TUESDAY MORNING: Walking the Dogs Late Summer is paradise in the Colorado Mountains. Colors are rich and pure and the air is sparkling clean. This view greated me this morning as my dogs and I took our morning constitutional around the neighborhood. Eagle Ranch is as close to Ozzie and Harriet as you can get! I just ran into "The Beve" on his bike. What a terrific way to start the day! (5 comments)
A FOGGY MORNING IN THE VAIL VALLEY - Hmmm... this is interesting. Fog is a very rare event here - happens only once or twice a year. A nice heavy rain last night wiped out any last hint of snow here in the lowlands but no doubt dumped lots of nice late season snow on Vail mountain. This is kind of a nice change. We are now in the last three weeks of ski season 2012 -2013. I'm looking forward to summer! (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: A LITTLE NEW SNOW! With the eminent opening of Vail Mountain only a week away, any evidence of a little new snow is welcome! What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was shirt sleeve weather. This morning we were treated to several inches on new snow on the Mountain with more promised over the next few days. Mother Nature never seems to fail us. Maybe soon we will have a few more occupants in Lionshead Mall than an "Official Car" and statue depicting what we'd all like to be doing! (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: HAPPY HOLLOWEEN! The Vail Valley get's into the mood just about as much as anywhere else and Holloween is a big time for all ages. I found this example adorning my favorite settler's cabin located just a few blocks from my house. This old place, obviously built in a fledgling Cottonwood forest - even before there was a forest - and abondoned many years ago easily plays the stage. It's no problem imagining this place covered with spiders! The trees are obviously the only reason this place is still standing. (0 comments)
Vail Valley Daily Photo: Last Man Standing In Nature as in life, there are always examples of the results of not giving up, even in the face of being surrounded by capitualion. I found a great example of this while taking an early morning walk on the bike path between the end of the Vail Golf Course and the East Vail open space. In this heavy aspen hillside forest there was nary a leaf to be seen - except on this single, otherwise unremarkable tree. Why or how it hung out in the face of overwhelming suggestion, I have (0 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: END OF A NICE DAY - The Eagle Valley is nothing but big skies and clear air (although not much air at 8,000 feet!) Cloud shots like this are the rule rather than the exception. Last night I was out in the back yard and was treated to this especially glorious display. These guys have just drifted in from Seattle. While far from the snow carriers we are waiting patiently for, they certainly make the wait worthwhile! (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: IT'S A START Well, I guess some things have got to start off slow. October in Vail is always a slow starter - this year has been nothing to write home about either. First measurable snow is always just around Holloween. Then we have one big storm on the 15th of Novermber or so - just enough to open the mountain for Thanksgiving. Next, a few meaninful dumps for the Christmas crowd. January......look out! I'm looking forward to some turns! (2 comments)
VAIL DAILY PHOTO: INDIAN SUMMER - This could be the nicest time of year here in the Vail Valley! While evenings are cool and often touching feezing, days are generally warm and sunny with perfect temperature range. Everywhere green has turned to gold and it's a perfect time to take a walk along Gore Creek. It's a little bit bitter-sweet because you know that each glorious day gets you one more day closer to a time when you won't have days like this for 5 or 6 long months. Oh well, the mountain opens in 5 weeks! (4 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: A LITTLE HELO HELP A huge heavy lift helocopter drops a cable carrier assembly onto the top of a lift tower which itself was dropped into place just minutes before. This was the amazing show yesterday as Vail Resorts hurried to complete the installation of the brand new high speed state-of-the-art Gondola replacing the old four passenger Vista Bahn chair lift out of Vail Village. Towers and assemblies from bottom to top of the mountain were installed in one day! The massive carrier cable roll is set to be delivered to the site today on (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: RECYCLING IN RED CLIFF A little ways up the road from Vail on the other side of Battle Mountain Pass towards Leadville is the metropolis of Red Cliff. This little Town owes it's existence to the Gilman Mine which has long since closed. While a good deal past it's prime, Red Cliff offers a shot of Counter Culture to the starched and pressed world class resorts near by. I had the occasion to visit this little burg which is set back in a mountain cove surrounded by steep cliffs last weekend. The Third Annual Mountain (6 comments)
AN UPDATE ON THE VAIL/BEAVER CREEK REAL ESTATE MARKET -
SLIFER, SMITH AND FRAMPTON R.E. - 5 YEAR COMPARABLE SALES, MONTH OF SEPTEMBER The Vail/Beaver Creek real estate market was enjoying heady times in the early months of 2008. Real Estate values on most area properties had seen an unprecedented rise over the previous three years of almost 100% and the finest properties in the best locations were pushing $3,000 per square foot. Along toward the middle of the summer months, however, the market started developing a little malaise. Inventory started to build up and sales slowly started to (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: VERY EARLY MORNING IN EAGLE RANCH Several mornings ago - around 6:00 AM - I found myself out on the Eagle Ranch Golf Course, trusty Nikon in hand, in search of the large flocks of Canadian Geese that have been frequenting our area the last few weeks. The Vail Valley is smack in the middle of the north/south flyway for these birds who come in to spend the night on the golf course in their journey north or south. I had to be out there early. You can hear the departure of each daily flight in (0 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: CRAZY SKY On the way home the other evening I noticed a cloud formation highlighted by the setting sun that looked suspiciously like the beginning of a tornado funnel. The lowering tip of the funnel glowed like it was a neon light. There has never been a tornado reported in the Colorado mountains that I have ever heard of and the weather was way too cool for tornatdo development. Instead, it must have been Virgo - something we do see a lot of here. The way I understand it, Virgo is a rainstorm that that (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: THE LAST OF THE COLOR After the last couple of days of colder weather and gusty winds, most of the dramatic aspen colors have been blown into history. You can still find pockets of former glory in limited areas that are sheltered from the wind and frost. While driving to a sales meeting at a terrific new listing last Monday, I turned the corner at the top of the hill and took this view right between the eyes! I wonder how long I can get my aspen leaf fix at this location? (1 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: A SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON TROUT POND LANE The normal visitor to Vail comes up for a week, checks into a hotel, and spends the day pounding down the slopes and the evenings dining and partying. It remains to we locals to find the little pockets of beauty that are in profusion throughout the Vail Valley. Trout Pond Lane is one of those spots. Located at the end of a quiet lane in one of our many little subdivisions outside of the hustle and bustle of Vail Village, this dreamy pond is known by few and (2 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: FIRST SNOW First Snow is always an exciting time here in the Vail Valley. It confirms the realization that it's time to put away the golf clubs and hiking boots and start dusting off the the ol' boards (or board as it may be). While opening day at Vail is not until just before Thanksgiving, there is always a race between Loveland Basin, Keystone, Arapaho, and Copper Mountain to see who can be the first Colorado ski area to open. Some years this has been won before Holloween. It's still pretty warm...doesn't look like it's (2 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: COLOR EVEN IN THE RAIN While leaving the Vail Valley in the rain yesterday morning fror a trek to Denver, I found this Photo Op of my favorite hillside just above the Vail Golf Course. I pulled my car over to (4 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: JUST A FEW MINUTES FROM MY OFFICE Late last week I found myself with a couple of free hours before my floor duty at my real estate office in Lionshead and decided to take a quick drive up to Piney Lake. This iconic spot has been photographed many times but never by me. 30 minutes up a rather bumped out dirt road netted this photograph, amoung a few others. I always amazes me that we have so much beauty so close to our busseling mini-metropolis. You've really got to put Vail and western Colorado on your (2 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: "IS THIS A GREAT JOB, OR WHAT?" This is Izzy. Izzy is the Assistant Greens Keeper at the Eagle Ranch Golf Club. Izzy's job is to ride around on this cool cart with his boss and best friend Derrik and figure out the most diabolical pin placements imaginable. In addition, Izzy must chase Prairie Dogs and Geese (messy critters) off the fairways and do other such stuff. It's a lot better job than working in a junk yard - a lot more refined. The hours are great too. While you have to get up before (2 comments)
VAIL VALLEY DAILY PHOTO: A QUICK TRIP ABOVE TIMBERLINE - Last Wednesday was just the kind of day that cried for a quick trip above timberline. We are expecting snow up high (right about here) in the next few days and we knew this was probably the last chance this year to get out for some really high vistas without boards under our feet. What an amazing place we live in! Out the door at 8:00, 12,500 feet by 10:00 and back down by 1:00 for a beer and a nice lunch at Vendeta's on Bridge Street. Hootie the (3 comments)
What's going on in the Vail/Beaver Creek real estate market - right now!
*Current and future Trends in our local markets.
*National trends affecting markets.
*New projects, new opportunities.
*New listings of interest.
*Relocation Information.
*Daily photographs from the Valley.
*What's going on in Town-have some fun!
You name it - if it has to do with the Vail Valley and real estate, you'll see it here!