High on a Mountain Top Part I

Gorgeous mountains: check
Nearby lake: check
Close proximity to Denver: check
Extensive network of hiking trails and paved bikepaths: check
Cool resort town: check

I excitedly shared my list with Jamie and elucidated that everything is in place. Until my bubble was burst:

“Sure, Amber. Everything except for the financing.”

Oh yeah, that little detail. Undeterred, I will keep dreaming and am grateful for our generous neighbors who loaned us their condo overlooking Lake Dillon for the weekend. Jamie had to work until late Friday so I had the brilliant plan to go up early with the kids. Exactly 28.5 hours early (but who is counting?) Well, I definitely would have if it had been a disaster but my gamble miraculously paid off.

The kids were positively jubilant as we arrived at the condo and strolled along the lake at sunset. On Friday, we had planned to bike to Keystone resort in what would have been a 20-mile roundtrip trek. You know, the day before my BIG RIDE with Jamie. It took only a few miles on the trail for me to rescind my plan because I just didn’t want the poor kids to be stuck in the bike trailer for too long. Oh yeah, and because I was dog tired hauling them.

The roller-coaster lakeside trail was breathtaking and upon arriving in the charming hamlet of Dillon, we stumbled upon a farmer’s market adjacent to the marina. I ardently declared, “This is the place” and unloaded my charges.

It did not take long for us to become swept away in it all: the live band, the vibrant marketplace, the scrumptious fare, the pulsating playground and the dock that became the surreal focal point for rock-throwing, fishing and cloud watching.

I called Jamie at work. You know, to rub it in just a little bit. He listened enviously as I described our backdrop until my reverie was punctured by:

“HADLEY, GET OUT OF THERE!!”

She had waded waist-deep into the reservoir.

Jamie chuckled, all envy gone, as he was reminded of his glorious gift of peace; 28.5 hours of it to be exact.

So much for rubbing it in….

In Part II of High on a Mountain Top: loads of pictures and the sordid details of The Big Ride.