Today we returned from spending a day back in Rocky Mountain National Park. We first went there not long after arriving in the US when the Aspen trees were turning and the elk were bugleing. This time we went prepared for a much colder day, with hats, gloves, boots etc, and the sled of course. It was a very pretty time of the year to go with the tall pines and lots of snow on the ground. Not a lot of wildlife to be seen except for a deer and a squirrel. After deciding to have our picnic lunch in the car as the wind was so strong, we felt brave enough to venture out on the sled. We came across an area specifically for sleds with quite a few people out giving it a go. It was protected from the winds so it wasn't too bad after all out in the sunshine. Amy and Kyle thought it was great and as Amy was prepared to pull the sled back up the hill they had quite a few turns coming down a gentle slope. There was a much steeper and longer slope but we might keep that for next year.
After sledding we drove to an area where the beavers build their dams. Obviously they weren't around but we went for a walk anyway along a raised boardwalk. From here we headed back around to Bear Lake, you may remember the photos of the Lake. Well this time it was very different, completely frozen and covered in snow. There were lots of people out snow shoeing on the lake and we walked out just to say that we have walked on Bear Lake. I saw a spot where someone's foot had gone right through to the lake, a depth of about 18 inches, and as I was pointing it out to Amy, poor Craig lost his leg through the snow. He managed not to put his foot in the water and after this episode we decided to go back to the edge of the lake.
As the weather seemed to be turning bad we headed home and again arrived back to a very sunny and warm 65F. Maybe we shouldn't head into the mountains when it is nice back at the house….
What else have we been doing, on Friday Craig took a day off and we headed to Vail to watch the 1999 World Alpine Ski Championships. We thought we will never get the opportunity again, so why not. Craig decided that he may be able to get a few hours skiing in while the kids and I watched the races as they were offering very cheap lift tickets while the races were on. So off we headed out I-70 (a six lane freeway between Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah) early Friday morning. The conditions heading out were terrible and thinking we were in for a horrible day the mood in the car was very sombre. The road conditions were very icy and with snow falling and no water left in the well for the wipers it wasn't pleasant. After coming out of the Eisenhower tunnel the road conditions got even worse and the ute travelling just in front of us skidded on the black ice, started to do a 180 on the highway and fortunately spun into the right hand lane and hit the car next to us. I couldn't believe it. How we weren't involved in the accident I still don't know. The cars behind us were swerving to miss each other but the ice is relentless and cars went everywhere. Tempted to say lets just turn around and go home, we kept going, very slowly mind you. I have never been so relieved at arrive at a destination.
To our surprise by the time we got to Vail the conditions had improved greatly and the sun was even shining. Craig headed off for a ski and Amy, Kyle and I sat in the stand at the bottom of the slalom course and watched the races. It was a unique experience to see, having to watch the video screen to see 80% of the race and then being able to see the skiers for last part of the course. The Colorado University marching band was there to help out with entertainment, as well as Smokey the Bear. Several spectacular falls later Amy and Kyle had had enough so we went for a walk around Vail Village.
Now this was an experience as well. Craig and I were in Vail in 1993 so I remembered some of what was there. What I didn't remember though were the large quantity of fur coats wandering around, and the number of shops selling fur coats. For a mere $2,999.00 you too could own a full length mink coat. All I could think of was the number of little minks that go into one of these things. With the elaborate gold jewellery, the hairdos, the makeup and the furs the mother of two from Burra was a little bemused in these surroundings. Do these people ever put on a pair of skis, don't they realise what an asset these mountains are? We hope to get to Aspen in March/April and I believe there will even be more of the same there.
The Vail Village itself is incredibly pretty. The shops have been built out of stone and there is a river running through the village so there are lots of wooden bridges. We finally had to head back to meet Craig and we managed to get seats again in the stand to watch the races. At 2.00 we had a free ride to the top of the mountain in a gondola and here we all put on ice skates and tried ice skating on an outdoor rink. Unfortunately for me there was no fence around the rink so that meant I couldn't get around very well. We did manage to get skates small enough for Kyle but he just found it too darn slippery. Amy and Craig persevered the longest, Miss Amy having a couple of big spills but determined to keep trying.
Again the weather took a turn for the worst and we decided to head back down the mountain. After doing a bit of souvenir shopping (no, not fur coat shopping) we got in the car a little reluctant about the trip home. By this time the roads were clear and dry so we had an uneventful trip home, thank goodness.
A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a Super Bowl party, the Denver Broncos were playing the Atlanta Flacons for the big prize. It was fun having a team to support and as I still don't fully understand the rules and get frustrated by the stop/start type of game I just followed everyone else's lead. When they shouted, I shouted, when they booed I booed. It was a good day, although a long one.
The people who threw the party had only moved into their newly built house 2 weeks prior. It was a very large house with all 5 TVs showing the game. We ended up sitting in the basement watching 2 of the TVs. Every time the Broncos scored a touchdown or played an interception (don't ask) it was shots of Tequila all round. As I was the designated driver I had to have shots of water. Yes the Broncos won and yes you can imagine the state of the guys at the end of the game. It was lots of fun, the kids had about 15 other kids to play with so we didn't even see them. To top off a great day we won $100 in a sweep so we came home very happy. On the drive home people were out driving about just honking their horns everywhere, it was amazing. In Denver itself people went a little crazy and started fires and tossed cars on their roofs. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. A bit scary. As we drove home I said to Craig that I was glad they won because I would hate to be out driving if they had lost.
Also that week we went to a Camping and RV show, thinking we could check out the latest camping gear. Wrong, it was actually just an RV show, showing off the latest in mobile homes and 5th wheelers (mobile homes that you tow behind a big truck). It was a bit disappointing that we didn't see any tents but it sure was fun checking out these homes on wheels. They ranged in price from $30,000 to $150,000 and they really were homes complete with plush furnishings, full bathrooms and kitchens, some even had a bath. There was one that had a kitchen so big it included an island bench. In this particular van the lounge room was adjacent to the kitchen with a big screen TV and in case you missed anything while chopping veggies at the island bench there was a smaller screen TV in the wall directly in front of you. There was office space for the PC, satellite dishes for the TV, and every luxury you could think of. Some of these vans were 35ft in length and you don't need a special licence to drive one. Apparently our version of the camping show is held closer to summer.