chapter 528

6/3-4/2019

Vail

Rocky Mountain High

link to Colorado 2019 photos

We really needed a restful break after the Flatiron hike and all. Vail is a spectacular completely landscape architecturally planned village. Loved it. The only thing bad you might say is that it is too planned (aka commercialized) . We walked the whole thing then took the free shuttle buses around to see if we missed anything. Nope.

Have to say that on the way over I-70 at 80 mph down 7 mile steep hills Colleen was driving. I had been looking for Big Horned Sheep high on the mountain sides where they are supposed to be. Then looked down at my camera just as she saw a herd of them right off the edge of pavement. I totally missed the event. A stop in Breckenridge where I kept one photo of the boys making crepes at a street side shack. We were not enamored with Breckenridge although the ski slope is terrific.

Stayed in this fine Austria Haus Hotel. As we arrived they had a welcoming complimentary cocktails and cheese platter for us. Colleen got us a ritzy room for a bargain $150 booking.com that was fully booked for $450 a night that weekend. Prime ski season it's $1200 a night. Had to wear their issued white bathrobes to get down to the jacuzzi in proper style.

The Go Pro Mountain Games were being held the week we were there. They raced kayaks and stand up paddle boards right behind our Hotel on Gore Creek that runs through Vail. We watched while having lunch at creekside. They were setting up for the World Championships of Women's Climbing and for the Dog Town events (seen on Outside TV).

The whole complex has a German Austrian feel. Had a great German meal at Gramshammer's across from this Hotel.

Got a so-so photo of the Black Billed Magpie here. Colleen googled, it only lives between Colorado and Alaska. All over the place. Pretty black and white with long black tail. Scavenging for the errant french fry. 

The brat platter was excellent. Then the Apple Strudel ending was the best ever. Austrian downhill ski racer Pepi Gramshammer and his wife opened the joint 25 years ago and it's visited by a slew of dignitaries and movie stars. Apparently one of Arnold Swartzenegger's favs.

I actually wanted to go shopping for a change of pace. The Lions Head Jewelers shop had an amazing display of rocks from around the world. They are a distributor of this Seven Color Jade only found in Taiwan. There are three interconnected centers that make up the Vail complex. Lions Head, Vail and Golden Mountain.

Photographed these little girls playing in the fountains of Lions Head Center.  The Dad didn't seem to mind so it's usually best to shoot on the fly and not lose the moment.

Little did I know that when I got home my granddaughter would be playing in the fountains as well. One and a half and so vibrant.

On the way home after Steamboat Springs we had a fantastic burrito in Silverthorne before staying in Evergreen to hit the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater for the Brit Floyd concert just for kicks. Sound quality awesome, very moving. Then a Bison Burger in Golden at the oldest saloon in Colorado the Buffalo Rose and visit to the Colorado School of Mines before flying home.

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