This Fall break we decided to find somewhere local using the RCI certificates that we still get through the company, Travelport, we both used to work for. We'd been to Steamboat Springs once before when I ran my 2nd marathon but we'd only stayed 3 days and hadn't had time to really enjoy the area.
We dropped Zulu at her best friend's house - Miss T - whose owner I used to work with at Bethany EF Church. Miss T was nervous at first and Zulu had to sniff everything before she settled down.
It took us 3.5 hours to get to Steamboat and the drive was really nice. Its a ski resort town and is usually busy during the summer and winter months. During spring and autumn, its pretty quiet which suited us just fine. There was snow on the ground when we drove through the mountains to Steamboat and it was pretty. The ski slopes looked like big scars on the mountain but once the snow falls, there'll be hundreds of people skiing those slopes.
The resort we stayed in, The Hilltop, wasn't anything fancy but it was perfect for what we needed. Fall break usually means a lot of R&R for us and we take puzzles, crafts, movies, games and try and relax for most of the week. The apartment we were assigned had 2 bedrooms both with their own en suites. It had a separate open-planned living, dining room and kitchen. The boys' bedroom was adjacent to the living room and had its own mini fridge and kitchen which they really got a kick out of.
We played mini-golf in the freezing cold one day but spent most of the time in the indoor heated pool which had 2 hot tubs at my disposal. Needless to say, I spent most of my time in the hot tubs. I hate being cold and to me the pool water was cold!
It was close to Halloween so we took our pumpkins with us on vacation and spent an evening carving them. Warren had to take over at one point because everyone got a tad frustrated with their carving and in the end it worked out really well. The pumpkins returned to Denver with us to stand proudly on our front porch for the rest of autumn.
One afternoon we drove the route of the marathon I ran in 2003 and I pointed out areas along the route that I remembered stopping at or seeing Warren & the boys at. It was fun to reminisce and confirm that I'll never run another marathon again! The town of Steamboat isn't much to look at but its quaint and has fun stores that have unusual Colorado style furniture or curios.
Halfway through the week we had a terrible storm that swept through the town and I'd noticed a crack in the living room window of the apartment we were staying in. Halfway through the night the glass shattered and thankfully there were blinds keeping the glass from flying into the room but we couldn't stay in the apartment so I organized for a move which was right next door. Although the move was an inconvenience, it was great to move mid-week to a clean apartment with fresh towels.
The rest of the week was uneventful and we returned home via Winter Park which is another ski resort town - the views and scenery along the way was lovely.
