With the nickname of “Icebox of the Nation,” one would wonder why you would visit Fraser, CO for your Colorado vacation. While some might shun this city because its average temperature hangs precariously around 32° Fahrenheit, for others who enjoy frolicking in the snow or fun outdoor activities, it can provide a perfect epicenter for [...]
My wife grew up in Nebraska where the word “garden” is a verb and crops are produced in neat and tidy rows. Her mother had a backyard garden and the neighbors did, too, and they traded seasonal fruits and vegetables among themselves, much like folks have done since woman first sat down and gnawed on [...]
Somehow it’s become entrenched in American cultural mythology that if life deals you a savage blow, you simply have to move to the mountains and your girlfriend comes back and your dog gets more handsome. The fact of the matter is that life above 9,000 feet in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains isn’t always that elegant. Take [...]
I’ve driven this road a hundred times, but it doesn’t matter. I still strain my neck trying to take in the scenic view as my car climbs the foothills out of Denver and heads into the heart of the Rockies.
I rise above the city, now just a tiny speck in my rearview mirror, and the [...]
Colorado ski towns are often known for high prices, especially during their winter primetime. But vacationing in a mountain getaway doesn’t have to break the budget. The Winter Park-Fraser Valley area, 90 minutes northwest of Denver and surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest, offers a lot of cold-weather fun for $20 or less.
Snowshoeing and Cross-Country [...]
“Wake up,” my wife said, shaking my shoulder.
“Huh?” I snorted, startled, “What is it?”
“That stupid porcupine is howling in the backyard again,” she said. I curled up in a ball and feigned sleep for a few more moments but I’d already been awake because that stupid porcupine sounded a lot like a ‘96 Chevy Suburban [...]
I’ve been fighting a little bug lately. Uh, no, I feel fine, thanks. The bug is the mountain pine beetle, scourge of the Colorado high country, munching through our alpine forests like Grant went through Richmond.
From Canada to Mexico and California to Colorado, every single pine tree is threatened and countless millions have died. Global [...]
