The story goes that around 1820 some French trappers were passing through the area when they heard a chugging sound. They set out to explore the sound thinking it was a paddle wheeler on the Yampa River. Instead they discovered one of the many hot springs in the area making the sound that the town is named for. In 1908, during construction of the railroad, the activity changed the spring just enough to stop the sound but the name stuck.

Today, Steamboat Springs, Colorado is primarily known for its abundant snow during the winter season. That is what brought us there on this cold Presidents' Day holiday. This was our first visit since buying our timeshare and we thought we would see what we had. My daughter and her friend wanted to try snowboarding. My wife and I opted to watch from the warm restaurant over a cup of hot chocolate. Why you ask? The good Lord gave me more sliding room on my rear end than he did on the bottom of my feet. Further, while on my rear, I had less distance to fall! We enjoyed the day and took the kids to the hot spring in town that evening. Although outdoors, the spring water keeps you plenty warm. We looked into another hot spring that was more rustic and natural called Strawberry Hot Springs. We decided that maybe that wouldn't be a great idea since, at least at that time, they were clothing optional. Education of two teenage girls was not on the itinerary.

The next day, after exploring Steamboat and buying some goodies from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, we decided to head back to the condo and check out the brochures on to-dos in Steamboat. As we went through the brochures, the one about the night sleigh ride dinner to the Bar Lazy L Ranch caught our attention. As cold as it was, this looked like fun. we purchased our tickets and that evening drove the short distance north to the parking lot where we would meet the sleigh. It was a bone chilling minus four degrees as we loaded onto the sleigh pulled by two big beautiful Morgan horses. There were plenty of blankets to o around to ward off the cold. The sun had gone down and as we headed into the Canyon toward our canvas restaurant, a full moon rose over the mountains behind us. This wasn't just any full moon but one of those giant platter type moons where you can see every detail of the moons surface. As it shone across the thigh deep snow on either side of the sleigh, we were treated to a sight I will never forget. Because it was so cold, the snow that had fallen all day stayed in its intricate snowflake form. The moon lit every individual snowflake on the ground like glitter in a celestial light show.

We marveled at the snow and the stars and moon in the crystal clear sky, unpolluted by the towns lights until we reached our destination. We were greeted with hot chocolate and hot apple cider as we found a place in the warm tent to settle down for dinner and entertainment. The choices were a rib eye, Rocky Mountain Rainbow Trout, or a chicken breast with fixins. I can attest that the rib eye was wonderful and my wife says it was the best trout she had ever eaten. After some cobbler or something like that for desert, a cowboy singer and poet entertained us before heading back to the parking lot. One comical downside though. The only restroom was an UNHEATED one holer outhouse lit only by a lantern. One could only hover for fear of sticking to the seat if you sat down. That was also unforgettable!

We drove back to the condo having enjoyed a very special night. Since then we have been back one time during the summer fishing at one of the beautiful mountain lakes and watching a family of red fox mother and cubs play in the water pipes sitting outside the condo waiting for install. On our stay the lake didn't give up any fish although my son and I were there before sun up. We kept losing our bait to some unknown thief, I was getting suspicious and, sure enough, when the sun finally peaked over and shown on the water, there were hundreds of crayfish (crawdads, mudbugs). I wished I had a trap because out of this clear mountain lake they would have made a great crawfish boil.

So another Colorado getaway for you. Winter or summer, there is plenty to do. Hike the slopes, take part in the Steamboat Ballon Festival, or explore the historic downtown. Maybe you can even go skinny dippin.

Enjoy you Treasured Pasts.

Stuart