Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Christmas in Colorado



 
Hey y’all! How’s everyone? How was Christmas?

Cliff and I had a different, but great Christmas this year. We had our Christmas with Emily, Matt, Lidia and Sawyer last Monday, at the lake. Then, Tuesday morning we left to spend Christmas with Whitney and Jason in Colorado.

This could be a 5-page post unless I consolidate and just give you the highlights. So, I’ll try to keep it as short as possible and just let you see the sights instead.

After arriving in Colorado, we spent the night at Whitney and Jason’s and then drove up to Keystone Ski Resort on Wednesday.

As you can imagine, I was excited beyond words to see snow. And glory have mercy, it was cold. The temps ranged from -5 degrees Fahrenheit to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. But, I was in heaven. We bundled up and headed into it with nary a care.  Whitney and Jason skied and snow boarded while Cliff and I puttered around the area or just sat by the fireplace and watched the snow. 

And lastly, Whitney, Jason and Cliff had to do some sort of climb or hike and since it was so cold and snowy, their best bet was to climb an old railroad incline in Manitou Springs at the foot of Pikes Peak. 

Keystone:




The slopes.


                                                  Cliff, Whitney and Jason







Christmas Day and it's snowing. 
This was the first Christmas, ever, that I experienced it actually snowing on Christmas Day. 

Dillon:



Lake Dillon....this is where we stayed in the summer of 2014 while Cliff trained for his Ironman.


 The first day we were in Colorado this Christmas, only half of the lake was frozen. By the second day, almost all of the lake was frozen.


This is the Dillon Cemetery. You can see pictures from our summer visit here.




Silverthorne:



Behind Cliff is the lake, now frozen, that he swam in for his triathlon in 2014.


We saw horse farms.


We even saw an ox farm.


Manitou Springs:


Jason, Cliff and Whitney about to tackle the Manitou Springs Incline.


There used to be a railroad here for a mining train. They have taken up the tracks and made steps up to the top of the mountain. It is a mile long and a 2000 foot vertical climb. Cliff, Jason and Whitney hiked up to the top and took the Barr Trail down the other side.



Cliff, Whitney and Jason at the end of their hike. 
I could never have made that hike...not without some major training. I could hardly breath at that altitude just walking around taking the pictures, much less hiking one mile straight up. 

Well, this wraps up our Christmas in Colorado. I loved the snow and the cold. I think we may do this again!

Happy New Year!



20 comments:

  1. Hi, I had a wonderful Christmas with all of our kids home along with the grandsons. We made a couple trips to the nursing home. Your trip brought back some memories of the trips that we have made to Colorado. One trip our daughter was wearing shorts. The day we came home the snow came in behind us. I like snow, but I hate ice. Our snow started off as rain, sleet, and then snow, but it was after Christmas. I enjoyed catching up with you. A belated Happy Birthday. Take care. Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend Shirley

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    1. Hey Shirley! So good to hear from you and that you had such a wonderful Christmas. I sure did love that Colorado snow. Thanks for the birthday wishes. Hugs from your SC friend.

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  2. Gorgeous photos! Glad you had a wonderful time!

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    1. Thank you, Betsy! We sure did have a great time. I was so happy to be able to wear winter clothes....layers, 2 pairs of socks, boots, sweaters, coats, gloves and scarves. I could really get used to that.

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  3. Gorgeous pics, as usual.

    Happy Holidays!!

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  4. Your pictures, as usual, are absolutely gorgeous, Laurie!

    I had to chuckle at your comment that you loved piling on all the clothes required by snow and a low temperature. You could definitely live in Minnesota! We're all so different. People always ask us where we go in the winter to get away from the cold and snow. We tell them it's our favorite time of year here and wouldn't leave for anything.

    So nice to hear you had such a lovely Christmas. Happy New Year to you and Cliff and all your family!

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    1. Thank you, Mama Pea! I sure do love winter. It just doesn't get that cold here in SC and when it does it's a wet cold. Now, that is miserable. But, I could totally live out there where the winters are dry and snow filled. Every year, I make the statement that I wish I had a cabin on a mountain with enough provisions to last the winter. I wouldn't come down from the mountain until spring. I would sit in front of a fireplace, knit, cook good meals, watch the wondrous surroundings, play in the snow and what ever else one does in a snowy mountain winter. Only if.......

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  5. What a beautiful Christmas post and now I can also say Happy New Year! We vacationed in Dillon for a family reunion some years ago and loved it! Nobody in my family is from there but the East coast and West coast groups met in the middle! I'm glad you had a white Christmas experience. We had no snow and mild temps and I was loving that! The very best of health and happiness to you and your family and I'll look forward to your posts in 2016!

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    1. Thank you, YaYa and Happy New Year to you and your family! I'm sure your family reunion was wonderful, especially in such a beautiful place. We love Dillon...we're going back this summer for a month. The great thing about Dillon is that it's cool in summer. It will be a welcome reprieve from our summers here.

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  6. Oh my you are making me miss the mountains! Christmas Day must have been magical! Just stopped by to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!

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    1. I thought about you, Janey. It was so beautiful! I was definitely in my happy place. Happy New Year to you, too!

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  7. How fun!!! We spent a few days in Colorado over Christmas as well, and we were in Manitou Springs as well! After we had met my friend there we spent the day in the Garden of the Gods and really liked it. We are suckers for red rock!

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    1. Well my goodness....we could have met up and had lunch. Garden of the Gods is so beautiful. We've been there a couple of times. I see something different each time. Happy New Year!

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  8. Beautiful Christmas Laurie...
    So glad you got to spend it with some snow!! None here for Christmas!
    Enjoy your evening...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Thanks, Linda! I sure did enjoy the snow. Have a great weekend! Maybe snow is on the way for you.

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  9. Wish I had known about that trail when we were in Manitou Springs last year. You got some gorgeous photos. My Colorado boy is happily spending winter break in California with friends far from the cold and snow. :)

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    1. Thanks, Tammy! I thought about you! I always have a problem with altitude, when I first go out there. It takes about a week to get over, so there was no climbing for me that day. But I still could point and shoot the camera. We're going back this summer, so hopefully I'll get to do that trail. Hope your Colorado boy enjoys his break. Looks like the cold and snow has settled in.

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  10. What a fun trip for Christmas. A winter wonderland.

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