On the Slopes with Family in Colorado

It was a milestone for us - particularly me. Our weekend in Colorado was the first time on the slopes with Dad, Julie, Connie, and Les. We had both been looking forward to snowboarding with them for quite some time, as it was only legend and hear-say regarding my father’s skills on skis. It was everything I thought it would be: dad was adorable in googles, he only held up the ski lifts three times, Connie and Julie were experts, and Jamie and I regretted not buying butt pads (the falls got pretty bloody, but not literally, thankfully). The main surprises were that Les turned out to be our shopping buddy, and Julie can dominate any card game with her secret cocktail drink.

The day after hitting the slopes we went snow shoeing. This was a first, and it was a beautiful first. The mountain was not challenging enough for Jamie, so she started going off road and climbing any rock covered with snow. We made mini snow people as well, and battled the altitude - induced headaches with peppermint schnapps hot chocolate. Nights were by the fireplace, trading stories and eating empanadas. Teaching Les and Connie and new card game proved to be difficult, and yet they creamed us in the end. And Les, whose birthday was the day we left, got a break from cooking and we all had a beautiful lunch at Devil’s Thumb Ranch - an upscale cottage hotel/restaurant in the beautiful hillsides and meadows near Winter Park.

We left shortly after Devil’s Thumb Ranch, and took the scenic train back to Denver. The ride was two hours through the mountains, and it was a beautiful way to see the Rockies. We saw giant boulder cliffsides, streams and ravines, and the winding train that dipped through valleys. While snowboarding in Colorado proved to be treacherous and difficult, it was a joy to be there, and it was even better to be on the slopes with family.