Vail 2011

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Vail was picturesque! The snow capped mountains, the towering trees, and the atmosphere of the ski village was breathtaking. It was a weekend of amazing powder on the slopes, along with rest and relaxation. The perfect combination for a great vacation.

We arrived in Denver on Thursday night after a small flight delay and a few hiccups with our rental car. All in all it ended positive as we drove out in a fully loaded red mustang. It was a sweet ride and one Kyle couldn't pass up. Waking up the next morning we headed out on the road to downtown Denver.

Denver:

Denver is nicknamed "mile high city" sitting exactly a mile or 5,280 feet above sea level. Thursting above the skyline, in the foreground are the unique glass buildings that make up the downtown city area. Our time in the city was brief which was a shame. We managed to browse the streets a bit and grab a coffee at Dazbog a local russian owned coffee shop. Other than that the downtown area itself was not so much memorable as it was typical resonating an urban and industrial feel.

Shortly after we headed out for the two and a half hour drive to Vail. Luckily, there was no traffic and the roads were simple to navigate. Even more incredible was the background to the roads, sitting behind eminitely visible, towering above the metropolis were the snow covered rocky mountains. The mountains were beautiful and the further we went the greater the views became.

Vail:

We arrived in Vail the weekend of President's day. That being condsidered the city seemed suprisingly subdued. We arrived Friday afternoon and quickly ventured out. We stocked up on fluids and snacks. Along with this we rented our skis and snowboard in anticipation for the following day. That night we wandered to Vail Village. A quant little village with tons of shops, restaurants, and cobblestone roads. We spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday on the slopes. We spent the first day getting our bearings on the mountain. The lines at the lifts were moving and with such a large mountain to cover it seemed like we were constantly at a new run. Overall the first day was exciting despite a few slips and falls catching the edge of the mountain with the wind in your face was exhilerating.

The second day was even better than the first as the weather brought in fresh powder over the night. This made for spectacular skiing conditions. We started our day taking the gondola up which was a nice change of scenery. Although we were sore from the day before there was no stoppin us. We hit as much of the mountain as we could unfortunately that was only a fraction of it. Along with this we enjoyed the views at the mountaintop which were stunning. The second day flew by, and before we knew it, the day was over and our trip was coming to an end.

The following day we packed our things and headed out early to avoid any problems on the roads(mustangs = rear wheel drive). The drive back was easy and relaxing. After fueling up, we dropped off the car and hopped on the shuttle to the airport. The flight home wasn't too bad. The ariel views flying into John Wayne Airport were amazing. We ended our Monday with deep tissue masssages from a little hole-in-the-wall joint in Westminster. Twenty dollars for an hour long massage ain't too bad.

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