Travel Tuesday: Week 15

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Travel Tuesday! This week's topic: Share an old trip. This can be anything: A domestic or international trip. A long or short trip. A trip you took last year or a trip you took when you were 9. You can share pictures, tell us a story or two, or do both. As always, you are free to write about anything travel-related; don't feel obligated to answer my prompt. And, of course, don't forget to link up below!

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I'll admit it: I created this prompt to force myself to blog about something I've been putting off for months: The Outside staff retreat to Colorado in March. Believe it or not, this was my first trip to Colorado! (Not counting layovers in Denver and drives through the state on road trips, which I don't count.) Apparently, ski weekends are a yearly perk for Outside staffers sponsored by Vail Resorts. No complaints here! I have a special focus for this post, however: The food. Oh my goodness sweet heaven in my mouth. But seriously. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the food, but I can (and will!) tell you all about it.

View from the slopes at Keystone. All photos by me.

On Saturday night, we went to The Ski Tip with the two PR women who organized the trip for us. You can check out pictures of the lodge itself and some very satisfying food porn here. I swear, the waitress (or fancy name for a woman whose sole purpose is to keep our libations flowing) never let our glasses get empty, or even down to a quarter full. We probably had two bottles of wine each throughout the course of dinner. I wish I could remember the food in more detail, but that's what I get for taking so long to write it down. I remember regretting my decision to give up meat for Lent because of the delectable choices on the menu, but there was a fish entree with risotto and pork bellies (which I picked out; sigh), and it was delicious. The appetizer was some type of seafood (it was so good, I promise, my memory just fails me) and dessert was a chocolate gift from God and the Ski Tip special coffee (or "mostly Bailey's," as our waiter called it). We were all full beyond belief but just kept eating because the food got better with every course. Plus, the PR women were super friendly and there was good conversation all around.

We could see the gondola from our suite. This is the view from the balcony.

On Sunday, the plan was to have a ski-in brunch at Apenglow Stube, another fine dining choice of Vail Resorts. Not everyone was up to skiing Sunday morning, but there was a gondola that went to the restaurant, so we all planned on meeting between gondolas for brunch. Unfortunately, the weather was like this on Sunday:

... which meant the gondola down to Apenglow Stube was closed due to unsafe wind conditions. The only people who had elected to ski that morning were me, two other staffers and one of the PR reps, so the four of us were the only ones who could get to the restaurant. So what did we do? We went! (Obviously.) First of all, I have never been to a ski-in restaurant before. Someone greeted us and took our boots and coats and gave us little slippers to wear, which was adorable (and so appreciated if you know what ski-boot-feet feel like). Then, we got mimosas (and the waiter was trying to force them down our throat; I swear! He kept insisting we could have more at no extra charge) and helped ourselves to the five buffet tables while we waited for our order to come. I ordered a seafood omelet and enjoyed plenty of fruits and cheeses from the buffet (again, I should have recorded this sooner to give you all the juicy details!). It was positively divine, and I definitely didn't want to leave. I was also a little worried I wouldn't be able to stay upright on my skis with my food baby. The restaurant was practically empty, due to the less-than-ideal conditions outside, but the waiter said it is usually completely full and you definitely need reservations. You can check out photos of the restaurant here.

One more shot from the slopes.

And the best part of all this? It was free. Duh. Once again, I apologize for not being able to share more details about the wonderful food I consumed in Colorado, but rest assured it was a trip to remember. If you ever get the chance to visit Keystone Resort, be sure to stop by one of these fine establishments (and be prepared to pay at least $50 per plate). I can't wait to hear about all your trips!

Next week: You might have seen my Santa Fe bucket list that I posted yesterday. If not, the basic premise is that I only have two weeks left in this city and still have quite a few restaurants and museums I want to visit. I feel like we all have those places that are so close, and we keep telling ourselves we're going to go, but we never do. So I'm wondering: What places in or near your town have you been meaning to see but haven't? Do you have a "local" bucket list? I'd love to hear about it!