Rocky Mountain High (Part III) - Aspens, Storm Clouds and Cartoon Cities - Aspen + Crested Butte + South Park, CO

Aspen Colorado, destination for the lifestyle of the rich and famous began as a mining town in the 1800's that saw a steady decline after the silver market plummeted. With the intervention of industrialist Walter Paepcke, Aspen was redeveloped and helped introduce skiing to the United States. The city became a popular international destination and was sensationalized by famous authors and songwriters like Hunter S. Thompson and John Denver who's lyrics motivated the name of this series; 

"And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky. You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply. Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high.

Today Aspen plays host to almost 50 of the billionaires on the Forbes Billionaire List. Being my first visit I was expecting a scene right out of Dumb and Dumber or South Park but I went in August so I was unable to live out South Park's greatest quote: 

"If you french fry when your'e supposed to pizza, your'e gonna have a bad time."

The old charm of Aspen still exists among the new cookie cutter homes and condominiums leading to a mixed opinion on the city. The food scene, Aspen Brewery and the surrounding natural wilderness were excellent but the prices and slight air of pretentiousness and new money sully the original town. A unique blend of old an new make Aspen Colorado a very interesting place.

In between Aspen and a second trip to Crested Butte sits Kebler Pass, home to one of the largest organisms in the world. Up for debate as the largest in the world the aspen grove has not been studied fully but grows through a singular root system. A quick pull off from the long dirt road allowed for a photo session among the aspen trees.

The final stretch of the trip took us through San Isabel National Forest, containing nineteen of Colorado's Fourteeners and then through South Park County, made famous by the animated series, South Park. Isolated, and filled with farms and cows and an open air museum, the town is very similar to how it is depicted in the cartoon. All of this was a unique contrast to Boulder with its hipster influence and view of the Coors plant and Denver in the distance. Although my time in Boulder was limited, it will be a necessary stop on my next visit.