking down on Lake Dillon. Half an hour or so from Vail and the Eagle River valley (where Meade apparently is). From either Frisco or Minturn/Vail, you can pop over to Leadville, follow the Arkansas down aways, before popping over Independence Pass to Aspen. Then down river to Glenwood tying into I-70 again.

Someone above suggested Silverton, etc. I tend to drive it south to north from Durango. To get there, you can take US 285 SW from Denver to Alamosa, or pick it up from Breckenridge to Fairplay or from Leadville at Buena Vista. Follow 285 most of the way down the state, then head west over Wolf Creek Pass, which gets you to Durango. While there you may wish to stop at Mesa Verde, or take the narrow gauge train up to Silverton. From Silverton, up over the Million Dollar highway and Red Mtn Pass to Ouray and Ridgway. Left there can get you to Telluride (which I also don't think is that great), up a bit to Montrose, where you can head east towards Gunnison on US 50, and maybe north there to Crested Butte. From there, NW towards McClure and Kebler passes, down to Redstone, which is by Marble and the Crystal Mill, and thence into the valley between Aspen and Glenwood. Not as nice, but still ok, can get to Redstone from Montrose via Peonia. And from Gunnison, you can also continue east to 285.

Best mountains are probably the San Juans by Silverton, Sangre de Cristos down towards Alamosa, Maroon Bells by Aspen, and the views from Trail Ridge and the tops of Mt Evans and Pikes Peak. But there are plenty of others.; 7/29/15, 3:26 PM
Michael said...: Second Bruce Hayden's suggested route(s). I tend to settle in the Basalt area and hike and climb from Cathedral Lake, the Bells, Capitol and Sopris and be in my bed at night. Town and country.

Wonderful country. My favorite.; 7/29/15, 4:06 PM
Birdwatcher said...: VERY nice!; 7/29/15, 5:06 PM
pm317 said...: Red Rocks amphitheatre looks great.

@Bruce Hayden, thanks for the suggestion. We are working on the routes right now. Wondering 5 days may not be enough. Oh, well.; 7/29/15, 6:19 PM
walter said...: How many Colorado stoners does it take to screw....; 7/29/15, 6:36 PM
Meade said...: Bruce Hayden said...
"Not to rain on Meade's parade, but don't think there are any 14ers that close to Eagle. Maybe just feels that way, since the Eagle"

I was up around 7 where I made that clip. Is it possible I was seeing Mount of the Holy Cross from there? It was snow capped which made me think, "High boys". Because, hey, late July.; 7/29/15, 8:00 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Good Lord, PM, how fast were you going? Utah is like a racetrack compared to Washington or Oregon and I very seldom see a Utah state trooper on my trips to the beauties of southern Utah. I know most of the Mormon settlers didn't trek that way but, for those that did, it had to strike a strong Old Testament vibe.; 7/29/15, 11:39 PM
Darcy said...: In the Denver vicinity, Morrison is a very lovely town to make a stop and kind of a local secret, I think. I second Estes Park and Rocky Mountain Natl Park. The hiking trails are spectacular.; 7/30/15, 7:50 AM
ndspinelli said...: Meade's Brokeback Mountain. NTTAWWT.; 7/30/15, 7:33 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Meade - possible, but I think maybe not. Without looking at a map, the Mt of the Holy Cross is probably maybe due south of Avon, and Eagle is a bit west of there. I have seen it most often from the Shrine Pass road, which runs from the top of Vail pass over towards the road from Minturn to Leadville. No expert on the Eagle valley (know Summit County to the east much better), but have skied a number of times in/through the area between Avon/Eagle through Aspen - there is a series of 10th Mtn Huts through there that can be a lot of fun.; 7/31/15, 5:35 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Actually, now that I look at a map, Meade may be correct. Mt of the Holy Cross is SSE of Beaver Creek Ski Area, and if you get up out of the valley, as he apparently was, it may be visible back behind Beaver Creek. I get screwed up because you can't really see it from the valley floor. But that is the way of many of the higher mountains in CO - the valleys are too steep at the bottom to see the tops of the tallest mountains along side.

I mentioned Shrine Pass above. The road is gravel, and only open to cars in the summer (you can ski it in the winter). Very scenic, and provides the more classic view of that mountain (note though that the famous painting of the mountain used some artistic license in portraying the cross). As noted, you start on top of Vail pass. The other end is off of US 24, I think by Red Cliff. Probably worth the trip if you are staying in the Eagle Valley, esp as Far East as Vail. Last time I drove it though was in a demo BMW crossover (they were the official car for Vail Resorts at the time), and it was horrid. Probably fine with most SUVs, and my partner wants me to take my (Chevy Z71) pickup back to CO this fall, to get it out of the driveway here in MT, and it would have no problems with that road.

Which reminds me of something. I mentioned the 10th Mtn Hut system. Mostly, they are used in the winter for skiing, allowing people to, for example, ski from the Aspen area to the Eagle valley. But they are also mostly open in the summer. There is also one hut near the top of Shrine Pass, and we stayed there late fall 25 years ago, right before the first big snow of the year. We could drive most of the way in, but had to leave our Jeep back on the top of Vail Pass over night. Then skied down the road, and drove back up it the next day to pick up our gear. Which was a bit weird, hitting it perfectly between when you can drive it, and ski it. In any case, these huts are mostly right at tree line which is a bit over 12k, so the views are spectacular. But be careful of HAPE, etc, if you spend more than one night that high.; 7/31/15, 6:23 AM
Meade said...: Thanks again, Bruce. Good stuff from a Colorado native son.; 7/31/15, 7:15 AM
TMink said...: Just got back from there with the family. What a lovely state! Denver is a huge pain to get around in though.

Trey; 7/31/15, 8:54 AM
Meade said...: Btw, that particular video clip I made was from a point just below Sylvan Lake State Park looking, at the end of the clip, to the east.; 7/31/15, 1:41 PM