Vacation Time!

The following posts brag about some of the adventures I had on my recent trip to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Everything was incredible, from visiting with my aunt, Alice, riding my snowboard, or just relaxing and admiring God's handiwork.

Biggest Thrill: Riding the X-Games half pipe

Biggest Challenge: Surprisingly, it was something I grew up doing, cross-country skiing. I always liked to think my dad and I were two of the best skiers in the Indiana Dunes, but these Colorado people REALLY know how to use a pair of X-C skis!

Best Brew: Never Summer Ale brewed in Boulder, Colorado. It made me think of when I was a little kid, I would throw ice cubes out the door hoping it would lower the temperature so the snow wouldn't melt. As I downed a Never Summer Ale after my last day at Sunlights Ski Area I wished drinking it would make the snow, and my winter vacation last forever.

Most Fun Day: A toss up between spelunking in Glenwood Caverns or riding 6 inches of fresh powder at Sunlights.

Craziest Sight: It wasn't the vultures I saw gnawing on a bear carcass. It was the crazy 5-foot tall ski jump the kids build on a sledding hill at Spring Gulch. Ten feet after the jump was a landing ramp with a mattress set into the snow. These kids are extreme sledders!

Most Beautiful Spot: Hanging Lake

Wildlife Observed: mule deer, elk, a big horned sheep, two huge vultures, lots of other birds, fox

Other Outdoor Activities: ice skating, down hill skiing, sledding, hiking, swimming in a hot springs pool, snow mobiling

Colorado River!

Snow covered mountains reflect on the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon. Next time I see the Colorado River will be when I hike the Grand Canyon with Sierra Club in the end of September.

Buttermilk:

A view from the top of Aspen Buttermilk (where they hold the X-Games) You can see Aspen Highlands in the background.

Superpipe

The X-Games ended a couple of weeks before I got to Aspen which meant the half pipe built for the event was available for anyone willing to ride it. I snapped this picture from the top of the pipe just before I took my last run for the day and for the entire trip. I wiped out twice and I wasn't brave enough to get any air. In fact, I only made it about 3/4 of the way up the side, so I wasn't the best boarder in the pipe but I did have as much fun as anybody else!

Hanging Lake

This may be the most beautiful place I have ever been. Getting there required a 1.2 mile hike up the side of an icy mountain (an elevation gain of 1,000 feet) Well worth the effort! The lake is fed by a stream of water that spouts from a hole in the cliff, then forms a waterfall that pours into the crystal clear water below. Huge icicles at least 30 feet tall cling to rock ledges. They have a blue, glacier-like irridescent glow. The entire hike was amazing, from the Colorado River at the bottom of the hike to the gurgling sounds of an invisible creek covered by ice and snow above.

Boarding is Better


A view from the top of Sunlights with Mt. Sopris in the background.

I rented a pair of skis this one day. It was OK but not nearly as fun as my snowboard. One thing I can say about skiers, however, it's pretty stinking impressive to see the tricks they can do while sliding down a rail. If you ask me, they can totally outdo a snowboarder with their creative mid air poses and gnarly rail sliding abilities.

Zoom!

There's still a little Indiana left in me. (Indy 500 that is) I went on a snowmobile tour and there was a little competition going between me and another guy on the trip. I didn't want him to be in front and he didn't want me to be in front. It was quite a rush to fly through back country trails at 55 mph as we whizzed by trees and kicked up snow . We'd stop often to take in the view and wait for everyone else on the tour to catch up. At the end of the day our tour guide told me he's giving me a slower machine next time. TREAD!

Steamed Muscles

That's what the ad on the ski lift for the Hot Springs Pool reads. It's the largest pool in the world that is heated by hot springs. It's kinda funny to go from a tropical paradise to a place where the life guards wear winter coats, observing the pool from the comfort of their heated, enclosed life guard shacks. It feels great after a day of boarding, but it's awfully hard to make yourself get out and face the freezing cold air. A sign on the pool deck says, "Beware of Ice."

Powder Day

It snowed all night long, I was so excited I could hardly sleep. The next day was the best ski conditions I have ever experienced. It was just like the image you'd see on a post card or ski resort website. When I rode down the hill snow flew everwhere, I couldn't see much of anything from my knees down. I spent the day at Ski Sunlights, a local ski area with reasonably priced lift tickets, a friendly staff, down to earth mostly local people, and best of all, no crowds or lift lines. There was still plenty of fresh powder to be had when the shut off the lift at 4PM.

Adventures in Glenwood

I've been snowboarding almost every day. I went to Beaver Creek Saturday, it's owned by Vail. It was a fun day, the snow was fantastic, and the resort was HUGE. I resolved to ride every lift they have (I think there's 17) I rode almost all of them, but missed at least one. It was apparent that Vail is for the rich- $81 lift tickets, $14 slope side buffalo burgers, ect. My most exciting time was getting stuck on the lift for a half-hour when the entire valley lost power. Apparently, below zero temperatures in Denver lead to a natural gas shortage that resulted in rolling blackouts. Ski patrol was about to evacuate the lift with a belay (something I really wanted to be a part of) then they finally got the secondary diesel engine going that powered the lift. Bummer!

A view of the Ritz-Carlton at Beaver Creek: (home of the $14 burger)

Yesterday, I spent three hours crawling around in a cave at the top of Lookout Mountain. Check out http://www.glenwoodcaverns.com/

I felt like a kid at Chucky Cheese crawling through the cave and checking out pits, stalagtites, cave bacon, cave corral, ect. The smallest crack we crammed through was 18" wide. I didn't bring the camera in the cave but here's a photo of a wooden mold of "White Rabbit Hole," the smallest spot we went through. If a large customer comes to the tour they have them crawl through the mold first to be sure they'll fit. The mold has hinges and can be opened if someone gets stuck. The cave does not.

White Rabbit Hole:

BRRRRRR.

I haven't been updating the blog because I am on vacation. FREEDOM!!! Sorry there are no photos, I am not very tech savy and I cannot email in photos on my phone like Baron does. I am here in Glenwood Springs Colorado (near Aspen) snowboarding, sledding, cross country skiing, snow eating, snow fort building, wildlife watching, etc. I doubt I'll be updating the blog much while I am away, but you may expect a full report on my trip when I return at the end of February.

Local Style Breakfast

Now I know why people are always eating fish for breakfast...it's goooooood. My Sugar Pops were stale and there were bugs in the granola, so my dad offered to grill me up some fish before I left for work. You can't beat that!