Steamboat Springs

We LOVED Steamboat Springs. It was a really beautiful place, and it was a beautiful drive up there as well. The mountains were aglow with aspen color, and it did in fact snow on Saturday night. So pretty! And such a treat. I love snow, but I'm not really ready for it to start falling here at home. I'd like to enjoy fall first.

On Saturday, we hiked up to Fish Creek Falls, then had a picnic. The weather was wonderful, and the falls were breathtaking! John and I found a trail we'd like to go back and hike another time...up to a lake above the falls.






Um, so much for thinking I might actually get a good family photo for our Christmas cards!



We also spent some time walking downtown and window shopping. My favorite place we visited was the Thomas Mangelsen gallery. Mangelsen is a nature photographer and his work is absolutely stunning. My kids make fun of me all the time because I cry when I'm overcome by beauty...in life, in nature, in a lot of things actually...and that gallery moved me to tears. Some of the most beautiful nature photographs I've ever seen. And my in-laws bought me a small framed photo...which I love. (Again, thank you so very much!) I chose a photo of aspen trees with their distinctive white bark and golden leaves. So lovely.

Our children were disappointed that the alpine slide was closed for the season. That really would have been fun! And I didn't know before this weekend that Steamboat Springs is home to the Olympic Alpine Training Center. Very neat.

Our visit was a short one, but we enjoyed it, and enjoyed spending time with John's parents. What a treat to get to see them two weekends in a row...both in Colorado.

Oh...we didn't see any bears this time, but we heard that one visited our condo grounds each night. John got up to run Sunday morning (in the SNOW) and saw the overturned dumpster and strewn garbage. If we'd seen a bear two weekends in a row, I don't think I could have handled such excitement!


Can you see the ski runs in the photo above?


The above photo was taken looking down into the valley as we were driving away from Steamboat Springs.





We saw lots of snow on Rabbit Ears Pass. It was so pretty and white against the brilliant blue sky!



See what I mean when I say this was a beautiful drive? There wasn't much snow on these mountains when we drove through on Friday...but wow, what a difference two days made.



We made a quick stop at the outlet mall on the way home and stopped again in Evergreen for a dinner at a mexican place we like, we like it so much in fact, that we ate at the one in Steamboat the night before. Have I mentioned that we really, really like mexican food! Yum!