ElleBee

We took our annual trip to Keystone this weekend so that Nate and Mike could attend the Vail Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines Beer Festival. I picked Nate up in Boulder after work, and we made the harrowing drive over Loveland Pass, getting into Keystone at around 8 p.m. Mike, Dorrie, and Anna were already at the condo, and we spent a nice evening catching up with Mike and Dorrie while Anna slept.

Saturday morning, Dorrie made us delicious sourdough pancakes and bacon, then the boys and I made the 35 minute drive to Vail where I dropped them off at the beer festival. The drive was spectacularly beautiful - it was a clear morning (what I learned last year we call a "bluebird" morning here) and the trees in the forest along I-70 were gleaming with snow. I white-knuckled it back to Keystone, as the east-bound lane of the highway over Vail Pass was still a little snow-packed and icy, but I made it.

Dorrie, Anna, and I hung out and grabbed some lunch at the Kickapoo Tavern, a loud brew-pub at the far end of the village from the condo. After a burger (Dorrie) and pulled-pork sandwich (me), we walked a little further to check out the new 8-person, high-speed gondola the resort installed over the summer. I must admit, seeing all of the snowboarders coming down the River Run trail made me insanely jealous. I'm already plotting ways to con people into babysitting while I take a few runs next winter.

In the afternoon, we played with Anna, possibly the cutest baby alive, until it was time for me to drive back to Vail to pick the boys up. More white-knuckling ensued, as I hate driving Vail Pass in the dark, but luckily, the road was mostly dry. Nate and Mike enjoyed the festival, as evidenced by their drunkenness when I got to the hotel. The most exciting news of the day was Nate's second-place win in the homebrew competition with a beer he named "Milan Blonde." (So, if anyone needs an excuse to come up to the house and sit on the deck this summer, we've got a basement filled with award-winning ale to tempt you.)

As the boys were exhausted (particularly Nate) from a hard day of drinking, we all crashed on the early side. Mike got up the next morning and made us all yummy breakfast burritos, then the Munhalls headed down the mountain so Anna could catch her morning nap in the car. Nate took a few runs while I watched Zoolander and cleaned the condo, and then we were on our way back to the flatland to pick up the dogs and enjoy dinner with my family. All in all, a wonderful weekend!