**** I set off from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in July 2011...and ended up in Aspen, Colorado, in February 2012. Along the way, I visited 28 states, three countries, dozens of national parks, hundreds of cities and towns, and countless friends and strangers. Why? Why not? In fact, I lost my job of seven years when Berkshire Living, the regional magazine I helped launch, folded. Then my apartment building burned down while I was in Miami for the weekend. A breakup and a stolen bicycle figured in shortly thereafter. Wouldn't you hit the road, too? Enjoy my virtual scrapbook of anecdotes and eye candy from a freewheeling, cross-country, cross-cultural odyssey--past, present, and future.Amanda Rae Busch
amandaraewashere@gmail.com
Gonzo Shrine in a Snowmass Glade
Fact: shredding the slopes in search of fresh pow is a mission best shared with a buddy. Also, I never would have found this forest shrine to Dr. Gonzo, tucked deep into a pine glade on Snowmass Mountain, if I’d been by my lonesome. (And I certainly would not have been able to take this photo without assistance.)
It started with a casual challenge:
“Hey, wanna go find the Shrine to Hunter S. Thompson?”
“Um…yeah!”
The quest began. It wasn’t much of a quest, though, since my pal, a seasoned Snowmasshole, knew the location: midway off of the aptly named Gunner’s Way trail. (Aspen Skiing Company, which owns the four local mountains, was founded by a member of the Tenth Mountain Division after World War II.)
Partway down the trail, we slowed to a snail’s pace, scanning the edges for telltale tracks. We saw them, and slipped beneath the frosty canopy….
Following a short ride through a dense thicket, at the base of a steep drop, we found it: Fear and Loathing…in the Colorado wilderness.
