Sloshalities

The exotic allure of a $3 PBR in a tall boy can is to much for even the most sophisticated Vail Locals, especially in the off season. White trash Wednesday at the Sandbar in Vail offers the PBR’s as well as a varied social network of locals. Off-season is when the true Vail Sloshalities gather to discuss the social happenings and previous events that occurred at the end of the Ski season. White Trash Wednesday’s attracts a crowd of younger locals who wear their pants low to the older locals who just stepped off the golf course, “golf guys” to bar/restaurant employees to a few Vilar Art Center regulars.

I caught up with the Sloshalities Sassy Sue, Lilly, Pork Chop, El La Gorda, Gmammy and Joyce Schweeblebaum. They are too classy for the PBR’s so it’s pint-sized cocktails for them. The Sloshalites have lived here for 15 years and always know where the party is happening. They are unassuming gossip gatherers usually with first hand knowledge because of their social ties in town. The conversation is always very enlightening and often too much so.

As I look around the Sandbar, some interesting social dynamics have begun to develop. It appears as if the Golf Guys are trying to discreetly observe the Sloshalities. Interested in what they are all about what has captured their attention. To get more information the Golf Guys have deployed a scout to scope out an approach to engage the Sloshatlities. The Scout appears as if he is buying a drink (nice try) and looks for an opening near the Sloshalities. He edges near the group. Sassy Sue turns around, gives him a quick assessment, he smiles and she lets him pass. The Golf Guys sigh with relief, their scout got a smile back. Just as the scout comes back to the group their attack is postponed because of Journey. The Sloshalites have now engaged in the “drunk girl sing-a-long” causing many eyes to turn toward them to see if they are hearing this correctly, Journey? It’s true, for them it’s really hard to resist Journey after a few cocktails.

The Sloshalities let down their guard and come in contact with the Old Guy who had too much to drink and loves to show the contents of his wallet. Otherwise know as a Stage 5 Clinger. They try to be nice but his breath and swaying is overwhelming and the Sloshalites band together to give him the polite shoulder-to-shoulder back block. The Golf Guys now know that they will have to wait until the wall comes down before they can make an attempt to talk with the Sloshalities. After the intoxicated Pole dancing and male stripper tryouts on the stage the DJ finally plays some great dance music and not techno so the Sloshalities move to the dance floor and as you can imagine take up some space acting a bit crazy. At this point the Golf Guys make their move with the Vail Handshake—a shot.

Entertainment in Vail

With this blog I want to create a picture of Vail not seen on those dry television commercials, print ads and websites. So much of the marketing is focused on Real Estate and the upscale nature of the area. "Upscale Vail", this marketing takes all the flavor out of what we locals see, feel and love about this place. The character of Vail is hidden with this formal and packaged marketing. Underneath the glossy veneer and the big empty houses is the personality of Vail.

Since I moved out here to Vail, people from my previous home in Minnesota have asked me when I was coming home and my response has always been a look of confusion. I love Minnesota and I will write about that soon but my home is Colorado. Most people think of Vail as a place where you visit not a place that you live. I have chosen a life that suites me and not other peoples idea of what my life should be like.

Life in Vail is varied with the twist of being a resort town. We have access to what "flatlanders" (anyone not living in the mountains) have with a few limited options but anything we are missing can be found with a gorgeous drive to Denver. A drive to Denver is about 90 min and if you are going only to Golden it's about 75.

Entertainment

We have several venues around Vail where we can see some incredible shows. This last month I have seen several shows at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek. Here is their website you can see upcoming shows. http://www.vilarpac.org/
1. Pat Benetar
2. Little River Band
3. Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band featuring, Lou Gramm, Todd Rungren, Christopher Cross, Bo Bice and Denny Laine.



More detailed blog entries on each of these to follow.

Every summer the Vail Valley Foundation has the Tues night concerts at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater. The last show was Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The crowd was crazy, it's one of those bands that draws a varied crowd. By varied I mean people of all ages and situations. These are the kinds of shows where the long time locals come together and have more than a few drinks. This is where I see people whom I knew many years ago and then disappeared. Apparently they did not go very far but changed their lives. These are the people who now have kids and moved "down valley" but are still up for a good time on occasion. Here is the website for the Vail Valley Foundation where you can see all their scheduled events. http://www.vvf.org/

This is a couple of places around that draw in bands from all over to perform in a more party atmosphere. The Sandbar in West Vail is one such place. Here is their website for more info about bands coming in http://www.sandbarvail.com/ For a more detailed description of the happening at the Sandbar check for my blog posting called "Sloshilites".

In the main Vail Village there is a Dance Bar called Samana. This is a good place for dancing but is filled with the younger set. I can only really go there when I have had more than 3 drinks so I can deal with drunk people. The good news is when you are older than me it's dark enough that the guys really have no idea how old you are so you can fake it for a while! Check out this site for more info http://www.samanalounge.com/



There is varied entertainment for people of all ages and interests here in the Vail Valley. This particular blog entry gives you an overview with more details to follow. I will continue to add details. We have live music happening all over town all year round, even though people think of Vail as a seasonal place.

Pat Benetar

Pat Benatar still is cool as she was when I was a teenager. Her voice can fill a auditorium without the microphone. She came out on stage with ease and moved comfortably with rhythm. She is one of those people who can feel the beat within and with subtle movements shows you here talent and grace.

It must be difficult for someone like her to go through such a famous and crazy beginning and then come sing at a small venue. She and her husband have been married for 29 years, an amazing feat for those in the music business. Nothing seems to last in that world, fame, health and relationships, except the music. Maybe it's a relief to not be as famous as you once were, then you could go back to the real reason you started to sing in the first place. The pressure to kick out records is no longer there and you would have the time to write music that makes you happy.

If you are looking to unleash that "inner rocker" , go see Pat Benatar, she will make it easy for you to let go! Here is her fan club site http://www.benatarfanclub.com/ The official site does not seem to be working. You can always go to www.youtube.com to see her videos. They are pretty funny, remember it was the 80"s

Ballroom Dancing in the Vail Valley

Part of the attraction of living here in Vail is the availability of some amazing entertainment. This last week for me has been especially exciting with the finale of the Dance Festival that ends with Ballroom Dancing. They put on an amazing show with a Ballroom couple who is ranked number one in the world in competition. There were 5 couples who danced and each had their own style. There was the traditional style of Ballroom dancing as well as a couple who added acrobatic flair. Amazing athletic ability these couples have in addition to Fabulous costumes which had intense sparkle and movement. Each couple choreographed their moves and chose their own music. They kept the crowd engaged with more modern selections of music. I believe I heard a song from Jessica Simpson! This is a show to put on your calendar for next summer.

Seeing shows at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater is a rare experience. It's outdoor amphitheater that has covered seating as well a tiered lawn to spread out a blanket and have picnic. They serve the most amazing wines at this venue. For White I prefer Rombauer Chardonnay and the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

If you are interested in getting more information about the Vail International Dance Festival, here is their website. http://www.primavail.com/.

Housing Crisis in Vail Solved!

A friend of mine recently moved into town and has been on the hunt for a place to live all summer. This is not an easy thing here in the Vail Valley. Housing is limited here and the housing that is available is available for a reason. Either it's in need of some work or it's very expensive.


As my friend settled in at a local watering hole he slid in next to a long time local John, whom we both work with and outlined his search. With a matter of fact tone and a straight face, John suggested the use of his crawl space. "Now this will take some doing but I think we can dig out my crawl space until it's about 7 feet deep. Your not seven feet tall so that should be perfect." My friend being gracious said he would will think about it.



Now we all know that space is a concern here in Vail mostly because of the natural features of our location in the Rocky Mountains. So yes, we like to go up with our structures but not to up as to restrict the View Corridor. I will need a whole separate blog to discuss that topic. Anyways, to suggest going down into the ground is an interesting idea. I have several crawl spaces that could hold a bunch of seasonal workers especially with a sturdy dirt shovel.

Lance poping out of the woods

Chasing Lance

5:00 am on a Sat morning is not an ideal time for me to get up to drive to Leadville to see a 100 mile mountain bike race that could last between 6-12 hours. Most of this race cannot be seen because it zig zags through the woods, going up and down the mountain. Some sections of paved road are visible and at the feeding stations you get only a glimpse of the riders. The Leadville 100 happened this last Sat and 1,000 crazy mountain bikers partake in this event. It is literally 100 miles of mountainous terrain.

If you are like me the thought of driving 100 miles seems like a pain so can you imagine what it is like to ride a bike 100 miles? My butt hurts thinking about it. So why did I put this event on my agenda? Well Lance Armstrong was said to be riding in this race. He is the best road biker in the history so far and this would be his first competitive race since winning the Tour de France 2 years ago. Yeah, I think I can get up and check it out.

I asked a few people if they wanted to join me and I received various reactions which surprised me. Everything from I don’t like him because of how he treated his ex-wife to a friend whose ex-boyfriend once idolized him and now idolized drugs so she just couldn’t handle the memories.
So I set the alarm for 5 am to go myself. No much info on the race other than it started in the middle of Leadville and Lance was going to be there. When the alarm went off I asked myself. "Am I really getting up to go to Leadville in hopes of getting a glimpse of Lance"? “Well if I don't then I will hear some amazing story about the race and I will have missed it". That was the moment I rolled over and got up.

My chase to see Lance started out as an excursion but turned into a chase when I encountered a sat scenery gawker at 6am who was also fearful of orange cones and ripped up pavement. So as I tooled along at 20 miles an hour. Lance had begun his race. So that was it, I missed my chance at Lance. I tried to get some info about the race from some caffeine deprived onlookers but all I got was a couple of grunted “I don’t know”. I got into my car and decided to go and take some photos around Turquoise Lake. As I drove around the southern part of the lake I came across the cars parked on the side of the road that had tags on the rear view mirror saying crew on them and I got excited. I had stumbled upon the race. The chase was back on! Camera in hand and ran toward the crowd. None of the riders had come through yet. Could I be that lucky? As I stood by the road with about 25 odd people milling about I started talking with a man who had apparently ridden this race before. He told me a few stories and then gave me valuable info on how to pick up the race at a couple of different spots. My day was on!

Suddenly a car with flashing lights came racing up the road to tell us the first riders were on the way. I was so excited I nearly forgot to pull out my camera. One lone rider was coming up the hill and most of us expected it to be Lance. It was a guy wearing light blue. The spot I stumbled upon was about 12 miles into the race. Shortly after that lead rider, a group of riders came up the hill and there on the back of the group was Lance. My camera was ready for the perfect shot; I aimed but no Lance in my frame. As my digital reset the group was gone and so was the Livestrong jersey. I can't believe that I missed the shot; I was too busy trying to take the shot I didn't get a good look at Lance. Argh! A few more riders passed and I ran back to my car to see if I could get to the next spot before the racers got there.

2 Shots at Lance- No photos or a good look!

The next view spot took me a while to find. If you have never been back in this area you would be amazed at the number dirt roads that head in a number of directions. I take my chances and head out but something tells me that I missed the turn and head back. Sure enough I am right and I see a series of cars heading south and then they take a right, so I follow. Up ahead I see the cars park and I follow the leader. I gather with the other people in the middle of the road and peek down this path to where the riders should be shooting out. The odds of getting a photo of Lance is going to be tough. If I was smart I would run up the road a bit to see him going up the road. As this thought goes through my mind someone yells that riders are coming down the trail. I pull out my camera and I am able to get a blurry shot of Lance coming up the trail.
My digital takes one picture every 10 seconds and I watch Lances butt go up the road.

Guess what, I am off again in hopes to get the perfect photo. I feel my way to Twin Lakes, stopping at a roadside map. This is where the feed station is and it’s about 40 miles into the race. From this location the riders hit some extremely tough terrain for 10 miles out and 10 back to the feed station. Most people are familiar with this spot by the numbers of cars parked there. I am not the only one who wants to see Lance. I hike up the hill and wander around and plop down just outside the feed station.

Lance is the second man through the feed station and I am right there to get the shot. People that were watching were cheering at everyone that went through as well as a major ruckus when the women went through. People were riding tandem bikes and one guy was riding old school with a cruiser bike with no shocks!

On the ride back to the feed station Lance shot out of the woods and I missed the shot. Close behind him is David Weins the man who won the race last year. This is going to be a good race.

So the chase is on again. Back to the woods I go. Now I know what I am doing and I park close and run into the woods to get one last shot. Luckily I was able to get out of Twin Lakes faster than most people and I get one last shot of Lance. My chase is complete.

Hiking in the Vail Area

Gym workouts happen only in times of bad weather! I consider the environment in which I live the gym. My lunch break happens along a creek, in a park, on a bike or in some flotation vehicle.

Inside Vail's town limits you can drive a short distance to be completely alone in the woods. My stress release comes from hearing the sounds of the trees, animals and the rush of the rivers. Just in Vail alone there are some amazing hikes.

Booth Creek Falls is a very popular hike out in East Vail, near Vail Mountain School. This hike is for a person who is in decent shape and it takes about an hour and a half. I am a big fan of taking a hike to a certain marker or goal. This hike takes you to the falls. At the falls you can have a picnic and enjoy the amazing view. The trail will continue for miles and you can see a gorgeous mountain lake. Pick up the book The Vail Hiker for more details about the hike.

I have not discovered if the hike is online yet but if it is I will provide a link at a later date. The hike to the falls is about 2 miles and it starts out getting you breathing so some people get scared that it will continue like that. It's actually steep at the beginning and then levels out a bit and then has sections that will get your heart going. Take your time and enjoy the view but keep going! It is listed as Moderate but that is a matter of opinion.



Hiking on Vail mountain is a fun exploration of what the ski mountain looks like under all the snow. Usually takes about 2 hours to hike to the top of the mountain if you are in decent shape. You can then enjoy the views from the top and ride the Gondola down or hike down trimming your time by 30 min. If you hike up Berry Picker, which is a designated trail it will take you up to the Gondola. On top of the mountain is Adventure Ridge which has bathrooms, a couple of places to eat and drink as well as kids activities. On the weekends they have Friday Afternoon club which will have happy hour specials and a band. The view from the top is unbelievable you can see two mountain ranges and when the sun sets you can see Alpine Glow. You can stop at the bottom of the mountain and pick up a trail map which will show you the hiking and biking trails on the mountain. If you have any questions about these hikes you can always email me.
kukartravel@yahoo.com

Davos trail on the north side of I-70 is also good. I believe that the official name is Trappers Run and it crosses all of Vail on the northern mountains. You don't have to hike the whole way but you can get up there in the woods and the views are incredible. I find this is a bit busier than most of the hiking because it's in Vail and a lot of locals use it for exercise because it's close to where most people live. Pick up the Vail Hiker for more details or email me.

When hiking please remember these tips, you can never have enough water, one small water bottle is not enough! Please use re-usable water bottles, if you are hiking you love the environment do your small part and don't use plastic bottles.

It may seem like a gorgeous day without a cloud to be found. Don't be fooled! My friend Jen and I went out on a day like that, up Booth Creek Falls and as we sat by the falls we watched enormous thunderheads rear their power at high speed over the southern mountains. As we heard the booming thunder we concluded our picnic at high speed. As we ran down a few boulder fields the storm had covered us and pelted us with hail, followed by high winds and pelting rain. This took less than 30min to catch us. We were thankful that we prepared for such and experience and had a jacket and pants. Even as we sat under a tree in the hail and rain we were still cold! As soon as the hail stopped we hoofed down the mountain! The rest of the evening we sat in the hot tub. Bring warm clothes!

Please prepare for the worst, don't think for a minute you are safe because you are hiking in the vicinity of Vail and people, Ignorance will never keep you safe. Have food and fire. Most of the Vail hikes you should be able to get cell reception but you cannot count on that.

Have proper clothing, warm clothes, rain jacket, proper shoes. If there is one thing I see on the trails is people without proper shoes. Sandals just don't cut it. (even if you are wearing socks with them, fashion mistake number one but no good for hiking) Most running shoes don't cut it either, unless they are trail runners. why you ask? Most people have the same running shoes they have had for 5 years if not longer. Have you ever looked at the bottom? Flat as Eastern Colorado, that's flat. They have zero support as well. Spend the money to get your self a good pair of shoes, your feet are very important! Secondly is toe protection. Even the most agile hiker is stubbing tree branches and rocks all the way up the mountain. Ankle support is key if you are prone to Sprains. To all the teenagers out there, Ugs are not for hiking, talk about sweat! Ugs are for city people, usually in California where there is no snow and you are looking to impress someone. Ugs have no traction on the bottom and make great foot sleds on ice but are not for the real mountains. No orthopedic slip-ons either. If you can slip it on, a root or rock can slip it off. Get a grip!


Tell someone where you are going. Bring a first aid kit, which can be purchased anywhere! Sunblock! Usually it's a man you see walking around Vail looking like a cartoon character with a bright red face. Not to mention it hurts. Wear a hat or visor and sunglasses. This seems like logical info but I swear to you when I say I see all this ignorance all the time. If you bring it in it should also be brought out by you. That is common respect.

I will post more info about other hikes that I like in the area and put up photos so you get an idea of what I am talking about.