colorado wandering march 2011

colorado wandering...march 5-12-2011

all taken with my nikon 3000 and my 18-200mm lens

taking time off in march is not something i do unless it's for march madness...but this year..i got two condos in avon colorado for a week..i invited my kids & friends ...we all piled into the plane from raleigh and took off for denver...got a rented suv and then headed 120 miles west..we got in very late...day one was getting our bearings, getting rentals and shopping...that afternoon ..we all headed to beaver creek for snowboarding..the mounatin elevation of almost 11K ft....it was snowing and the kids all had a different experiences...all in all very good..everyone bonded ...i got a couple of pics...we then went out to dinner..

next day....day 2...soreness was the laughable word and it was a blast chuckling most of the morning and listening to stories..then a beautiful day appeared and we took off wandering...heading east with no real place in mind...got a map at a tourist info center and decide to visit the towns of red cliff and leadville colorado.
we found out quickly they were calling for  a winter advisory warning...8-16 inches of snow start at 5 pm..so we blast full steam ahead not wanting to waste any time. we found hwy 24 and off we went..kids and i stopping for photo shoots along the way..and several absolutely breath taking views and some excellent shots... for lunch we found mango's in the town of red cliff and enjoyed the local cuisine and view..upon exiting a local said to look up on the cliffs and see the herd of elk grazing..wow..so cool...then off to leadville and see the clouds bearing down ..from just a beautiful 50 degrees to a sudden drop to low 30's in less then a hour...
leadsville was a incredible town reminiscent of the old west towns..and yes it was a old west town......but with the weather pushing us we only took a quick bathroom break..and back on the road back to avon...kids cooked a killer meal of beef stroganoff and salad..then we all quietly crashed...

day 3...woke up to a snowfall of 4-6 inches in the valley and 12-16 on the mountain..spectacular...one kid went to the slopes as he was leaving early due to work....he took on the ultimate  double diamond ride...called.. "birds of prey"....the rest of us went tubing...a extreme snow sport for the old man..it was a intense blast in high altitude..on and off snowing the entire time...just amazing how the weather changes so quickly...after that we all decided to grill some dogs and make grilled cheese sandwiches before a afternoon of wandering to the west..once on hwy 131 we decided to head to the town of state bridge...stopping along the way for many shots as the colorado terrain changes drastically...we also has numerous encounters with deer...seeing 50-60 during our 2 hour trip...we found that State Bridge is a small village not a town and is literally named after the state bridge that crosses the colorado river...a check of the gas gauge proved to be a reality check as it said 29 miles till parking...so a new adventure began..coming back down to edwards to refuel all the while wondering did we have enough to make it the final 10 miles..LOL..yes we did..21.5 gallons..in a 22 gallon tank.. driving back to beaver creek we found a great local hangout called Finnegan's wake...and proceed to have drinks in restaurant before being told upstairs was a neat sports bar...with pool tables and Foosball tables...yes..it was a riot...and loud...and lots of fun...bonding ...why yes...competitive ..yes...thank you kids for a spectacular day and evening! and yes we stumbled home as not to endanger any local or wildlife... i love you all so much...those were some killer life memories...

day 4...breakfast on own..and watching ty pack up to head back for nc and the work grind...today we try new slopes and if time permits maybe a return trip to leadsville...

MORE to come..as the wandering continues...