We decided to take advantage of a quiet weekend and head out on the BMW, staying in Salida for two nights. Yesterday we rode 3 hours from home to Salida and unfortunately it rained about half of the trip. That's why we have rain gear!
It stopped raining before we arrived in Salida, a town of about 6,000 people on the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. We walked to Soulcraft Brewing for an early dinner, then enjoyed a root beer float (Mike) and chocolate malt (Lynn) from 50 Burger while we walked through town and along the paved Monarch Spur Trail that follows a section of the old Monarch Spur railroad. As we were walking down the lovely, shaded streets we passed a couple of deer, one a big 6-point buck, lounging in the front yards, not at all concerned about people walking less than 3' away from them. Salida is a friendly town where everyone says hello as they walk by.
This morning we rode from Salida to the top of Independence Pass between Twin Lakes and Aspen. Independence Pass tops out at 12,095' at the Continental Divide and is the second highest paved pass in Colorado (the highest is Cottonwood Pass at 12,116').
