This past weekend my boyfriend and I decided to get out of the city for a mountain getaway. We stayed at a condo in Vail for 3 days, and it was exactly the break I needed to rejuvenate. If you’re from Colorado you know what a beautiful state CO is in the summer, and if not you might be asking why go to Vail in July??
Lancelot’s for dinner. Vail is covered in pretty summer flowers right now!
Although you can’t shred any powder in the off season, there are still a lot of activities to do. Vail is known as a foodie mecca for famous chefs, so of course we had to indulge in some local fare. One night we had reservations for Lancelot and I had a farmer’s market heirloom tomato and feta salad that was fresh, simple, and amazing. They are typically known for their prime rib, which my boyfriend ordered and if you like meat, it was very juicy and satisfying. The second “special night” restaurant that we had reservations for was Sweet Basil where had the chef’s salmon and herbed butter special, yum! We also hit up some of the bars around Vail Village and Lion’s Head for live bands and local beer.
Riding on the Gondola to have a beer at the top of Vista Bahn.
After all those yummy indulgent meals, it was definitely time for me to burn some cals! My favorite way to be active is to find an activity that you enjoy- for me it’s hiking. I love being outside away from the normal stress of life/work/etc. (although my cell phone had great reception the entire time…so there goes that theory!). We decided to conquer Booth Creek Trail this weekend, and it did not disappoint.
Odds were not on our side when we arrived at the trail head. It was nearly noon (I was on vacation…I get to relax in the AM, right??!) and there were huge gray storm clouds looming overhead. Great. Ed was ready to throw in the towel already, but I insisted that we needed to get out and do something. So, onward we moved. About 2 miles up the trail are really beautiful waterfalls, so that was our starting goal. This was easier said than done. The trail was steep and very challenging, I had to keep up the morale for both of us. Alas, we made it to the water falls, took a break, and fueled up with some protein bars and water. Someone at this point told us about a scenic lake that was just about 2 more miles up the trail. So, at this point I said we needed to go up there. It was hard. It was really hard, and we were both drained. About 2.5 miles up, still searching for this lake, someone coming down tells us that it is actually another 3 miles from that point. Well, with no food or water left, energy low, and those storm clouds still following us, we decided that it was time to turn around. Going down was pretty easy, although we did have to sprint for about 5 minutes to the car because those clouds finally decided to drench us. Sitting in the car I was wet, exhausted, and completely happy because it was such a great hike! I definitely recommend it if you are in the area. We did a total of 8 miles and next time I would plan on doing the full hike to the lake.
We made it to the top of the waterfalls! 🙂
These kinds of vacations (or staycations) are my favorite because you get to see things in your state that you wouldn’t normal take the time to explore. Also, if I can combine good food and something active outdoors, then I’m in!
jules health rules 