San Clemente (Part 3)

I managed to squeeze in an hour or so at the San Clemente pier during our last day of vacation, and although it looks nice and sunny it was actually somewhat windy and chilly. No one seemed to mind. More tomorrow.

Day trip to Salida (Part 5)

Here's the last of my little series from last Monday's day trip. I was en route to pick up Pat as he finished skiing, and I stopped for a minute to grab a few pictures of this farm with its magnificent backdrop. How would you like to have this incredible vista in your backyard? Yes, please!

Day trip to Salida (Part 4)

A few snaps from my afternoon wandering around Salida on Monday, while Pat skied nearby Monarch Mountain. Salida is officially my favorite little mountain town. Can you see why? I love it there.

Day trip to Salida (Part 3)

A couple of snaps of skiers and snowboarders on Monarch Mountain. Pat's a good skier but it's really not my sport, so I dropped him off and headed back down to nearby Salida to kill some time by myself. I'll post pictures of my afternoon in Salida next.

Day trip to Salida (Part 1)

On Monday we headed to Salida so Pat could ski Monarch Mountain. Colorado Springs was cold and wet, and for most of the 100+ mile drive, things looked pretty dreary. But about three quarters of the way there, we could suddenly see blue skies and white capped mountains in the distance. I documented the transition from the passenger seat with my camera. The photo at the top of this post shows how foggy and chilly it was at the outset of our adventure. The next photo shows how the weather front abruptly ends, and the last photo shows bright blue skies. Colorado, gotta love your crazy weather!

Ready for ski season...

This summer has been hot and mostly quite dry, except for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday was downright chilly -- I had to turn the heat on in our house! (That didn't stop me from running errands in shorts, though. I am a Coloradoan after all.) I've been seeing reports of snow on the summit of Pikes Peak, too, though we can't see it for the clouds. I know it's still a couple of months off, but I'm looking forward to snow down here. I like winter.

An afternoon in Salida

I'm not much of a skier but Pat is, and he prefers the Monarch ski area because it's less hectic than, say, Breckenridge or Keystone, and there are fewer tourists. While he skis, I generally hang out in nearby Salida. I like it there. It's far enough from Monarch -- about 25 miles -- to not identify as a ski town like Vail. It has its own funky vibe. Yesterday I took these pictures in downtown Salida while Pat skied.

I was taking a picture of the old Coca-Cola mural when this guy cruised by on his handmade penny-farthing bicycle. As it turns out, he built it himself! His name is Tim, and he told me that he creates all kinds of kinetic objects and art. You can learn more about him HERE.

Snow. A lot of snow.

Saturday was beautiful, but the wind was crazy by mid-afternoon. Sunday we woke up to snow, but it was manageable even though by dinnertime the roads were starting to get treacherous. Sunday night, the snow stopped for several hours, but by 8:00am yesterday it was snowing heavily, and it literally did not stop until about 11:00pm in my part of the city. In fact, it didn't even slow down. Relentless snow for fifteen hours straight. Everything in the city closed down, and as parts of town are still getting dumped on, everything will be closed today too I'm sure. The above photo is our backyard woodpile about 1:15pm, and below is a picture of Pat shoveling snow at 1:45pm. He waited until 10:30pm before doing it a second time, and by then the snowfall was winding down (although the wind was picking up again). We got a foot or more of the white stuff at our house when all was said and done. Time to hit the slopes, people! We checked Monarch's conditions and they have a 70" base!

Sunday Style!

It's winter, and I know you want one of these awesome hand knit hats so you can show your colorRADo pride out on the slopes. I found them at Poor Richard's Bookstore and Gifts. Fun!

Vail road trip (part 2)

Pretty little Fairplay, population 679, sits on the other side of Hoosier Pass from Breckenridge. While Breckenridge is usually buzzing with skiers and snowboarders during the wintertime and tourists during the summer, Fairplay has a slower, small town vibe. The historic Park County Courthouse and Jail, built in 1874, is still in use in the center of town. Apparently it's the oldest working courthouse in Colorado. I think it's very photogenic against the bright blue sky! Fairplay, by the way, is in the part of Colorado known as South Park -- yes, that South Park, which is essentially based on life in this tiny town.

There are a couple of pretty cool little houses across the street from the courthouse. I wonder how old they are. This log cabin looks like it must have been built around the time Fairplay was founded, in 1872.

The cabin's next door neighbor is equally charming. I think it looks like a farmhouse.

Tomorrow I'll post one last image from  my short trip to Vail!

Frisco, Colorado

I have a confession to make: I don't like ski towns. I know, that's crazy, I'm a Coloradoan! I'm also a wedding photographer that shoots weddings in places like Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen and Keystone all the time -- so the majority of my time spent in ski towns is for work, and that's fine with me. When I'm a ski town just hanging out for non-work purposes, it tends to drive me crazy. Not so for Frisco, though. I actually like Frisco! Heck, I would even live there if the opportunity arose.  It's cute, small, not too touristy, and not too "ski town-ish". And it's beautiful. The other day while Pat was skiing at Copper Mountain, I spent the afternoon hanging out in lovely Frisco, having some nice crostini and coffee at a local bookstore, and strolling around the main strip. What a great little town :^) 

I don't know what's scarier here, the evil looking icicles or the hodgepodge of electrical cords.

Methinks it's time for the town of Frisco to take down their Christmas decorations ;^)

Alas, at some point I had to hop back in the car and drive the five miles back to Copper to fetch Pat. This was the view heading back west on I-70. Very nice!

Copper Mountain

When you think of skiing in Colorado, the first words that come to mind are probably Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge, maybe Telluride. And true, those are all great places to ski, but for ordinary mortals they are also very expensive! No matter -- we have TONS of killer ski areas all over Colorado, and Copper Mountain, just east of Vail, is one of the most popular. We went there on Monday so Pat could hit the slopes. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and the base was deep, since Copper received a ton of snow in the days preceding our visit.

Since I don't ski, I have to find ways to entertain myself while Pat is on the slopes. Copper Mountain is beautiful, but the village doesn't really have much to offer in terms of places to just hang out or go shopping -- so I headed east about five miles to Frisco. This is the drive on I-70 on the way. Nice view! More on Frisco tomorrow.

Skywatch Friday

It's winter, and what do Coloradoans do in winter? We ski, of course! Okay I don't ski, and there is a long and tedious story about why I do not, so I won't bore you with it -- but Pat is a great skier and enjoys going out whenever he can. On Monday we went to Copper Mountain, which is just east of Vail and west of Frisco. It was a perfect, sunny day, as you can see. To get to Copper from Colorado Springs, you have to drive over three mountain passes: Ute Pass, Wilkerson Pass, and Hoosier Pass. This is the view once you come over the summit of Wilkerson Pass. It takes my breath away every time.  I never tire of it! The mountain range in the distance is called the Collegiate Peaks. Hoosier Pass takes you over this range to Breckenridge, and from there it's just a hop, skip and a jump to Copper Mountain.  Below, a couple more pictures of our drive; on Saturday and Sunday I'll post a few from Copper and Frisco.

To see more Skywatch Friday photos from bloggers all over the world, please click HERE. 

These people were hanging out on frozen Lake Dillon (just past Breckenridge). It took me a minute to figure out what they were doing. They were windsurfing on the ice! I've never seen this before. Very cool!

The guy in the background (green arrows) is actually windsurfing and he was moving at a pretty good speed, while the guy in the foreground (pink arrows) is trying to get moving.

The Aquatic Center in Salida

An indoor shot of the Aquatic Center in Salida, about 100 miles from Colorado Springs. The pools are fed 100% from the natural hot springs that are so abundant in the region. Pat and I hit the Aquatic Center for a relaxing soak after he skied all day. I'm not a skier, so I just loafed -- I don't need an excuse for a relaxing soak!

I'll post more pictures of our little trip over the coming days.