A little place called Aspen, January 2022

Friday, January 7th

Drove to LAX. The kids are allergic to car rides... They've been asking the dreaded 'Are we there yet?' within a FEW MINUTES of leaving.

Once we got settled and through security, we found out our flight was delayed a bit. After getting breakfast and sitting for awhile longer, it got delayed another FOUR hours. The kids actually did fine somehow, and after a gross lunch, we finally boarded. The flight went fine, and we made it to Aspen around 6:30pm Colorado time.

Twas a bummer it was already dark. It was a little stressful driving snowy unfamiliar roads and trying to find a place to eat. We ended up at a taco place called _ in Carbondale. Really good tacos and spicy marg.

Got to the house and omgggggg. Spacious, beautiful, with a grand piano!? The yard is amazing, and there are zero neighbors to the right. The river (Roaring Fork) is just gorgeous.

Saturday, January 8th

[Amy and Kevin went back and forth mannny times about coming, but they finally made it that evening.]

Snow was in the forecast all morning, but we didn't wake up to snow. However, it did start snowing around 10am!

Cliff got us breakfast (breakfast burritos, sausage/gravy, donuts) from Coloradough. The donuts were alright, but the sausage/gravy was delicious. Burritos were better reheated in toaster oven the next day.

We played outside in the snow off and on for a few hours. They loved getting the ice that formed on the riverbanks between the rocks. Also built a snowman! Cliff knocked some icicles down for the scene as well. One of my favorite spots in the house was the breakfast table in the sun room where you could look out at the river/backyard. We did the hot tub while it was snowing!

Lunch: got takeout from Nepal Restaurant. Not bad; next time I'd stick with the Indian offerings.

Briefly stopped at Walmart for some groceries then went on a hike to Doc Holliday's grave. Really pretty, fairly easy uphill hike with great views! The sun came out while we climbed. 

Played in the backyard again while anticipating the cousins' arrival. They got in around dinnertime; had pizza from New York Pizza in Carbondale. I thought it was fine, but Cliff hated it.

Watched some of Dumb and Dumber, then stayed up chatting by the fire after the kids were in bed.

Sunday, January 9th

Breakfast was leftovers. Kids played in the snow for a bit. We're 99% certain (after some help from birders on Reddit) that we saw a juvenile bald eagle!! 

Packed up and drove to Aspen. Took longer than the expected 45 minutes because of snowplows in front of us the whole drive into town.

The town is ridiculously quaint. Lots of fancy-looking people in expensive clothes, some pretty ridiculous. I wasn't expecting the actual roads to have a thick layer of snow. The gondola is literally footsteps away from some of the shops. We hesitated on doing the gondola ride (and I would NOT have done it if I'd known how much it was) but ended up on it anyway. It was a nice view, but definitely a one-time thing if not skiing.

We were finishing up as the cousins were arriving, and we all met at a non-ritzy lunch place, Silverpeak (which had a dispensary connected to it. Haha!). Pretty good fish tacos.

Strolled around town; not a whole lot to do if you're not doing high-end shopping. It was really pretty, but I almost would rather have been back at the house the whole time, cozy or playing in the snow. Next time we need to drive around and see the multi-million dollar houses!

The kids and the men played outside for awhile; Amy and I sat outside by the gas firepit for a bit with our vino. Ada, Ryan, and Cliff used the sleds a bit--there was just the slightest slope in back.

Got takeout from Masala & Curry. I think slightly better than Nepal? Although I'd have to compare tikkas next time. The kids watched Moana to settle down before bed. Grownups watched Chris D'Elia's old standup.

Monday, January 10th

Breakfast from Coloradough. Most of the morning was spent packing up. Boooo. We headed to the airport, and the cousins drove on for a few hours to stay near Denver since they had a flight the next morning.

Overall

Definitely would stay at this house again, though it is pricey. There's so much space! There's enough to do just playing in the yard; would love to see the river and trees in the fall. Curious about the hot springs nearby, and maybe some other hikes/sights.