CENTRAL COLORADO, INDEPENDENCE PASS TO LEADVILLE

Another bright sunny day in the Rocky Mountains.  We watch the antics of the golden-mantled ground squirrels and the chipmunks as we sip our morning coffee.  After breakfast we hike a trail toward Twin Peaks, but never get out of the aspens.

We motor west to Independence Pass (12,095ft).  After a short hike to a lookout we return to the motor home and watch the tourists for the rest of the morning.  This is a popular pass since it goes down to Aspen.  We don't want to go to Aspen so we turn around and head for Leadville.  This is another historic mining town (silver).  First we drop Peggy's bike off for a tune-up and then have supper at the Silver Dollar Saloon.  We take a tour through the historic Tabor Opera House which was built in just 100 days in 1879.  Some of it's notable performers were Wild Bill Hickok, Houdini, John Philip Sousa and Oscar Wilde.  Newspapers of the day acclaimed it to be the largest and best west of the Mississippi.

We take a forest service campsite near Turquoise Lake in the San Isabel National Forest and watch the Wapiti (elk) graze through the woods in front of us.

View from the picture window in our motor home.

Hiking in the aspens.

Just enjoying a beautiful day with my three wonderful dogs.

Beautiful Sky Blue in the aspen grove.

Mitch and Poudre at Independence Pass.

View from Independence Pass.

'What's up!' says the white-crowned sparrow.

Tabor Opera House built in 1879.