Sep 14 - Steamboat Remembered

Gosh!
It seems like we just arrived. Looking back on the past six seeks brings smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes. So many good times shared it's hard to recount them, but it's well worth the effort.

Recall that we made the trek up here with buds Charlie and Cindy. What a way to start a glorious adventure. They are special people and we enjoyed every minute together. Here's to C&C!

Charlie and Cindy provided the color-coordinated step stool for Jethro!

We thoroughly enjoyed happy hours at E3 beside the Yampa River!

With a couple days to settle in...next came Jordan and Amanda. Imagine that! They're getting married this month, but they still took time to join us here in the "Boat."  We did jeep adventures and even headed out early to see the meese in Arapaho Wildlife Sanctuary. Can't wait to be with them in a couple of weeks for their biggest of days. Love you guys! Here's to Jordan and Amanda.

There he is...you see him, Amanda?

Top of the world...Rocky Mountain NP

While we were dropping Jordan and Amanda off at the Denver Airport, Graeme, Angela and Heather were arriving at our place back in Steamboat. We spent a glorious evening with Ron and Maxine Reiner in Boulder before heading back the next day. Sorry, Ron and Maxine, we didn't get a pic while we were there.

Back in Steamboat we celebrated Father/Daughter bonding adventures and fun family times with the Peart family. We did just about everything you can do in Steamboat during their week stay!

Daddy rented the Jeep - Daughter did the driving on some amazing mountain terrain

FM Light will never be the same...ya catch my drift, pardner?

Nothing wrong with waiting for a Steamboat Sunset...

...they're well worth the wait!

We consider it a blessing and a gift when folks come to visit us here or anywhere. It just makes it seem more like home (especially since we're having trouble defining "home" these days). Next to come were some once biker buds turned Corvette Clubbers. They rode into town along with a few hundred other Corvette enthusiasts, but were gracious enough to take some time out from the festivities to rekindle some old friendships. I'm referring to Mark and Lea and Chris and Paula. Here then is our shout out to you...and thanks for dropping by!

No better place to catch up than beside the Yampa at E3's

Now...just for a bit of icing on the cake...here comes the grandkids for their Labor Day vacation! How cool is that? Yep, Christina chauffeured Austin and Ryder all night from Peculiar, MO to Steamboat. We had a ball, at least as much fun as you can have with a teenager and preteen, both armed with their trusty iPhones. Seriously, Steamboat did capture their attention and they did the town from the Hot Springs to the Celebration of Kids emporium. Austin was a bit nervous in anticipation of a big role as King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamelot back home. News Flash...he got the part!! Yea Austin! We had an action packed Labor Day weekend and hope Christina and the boys did as well.

Lunch break in Clark after some morning jeeping.

Night Ryder in front of FM Light

For the next couple of weeks, Lizzy and I did our usual Steamboat thing. We chased wild mustangs; hunted meese and antelope, hit the high country trails and enjoyed the cool evenings that characterize this amazing area. That said, we're concerned this may be our last time to spend a summer here. As is the American way...everything comes at a price. And, it seems that Steamboat has sold to the Aspen Ski Company along with Winter Park and perhaps some others. That's good news if you own property here, but bad news if you'd like to come back at a reasonable rate. Our place here this year was twice what we paid last year. While it's nice, it definitely is not like what we're accustomed to in Kentucky and Maine. I don't know how many of you have tried to visit or just pass through Aspen in the past few years, but it just isn't worth the hassle to Lizzy and I. We can get all the crowds and traffic we need back in DFW. The buzz is that Steamboat is just a year, maybe two, away from the same kinda vibe...no thanks! Here's an example: A couple of other places we looked at downtown on 12th street (we're between 7th and 8th) are asking for $10K for a six week stay! OMG! I think we'll pass.

Steamboat nights...

...Steamboat charm...

...Steamboat excitement...

...Steamboat adventure...

As you already know, Lizzy and I love to get out and commune with the wildlife around the Boat. This was one of the best years yet. While we saw more meese up close and personal last year, we saw more mustangs and other critters this go around.

Wile E. Coyote

Hank Hawk

The Harrison Horse Family

The Posey Ponies

The Anderson Brothers

Mark and Morton...the Meese Brothers

While clamoring around the countryside we encountered a plethora of scintillating, scenic sights and sounds. Probably heading the list was the color calamity that happened just recently. I've seen similar things about every 15-20 years or so back in DFW, but nothing to the degree that has turned this place on its side. It's crazy to go to bed one night in a peaceful, serene, green world and awake the next day inside a psychedelic circus tent. I think it has something to do with what happens to the flora in a state that votes "yes" to weed! At any rate, it takes some getting used to.

Yikes!

OMG!!

So what's the plan for next year? Boy...I wish we knew. We're headed out Sunday morn to Crawford, CO just south of Paonia. That's a gorgeous area albeit it has nowhere near the "charm" of downtown Steamboat. The VRBO real estate rates there are much more reasonable, but, unfortunately, the area is just a bit more remote than we prefer. Man! It's too cool to be right here near all of the following:

• Carl's Tavern - best Old Fashions on the planet - next door
• Otto's - Best Pizza on the planet - next door
• E3 Restaurant - Grows and raises all their beef and veggies on their own ranch - across the street
• Cook your own steak restaurant - around the corner
• Rodeo - three block walk
• Little League World Series - two block walk
• Lincoln (Main street downtown and all that implies) - one block away
• Natural Grocery - five block walk
• Art galleries, unique stores, restaurants, ice cream shops, sporting goods - all walking distance
• Saturday Farmer's Market - out our front door
• Steamboat Ski Jump School - out our front door
• Walks along the Yampa River - out our front door
• Heck...Jethro stays tied up for days on end (sorry 'bout that, Jethro)

But... like so many things in life...some things must come to an end. Other things don't change, however! We're still hooked on Kentucky and just can't wait to get back there. We've upped our schedule to include at least four months there next year. Hopefully, Mike and Michelle haven't said we've worn out our welcome, yet. No matter where we've roamed, Lexington, Ky, Fink Farm specifically, is just heaven on earth. 

We've still got several thousand miles to travel before we find ourselves back in Big D. So stay tuned, we got some rip-roaring adventures still ahead including Crawford, Gunnison, Rim Rocker Trail, Sedona, and...of course...Sonoma, CA. But, for now...it's sooo long Steamboat.