Copper Mountain, Colorado

Shortly after we arrived at Copper and got all checked-in, my brother and his family, who chose to fly through Denver, met up with us. We got all unpacked and set out to explore the village that would be our home for the next few days.

My family tends to shy away from the cookie cutter, all in one type vacation destinations, favoring the older, slightly more character filled locales. But considering that we were traveling with three generations, all of whom have different activity and tolerance levels, we figured a master planned, everything at your door step, type place would be a fun experiment. I don't think we could have chosen a more appropriate place! I can't fail to mention that we also happened to pick a perfect time to go. There were no lines or crowds to be found on the mountain. It was cold but not unbearable, and we woke up to a beautiful white blanket of fresh snow every morning.

 home away from home

cousins!

a motley crew

More of Copper Mountain

Kevin, my brother, and I were able to hurl ourselves down the mountain on several inches of fresh powder for two full days while my mom and dad took care of Augie duty for us. Don't worry, they didn't sit around bored and neglected. Momo and Grandaddy took him exploring, sledding, and romping around the village with them, and of course have hundreds of photos as proof.

Of course we couldn't help but strap some skis on our little adventurer and see what he was capable of. Given the attention span of a 24 month old, we knew that lessons were out of the picture. But I purchased some 'practice' skis that enabled us to take him out behind the condo and let him glide down the hill a bit. He was a bit giggly nervous, but he seemed to love showing off his impeccable balance as long as we weren't too far away. I think next time we may have to let him give snowboarding a try.

naturally when you happen upon a steep, snowy hill your inclination is to push your child down it. 

...and follow closely behind of course!

" Augie skis!"

face plant!

Leadville, CO

One of our favorite places in Colorado is the quaint, historic, mining community of Leadville. Other than it's famous mining history, quirky little Leadville is also known for it's race series that includes the Trail 100 ultramarathon, and the strange sport of skijoring. It's the closest thing to fictional Cicely, Alaska that I think I've come across. Since Copper Mountain is only about 45 minutes on the other side of Fremont Pass, we definitely made a point to take most of Wednesday to go spend some time wandering around North America's highest city. 

my favorite spot

The Long Road Home

Unfortunately on Thursday it was time to pack up and head south for the long drive home. Though not without a little adventure as a fire alarm went off right as we were almost done packing. While Augie, Saoirse, and the other tennants were ogling the firemen and their engine, Tim and I managed to sneak back up to our place and gather the last bit of our belongings. We weren't about to let a little smoke interrupt our agenda! 

 

Almost as soon as we got in the cars, the snow storm picked up momentum. While the driving wasn't the clearest, it provided a gorgeous backdrop for the passengers!

near white out conditions 

Once we hit Colorado Springs, we were all ready for our first break, so the Garden of the Gods provided the perfect spot for a picnic and some rock hopping.

Finally it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful Centennial State as the last of the mountains rolled out of sight.  It's definitely no secret that we would move to that wonderful state in a heartbeat, given the opportunity. We love the mountains.

We had hopes of making the sixteen hour drive in one long stretch, but by the time we made it through the high plains of Texas and into the town of Childress, we knew our best bet would be to get a good nights sleep and continue on Friday morning. And it truly was the best nights sleep I've had in a really long time. August was even the last one to wake up that morning, and that NEVER happens!

All in all we had an absolutely wonderful adventure. We feel so blessed that we were able to make it work with so many family members, that the conditions were picture perfect, that everyone was healthy and safe, and that the entire trip went on without a hitch. August was truly a joy to travel with, so much so that it has us thinking more about broadening our horizons for future travel. 

Snow Day

We just returned from a week of playing in a winter wonderland with my family. I hope you enjoy your weekend while we work on shedding the layers and adjusting back to low-elevation reality... in flipflops.

mountain lover

Poser.

It's no secret, he knows how to work it...