Steamboat Springs

 We arrive in Steamboat and Gary finally meets his Great-grandson - Zax

 Mom and Zax

 

Somewhere under there is Gary's grandson

Not sure who was copying who in the sleep position

Emma

We house, dog and cat sat while Gary's Daughter and family went to Las Vegas.  We did a few really good hikes:

 Spring Creek

 Fish Creek Falls

 From the upper observation deck

We were being watched

From the bridge at the base of the Falls

 

 Mad Creek

Tucson and Emma lead the way

We see our first Elk - not quite what I was expecting.  We passed a couple more in various stages of decomposition.

Met lots of friends along the way

 Looks like we might be getting close to the barn

 Water!

 and the Barn!

 being watched again

Built in 1906, it was restored in 2001

 

Let's check out the loft

A perfect spot for a picnic lunch

and a dip before heading back

Downtown Steamboat

The day before the Downton Hotsprings drains the pool for cleaning, they open it up to dogs for the Poochie Paddle

Tucson preferred the snow slide to the 86 degree water

 Will the real Emma please stand up

The Hot Springs bubbling up in town

The Old Depot, now an Art Center

They do a good job of recycling skis around here

Tucson hangs with some of the famous figures in town

Howelson Ski area can be seen in the background.  

Ski Jumps at Howelson 

Howelson has sent more skiers to international competition than any other area in North America.

It is Colorado’s oldest continuously operated ski area, since 1915, and has the largest and most complete natural ski jumping complex in North America. Howelsen has been the training ground for more than 79 Olympians making over 130 Winter Olympic appearances, 15 members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame, and 6 members of the National Ski Hall of Fame.

The Sinclair station downtown

Named after the Rabbit Ears Pass

The Ski Village on the other side of town.

Steamboat Trail System

Steamboat is one of the biggest ski mountains in North America with 165 trails, 3,668 feet of vertical and 2,965 acres of terrain.

• Trail system: 165 trails, including gladed tree areas
• Trail classification: 14% Beginner 42% Intermediate 44% Advanced
• Uphill Capacity: 36,619 skiers per hour

 

A nice visit with Gary's daughter and family and we are off to Estes Park - vacation is over time to get to work!