The juxtaposition of Aspen and Taos is massive. Here in Aspen everything is tidy. Clean. And expensive. No one waves as you pass and gas is near $4.00 a gallon. There is a lot of art in both places and there are Adventure Girls everywhere. The circumstances are just a little different. The natural settings here are astounding. Very early in the morning I rose to hike in Maroon Bells, a park area here, hoping to avoid the crowds but no luck. The Maroon Lake sits at the feet of the Maroon Mountains reflecting everything from deep purlel to turquoise. Wild. Last night I sat in a restaraunt that Hunter Thompson frequented and tried to feel the vibe. Too scattered. Celebrity sitings 0. Went to my first rodeo. I have adopted a weathered cowboy hat since I have been on the road, I fit right in...well, almost. If you come here you must visit Anderson Ranch, similar to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, an artist "camp", a fantasy of workshops and work space for artists. I want to return and learn to weld and cut and make metal sculpture.

The girls in my journaling and collage workshop stretched themsleves for me, writing about themselves as colors and places- they seemed eager to work and today they showed off their work to their families.
They can all proudly say they have hung at a museum...

Tomorrow I head to Denver and the Tattered Cover Bookstore. I hope to detour through Boulder so I can ooh and ahh about how things have changed since I lived there many years ago.
I am sprinkling the countryside with Adventure girl books, one book at a time, no bookstore or museum store gets passed by.
I am weary of life on the road, getting near six weeks and I will be happy and sad to return to New England. I have made friends. I have bonded with Taos and the desert surroundings and it feels like home as well. I miss the sea. Morning walks on the beach, fish and shellfish, fishermen tcast your nets, this Adventure Girl is tired of beef. Tonight I will stroll downtown Aspen and say goodbye. On to the next.