Dad Visits!

Finally! I got to show off Colorado to my dad! He was able to fly in for two days and we took full advantage of his time here.
On his first day, Colorado decided to downpour. It never rains in the morning here. Usually, we'll get a storm in the afternoon for about ten minutes, but that is about the extent of our precipitation. Nevertheless, it was raining and hard. Since he arrived in the dark, there was no chance to see the view from my house and the rain didn't help the next morning. With that disappointment, we decided to go explore town anyway. We drove through Glenwood Springs and Glenwood Canyon. I showed him my usual spots and we did a few errands before heading into Carbondale. A small, hippy little town, Carbondale has become a favorite of mine. With the rain giving a brief interlude, we walked around the towna nd stopped in some galleries. At the Forest Rangers Station, we got the suggestion to go check out the towns of Redstone and Marble. They're only about 20 miles outside of Carbondale through canyons and rugged valleys.
After about 10 minutes of driving and a steady climb into the mountains, we hit snow. It came fast through the canyon, the wind throwing it against the trees. All of a sudden, Colorado went from a warm, peaceful fall to a pounding winter. I loved it. As we climbed higher, the snow began sticking to the ground and the Aspens. When the sun finally popped out, it was breathtaking. Everything was dusted in the sparkling snowflakes. The golden foliage was especially bright against the white. After that storm, our only option was to go home and have some wine and cheese on the front porch. Dad took me out to the nicest restaurant in town and then we passed out to save up energy for training the next morning.
We certainly needed that energy. When I walked out of the house, everything sparkled. My headlamp waved over frozen branches and fluffy dogs. Even better, all of the lines and clips were frozen solid. I cannot say we impressed dad with our efficient harnessing yesterday. The dogs were over exuberant from the first snow, so they were struggling against us; the clips had to be warmed up before we could attach the harnesses; and the ATV wouldn't start from the sudden temperature plummet. We did not look good. Nevertheless, when we did get the dogs out running, we went ten miles, faster than we ever have before. They were flying in the cold. I swear the dogs smiled when they saw their breathe in the air.

Snow at the kennel!

After training, we took another long drive. This time up into Independence Pass. At 12,095 feet, the pass got hit hard with half a foot of snow. It was beautiful as ever and really fun to drive. After the pass, we went into Aspen where we paid an outrageous amount for coffee and looked in the windows of really expensive stores. Wanting to spend more time exploring, we drove out to the Maroon Bells. I had no idea these mountains were so close to me, so I was excited to go check them out. They are the iconic image of Colorado. Any postcards or tourist info have a picture of these peaks. They are dramatic, rugged mountains in a quiet valley. The whole area is protected with great hiking trails, so it's an excellent destination. We ended up going for a 3.6 mile hike to a lake at the base of the mountains. I did my ultimate no-no and hiked in jeans, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for a little fun. The snow got slippery and deep near the end, but I managed to drag my poor dad all the way up.

The Maroon Bells

I love the excuse a visitor gives me to explore. Being with my dad allowed me to show off the things I was most proud of and the things I'd really been wanting to see. Glenwood Springs has been voted America's #1 Fun Town, so there's always a lot to do. I just need more excuses to show it off!