Missoula, Montana

Nestled in the Northern Rockies of Montana, surrounded by seven wilderness areas and at the confluence of three rivers, Missoula is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. You can kayak, raft or tube through downtown or take a relaxing hike in wilderness minutes from your hotel. Missoula is known for its trout fishing and spectacular natural beauty. The outdoor recreational opportunities are limitless.

Missoula is also a regional destination for shopping and dining, featuring three distinct shopping districts and an abundance of restaurants, cafes, coffee houses and breweries with something to fit all budgets and palates.

Have you been to Missoula? What would you recommend doing?

Aspen, CO

The Colorado Rocky Mountains are covered in pine and streaked with aspen trees. In late September, all the aspens change to gold. They're striking against the contrast of the dark pines. Most of the locals set aside a day to drive up and see the changing aspens. We're no different. This year, we decided to make the drive up to Aspen.


We ended up spending two nights and one full day in Aspen.  We stayed at The Little Nell on East Durant Ave. The hotel was quaint and absolutely everything you'd want on a trip to the mountains. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Each of the rooms had:

• Fully-stocked refreshment bar, with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and snacks refreshed daily (my favorite were the gummie peaches from Dean & Duluca)
• Bose Bluetooth Speaker
• Stone-clad, gas log fireplace
• Fili D’oro down comforters and white goose-down pillows
• Shower and separate soaking tub
• Dual Caesar stone vanities
• Crème de Marfil heated marble flooring and walls
• All-natural “First Tracks” June Jacobs spa amenities

We had breakfast at Element 47 both mornings it was a buffet style meal they had made to order omelets, oatmeal, assorted pastries, variety of meats: sausage, bacon, smoked salmon, berry and yogurt bar. The buffet included coffee or juice but was alittle steep at $34 a person, but the food was really good. For dinner one night we stopped at AJAX and had a good steak dinner.  Our food was very expensive though not sure that we would go back. The next day took the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of the mountain to the Wedding Deck. To do a wedding photo shoot. The pictures turned out gorgeous all of our friends and family commented on how beautiful the pictures were and the time of year couldn't be better with the gold aspen leaves.

Residences at The Little Nell and Audi of America are pleased to offer hotel guests the complimentary opportunity to test drive the 2017 Audi Q7. We took our Audi to Maroon Bells and Independence Ghost Town.

Independence Ghost Town, the wooden skeleton remains of a Colorado mining operation of the 1880s. The remains of the town include, in various states of assemblage, a stable, a general store, two boarding houses, and Farwell Stamp Mill. Guests are welcome to tour the grounds and let their imaginations roam. Preservations do ask, however, that no souvenirs be taken from the site. For more information call (970) 925-3721 or visit www.aspenhistorysociety.com/independencemuseum.htm.

The most photographed place in Colorado is Maroon Bells, located just outside of Aspen. We drove up Maroon Creek Road to head to Maroon Bells. The drive up to Maroon Bells was picturesque. It's forever ingrained in my mind. The aspens grew tall and, at some parts, touched over the road. They created a tunnel, and we drove below the aspens.

It was absolutely majestic. When we reached the beach of Maroon Lake, it was like we stepped into a postcard. No wonder Maroon Bells is the most photographed place in Colorado.

Royal Gorge Senic train Canyon City, CO

We took a train ride on the Royal Gorge Railroad. OMG! The views are nothing short of spectacular in the same fashion as the Grand Canyon. I suggest you take the early train as the later ones can get extremely crowded. Also, it can get pretty hot after the morning and even the floor of the open-air observation car gets hot because it is metal. This is a nice train ride through the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River. The ride is 2 hours in total and you can see Royal Gorge Bridge 1000 feet above. The ride is also a one way trip so if you missed something in the beginning you can catch it on the way back. The conductor just moves from the front to the back of the train once you make it to the end of the track. They have multiple events throughout the year on the train to take part in. I think the murder mystery train ride sounds fun.

The views from the coach cars are limited to side views of the Arkansas River and walls of the gorge. If you want the best views you probably would want the Vista cars so you could also see the bridge above and possibly animal life. The dome car is the most expensive, the coach class is the least (but the windows are large).We loved the train ride and service. Don't worry too much about your seat assignment. You probably won't be spending much time in it, if any since you can stand in the open on the observation flat car.  Everybody has access to the open-air car to take those cool pictures, but it gets real cozy there as a result. Our car's host suffered from a malfunctioning microphone, so we did not hear the info about the scenery. So we spent most the time on the flat car, while our in-laws stayed in the coach area for the seating.  The menu items are a little spendy, but we were getting hungry on the way back to station so we decided to order burgers. They were ok and didn't have a table to eat from in the coach area. Served in a Styrofoam box. Next time I would probably eat lunch before the train. We also ordered a few drinks and they were good.

Have you done the Royal Gorge train? What was your favorite part?

Mount Princeton 14ner hike in CO

Mt. Princeton - Elevation 14,197 Feet

Basic Information / Directions: Visit 14ers.com for specific directions & trail information. We hiked the standard route to reach Mt. Princeton. We drove to the radio towers on Mt. Princeton Road and parked. But you can drive further up, just be advised that there are not many places past the radio towers to turn around. Mount Princeton is roughly a 7 mile up from the radio towers and is considered one of the harder 14ers. I was with a big group of people with Younglife and we had people of all shapes and sizes, in shape and not in shape. If that helps decide if you can do the hike. The hike took us roughly 8 hours and recommend going really early in the morning 5 am or so.

Also, make sure to dress in layers the weather changes so fast and it may be hot (probably not at 5am) at the bottom but at the top most the time there will be snow and it will be a big drop in temperature. Also afternoon thunderstorms usually come in the afternoon and puts you more at risk of getting struck by lighting so if a storm comes and your not to the top yet I would recommend heading back down the trail or if you can take cover somewhere and wait the storm out do that. Otherwise a few easier 14ners are:  Bierstadt, Quandary, Massive, Torreys and Grays Peak. Torreys and Grays are so close together too that you can do both in one day. 

Once on the trail, the stunning view of the upper Arkansas River Valley, including Buena Vista, Johnson Village and Nathrop, are just a turn back away.

Be prepared for lots of people on the mountain. If you are seeking peace and quiet, don't climb on a summer weekend, during the week is a better time to go if possible.

After I recommend stopping at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and soaking in the hot springs. They have a few man made pools, but my favorite are the pods off the river. When I went a few years ago they were deeper and rocks formed around them to look like pods, but the past year we went up the river wasn't as high and didn't have the pods but with the rocks in the river you could form your own pods just weren't as deep. This varies year to year though and depends on the snow fall since the river is snow runoff.

Have you hike Mount Princeton? What did you think?