Ute City

Aspen, Colorado Monday, July 8, 2024

Ute City* was the original name for Aspen, as the Ute Nation had a center there when the area was first approached by prospectors in the late 1800s. Shortly thereafter, the Utes were expelled from Colorado as a consequence of the previously mentioned Meeker Massacre (now referred to as the Meeker Incident, since the episode was provoked**), and the prospectors had the run of the place. Silver was discovered, and within 10 years Aspen was the third largest city in Colorado. Then came the Panic of 1893, the worst depression the country had seen up to that point; the bottom fell out of the silver market, and the town collapsed. Decades later, the ski industry, followed by a cultural renaissance and countercultural twist, made Aspen into what it is today.

I learned all of this on a fantastic walking tour led by Dean Weiler, I was lucky enough to be the only client and therefore got a private tour. Terrific. Dean pointed out the glitz of course, but more interestingly the infrastructure, the art, the historical architecture, the commitment to affordable housing, free public transportation, and a library that blew my socks off. Where I once dismissed Aspen as a playground for the rich, I walked away with an appreciation of a vibrant, progressive, and (somewhat) diverse community. Well done, Dean!

I forgot to photograph the bike share kiosks that you often see in cities, but here, use of the bikes, and even the e-bikes, was free.

I do have to interject a snarky memory I had of Aspen in the 1970s. This was where Claudine Longet shot her boyfriend, Olympic skier Spider Sabich, she claimed by accident. Although she was convicted of criminal negligence, she was sentenced to only one month of prison, served on successive weekends. What sticks in my mind is this skit from the first season of Saturday Night Live. https://www.veoh.com/watch/v142116943NdWYaGA

After a tasty gluten-free New York pizza, I was off to the scenic highlight of the area, the Maroon Bells, just a short shuttle bus ride away.

So-called because of their bell-like shape, their striations reveal they are composed of sandstone, which appears maroon when the light is right, reminding us that the Rockies were once a lake bed that spawned sedimentary rock, later uplifted into the soaring peaks you see today. These are two of Colorado’s famous Fourteeners, beautiful to look at but dangerous to climb.

A spectacular, relaxing day, but now it’s time to pay the piper. Independence Pass looms more than 4,000 feet above. They say Lance Armstrong rides it every day. It will make for quite the contrast: a yellow jersey streaking by, while another, in a yellow vest, is slowly pushing his bike uphill. I have tentative plans to camp halfway up, just 17 miles from here. I will likely have no signal, so the posts for the next couple of days may be delayed. Wish me luck.

Distance 10 miles, 2,902 total. Time 8 hours with stops. Elevation gain 340 feet

©️ 2024 Scott Luria

* I looked around, but was unable to find any of Joe Pesci’s “utes” from My Cousin Vinny. However, my friend and esteemed counsel Mary Welford found them: https://youtu.be/Hu8tX2BAD1k?si=aHJsPlWpu-J7uue6

** in the same way the Whitman Massacre is now known as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu. See my post of May 23rd