Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 5

Today we woke up around 7:15, had breakfast (a biscuit, strawberry yogurt, an orange, potato cubes, milk), loaded everything up and checked out, and were skiing at Sunlight Mountain Resort near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, by 9:20.  Both yesterday (Snowmass) and today were places we had skied at before.  It's always good to go back to places you enjoyed in the past.  Amazingly, for the fourth day in a row, we had sunshine, no clouds, no wind, and temperatures from the mid-teens to about 30.  WOW, what a blessing!

Sunlight has three fixed-grip chairlifts, a lot of nice terrain for beginners (greens and blues), and plenty of ungroomed blacks and double blacks to provide a wide variety for everyone.  Many of the greens and blues are rolling traverses or big, wide, gently-sloped runs.  I particularly enjoyed Zephyr, a black, which was the last run of the day (and of 2016!) for us.  It had some nice bumps/moguls and a few trees to skirt around.  I also really loved Heathen, which at a 52-degree pitch at the top, is one of the steepest runs in Colorado.  Get on down a little ways and it turns into a pretty gentle slope with some nice powder, trees, and quiet peace.  My final "favorite" (not that I disliked the others) was a black called Sundown Glades.  Tree skiing is so good for honing your perceptions, skills, and technical abilities, and this provided all of that in a glade with just the right amount of trees.  The end of the run required an interesting traverse literally through a pine tree (I skied over/through it), followed quickly by an 18-inch jump down onto the main trail.  So much fun!

Lunch was black bean-chorizo-rice soup in a bread bowl and hot chocolate at the base lodge.  We skied right to 4:00 p.m. close...in fact, past it.  No better way to close out the old year and bring in the new one!  By 4:45, we had stowed all our gear safely away and were on our way to I-70 east.  This trip must have been for breaking records, because for the first time ever, our entire drive up, over, and down Vail Pass was on perfectly clear roads...no snow...no wind...nothing.  It was just us, a few other cars and trucks on the road (it's New Year's Eve), a clear sky full of stars (Big Dipper!), groomers at work on the multiple ski resorts we passed, and a torchlight parade making their way down one of the runs on Vail to celebrate the new year.  It was the most peaceful, stress-free, and enjoyable drives over the 10,000-plus foot mountains we've ever had.

Supper was a chicken-avocado burrito and water at Del Taco in Aurora.  We're now on our way to a Quality Inn in Limon to spend the night.  Happy New Year 2017...we'll be celebrating by driving home tomorrow!

Looking out from Heathen

Sunlight Mountain, fourth consecutive day of sunshine and gorgeous views

~Anna

Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 4

Today we were up before 7:00 a.m., had breakfast (a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese, strawberry-banana yogurt, lemon-herb potato cubes, milk), and were skiing at Snowmass, an Aspen resort, by 8:50.  It was another clear, sunshine-filled day, although we did have some stronger wind gusts toward the top of the mountain, flat light late in the afternoon, and grass, rocks, and dirt on many trails due to early season conditions.  Temperatures ranged from the low teens to the mid-30s -- overall, another very pleasant day.  We rode a six-pack three times and a poma that took us to 12,510 feet twice.  We cruised many blues and blacks, and aside from the previously-mentioned bare spots, they were nice.  I especially enjoyed our almost-non-stop run from the top of the mountain all the way to the base, over 4,000 vertical feet of elevation change that covered moguls, groomed runs, and nearly-flat traverses.

Lunch was a veggie burger, shared fries and popcorn with the rest of my family, and a huckleberry shake at Ullrhof's.  We skied until about 3:45 (so quiet and peaceful), loaded up, and headed to the town of Aspen to visit and enjoy supper with some friends at Bangkok Happy Bowl Thai Bistro.  I had a chicken-broccoli-rice stir-fry in peanut sauce and lots of water.  Even though it's wintertime and cold, it's so easy to get dehydrated in the dry, crisp mountain air!  Now we're at our hotel (same one we stayed in last night), ready for bed and a nice final day of skiing tomorrow.

I left my camera at the hotel, so no photos today.

~Anna

Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 3

Today we woke up a bit before 7:00 a.m., had breakfast (plain oatmeal with fruit, a piece of cinnamon-raisin bread, orange juice), loaded everything up since we were checking out of our room in Ridgway, and were skiing at Telluride and by 9:20.  We were incredibly blessed with yet another perfectly clear, sunny, wind-free, day...temperatures even a bit warmer than yesterday.  We even saw some mountains in Utah far off in the distance!  Once again, it was crowded but we did a better job of staying higher up on the mountain and had just a handful (out of necessity) of longer lift lines to wait in.  We found some more great lines with soft, sweet moguls in Revelation Bowl, and also cruised some nice double-blues and blacks with great, steep pitches.  I know I've said it before, but it is really nice to confidently and strongly ski this sort of terrain.  It makes everything so much more fun and enjoyable.

Lunch was at Gorrono Ranch Restaurant -- a yummy bread bowl of chili/macaroni and cheese and some hot chocolate.  We quit skiing around 3:40 so we had time to load up, go down to the town of Telluride to take some pictures (and for Matthew to get some new hiking boots we found last night), and head for Carbondale, Colorado, just after 4:30.  The drive was incredibly desolate as we wound through national forests, past a coal mine, through tiny mountain towns, and over a pass.  Even though it was in complete darkness, I loved the drive: seeing the Big Dipper and thousands of other stars, gazing at the silhouettes of soaring mountain peaks, and wondering about the lone houses and the lives of the people who live in them.

Just a few minutes before 8:00, we arrived at White House Pizza in Carbondale for dinner.  My dad and I split the individual (8-inch) Get Your Goat (goat cheese, onions, olives, pears, and Alfredo sauce) and White Way (chicken, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, smoked provolone, and Alfredo sauce) pizzas, which were delicious and unique in their flavor combinations.  Then we drove another mile to the Comfort Inn & Suites, where we are spending the night.  They offer free hot chocolate, white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies, and fruit 24/7, so it's a pretty great hotel in my book!  Now it's time for bed before another great day of skiing tomorrow.

Looking way down at the town of Telluride

Family picture with a lovely background

Revelation Bowl

The main street in Telluride...late afternoon light makes for nice photo opportunities.

~Anna

Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 2

Today we woke up around 7:00 a.m., had breakfast (two pieces of cinnamon-raisin toast, mixed fruit, orange juice, water), and headed to Telluride Ski Resort for the first day of skiing.  We parked in Mountain Village, rode the gondola to the base of the mountain, and were on the lift by 9:30.  Fortunately we had sunshine, clear skies, essentially no wind, and very pleasant temperatures (mid-teens to upper-20s).  Unfortunately, it is the week between Christmas and New Year's, so even though Telluride is remote, there were still plenty of crowded lift lines (especially at the lifts servicing beginner and intermediate terrain).  Waiting 10 to 15 minutes feels so strange to us!  We did manage to find some nice terrain that was more advanced and farther up the mountain, thus escaping the worst crowds.  We found some nice lines in Revelation and Little Rose Bowls, and enjoyed a long, winding, relaxed traverse later in the afternoon that took us past beautiful aspen trees and mountain lodges.

Lunch was at Alpino Vino, the highest restaurant in North America at 11,966 feet.  Instead of the $1,600 bottle of wine (seriously), we settled for $5-per-cup hot chocolate (complete with whipped cream and marshmallows), and my dad and I split an eggplant-Parmesan panini/arugula-blue cheese-walnut salad combo, and a turkey-apple-Brie cheese panini/tomato soup combo.  Yes, expensive, but delicious food in a beautiful setting!

Our first day of skiing concluded with the traditional hatpin purchase, then we drove down to the town of Telluride for supper and exploring.  It's a gorgeous, historic, quaint community full of old buildings, cute shops, and friendly people.  We had dinner at Steamies Burger Bar, boasting "Colorado's #1 Burger" -- I had a chicken/cheese/jalapeno dressing sandwich, a shared order of fries, and a mint-chip shake.  We hit the Black Bear Trading Company and a German shop afterwards, perusing and admiring the many amazing items available for purchase, then headed back to our hotel in Ridgway for showers and bedtime.  It felt great to ski on a real mountain for a full day...in sunshine, no less!

Alpino Vino, the highest restaurant in North America

Beautiful views from Telluride

More beauty from Telluride

Alpenglow at the end of the day

~Anna

Colorado Ski Trip -- Day 1

Yesterday (Monday, December 26) we left our home around 12:30 p.m. for my mom's family Christmas gathering in southwest Missouri.  We spent the night at my grandma's home in Ozark, which put us closer to our intended destination.  Nevertheless, we still left at 5:30 this morning, which was necessary to arrive in Ridgway, Colorado, at 8:45 (Mountain Time...16 hours on the road!).  Highway 50 all the way to Montrose, then 550 down to Ridgway.  It was extraordinarily beautiful all the way, especially when Highway 50 winds next to the Arkansas River for miles.  Surrounded by towering rock cliffs and jagged snow peaks in the distance, it's breathtaking to say the least.  We only stopped twice for fuel/bathroom breaks in Hutchinson, Kansas, and Pueblo, Colorado.  Light "meals" for breakfast and lunch, and some water, were the only other events of the day besides logging over 900 miles.

We did have supper at El Jimador in Montrose, Colorado (shrimp-chorizo tacos, rice and beans, chips with salsa and Mexican coleslaw, water), then drove another 20 minutes or so to the Ridgway Lodge & Suites for a nice shower and bed.  Tomorrow we'll be tackling Telluride, yet another new resort on our list!

The beautiful Arkansas River and surrounding mountains (in twilight, no less) on our drive to Ridgway, Colorado

~Anna

Kansas City Trip

Throwback to four months ago when we all went on a very quick jaunt to Kansas City, Missouri, for a birthday trip for my brother, Matthew.  Sorry I didn't have time to post sooner...college started and life became much busier and more hectic.

Friday, July 29, 2016 -- Woke up nice and early (around 6:15) so I could run, take care of my horses, grab some breakfast, and finish packing before our 9:00 departure.  A few hours later, we had arrived at the Harry Truman Library & Museum.  We had a picnic lunch on the beautiful grounds (tuna-cheese wraps, watermelon, water), followed by an entire afternoon exploring the expansive museum.  It features practically every aspect of Harry's life -- growing up, farm life, military service, failed business ventures, marriage and family, judge of Jackson County, U.S. Congress election, vice presidency, presidency, and life in Independence afterwards.  We saw three of his old cars, a replica of his Oval Office, a 45-minute film of his life through the end of his presidency, and the burial grounds of him, his wife Bess, and daughter and son-in-law.  We stayed all the way to (even a bit past) the 5:00 p.m. closing...it was that good.  There was so much to see and take in, perhaps even a bit too much, but I am grateful they were so willing to open up and preserve their lives for future generations to learn about.

Next, we headed for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, mainly to see the four giant shuttlecocks.  My mom and I are borderline-professional badminton players (really...you should come see us play in our front yard sometime!), so that was very special and fun for us.  We also took a bit of time to walk through a gallery with some beautiful religious art.

Being a Friday evening, we sort of failed to realize how popular restaurants would be, so after driving around for quite awhile, we finally settled on the Classic Cup Cafe in Country Club Plaza.  Upscale yet relaxed, we shared an appetizer of roasted goat cheese and garlic on crusty bread, followed by the Spring Green salad -- grilled zucchini, asparagus, peas, kale, pistachios, goat cheese pesto, and salsa verde all mixed together.  Delicious!  Finally, a little mint-chocolate-Oreo concrete at Sheridan's and bed at our Drury Inn at 11:45.

Saturday, July 30, 2016 -- Slept in until 8:00 a.m., had breakfast (scrambled eggs, potato cubes, half of a plain bagel with strawberry jelly, an orange, orange juice, and water), and headed for the Kansas City Zoo.  Our hotel had an awesome deal with them, so we ended up getting tickets for only $5 per person!  The main reason we came here was for the koalas -- Burra and Coedie, on loan from the San Diego Zoo.  It also happened to be their birthday party weekend, so besides taking plenty of pictures and adoring their cute little faces, we had mini cupcakes, posed for some fun photo ops, and bought koala ears.  Of course, we also enjoyed viewing all the other critters, too, but the koalas were by far the highlight of the visit.  In case you didn't know, they're a big theme in the Kelpe household.  We have five stuffed ones and are always looking to expand our collection.

After an enjoyable morning at the zoo, we headed to our next stop, eating lunch on the way (tuna wrap, watermelon, banana, a Clif bar, water).  Our next stop was the Steamboat Arabia museum, beginning with a guided tour and video, then allowing free exploration of the THOUSANDS of items they have cleaned and preserved for display.  Everything from dishes and French perfume to boots and axes is on display.  It's incredible, and minimal signage allows for a comfortable pace to explore the many display cases.

Finally, we got some barbecue to go from Winslow's BBQ (pulled turkey sandwich, baked beans, fries) and headed home, arriving around 8:45.  It was a very, very fast trip...we could definitely have spent more time.  It was still nice to have some last special moments together before Matthew and I began college, though!

Bess (left) and Harry (right) Truman's graves

My mom and me enjoying the world's largest badminton shuttlecocks in Kansas City

Koala fun at the Kansas City Zoo

Koala, Matthew, Koala, and me!

A real koala (Burra or Coedie, they're kind of hard to tell apart)!

Hundreds of dishes at the Steamboat Arabia museum

~Anna