Finding our feet

Newly Arrived

We are now resident in Avon which is sandwiched between Vail and Beaver Creek. The journey was pretty much as we thought (feared) with a start at 3.30am for a two and a half hour journey to Heathrow, a 10.15am flight that arrived at 1.30pm local time after an 8 hour flight to Chicago. Then a frustrating drag through immigration which left us about half an hour before our 3.25 flight to Denver that arrived at 5.30 with another hour lost. Then a two hour coach drive and we finally arrived at about 8.30pm. Bearing in mind we are now 7 hours behind UK this was equivalent to 3.30am (UK) and so a 24 hour trip! We sat chatting with the owner and eventually got to bed around 11.00pm (6.00am UK) We slept really well!
The Chalet is a recent build and is spacious, putting the rabbit hutches we were used to in France into sharp contrast. Each of the rooms has at least a double /queen/ king size bed with room to walk around it without going sideways. The baths are novel, no more than a foot deep and looking like ceramic drinking troughs.
First job was sweeping the snow from around the house. It was about 8”deep and I used a large broom, sweeping it away and leaving the path dry because it is very dry powder snow – very novel. Apparently I need to plan on making piles of snow of up to 9 foot when it really starts to snow. On one occasion, the owner ‘lost’ her car during an overnight stay in a hotel in town. In the morning the carpark was completely clear of cars including hers and level with snow. It was then pointed out that the cars hadn’t been stolen but were actually still there - it had snowed overnight and covered them all!
Then the serious work started, cleaning, finding out where things are, sorting out laundry etc etc.
I knew I had arrived when I had my marigolded arm in the first toilet.
The next day was taken up mainly with a Walmart supershop. It is huge and has everything from plumbing fixtures to food via clothes, electronics, banking, etc,etc. This included some pretty forlorn-looking lobsters who were mimbling around a glass tank with their claws rubber-banded, waiting for Armageddon to arrive. As in ‘Armageddon two lobsters for tonight honey’.
There are some wonderful brass sculptures scattered throughout the town of Avon, celebrating the Native American culture as well as the white settlers’. The rodeos, bull riding, gold mining, horse capture etc are all represented with amazing lifelikeness and movement. Apparently the Indians come into the town for wonderful craft fairs with their blankets, jewellery etc and the mountain men (who live in the mountains) come down with the furs and pelts from their trapping. Pictures of them look as if they have been directly lifted from the set of Paint Your Wagon, but are apparently recent photographs. The town is in a valley with rounded, pretty low hills on the one side but with the Rockies getting serious on the other side. On the way from Denver we went over two passes ie the lowest bit between two mountains. The first was 11,100 ft and the second 10,500ft and the town here is at 7,500ft, so the term ‘pretty low hills’ is a bit relative!
I am in awe of the strength and perseverance of the settlers who pushed westward through this area to California with their wagons. Apart from the height, lack of roads, and potentially 6ft overnight snowfalls, the temperature is currently 8 f and is pretty cool but is only thought really chilly when it gets to - 40 f. That is seriously cool. Just at the moment we are having - 20 f temperatures which is equalling a 1912 record for the time of year and layering for the slopes means up to six layers and avoiding the open chair lifts because of the risk of frostbite before you get off at the top. Back to the wagon trains, apparently you can follow parts of the route in a 4 x 4 trail so that is one thing to try, but only if the heater is working.
We had an excellent Mexican meal last night as a treat from the boss. Mexican is strong here with everything being written in English (or what passes for English) and Spanish, rather like the use of Welsh in UK. I had a spicy-diced chicken with red peppers and the girls had tortillas filled with lamb and pork. Curiously, in addition to the ingredients listed on the menu, lamb, tortilla, etc. it was standard practice to slam on extra beans, melted cheese and rice. As Sue particularly couldn’t deal with the cheese and had taken great care in the selection of the meal with this in mind, there was a short but pointed exchange regarding the addition, indeed smothering, of the meal with the unwanted extras. The meals were taken away and replaced by what was on the menu, tortilla with pork / lamb and a visit from the owner / Chef who wanted to know why the meals had been returned. He just couldn’t believe that the extras were not wanted and what WAS wanted was just exactly what was on the menu, no more and no less. Anyway it was all very good food and we had the most enormous Margaritas I have ever seen. Think sandcastle bucket in glass on a stalk and you have some idea of the size. It was delicious with salt around the lip, loads of ice and oodles of flavour from the marg bit.
We walked back in the most biting cold I have experienced since being on top on Ben Nevis in winter and hit the hay early as we still have lots to do tomorrow (ie more marigold moments).
We have now cleaned and prepared both Chalets and have just got back from taking the boss over to the other Chalet at Breckenridge which is about 35 miles away. It is a most magnificent new build with huge beams, large open spaces, well-appointed rooms and wonderful fittings. Must have cost an arm and a leg but the effect is pretty sound with superb views all around of the mountain.
Having dropped her off, we drove back and are now in sole charge of the two Chalets here while waiting for our first guests on Saturday. Pretty scary but we are a lot better prepared than last year so how bad can it be?
I’ll tell you next week.