As with a majority of people from around the world, our summer vacation plans were significantly altered. We normally have my step-kids with us during their summer break, but since they would have to travel from Sweden to the US, that got canceled. Not seeing them was definitely the most difficult part of 2020. However, we all had to look on the bright side that everyone is healthy, and even though we are apart, we all had a great summer. Next summer will be even better!

Dan and I kept our first pandemic trip simple with a day excursion to the local mountains. Vail is a two-hour drive from Littleton, and we had never been there. Although certainly known for its first-class skiing, Vail is also filled with summer activities. We are more summer people anyways, so this suited our style.

Our trip was on July 3rd and in efforts to beat holiday crowds, we set off at sunrise, grabbing a Starbucks en route. The drive is beautiful early in the morning and we arrived in Vail just as the town was waking up.

Vail is not inexpensive. We had sticker shock when we pulled into one of the parking garages and saw the price list. Being from Los Angeles, I’m accustomed to high prices, but Vail was a surprise.

Luckily, there was a free lot a little further down the road. I suspect the lot that we parked in is not normally free, but it was a promotion to entice people to visit during the pandemic. In any case, it was a great bonus that we won’t expect the next time we visit.

We were meeting our friend’s Julie and Ryan for breakfast at nine, but as we were so early, we had over an hour to explore the town. Vail was very quite and a majority of the shops in the village were not open, so we poked around and took pictures. The Vail village is enormous with a European vibe and colorful flowers absolutely everywhere.

Covid-19 safety measures were reinforced with signage and reminders. With the exception of eating and quick pictures, we kept our masks on. It wasn’t a big deal, until later in the day when it got very hot. We managed though. I was disappointed to see that many of the visitors in Vail were ignoring the safety measures, Our trip was before Governor Polis enacted our state-wide mask mandate, which has seemed to make things better.

The Vail Public Library had adorable critters on its roof.

And we found a restaurant that reminded us of our previous home in California.

Julie and Ryan arranged our breakfast at Vintage. It was a good thing that they made reservations, as it was booked-solid. The Covid restrictions on restaurant capacity means planning ahead to avoid disappointment.

Vintage is a lovely breakfast spot with excellent service and delicious food. It’s definitely higher-end, about thirty a person for an entree and coffee, no alcohol. It was a treat to eat here. This might sound strange, but the side salad was particularly delicious. Dan isn’t a salad fan and even he loved it.

After breakfast, we went on the Vail scenic chair lift. Normally, the chair lift has a variety of activities at the top, such as a alpine coaster, but due to Covid, those activities were closed. We could have gone hiking, but that was not the day we had planned, There was a restaurant at the top, but we were full from breakfast. So we basically rode it up, took a look around, and rode it down. It was forty-four dollars each, very steep for the experience. It was pretty at the top, but I’m not sure I’d recommend this or do it again. The lift at Breckenridge is much nicer and less expensive.

Our next stop was the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. The gardens were a long walk to the other side of the town (Vail does have a bus system, but we didn't feel safe cramming into a bus) and it was starting to get hot. I think I would enjoy visiting Vail in the early autumn, when the temperatures cool down, but before the snow arrives. In a contrast to the other things in Vail, the gardens were free. They are small and we finished in about twenty minutes, but the gardens are lovely and definitely worth a look, if you’re in the area. Also, next to the gardens is a massive park and playground, perfect for families.