‘I have been to the top of the mountain. And it was good’

Forgive me for quoting TV’s “Butthead,” but I spent the weekend in a posh little town in the Colorado Rockies. And to say that sometimes life drags you straight to rock bottom, but it also restores you to better than where you were before — even so far as catapulting you to the top of the mountain — is an understatement. But a pleasant one. 🙂

I’ll keep it brief, as I should have gotten home 19 hours ago but had the joy of being grounded at the airport for several hours there and then by the time I got to my layover in Minnescrota, I missed my connection to D.C. and had to spend the night at a Holiday Inn in the Twin Cities at the “distressed passenger” rate.

Worse, though — I spent the night five minutes from the Mall of America and didn’t get to go. *waah!* Bastards — they rescheduled my Sunday night flight to 10:25 a.m. today (and it left at 10:45, but at this point, what’s another 20 minutes when you’re already a DAY late?!?!) — you don’t get to pick your new return flight. 🙁

In any event, (while in Colorado) I took tons of photos, which I hope will turn out. I also supplemented them with camera phone shots, which blow but hey, who gives a shit? Because, as I can now say, “Well, yes, I jetted over to Aspen for the weekend. …” 😉

MY FAVORITE PHOTO

This is of one of the four hot tubs in the courtyard of my hotel. No, I wasn’t in it *drat* — it was a mere 30 degrees that night, which the locals said was warm!

A VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN

A funny story goes with this one. I heard that those of us not brave enough to strap on a pair of skis could ride to the top of the mountain and admire the town.

So, I bought my ticket for what they called a “gondola” ride (the gondola being the enclosed cabin that takes you to the peak, which these folks are in line for), got up to said point where I snapped the photo, and freaked the hell out. Holy heights! I wasn’t even so scared of the ascent as much as the descent, so I figured I’d save the medics the trouble of trying to revive my potentially cold, rotting carcass. They very nicely refunded my ticket price.

For once in my life, I don’t mind so much the view from the bottom.

A VIEW FROM MY ROOM AT DAYBREAK

That’s an ice rink over there to the far right, although the streets in town themselves doubled for one, as merchants only de-iced their storefronts and left the parking lots/curbs more treacherous than the slopes themselves.

I’m a prissy girl — I wear DRESS BOOTS, not SNOW BOOTS — these particular boots are NOT made for walking!!! And a gal in my hotel in Minneapolis complimented my footwear, so that made it all worthwhile. 😉

WHERE I SPENT MOST OF MY FREE TIME

When I wasn’t taking baby steps through the cobblestone walkways of town, I hung out at this fireplace in the lobby. It’s impossible to tell, but the fire is a-cracklin’ and every order from the bar comes with a complimentary wrought-iron and glass serving dish full of dried cranberries, mixed nuts and wasabi peas. I took a journal and wrote my widdle heart out here.

I can only hope that the photos from my $25 disposable camera (bought on-site in a Starwood hotel. Go figure. They sell at Wal-Mart for a third of that) of the skyline turn out better. Because I never saw a sky so blue as the one in Colorado (well, before that six inches of snow dumped exactly five minutes after I arrived at the airport that accumulated in four hours — before that, the tarmac was DRY).

In any event, lots more stories to tell, but I’m slightly exhausted — yet deliriously happy. I guess I’m living proof that, if you put up with enough suckage in life, the moments of reward are magnificent. 😉

10 Responses to ‘I have been to the top of the mountain. And it was good’

  1. Tiff :

    Darling, you NEED a Flickr account. They’re free. 😀

  2. Erica :

    Ooh, new template. Guess I haven’t been over here in a while.

    Glad you enjoyed your trip. I don’t think I knew you were going. Did I miss something?

    Also, ditto on Flickr.

  3. Goddess Dawn :

    I actually do have one — I never thought to use it. Consider it done. Thanks for the reminder, ladies!

  4. Amy :

    You have a Flickr account and didn’t tell us?! For shame. 🙂

    Sounds like you had all kinds of fun on your Western jaunt.

    You must come visit me here in the land of deep fried sushi. Whee!

  5. Princess Cat :

    Oh, we really must swap photos… Vail, CO was my little get away spot for a couple of years whilst still young enough to accompany Pops on business trips there.

  6. Isabel :

    Man, it looks cold there. But the hotel looks super nice. Good for you!

  7. Tiff :

    Okay, but you have still failed to provide us the username of your flickr account so we can subscribe to the photo feed, silly Dawn.

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