We had a short 100-mile drive from Grand Junction to Carbondale, where we spent the next three nights. Our campground sat on a bluff above the Roaring Fork River with an unobstructed view of the Maroon Bells – twin 14,000-foot peaks in the Elk Mounts to our South near Aspen. We ate dinner in Carbondale on the balcony of a restaurant at a golf course that seemed to lie at the foot of The Bells. Charlie got a cool swim at a nearby boat ramp on the river. The current was so swift we had to keep her in a shallow back-eddy near a bridge pier. She limped pretty badly after that, so we think she may have bruised a forepaw pad.

We had a leisurely morning the following day, as Angie caught up a high school girlfriend on the phone while Hank caught up on his physical therapy exerises. We had lunch at a brew pub in Carbondale and explored a local dog park. Charlie vetoed the dog park because there was no place to swim. We made our way back to our camp and found a deeper back eddy along a bike trail for Charlie’s daily swim. The poor girl, who recently turned 10, seems to be aging before our eyes.

It’s sad. We lost a 16-year-old border collie (Streak) on a trip to Zion National Park two years ago. Charlie has not enjoyed the same health as Streak. She broke her leg two years ago and has not been the same since. Our second night, we had an honest rain lasting a good half-hour. We had a few drops fall out of clouds a couple of times in Grand Junction but this was a good shower.

We rose early today to drive an hour to visit Maroon Lake above Aspen at the foot of The Bells. You need a parking reservation and arrive before 8 am, unless you want to park in Aspen and ride a $30 shuttle bus to the lake. Angie got some great pictures and we hiked a couple of miles. Angie’s surgically-repaired knee held up well. She has no pain or swelling but still needs a little work on her balance on uneven rocky surfaces. Near the end of the hike we saw a red fox stalking breakfast in low scrub brush. Then, while driving down the mountain we saw a huge bear ambling through the forest near the road. Angie shot some good video.

We decided to have lunch in Glendale Springs. As we parked our car, a woman who had formerly lived in Wenatchee, WA, approached us. She and her husband have been living in Glendale Springs for three years and they like it here, in spite of the disappointing ski season they endured this year.

We enjoyed a delicous lunch on the patio of a Mexican Restaurant. Glendale Springs is located on the shore of the Colorado River, just across from I-70. After lunch, we walked down to the river for Charlie’s daily swim. She lives for those times!