I'm usually not one for a trip to the mountains. My husband's family has a house up in Lake George, NY and it is always a struggle to get me there. However, once I get there I usually enjoy all that a mountain retreat has to offer. When I was a kid, I used to travel up to Browdie Mountain in Massachusetts with my closest friend and her family for ski weekends. I remember the first time I clicked on a pair of skis and took to the slopes. I had a couple of hours of falls and trying to understand the value of the "snow plow" but in no time I was up and taking to the beginner and intermediate slopes without a problem. So, when the opportunity came to travel out to Keystone Colorado for a Travel Channel Academy, I was hesitant but excited to get back onto a pair of skis. My husband joined me on this trip. It's the rare opportunity when my work schedule is light and he is able to leave his post as an IT Manager back in DC. The stars aligned and he was able to book the trip and come along for an adventure up in the Rocky Mountains! We departed DC on Friday morning for Denver. He was on a Northwest flight through Minneapolis and I was on direct that would have us landing within minutes of each other at Denver International Airport. From there, we were going to meet up with one of our dearest friends and his wife for a quick dinner and then we would drive the 90 miles from Denver to Keystone.
We arrived in Denver on time... got our luggage and rental and was well on our way to our friends house within an hour or so of landing. We went to dinner at a very cool little restaurant called Rootdown which is housed in a renovated gas/ service station. The restaurant has an organic/ sustainability theme and the entire place is decorated using recycled products. The floor of the main dining room is a recycled gym floor from one of the local high schools and lids from aluminum cans line the wall of one of the smaller dining areas off of the kitchen. We chose a table in the bar where we were surrounded by old fashioned telephones as we enjoyed a few of the organic selections on the Happy Hour menu.
After our brief stay with our friends, we hopped back into the rental and plugged "Keystone" into our GPS and started the trip to the resort. It was now dark and there was a bit of dusty snow falling as we started our trek into the Rocky Mountains. We passed a few signs that said VAIL - 100 MILES and we took the exit that said KEYSTONE RESORT off of I-70. At the end of that exit ramp, the woman in the GPS system (affectionately named, Matilda) told us to take a right and drive another 40 or so miles through a town called Kremmling. OK, made the right and the drive became more of a two lane road through the dark mountains. In Kremmling, we stopped at a gas station called "Kum and Go" (had to include that in the blog...need to buy a t-shirt) and asked the guy behind the counter how long it would take us to finally get to Keystone. He said 45 miles and Peter and I just looked at each other... what we did not know is that he meant 45 miles in the opposite direction we were traveling! So, we loaded back into the rental and started back on the wrong route to what we thought would be Keystone Resort.
At that point of the trip, the drive became a bit dicey... there were HUNDREDS (yes, HUNDREDS) of deer on the side of the road. They were so close to the car we could have pet them. We also scooted past a fat white rabbit and a glittery eyed fox. The snow was coming down and the drive was treacherous... especially going over "Rabbit Ear Pass" where a sign told us that we were sitting on the Continental Divide. By the time we were coming off of that pass, my knuckles were so white and tense that they ached when I finally released them to change the channel on the radio.
At that moment, we decided that something had to be wrong. It was almost 90 miles since the sign at the end of I-70 and still no sign of the resort. Matilda was telling us that we were heading in the right direction... but, something just seemed way off. We finally pulled over and cursed at Matilda when we realized our mistake. We were in Steamboat Springs... 90 miles away from the resort and I flat out refused to get back into that car. So, we booked a night at the local Holiday Inn and decided to head back to Keystone early the next morning.
We drove the 90 miles back to Keystone at 7am as the sun was starting to sparkle on the mountains. We both were pissed that it happened, but the morning ride made it all worthwhile. The Rockies welcomed us with beautiful scenics in every direction. We passed ranch after ranch with horses and cattle and just enjoyed the peace of the ride without feeling like we were in the middle of a Discovery Channel survival show.
Now, we are here and ready for the Travel Channel Academy's four day boot camp at the Keystone Resort. I'll have more in a bit from our first days on the slopes and a review of the highest restaurant in the country... 11,474 ft! Travel On Lori
I'm usually not one for a trip to the mountains. My husband's family has a house up in Lake George, NY and it is always a struggle to get me there. However, once I get there I usually enjoy all that a mountain retreat has to offer. When I was a kid, I used to travel up to Browdie Mountain in Massachusetts with my closest friend and her family for ski weekends. I remember the first time I clicked on a pair of skis and took to the slopes. I had a couple of hours of falls and trying to understand the value of the "snow plow" but in no time I was up and taking to the beginner and intermediate slopes without a problem. So, when the opportunity came to travel out to Keystone Colorado for a Travel Channel Academy, I was hesitant but excited to get back onto a pair of skis. My husband joined me on this trip. It's the rare opportunity when my work schedule is light and he is able to leave his post as an IT Manager back in DC. The stars aligned and he was able to book the trip and come along for an adventure up in the Rocky Mountains! We departed DC on Friday morning for Denver. He was on a Northwest flight through Minneapolis and I was on direct that would have us landing within minutes of each other at Denver International Airport. From there, we were going to meet up with one of our dearest friends and his wife for a quick dinner and then we would drive the 90 miles from Denver to Keystone. 
We arrived in Denver on time... got our luggage and rental and was well on our way to our friends house within an hour or so of landing. We went to dinner at a very cool little restaurant called Rootdown which is housed in a renovated gas/ service station. The restaurant has an organic/ sustainability theme and the entire place is decorated using recycled products. The floor of the main dining room is a recycled gym floor from one of the local high schools and lids from aluminum cans line the wall of one of the smaller dining areas off of the kitchen. We chose a table in the bar where we were surrounded by old fashioned telephones as we enjoyed a few of the organic selections on the Happy Hour menu. 
After our brief stay with our friends, we hopped back into the rental and plugged "Keystone" into our GPS and started the trip to the resort. It was now dark and there was a bit of dusty snow falling as we started our trek into the Rocky Mountains. We passed a few signs that said VAIL - 100 MILES and we took the exit that said KEYSTONE RESORT off of I-70. At the end of that exit ramp, the woman in the GPS system (affectionately named, Matilda) told us to take a right and drive another 40 or so miles through a town called Kremmling. OK, made the right and the drive became more of a two lane road through the dark mountains. In Kremmling, we stopped at a gas station called "Kum and Go" (had to include that in the blog...need to buy a t-shirt) and asked the guy behind the counter how long it would take us to finally get to Keystone. He said 45 miles and Peter and I just looked at each other... what we did not know is that he meant 45 miles in the opposite direction we were traveling! So, we loaded back into the rental and started back on the wrong route to what we thought would be Keystone Resort. 
At that point of the trip, the drive became a bit dicey... there were HUNDREDS (yes, HUNDREDS) of deer on the side of the road. They were so close to the car we could have pet them. We also scooted past a fat white rabbit and a glittery eyed fox. The snow was coming down and the drive was treacherous... especially going over "Rabbit Ear Pass" where a sign told us that we were sitting on the Continental Divide. By the time we were coming off of that pass, my knuckles were so white and tense that they ached when I finally released them to change the channel on the radio. 
At that moment, we decided that something had to be wrong. It was almost 90 miles since the sign at the end of I-70 and still no sign of the resort. Matilda was telling us that we were heading in the right direction... but, something just seemed way off. We finally pulled over and cursed at Matilda when we realized our mistake. We were in Steamboat Springs... 90 miles away from the resort and I flat out refused to get back into that car. So, we booked a night at the local Holiday Inn and decided to head back to Keystone early the next morning. 
We drove the 90 miles back to Keystone at 7am as the sun was starting to sparkle on the mountains. We both were pissed that it happened, but the morning ride made it all worthwhile. The Rockies welcomed us with beautiful scenics in every direction. We passed ranch after ranch with horses and cattle and just enjoyed the peace of the ride without feeling like we were in the middle of a Discovery Channel survival show. 
Now, we are here and ready for the Travel Channel Academy's four day boot camp at the Keystone Resort. I'll have more in a bit from our first days on the slopes and a review of the highest restaurant in the country... 11,474 ft! Travel On Lori
1 comment:
Lori, this was hilarious, truly had insight about you and Peter. Every trip is an adventure with you, which is why I enjoy reading your blog. Many more please. LKibler
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