Joel and Amy come to Colorado

We had company this past weekend.  Joel and Amy arrived on Friday morning along with Mark, back from Chicago.  We went over to Arapahoe Cafe in Dillon, our new favorite restaurant here in Dillon.  I think Mark and/or I have been there about every third day since we arrived.  Try it if you are in the area.

Arapahoe Cafe, Dillon

After some discussion about the length of a hike, we left for a hike to Boulder Lake.  This hike was supposed to be 3-4 hours.  I was voting for a shorter hike since our previous experience had been to double the estimate for us but I was out-voted so off we went.  It was a lovely day and a great hike.  A great introduction to the mountains for Joel and Amy.  Amy is kind of an impulsive woman it turns out.  After we reached our lunch destination, a beautiful lake, she decided to jump in the lake.  And Joel, not to be outdone by a mere woman, jumped in too.  Mark and I just stared.  We did not jump in.

They were freezing after they got wet.

The hike turned out to be 5 hours but that wasn't bad and we had a great time.  We were tired and it was late when we returned to the condo, but I had been hyping a music act for that night in Dillon.  It was the famous Guitar Shorty.  I had never heard of him but there was a big article in the Summit Daily that day and I really thought we shouldn't miss this once in a lifetime act.  The other three weren't so sure but this time I outvoted them.  I'm not sure how.  He was terrible but it was pretty funny because he was very odd looking.  I had to work very hard to get a good photo of him in the dark.

Saturday was another hike.  This time in the Vail area.  We drove up a dirt road and hiked for about an hour and a half to a high ridge that had 360 degree view of all the surrounding mountains.  It was a beautiful, calm day and we stayed up on the top for about an hour having our lunch.  There were no lakes for Amy and Joel to jump into, so no excitement there.  It was the best hike any of us had ever had.  It's called Shrine Ridge and it's right at the Vail Pass rest area if you are ever near there.

We had dinner Saturday night in Breck at the Hearthstone.  We sat outside on the multilevel porch of a Victorian house.  We felt like we were back in St. Paul on Fairmount Avenue.  It was a beautiful warm night.

Sunday brought a quick bike ride up to Keystone.  It was a cool and cloudy day.  Joel told us stories of his adventures in Keystone while in college.  He and his brother Chris rented a place near where we are staying now and spent the winter skiing and having college boy adventures.  Most of these stories, I had never heard before.  It started raining on our ride back and Joel and Amy rushed off to the airport.

It was a very busy weekend.  Thanks to Joel and Amy for the great visit.  I think we all had a wonderful time.