Anniversary Trip - Vail Mountain

On our last day in Vail, we woke up to lots of sunshine and crisp cool air.  The weather was gorgeous and we did not want to leave.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay in Vail forever (who could afford to?), so we eventually had to pack our bags and load the car and leave our beautiful little suite with the fireplace.  So so sad. :( 

We purposely booked a late flight out of Denver that Sunday so we'd have some time to spend on the mountain on our last day. 

We wanted to ride the gondola to the top of Vail Mountain and hike around and have lunch at 11,570 feet!

We got our lift tickets (which included an all-day pass on the mountain for hiking and biking and a dining certificate) and jumped on a gondola.

I was trying to picture what everything would look like covered in snow...I must go back to Vail to ski sometime soon.  (Mental note: gondola 19 has access to dining and greens! Done and done!)

We had to take a picture of these signs (below) because Ryan's father was constantly reminding us how mountain weather can roll in at any moment...you just never know...you must always be prepared.  Ryan may have developed a slight complex from such ominous warnings (i.e. we did have sunscreen, extra layers and our rain gear with us...just in case). 

Even though I love to make fun of Ryan for his preparedness and gear obsession, I know he's just looking out for us.  Best husband ever.  There's not another person in the world I'd rather be trapped on a mountain in inclement weather with (except maybe Bear Grylls...he is SO hot).

The mountain wasn't very crowded, so we had our own private gondola on the way up.

During the ride we discussed what we would do if the gondola broke down or if there was a sudden avalanche or a bear jumped up into the gondola with us...you just never know...we had to be prepared.

(P.S. The Cardinals were in Denver playing the Rockies this weekend, which is why we're wearing Cardinals red in nearly every picture all weekend long.  Unfortunately they lost every game.  Good job Cardinals.)

Vail Mountain in the summer was gorgeous!  All the ski trails were open for hiking and biking, there were horseback rides, an adventure park for kids, two restaurants, frisbee golf and all kinds of things going on up there.  I hate to admit that I did not do my research on the mountain before we left so I didn't know any of this!  Dammit.  I wish I would have known so we could have planned a horseback ride or a long hike.  Oh well, next time.

We did have time to do a couple small hikes right around the summit.  I had no idea Vail Mountain was so big and had so many runs on the backside of the mountain.  Ryan and I were both itching to put on skis and head down!

After hiking a while we grabbed a beer and a quick bite to eat at Bistro Fourteen.

And then it was time to go (boo). 

One more warning sign before we headed down...Ryan's dad would have loved this place and all their warnings.

We shared our gondola down with this little cutie pie.  She was just too adorable not to take a picture of.  I couldn't help myself...I blame my ovaries.

Time to hit the road. 

We drove back to Denver where we had dinner with Ryan's college buddy Chris, his wife and 8 month old baby Eli.  This was one cute baby!  I did not want to put baby Eli down.  Again, I blame my ovaries.

A few hours later we caught our flight back to St. Louis.  I couldn't believe the weekend was already over.  The whole trip went by in the blink of an eye.  We had an amazing time and I loved Vail.  But next year...we're going to Jackson.