2017, A Year of Highs and Lows, of Loss, Entertainment, and Travel

2017 has been quite a ride for me – emotionally and spiritually. This past year, I experienced some of the lowest and highest points of my life so far.

2017 Butterflies (Photo by Rich Pearce)

First, the lows - the big low: My brother and I sadly, and somewhat unexpectedly, lost our 89-year-old mother in early May. Although we get some consolation from the fact that she lived a wonderful, full life in her nearly nine decades, and even though gradual health declines made her passing not too much of a surprise, I am still sad and miss her terribly.

With all of the logistics and paperwork that follow the death of one’s parent, especially the last parent, I sometimes feel that I haven’t even had the chance to mourn properly. I am working on that, even within this post.

But, the point of this piece is not to focus on the lows, the negatives, because part of mourning is getting through it and moving on. It is what our mother would want – she told us so. So, I will move on to the high points of 2017 for me – and these revolve around entertainment and travel.

5 Fun Ways to Celebrate the New Year in Aspen (without the hangover)

New Year's Eve Fireworks

New Year’s Day is approaching quickly, and as always, Aspen is ready to celebrate!

Of course, holiday activities in this little “party town” ski resort abound. And as you might guess, many of them revolve around New Year’s Eve nighttime revelry and libatious good times. Many locals and visitors spend New Year’s day nursing anything from a mild, dehydrated headache to a vicious, full-blown hangover, perhaps emerging only late in the day into the bright, burning sunshine of the new year.

Aspen News Follow-Up – Internet Service Issues in Pitkin County

A wireless icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A March 27, 2015, story in the local Aspen news media about internet service issues in Pitkin County caught our attention recently.

On that date, Aspen Public Radio (APR) aired a story about the inadequacies and unreliability of rural internet service in Pitkin County:  “Rural residents say unreliable internet impacting business, academics”. In particular, it appears that some residents in Old Snowmass are having issues with slow internet speeds in that area.

Loose Moose Near Aspen

English: Cow moose (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With an early spring rearing its unseasonable head in the Aspen area this year, local’s thoughts are already turning to the return of summer activities like gardening, biking, hiking and generally just getting out and about in the outdoors.

The coming of spring and summer also means the increased wildlife activity, and of human-wildlife encounters in the area as well. While bear-human interactions tend to capture most of the headlines in this arena, I was reminded by Aspen Public Radio recently that human-moose encounters near Aspen also have been increasing over the years.

Annual Colorado Winter Festivals – Let the Fun Begin!

Aspen Winterskol Ice Musician (Photo Credit: Rich Pearce)

When people think about Colorado, they think about the outdoors, and during the winter they often think about skiing, snowboarding and the countless other winter activities the state has to offer.

Of course, this time of year, locals and visitors alike are focused largely on all the festive holiday events and activities going on, but there are many other entertaining and fun annual Colorado winter festivals at other times as well.

Here are a few of the more notable annual Colorado winter celebrations:

Things to do in Aspen besides Skiing

Fireworks over Aspen Mountain (Photo Credit: Rich Pearce)

One of my favorite things to do in Aspen besides skiing is taking in the Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series shows, co-sponsored by the Aspen Skiing Company.

The FREE Bud Light Hi-Fi outdoor concerts are among the more popular nighttime, off-hill winter events in Aspen, entertaining  young and old and visitors and locals alike. The series features an eclectic mix of musical genres, such as folk and bluegrass, reggae, jazz, dance rock and roll, and country. It has showcased such acts as Elephant Revival, Savoy, Cash’d Out, Black Uhuru, The Magnificent 7, and Reverend Horton Heat.

Early Skiing in Aspen! He's Ready - Are You?

He's Ready - Are You!

We may not be getting as much snow as Buffalo is, but we definitely have enough to get the season rolling! The Aspen Skiing Company has announced early skiing in Aspen this year, with the lifts on Aspen Mountain opening up this Saturday, November 22.

The Silver Queen Gondola and Ajax Express lift will be running, allowing top-to-bottom access to "...the most vertical feet in the country...". Ajax Tavern and the Sundeck will be open for food and drink as well.

Have fun - we will!