Yahoo! We're in the World Series!! It is still hard to realize that such a short time ago the Rockies were written off for the season. The World Series comes to Denver, how great is that? When the Rockies came to Denver in 1993, it was part of an overall regional boom. Hopefully the fantastic season they are having will have some psychological spinoff for the region as well.
Enough baseball talk though. Having just come back from a great vacation, it reminded me of how good our regional transportation options are. Denver International Airport, after some serious problems when it first opened, has become quite an efficient place. Coming home, our luggage was already on the carousel by the time we got to baggage claim, quite amazing when you consider how large the place is. And from the Springs, it is only about 1 hour and 15 minutes from where we are in Briargate. Non stop flights are available to almost anywhere, and with low cost carriers such as Frontier and Southwest you can even go for a decent price. And let's not forget that Denver is also a United hub, and TED is their low cost option as well.
Colorado Springs airport is also very easy and convenient, and has nonstop service to many places, with only one stop usually to get to anywhere else. Express Jet now services some west coast destinations from the Springs as well, with low cost non-stop service to San Diego, Ontario and Sacramento.
Just another thing that makes living here great. When you need to be somewhere else, you can get there fairly quickly!

I've been on vacation this past week, what kick to see how well the Rockies are continuing to play! We went to Hawaii, about the only place I can think of that I'd rather be than right here in Colorado. Not a lot of real estate news while we were gone, but Arapahoe Basin actually opened for skiing already, and we had a flurry on the way home from the airport on Sunday, so winter gets closer. It was a little shock to system after enjoying this great sunset and dinner out on the lanai, but it's all good. I love to ski too!

Aspen is considered a magical place by some. My son who lives in Snowmass calls it the place where the billionaires are chasing out the millionaires. At any rate, we were fortunate enough to spend the weekend in the Aspen / Snowmass area to celebrate his recent wedding, and I thought I would share a few things.

1. If you go from the Springs, and Independence Pass is open, take it! The drive is a little shorter than the I70 through Glenwood Springs route, and other than the hairpin turns and steep dropoffs on Hwy 82, it is really great. Figure on 4 hours, 3 1/2 if you push it.

2. Don't miss the Maroon Bells while you are in Aspen. It is the most photographed spot in the state, with good reason. Get there before 9 or after 5 if you want to drive in, otherwise you take a bus in from Aspen Highlands (which we have done before, not a bad approach either).

3. Don't miss the gondola ride to the top of Aspen Mountain. Although Aspen is famous for the people watching, personally I think the mountains are even better.

4. The wildflowers are fantastic this year. There are acres of them in the meadows, especially along Highway 24 between Florissant and Wilkerson Pass, but we saw fields of gorgeous ones along the Rim Trail in Snowmass as well.

5. Bring lots of money :-) Food and lodging are pricey here, although deals can be had. One of our kids found a very nice room for $85 a night on Travelocity. $150 is more typical, and it can go up from there.

6. The Hickory House in Aspen really does have the best ribs, at least that I have ever had. They catered our event in the Maroon Bells, and it was sooo good!