Saturday, we packed up the car and got ready to make a quick trip to Vail. We wanted to have a little getaway before Amelia starts school next week, so we booked some rooms with Erin’s parents in Avon, which is right near Vail.
We’re staying at hotel there that Erin and I have come to for many getaways, and always love. We were here for our 10 year anniversary back in November, in the days before the world went crazy. It occurred to us that while it is a very familiar place for us, our kids haven’t really been here. Amelia was here with us a couple times when she was really little, but Henry had never been up there.
We love Vail and the surrounding area, so we are excited to spend time up there with everyone. We headed out in the late morning and met Erin’s parents up in Georgetown, where we had a nice picnic in a lovely old gazebo.
It was a beautiful day, in spite of all the smoke hanging in the air from the wildfires currently raging across Colorado. It was actually a little more clear than I was expecting, particularly given how hazy it has been back home, but still a constant reminder of challenges people are facing all around the West in yet another terribly active fire season.
After the picnic, we drove up the rest of the way and got checked into the hotel. The town has strict mask rules, and the hotel seems to be doing a good job of enforcing them. The usually hopping lobby bar is shut down, and things seemed quieter in general, but the staff is great as always and it feels good being here, even if, like everything else in life right now, it’s a little different and surreal.
Once we got checked in, we got out for a nice walk to a nearby ice cream shop, where we sat outside and let the kids enjoy a cone. On the walk back, the kids wanted to climb this rock near the hotel.
And Amelia asked me to take a picture of a nearby bluff, which I think she did a wonderful job framing.
Grandma and Pop Pop were nice enough to watch the kids and let Erin and me have a date night. It has been quite a while since we were able to do anything like that, so it was a very exciting prospect. I even put on dress socks and shoes that aren’t Converse All Stars for the first time since March.
The restaurant we like was booked up, but we got there early and were able to nab a place at the very well distanced bar area, with a big opening to the fresh air outside. He had a couple of cocktails and a little dinner and were able to kind of pretend the world was a little bit normal for a while.
After that, we walked around Vail for an hour or so. It was a perfect night. The temperature was comfortable, and hung out for a long time on a little bridge, listening to the peaceful sound of the river with the gentle murmur of people enjoying themselves in scattered outdoor patio gatherings in the town.
Erin and I talked about old times and new times, and both commented on how we love the sound of rivers, and how it being mixed with the sound of the city is something we adore. It took us back to our time staying at a hotel along the Thames in London, or the time we walked along the Seine in Paris.
Those experiences are sacred in our hearts, of course, but Vail has become a very special place to us over the years. We’ve had lots of good times here, and this little date night definitely gets added to the list.
After our walk, we got ourselves and Uber, headed back and enjoyed a kid-free night of sleep. Perfect day in the mountains.
