Eric and MaryJo's Colorado Rocky Mountain Neighborhood
Marble, Colorado, Elevation 7,950 feet, Population 85

Slab of Yule marble about a mile from our cabin. Yule marble from Marble was used in the Lincoln Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Colorado State Capitol. Thanks to some Girl Scouts, Yule marble is now the official Colorado state rock. Read the story.

Front of our cabin in front of Chair Mountain. And that's our friend Gail, an archivist at NYU in New York City. Helped MaryJo unpack a few things and do some exploring in Marble, Redstone and Carbondale. Sorry, no links for New York at this Web site.

Back of our cabin and large deck. The small red blob in the kitchen window is our busy humming bird feeder, and the large second story window is MaryJo's office window with its year-around spectacular view!  When not gazing out the window, MaryJo prepares Brain Gym classes in her office, is working on a book called "Brain Boosters for your Kids" , and writes an e-zine to which you can subscribe.

Stephen eating ice cream in Marble before heading back to New Hampshire after driving the U-haul to Marble and setting up the computers so Mom can run her business, Eric can surf the Web, and both can do e-mail. Find out lots more about Marble including terrific pictures

Chair mountain, altitude 12,721 feet, aka Eric and MaryJo's backyard, which is much closer to the mountain than this picture. For the uninitiated, the light green trees in the foreground are aspen and will turn gold in the fall. Marvel at  aspen on Chair Mountain in the fall.

Looking toward our cabin from the Crystal River and two feet of snow in most places. In the summer you can see "Milton Falls" tumbling down the mountain--the very falls on the Coors Light beer can. Check out the Milton-Falls-on-Coors Cans story. If you want to do some ice climbing, Milton Falls is the place.

Winter from our back yard with Chair Mountain and a neighbor's cabin.  Despite our preference for Chair Mountain, Mt. Sopris, elevation 12,965 and just a measly 244 feet taller, appears on more post cards. Driving back to Marble from the grocery store/bank/post office in Carbondale, you see Mt. Sopris. Carbondale's home to ranchers, artists, and folks who work in Aspen but can't afford to live there plus construction and painting crews from Denver who fill up the motels.  Eric drives through Carbondale every morning on his way to work in Basalt, an Aspen wannabe town. The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce would love for you to read more.

An old bridge over the Crystal River next to an abandoned fishing cabin. The bridge separates our cabin from our mailbox. Just a short hike down the road. You can look at more pictures of the Crystal River Valley including what is rumored to be the most photographed site in Colorado--the Crystal River Mill. It's in Crystal, an old ghost town just beyond Marble and accessible only by 4-wheel- drive (no drive in the winter).

The historic Redstone Inn. A few miles from us and the closest place to "eat out"--Sunday brunch and holiday dinners. MaryJo stayed here many times as a child. It was her father's favorite Colorado "getaway." You could "rough it" in the Rockies and still have white tablecloths at dinner. Read some more about the Redstone Inn and  the village of Redstone. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on history. Redstone wasn't always a sleepy little mountain town.)  Redstone even boasts a castle. You can read about the Cleveholm Manor in "USA Today" to find out how it was almost auctioned off after a shady investment scheme and tax swindle.  No worries. Concerned citizens recently saved the Redstone Castle and it's now on the National Historic Register.

A winter oddity in Marble: a snow "curtain" stuck on the carport roof. We watched it for a day or so before it slid to the ground.  Eric shovels our driveway and a path to the satellite dish so we can brush the snow off to keep the internet running. Good-hearted neighbors plow our lane, and the county takes care of the road to and from Marble.

Mid-December and looking out at a snowy back yard with more snow predicted. But we're cozy and warm inside. Log cabins have great insulation. Cool in summer. Warm in winter. Who could ask for anything more?

Fall was so spectacular we forgot to take pictures but several of the links above and below have lots of autumn color.

Some folks say that the Colorado aspen are the most spectacular on McClure Pass. If you miss the turn-off for Marble, you'll end up going over McClure Pass. Or skip the drive and just look at a picture  (Actually, our back yard was just as stunning. Next year we'll remember to take it's picture.) Here's everything you ever wanted to know about McClure Pass.

Still want to know more about Marble? No pictures but intriguing history. Or you can look at pictures of Marble instead of reading.

 Eric Alexander and MaryJo Wagner    *    334 Meadow Lane    *    Marble, CO 81623   *    970-963-4077  
copyright 2006