Mini-moon mini-stop

Or.... Jim decides to fulfill my life's fantasy, only without the blizzard.
Should I 'splain???

Perhaps? Ok, well then I shall. Growing up in Colorado Springs and having extended family in Utah, I grew up making the drive between the two somewhere around 5 times each year from age 5 to age 20 - and then only slightly less each year since. I am well aquainted with I-70. For years I dreamt of living in Eagle or Summit counties. The thick, lush everygreen forests riddled with aspens that simply glow in the fall. The snowpacked ski slopes laid out like a perfect blanket across the hillside. The gourmet cocoa and fireplaces and lakes and hiking and downright beauty of it all just spoke to my inner soul and the way I imagined life could be.



Only somewhere along the way I grew up, got an apartment, and was faced with the reality that these places are expensive. Very expensive. So the fantasy evolved and was promoted (demoted?) to daydream. Every winter when I would drive those passes I would dream of one day getting stranded in a blizzard so that I had no choice but to pay the $400/night to stay at a hotel in Vail. It's silly, really, but I am fairly frugal or cheap as you could say, and the idea of staying there just because always seemed a bit too indulgent to contemplate.

On this journey however, we were picking up the buglet in Denver in the evening, and wanted to get a start on our drive to the next main stop so we chose to drive a couple hours and then sleep somewhere. That somewhere just happened to be Vail. Cute little Jimmer found a decent deal and then gave me the choice of whether or not to explore the place that occupied my mind for so many years. As I debated (should we just get on the road???) he revoked my freedom to choose under the proclamation that "I'd regret it if we didn't." You know what? I think he's right. That boy has me pegged!

So we galavanted around Vail for a little while. I didn't delve into any of the shopping (Exotic furs, anyone?) or even go out to eat, but I feel that my little fantasy has been fulfilled and I can move far away from the area in peace. Ok, that may be a bit dramatic, but you get the idea.

Besides, it gave buglet a chance to run around and be a kid for a while. This pirate ship playground is fabulous. If you happen to be driving through Vail with children and want a fun little stop, parking is free in the non-ski season so you should check it out. Besides, it's such a charming little place.

Despite that whole fulfilling-my-life's-dream thing, my favorite part of Vail was the trash. Yes, the trash. I can't get past how awesome the labeling is on these. Even our garbage gets to be PC and I for one think it is fantastic.

Kiddo with green hills and her penguin. It seems like such an off-season toy but to each their own. We were after all in ski country, why not live the ambiance to the fullest. Even though this was not a planned or significant part of our little travels, it is one to remember. What a gorgeous place and what a sweet gesture from my Jimmer.