Heading west tomorrow! Packing up my Blazer with all my winter toys – snowshoes, alpine skis, telemark skis and skins, snowboard, hiking boots, sleeping pad and bag. Lots of time to have fun in the mountains, gotta have the proper equipment. It’s 1000 miles exactly from Chicago to Denver, about 15-16 hours. I’ll leave in the afternoon, put down 6-10 hours, crash in the car or a cheap hotel, get up and drive to Aspen to meet the family and extended family for three fun days. Then the following weekend a place in Frisco, stay with a buddy in Vail a few nights, maybe do Couchsurfing.com for a few nights, maybe spend a night in a backcountry hut, see some friends in Denver, other friends in Golden and the Bundy’s in Fort Collins, last weekend with Brinks’ and their in-laws in Vail, Lisa flys out to join me for a few days and drive back with me. Looking forward to it. See I have this season ski pass, I HAVE to get my money’s worth 
It’s pretty stressful to travel like this – lots of things to be done, work to worry about, all this stuff to pack. It’s hard work to break out of the everyday momentum. Was thinking about that today. But so worth it – makes a life more exciting and interesting in my opinion. And it gives me life – gets me fired up. I really love the mountains.
Chicago to Denver road trip map
