Last week I was on spring break, and unfortunately my siblings' and I's breaks didn't align this year. Although, we didn't let that stop us from escaping Kansas for a few days. We decided to hit the road and spend a quick yet exhilarating weekend in Vail, Colorado.
My family has been to Vail before a few years ago during the summer, but it was even better in the early spring. Beautiful weather and snow at the same time?! It was like a dream! We stayed at the Evergreen Lodge because we knew they had extremely nice rooms, a huge hot tub (I was very thankful for that after the last day!) and was a very short walk from Lionshead Village.
After we checked into our hotel late Friday afternoon, we walked down to Lionshead Village to catch a glimpse of the mountains as the sun was setting and grab some dinner. We ate at the Blue Moose where we all got huge Caesar salads and split a yummy cheese pizza. I don't know what it is, but everywhere I've been in Colorado has had the best pizza.
On Saturday we slept in a little bit before heading back to the village for food and tubing. We ate lunch at Garfinkel's where I got a delicious pulled pork sandwich and picked off my mom's incredible nachos. We were able to sit outside while we ate so we could take in the beautiful 60 degree weather and mountain scenery.
After lunch we hopped into one of the gondolas to get to the top of the mountain for tubing. Seeing the mountains in the distance as we ascended was breathtaking, and it was also fun to watch the skiers and snowboarders going down the mountain beneath us.
Once we got to the top, we had a blast spending a couple hours tubing. If you asked nicely, the people pushing you down the slope would even spin you which made the experience 1000x more fun for a little adrenaline junkie like myself.
Also, is it just me or does my sister look like Rainbow Brite in the picture below?! Her outfit was super cute but also had me laughing the whole weekend!
After we were worn out from tubing, we walked to the other side of area at the top of the mountain and went down the new mountain coaster. I enjoy little coasters like this because you can go at your own pace. The first time I went at a more leisurely pace so I could take in the beautiful, snowy scenery around me, and the second time I kicked it up a notch and went full speed all the way which was also so fun!
We then took the gondola back down the mountain and stopped for ice cream before heading back to the hotel. Y'all, I think I found my new favorite flavor of ice cream. Have you ever heard of midnight cookies and cream?? It's cookies and cream with chocolate instead of vanilla ice cream! It was heaven on earth for a chocolate lover like myself!
After resting at the hotel for a little while, we decided to make the short walk back to the village for dinner, but being the major klutz I am, I managed to trip, fall and roll my ankle on my stairs leaving the hotel. It hurt so bad, and was not ideal considering we were planning on skiing the next day.
Sunday was the longest day for us as we were going skiing for the first time. My siblings and I had never skied before, and my mom was determined to teach all three of us. She taught us a few basics, and then sent us on our way down the bunny slope telling us to "sink or swim." It was much harder than I expected, but after a few wipeouts, I started to get the hang of it.
After we all felt comfortable enough going down the bunny slopes, we started to hit the green slopes. It was so much fun up until my knee that I had had surgery on a couple years ago started to hurt incredibly bad halfway down the mountain. My knee and ankle were super swollen by the time I got all the way down, but thankfully it was nothing ice cream, a hot tub and ice packs couldn't fix! I'll just have to remember to limit the amount of time I ski next time so I can fully enjoy it!
That wraps up our fun-packed weekend in Vail! It was amazing to experience Colorado at a different time than I normally do, and I am definitely looking forward to coming back this summer.
What did y'all do for spring break? My trip may have been super short, but it was definitely better than spending the entire week at home!
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