Scary, but beautiful

I'm still trying to unpry my fingers apart so I can type this post.  Quite a day!  North from Buena Vista to Leadville to go up and over Hagerman Pass.  Supposed to be relatively easy.  It was very rough, definitely needed 4wd and high clearance, and the hanging off the side of the cliff stuff.  As those of you who know me know I don't do hanging off the cliff!  I think as we go on I'm frustrating Jan more and more cause I just can't deal with the heights.  I'm doing better and today if it wasn't for some trees and bushes along the side I would have turned around.  There were times today when we were looking straight down several thousand feet!  Enough of that.  We went by Turquoise Lake, an absolutely gorgeous lake near Leadville.

Then we went uphill towards Hagerman Pass and got another look at Turquoise Lake from a little bit higher :)

These pictures don't do justice to how steep and rough the road was or the dropoffs.  We continued and managed to make it to the top.

A little background,  Hagerman was the owner of the Colorado Midland Railway back in 1883.  He was trying to build a railroad that would go from Leadville to Aspen.  He decided to build it in the same pass we drove over today and ended up building a tunnel in 1887 at 11,530'!  The tunnel was used only a few years until a slightly lower one was built.  The railroad ceased to operate in 1918 and the lines were scrapped in the 1920's.
We then continued down the other side which I have to admit was less upsetting, into Basalt, then south through Aspen.  We had never been to Aspen before.  What a beautiful, clean, picture perfect town bustling with people and businesses.  We saw this very cool looking church as we went through.

We then continued on 82 over Independence Pass at 12,950'  This road was paved but in places was too narrow for two cars to pass!  Very beautiful, nonetheless.

The drive down the eastern side was gorgeous and not nearly as challenging.  We passed beautiful Twin Lakes again as we headed back to the motorhome to have a BIG glass of wine!