Monday, November 5

Perdido Beach

With the exception of one last walk on the Perdido Beach, Monday was spent with the mundane task of provisioning the boat.  You would think living aboard such a small boat would simplify things when in reality it is quite the opposite.  Organizing and keeping things to a bare minimum has it's own challenges.
We were finally able to indulge in the famed "Royal Reds" - a species of shrimp that live in such deep water (2400 ft.), that they are caught by just a handful of boats.  These sweet, succulent shrimp have a texture more like lobster and are hands down the best shrimp we have ever tasted.

Sunday, November 4

Bellingrath Gardens

Cascading mums

Enjoying the ride

Jet setting - courtesy of The Hansons

Finally we're heading back to the White Label to complete our final leg of the Great Loop - The Gulf of Mexico.
 Thanks to our friends John & Carolyn Hanson our return flight to Mobile was far superior to First Class!   We boarded the Gulfstream 200 at the Mason City airport and touched down in Mobile a mere two hours later.  Sipping champagne & enjoying the good company of friends, it ended all too soon ......... talk about feeling spoiled!
Our afternoon was spent touring the Bellingrath Gardens, a 65-acre garden estate located on the Fowl
River in Theodore, a suburb of Mobile, AL.  Originally purchased as a fishing camp in 1917, it is the creation of Mr. & Mrs. Walter Bellingrath, whose wealth came from owning the original franchise to distribute Coca-Cola in Mobile.  Known for their generosity, in 1934 they opened the gardens to the public and 4,500 people showed up to tour them.  Millions have done so since.  It is stunning!

Wednesday, September 19

Independence Pass

Twin Lakes hike

Maroon Bells

Inter-Laken Ghost Resort - Twin Lakes

This being our last day in the Rockies, there were two more things we just had to take in before leaving the mountains.  No visit to Aspen in the fall is complete without viewing the awesome morning vista of the Maroon Bells.  Until you visit ......... words cannot describe the beauty.  This is definitely God's Country.
Next we headed over Independence Pass, one of the most scenic drives in America.  It leads to the small mountain community of Twin Lakes.  Long before Aspen become the premier destination spot of this region, there was Inter-Laken.    In the late 1800's, located on banks of Twin Lakes, it was considered one of the most attractive tourist resorts in Colorado.  Today a popular hiking trail passes by the turn-of-the-century- ghost resort.

Tuesday, Sept. 18

Peak fall colors - Maroon Bells

Ashcroft Ghost Town

Inflating balloons - Snowmass Festival

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Aspen.  The fall colors are just now peaking - it is beautiful!
 Over the weekend Snowmass hosted its 37th  annual Balloon Festival.   We were up at the crack of dawn to watch twenty five colorful balloons ascend from the launch site near the Snowmass Club.  Balloonist love this valley as the pilots can catch different
 winds just by changing altitudes, not to mention the magnificent

Gotta love this - outside the Two Old Hippies shop in Aspen

scenery.

Snowmass Balloon Festival  

Tuesday, Sept. 11

Ruby ghost town - Lincoln Creek Trail

Ruby ghost town - Lincoln Creek Trail

Grizzly Reservoir - Lincoln Creek Trail

Aspen Mountain - Charlie likes his Jeep - no more mini vans!

View from the top of Aspen Mountain

As much as we love boating and the water, we equally love the mountains.  From the tranquility of a mountain stream or lake, to the silence and calm of a mountain forest, it speaks to one's soul.  There isn't a place where one can feel closer to the beauty and wonder of mother nature.
This year we set out to explore a few new areas.    First was the Hanging Lake Trail located in Glenwood Canyon, just outside of Glenwood Springs.  When I - 70 was constructed through one of the most scenic canyons in Colorado, it was diverted to the other side of the river and through a tunnel, just to protect this spectacular area.  Although only 2.4 miles round trip, the climb to the lake is steep and rocky - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - we got lots of encouragement from the many younger and faster hikers who assured us the hike was worth it & indeed they were correct.  Hanging Lake is one of the most scenic sights in all of CO.
Another day we rented a 4 -wheel jeep and headed out on some of the mountain backroads.  We started out on the backside of Aspen Mountain climbing the Little Annie Trail.  Steep in sections it has many switchbacks through stands of evergreen and aspen trees.  Toward the top it passes through a historic mining district.  Breaks in the trees reveal views west across Castle Creek Valley to the Aspen Highlands Ski area.  The Aspen Mountain Trail descends Aspen Mountain, traversing its world-famous ski slopes and provides great views of the town of Aspen and Red Mountain.   Total distance was about 10.5 miles and 6,000 vertical feet.

Hanging Lake - Glenwood Canyon

Next we drove up Independence Pass to the Lincoln Creek Trail.  The first several miles of the trail follow alongside Lincoln Creek through pine and aspen forests where views are limited.  It is a popular area for camping and the road is fairly well maintained.  About seven miles in, we came to the Grizzly Reservoir - it has an abundance of rainbow trout and is surrounded by shady campsites.  Beyond the reservoir the trail becomes narrow, bumpy and has many potholes & large embedded rocks.  The going is slow and climbs through the Lincoln Mining District revealing expansive views of the mountain range.  Passing by abandoned miners' cabins and other evidence of the mining era, we finally arrived at Ruby ghost town near the end of the trail.  There are several old structures that have collapsed at Ruby and information boards have been posted to explain some of the local history.  The entire round trip was 22 miles and took us about 3.5 hours.  It was an awesome day!    

Friday, August 31 - Sunday Sept. 2

Elk Mountain Range - backdrop for JAS Festival

Enjoying the music

Maggie & Friends

This is our 7th year to attend the Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Labor Day Festival.  It is an open air extravaganza of rock, blues, country & reggae music taking place at Snowmass Town Park.  With the  Elk Mountain Range as a backdrop and a full moon overhead the setting was spectacular!  Crowds ranged from 6,000 to 10,000 daily.
The headliners this year included Sugarland,  Steve Miller Band,  Kid Rock and Michael Franti & Spearhead - a great mix of music
and a great way to spend Labor Day Weekend!

JAS Labor Day Festival

Friday, August 10

Pensacola Beach Preserve

Old town Pensacola

The Dock - Pensacola Beach

Bad  architecture - Pensacola Beach

White sugary sand - Pensacola Beach

Today's blog entry will be the last one for awhile - we will be flying back to Clear Lake tomorrow to spend a couple of weeks, then leaving for Colorado where we will spend the month of September in Aspen. The dogs have missed us and need a vacation .......they (as do we) love spending time in the mountains.
 Since we would be flying out of the Pensacola Airport early Saturday morning we headed in that direction to see what the area had to offer. We were pleasantly surprised by Old Pensacola and the Seville Quarters - a much smaller & tamer version of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The architecture in this area was attractive and although things were relatively quiet in the afternoon, we were assured that it heats up in the evening hours.   Mardi Gras is a popular theme and celebrated with the same enthusiasm as it is in the Big Easy.
 Needing one more beach fix, the GPS directed us toward Pensacola Beach. This place is a mixed bag.  The beach is wonderful, but unfortunately it is surrounded by some of the worst architecture we have seen to date.  There are lots of VERY tacky tourist joints and if there is an architectural approval process, it allows for terrible pastel colored home designs with no setback requirements. Nonetheless, we enjoyed The Dock, where we took in our last views of the Gulf and quenched our thirst with adult beverages. At the very end of the beach we did stumble upon a National Wildlife Refuge which was unspoiled and lovely.
 We have enjoyed our brief tour of the "Red Neck Riviera" ........  Highlights included: 1. Some of the most beautiful beaches you can image - you need to dig your toes into this sugary sand to really appreciate it.  2. The Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay ( The Grand Hotel, Point Clear and Fair Hope) is a sampling of Southern hospitality and charm at its very best.   3. The oysters and shrimp were fabulous!
 We will continue where we left off in early November when we return to the White Label to complete the final leg of The Great Loop. We are currently 5,900 miles into the journey - only 800 miles to go! (Might make a couple of posts while in Aspen - just so we don't get out of practice.)