Home Sweet Home

We are home and yearning for the perfect Colorado summer weather. Ugh...it is so humid! 

Thanks for following our journey via this blog and Happy Independence Day!  We live in a great nation with an incredible landscape...go check it out!

Cheers!

Colleen

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Vail, Colorado

"The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've been, and the memories we have made along the way."

Today was a day that I did not want to end.  Vail is so incredibly beautiful and makes me miss living in the mountains.  Ronnie and I met at Plymouth State University in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  I attended Plymouth to ski and get an education, of course.  At that time all students could ski the White Mountains of New Hampshire for FREE.  Vail is like Waterville Valley (one of the White Mountain ski resorts) on steroids.  The town is bustling but doesn't feel too crowded.  The lodge architecture is warm and inviting and this place oozes some serious wealth.

This morning we slept in then headed out to tour Vail Village and Lions Head Village.  There are shops and restaurants that wind throughout the pedestrian only streets.  The mountain is within a stones throw and I tried to envision the surroundings covered in a blanket of snow with skiers bundled up in gear.  The kids must have asked fifty times, "When can we go skiing/snowboarding?".  Having grown up skiing almost every weekend with my family, I wish that my kids had the opportunity to do the same.  Living in Atlanta makes that quite a geographical challenge.  Maybe this winter we will head to the mountains in North Carolina for a fun weekend.

Today went by so incredibly fast and the weather was nearly perfect.  The morning was cool, then the clouds built over the mountains which resulted in a 5 minute rain shower in the afternoon.  The clouds quickly cleared and we decided to purchase the after 5 pm gondola tickets to the top of the mountain.  The sun was shining and as we reached the summit we passed a bride on her way to her mountain top wedding.  We pulled out the selfie stick one last time and tried to capture the beautiful scenery behind us.  Although, the photos simply cannot capture the intense beauty that we have seen throughout this entire journey.  

Tomorrow we will make the two hour trek to the Denver airport to head home.  I asked the kids at dinner if they thought the trip was too long or short.  They all thought it was just right and were so thankful to have seen so much of this great country.  Me too...feeling incredibly blessed!

 

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Durango to Vail, Colorado

Durango, Colorado is a college town with a quaint downtown area. We shopped and found a t-shirt shop that screen printed our personally designed shirts right in front of us. I am particularly fond of my shirt with the hot pink elk adorning the back. 

We left Durango just before 1pm and decided to take the scenic route to our next destination, Vail.  About an hour outside of Durango, we traveled through Wolf Creek Pass (elevation 10,856 ft) just after a hail storm hit the area.  The smell of pine was intense; it was like Christmas in July! 

Our route took us through 3 National Forests today, all offering very different landscapes and terrains.  There were so many different varieties of pine trees with multiple hues of green.  I thought of my dad and how he'd enjoy painting the scenery.  But as for me, the strong pine scent is what I'll remember from this scenic ride.

We stopped for dinner in the little town of Buena Vista, Colorado.  We could definitely feel the altitude traveling the windy mountain roads at elevations above 10K feet.  It feels as if you cannot take a deep breath and simply walking drains your body.  

Finally arrived in Vail around 8pm tonight and fell in love with our hotel immediately!  The rates were surprisingly very reasonable and within seconds of arriving, a cute boy came to retrieve our bags from the car.  Cailyn and Heather immediately perked.  It's amazing how a cute boy can put a new bounce in their step...good grief!  
The girls and I decided to take a stroll through the village this evening.  Ron relaxed in the jacuzzi and the boys crashed early.  Vail is beautiful and the full moon shone over the mountain as we walked through the winding streets.  I cannot wait to explore tomorrow!!!

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