Keystone

Our trip wasn't all fun-you-can-have-with-fondue. We actually did get in some skiing/boarding. It snowed steadily the first day, and intermittently the second, but that didn't stop us. We're not fair weather skiers. I finally remembered the camera on the third day, which actually happened to be partly sunny. We even saw some of the famous Colorado Rocky Mountains a couple of times. Sort of.

Proof that we were actually there. Can you tell it was COLD?Note how close together my skis are! When I'm not moving.

This is the view of my son that I had most of the time:

And then he would disappear in the distance. I would ski down and find him waiting for me. Can you tell it was COLD?

For lunch we stopped at The Last Lift Bar. His t-shirt says "Intelligunt Desine." Wonder what kind person got him that for Christmas? Is that a small furry animal attacking his chin? Yikes!

On our way down the mountain in the afternoon there was a photographer taking action shots:
Hmm. Maybe I should stop mugging for the camera and concentrate on my stance. That could be a photo of my son, or it could be a photo of any number of boarders on the mountain dressed exactly alike. Did I mention it was COLD?

Der Fondue Chessel

Well, my son and I made it back from our Colorado ski trip unscathed. We flew into Denver, rented a car, drove through the Rocky Mountains in the wind and snow for two hours, and arrived with just enough time to check into our condo and catch a gondola to another gondola to the top of the mountain for our dinner reservation at Der Fondue Chessel. Night gondola rides in the dead of winter are not as fun as you might think.

It was about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, and my son had only been wearing a heavy sweatshirt. Before we left the condo I asked him if he wanted to put on something warmer. So he put on a hat. Uh, huh. Luckily they gave us blankets for the gondola ride or I would have had to deal with a human popsicle.

While we ate, we were serenaded by Those Austrian Guys. I could tell they were really Austrian. The spoke just like our Governator, wore lederhosen, and sang Edelweiss.

There were only about 15 people in the restaurant, and at one point Those Guys got most of us up and doing The Chicken Dance (an Austrian tradition of which I was previously unaware (I thought it was Spanish)). Unfortunately, I accidentally left the camera on the table where my son could reach it.

I got him back, though.

We were were near Buffalo Bill's gravesite, so as a tribute we had buffalo for the raclette course. Along with shrimp, scallops and venison sausage. I refused to get him the lobster. Lobster on top of a mountain in Colorado. Lobster that would have had to have ridden on a plane from Maine, a truck from Denver, and TWO gondolas to get there. I didn't even ask the price.

Yes, that is chocolate fondue. Mmmmmmm.