The Adventure Converts

July 2, 2015 By

In some instances, I’m really good at saying “no.”  Altogether now:

“Mom, can I play eight hours of video games?”

No.

“Mom, can I have my tenth cookie in an hour?”

No.

Easy, right? Where I struggle is when my kiddos are begging for an adventure which, quite frankly, rarely happens. We’re usually just active enough that they enjoy their downtime but on the second week of summer break, Bode came to me complaining he and his buddy Sean had nothing to do.

“Do you want to bike to our nearby open space park, play in the creek and get Slurpees after?”

Slurpees? Creek? Bike? You betcha!

We invited Sean’s sisters Sydney and Maddie, Hadley and our neighbor Sadie to join us. We’re only a 15-minute bike ride away from a glorious 133-acre park with wetlands providing habitat for waterfowl, amphibians and insects, open meadows and a creek. The water is usually very shallow but with all of our rain, it’s a knee-to-waist-deep river.

This picture right here? This. Is. Summer.

Hadley and Bode delved right in but our friends were tentative, not wanting to get their clothes wet, skirting bugs, losing flip flips, squealing about mud. However, after forging through the river, climbing over branches and logs, their adventurous spirits kicked in and they started having a blast.  I took this video at the beginning and I chuckle at their reaction:

And this at the end. They all attempted the river on their bikes except for Bode who was having mechanical difficulties. He won’t get off so easily next time. Here’s Hadley:

Yes, they are obsessed with slow-motion videos and made me capture each of them.

“Next time, I’ll more prepared to get wet,” Sadie exclaimed.

“Yeah, I have some old tennis shoes I’ll wear instead,” proposed Maddie.

“I told you guys we were going to the creek and we’d be getting wet,” I countered.

“I know,” said Sadie. “I just wasn’t expecting this.”

This meaning mud, water, bugs and zero inhibitions. It’s called Adventure 101. Give me your kids and I’ll dirty and toughen them up for the day, so long as you promise to do arts and crafts with mine.

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Hadley, outdoors

Summer Fun in Colorado

June 29, 2015 By

For the next several weeks, posting will be sporadic as the kids and I embark upon our month-long adventure to Canada and back again.  Summer is flying by waaaaaay too quickly and when we return we’ll already be planning back-to-school.

A few highlights: Taking Hadley to KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities. It was a crazy, stormy night and we were warmly tucked away inside. This was my fourth Cirque du Soleil performance but my favorite part was watching Hadley’s reaction. She’s such a creative, imaginative kid who’s constantly shot down in a linear world. It was magic to see this dreamscape unfold where creativity is rewarded and heralded.

Now that it’s summer, I’m not super strict with bedtime and she’d stay up all night creating and drawing if I’d let her.

Adventures near Clear Creek following Avid4 Adventure day camp. Sadly, they weren’t in Clear Creek…the water levels as just too high!

And yep, Avid4 Adventure was a blast!

Summer hiking group at Evergreen Lake

and another at Maxwell Falls.

We had an amazing trip to pickup Hadley from Camp Chief Ouray. More details next week but we had a blast ziplining, canoeing, summer tubing and more at our beloved YMCA of the Rockies! First, at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Zipline

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S.

Then, at the Estes Park Center.

Gaga Ball

Bode: ruining iconic photos

We had a blast previewing the Children’s Museum of Denver’s new 30,000-square foot outdoors playscape Joy Park. Bode and his buddy Porter were the very first kids to ride the mini zipline!


The favorite features were that zipline, building a dam in the stream and digging a volcano in the sand dunes and filling it with water. My kids were the dirtiest and messiest out of anyone. I’ve decided to view it was a talent, not a curse.


Until laundry time.

White Fence Farm opened up Granny’s, a new candy shop, that we just had to check out as well.

Here’s for hoping the hoping the rest of our summer is just as sweet.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Humor

Happy Places with Lady Luck

June 16, 2015 By

While the rest of Colorado is complaining about our wet spring, I’ve been rejoicing. Rain means lack of heat which means happy me. We’ve had many adventures in our burgeoning creeks and blissfully emerald mountains. I can’t remember Colorado ever looking so beautiful and I’ve felt so darn blessed.

The only problem is I’m not doing a very good job of balancing work and play now that the kids are home for the summer. We leave for Canada in two weeks and I have so much to get done including fixing car problems, selling that car, not knowing if we can afford a new one, making room for Jamie’s sister to move in with us, hospitalization and continued health issues for my mom…life’s list just goes on. The good with the bad, always.

The other day, I dropped the kids off at piano. I had an hour to kill so decided to trek through our nearby open space park but as I was driving over, a few raindrops splattered on my windshield. Should I or shouldn’t I? I certainly wasn’t dressed for the conditions but a little bit of rain has never been a deterrent–hail and lightning are another story. I went for it and conditions were dry for the first 20 minutes but just as I reached my turnaround point, the sky unleashed on me. I started to walk faster, then ran. Then I laughed.  And kept laughing. It felt so gloriously cool and like a blanket had been lifted from me. Note to self: go for more walks in the rain. On purpose.

The following morning, Bode woke up sick and Hadley’s appointment canceled. She was invited to a roller-skating birthday party later that afternoon but I texted my friend’s teenage daughter asking if Hadley could come over and play with her little sister Alex. Sure!  We drove over but no one was home. Psych. They were still at camp.

I’d planned to go for a quick hike at North Table so asked Hadley if she wanted to come along. She was game but more lukewarm than usual. As we waited in traffic construction, she observed “This day just isn’t going our way, is it Mom?”

We decided we try to track down a cossetted waterfall we discovered a couple of years ago, which was more of a trickle at that time.

 

Usually Hadley blazes past me but that day, she was dragging her heels.  Though it was only about 70 degrees, the air was muggy, the hike was unshaded and she wasn’t into it. The trail to the Mesa Top has been closed for two years due to flooding. We ignored the signs, climbed over the barrier and after another 15 minutes of steep terrain, we discovered our secret spot, which was so much more than a trickle–it was a full-blown waterfall.

I just love when Colorado pretends it’s Maui!

The entire tone of our hike changed. She came to life and I was invigorated by her exuberance. We splashed and played for a while and there was a new spring in her step as we descended. The wildflowers seemed brighter, butterflies and birds surrounded us as she collected ladybugs. It doesn’t matter where we go in the outdoors, she can spot them a mile away and they are drawn to her. I told her about my boot camp instructor Robyn who swears that dimes are her good luck charm…she finds them everywhere in the most obtuse places and sees them as little signs from heaven. “Maybe ladybugs are your sign from heaven,” I told her.

“They mean good luck, you know.”

“That makes it even better.”

This free-spirited girl of mine isn’t an overly sentimental, affectionate kid and she desperately craves her independence. So little moments like these are sheer magic when I get them.

As we walked to the car, she casually commented, “Mom, I’m glad Alex wasn’t home today.”

“Me, too, Lady Luck.”

Filed Under: Colorado, Hadley, hiking

Adventuring with Broadmoor Outfitters

May 27, 2015 By

For the third year in a row, we were able to return to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for Hadley’s birthday. As I was going through my pictures, I realized I never posted about our previous trip–waaaaaaay back in February when I was asked to write a story for their magazine about Broadmoor Outfitters, their onsite outdoor adventure company.

The funny thing is, we had better weather in February than we did over Memorial Day weekend. OK, it’s not that funny. We’ve had a month of non-stop rain, a real rarity in Denver. And though I’d much rather have inclement weather than 100-degree days, I’m ready for my trails to dry out.

During our visit a few months ago, we did it all:  Geocaching at The Broadmoor, a snowy hike and geocache up North Cheyenne Cañon, a mountain bike ride down Gold Camp Road, topped off by rock climbing Garden of the Gods.

Geocaching

It started with our leisurely treasure hunt around the grounds….


From there, we drove up North Cheyenne Cañon, grabbed our GPS units and hiked up Gold Camp Road, a former narrow gauged railroad bed that hauled ore from Cripple Creek to Colorado Springs. There were occasional patches of snow but when we crossed North Cheyenne Creek to start hiking the Seven Bridges Trail, I could have sworn we’d passed through an antique wardrobe into a frosty Narnia forest of ice demons, fairies and a snow queen.

We traversed a couple of the hike’s seven bridges before our GPS unit alerted us we were close to our cache…but then the arrow pointed us off-piste. And way up.

“Wait, we’re supposed to ditch the trail and hike straight up this steep slope?” I queried.

Audacious Hadley didn’t wait for the answer as she and our guide Kurt forged up the mountain in knee-deep snow. Bode and I (the more cautious ones) applauded their progress from the trail while Jamie (maybe the smartest of us all) rested on a boulder. 

And yep, that’s my kid in a T-shirt. She’s half-Canadian.

Mountain Biking

From there, we grabbed our mountain bikes. Though the pitch was moderate, the serpentine, mucky road’s precipitous cliffs and snowy patches still thrilled. I nervously barreled through pitch-black Tunnels 1 and 2 and I vowed to have my eyes checked after my blind foray with the dark side. 

At one point, Kurt pulled off the road, stashed his bike and beckoned us to follow him down the Columbine Trail, a route which leads all the way to the Starsmore Discovery Center at the base of North Cheyenne Cañon. We only hiked a couple of minutes but earned the view of a thousand hours of exertion. The canyon was a staggering cacophony of glimmering snow, velvet-green forests and Pikes Peak Granites’ milky and smoky quartz, pink feldspar and black mica.

From our perch, we could see where the mountains met the foothills and plains with The Broadmoor in the epicenter of it all.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is not my outdoor-loving family’s forté but I knew if we were to be successful, it would be with Broadmoor Outfitters.  We were given our choice of four main routes and I opted for the easiest with nothing to prove beyond having a positive experience and staying alive. Our guide climbed up and built an anchor off the bolts that are secured into the sandstone, gave us some final safety instructions and Hadley generously volunteered me as the guinea pig. Gingerly, I shouted “on belay” and started climbing.

Unlike North Cheyenne Cañon’s granite, Garden of the God’s blush-colored sandstone felt more forgiving with plenty of ledges to rest and “flakes” to grab onto. It didn’t take long before I summited and dizzy with excitement, I marveled at the expansive red-rock sea that had been created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago.

The rappel down was my favorite part and I was greeted by a shocked Bode. “You didn’t think I could do it, did you?”

“I gave you about a 50-50 chance.” He looked ill with anxiety. Vertical rock climbing walls are the nemesis of a judicious kid.

Jamie at the summit

Jamie and Hadley easily reached the top but Hadley froze during the rappel and it took a while to coax her down. And then there was Bode. To combat his apprehension, he had been bouldering at the base envisioning himself as the first American Ninja Kid Warrior. When it was his turn, he tore up and down faster than anyone and was dumbfounded when his feet touched down.

I see a future for him on Mount Midoriyama.

Valentine’s Day Weekend

It was Valentine’s Day and after a full day playing in the outdoors, we were thrilled to have our first 5-star dining experience at The Broadmoor’s Penrose Room. The whole evening is a blur–from the moment we stepped off the elevator and Bode exclaimed, “this is faaaaaaancy,” to the Caesar salad they prepped right at our table to dancing to a live band with mortified Bode (Hadley was equally embarrassed to be swung around with her father) and being so proud of them for their good manners.

Of course, it helped that we had schooled them for a month about proper etiquette, threatening any lapse would be not “Penrose Worthy.”

I think it’s important to expose the kids to different beliefs so we opted to go to a non-denominational service at the Pauline Memorial Chapel located on property. The founder’s wife Julie Penrose oversaw its construction in 1919 and between the considerable collection of religious art and artifacts from Europe, dramatic bell tower and high high buttressed walls,  it reminded me of the early Christian basilicas. It was such a beautiful, moving experience!

The Broadmoor’s famous brunch wasn’t too bad, either. Unless you’ve spent the entire weekend stuffing your face with gourmet food.

At one point, Bode put down his fork, let out a big sigh and said, “I’m not full but my mouth is tired from having so much delicious food in it.”

First World Problems at The Broadmoor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sfadfafd

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Humor, outdoors

Counting down to summer (is it here yet?!)

April 24, 2015 By

Broadmoor pool

On social media, I recently asked if I was the only person who has our summer pretty much planned out. I was only kinda kidding. Though April is  really busy for us, I generally try to limit the kids to one activity at a time during the school year. But when summer rolls around, that is our time to play and travel! Most of our friends do the opposite: over-schedule their kids during the year and give them the summer off to do nothing. Whatever works for you!

I’ll be juggling travels with work and believe me, all of this takes a tremendous amount of blood, sweat and tears on my part because there is a lot of promotional backing, planning and writing that goes into every trip and campaign. But I’m so darn grateful for the opportunities.

I won’t be sleeping a lot but it’s highly overrated anyway. And I’m trying to ignore the fact that Denver’s searing temperatures + an overheated upstairs keep me up all night anyway. Here’s what we have going down:

The Broadmoor. For the third year in a row, we’re going to this 5-star resort in Colorado Springs for Hadley’s birthday. I feel so fortunate to write for their magazine and the perks that come with it. Pool-side cabana and gourmet brunch buffet, anyone? Insider tip: The Broadmoor acquired the popular Seven Falls and will be launching an amazing Soaring Adventure in July.

Avid4Adventure. This is, hands down, the best outdoor summer camp for kids in the Denver-area. My kids are going on their third year with Avid4 Adventure and are thrilled to spend a week climbing, biking, kayking and hiking. P.S. I’m giving away a free week of camp at Mile High Mamas so be sure to enter if you’re local!

Camp Chief Ouray (CCO). Great things come in threes and this is Hadley’s third year going to Camp Chief Ouray, Colorado’s longest-running overnight camp on 5,100 glorious acres in the rocky mountains. Its traditions and outdoor activities have seeped into Hadley’s DNA and she cannot wait for a week of overnight camp (read: no parents) and horseback riding every day.

Twilight Camp. While Hadley is at CCO, Bode will be attending his Cub Scout day camp for a week of buddy bonding and good old-fashioned boy fun. I am required to volunteer and I suspect I’ll be on boy overload by week’s end.

YMCA of the Rockies. We’ll be picking Hadley up from CCO and will be spending the night at Snow Mountain Ranch (located on property) where we’ll finally be able to try their summer tubing hill that opened last year. The next day, we’ll stop to play in Grand Lake, drive into Rocky Mountain National Park and over Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved roads in any U.S. National Park that crests at 12,183 feet. We’ll play and overnight at YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center.

Summer hiking group. We’re hoping to fit in at least a few hikes with our friends to enjoy Colorado’s mountains! In all our spare time, of course.

Swim lessons. We hope to spend a couple of weeks doing daily swim lessons with our besties. This is a tradition that is going on four years and is like a pool party every day!

Fish Creek’s mud pits

Oh Canada. The details are sketchy as to when the kids and I will drive to the Motherland in July but a few things are certain: We’ll party at the Calgary Stampede again, get mucked up in the mud pits at Fish Creek Provincial Park and play with family. Jamie will fly into Calgary and we’ll spend a couple of nights in Canmore with friends and play in Banff National Park. We’ll then drive into B.C. and spend a week with my family on the lake in Vernon before Jamie flies home.

Utah. From B.C., the kiddos and I will make our pilgrimage to Utah, stopping in Idaho to visit friends. Hadley and I will enjoy a few days with Jamie’s family in Salt Lake City before driving home. Bode will stay an extra week for some Grandma TLC before his second ever solo flight back to Denver. Score: We snagged a crazy-cheap ticket during Frontier’s Spring Sale.

Kids Adventure Race. My kids are both obsessed with American Ninja Warrior and this race (offered between August 5-9 in Vail, Colo.) will be an awesome way to expose them to adventure racing. They’ve teamed up with friends and will be ziplining, hiking, biking, mud-pitting, slip ‘n sliding, tubing and more.

Mudderella. I’d be jealous of the kids’ adventure race if I wasn’t doing one of my own on August 22. I’m dropping the kids off at school and going on a girl’s weekend to Aspen/Snowmass with awesome friends (who’s in?!) Our condo is booked, now I just have to get off my butt and start training for Mudderella.

Me thinks the mud pits in Canada will be a great place to start.

Here’s to summer!!!!!

 

 

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel

When you get sick on the same vacation…over and over again

March 31, 2015 By

It was to be the perfect January vacation: My son Bode and I would have our first ever mother-son getaway. My husband Jamie and daughter would join us 24 hours later at the luxurious Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa nestled at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain along the Eagle River.

Thursday Night Lights

We had never skied Beaver Creek’s 1,800 skiable acres, host of the recent Alpine World Ski Championships. I picked Bode up after school and upon arriving at Beaver Creek, we kicked off our vacation with Thursday Night Lights, a free weekly parade for intermediate-level skiers or snowboarders. After registering at the Children’s Ski and Snowboard School, we were each given our own glow sticks and rode to the top of the Buckaroo gondola and down the Haymeadow run in a synchronized glow worm, only to be greeted at the bottom by fireworks.

High on life and artificial light, we grabbed a pizza from The Lift restaurant at the Westin. As we waited for our food, we played a heated game of “Sorry” and Bode’s dripping nose started, followed by a cough and fever.

sickBy morning, he was officially sick and I knew we had to cancel our trip but vowed to postpone until Spring Break. All was not lost, though. When we informed the front desk we were leaving two days early due to illness, they generously gave us extra-late check-out, a sweet note with a popcorn treat and we made lemons out of lemonade with a morning of snuggles in our Westin Heavenly® Bed, Westin’s crisp Egyptian-cotton linens and plush bedding, followed by a leisurely stroll along the 40-mile riverfront trail where we discovered a secret swing.

Fast-forward two months to Spring Break and this time, our entire family was going to Beaver Creek. Or so we thought.

A few days before departure, Hadley woke me up, announcing what no parent wants to hear at 4 a.m.: “Mom, I just threw up.” A violent stomach flu ensued. On the day of departure, she had turned the corner but was still weak so my husband volunteered to stay home and bring her later.  My friend Eva declared that Beaver Creek must be cursed. I can assure you it’s not. We are.

Enter: Mother-son Beaver Creek Round 2.

Bode and I assured each other this time would be different. I had originally arranged for both kids to go to the Westin Kids Club for a couple of hours so my husband and I could enjoy some alone-time.  I dropped Bode off to enjoy their smorgasbord of games and Colorado-themed “Safari” activities for lucky kids ages 5-12.

With two hours to kill, I opted for murder by attempting the Pilates Barre class at the Athletic Club at the Westin. Though I regularly attend a boot camp, I’ve never participated in Barre and haven’t done Pilates in years. It kicked my butt in all the best places.

As I limped into Kid’s Club, Bode dove into his bean-bag fort to hide (a good sign) as he raved about all the games and slime science experiments he did with his new BFF–nurturing and fun staffer Marla. I took a mental note to hire her to play Mother on days I’m overtired.

Bode and I took the Westin’s shuttle that dropped us off at Beaver Creek Village where we had dinner at the Beaver Creek Chophouse. The restaurant was brimming with families and I soon found out why. Not only was the food delicious (particularly the meat and seafood) but the kid’s menu was expansive, a delightful magician circulated the room (until 8 p.m.) and kids that arrive before 6 p.m. get perks like a free sundae.

Bode was exhausted when we boarded the Restaurant Shuttle back to the Westin but there were no signs anything was amiss. Until I was woken up by crying at 12:30 a.m. I raced into his bedroom and he choked out, “I threw up.”

eagleriver1At this point I almost started laughing with the déjà vu of it all. He hadn’t made it to the bathroom and vomited on the carpet and the corner of his Heavenly-no-more bed. A call to housekeeping in the middle of the night is never good but the silver lining was our angelic housekeeper Felix who not only efficiently cleaned up the mess but was so kind and concerned about Bode.

When the sun rose, Bode felt better but I cautiously changed our schedule. We held off on enrolling him in Beaver Creek’s Children’s Ultimate 4 Ski School Lesson until Hadley arrived the following day.  We instead spent our morning snuggling in bed reading, watching silly Minecraft videos, marveling at our mountain views and soaking in the three riverside hot tubs. We rediscovered our hidden swing along the Eagle River and threw sticks through a rock obstacle course.

skikidsWhen Jamie and Hadley arrived at 4 p.m., we enjoyed Cookie Time in the lobby with complimentary hot chocolate, cookies and live music and then dined at the mouthwatering Maya, Westin’s modern Mexican kitchen by internationally-acclaimed Chef Richard Sandoval–the best Mexican food I’ve had in years.

There was a happy ending. Well, kind of. Jamie wasn’t able to ski because he had to return home for work and Hadley and I had to skip out on our highly anticipated mother/daughter pedicures at the Westin Riverfront’s Spa Anjali. I had promised the kids we would go to Beaver Creek’s mid-mountain Candy Cabin following ski school, only to discover it closes at 3 p.m. And then, just as we laced up our skates to glide across the Black Family Ice Rink in Beaver Creek Village, the rink was closed for the Zamboni and we didn’t get to skate.

But in the end, it didn’t matter because the kids still had a fabulous day in ski school while I participated in their complimentary Women’s Social Ski Tour at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays. We fell in love with Beaver Creek’s terrain, the Westin and surrounding activities, vowing to come back under more optimal circumstances.

I’ve stayed at plenty of resorts that provide top-notch service in the best of times.

But the AAA Four Diamond Westin Riverfront has my vote for delivering in the worst of them.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, skiing

Happy birthday, Aspen style!

March 3, 2015 By

Despite having Aspen, one of the world’s most famous resorts a mere 3.5-hour drive from our house, we had only skied there once many years ago. But I’ve been dying to get back so when we were invited to visit “The Power of Four” resorts–Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk–over my birthday weekend, I was ecstatic. We opted to ski Snowmass and Buttermilk, the more family-friendly of the resorts and I can understand why people love the area.

The Birthday Presents

We arrived to Timberline Condos in Snowmass late Thursday night. Occasionally, publicists will gift swag–a neck gator, some mints or a hat. But Aspen/Snowmass were so generous. Check-out this haul for my birthday, including the shirt I’m wearing!

Twinners. Or rather, quadruplers

That would have been plenty (in addition to just being there) but Jamie and the kids bought me a much-needed Sherpani purse and an iPhone 6. My phone has been on the brink of death for months and the battery dies whenever it comes into contact with cold air, a wee problem if you’ve ever been to Colorado. So, the iPhone was a great surprise!

The Skiing

We only stayed one night at the condo, which was located above the base area. Jamie and I have our own skis so we strapped ‘em on. The kids were ski-school bound where they’d get rentals at Snowmass so good parents we are, we made them run down the mountain. “Run Forrest, Run!”

We’ll call that their warmup.

Out of Aspen’s four area resorts, 3,362-acre Snowmass has something for everyone—from long, cruising green and blue runs to glades to double black extreme terrain to terrain parks to excellent learning areas. Aspen Skiing Co. beautifully caters to kids and mine fell in love with the Treehouse, Snowmass’ 25,000-square-foot children’s center with seven interactive nature-themed rooms intended for specific ages as well as a 700-square-foot climbing room.

But forget the indoors, outdoor fun was where it was at!

As you can see, Bode was really sad to have a class full of fellow dudes. Hadley had a blast in her class as well.

I was left alone with my favorite ski buddy to conquer Snowmass. The resort had not received much snow since Christmas did a great job of snow-making to compensate. That said, I really really want to ski Snowmass on a powder day because I think it would be phenomenal.We lunched at Elk Camp, Snowmass’ newest on-mountain restaurant with a creative menu of organic items prepared in their rotisserie, pizza hearth and bake shop. I told Jamie to order me a panini while I hit the salad bar, intending to get just a small for the side. That didn’t happen. It was, hands down, the best ski resort salad bar ever and I ended up with a salad the height of Everest. When Jamie started to judge me for ordering two full meals and a caramel brownie for dessert, I told him it was my birthday, something he needed to be reminded of throughout the day. :-)

Mid-afternoon, the heavens opened and God gave me my birthday gift: a huge dump of snow.

It’s like He totally knows me.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to enjoy the new snow because we had to grab the kids from ski school. We spent over an hour at the free Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center in Snowmass Village and marveled at the ice age discoveries in the area!

The Ullr Night Out

Though some might enjoy a distinguished night out on the town, I preferred family fun at Ullr Nights. Every Friday from 5:30-9 p.m. Ullr, the Norse God of Snow, comes to life. For just $8 per person (kids 3 and under are complimentary), we were whisked up the gondola to Elk Camp’s hoarfrost land of Norse mythology with live music, bonfires, ice skating, treats, entertainment in The Tent and guided snowshoe tours hosted by ACES.

SnowBikin’. Upon arrival, Bode grabbed a Strider snowbike, took the magic carpet up the mountain and skated ?Slid? Biked down the hill. (Whatever the verb, the result was the same: exuberance). Children’s bikes are free with admission; for intermediate skiers ages 12+, a snowbike tour is offered for $69.

Slip Slidin’ Away. What would Ullr Nights be without a gargantuan snow sculpture of Ullr’s face with a slide running through the middle of it? I was content to watch Hadley and Bode at play until they played they taunted me to follow. “What’s the matter, Mom? Too old?”

If careening down Ullr’s nasal passages proved that I’ve still got it on my birthday, so be it. I climbed the slippery slope, lay on my back, crossed my arms and shot outta there like a booger gone bad. Turns out I’ve still got it…and also got a blanket of snow up my back at the bottom.

It was just a reminder of how young (or old?) I really am.

Lift-serviced tubing is a welcome new addition this year and cozily lit multiple lanes are carved into The Meadows at Elk Camp. We linked up, went solo, joked with the staff and laughed as we banked off the turns. Tubing is an additional $24 and be sure to pre-reserve your time.

I’ll tell you later about the woman who did not pre-schedule and the lovely meltdown that ensued.

We had a blast at Ullr Nights but my favorite part of the evening was our ride down the mountain in our gondola.  “It was a dark, snowy night,” I whispered and our impromptu ghost stories began as snow flew around our frosty expanse and the wind clinked through patches of crystals and aspens. Enraptured, the kids wove in their own ghost stories, a befitting end to a mysterious night that gives homage to all things snow.

As far as birthdays goes, this one was pretty darn perfect.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, skiing

Aspen/Snowmass for families: The Ultimate Colorado Vacation

March 2, 2015 By

“I can’t believe I really did it!” My son Bode’s cheeks were flush with excitement and big, feathery snowflakes. It was our second day in Aspen and he had conquered Mount Everest. Or, in 8-year-old vernacular, he had skied his first black-diamond run at Buttermilk.

“The Power of Four” resorts–Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk–are renowned destinations but it wasn’t until we experienced the latter two resorts’ family-friendly offerings that we were hooked. Not only does Snowmass offer a staggering amount of kid activities including their “Very Important Kid” program and Ullr Nights, but its counterpart Buttermilk’s gently rolling hills and new children’s center is now my top Colorado resort pick for families with young children.

Several resorts claim to be world-class but at Snowmass, we felt like the world had literally descended upon us as we shared chairlifts with charming Europeans and so many enigmatic Brazilians we could have sworn we were at Carnival.

And it was a party! When I’ve extolled the virtues of a winter vacation to Colorado’s ski areas, I’ve had several friends counter, “I don’t like to ski.” Believe me, in Aspen it doesn’t matter–you’ll have as much fun as a family on the slopes as you do off. Here are just a few reasons why my family had a blast on my birthday in Aspen!  KEEP READING

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, skiing, travel

The Awesome Ski Day That Wasn’t So Awesome

January 6, 2015 By

I’ve documented many amazing ski trips but in an effort for full disclosure (and to keep things real) New Years Eve day wasn’t one of them.

I generally try to avoid ski resorts over the holidays because they are notoriously crowded. But we wanted to fit a quick daytrip to one of our favorite local resorts, and we figured people would be prepping for New Year’s Eve and wouldn’t have time to go skiing.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

After a string of sub-zero days and snow in Denver, Wednesday was the first bluebird, “balmy” day (if you call 25 degrees balmy). Here’s the great thing about the Front Range resorts: they’re close. Here’s the bad thing about those resorts: they’re close. And pretty much the entire city descended upon them.

We should have known our day was going to implode when Fat Kitty, upon seeing our gear strewn out all over the house, assumed we were ditching him yet again to go on a trip (it’s so difficult to be the needy pet of a wanderlust family). And so he rebelled in the only way he knows: by crapping on Hadley’s blanket she left on the floor.

But, there was hope! Traffic on I-70 is notoriously bad and people have been known to get stuck for hours but it was like the Red Sea parted and we made it in record time.

And then our hope was dashed when we saw the lines in the ski rental office. Jamie and I have our own equipment but I’ve held off on purchasing the kids’ because of they are constantly outgrowing them so we rent. Usually it’s a bit of a hassle but nothing like this:

We waited 20 minutes to get our paperwork processed.

We waited 20 minutes to get fitted for ski boots.

We waited 30 minutes to get fitted for their skis and poles (and that was even after I stood in line early while they were getting their boots).

As we were finally ready to leave, Hadley lost her goggles. Fortunately, they were found at one of the many waiting areas.

I thought that was the end of it but then we began the waiting in the lift lines, which were horrendous. We thought the wait time at the base lift was bad but that was understandable. But then we waited way longer at a very slow triple–so long, in fact, that the ski school students would jump the line, ride to the top and then ski back down before we were even close to getting on the lift. So, imagine how relieved we were to ski down to find another triple and see no lift lines whatsoever.

And then, I kid you not, the lift stopped at every single tower because someone was likely falling getting on or off the lift.

I mean, just look at this boy. He almost fell asleep!

I thought Jamie was ready to combust at that point, Hadley was ornery, Bode was getting worn out from all the waiting (but bless his heart, he is rarely/never moody). And me? Welp, patience is not my virtue.

But then, there was hope! We finally made it to our destination, our favorite lift at the resort with epic intermediate-level runs! The line was long but kudos to that high-speed quad because we were through within 10 minutes and were soon cruising down our favorite run. All the headaches and arguments were forgotten because the sun was shining, the snow was glorious and we love skiing together as a family!

After just two epic runs, hunger struck. Big time. It was well past noon (yes, we’d only done three runs) and we had planned to leave around 2 p.m. to make it back for New Year’s Eve festivities. Jamie wanted to push through a few more runs and then just eat on the way back and leave a bit earlier but Hadley hit the wall.

You do not want to be there when this happens. Trust me.

I didn’t blame her. She’d barely eaten breakfast because she was rushed out the door and standing in line is hard work. So, we decided to grab a burger at the mid-mountain restaurant.

But remember the crowds? Jamie stood in line for 20 minutes and after not moving an inch, abandoned his perch. “Let’s just grab some snacks,” I suggested “we’ll ski a few more runs and then eat on the way home.”

I’m not sure what happened. I mean, what could happen? I gave them Fritos! And Snickers! And Vitamin Water! But like Fat Kitty, Hadley imploded. There were tears, there was drama and despite the fact I wanted to fit in those final few runs in our favorite area, I was done, done, done.

Now, lest you think the whole day was a bust, it wasn’t. Just mostly. But there were a few good things. Remember the snow and sunshine? Gosh dang it, if a bluebird day isn’t my best kind of day.

As we were riding our first lift, I exclaimed, “Blast, I forgot the beads to throw on the trees!”

Bode: “We can just throw our underwear.”

That would have been the other good thing…if only we’d done it.

 

Filed Under: Colorado, skiing

The launch of a dream: please support!

January 5, 2015 By

Earlier this year, we went to dinner with our good friends Karla and Ivan. They’re the kind of friends you adore (we even went on a cruise with them a few years back) but due to crazy schedules, you only see each other a couple of times a year.

Well, Karla dropped a bombshell on us: she had become a chemist, businesswoman and patent attorney that year.

My biggest accomplishments were I did some fun hikes and slept for eight hours straight one night.

For background, Jamie grew up with Ivan and I met Karla shortly after Jamie and I got married. She and I are born on the same day (same year, even) and she is an award-winning dance teacher. In fact, her teams sweep nationals every year because she’s just that accomplished and driven.

Well, her latest passion began one day after cleaning her shower. She had her squeegee, grout scrubber, sponge…and a huge mess. She was fed up so started researching online to see if there was an all-in-one tool for the shower and was shocked to learn it hadn’t been invented.

The Shower Shimmy took her literally hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, tears and a newly-acquired ulcer but I’m really proud of Karla because she launched it on Kickstarter today and she has already reached 1/4 of her funding goal. She’s a go-getter extraordinaire and is auditioning for Shark Tank next week!

My goal next week is to drag myself to boot camp three times.

In addition to inventing this awesome 3-in-1 tool that hangs in your shower, she developed a cleaning solution that not only smells great and is non-toxic but was tested at Microbac laboratories and received the top score and tested as well as the top non-environmentally-friendly cleaner on the market!

Shower Shimmy

All of this, she did from her home (with the exception of the Shower Shimmy cleaning tools that a factory in China has been assembling. We’ll discuss all that drama another day).

Karla originally asked Jamie and me to help with her Kickstarter launch but we were both slammed so referred her to a friend who referred her to a dishonest guy who stole her money and didn’t deliver. So, Jamie and I took over and the last few months have been filled with Jamie building the Shower Shimmy website and me helping her with the social media.

Never did I think I could be passionate about a shower-cleaning tool but my gosh, I actually look forward to cleaning my shower now and it has never looked better.

If that isn’t a raving endorsement for a former shower-cleaning-hater, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, we’d love your help!!!! Her Kickstarter campaign kicks off today and will run for 45 days but we’re trying to meet her goal before her audition next week. The Shower Shimmy + Super Cleaning Solution with FREE shipping is just $15!  When you consider that a squeegee alone is $12 or more, the Shower Shimmy is an amazing value.

Be sure to order here: http://theshowershimmy.com/kickstarter/?id=05

Ivan has been incredibly supportive. I mean, he even did a nekkid shower scene in their funny promotional video!

Introducing the Shower Shimmy! from Shower Shimmy on Vimeo.

But Karla tested his limits during all of her cleaning solution experiments, causing him to set the rule “Only one weird thing at a time.” Jamie would like to implement the same policy with me. I say “good luck with that.”

And I wish Karla the best, best of luck!

 

 

Filed Under: Colorado
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »