Vail, Colorado, USA

August 18-24

Escaping the heat and humidity in Washington DC, we headed west and up into the Colorado Rockies, where we spent a week in Vail. We were joined there by Jake, Kylie, Sofie, Emma, Ben and Taylor. The town is famous for its ski mountain, the largest in Colorado, but it is also a beautiful and interesting place to visit in the summer.

It is named for Charles Vail, the highway engineer who routed U.S. Highway 6 (now Interstate 70) through the valley where the town is located in 1940. The ski area was founded in 1962 by Pete Seibert and local rancher Earl Eaton. Seibert had served in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division during World War II, and had trained at nearby Camp Hale. He was wounded in Italy at the Battle of Riva Ridge but recovered and went on to become a professional skier.

The town itself is basically a recreation of a European alpine village and walking around it’s easy to imagine yourself in the Swiss Alps. It is very pristine with beautiful flowers everywhere and a crystal clear mountain creek running through the center of town.

Along with the hiking and biking and other physical activities there are also a number of spaces for those seeking some culture. The Gerald Ford Amphitheater, named after the American President who resided in the town, is an idyllic spot to view a concert and we went along one evening to watch a Latin funk band.

It also has a quiet, serene library, where we stopped for a while to relax and catch up on some reading.

There is a great weekend market where you can buy all sorts of crafts and fresh produce, including the best smoked salmon that you will find anywhere.

For those more actively inclined, there is a gondola to the top of the mountain where there are various activities, including a bungie trampoline and a zip line for the kids.