Aspen – Day 1

My eyes were looking into the valley all along the drive and we started passing by beautiful houses in the hills and I knew we were about to reach our destination. I kept wondering how lucky were the residents to wake up to such view every day. We drove through the downtown area, Aspen is situated in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation just below 8,000 feet. It is a ski resort town and fondly also known to be the Switzerland of America. It’s also known for high-end restaurants, high end designer stores, luxury boutiques and landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House, Queen Anne–style home and the Aspen Art Museum.

Aspen trees need a special mention (city is named after it) as they grow all the time, even in winter. Beneath the thin, white outer bark layer which has eye like carving (looks like trees are watching you), is a thin green photosynthetic layer that allows the tree to create sugars and grow when other deciduous trees would otherwise be dormant. During hard winters, the green, sugary layer provides necessary nutrients for deer and elk. One aspen tree is actually only a small part of a larger organism, a group of aspen trees is considered a singular organism with the main life force underground in the extensive root system. Each tree is a genetic replicate of the other and the oldest clone of aspen tree is in Utah which is 80,000 years old and is the oldest and the heaviest living organism in the world. The leaves turn fierce golden yellow in fall and the trees look even more mesmerizing.

We finally checked into the luxury resort we booked prior; we were tired of the drive and anyways had a long day. As soon as I stepped into our studio, my tiredness flew off the window because the moment pulled the curtains away, I was looking at the mountains from my glass walls unobstructed. We had endless view of the resort property and to our luck in full view of a Jewish wedding in full swing. What a sight!!!

Too tired to go too far from the resort we decided to have the Birthday dinner in cozy, warm sitting of our studio. We ordered some amazing Chicken Caesar Salad, sandwiches with some cake and bubbly. What a birthday!!! In paradise with this handsome man of mine, my day couldn’t have been any better.