All Things Vail

17JUL08
Today was a really long day. It all started last night, when Zach, Keith, and myself stayed up till 2 am talking about life, which made getting up this morning a little difficult. More on this in a little bit. This morning the crew loaded up in the car and headed down I-70 W towards Glennwood Springs to go whitewater rafting on the Colorado river. We went with Timberline rafting company who I highly recommend, except that if you don’t have a relative or good friend that works up here and gets great discounts, it can be quite pricey. But our guide was great, and confident enough in his guiding skills that he took his 4-year-old daughter along for the ride. She took the rapids like a seasoned veteran. One thing about the rivers out here though is that the water is cold! It definitely made the idea of a hot shower this evening that much more pleasant.
After our rafting adventure we headed back to Vail to rest for a bit before we headed into town to go disc golfing on the top of Vail mountain. Unfortunately when we got there, the Gondola that carries you up to the top of the mountain had been shut down due to inclement weather, so Ben, Shaun, and myself decided we wouldn’t let that stop us. We would hike to the top! An hour and forty-five minutes and a rainstorm later we arrived at the summit, 11,000 feet above sea level. It really was a better way to go because we saw some amazing scenery along the way, not to mention the added bonus of getting some great exercise. After throwing some dics and taking some photos of the picturesque scenery we headed back down on the Gondola (which was now working) to have some sushi, a much needed meal after a long day of adventure.
The thing I love about Vail, besides the amazing landscape is that it is mostly a younger crowd, and that there is a sense of camaraderie and openness among the people. Many of them are not Colorado natives, but have come from as far as England and Russia to live and work. The people here also really enjoy their surroundings and take advantage of what the mountains have to offer, and whether they realize it or not, are in a sense acknowledging God as Creator by partaking in the blessings of His creation. I’ve had a few conversations with people out here, talking about the Big Questions in life, such as: Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? How do we know that God exists? Why are there so many religions? Is there life after death? These are questions that I think everyone asks at some point in their life, and are ultimately more important than deciding what job you will do and where you will live. And it is the answers to these questions that a person arrives at that will determine how they will live their life.
We've spent three days in Vail, and it's time to head on to our next destination. The next stop on our great American road trip is Sheridan, WY to spend a couple days with Jay and Susie Oss, which I'm really looking forward to. Until next time...