design finch

Jason and I took a much-needed week off to celebrate his completion of the Colorado Bar exam. Although I didn’t spend the past several months years studying the way he did, I was still mentally exhausted just by the very thought of it. So, clearly, it was a hard-earned vacation for the both of us. We decided to stay home and take advantage of some of the mountainy things that we haven’t been able to make time for lately. After all, there are much shabbier places to spend a staycation.

Hanging Lake is a popular hike near Glenwood Springs that we’ve been wanting to do for a while. In addition to the beautiful scenery, it also makes for some great people-watching along the way. It’s comical to watch the tourists who clearly just followed the signs off the highway not realizing what they were getting themselves into, thinking that they could manage this steep, rocky climb wearing crocs and socks. I feel like I’m pretty well acclimated to the altitude now, but this hike was a lung-buster. The incredible views from the top made it worth the pain, though.

We spent one full day just riding our bikes around Aspen. We pedaled to the farmer’s market, grabbed lunch at Spring Cafe, rode through North Star Nature Preserve, and explored the historic Ute Cemetery (I realize it may seem morbid to visit cemeteries on vacation, but we’re weird like that!).

Another day we went fly fishing in the Frying Pan River near Basalt and caught brown trout (don’t worry, we threw them back!). Fishing may be my new favorite hobby – it’s so fascinating to see the river ecosystem up close and personal. We are fortunate to live at the confluence of two gold medal streams where the water is crystal clear and the trout are fat and happy.

We spent two luxurious nights at The St. Regis living the good life. We indulged in room service and treated ourselves to massages in the spa. The staff found out we were there celebrating Jason’s bar exam and sent up a congratulatory bottle of champagne. I could easily get used to that kind of pampering!

The weather was cool and rainy throughout our entire stay at the St. Regis, so we spent a lot of time curled up with hot tea and good books, although we ventured out of the hotel a few times to visit places like the art museum and John Denver Sanctuary. We also enjoyed a couple of memorable dinners at element 47 and Matsuhisa. If I ever find myself on death row, I will request element 47 for my last meal and savor every single bite without an ounce of regret….it’s really that good.

We did another popular hike up Smuggler Mountain. The panoramic views from the observation deck at the top of the trail are simply breathtaking (or maybe I was already out of breath from the hike?).

One afternoon we played 18 holes of golf at the Roaring Fork Club. We stopped keeping score when we lost count of our strokes, but it was still a really fun course to play despite our rusty swings.

Needless to say, we’ve enjoyed being tourists in our own backyard this week. Only two more days left of staycation before it’s time to return to our daily routines. At least we don’t have to leave behind the fresh mountain air this time!