September 14, 2016 Aspen Area, Colorado

We took a little sight seeing tour today. It was cloudy, windy and rainy most of the day.

I finished another basket. This one was kind of an expieriment, it has aspen twigs wrapped around it and an aspen branch as a lid handle. It came out cute, but way too much trouble to make more. Patty, the day use area host at the Bells took us to Marble to this BBQ resturant. Marble is a tiny old mining town. There is a big old marble quarry there that has been closed for years, but there are huge blocks of marble all over the place. The BBQ is about the only business in town, besides some galleries, lodging and  a number of marble artists in town. It is mostly a high mountain town with historic cabins and older small homes.

Patty, Keeper and John in front of the Slow Groovin’ BBQ. Patty and John with our yummy meals. Kind of cool and rainy, but we sat outside anyway with Keeper.

On the way back we stopped to view Hayes Creek Falls.  The falls and Patty, Keeper and John hiking up.

Very pretty color rocks with some fall color in the water. A cliff along the Crystal River with more fall color.

Beautiful downtown Redstone, Colorado. It is another old small mining town. They used to mine coal in this area. All the homes are restored and it is a cute little town.  A halloween display in front of the antique store in Redstone.

Coke ovens for processing coal outside of Redstone. The evening light was cool with all the storm clouds and sun rays.

We stopped at another canyon on the way back  and viewed the St Benedict’s Monestary and  yet another canyon and watched the elk come down. The almost full moon in the storm clouds. It was a fun day.

A rusty ax handle used as a door stop in the Forest Service bunkhouse in Aspen, a mourning cloak butterfly, deer seen outside of aspen, two marble sculptures-the angels are at a Marble gallery in Marble and the trout is by the river in Redstone and some elk.