Travel Diaries: Mal in Colorado

Of all of the placed I have traveled, Colorado – BY FAR – tops my list of favorites. Its absolute beauty left me completely speechless from the moment we could see the Rockies out the plane window. What a place to spend my 27^th birthday!

As a preface to telling you about my STELLAR trip, let me explain why I had such an *extravagant* birthday celebration this year. 6 months ago exactly on my birthday, I lost my mom to a long, valiant fight with lymphoma. My mom was my BEST friend, my only safe place, and the best mom anyone could ever imagine (I know, everyone says this, right?!) But my mom was truly one of the most kind, giving, inspirational, and wonderful women to ever walk this planet, and I am sure of that.

This was the last picture I ever took with my mom.

My mom never made a big deal about birthdays – I didn’t have parties every year, it was never a big, lavish celebration; that’s not to say that I never had birthday parties – I did have a couple! But we really had low-key birthdays – both of us – most years. And I loved it. We got to spend time together, she always supplied the cake/cupcakes of my choosing (lets be real, it was always either a giant cookie cake or funfetti). And every year – literally – she would tell me, whether it be by a note in my lunchbox as a kid, to phone calls and texts as I got older and had a cell phone, “X number of years ago, at this exact time, was the happiest moment of my life …” As small as this gesture was, it became my birthday norm. I always was happy to get that call from her. But this was the first year I wouldn’t get that. So, in order to distract myself from having a sad birthday, I went across the country to celebrate with my family!

I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly stoked my husband and I were to travel somewhere that we both somehow knew would be our soul-state, without ever visiting. (spoiler alert – we were right).

Oh, the adventures we took were incredible. In the midst of chugging water the entire time we were there, because it combats altitude sickness - yes, that's a thing - we really felt that we lived that week. Something about Colorado, its beauty, nature, and abundance of activities to choose from, really made us feel alive. Not the mundane routine of daily life that, sadly, most people get used to these days. - us included; where you work to go home, to sleep, to work and so on. No - this was completely different. We had an insane thirst for getting outside and being active, seeing new things, challenging ourselves, breathing in the thin air, being healthy, and truly taking in the beauty that this state has to offer.

Our first full day there was so challenging and rewarding - we slapped some snowshoes onto the bottoms of our boots and took off on one heck of a hike. It. Was. Beautiful.

Everything you would imagine when you think of a snowy Colorado mountain - deep green, fluffy pine trees that tower over you, capped with clumps of white. There were fallen trees in our path and animal tracks everywhere. I felt like we had been dropped off in some perfect fairy tale land. And man, when we reached the top, and got a look at that view ...

You could see forever (or what felt like it). It was so overwhelmingly wonderful to really feel so small. I think that is what I love most about Colorado. The giant Rocky Mountains, the nature, the animals - they all reminded me just how small I am, and really made me appreciate every moment, and everything in my life.

 

On my birthday, my family certainly knew me well - and if you get to know me (which I hope you will), you will learn quickly that a day filled with snowboarding and horses is just about the best day I could ever have. We went out to the slopes, caught the first lift up, and had a day full of exploring the mountains. It is so different than the slopes I grew up on over on the East Coast. Back home, the runs are short - you're lucky to get a 10 minute run from top to bottom. In Colorado, the mountains are massive, and the slopes seem completely endless. The day prior had been slightly warm, so we were warned by a local friend that the slopes would be pretty crusty. Our first run down we laughed - "crusty" to a Coloradan is still heaven to a measly North Carolinian. All powder, no sheets of ice to navigate around. It. Was. Epic.

And as if my day hadn't already been made on this birthday, we went down to an adorable place called Bearcat Stables. This place was so rich with history, tucked back into the mountains in Cordillera. We ordered drinks, went out to a bonfire, then hopped onto a real sleigh and went on an amazing nighttime horse-drawn sleigh ride. Out there, the stars are incredible. I am telling you, I have never seen anything like it. On the clear nights, you could literally see the milky haze through part of the sky that was the Milky Way. We learned all about the family that originally owned the cabin at Bearcat, and the horses, and what they do today. Once the ride was over, they let us hang with the horses - YIPPEE! Then we went in, where we were served a full formal meal. And let me tell you, it was incredible. Wow. We all fell so in love with one item in particular - the cream of white asparagus soup - that we convinced the chef to give us the recipe! (It sounded like a tricky one, so I'll let y'all know how that plays out when I give it a valiant effort).

The next day (I know, we were busy, busy!) we went snowmobiling - which we were superrrr stoked on. It's literally one of the only things on my husband's personal bucket list. It was a 3 hour, 35 mile expedition with a small group and THE best guide. I am telling you, if you ever find yourself out in the Vail, Colorado area and are looking for an amazing time - hit up Vail Valley Tours. Jeremy Morris was our guide and, man, he was great. He taught us everything we needed to know about the machines, and everything we wanted to know about the area.

We teetered between 9,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level for our entire expedition. One spot we stopped was this beautiful panorama where you could see the front face of the Vail slopes to your left, and one of the Colorado 14ers on your right - Mt. of the Holy Cross. 14, 006 feet to be exact. It was breathtaking. Jeremy filled us in on his adventure driving his Jeep up the side of that 14er all the way to the peak, and other awesome adventures that Colorado has given to him. At one point, when he saw me jumping around in the *deepest snow I have ever been in*, he filled me in that next to every tree, there is an air pocket, and if you find it, you can sink into the snow. So, naturally, I went to find one. Travis had to pull me out.

Jeremy took us off trail, down some incredibly scenic and steep small runs through the trees, down to this area locals call the "playground". It was this massive open space where you could tell snowmobiles go all the time to goof off. There was a snow track you could race around, and in the surrounding areas of chaotic tracks, the snow was as deep as 9 feet! There was a yurt tucked back on the tree line, where we all parked our snowmobiles and headed in for some hot cocoa and a meal. This place was in the middle of nowhere, with a generator for electricity, wood fireplace, a few tables, a couch, and some rad art. They fed us an incredible meal of veggies, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and 3-cheese lasagna, with fresh-baked cookies for dessert. Man it was good, especially in the middle of a day filled with cold air constantly blasting your face.

 The ONLY downside to this trek - we didn't see a moose. Boo. Maybe next time!

The rest of our trip was filled letting loose and being completely silly, with little explorations of Vail Village, Edwards, and the surrounding areas. We did a lot of exploring and checking out all the local shops. Vail Village is incredibly quaint. I can see why people don't ever want to leave. Picture giant, cotton ball-sized snowflakes pouring from the sky, walking around these tiny streets, looking at little shops, bars, and restaurants that are the epitome of cozy- see?! Is it too soon to go back?

Our last night, we took the gondola about halfway up Vail mountain to a cute little grill nestled on the side of the mountain called Bistro 14. We ordered some appetizers, I had a "Snuggler", which my mom had in the very same spot last year (hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps), and thawed from the snow. Once we were toasty enough, we walked a couple hundred yards over to the tubing center, where we braved the blizzard to get a couple runs in. Let me just tell you, those snowflakes were like needles on our faces at the speeds we were zipping down the mountain. Next time, we will take our goggles and gaiters for tubing for sure!

When my mom passed, my world stopped. I didn't know how I would keep going - I lost half of myself when I lost her. She was my person. So how would I ever be able to face my first birthday without her? This trip really helped to kick start my life again - it reminded that this beautiful world is still spinning, and I need to take every second I have and make the best of it. You can either let the loss destroy you, or make you stronger. And thanks to my amazing family, I was able to stay busy and surrounded with so much love that I didn't sit in sorrow on my day. I am so grateful to them all, and my wonderful husband, and the incredible beauty and perspective Colorado gave to me.

And the cherry on top? - with this trip, we marked off our 5th and final item for our Anniversary Bucket List - and with some time to spare! I can't wait to make our next list in a few months and start planning more adventures!


yours,
the pal you'll most likely find tucked away somewhere in beautiful Colorado