8/29 Monday, Monarch and Independence Passes

 8/29/2022 Monday

A brisk 40 degrees this morning as we walk down for some pond pictures while the water is still. 

 Breakfast of cereal and bananas and we're off about 8:30.

Several deer pop their heads out of the brush along the windy road to watch us go by.

 We head south towards Gunnison and then east on 50 over Monarch Pass, where the average yearly snowfall is 350 inches!  What a beautiful drive!  Lakes, streams, signs of past avalanches...and millions of evergreens till we pass the tree line. This is Rocky Mountain High.

A little construction makes for one way traffic and a wait for a pilot car.

We turn left at Twin Lakes and wind our way up to Independence Pass.

 Lots of switchbacks and one spot where the road is one lane for a while. ( They have a red light system to allow traffic to cross this section.) And guard rails?  What are those?

 Another crossing of the Continental Divide.   We stop at the 12,000"+ peak where there is a small shop selling souvenirs, post cards, drinks, and OXYGEN!  

 Beautiful overlooks and we pass the ghost town of Independence, another mining spot that briefly flourished in the early 1800's but now is just a few buildings and foundations.

We had planned to re-visit Maroon Bells, a beautiful mountain area near Aspen, but as we approach Aspen the traffic becomes heavy.  We stop at a visitor's center and see a bus unloading people who have gone out to Maroon Bells.  We find we now need a Parking Pass to go there early in the morning (we planned on sunrise) and passes are not available for days.  After 8AM you have to take the shuttle bus.  We decide to move on by - too many people!

We do some searching on Campendium and other sites and settle on Lower Prince Creek Campground. It is a BLM site with no fee.  Only 6 or so sites, but only 3 are occupied.  We discover that this area has many mountain bike trails and see a few bikers, but it is quiet and peaceful.  We're at a lower elevation with a mix of shrubby oaks and juniper.  A few pretty, blue mountain jays (this one picked up a nut)and chipmunks provide entertainment. And we see many of these unidentified blue berries which grow close to the ground.

The temperature has gotten to 80 this afternoon but it is comfortable in the shade.  We opt for a cold dinner of tuna, crackers, cheese and peaches.

Pretty sunset!