While summer is high season in Grand Lake, for us it’s a year-round destination. In the winter there is snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing or just sitting in front of a fireplace with a good book. In the summer, it’s a playground of lake activities, plus everything Rocky Mountain National Park offers. This lake town, located in Grand County, is about two hours west of Denver, and when Trail Ridge Road
As one of the oldest ski areas in Colorado, Winter Park has been welcoming skiers since 1939. My husband and his sister learned to ski here in the 1980s, so it seemed apropos that our first ski weekend with his family, including our 13-year-old niece, should be at Winter Park Resort. This was not, however, our niece’s first ski trip; she’s been skiing with her dad for a number of
I was introduced to the craft beer movement in college where I spent more than a few hours throwing back pints at Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham while attending Western Washington University in the late 1990s. To say it’s been fun to watch the industry grow is an understatement. It’s been outstanding! Fast forward to 2018, and last month, I helped celebrate another craft booze industry that I’ve been watch
My first cactus sighting happened when I was 24-years-old. I’d just moved to Colorado from the Pacific Northwest with my then boyfriend, now husband, Ryan. We were hiking in Roxborough State Park, and I became obsessed with these tiny cactus plants growing next to the trail. Much to Ryan’s amusement, each time I spotted one my enthusiasm increased. You can imagine my excitement when I visited the Desert Botanical Garden
A family-friendly, conference hotel & resort in Cheyenne As a traveler, I am frequently surprised. Thankfully, most are good surprises, as was the case with my stay at Little America Hotel & Resort in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Having ever only seen the truck stop on the outskirts of the property, which is located just off of I25 and I80 in Cheyenne, I had a very different idea of what I was
Growing up with parents who preferred nature over amusement parks meant that I spent my childhood summers on road trips to National Parks in the Western United States. We visited parks like Yosemite, Olympic, Redwood, Mt. Rainier, Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone. These childhood experiences instilled in me a deep love of nature and wildlife that’s followed me into adulthood. I rarely flip past a nature show on television and
When I was approached by First National Bank (FNB) last year and asked to work with them on their #WeGrowAsOne Campaign, I hesitated because let’s face it, banks aren’t considered the purveyors of fun. However, I did know that FNB was very involved in festivals and community events and my personal FNB branch, where I’ve been banking for nearly a decade, is like “Cheers” — everyone knows my name and
Embassy Suites Boulder and the Hilton Garden Inn recently opened in Boulder, Colorado to much applause. I was invited to experience the Opening Night Gala and spend the night at Embassy Suites last week. Both hotels have what I am calling a “Mountain Modern” interior design with a “Wild Side.” The two hotel properties are joined underground by a parking garage and overground by a courtyard. The first thing I noticed
We just spent three nights in Jackson and I have lots of things to write about it, but for now, I’m sharing with you a quick list of three reasons you should book a trip to this iconic Wyoming town right now. Not necessarily number one, two or three is the fact that, despite three local ski areas, winter is off-season in Jackson. This means it’s much less busy right
I grew up so close to British Columbia, Canada, that I joke about being “practically Canadian.” Growing up in Northwest Washington not only gave me an ever-so-slight Canadian accent, it also made me a hockey fan. After all, hockey is a national religion in Canada. Originally a Vancouver Canucks fan, while I was in college in Spokane, Washington, I was introduced to live hockey in the form of Spokane Chiefs
