Thanks to an offer of free lodging and a hot-tub, I recently spent some time hanging around Vail, just like a real live Colorado mountain bum. 

It was peak leaf-peeping season, an event I’ve never understood before. But I get it now! It’s amazing to see how much the trees change over the course of a couple weeks (in my case, between two weekends). Trails were hiked, hot-tubs were luxuriated in, and copious amounts of Eggo waffles were eaten without anyone getting sick from listeria. We played with animal puppets on top of a mountain (I also learned that moose can dive surprisingly deep and run surprisingly fast), I blew my first snot-rocket, and we were mostly underwhelmed by Vail’s Oktoberfest celebration. It’s possible that one entire day was spent exploring a dark forest in search of elves and direwolves, only to arrive at a haunted lake for a fight with a dozen skeletons and a giant ghost warrior named Billy Zane (aka playing D&D).

We also had the privilege of accidentally driving well into the middle of Vail’s quaint pedestrian-only area, thanks to poor signage and traffic barriers that had been removed for a classic car show. Words that came out of my mouth literally seconds before we were flagged down: “Cobblestone streets are cute and all, but I don’t like them because it feels like you’re driving on the sidewalk”. What, my Hyundai isn’t good enough to park next to your ’36 Bugatti T57?

Anyway, on to the photos:

Winter is coming.

Not a shabby view.

Exuberant pre-hike faces. (Not pictured: exhausted post-hike napping.)

So intrepid.

Maybe the elves are over here?

Failed attempt at making an artisanal teeter-totter.

Kids activity areas are for everyone, Part 1.

Part 2.

We did it!

Signage on point.

It turns out that 2/3 of the people in this gondola are more afraid of heights than they realized.

At least you can enjoy a nice view while plummeting to your untimely death.

I’m not the only one with sometimes questionable footwear. There are dozens of us. DOZENS!

Baby’s first schnitzel.

Action shots!

Thad’s ongoing mission to pet every puppy on Earth.

Future album cover.

Talking about triple intake carburetors and ionized gaskets, I bet.

The ’64 Morgan Plus 4: A true gentleman’s ride.

Seriously though, I’ve slain so many wolves.

Colorado is the ugliest state.

Mountain sunrise makes an early drive home much more tolerable.