Nice story, Gabe. One thing seems to have changed for the worse in the last year:
I do at least one ride over to Aspen every year, oftener if I have nothing better to do. Only 75 miles but a different world.. Last year in October there were scooters parked all over the place. They seemed to be the latest "in" way to spend a bit of inherited wealth. This year, I saw only one.
I know, random sampling and all that.. There were a fair number of H-D's and BMW's on the streets also. but only one scooter (Lambretta). And only one Ducati, which is the one I was riding..