Skiing in Colorado
January 2005 |
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Riding the
chairlift to the top of the world
An exhilarating
experience
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The Great Sand
Dunes National Monument
The snow cover
only enhances its already unique character |
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Our trip to Colorado was a skiing vacation and an
opportunity to visit with our friends, Sandy and Pete who live in Buena
Vista. I have known Pete for thirty-seven years when we first met during
our time with the U. S. Navy. Pete and Sandy had in the past joined us at
other skiing resorts, where Pete would take to the slopes with me, while
Lila and Sandy would visit with each other. This was the first time,
however, that we stayed with them in Colorado, having heard so much about
their life in Buena Vista, a small town surrounded by the Collegiate
Peaks.
The Collegiate Peaks
are located in a wilderness that covers
almost 160,000 acres with four of the peaks
named.... Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Oxford (there are also other peaks in
the wilderness) all reaching over 14,000 feet and running
along a 40 mile stretch of the legendary
Continental Divide. These mountains provide spectacular alpine scenery that
is characterized by numerous cirques and lakes, deep valleys along with the
lofty peaks.
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The view from
Buena Vista
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These magnificent
peaks reach up to the sky and can be seen from almost every direction...
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Pete and I did five days of skiing at
Cooper, Monarch and Copper Ski Resorts, all within about an hour�s drive
from Buena Vista.
Cooper is a small ski facility, but was the training home of the famed U.S.
Army�s Tenth Mountain Division and it is located near the historic mining
town of Leadville, Colorado. Monarch, a somewhat larger ski facility is in
the mountains near Salida, Colorado. The Copper Ski Resort is a very large
(2,433 acres) site, with 125 trails and
an impressive 2,601 foot vertical. |
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The many runs
at Monarch ski resort |
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Pete on the
slopes and ready to ski |
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One day we drove to
Leadville, Colorado ...a city which had a population of about 16,000 people
way back in the 1880s when mining was the major source of commerce, but
today the population has shrunk to approximately 3,500 people and now
depends on tourism for its livelihood.
While in
Leadville, we did visit the
National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum, which
is a monument to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the
discovery, development and processing of our nation's natural resources.
Buena Vista
is close to Salida, Colorado which we also visited ...an area that was
originally settled by the Ute Indians, for whom many of the local mountain
peaks are named. Salida is bordered on all sides by mountains which have a
profound effect on its climate. Average snowfall in the valley is 50 inches,
while in the surrounding mountains the local ski area (Monarch Ski Resort)
boasts an annual snowfall of 400 inches or more. Annual rainfall in the
valley is only 10 to 12 inches and residents see 330 days of sunshine with
humidity in the 20 to 30 percent range...anybody have a problem with that? |
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One day we
planned to
have lunch in
Crestone,
Colorado, a small village which
is nestled in the
pines at the base of
Kit Carson Mountain,
on the east edge of the
San
Luis
Valley. Crestone and the surrounding area has a population of 900-1000
people who live in this beautiful setting, which has many spiritual centers
espousing yoga training, massages and other varying doctrines and
disciplines. |
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My
favorite day trip out of Buena Vista was a visit to the Great Sand Dunes
which is a National Park Service monument in the San Luis Valley. It is the
tallest sand dunes in North America ...up to 750 feet and it covers over
thirty square miles. They are simply magnificent and oddly out of place in
the high altitude San Luis Valley of the Colorado Rockies.
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The last
time Lila and I visited the Great Sand Dunes, it was windy and we could only
see the dunes from a distance. But this time we were all able to hike out
onto the snow covered sand formations that seemed to change their patterns
as we watched their unique natural beauty. It was an excellent opportunity
to explore and be a part of this piece of natural history as the snow
only added to the magnificence of this park.
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A truly
exceptional setting.... mountains, snow and perfect weather
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Lila making her
mark at the Great Sand Dunes |
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It was a great
vacation and we extend our thanks to Pete and Sandy for their hospitality,
their friendship and sharing this vacation with us |
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