Vail Ski Resort 03/04/2012 Photo Album
Amy, Dan and friends Brady and Kara were meeting in Park City, Utah for a long weekend of early March skiing. This left their friend Kirk behind in Denver studying for medical school exams, so Kirk decided to join Jane and I at our condo in Dillon again. We also thought we would have Karen and David Gaige with us again, but they couldn’t find dog sitters and declined our invitation at the last minute.
Kirk stopped over to our house on Friday night and prepared a wonderful dinner consisting of eggplant curry. Jane and I loved it and were fortunate enough to own leftovers that will be consumed on Sunday night. After dinner and clean up we packed the Santa Fe and departed for Dillon. We left at 7:15PM and arrived at the condo by approximately 9:30 after picking up the keys in Frisco. We decided to visit Vail on Saturday and crashed relatively early in anticipation of a day of skiing.
On Saturday morning after a great breakfast of waffles and berries, we set out for Vail. Vail pass was a bit treacherous and we passed several accidents which added to our angst; however, we avoided negative incidents and arrived at the Vail parking facility, put on our ski boots, hiked through Vail Village, and rode two chair lifts to the summit by 10AM. It was quite cold with the Sante Fe thermometer registering 0-3 degrees and the wind was blowing quite strong off and on.
Jane and Kirk at Vail Village Base Area
The three of us spent most of the morning in the back bowls before arriving at Two Elks Lodge for lunch by 11:30. After lunch we headed to China Bowl and then up the chair to Blue Sky Basin. Little Ollie was perhaps our favorite run of the day with the sun peeking out occasionally and medium sized soft moguls to maneuver over and around. Because of the frigid temperatures and wind chill, Dave was experiencing severely cold feet which forced an end to the day of skiing by 3PM. After climbing Vail pass we returned to the condo for some appetizers and then dined at our favorite haunt in Silverthorne, Murhpy’s. Murphy’s seems to be the one establishment that doesn’t get crowded and require long waits.
On Sunday morning we all awoke early and decided to truck back to Denver for breakfast ahead of traffic. This strategy worked extremely well, and we were only held up for a brief closing of the Eisenhower Tunnel while three trucks carrying hazardous material passed through. Kirk joined us for a tasty breakfast and then took off to do more studying.
In August of 2011 Dave had his mountain bike stolen while locked to a bike stand with a cable lock outside the Colorado Athletic Club on Welton Street. He received a flyer in the mail about a massive bike sale at the Bicycle Village in Aurora, so Jane and Dave drove south to the sales event. A large tent was erected over the parking lot and after inspecting a couple bikes, Dave purchased a Scott mountain bike. In addition Jane and Dave bought a Yakima bike rack that fits over the spare tire on the RAV. This rack normally costs $180, but with the 50% off coupon received in the mail, was purchased for $90. In addition Jane found some nice deals on apparel.
A Scott Mountain Bike
Jane Models New Shorts and Windbreaker
We returned home satisfied with our purchases and given the beautiful air temperatures in the 50’s couldn’t wait to try out the bike. Jane wore her new shorts and windbreaker, and we did a 1.5 hour bike loop around Central Park in Stapleton and City Park next to the Denver Zoo. The bike ride and the appearance of crocuses in the back yard made us both anxious for the approaching spring in the Rocky Mountains.
First Crocuses of Spring