Aspen, Bears & Bread

We have just returned from Aspen and the raw beauty that makes Colorado so special. The fall foliage was in its full glory. Surprisingly, after all of the time I have spent either living or visiting Colorado, I’ve never experienced Autumn in the high country.

I was in state of awe at the sensational gorgeousness that welcomed us as we drove over the Continental Divide and made our way through the spectacularly colored Vail Valley.

We arrived in Aspen as the sun was setting so we caught a only a glimpse of the beauty that awaited us.

We awoke to a brilliant sight of the mountains covered in the brightest shades of yellow, gold, red and green. Really, it took my breath away.

We went for a hike at Hunter’s Creek and biked along the Rio Grande trail.

There were bears in trees all over town, seemingly uninterested in all of the onlookers, instead, paying attention to the trees overflowing with crabapples that they were gobbling up as fast as they could.

It was a magical visit for sure. Romanic as it always is to be in the mountains with the wood fireplace burning as the first snow of the season was dusting the tops the high peaks.

Before we left for Aspen, I made the simplest, no knead bread recipe ever.

This was hands down the best loaf of bread I have ever made and while the dough needs to sit for 12-18 hours, if you mix the dough in the evening, it will be ready to shape, rise and bake in the morning.

The recipe was published by the NY Times in 2006 and you can find the archive here.

Enjoy!