Steamboat Springs Getaway

It was a long summer of wedding planning, but we did make it up to the mountains a few times. Late in August we said, "We need a weekend away from 'wedding stuff', where should we go?" Adam and Elisa were nice enough to host us at their house in Steamboat and along with their son Ethan, we had a fun and relaxing weekend away from the city.

We took a nice hike with some great views, rode our bikes through town, perused the local art fair, hit up the rodeo and some tasty ribs, and finished it all off with a great tub down the Yampa river which flows through the center of town (a must if you are there during the summer).

Thanks for your great hospitality Adam, Elisa and Ethan. It was a much needed vacation from all the wedding planning. We are looking forward to hitting the hill with you all this winter!

Check out photos from the long weekend HERE
Note: We had a little technical difficulties with the camera settings, so the photos are a bit on the blue side.

Steamboat Long Weekend

See my photos of our trip here: PHOTOS

Adam, Elisa, Ethan, Melissa and I spent a long weekend (Fri.-Sun.) in Steamboat, CO. We rented a slope side condo just under the 4th tower of the gondola. We skied on Friday and Saturday and met up with one of Elisa and Melissa's former coworkers, Geoff and his family, for drinks on the hill and pizza later in the evening.

Unfortunately there was no new snow for the weekend, but we still had a great time and got in a ton of runs. In the morning the trails were rock hard and we stuck to the groomers, but by the time the sun baked it most of the day, the afternoons had spring skiing conditions with soft corn snow and we ventured into the trees and chutes a bit.

We had blue sky days for the entire weekend, checked out a free concert, saw a moose out on the trails, had some great meals including venison burgers, blueberry pancakes and grilled cheese, and enjoyed the hot tub just outside our condo. On Sunday morning, Adam and Elisa went house hunting and Melissa and I walked along main street and checked out the shops. A wonderful weekend relaxing, skiing, eating and drinking!

See my photos of our trip here: PHOTOS

Steamboat Weekend

This post now seems a bit on the old side, but I wanted to share photos of our weekend in Steamboat Springs. A busy week at work has prevented me from posting earlier.

Last Friday evening, Melissa and I headed up to Steamboat after work. It's about a four hour drive from Denver. We took U.S. 40 over Berthold Pass, through Winter Park, Granby, Kremling and over Rabbit Ears Pass. The Aspens were just starting to turn in Denver, but are in full color up in the mountains.

We got to the Tap House on Main Street in Steamboat just in time for the second inning of Game Two of the ALDS between the Red Sox and the Angels. We had some good food and drink while enjoying a Red Sox win!

We got to the tiny town of Columbine late-night and found our cabin in the dark. We woke up to a lost cow mooing for his friends. The entire area is Open Range, so the cows basically have taken over and go wherever they want. Upon stepping outside, we were blinded by the gold Aspens that surrounded the cabin. Anyone looking for a fun weekend in the mountains north of Steamboat and just South of the Wyoming border, should check out the Columbine Cabins. Our cabin was one room with a wood stove for heat and kerosene lanterns for light. There are group bathrooms in the center area of the cabins and a outhouse for our cabins use. Very rustic and quaint. Most of these cabins are over 100 years old.

Saturday morning we hiked Hans Peak. The trailhead is located just across the road from the cabins. Great little hike. We got caught in some snow and wind at the top, but the views were spectacular. Rained most of the weekend off and on, so our photos were not as good as if the sky had been blue, but the fall colors made up for it. Not quite like New England fall colors, but still beautiful in their own right.

We added to our Colorado brewery checklist with the Mahogany Brewery in Steamboat. We enjoyed a great dinner and a few pints of their hand-crafted beers. Then we were off to the Strawberry Park Hot Springs for an evening soak. A must for any visit to the Steamboat area!

We wanted to try out some fly fishing in the area, it is well know for many amazing fishing spots, but due to the rain and cold we headed out for an excellent breakfast ( Winona's ) Sunday morning and then back to Denver to catch the Sox game. If yo have a chance to visit Steamboat, any time of the year, you should. A historic town with a ton to do.

Check out our photos:
Jason's Photos
Melissa's Photos