Babymoon: Escape to Vail Mountain

Can you believe I actually left Owen for a few days? Me and the little guy have never been apart for more than 36 hours. But after Richard’s work program was selected to receive an award and he was invited to attend the conference and awards ceremony in Vail, Colorado, I decided (after much debate and hesitation) to tag-along for the trip. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up since we had airline miles to use and I had a free hotel room to stay in. Plus, with another little one on the way, we had to take the chance for a husband-and-wife-only trip while we still can.

I did miss Owen terribly while we were away. During the flight there, I had a moment of panic where I thought I’d made an awful mistake. Two thousand miles apart – what if something happened?? Thank goodness for Facetime and this adorable picture of Owen on my phone:

But overall it was nice to have some time alone with Richard. Of course, he was working and attending the conference for part of the trip; I took this time to do my own work, enjoying the silence of our hotel room and the window view.

We did make time to take in the sights of Vail. Luckily, the weather was beautiful during our stay. But sadly I did not see The Bachelorette‘s Trista and Ryan Sutter.

I quickly learned that there are exactly two things to do while at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains during the month of April:
1. Ski (just about the only winter activity you could do in Vail in the middle of April, since there’s not enough snow for other things like sleigh rides)
2. Drink beer (there are an abundance of casual places to take a break from the slopes and drink a craft beer)

Being pregnant, I could not partake in either of these activities. Not exactly great timing for a visit to the Rockies. And being in a high altitude environment while preggers makes you feel even more like a whale. The thin, dry air made me sluggish, out-of-breath, and thirsty (increased thirst = increased urination = irritated pregnant lady). Good thing Vail has nice public restrooms.

While out and about in Vail, I documented our adventure with my trusty camera. I know it’s spring and you probably don’t want to look at snowy mountains, but here are some snapshots from our babymoon vacation. Enjoy!

We were lucky to have a fabulous view of the mountain and Gore Creek from our hotel room. We could also watch hotel visitors drink wine and beer around the outdoor patio fires…not so fabulous for alcohol-free me.

Vail Village and Lionshead were quite picturesque with the skiers flying down the mountain in the background.

These birds, magpies, were everywhere and comfortable around humans so I got a close shot:

We obviously took some time to sample Vail’s food. I grabbed a couple slices at Blue Moose Pizza (the kid friendly atmosphere made me wish Owen was there to have a bite):

We also enjoyed brunch at The Little Diner, which was, as the name indicates, quite small. But the food was yummy. In addition to a Denver omelette and creamed chipped beef, we couldn’t resist ordering pannekoeken with apple cinnamon topping. Pannekoeken is a puffy German pancake. Why don’t more diners make these things? They’re a-mazing.

And, of course, our trip wouldn’t be complete without some ice cream. The Caramelized White Chocolate Almond ice cream from Joe’s Famous Deli was delicious. Thank goodness it was warm enough to eat outside!

Richard and I decided to purchase scenic lift tickets and venture up the mountain on the gondolas to check out the view of the Rockies. Although the tickets weren’t cheap and I’m afraid of heights, the view from the top was worth it.

Wow – Richard looks so tiny!

The views from the gondola were pretty spectacular too:

That’s all, friends! Hope you enjoyed the peek into our Vail adventure. Special thanks to my mother for taking care of our very active Little O while we were away.

Happy Trails!