December 2013 - Road trip from Texas to Glenwood Springs, CO
In December of 2013, we decided to use our Christmas break to travel to Glenwood Springs, CO. This was our 2nd winter trip to the area. On Christmas Day, we set off towards Amarillo, TX. This year, it was an uneventful drive. The past 2 years, we had winter weather to deal with so it was nice to have clear roads. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It is a newer hotel that was clean and comfortable. This will be our new hotel of choice for Amarillo, unless they start charging really high rates.
On 12/26, we headed off to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The drive between Amarillo and Dalhart was very pretty. We take a back road that takes you through some hilly areas with some beautiful red rock formations that were dusted in snow. Then, we hit Dalhart, which is recognizable by its smell. :( The drive between Dalhart and the New Mexico border is flat and boring. Once in New Mexico, the landscape starts to get hilly. Our favorite thing to do is to keep our eyes out for the Capulin Volcano. We have not made the stop to drive to the top yet, but we plan to do so in 2014. We next look forward to Raton, NM, where we take I-25 North. This is where we start seeing the gorgeous mountain scenery.
Unfortunately, we hit some really bad traffic on I-70 just west of Denver. It added an additional 2 hours onto our drive. We didn't arrive into Glenwood Springs until 8:30 at night. When we arrived at the Hampton Inn, we were very tired, so we decided to just order pizza for dinner. Glenn asked the front desk for a recommendation, and we tried Uncle Pizza. It was very good, but very expensive. One large pizza was $27.00 delivered. Yikes!! It did last us 2 days, and we felt better about giving our money to a local restaurant instead of a pizza chain.
Friday, December 27th was our 1st day of skiing at Sunlight Mountain Resort. We got Zach checked into ski school, and then we got our lift tickets and ski rentals. By 9:00, we were headed for the bunny hill lift to get our "ski legs" back. After 2 times down the bunny hill, we were ready to head to the top to ski down the Ute, a 2.5 mile green run. It was a gorgeous view from the top of the mountain. It was the perfect sunny day. We both made it down without injury and had a blast. After staying on the green run most of the morning, we braved a Blue run called the Columbine before lunch. This run was a lot of fun, and we both made it down without falling. It was groomed, and it's not too steep until you get to the bottom.
In the afternoon, I took a break while Glenn skied another Green Run called the Grizzly. I took this time to try to spy on Zach in ski school. I spotted him riding up the chair lift with an instructor and another student. So, I waited, and waited, and waited... After about 30 minutes, I finally saw Zach and his group of 2 other kids with 1 instructor. He was doing so good!! Zach was doing the "pizza," making great turns, and he stopped when he was supposed to stop. I was one proud Mama!!!
After skiing, we ate our expensive yet delicious leftover pizza. Glenn fell asleep while Zach and I visited the hot tub and pool. The hot tub sure helped relax more sore muscles. The pool wasn't too cold, and Zach sure had fun. After playing in the water, Zach and I played some games: Qwirkle, Connect 4, Yahtzee Jr, and Trouble. By that time, it was 8:00, and we hit the hay.
On Saturday, December 28th, we got ready for our 2nd day of skiing. We dropped off Zach at ski school, and we were ready for the lifts since we already had our lift tickets and skis. It was another beautiful sunny day at Sunlight Mountain. Glenn and I spent the morning on the greens and blues and then went in search of Zach to see how he was doing. While riding the lift on the bunny hill, we spotted him with his class going through the trees. Again, he was doing so great!! We got some pictures and video of him skiing. Then, we ate and went back to the greens/blues until about 2:00. We went in search of Zach to spend the rest of the day with him since ski school was almost over. After finding him, we going to ride up the lift with him for the 1st time. This didn't turn out well. The lift operator that was helping Zach ended up dropping him, and he didn't make it on the lift with us. I think his skis may have gotten tangled with Glenn's. Zach was very upset and crying since he couldn't ride up with mommy and daddy. We met him at the top, and all was good. We checked him out with his ski instructor, and we were off. Zach said he wanted to lead us down the mountain. He took us to the right side where he skied through a little house and then slalomed through some barrels. Our next time up, Zach took us through the trees, that I've always been too scared to go through. Zach did great, and both Mommy and Daddy survived. Our last time, Zach wanted to get some speed. He got going way too fast since he wasn't doing his turns and he wiped out, but he wasn't hurt. We'll have to work with him on the bunny hill to make sure he can ski in control before going down any bigger runs.
After skiing, we quickly changed and went out to eat at the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub. Glenn selected one of their beers, and I had a fantastic margarita. Glenn and I both enjoyed our food. Zach's chicken strips weren't very good, and he didn't eat much. After dinner, we soaked in the hot tub and went to bed.
On 12/26, we headed off to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The drive between Amarillo and Dalhart was very pretty. We take a back road that takes you through some hilly areas with some beautiful red rock formations that were dusted in snow. Then, we hit Dalhart, which is recognizable by its smell. :( The drive between Dalhart and the New Mexico border is flat and boring. Once in New Mexico, the landscape starts to get hilly. Our favorite thing to do is to keep our eyes out for the Capulin Volcano. We have not made the stop to drive to the top yet, but we plan to do so in 2014. We next look forward to Raton, NM, where we take I-25 North. This is where we start seeing the gorgeous mountain scenery.
Unfortunately, we hit some really bad traffic on I-70 just west of Denver. It added an additional 2 hours onto our drive. We didn't arrive into Glenwood Springs until 8:30 at night. When we arrived at the Hampton Inn, we were very tired, so we decided to just order pizza for dinner. Glenn asked the front desk for a recommendation, and we tried Uncle Pizza. It was very good, but very expensive. One large pizza was $27.00 delivered. Yikes!! It did last us 2 days, and we felt better about giving our money to a local restaurant instead of a pizza chain.
Friday, December 27th was our 1st day of skiing at Sunlight Mountain Resort. We got Zach checked into ski school, and then we got our lift tickets and ski rentals. By 9:00, we were headed for the bunny hill lift to get our "ski legs" back. After 2 times down the bunny hill, we were ready to head to the top to ski down the Ute, a 2.5 mile green run. It was a gorgeous view from the top of the mountain. It was the perfect sunny day. We both made it down without injury and had a blast. After staying on the green run most of the morning, we braved a Blue run called the Columbine before lunch. This run was a lot of fun, and we both made it down without falling. It was groomed, and it's not too steep until you get to the bottom.
In the afternoon, I took a break while Glenn skied another Green Run called the Grizzly. I took this time to try to spy on Zach in ski school. I spotted him riding up the chair lift with an instructor and another student. So, I waited, and waited, and waited... After about 30 minutes, I finally saw Zach and his group of 2 other kids with 1 instructor. He was doing so good!! Zach was doing the "pizza," making great turns, and he stopped when he was supposed to stop. I was one proud Mama!!!
After skiing, we ate our expensive yet delicious leftover pizza. Glenn fell asleep while Zach and I visited the hot tub and pool. The hot tub sure helped relax more sore muscles. The pool wasn't too cold, and Zach sure had fun. After playing in the water, Zach and I played some games: Qwirkle, Connect 4, Yahtzee Jr, and Trouble. By that time, it was 8:00, and we hit the hay.
On Saturday, December 28th, we got ready for our 2nd day of skiing. We dropped off Zach at ski school, and we were ready for the lifts since we already had our lift tickets and skis. It was another beautiful sunny day at Sunlight Mountain. Glenn and I spent the morning on the greens and blues and then went in search of Zach to see how he was doing. While riding the lift on the bunny hill, we spotted him with his class going through the trees. Again, he was doing so great!! We got some pictures and video of him skiing. Then, we ate and went back to the greens/blues until about 2:00. We went in search of Zach to spend the rest of the day with him since ski school was almost over. After finding him, we going to ride up the lift with him for the 1st time. This didn't turn out well. The lift operator that was helping Zach ended up dropping him, and he didn't make it on the lift with us. I think his skis may have gotten tangled with Glenn's. Zach was very upset and crying since he couldn't ride up with mommy and daddy. We met him at the top, and all was good. We checked him out with his ski instructor, and we were off. Zach said he wanted to lead us down the mountain. He took us to the right side where he skied through a little house and then slalomed through some barrels. Our next time up, Zach took us through the trees, that I've always been too scared to go through. Zach did great, and both Mommy and Daddy survived. Our last time, Zach wanted to get some speed. He got going way too fast since he wasn't doing his turns and he wiped out, but he wasn't hurt. We'll have to work with him on the bunny hill to make sure he can ski in control before going down any bigger runs.
After skiing, we quickly changed and went out to eat at the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub. Glenn selected one of their beers, and I had a fantastic margarita. Glenn and I both enjoyed our food. Zach's chicken strips weren't very good, and he didn't eat much. After dinner, we soaked in the hot tub and went to bed.
On Sunday, December 29th, our plan was to visit Aspen for some sledding and ice skating at the Aspen Recreation Center. We started out by sledding on their hill, called "Whoa Nelly." It was a lot of fun. the only problem was with the people who didn't seem to grasp that you should walk up the side and sled down the middle. There were quite a few knock downs due to this. Luckily, there were no serious injuries. The kids and adults were all having fun.
After sledding, we went ice skating on the outdoor rink. This almost turned into a disaster. They have a bin of skates that can be used on the outdoor rink. I found skates for myself, but I couldn't find any small enough for Zach. I went up to the counter to ask if they had a Size 13 for kids somewhere other than the bin. They said that they couldn't get any out of the indoor rink and if we couldn't find them in the bin, we were out of luck. This didn't sit well with Zach, and he had a full fledged tantrum. I'm not sure I could blame him. Zach is 5, had his heart set on ice skating, but was essentially told it wasn't possible. As we were walking out with Zach screaming and crying, a woman came up to me with a pair of Size 13 kids hockey skates!! YAY!! I have no idea who this lady was...I'm not sure if she worked there and got some skates from the indoor rink or if she was a visitor like us and happened to find some at the bottom of the bin. Either way, we were so thankful!!
The skating rink was covered in fresh snow, but it was still fun. They did end up getting a tractor out there to clear the snow. The ice was bumpy, and it reminded me of when I was a kid, ice skating at local outdoor parks in Wisconsin. Zach fell a lot!! We met some nice people, and a little girl let Zach try out her ice walker.
The skating rink was covered in fresh snow, but it was still fun. They did end up getting a tractor out there to clear the snow. The ice was bumpy, and it reminded me of when I was a kid, ice skating at local outdoor parks in Wisconsin. Zach fell a lot!! We met some nice people, and a little girl let Zach try out her ice walker.
After our time in Aspen, we had to head back to Glenwood Springs so we could watch the Packer/Bears game. This winner of this game would be in the playoffs, so Zach and I just had to watch since we are both huge Packer fans. Luckily, they won and we had no complaints for the yelling coming out of our room!! LOL!!
Our next adventure was to go to the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool. We all really enjoyed this. It smells like sulphur, but you get used to it after a bit. The hard part is getting in and out during the winter. The therapy pool was the favorite for me and Glenn, but Zach thought it was too hot. The other pool was still warm, but not to me, it wasn't warm enough for swimming in the winter. I think it would be perfect on a cool summer night. The key is to find the areas where the hot water is coming through the floor of the pool, and hover. Glenn and I noticed that this was the 1st time we've seen lifeguards walking around in boots and winter coats. :)
Our next adventure was to go to the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool. We all really enjoyed this. It smells like sulphur, but you get used to it after a bit. The hard part is getting in and out during the winter. The therapy pool was the favorite for me and Glenn, but Zach thought it was too hot. The other pool was still warm, but not to me, it wasn't warm enough for swimming in the winter. I think it would be perfect on a cool summer night. The key is to find the areas where the hot water is coming through the floor of the pool, and hover. Glenn and I noticed that this was the 1st time we've seen lifeguards walking around in boots and winter coats. :)
On Monday, December 30th, it was time to start heading back to Texas. :(
Zach was worn out and wasn't running around like usual. He didn't feel good in the car, and we were worried that he was getting sick. The plan was to spend the night in Colorado Springs, CO. We thought it could be the drive through the mountains was making Zach sick, so we decided to stop at Garden of the Gods to get some fresh air. That seemed to do the trick. As soon as we got out of the car, Zach was running around like his usual self.
The last time we visited Garden of the Gods, Zach was only 16 months old. This time, he had a blast climbing on the rocks. It was pretty cold in the shade, but it was actually very comfortable in the sun. We all had a great time, and probably spent about 2 hours here. We also saw 3 deer in the park, a buck, a doe, and a young deer.
After our time in the park, we headed to our hotel for the night, The Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs. Glenn took Zach swimming, while I relaxed. When they got back, we went down to the game room where Zach played foosball, and Glenn and I played ping pong. After that, we took some of our games to the lobby area where they have couches and tables surrounding a nice warm fire place. We played Uno and Trouble, and it was a lot of fun!!
Zach was worn out and wasn't running around like usual. He didn't feel good in the car, and we were worried that he was getting sick. The plan was to spend the night in Colorado Springs, CO. We thought it could be the drive through the mountains was making Zach sick, so we decided to stop at Garden of the Gods to get some fresh air. That seemed to do the trick. As soon as we got out of the car, Zach was running around like his usual self.
The last time we visited Garden of the Gods, Zach was only 16 months old. This time, he had a blast climbing on the rocks. It was pretty cold in the shade, but it was actually very comfortable in the sun. We all had a great time, and probably spent about 2 hours here. We also saw 3 deer in the park, a buck, a doe, and a young deer.
After our time in the park, we headed to our hotel for the night, The Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs. Glenn took Zach swimming, while I relaxed. When they got back, we went down to the game room where Zach played foosball, and Glenn and I played ping pong. After that, we took some of our games to the lobby area where they have couches and tables surrounding a nice warm fire place. We played Uno and Trouble, and it was a lot of fun!!
On Tuesday, December 31st, we had to make the long drive back to Fort Worth. I enjoyed the rest of the mountain scenery while it lasted. After that, we watched movies the rest of the way back. 11 hours later, we arrived home. Since it was New Year's Eve, we went to our neighbors for their party, and managed to stay up until the ball dropped in New York City. We thought that was close enough to midnight for us and we called it a night.