Colorado Trip 2018

We are back to milder weather like we were in January. It was a very sunny morning with temps starting around 25. We went to Copper and skied about 2 hours. The snow was becoming skied off and patches of ice appeared. In the afternoon, the temp reached 41 and the snow melt down continued. Streets around the condo are all dry and not much snow cover on the lawns. Maybe some snow for tomorrow. But the slopes need a major snow storm to enhance the conditions.  

It was a wonderful day. The morning started a little milder but quickly rose into the 20s by 10am and then topped off in the mid 30s. We went to Keystone very early and didn’t find very many skiers. Most of the ski stands were empty and the only thing I saw were 2 people getting ready to ride their ski bikes. The trails were groomed and the skiing was good. After 2 ½ hours, we returned home to have a lunch and get ready for the rest of the day. With this being my birthday week, we went to the Dam Brewery for drinks, food and a birthday cake. The usual locals were there and they sang Happy Birthday. It was a wonderful evening.

Overnight we received another coating of snow. Temps were around 10 degrees at 9am and warmed to 20 degrees by 12 noon. After mass, we went to a local restaurant and had bagels and coffee. In the afternoon we made arrangements to meet some friends at the Sauce restaurant to listen to music by our friend Steve. He played from 3pm to 5pm, and we had happy hour drinks and appetizers. In the evening it was all about watching the closing Olympic ceremonies. The 2 ½ weeks of events went very quickly. Now we can’t wait for the parade for the 2 snowboarders that won medals. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little warmer.

It was a cold and snowy morning. Temp was around 7 degrees with a coating to an inch of new snow. The sun came out around 10am but it didn’t warm things up very much. After breakfast, we went to the local food store to stock on groceries for the weekend. We then made arrangements to meet some of our friends at another NEW brewery in Breckenridge – The Broken Compass. This is a dog friendly brewery that allows you to bring food. We ordered pizza from Windy City restaurant and we all brought chips with us. We had lunch around 12 noon but by 1:30pm, skiers from the resorts started to come in and the place became very crowded. We left shortly after that and decided to take a ride into town. Since it was the weekend, it was crowded and there was no place to park. So we returned home and took Benny for a walk by the lake. At dinner time, we weren’t very hungry. We decided to just go to a fast food chain to get something to eat. Tomorrow we are suppose to get a little more snow with co...

Another typical January (February) day, with temps near zero and total sunshine. It should be starting to get warmer in the morning by now. We started early and went to Copper. We arrived around 9:30 and found the parking lot nearly full. Not a good sign. At East Village , the ticket and rental lines were all backed which was another indication that it was going to be a crowded day. Getting off the first lift we quickly tried to get to the Timberline lift hoping it wouldn’t be as crowded. We were wrong. Our next step we went to Union Bowl, again hoping to try and avoid the crowds. While we were right, skiing at the top of the bowl proved challenging because of the cold and WIND.   Coming out of the bowl, we encountered a pack of about 20 snowboarders. We quickly moved out of their way and watched as they zig zaged in and out of the trees. I think the Olympics will bring a new breed of snow boarders and the tricks they will attempt. After about 2 hours, we found the crowds too ...

Woke up this morning to very light snow and temp around 10 degrees. We waited until the snow had stopped around 9am and went to Keystone. The weather and the light got better so the skiing wasn’t too bad. The snowboard park was being groomed for this weekend’s Special Olympics. However, around 12 noon, the snow moved back in and we left around 1pm. All and all, it was a good ski day. When we turned on the TV at home, they were showing a 30 car pile up on rt 470. Apparently, there was a lot more snow in Denver than in the mountains. Total accumulations in the mountains, was less than 1 inch. More snow over the weekend is expected

I think weather patterns have changed. The last few days in NJ, it has been in the seventies, while we have started the day near zero or below. In the afternoon the temps have climbed only into the low 30s. It now feels like January weather without the heavy snow. The forecast calls for continued cold temps with a chance of light snow thru Monday. This morning we waited until the temp got above 10 degrees and then went to Copper. The cold must have kept a lot of people home. We were able to ski for about 1 ½ hours in total sunshine and then went home for lunch. In the evening we went to Bagalis in Frisco for happy hour. Great ½ price beers, appetizers and pizza. They offer happy hour at the bar and a community table which handles about 20 people. I would highly recommend this place. Hope for sunshine tomorrow.

Well we didn’t get the snow storm. In Dillon we got maybe 1 inch of snow while the mountains got 3-4 inches. However, the morning was sunny but very cold – (1 degree).   The little snow we did received covered up all the ice in the parking lots and made walking a lot better. We went to Copper Mtn and along the Dillon Dam road I noticed a small rock slide that had been moved off the roadway earlier. I didn’t hear of any reports of cars being hit but this may be the start of something bigger. Skiing at the resort was good. All of the weekend crowds were gone. But by noon time, the wind had picked up and combined with the low temps, we left for home. In the evening, we went to the Dam Brewery for happy hour and to say goodbye to Dennis who comes from Wales . He skied all 13 days he was here. I guess he got his money’s worth. Returning home for dinner, the temps were already in the low single digits and they were expected to drop below zero by the morning.

We woke up this morning to a much different weather forecast. There was a winter weather advisory in effect for our area beginning at 12 noon for 6-12 inches of snow. The only indication early in the morning was the high winds. They were gusting to 40 mph. We thought that we might get in a few hours of skiing before the snow began and we went to Copper Mtn. We were wrong. When we arrived, the snow had begun and the wind continued to gust over 40 mph. So instead of skiing, we decided to have breakfast again. We went to a shop that made mini-donuts to order. After having a hot chocolate with the donuts we returned home. In the afternoon, I went to the Rec center and enjoyed the hot tub. By late afternoon, the wet snow continued. Maybe we will get the 6-12 inches of snow by tomorrow. The interesting thing is that it is colder in Denver ( 9 degrees) than in the mountains (35 degrees).

Today was a carbon copy of yesterday, sunny and mild with gusty winds. After mass, we went to North Lake to watch the finals of the Pabst Pond Hockey tournament. There were 10 teams left to fight it out for the championship. We watched for about 1 hour then went home to have lunch. Temps were quickly rising and by 1pm, it was 48 degrees. There was a lot of snow melt. Later in the day, we drove down to Georgetown to hopefully watch car racing on the lake. However, when we got there, we found the lake not frozen.   There wasn’t even anybody ice fishing. So we returned home and went to a new Brewery in Frisco, - The Outer Range. We found out that there is a difference between a Brewery and a Brew Pub. A brewery can only serve beer and allows dogs to come into the place.   Since we had Benny with us, we brought him in and he met several other dogs and they all got along. We had a couple of beers and returned home to have dinner. Tomorrow is suppose to be another mild day. ...

While it was a beautiful morning with mild temps, the winds were gusting at 30-40 mph. The wind made it feel very cold. After breakfast, we took Benny to the kids sled hill to watch the children come down. Benny didn’t like the wind so it was a short visit. On our way back, we stopped at the Keystone Resort and saw the crowds of skiers. All 3 parking lots were totally filled including the North parking lot which is 2 miles from the resort. Signs were up telling people to try and come to the resort via public transportation. After lunch, we went to Copper Mtn to check the crowds there and it was more of the same. We got there around 3pm and the Subaru Winterfest was well underway. They had several bands playing right on the trails with hundreds of people jumping to the music. I don’t think we have ever seen so many people. Glad we didn’t ski again today. With the weather report for sunny skies and mild temps tomorrow, I am sure the crowds may only get worse.

Overnight a cold front came in bringing several inches of fresh power and very cold temps. At 8am, it was zero degrees but no wind. By 9am, with the sun above the mountains, it warmed to 5 degrees. With the start of President’s week, we went early to Copper Mtn. but it wasn’t early enough. They were opening the Far East parking lot, which is across the highway, to handle the overflow of cars. As we arrived in the village, hundreds of people were lined up for tickets and rentals. At this point, we knew it wasn’t going to be a good ski day. While the snow was great, all of the skiers thought they were experts and could stop on a dine. The Union Creek and Timberline lifts were overflowing with people waiting to get on, with lift times exceeding 10 minutes. We took a couple of runs and then settled on watching the events in Center Village which was hosting the Subaru Winterfest. You could look at all of the latest models and even take a mountain bike out for a spin. It will be a V...

It was a very snowy day today and became a day of rest. No skiing for us, only local chores and food shopping. Total snowfall was very light and wet. Temps were in the low 30s all day. Hopefully the mountains received a greater accumulation and more of a power snow. Weather for tomorrow calls for sunny skies and low 20s temps. It should make for a better ski day. Tomorrow is the start of Presidents week and there should be plenty of people on the slopes

Today was one of the warmest days so far. It was sunny and mild in the morning and at 8am, it was already 32 degrees. We went to Copper and found the slopes to ourselves. People may have went to the annual Loveland Ski area event where you can get married or renew your vows. Around 12 noon, we saw 4 people on snow bikes getting ready to go down the Windsong trail. We went the other way to make sure we stayed out of there way. It was a happy Valentines Day ski day. In the evening we went to Pug Ryans for dinner.

It was another sunny and mild morning. Temps were around 20 degrees. We went to Copper and found good conditions. At the base house, we found Coke Cola charging stations that allow you to charge all of your devices free of charge. The snow on the trails continues to be a lot better than last week. You still need to be aware of ice and bare patches though. We again had lunch at the BBQ place where we found many more people having lunch. After lunch we returned home, changed our clothes and went to the Frisco Senior center to watch the awards ceremony for the over 50 Senior Olympics. Two of our friends, Mike and Midge, both won 5 medals. Remember tomorrow is Valentines Day

The BIG news today is that the town of Silverthorne has changed their name to Goldthorne in honor of Red Gerard. Red is the local hero that won Olympic gold in the men’s snowboard slopestyle. I am sure the town will do more for him when he returns. The day started out overcast with temps in the low teens. We went to Copper where we found very white conditions on the trails and very windy. We skied for about 2 hours and called it a day. In the evening we went to the Dam to meet some friends and get ready for the start of the Fat Tuesday activities. Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and mild day.

It was a beautiful morning. While temps were around 2 degrees, the snow plows were out clearing the streets and sidewalks. After mass, we had breakfast at one of the local restaurants and then got ready to go snow shoeing at the Keystone Nordic center. We only intended to snow shoe for about 1 hour but we made a wrong turn at the top of the course and we snow shoed for 2 ½ hours. We went thru trees and very narrow paths to get down. When we returned to the base camp, we were exhausted. After resting up for 30 minutes, we made our way to the Sauce Restaurant for happy hour. Those beers and wines felt very good. They also had music at the restaurant. After happy hour, we returned home and watched the Olympics on the couch. Hope for another great day tomorrow.

Well it snowed all day today. Total snowfall was between 8-10 inches, so there wasn’t much we could do. The only ones going skiing were the visitors. When I asked them how it was, they said the visibility was limited and lift lines very long. The good news for us is that we don’t ski on the weekend and hopefully by Monday the snow will be all groomed in and conditions will be better. In the afternoon, we went for a walk in the snow and the only one who enjoyed it was BENNY. He has really become a snow dog. He enjoys rolling around in it. By the evening hours, the snow had stopped and the temps started to drop. Lows are expected to be around zero.

The day started with overcast but again mild conditions. With Friday now being the start of the weekend, we went to Copper early to try and beat the crowds. Little did we know that Copper was hosting several Special Olympics events in the East Village section of the mountain.   However, we found several lifts that weren’t crowded and we stayed in that area. We finished up around 12:30pm and had lunch at the BBQ place in Central Village . Outside the restaurant, they have a slide that you can ride on the new Roller Coaster. It’s a 2 passenger slide. After lunch we left to go home and get ready to go over our friend’s house for dinner and watch the Olympic ceremonies. When we were leaving, it started to snow. Hopefully the snow will continue thru the night and tomorrow.