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Tripping- Piney River Ranch

10/21/2019

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Tucked out of range 12 miles north of Vail, accessible only by a winding dirt road, is a beautiful spot, the Piney River Ranch.  The ranch sits on the edge of Piney Lake with abundant views of the Gore Range.  A popular spot for day visitors, welcome from 9am – 6pm, the ranch rents canoes and paddleboards by the hour.  Fly fishermen can also be seen throughout the lake and if your kids are like mine, the cold mountain water won’t deter them from a swim (which deters the fish and annoys the fly fishermen as we found out the hard way).   For those willing to stray from the water, there is a 3-hour hike (about 6 miles roundtrip) to a waterfall, as well as 1 or 2 hour guided horseback rides that depart from Piney Stables.   For those feeling like they can’t get enough, there are several small cabins and “glamping tents” available for nightly stays.

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​Recently, at the end of the Piney Ranch season, we rented the Bear cabin.  We meant to take our kids camping all summer, but well, camping is a TON of work….the tent, the food, the bathroom, the everything…..If you are like me (outdoorsy in an aspirational sense) , this really is the next best thing.  Our cabin had a bunk room, as well as king bed in the front room.  No running water, but a bathroom is a short jaunt up the hill (with real flushing toilets)- a small price to pay for the lake view.  There is also a restaurant at Piney Ranch- the 9350’ Bar & Grill.  However, knowing we would arrive after it closes with the day visitors at 6pm, we had planned accordingly and packed typical camping fare- hot dogs and s’mores.  Each cabin is equipped with its own campfire set up right outside the front door- which for us meant right by the lake front.    If you are more adventurous though, you do pass many USFS camping sites along the dirt road.
 
After checking in and taking a short hike, my husband went about making a fire for our dinner (oh, I should mention that the cabins do come with an outdoor propane grill as well, but we were going for as close to camping as we could get here).  Of course, without the proper tools to gather wood, we ended up buying bundles at the ranch store upon arrival- cheating, I know, but we made the kids each carry a bundle to make it a bit more authentic.   It took a bit of newspaper and firestarter (also sold at the store), but soon we had a roaring fire.  Using the grate provided with each fire (I know, less and less like camping), my husband successfully cooked the hot dogs and we enjoyed a picnic by the lake.  Luckily it was dark as each hot dog had a nice black coating from the fire that would have made my kids adamantly refuse to eat if they had been able to see it.    

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We did make the kids forage for sticks for s’mores and after 2-3 s’mores each and a few ghost stories around the fire, we retired to the cabin to play cards.  The ranch is popular for event rentals, and we were the only cabin occupied by people outside of a wedding party.  Luckily, they were a relatively quiet crew and we all quietly bonded over disobeying the ranches’ alcohol policy (no BYOB apparently).  ​

​Leaving the windows open, we all had an almost camping like night’s sleep – there is no wifi or cell phone service anywhere on the ranch so truly unplugging for 24 hours was a bonus to the experience.   After a quick breakfast (we brought a few things in a cooler), we ventured out for the 3 hours hike to the waterfall.  It was a beautiful day and the leaves were changing which made the hike completely worth it.  If you are short on time though, I would recommend sticking to the lake, where we spent the afternoon canoeing, paddle boarding, and fishing after our lunch at the 9350’ Bar & Grill.  The restaurant is in the main lodge on the property and faces the beautiful views of the lakes and mountains.

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​On the website, the restaurant “boasts the best smoked BBQ around.”  Given that there is nothing around Piney River Ranch (and I don’t think our charred hot dogs count), I would venture to say their claim is true.  Not feeling up for smoked brisket or smoked pork, we ended up with some kid meals, a cheeseburger, and a B.A.L.T.  We all enjoyed the meal- in part because we were starving with all the hiking and fresh mountain air.  Perhaps next time, we will try something more adventurous on the menu and test their BBQ claim.  At any rate, we will certainly be returning for the view.

For more information and reservations, visit https://www.pineyriverranch.com.
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How's your Ass-been?

9/26/2019

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I am not the best traveller. I don't like cars or planes. I don't like boats or trains. I don't like strange beds or slowly dripping showers. I don't like friends having fun and staying up all hours. I don't like hiking or biking. There is not much to my liking. But I like Aspen. And channeling Dr. Seuss.

​I also like eating and drinking.

​

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Here are some of my friends. They still look bright eyed and bushy tailed on day one. Actually they are all such forces of nature that they looked bright eyed and busy tailed on day four. Sort of. Once I get their permission I will show you what they looked like on the way home. Luckily I took the photo so you won't be able to see what I looked like.

​Its possible my head was leaning against the wall. 

The first afternoon and evening brought just that. We ate outdoors at The Red Onion. Some of us liked it enough to head back there late night to meet some locals. I hear they were friendly despite having a billion dollars.
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I woke up early on day two to buy pastries. I bought all the pastries. They cost a billion dollars and were sickeningly good. Maybe the place was Paradise bakery? If not it should have been. I was not the only carb-obsessed traveller. We each brought snacks to share. Not many of these bags made the trip home. Particularly because they paired so well with the Green Chili cheddar dip.
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In addition to carbohydrates day two featured the one hike I managed: Maroon Bells. Short and spectacular. Lets ignore the fact that we got there by shuttle and a large portion of the "hike" was navigated with ease by octogenarians. I didn't include the iconic lake shot because I am not one to follow the herd.

​Except literally as I followed the herd around the lake. 

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There was a little off trail hiking over a river and through the woods which were fittingly made of Aspens
And clearly my friends are not octogenarians. They are still bright eyed and bushy tailed.

​And it was great to follow in their footsteps.
 After the hike we needed hydration so we headed the W hotel bar. We are attending to our hero, enjoying his Australian accent as much as our drink orders. Our priorities changed however when he dropped our drinks in the pool. It was a rescue mission befitting the great Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin. But luckily less deadly. It had a happy ending:

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Too sweet for me.

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 The next morning those of us who were sane skipped the hours long almost pure vertical hike. We hit a local coffee shop. Shop local people. Just check the cup if you need a reminder. Which you might before your caffeine.

Then we headed to the art market/farmer's market, the John Denver Botanic Garden, and a walk to look at billion dollar houses.

One of our group calls the Hotel Jerome her happy place. Or something more soulful. That said we decided to pop in around lunchtime. You can do some deep reading about the architecture and amenities on their website. We walked through the excellent lobby, checked out the closed bar and then settled in for burgers at the J Bar. Although I don't remember prohibition I have decided to add the word fiasco to my life. It is a fiasco that I have been ignoring it for so long. Was that as forced as me at Maroon Bells. Maybe.
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Then we headed to a bookstore. Which didn't stock the book for bookclub. Perhaps because when I chose it I thought it was a recent release but instead it was published in 2007.

No telling.

​But look how well my friend's shirt goes with the books. Very well. 
Next we went to buy some wine at Grape & Grain. My friend paid with $100 bill even though she does not have a billion dollars. The cashier said he didn't have it despite having handed her her change. Here are my friends frantically searching for the $100 bill that they were pretty sure the cashier had lost. What a fiasco. This too had a happy ending. They allowed us to leave with both change and the wine. And then called to say the bill was under the cash register. 
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That night (our last one) found us at Monarch Steakhouse. Eat local. Here I followed the martini rule. Martinis are like breasts. One is two few. Three are too many. Except that I didn't actually follow the rule and had three. Hence the un-fun drive home.
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Another highlight of Aspen? The bathrooms! I am not talking about posh bar bathrooms. I am talking about outdoor bathrooms.
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​See that? It is a cage filled with stone like the "walls" outside The Source. It has a standing seam metal roof and flowers. It also has composting toilets. Let's chalk that up to being good for the world. Which is possible in a place like Aspen where everyone has a billion dollars.


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Want to see another one? Well it might be difficult because this one is a cross between cave dwellers and a zoo habitat.

​Although I didn't investigate I hear that the interior featured composting toilets as well. Set in nature. Good for world. Billion dollars. ​

Here's to Aspen: full of hikes, bites, drinks and billionaires. And snark.
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Welcome to Denverb

4/8/2019

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Denver...the place to hike and bike and  celebrate sunshine and the outdoors. As great as nature is that is not the only thing to do in Denver. Particularly if you are lazy. Which might be true for one of the founders of this site.

This site features personal (sometimes super personal) stories of how we are doing Denver. 

We are eating and drinking. We are gathering and tripping (not that way, at least not that we write about.) 

We are also reading and writing. 
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    Lauryn uses DENverb to eat at fancy places her children don't like.

    Anna is trying to crush Denver instead of crushing candy.

    Drew drives from the Springs to dine around Denver.

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