Vacation

Last weekend Archie and I went on vacation for the first time in a year.  We went to Steamboat, CO for a long weekend with our friends Jennifer, Mark and Aaron.  We left Thursday night about 8 pm and got to Colorado around 11:30 pm.  We got to the airport extra early to make sure we gave ourselves plenty of time to get through security since we were traveling with antibiotics in a cooler plus the antibiotics Archie had attached to him.  Thankfully, we did not encounter any issues and it just took a couple minutes longer while they tested his hands and the bottles of antibiotics for explosives.



A burrito as big as your face

Friday morning we went to check out breakfast options near the condo and found a fantastic restaurant called Paramont.  We ended up eating breakfast there every morning and I think we tried almost everything on their breakfast menu.  Here are some pictures of two options: 

Fiji French Toast

After breakfast we headed into town to check out the shopping in Steamboat so we walked up and down the street checking out shops. Archie got a couple of things, I found him an UnderArmor jacket he really likes.  Below are some pictures of some hats we found.

Aaron the Gladiator

JAWS!

We then went and had some margaritas in town that were delicious but dangerous.  It is never good when they limit the number of margaritas you can have to 3 and we maxed out.  We headed back to the condo, had a few more drinks and the guys went to play pool while Jennifer and I sat around and talked.  That night there was a complimentary wine tasting at the condos that we attended.  Afterward Jennifer and Archie headed to bed early while Mark, Aaron and I went to dinner.

Friday morning we went to Paramont for breakfast and then Archie, Aaron and I rode the Gondola up to the top of the mountain.  We went on a 0.8 mile Nature Vista walk which we enjoyed.  I liked learning about the various animals in the area.  Below are some pictures from the walk:



We went back to the condo to meet up with Jennifer and Mark.  Then we went to lunch at Slopeside and afterwards we headed back up the Gondola to the top of the mountain.  This time we decided to take the 1.6 mile trail.  We obviously did not read the description of the trail because it was 1.6 miles uphill the whole way!  But we should have clued in by the name - Chisholm Train.  What I found frustrating was that we were on a road not a trail plus it never told us when we reached the ned.  It was a difficult trail but I am proud of us!   Below are some pictures:


The uphill climb that woudn't end

 

Jenn & Mark




Jenn, Mark, Archie, Allyson & Aaron



That night we went to Truffle Pig for dinner and had a great dinner.  We then went to the house and went to bed because we were pretty wiped out from the hike.

Sunday we woke up and went to breakfast.  Afterwards we were asking the concierge what we should do and we headed to town to visit the "Howler" which is an Apline slide.  We rode the chairlift up to the top and rode down the 2,400 foot track on a sled.  It was a blast!!!! 

Then we headed to town to walk around and visited the local chili cook-off.  We participated and had a good time sampling the different chilis.  Of course my favorite chili was from Texas!  Then we headed back to the condo.  We then decided to head to the Strawberry Hot Springs.  They are natural hot springs located outside of town.  Archie went with us but just put his feet in due to the antibiotic.  We checked out the different pools throughout the 2 hours that we were there.  I had not visited one before and enjoyed the overall experience.  But I must caution you that if you go after dark that bathing suits are optional.

Hot Springs



Archie patiently sitting on the side

We went to a restaurant called Cafe Diva and had the best dinner!  We ordered a couple of appetizers to share- smoked duck rillettes, crab salad and lobster fritters.  For the main course most everyone got the surf and turf which was scallops with either a bison or elk tenderloin.  Jennifer tried something different with the salmon.  We were all pleased with our selections.  For dessert we split the smores tower, let me just say the marshmellow gelato was phenominal.  The meal was the best one and fantastic.  Of course afterwards we were all full and ready for bed.

Monday we got up and got breakfast and then got ready for transportation to the airport.  It was a wonderful, relaxing vacation and we had an amazing time!