Our foray out onto the plains was a brief one. Following our single night stay at the top of White Mountain in southwest Wyoming, we quickly made our way further south and back into the heart of the Colorado Rockies towards Carbondale – a small mountain town between Aspen and Glenwood Springs.
We were happy to be back among the aspen trees, especially during this time of year when they seemed to be hitting peak foliage.
Our campsite in Carbondale was the Gateway RV Park – a small city-owned park situated right next to the Roaring Fork River (a tributary of the Colorado River). We really enjoyed the walking/bike path that ran along the river and frequently took advantage of it on our lunch breaks.
Although the walking path was pleasant, we eventually wanted a bit more of a challenge, so we decided to tackle Red Hill, a nearby mountain overlooking Carbondale. Not only did it feel good to really get our legs working and break a sweat, but we were rewarded handsomely in the form of fantastic views when we made it to the top.
Our final activity in the area took us about 30 minutes south on highway 82 to Aspen where we had a lovely time exploring the town ahead of our dinner reservation. Unfortunately, this is where the evening went downhill. The restaurant we picked talked a big game about being gluten free and seemed to take all the precautions. Well, apparently, they cut a corner somewhere as it became obvious that Sam had been “glutened” by the time we were leaving the restaurant. Just goes to show, you can never let your guard down when it comes to a gluten allergy – a sad realization of which Sam is reminded all too often.
By this point in our travels, the weeklong stay had become the standard with Sunday as the default travel day. However, this time we he had to call a changeup and leave Carbondale on Friday in order to make it to Denver in time for a wedding. Tune in next time as we take the rig back over the mountains and towards Denver – where it all began.