Vail Colorado - Outdoor Wednesday #38

This time last year we were taking these pictures in Vail.  We stayed at a timeshare located in town which was our homebase for the many trips to other areas of Colorado.  Vail is breathtaking and one of the most beautiful places I've seen.   Hiking and walking is the best way to get around town.  Our stay ended with the season's first big snow storm, which came into the valley on our last day. 
Fortunately we were able to see the storm from the airplane upon leaving out of Denver.

 I would love to visit during the winter to see the snow,

 but would love to return for the fall colors which were breathtaking.

Portion of the forest cleared of Pine Beetle damage.  The tiny pest with big damage: About the size of a grain of rice, the mountain pine beetle is destroying great swaths of pine trees in Colorado.

Road winding to top of moutain behind the timeshare.

Looking down from the top mountain...you can see the timeshare in the middle.

A little history.....
The town of Vail was incorporated in 1966, four years after the opening of Vail Ski Resort. The ski area was founded by Pete Seibert and the local rancher Earl Eaton in 1962, between the town of Eagle and Vail Pass. The pass was named after Charles Vail,

the highway engineer that routed U.S. Highway 6 through the valley in 1940.

Seibert, a New England native, served in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division during World War II, which trained at Camp Hale, just southeast of Vail. He was seriously wounded in Italy and was told he should become a professional skier when he recovered. He was noticed as the best skier in the world for a short time.

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Our trip to Colorado was to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary October 3rd, 2008.  We originally planned our trip to Ireland and Scotland for this celebration, but were unable to coordinate a timeshare exchange at that time.  So, we visited Colorado and it was fantastic. 

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!

Visit Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for more participants.

Mumzie

Colorado Green Mountain Reserve - Hwy 9 - Outdoor Wednesday #37

These pictures were taken September 2008 on our vacation trip to Colorado.  I thought I would share these today, because it still looks like summer here in California.  The fall colors in Colorado are outstanding and I would love to return every year, just to see the Aspens glow.

 I have pictures of Vail Colorado I'll share next week.

Thanks again to Susan at "A Southern Day Dreamer" for hosting this week's "Outdoor Wednesday.  For more participants go to Susan's blog at  http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to cooler weather.

Mumzie