Rise-n-shine!
Today's adventure consists of none other than my all time favorite sport: skiing!!
We left Boulder around 7:30am in a two car caravan embarking on an hour long road trip to the town of Dillon. We made a quick stop at Einstein Brothers Bagels to fuel up!
My toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with plain shmear hit the spot.
I took tons of scenery photographs on the journey. Lucky for me I was riding shotgun in Craig's Subaru. We went from the flat lands of grazing cows, through the town of Golden - home of the Coors Brewery and eventually hit the mountains in all their glory. Here is a look at the variety of landscapes we experienced.
Colorado = home of the Rocky Mountains! 
I loved driving through these tunnels. 
I spotted lots of wildlife on the drive, shouting happily with excitement each time I spotted a family of Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep! {Photo source - since I didn't actually get that close}
Eventually the snow capped mountains appeared. We climbed to higher and higher elevations on the winding mountain roads.
I spy ski trails...
Around the other side of the mountain you descend into the basin.
Arapahoe Basin to be precise. 
A-Basin to the locals.
Skis, boots and poles rented: check. The guys in the rental shop were super friendly and made this such an easy process. It didn't make much sense to bring our own equipment cross country for one day of skiing. Plus with checked bag fees, forget about it.
Ready to hit the slopes!
Here are some of the views from the ride up the Norway double chair - climbing to elevations upwards of 13,000 feet.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day out, if you couldn't tell. 
It was spring skiing at its finest, I was able to shed my winter coat after a few runs. And after a couple more we took a mid-morning beer break at The Beach. 
From the A-Basin website: The infamous "Beach" scene cannot be replicated by any other ski resort in Colorado. The Early Riser parking lot is home to a stretch of prime real estate known as the "Beach." The Beach backs up to the three lower mountain chairlifts, snow and great skiable terrain. 
From personal experience: The Beach is the party scene. You bask in the sun, you grill, you make friends and you drink beers. This is what it's all about!! Next we headed up the Pallavicini lift to some steeper terrain.
I had a blast following this girl over the jumps.
We hit big air in the Treeline Terrain Park. ;)
Here is the view of the Treeline terrain park rails from the Norway lift. 
Fun Fact: This is the highest terrain park in North America and stays open until June. (So claims the website!) I wish I knew how to ski sideways over a rail. It looks so cool / fun.
I can glide straight over a wide rail any day. Wahoooo. All those jumps, I worked up an appetite.
Back at The Beach Craig grilled up a little of everything. I ate a Bratwurst and some Kielbasa.
And drank another refreshing beer or three. 
And I met up with another UNHer! 
Lisa and I go way back, she was one of my roommates Sophomore and Junior years of college. She moved out to Keystone (10 minutes away) a few years ago. 
The scene at the beach.
So.much.fun.
This is the view looking back from the lift. I love the treeline angle in this shot, a perfectly diagonal line of evergreens cutting through the mountains. 
With the boarder chicks, about to check out the terrain on Montezuma Bowl. You can see some other ski resorts from this side. That is Keystone in the foreground on the right and Breckenridge in the distance.
Crusin' down the Columbine trail in Montezuma Bowl....
I accidentally covered the backside of this woman in snow. oops!
She's not too pleased. 
Go Big or Go Home. As always, we hit more jumps in the park on the way to the base. On the return trip to Boulder I drank a few beers in the backseat. Erin rode shotgun.
We stopped at the Continental Divide overlook for what else....
A photo shoot.
This was by far the best shoot of the trip so I had to include all pictures involved. It is pretty funny when you can just click really fast from one page to the next and then focus on one person - pre, in action and post jump. You don't truly get that effect scrolling down the page.
Someone jumped the gun on that one.
Note - the beer can in my hand was empty. (I finished it right before the jump, when Tricia warned me I was dead meat if I splashed beer on her.)
What a bunch of whack jobs. On the way home we pulled off I-70 into a historic mining town called Silver Plume. Silver Plume is one of those towns you drive into and state "Where are we?" in a Charlie-esque Australian accent circa season 1 of Lost. (Anyone?)
This is Downtown.
Main St. Silver Plume, Colorado 80476
This is the Post Office (sorry taken from a moving vehicle.)
This is the...umm.....? Please note Santa up on the ladder.
This is some sort of run down garage.
These are the houses.
And this is Sopp and Truscott Bakery. 
A Bakery With Altitude!!
Elevation: 9,118 feet
Everything about it is absolutely charming; from its home situated on the paved dirt road surrounded by a backdrop of mountains, to the single green chair that sits out front, to the antique appliances lining the shelves of the interior. 
All of their breads and pastries are baked fresh daily.
I basically took a picture of every thing at every angle. Outside and in.
I'm fascinated that this refrigerator it is still in working order.
If you live in or are vacationing in Colorado and ever happen to be driving up I-70 to or from the ski mountains, you must stop in.
I almost didn't spot these containers built into the wall.
Here you've got your rye, barley flakes, rolled oats, wheat berries and white rice. 
This place is a real gem. This whole town is!
Experiencing a little slice of Historic Colorado makes me feel all warm inside. 
I could have explored this tiny mountain town all day long.
Bye Silver Plume. You were the icing on the cake of a perfect day.
P.S. I purchased a Naughty Bar ($2.50) and ate it on the drive home.
This is a one of a kind, decadent, ooey -gooey baked bar of goodness boasting coconuts, walnuts, pecans and chocolate chips in a brown sugar filling with a flaky butter crust. 
I adore Colorado! Take.me.back.
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