Hot tubs and a 14er

Upon our success getting to Rainbow Hot Springs, all we needed to do was get to Del Norte to continue up to Aspen. The original plan was for Max to pick up Luke so they could hike Mount Elbert (the 2nd highest peak in the lower 48) and so we could continue our bike ride. We were pretty happy for an excuse to join them.

Late afternoon we loaded our bikes and BOBs into Max's truck and headed north! It seemed that our bad luck of driving in circles from the day before was over, but unfortunately Max got a speeding ticket AND the Aspen Brewing Company, our goal of the day, had moved. Not to worry, by the time we got there we were treated to several free drinks, a growler, and advice on hiking Mount Elbert from an Aspen Ski Patroller. Yay Aspen!

The following day it was snowing in Aspen, perfect for hot tubbing. We managed to go on a short bike ride on the Rio Grande Bike Trail and then got ice cream and the quality 1990s ski movie Aspen Extreme in town. About 6 people asked us where we had ridden, and we thought it was pretty embarrassing that we had only gone a couple of miles on a paved, flat bike trail. There were 4 bike shops in Aspen, and no one seemed to lock their full suspension mountain bikes. It is a magical place.

Max and Luke hiked their 14er on Monday, leaving the house at 4am and returning to the trailhead by 11:30am. They hiked up South Elbert, at 14,134' with an elevation gain of 5,000'. Check out their upcoming post on www.mountainbeering.wordpress.com.

Meanwhile, Sarah and I took our bikes and hiked up a snow-covered boulder field called the Hunters Creek Trail. We just got up to a flatter section where we hoped to be able to bike, when the guys called to let us know they had already gotten down. Our downhill was awesome, and a fellow mountain biker (except she wasn't wearing a helmet so I don't know if I can call her that), told us that we looked hot covered in mud. So success all around.

That evening we had our proper Memorial Day BBQ and Sarah and Luke went to a Yeasayers concert. They bought sweet outfits for the occasion. Incredibly, they were capable of showing off their dance moves (and outfits) to all of Aspen despite Luke's early morning hike.

[From Sarah: Before we went to the concert, we put on spandex. A woman at the concert, after admiring our awesome dance moves, asked us excitedly, "Are tights back in??" I should have said, "No actually pants in general are out of style."]

The following day we were dropped back off in Antonito, CO to continue our weird circle-y zigzag tour of the great divide. Woohoo!

-Cate