The Pacific Northwest Ballet is based in Seattle and was founded in 1947 and is recognized as one of the top three ballet schools in the United States.  The school offers training to more than 900 students, though only 38 will be performing at the Festival, under the direction of Artistic Director Peter Boal.

The performance will take place at the Gerald R Ford Amphitheater, with ticket prices at $17 for lawn seating and $55/$75 for reserved seating, depending on section.

For more information about the Vail International Dance Festival or to plan your stay in the Vail Valley, please contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305.

Photo taken by: Stephen Eberle

Episode III

Welcome to the weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to the Vail Valley and have a passion for exploring all the beautiful nature around me while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley or current locals on the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in the acts of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be observing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

The adventure I embarked on this week was a rugged hike to Lost Lake.  After work one day a few co-workers and I headed back up Red Sandstone Road. This road leads to Piney Lake (episode I), but if you stop about halfway through the road there is a parking lot on the right for the Lost Lake trail head.  After we parked, we put on our hiking shoes and made sure everything was packed up in my A-frame. Here is a list of things you should bring for a half day hike:

• Water!!!
• Dry food
• Flashlight
• Pocket knife
• Fishing gear
• Rain gear
• First aid
• Compass/map

The Lost Lake trail winds into the trees and through the wilderness, steadily inclining the whole way up. Along the way, you are greeted by breathtaking views of the horizon.  As you continue through, the trail begins to narrow and twists and turns.  After about three miles the trail begins to decline.  Once you hit the decline there is only about a half mile left before you reach Lost Lake.  You may think you are lost, but just continue following the trail and you will eventually see an old wooden post sign pointing to the right that reads “Lost Lake.”  Lost Lake will appear through the woods, a beautiful sight!  My coworkers and I did some fishing up there but not for long because the mosquitoes were really bad.  The abundant bird species in the area make Lost Lake a great place for bird watching. There were two what I believe were finches hanging out with us the entire time. It was very amusing.  We stated to head back before it got dark.  The roundtrip took us three and half hours and was about 7.5 miles long.

The Lost Lake Trail is a great hike for any level of hiking experience. The amazing views and entertaining wildlife make it a great hike for anyone. This trail would be great for mountain biking and also a magnificent place to camp.  Please be properly prepared before venturing into the wilderness for your safety and my piece of mind.  If you are planning on visiting the Vail area make sure to book your trip through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, your friendly, knowledgeable locals.

He has starred on the big screen as well as on Broadway, alongside legends such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.  In fact, Gregory Hines coined Savion Glover to be “the greatest tap dancer that ever lived.”  Many may know his work in the Oscar award-winning animated film “Happy Feet”, where he was co-choreographer for the character Mumble.  Last year he managed to sell out both shows; and certainly it will happen again.

Tickets are $17 for lawn seating, $55-$75 for reserved seats, and $10 for children.  This is a great substitute for the usual Tuesday Hot Summer Nights Series.  For more information about upcoming events and lodging in the Vail Valley, please visit our website at rockymountainvacationrentals.com, or by phone at (970)477-1777.

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is located at 8,250 feet above sea level, making it the highest botanical garden in the United States.  Access to the gardens is free and there are many youth and adult educational programs offered throughout the summer.  So come find your inner sensei and do yoga at altitude—you might find your highest higher power yet!

For more information on the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens or to book your vacation in the Vail Valley, please contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305. Yogis and non-yogis welcome!

Episode II

Welcome to the weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to the Vail Valley and have a passion for exploring all the beautiful nature around me while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley or current locals on the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in the acts of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be observing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

This week I will portray one of my first adventures I attempted when I arrived to the Valley.  Around my second day moving to Avon, I woke up early and walked out the door, not exactly sure where I was headed but ready for anything.  I had my hydration pack, hiking shoes, a rain jacket, and my Honda Ruckus ready to find me an adventure.  I headed towards HWY 6 east and kept going for awhile until it turned into HWY 24.  This road goes right through a quaint little town named Minturn.  Soon after passing the main area of Minturn, I turned right into what seemed to be a park, a nice dirt road that leads to some baseball fields.  Behind the baseball fields was nature and plenty of it, a nice river running down parallel to a hiking trail that I took for about a mile or so.  There is a dam to the river in this area, which would probably be a delightful place to do some fishing.  This area seemed to be used for lumber purposes since there was a lot of man made construction, so I left, thinking I wasn’t allowed in the area. But there is a trail there and seems to be public land.

I kept following HWY 24 for a while, enjoying the scenic route heading towards Red Cliff.  This road runs parallel to a surreal river for some time before it starts to incline into a few bends.  After the second bend there is a spot to pull over on the left and a yellow stair case on your right.  This stair case intrigued me so climbing I went.  After the staircase there is no trail to follow so I made my own.  After climbing a few of the rocks that I was capable of climbing I decided to turn back because the rocks were very fragile and broke into red dirt, which was not very comfortable as the dirt filled my shoes.  Coming down was a very difficult descent and was not fun at all.  I finally made it down got back on my scooter, headed towards the river, and washed my shoes out as I watch red sand float into the river.

Climbing the random staircase on Hwy 24 was not one of my best ideas. I should have explored more of the park in Minturn.  I would not recommend the staircase to anyone for a few simple reasons; there is no actual trail, very fragile rocks, and overall not worth the hassle.  The park in Minturn is a nice, easy hike that would be ideal for a family or romantic occasion.  Please be properly prepared before venturing into the wilderness for your safety and my peace of mind.  If you are planning on visiting the Vail area make sure to book your trip through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, your friendly, knowledgeable locals. Call us at 1-888-866-2305.

Movie Schedule
• 7/23: “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”
• 7/30: “Nine” **
• 8/6: “More Than a Game”
• 8/13: “Invictus” **
• 8/20: “Dear John”

**Date night movies. Free childcare will be provided by the Avon Recreation Center. Children must be registered, childcare lasts from 8:00-10:30 p.m.

For more information on Lakeside Cinema summer movies or to plan your next Avon/Vail/Beaver Creek vacation, please contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305.

There are 50 different divisions in the tournament and all age groups are included. Teams from all over the country and even teams from Mexico, Canada and Russia will be competing.

3v3 soccer is a variety of soccer in which two teams of three players each compete against each other. The objectives and rules are the same as traditional soccer: score the most goals using only legs. The minor differences in the sport make it stand out from normal soccer and attract a different kind of athlete. In 3v3, every player is involved; there are no permanently assigned positions as in traditional soccer. This means every player has the opportunity to play defense and offense. The field is much smaller (usually 30 yards by 40 yards) and so is the net. There is also no goalie in 3v3, a huge turn away from traditional soccer. These differences make 3v3 faster paced and high scoring, incorporating elements of hockey and basketball.

The Rocky Mountain regionals promise to bring fun, excitement and great athletes to the Vail Valley. Deadline for teams to register is July 26 at 11 p.m.  Don’t miss this great family event! Contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals for more information or to book your stay, 1-888-866-2305.

So this past Saturday when one of my coworkers had friends in town and the idea of a lazy day of tubing was brought up, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation. After quickly searching the internet for inner tubes, we arrived at a nearby Sports Authority and each purchased a $20 raft. Who says fun has to be expensive? We drove out to Edwards to the Colorado River Center, where the entire Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals staff had recently been on rafting and duckying excursions. This time there were only three members of staff, myself included, and four of our friends. We dropped one of our cars off at State Bridge where we would be exiting the river and drove the other car three miles upstream. After inflating our tubes, we eased ourselves into the water and soon found ourselves floating in wet, leisurely bliss.

The sun peaked out at us from behind the clouds as we passed beavers busily working on their dams. Every now and then, a train would roar past us on our right and blast its greeting as we waved from our floats. It wasn’t complete languor, however, as every now and then one of us would get stuck in a quagmire, but they were easy enough to maneuver around, and those who couldn’t provided the rest of us with a laugh. Then came the rapids. Now, we’re not talking about class five rapids here. Maybe class two. But any kind of rapid on an inner tube is security for a fun, wild and bumpy ride. As we traveled down the river, the rapids came larger and faster. Pretty soon we would just be recovering from one set when we would find ourselves immersed in another. The only thing louder than the rush of the rapids was the roar of our laughter. The water was pretty low so we constantly had to be on the lookout for protruding rocks, but this only attributed to the size of the rapids. About three hours later we found ourselves at our destination and reluctantly pulled ourselves and our tubes to shore. It was another great day on the Colorado River and I’m sure we’ll be back soon.

For more information about tubing the Colorado River or vacationing in Vail, please contact  Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305.

The 6,784-yard par-70 golf course has been offering visitors beautiful scenery and great golfing since 1984. This is your chance to come experience the sport the Rocky Mountain way. Merry Christmas in July!

Welcome to the first weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to the Vail Valley and have a passion to explore all the beautiful nature around me while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley or current locals on the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in the acts of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be observing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

Last Saturday afternoon, my roommate and I decided to find a remote lake to do some fishing and hiking in the general area, but we didn’t have much of a clue on where to go.  Thanks to Google Earth I found a lot of small lakes in the backcountry area, and we decided on Piney Lake.  The plan was set, now we had to pack. When going on a hike it is important to make sure to dress and pack for the elements of nature.  Deciding what to bring depends on the location and the extent of the journey.  Regardless on details, I like to bring around ten essentials because I’m not always sure what adventures I will get myself into.

• Flashlight
• Pocket Knife
• Compass/map
• A tent (just in case)
• Fishing pole with bait
• Plenty of Water and dry food
• Rain gear
• Water proof matches
• First-aid kit
• Two pairs of hiking shoes

That list is essential when hiking or camping. You might not always use everything, but you will be happy when you need it. When going on longer hikes, it is good to bring more supplies just to be on the safe side. Such as:

• Bug Spray
• Space blanket
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Toilet paper
• Extra sock
• Extra clothing
• Sleeping bag
• Trash bag
• A hat
• Iodine drops or a water pump

The beginning of our trip was somewhat of a struggle because of taking a slight detour, but we eventually got back on track thanks to an information booth we stumbled upon; a great source if you ever find yourself lost.  Once in Vail you want to take North Frontage Rd. towards Red Sandstone Rd.  This road goes through a neighborhood and soon turns into, literally, a red sandstone road.  Follow the dirt road for about 45 minutes.  If you think you’re going the wrong way you’re probably not just keep going forward and signs will appear to reassure your going the correct way.  This road is a bumpy ride, very enjoyable if you like those types of things, great conditions for dirt bikes.  Once you see Piney Lake Ranch the Lake is directly behind it.  The view from the lake is unreal with what I believe is the Gore Mountain Range in the background.  This area is ideal for astonishing photography opportunities.  The sun was starting to set so our hike wasn’t as long as we planned, actually it was a not so simple walk around the lake because areas around the lake are very marshy and proper footwear should be utilized.  When trying to fish in this lake there are only a few dry spots you can cast from, unless you have waders which I highly recommend if planning to fish at Piney Lake.  A canoe would also be ideal for fishing in this lake.  Unfortunately I didn’t catch anything, but I only fished for an hour because it got dark quick.

The trip back was more eventful than we had planned for. We didn’t get further than 500 feet before we saw a deer run across our path, still inside the ranch vicinity.  When we passed the camp sites a few hundred meters down the road we saw an object in the road so we slowed down; behold beautiful living creatures were staring us down as we stopped when we realized what was in front of our path.  A gigantic mother moose and her calf were gazing towards us in our brights blaring suburban.  As they looked at us we were not too sure on what to do.  I wanted to take a picture of this mind-blowing experience, but I was frightened on the reaction the flash of the camera might cause.  To continue on our path we slowly started going forward. As the mother and her calf started to walk away, we kept our eyes on them as they trotted back into the trees.  The mother moose and her calf were not the only wildlife we encountered on our ride back home.  We stumbled onto a small fox and a herd of deer towards the end of Red Sandstone Rd.

Piney Lake is a great adventure that offers fishing, great hiking trails, nearby camp sites, unbelievable scenery and lots of wildlife.  I would love to go back to Piney Lake sometime this summer to explore more of the area.  Please be properly prepared before venturing into the wilderness for your safety and my piece of mind.  If you are planning on visiting the Vail area make sure to book your trip through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, your friendly, knowledgeable locals.