Heading back to Denver

We had a leisurely day today driving from Glenwood Springs to Denver.  It was cloudy most of the way, but Mary did find some blue sky as we approached the Eisenhower tunnel. It was interesting seeing Glenwood Canyon from west to east as we typically use Independence Pass to return from Aspen.

We found snow capped peaks after we left Silverthorne. But once we went through the tunnel we saw very little snow on the east side of that ridge. 
As we got close to Denver I decided to take the old road (US 6) to Golden. This is the original two lane road that everyone had to use before I-70 was constructed.  It has 6 tunnels and some neat scenery.  It was nice to se it again.

So now we're settled into our hotel and planning our wake up time for our  SWA flight home.  Its been a very relaxing and enjoyable trip and I am sure glad the Colorado weather cooperated! 

Back to Glenwood Springs

Today started out as a typical travel day, but ended on a very high note.
We got up early and headed to Snowmass Chapel for their 9:00AM church service.  They were including their Children's Christmas program which was very cute.  It was a nice liturgical service with a message that focused on Week 3 of Advent.

As we headed north to Glenwood Springs we decided to drive I-70 west for a while to take in the scenery.  While it would have been more impressive with snow, the hills were starkly beautiful.  I had a hard time picking out one picture from all the ones Mary took, but this one is a good example of what we saw.  After lunch in Rifle we headed back east, checked in around 1:00 pm and spent the afternoon catching up on emails and watching a couple of NFL games.  We were surprised to find a Culvers here so we headed there for supper.

We had seen the Christmas lights at the Hotel Colorado so we drove by to get a picture.  They are spectacular as you can see.  It was amazing to take in this display and watch the lights even change color.   What pretty Christmas decorations!

After supper it was time for the Messiah.  While we thought seeing it at the Wheeler opera house would be impressive, hearing it in the large Catholic church was even more inspiring.  Mack Bailey did a super job on his tenor solos as did the other soloists, choir, and orchestra. As we greeted Mack afterwards he invited us to the after-party at the Glenwood Springs Brewpub.

When we got to the Brewpub we found no one had told them this large of a group was coming, so Mack, Mary and I headed down the street to another restaurant where the three of us visited for over an hour.  Needless to day, Mary is flying high tonight!

Tomorrow we leave Glenwood Springs and head back to Denver for our fight home Tuesday.  The weather is clear so it should be a pretty drive on a stretch of road we are getting to know quite well!

Aspen - Day 2

On our second day in Aspen we did some shopping and had a nice relaxing day, spending close to 3 hours walking around the town and having lunch. We saw a few skiers and snowboarders walking around, but only one slope, where they had made snow, was open. Most of the mountain looked like this.  They hope to get some serious snow late next week so all the slopes can be open for the holiday season. The town did a great job of decorating as you can see, with many streets bordered with white lights while the Hyman Street walking mall had colored lights on its trees.  Having a few snowflakes in the air would have made for a perfect winter scene.

The main event of the day was the Aspen Choral Society's Messiah concert at the Wheeler.  Mack, who sang the tenor solos, looked exquisite decked out in his tuxedo and sang beautifully.  The orchestra, soloists, and choir all did a great job performing this intricate piece of music which never fails to be inspirational. 
We will hear it again tomorrow night when the same performers are at a church in Glenwood Springs.

Aspen, Day 1

Our day started out in Glenwood Springs with a ride in a gondola up to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.  We had seen the gondolas on prior visits and decided to check them out today.  It was a much longer ride that we expected, but did yield nice views of Glenwood Springs and the surrounding area.  Being a summer place, the rides were all closed so we walked around a bit, visited the gift shop, then headed back down for our drive to Aspen.

Upon arriving in Aspen we headed to the John Denver Sanctuary which had a lot less snow than it did last year. That made it much easier to walk around, and it was still very pretty as you can see.

The main event for today was the Rocky Mountain Christmas concert featuring Mack Bailey, Chris Nole and Molly Weaver. What a concert!  They included some traditional Christmas songs, a few of their favorites, and many from John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas album.  We enjoyed when Mack put on his shades and did his Elvis impression singing Blue Christmas, a favorite from his Hard Travelers' Christmas concerts in Annapolis.
Since the concert was a fundraiser for Challenge America, Mack had a group of female veterans sing a special Veterans edition of "Hallalujah" that was very moving.

After the concert we talked with both Mack and Chris Nole.  They invited us to the after-party with all the performers and many other guests, and we enjoyed our time there. 

Overall it was quite the way to end the day.

Glenwood Springs

We had a beautiful day to drive from Denver to Glenwood Springs.  It was very nice to see snow on the mountains, although not as much as we expected.   At Vail Pass the temperature dropped down to 21.  Check out some of these photos Mary took during the drive. 

We walked around Georgetown for a while today and did some shopping.  Later we enjoyed lunch at a very nice restaurant, The Happy Cooker. They have a daily quiche special (which we had) along with a good selection sandwiches and other items.   If you are ever in Georgetown around lunch or dinner time, I suggest you give it a try!  Georgetown always brings memories of John Denver's movie The Christmas Gift which was filmed there.  The Post Office, in the photo, played a big part in the movie, and a visit is a must for JD fans! 
On to the Glenwood Springs Brewing Company for dinner! 

Heading West!

Colorado has to be our most-visited state (besides Ohio!).  We flew here today (when making reservations months in advance you need to allow for bad travel days...) so we would be sure to make A Rocky Mountain Christmas Concert with Mack Bailey, Chris Nole and Mollie Weaver this Friday, as well as two performances of Handel's Messiah by the Aspen Choral Society (with Mack singing the tenor solos!) on Saturday and Sunday.  The Wheeler Opera House in Aspen is where we will see the Christmas concert and one performance of Messiah; we will go to Glenwood Springs for the second Messiah concert. 

Seems like we escaped Michigan just ahead of the first big snowstorm of the winter! We got to the airport as the snow was starting to accumulate.   By the time our plane was ready to leave the snowplows were out in force.  Fortunately, besides a short delay for de-icing, our flight was uneventful.

We planned a long layover at Chicago-Midway just in case we encountered any weather related delays.  As we were waiting at our gate, who showed up but this pair!  They posed for Mary and promised to be in Dearborn to deliver gifts Christmas Eve.  Isn't Santa's robe impressive!

Tomorrow we have all day to head to our next stop, Glenwood Springs, so we're planning a late start.  

Aspen in October Reflections

After the "Goodbye Again" event this morning, Mary and I headed for Denver via Independence Pass.  The trip was as beautiful as we remembered it from prior visits. After our traditional post-Aspen lunch at the Golden Burro in Leadville, we continued east.

As we approached Denver we spotted a large herd of bison by the westbound side of I-70 at the buffalo overlook.  We parked and walked to see them.  I counted nearly 50 head in this group, much larger that the herd we saw last year.  The only bad part of this stop was the very long uphill walk back to the car.  But after a couple of stops, we headed back east.







As we drove we talked about how great this past week was, with all the special events.  Mary said it was the busiest Aspen in October she had experienced since the first one she went to in 2007.  We both agreed that attending at least 3 events a day for 5 days was a lot, but enjoyed every minute of it.

• The three Tribute concerts were excellent
• Loved the Mack and Chris show on Sunday with the special appearance by Sean Della Croce (Erin Huttlinger's daughter)
• The camaraderie starting with the Meet and Greet and continuing through the week. Seeing many people that we only see once a year in Aspen.
• Seeing the Memories presentation and book of photos that went with it.
• Ron Matthews singing "Heart to Heart" to Mary as an encore for his show.
• Seeing the "Great Voices Sing..." video on Saturday.

Overall we're tired, but happy with the experience.

Last Full Day in Aspen

As events wind down for the week, we had our busiest day today.  We both slept in until the alarm went off, then we had breakfast and headed to the Aspen Chapel to hear Mack Bailey and Ellen Stapenhorst provide the music for the service.  To our surprise this was a baptismal service.  Mack and Ellen sang three songs that fit in well with the baptism and the message.

Next we headed to the Cookhouse Event where we enjoyed JD music and an excellent meal.  The view of the mountains from here was picture perfect today.  I've also included a picture of the group we hang out with at these JD events.  We enjoyed an excellent menu of  rainbow trout, chicken breast, twice-baked potatoes, kale salad, and corn bread, with brownies and cookies for dessert.  The music was very good as well, singing along to JD favorites and a few other songs.

After that we hustled back to Aspen for a Mack Bailey/Chris Nole concert in which they took turns playing their own materials.  Mack had his son Hayden sing "Grandma's Feather Bed" and we had a surprise song from Pete Huttlinger's step-daughter, Sean.  She did a great job singing two songs, one of which she composed.   Mack and Chris closed with a pair of JD songs that had the audience singing along. What a super event to have on this last big day of the week.

Our fourth event of the day was a second Chris Westphal concert. This turned out to be a very long concert that was mostly a repeat of his concert last Thursday.  Tomorrow we will attend "Goodbye again" at 10:00 then head over Independence pass to Denver.

Saturday in Aspen

Mary and I got a bit adventurous this morning and headed out to see The Grottos, which was reportedly an easy (all levels) hiking trail.  Located just east of Aspen, we heard it had a view-worthy waterfall.   There were two trails, and we took the one that was marked.  It proved to be quite a challenge over roots and rocks, and was rather steep in places.  But we got some pretty pictures and did see the waterfall.  On our way back we had some time so we decided to see where the other trail went. Sure enough it was a very easy, flat trail that lead to the base of the falls!

This afternoon we went to a showing of the film "Great Voices Sing John Denver" which was very moving. The concept of the film was to have many opera singers sing their favorite John Denver song with full orchestration accompaniment.  It was intriguing to hear how each sang the song, as well as hearing conductor Lee Holdridge's fabulous scores.  After the film was shown, the director, producer, and Lee came on stage to talk about what went into making the movie and for a Q and A session moderated by JD tribute Jim Curry.

We were planning to attend a show by the Aspen Meadows band here at the Limelight, but when we arrived we found all the seats were taken - and most of the standing room - so we headed to our room and opened the window.  The music was so loud that we heard the entire concert at a reasonable volume.

We attended the last Tribute concert tonight. It resembled last nights' concert, but did have a few different songs.  Even with repetition, it was a very enjoyable show and had a lot of energy.   Chris Nole got a nice ovation after playing the piano introduction for "For You" and then accompanying a recoding of John Denver singing it. As usual, Mack played a major role in the show and sang beautifully.

Following the concert, we attended the VIP post-party.  Had a great time with our friends, as well as talking to the musicians who had been in the concert.   The party included appetizers, pizza, and adult beverages.  Tomorrow is a 4-show day as the weeks' events wrap up.  We have a fairly early start tomorrow so time to hit the sack! 

Aspen Day 3

It was another gorgeous Colorado day!  We enjoyed a quiet morning, sleeping in a bit, enjoying the excellent hotel breakfast and talking with friends , then headed out to walk around the town and do some shopping.  Mary bought a couple of souvenirs then we bought sandwiches for lunch.
Our first afternoon event was like an open mic night, with 8 performers each singing 3 of their songs. It was fun to hear the stories about how their songs came about and then to hear the songs.

Next was a concert by musician Ron Matthews who was accompanied by his brother who is also a very accomplished singer and who lives in southeast Michigan! It as a very enjoyable concert, and Ron closed with Mary's favorite song, Heart to Heart, which he said he was playing for her.   Afterwards we talked Ron's brother, and found he often plays open mic nights in Dearborn so we may stop by sometime.

The main event of the day was the Tribute Concert.  It was excellent on all fronts!  Words cannot readily explain how good it was.  Song after song was performed by these excellent musicians and singers. They played many of John Denver's famous songs as well as  a couple of not-so-famous ones.   Mack's son, Hayden, came out on stage in front of the curtain after the concert to wave to the audience, which was cute!

Hayden was also in the area where the performers greet the guests afterwards, as you can see from this picture. That's him at left with Mary and Mack. It was cute that he had a Sharpie and was signing programs.
The concert was followed by a VIP party which included complimentary beverages of the adult variety, pizza, and other snacks.  We talked with many of the performers as well as with John Denver's son, Zach, pictured at right with Mary and with Pete Huttlinger's stepdaughter, Sean.  Overall it was quite the night to remember!  

Aspen Day 2

Today was a fairly full day of concerts and events.  We were able to sleep in a bit and saw many familiar faces at breakfast here in the Limelight - John Denver musicians Chris Nole, Jim and Anne Curry, Diane Ireland - and had an enjoyable breakfast conversation with Janette Frawley of Australia and her friend from Canada.

First up was an "All My Memories" presentation talking about various past JD celebrations with people sharing their favorite memories, and two artists sharing their songs about John. Afterwards Mary received a copy of the book in the photo.  She had submitted a story and several pictures, and was delighted to find the story was included along with some of her pictures.  Mary is in quite a few pictures in the book and she enjoyed finding them this afternoon.  The book is quite a work of art and took many, many hours to assemble - much appreciation to "JP" for this labor of love.

This afternoon was a concert by Chris Westphal who told stories and sang many John Denver as well as few of his own songs.  He put a lot of feeling into each song and we enjoyed hearing him for the first time.

At 6:00 pm we went back to the Sanctuary to mark the 20th anniversary of the time of John's passing.  We were given candles,  and all in attendance lit them during the ceremony. Ron Matthews played his remembrance song, followed by Autograph, then read a short note. The entire ceremony was simple, yet touching.

Tonight was the first of three major concerts at the Wheeler.  It was fabulous!  12 artists were on stage and took turns singing songs and accompanying others. The first set was very good, but the second set after the intermission was superb!   It opened with a tribute to Pete Huttlinger with Chris Nole and Alan Daremo playing Pete's McGuires's Landing song and it took off from there.  It closed with Mack Bailey singing John's "This Old Guitar" while playing John's guitar, followed by "Country Roads" and "Eagles and Horses".  After the concert we talked to many of the performers and I took this selfie with Chris Nole. What a great night!

Aspen, Day 1

We had an uneventful drive to Aspen this morning.  Mt Sopris was stunning, all covered in snow, although this picture taken through the car windows does not do it justice.  We arrived in plenty of time to be at the Meet and Greet, scheduled for 10:00 am.  The weather was perfect!  A bright, sunny morning with a little chill in the air.  We sang a few songs and saw a lot of old friends while meeting a few new people.

After that we headed to The Maroon Bells.  Nearly all the trees had lost their leaves along the road to the Bells as well as once we arrived.  But the sky was clear and it was sunny which made for some great photos.

After a lunch at the Woody Creek Tavern we headed to the Limelight to check in before going to a 4:00 Aspen Meadow concert.  The group was very good and played a lot of John's early songs from 1969 to 1976, including quite a few that you rarely hear played.   Overall a very enjoyable concert.  We ended the day with a cookout hosted by friends at the Mt. Chalet hotel.  A great first day in Aspen!