My friend James was being relocated by his company to the Detroit area, so as a farewell tour we decided to make the pilgrimage to Aspen to see Hunter Thompson's home. I have been a big fan of Hunter's since the 70's and was always fascinated about where he lived and did his work. James I'm sure has just about everything that Hunter's ever published so driving to Woody Creek and back in one day made perfect sense to us.
We heading out of Denver on a July day to make the run to Aspen, get some lunch at the Woody Creek Tavern and search out Hunter's house. Armed with the latest GPS technology and advice on where the house was from friends and Internet searches we finally located the Woody Creek Tavern after a few minor directional errors. Ordered some food and took in the sights of the tavern's interior. Total overload of Hunter stuff and local memorabilia. Great visual chaos. Waitress said she had no idea where Hunter's house was so we headed out again and found it within minutes. Crazed lamas on the other side of the road as we pulled up. All we wanted were a couple of photographs of the entrance so we got those, hung out for a few to take in the area and than headed back out. I can see why he loved it there. A bit off the radar but within striking distance of everything he needed. Definitely worth the trip.
The trip reminded me of when I went to see Ernest Hemingway's house in Ketchum, Idaho back in the 1990's. Looking down the long driveway to get a glimpse of it.