Rocky Mountain High!

So I'm still riding high on my trip to Steamboat Springs, nestled in the Rocky Mountains! We had absolutely gorgeous weather (well except for that crazy hailstorm on the drive in!) which ranged from 60° in the a.m. to 86° at midday, then cooling down to about 50° overnight. And it was a dry heat. Being from hazy, hot and humid New Jersey, it was an exciting change for me!

We stayed with relatives and so the first day they took us on a bike ride along the Yampa River. Along the trail we wound around suburban areas, quiet forests, a little bit of downtown Steamboat...

 ...past some art galleries...

...and even took a break at a beautiful Botanical Garden that was right on the path! The ride ended up being about 12 miles long — and for someone who has not exercised in a couple of years — I was pretty proud of myself. Plus, we got to see an awesome cross-section of the area. It was a great day.

We also visited the natural hot springs for a dip... that's actually where Steamboat Springs got its name from. The pools were varied temperatures from warm to hot and some of them were actually cooled by the mountain stream that ran through the area. Harnessing Mother Nature's finest resources. It was very relaxing.

We took a gondola ride up to the top of Mount Werner to enjoy some gourmet appetizers at one of the restaurants and enjoy the sunset over the mountains.

Now I know what John Denver meant by, "I've seen it raining fire in the sky." It was simply breathtaking!

We hiked around Steamboat Lake....

...and up to Fish Creek Falls.

And no trip anywhere is complete without a little jaunt into town for some artsy landmarks, some fine cuisine... and some shopping! In fact, I barely shop local anymore. It's all too commercial. I save my money for when I go away and for good reason.

Like when I walk into F.M. Light & Sons and they have an entire wall of cowboy boots! When I knew I'd be heading out west, the one thing I wanted to come back with was a good pair of boots. And I did. P.S. I'm in love!

There were tons of old signs in town. I just love funky vintage signs. I could have made a whole trip of just walking around and taking photos of them all. Maybe next time.

Oh yeah, and we even went to a rodeo! I haven't been to one since I was about 9, when a bull came rushing toward the fence I was standing on and squished my little finger between it!

They had a fun, funky ragtime band playing while we munched on BBQ and waited for the competitions to begin. They actually lived only two blocks from the rodeo. Nice gig!

We took a side trip out to an adorable old mining village called Georgetown which was filled with art galleries, antique shops, eateries and the like.

They really kept a lot of the old architecture from the mining days and that made this little stop even more charming. It's one of those teeny-tiny towns where everybody's nice and happy and friendly and it makes you want to buy a home there and stay!

Oh yeah, and sometimes we actually just hung out at the pool or on the balcony of our condo... especially after all that exercise. You know the only one who gained any weight on this vacation was my suitcase!!

We saw tons of stuff, did lots of things, and spent most of our time outdoors in the amazingly fresh Rocky Mountain Air. Being at 6,770 feet (and higher sometimes!) was definitely a challenge, but we also took it easy and slow... how a vacation should be.

It was super nice to get away and spend time with family from all over the country that we don't get to see very often.... and Summer in Steamboat was an awesome way to do it. Until next time cowboys and cowgirls.... Yeeeehaaaa!