Colorado Vacation

Tristan and I have had a great week in Colorado.  We left the beautiful spring weather in SLC and headed over to Vail, CO where is snowed every day but one.  (As I write this entry it is snowing outside again. The tall pines outside out window have gone from green to white and I can't see across the valley.)

• On the drive down we stopped at Colorado National Monument (for a stamp in my NPS passport) which is a small monument off of I-70.  The Monument is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year.  There are a lot of hiking possibilities but we opted for the 23 mile drive that had multiple rest areas to see the amazing red rock views. 
• We went to The Inn at Gore Creek for an amazing Easter Brunch on Sunday. The food was great and so was the view we got from our table overlooking the creek. 
• Unfortunately this was a working vacation for Tristan and he spent his days in the condo while I went out and about.  
• Vail ski resort closed on Sunday along with several other resorts in the area.  The one resort that is open until July is Arapahoe Basin. It is the highest resort in the US with the base being just above 10,000 Feet (the base is higher then the highest peak at the Canyons resort Ninety-nine Ninety) and the highest point being just above 13,000'. I skied on Wednesday which was a perfect ski day. A-basin received 9 inches of new snow overnight and had received 30 inches in the past 36 hours. Powder! Powder! Powder! It was an amazing day with sun and snow off and on all day.  I did not think I would last very long but I skied for 5 hours (with a short lunch break). I am so glad my friend Chris told me about A-Basin!  
• Tristan and I took time to explore in and around Vail which was fun and not crowded since the most the tourists have left. 
• Overall this has been a relaxing & stress free vacation. I can't wait until we go to Yellowstone in June.