Back 2 The Mountains Part 1

We have had long talks about our adventure. Most of which were done over the last year. At no point did it sound or feel real. At just over 48 hours into this, it still does not feel real. As if we will eventually turn around and head back north, but at the end of the day this is not the case. This is real. We are rolling the dice. This lingers in the back of our minds. We have been waking up with excitement and wonder for what is next. As we crush down our breakfast, we check the weather. Forecast is, Colorado is getting dumped on with snow! Should make driving across the state that much more fun!!!!

Mile - 923

Quote of the Blog: “The world is big. I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” - John Muir

Song of the Blog: John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

The drive from Jackson, WY to Steamboat Springs, CO is just over 6 hours. It was 6 hours of the most remote driving we would do on our entire journey to Missouri. For a solid amount of time we did not see any thing other than rolling hills, the occasional Antelope and scattered natural gas rigs. Thankfully we had ample podcasts recommendations from friends. We also found thanks for a random coffee shop in Pinedale, WY (which ended up being the last coffee shop we would see until well into the afternoon). But the true motivation came from knowing that we were headed to an element we thrive in. Hot springs and skiing!

Billy had previously been to Steamboat on a ski trip with his family. So we had some knowledge of where things were. Stop number one Old Town Hot Spring. A quick left off the highway and we were there. Our bodies are now sore, stiff and craving some nourishment. Soaking was amazing! There were multiple pools of varying temperatures. We found ourselves rejuvenated from a nice long soak.

Just as we did in Jackson, we did not have lodging booked before heading into Steamboat. We quickly found another amazing deal at the Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown Steamboat Springs (OFF SEASON!). We headed to our hotel to relax for the night, as the snow had already started to fall and the excitement for skiing was starting to mount. Amity somehow was able to score us a free upgrade on the room, which allowed us the comfort of being able to order takeout from La Fiesta Grill & Cantina. We took the time to chill for the night. Billy was trying his best to hide his excitement to be back to skiing after having to take a 15 month medical hiatus. Amity wanted nothing more than to get through skiing without Billy getting hurt.

With the turn of the day, we find ourselves getting back in the car and heading out to the next location. Amity’s contacts were able to give us great insight into the open ski areas in the Summit County area and we have decided to head to Loveland Ski Area. Remember that earlier weather forecast, well now the fun starts! Leaving Steamboat southbound you must go over Rabbit Ear Pass (9,426’ above sea level). Knowing the amount of snow that had come down overnight and the rate of snowfall in the morning, we knew taking our time and driving slow was our best option. The problem comes in the fact that we have different viewpoints of what slow looks like. Put it this way, if Amity drove we would still be making our way into Summit County.

Colorado treated us to a standard Colorado Snow Day. Just as fast as we found ourselves white knuckling over a snowy pass, we found ourselves driving through the high elevation valleys with a bluebird sky! Just because it was sunny, did not mean it was warm. Topping out at 10 degrees it was a chilly! Once we made it to the parking lot at Loveland Ski Area we were both so stoked to get to skiing that putting our gear on in single digit weather was no where near as bad as you may think! As anyone would expect, this is Billy’s mindset not Amity’s. She’s gritting her teeth and being a radical wife as Billy is oozing with excitement to go skiing!

As we rode up the chairlift a lot of things started to set in. April 11th, 2021 started to be all too present in the mind. Billy had torn his ALC, MCL and PCL in his right knee skiing. This would be the last time he had touched his skis, and DAMN IT FELT GOOD! Fresh snow and blue bird conditions played for great skiing. Billy did his best to keep it chill, and Amity did her best to not mention all of the jumps that we not supposed to be hit. Run by run the smiles only got bigger! Battling the cold we had a solid day of skiing! With only one run open, taking 10 runs was an ample amount of skiing for us!

As much as we wanted to take part in traditional Apres Skiing activities, we had to make our way into Denver to celebrate our friend, Amy Zurcher’s, birthday! With our ski bags being placed at the bottom of our packed car, this means we must pull almost everything out. With the temps starting to fall back into single digits, we essentially just shoved everything back into the car with no care (imagine a teenager’s closet). Made for a fun drive down into Denver. If you know us, being cramped in a car after a long day of living rad is just another day in our world!

Celebrating In Denver

Grinding Into Grand Teton National Park