Steamboat Springs, CO
We completed the 100 mile journey north to Steamboat with ease. Along the way we enjoyed not only the stunning views, but also a sense of remoteness that a resort town like Breckenridge does not convey.
We booked our stay in Steamboat at the Nordic Lodge in the heart of the old town. We got a great primer on local activities from the friendly staff and settled in to our new home. Not only does the lodge have great rates and is within easy walking distance to all that downtown has to offer, but it is just accross the Yampa River from Howelsen Hill. Howelsen is the oldest continuously operating ski area in Colorado (since 1914). While small (440ft vertical), it packs a real punch, producing over 70 Olympians in both alpine and Nordic events.
The Hill lights up at night to allow for maximum practice. It's bright lights, old form, and central location remind me of the Empire State Building back in New York. As we walked to dinner on the old main street, skiers could be seen practicing their vintage jumps off into the night. At that moment I was convinced Steamboat is, as advertised, Ski Town USA.
That first night we ate at Johnny B. Good's Diner. I had been craving fries and shake for a while, and this 50s style diner looked up to the task. It was kind of like a Johnny Rockets, but with a soul and character a franchise just cannot deliver. The food was great, the price was right, and we had a few laughs. To quote our server, "Nothing like milkshakes and Budweisers!".
It would be crazy to ski at a world class mountain without first having a world class breakfast...and the Nordic Lodge delivered just that! We feasted royally each morning while getting tips from the staff and mingling with the other guests. The U.S. adaptive snowboarding team was also staying at the lodge that week. They were training at Howelsen to represent the U.S. at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea (March 9 to 18)! It was cool to be among such talent while eating chocolate glazed donuts like there's no tomorrow.
High on carbs we headed for Steamboat Ski Resort on Mt Werner, about a 10 minute drive down the road. There was no fresh snow, but the mountain was empty, the sun was out, and we were pumped! Since we had Merlin alone back at the lodge we could only ski in good conscience until around 1. It was a great set of runs and we left feeling truly fortunate.
Merlin spent the morning licking peanut butter out of a bone and watching Cartoon Network. He was jazzed to see us. To get his energy out, and his play on, we took advantage of Steamboat's off-leash dog parks and hikes. This was a great opportunity to develop Merlin's non-fenced off-leash experience. Merl loved it. He did great and got a zillion treats.
We ate very well during our stay. We had an amazing lunch after skiing at the Creekside Cafe. I had smoked trout over greens with a poached egg on top. Oh and an Irish Coffee! I was surprised how empty the place was relative to how great an experience I was having. Turns out they close at 2pm, and we had walked in at 1:59!
We also had a great meal at Mazzola's. I had an "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" experience with a piece of Bison Lasagna. The flight of Malbec was not a headwind.
From the beginning we were both very excited about the opportunity to visit the natural hot springs of the west. Strawberry Park was our first. The spring is 7 miles north of Steamboat and is very popular, but still feels magical on a personal level. We tamed the hottest and coldest pools, and left with our bodies buzzing the rest of the night.
We decided to extend our stay since the forecast called for snow. While we waited for the fresh powder, we tried our hand at some snowmobiling. We booked a two hour tour along Rabbit Ears Pass (about 15 minutes from downtown Steamboat). Neither of us had any experience, but we quickly mastered the machines and Liz was soon leading the pack! The sight from the pass was dramatic. We had 100 mile visibility from the spine of the continental divide.
We grabbed some food and drink after the touring at the very local Sunpie's. It's essentially Mardis Gras every day at the little grub pub on the banks of the Yampa. Spirits were high and spirits were flowing (at 245pm). As we left to take our four legged friend out for a hike, the bartender gave us a wild-eyed prophecy for snow. It was a performance worthy of Hollywood, and it was also correct!
Our last full day we spent on the mountain putting down fresh tracks wherever we could. It was a great send off and we went to bed that night fully tired and fully satisfied.
