The Wandering Kellers

How to Spend 24 Hours in London The Wandering Keller Way

Pre-Covid we went on a wonderful Disney cruise that left from Dover, England and visited Northern Scotland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and ended in Copenhagen where we spent 4 wonderful days. Because the children had never been to London, we flew in a day early to explore. The Wandering Kellers are known for squeezing as much into holiday as we can, so we were excited to roam and explore from the minute we arrived. The only plans we had were a cruise on the Thames and to see the Tower of London. This is in contrast to our typical, over-planned trips since we decided to play the rest of it by ear.

The flight in was magical as we all were lucky enough to be able to fly business class in lay flat seats so we ewre all to get enough rest on the flight over to make the most of the 24 hours we had. We landed at Heathrow at 6am and grabbed our bags and a van to take us to our place for the night “The Ritz London”. When we say this is a luxury hotel it is no hyperbole. We have never stayed at such a distinguished well-run place in my life. The majestic views, rooms, and setting are beyond compare. Do not confuse this with the Ritz-Carlton. This is “The Ritz”.

The Ritz was opened by the famous hotelier, César Ritz, in 1906. It was immediately considered one of the greatest hotels in the world and no expense was spared on its construction and lavish furnishings. It has seen many famous guests over the years with King Edward VII, Anna Pavlova, the Russian Prima Ballerina, Paul Getty, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, and Charles de Gaulle among the many. The movie “Notting Hill,” starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, featured several scenes shot at The Ritz and the final episode of Downton Abbey was filmed in The Ritz Restaurant

In 2002, The Ritz received a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services. The Ritz London is the first, and only, hotel to have been honored with this prestigious award. In 2016, The Ritz Restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2017 and has continued to maintain its Michelin Star.

We were greeted at our cab by the bellman in full regalia. We were whisked inside where the sheer beauty and opulence of the place took my breath away.

After dropping off our bags, we left to speed walk down to Buckingham palace since it was time for the changing of the Guard. We made it just in time and got a great viewing spot.

Changing the Guard is a formal ceremony in which the group of soldiers currently protecting Buckingham Palace are replaced by a new group of soldiers. The ceremony is free to watch and takes place outside Buckingham Palace on certain days around 10.45am and lasts around 45 minutes, with the actual handover taking place at 11am. Changing the Guard doesn’t take place every day – it is usually every other day – but is subject to change. Before your visit, make sure to check the ceremony schedule on the Household Division’s website.

Viewing areas near Buckingham Palace gates and the steps of the Victoria Memorial just opposite are two of the best spots to watch.

Then it was off to roam the streets and find somewhere to catch a small bite to eat. We happened onto a cool wine shop called Vagabond which sold small snacks. There just happened to be a donut shop behind it so everyone was happy to rest our feet on a beautiful London morning.

After some food and a glass of wine, we roamed to a local English pub to kill a little time until our boat ride. In America, kids can’t approach the bar in many areas, but here they were happy to ask the barkeep for a soda. They did, however, learn that the video machine in the corner was not a child’s game, but for gambling, and were kindly asked to not play it. (You should have seen their faces when the bar keep kindly chastised them)

After filling up a bit, we headed over to grab a boat ride down the Thames to the Tower of London. There are many companies that supply different boat tours so explore the itinerary that will work best for you. They do a great job of explaining all the sites on the way down including the London Eye, the cellphone building, and bridges, complete with a few jokes.

We then disembarked at the Tower of London where we took a tour with a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) who happened to be the raven master. The tour has humor, a number of interesting facts, and the Beefeaters are spectacular. We had done this tour 20 years prior and was reminded of why this is a must while in London.

The Tower of London has multiple types of tickets for individuals and families. An adult admission ticket is around 30 pounds and includes the Beefeater tour when they are running.

After that, it was to the Tube for a ride back to The Ritz to relax and get ready for our dinner at The Ritz Restaurant that night.

Every Friday and Saturday evening, The Ritz Restaurant, brings you dinner and dancing with “Live at The Ritz.” The Ritz Restaurant is one of the few venues in the city to offer a classic combination of fine dining and live entertainment.

“Live at The Ritz” is a set, four-course dinner menu with live entertainment and dancing. It is a little bit pricey (currently 140 pounds per person), but honestly the whole experience is a 3 plus hour long experience of food, professional dancing, and luxury that is well worth the price of admission. The servers were amazingly attentive and so accommodating as our youngest doesn’t like chocolates (I know, not sure how that happens) so they brought him a special strawberry surprise for desert.

As it got late, the kids went to the room to get some rest and the adults joined them not too much later. All in all, a fabulous day.

After some much needed sleep, we drug ourselves out of bed to get packed and ready for our transport to Dover which was arranged by The Ritz for us. The London Marathon was running past the hotel making our pickup challenging but as would be expected for a hotel with numerous celebrity guests, the hotel had a way to get us under the street and to an off alley where we could be whisked away with no traffic or detour. The Bellman also assisted us with our bags through the twists turns and stairs to make sure we made our transport without much fuss.

Overall, a great 24 hours in London. We would recommend that for any family visiting this city to make sure you make time to take in the city for a bit, ride down the Thames and tour the Tower of London. Where you stay is entirely up to you, and there are surely cheaper places, but if you want to feel like a Lord or Lady for the day, The Ritz London is where it’s at.

Would we do this again?

Most definitely. We had the most amazing day it made the cost of the hotel, dinner, and the business class seats worth every penny. The boys had a chance to see a number of sites that they still remember to this day, and mom and dad could remember when we did a Contiki tour at 22. Mom got to dance to a live band with her boys and we all enjoyed extraordinary cuisine. We did not stay at The Ritz on our post college adventure but many memories of good times came rushing back along with the creation of some great new family memories. All in all, it was also a great way to get the vacation started and another Wanderingkellers adventure.

Wandering Keller’s Guide to Skiing Steamboat Resort

Last year we made our way out west to ski for the first time. We spent a fabulous vacation at Breckenridge (post)and Keystone (post). We had so much fun we decided we had to make skiing out west an annual tradition. As spring break falls later in 2022 we needed that trip to be over the holidays. Due to the historical likelihood of Steamboat having more terrain open than almost anywhere else in Colorado we decided to give Ski Town USA a run.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I will earn a small commission. This occurs at no added cost to you and helps defray the cost of the blog.

Check out our post about packing for a ski trip with a printable packing list.

Day 1- Travel day into Steamboat

We awoke on Boxing Day (12/26) after a great start to the holidays and packed our luggage in the car for the trip to the airport. To save hassle and allow us to rent a cheaper car in Colorado we had shipped our skis out the week before using ShipSkis. It’s a great service and made the airport and travel day significantly easier. All you need to do is bag up your skis, print out and attach the shipping slip on the outside of the bag and put them out front of your home to get picked up and delivered to your destination. We pre-printed our slips for return shipping so we could just repeat the process on the back end.

We decided to fly into Denver directly from Philadelphia to avoid cost and allow for more consistent flights given the predisposition to large snowstorms this time of year. It also afforded us the ability to have the car to use for travel and grocery/wine/beer purchases.

We rented a Ford Explorer with Budget and were glad to have the larger car as you will see later.

The resort had received 15 inches of snow in the 24 hours prior to our arrival and almost 45 inches in the previous two weeks. They got an additional 6 inches the day we arrived. For anyone who read our post on the last time we went skiing out west in Breckenridge, we arrived much later at night than expected, driving through the pitch black night, in a minivan, through a blizzard into town. In true Wandering Keller fashion, we drove directly into a snow storm again which saw the 3 hour 10 minute drive from Denver balloon to 6 hours due to a massive back up on route 70 and a closure of route 40. Luckily/unluckily because we spent so much time on route 70, route 40 was open by the time we got there, even though it was extremely slow going. Although not as bad as the Breckenridge trip, the traffic made for a long travel day. We arrived at 8:00 MST (after 14 hours traveling) ready to check in, grab our skis, and hit the hay. Unfortunately, the resort couldn’t find the skis but thought they may be in a locked conference room that only the day team could access.

We booked the Edgemont Steamboat Springs right on the slope (Stampede). This was recommended as the most comparable resort to One Ski Hill Place where we stayed in Breckenridge. They have a great ski locker area, an outdoor heated pool and two hot tubs. It is truly slope side and just a short ski down to the gondola in the base area. We rented a 1 bedroom condo that featured a fully appointed kitchen complete with wine fridge, 2 full bathrooms and two fireplaces. The adults had a comfy king sized bed and the pull out queen sofa suited the boys just fine. We had a few dinners delivered directly to the room from What a Crock and ate one of them (shepherd’s pie) that first night. After putting away the groceries we grabbed on the way in at the Mercantile in Kremmling (which also has a liquor store) we were ready for some shuteye.

We had purchased the IKON Heavenly daze pass (7 days) before getting there as it was the most economical way to go about skiing that particular week, so we were ready to go after picking them up a short ski away from the room.

Day 2– Steamboat- do we have skis?

I was up around 4:15am since for me, with the time change, this was 6:15 and time to get up. Also, the anxiety of not having my skis in my possession had me a bit on edge. After some tossing and turning and trying the power of positive thinking, I got up and made scrambled eggs and donuts for breakfast. To save time, the adults headed down to pick up our IKON passes.

TIP: everyone needs a photo for their passes (a selfie will do) and if we had realized and inputted photos of ourselves on the easy-to-use IKON app ahead of time we could have had them mailed. Live and learn, I guess.

The shuttle driver that services Bearclaw and Edgemont was kind enough to wait for us which saved us precious time and effort. The resort has an app where you can call for a shuttle (similar to Uber) and see where they are and how long until they arrive. Super slick. What a nice guy (that Colorado hospitality) to wait for us. He dropped us back at the check in desk so we could check on our skis. Presto, they were in the locked conference room and we were in business with 30 minutes until first chair.

We dressed quickly (we had all forgotten how many layers and stuff one must use when skiing, but like riding a bike we got it all on in the right order, after a few tries) and headed down to the ski locker area to grab skis and poles and hit the slopes. To say this is ski in/ski out is almost an understatement. I mean you literally walk 5 feet out the door and you are on the slope 250 vertical feet above the gondola. We were in line by 8:32, so all in all, not too shabby. There are signs in the gondola line for you to order your coffee at the bottom and they will have it ready at the top of the gondola for you. What a great way to save 10-15 minutes in downtown or at the base. I’ll say this a few times, but Steamboat really does try to make the guest experience as relaxing and user friendly as possible. You certainly pay for it, but it is a bit refreshing that you get what you pay for. They had 124 of 170 slopes open, so for the 27th of December that was pretty good. Just an aside, Steamboat historically has 93% of terrain open by 12/25 which is but one reason why they are a good choice for a vacation so early in ski season.

Our first slope was Why Not, the longest of the slopes at 3 miles, and is a great way to warm up the legs and get your feet under yourself on the first day of the vacation and the season.

Along the way they have numerous areas to stop with educational signs about moose, rabbits, and other creatures that share the slopes with you. This is great for those who lack some endurance for the 3-mile-long slope. It is not steep so keep up your speed or you will need to pole through several transitions.

We then went to the Thunderhead lift to try and stay ahead of the crowds and took it to Thunderhead lodge before going down Spurs Run (green) to the Sundown lift. As the boys had their legs under them now, we explored some blue territory and the wife skied Sundial to Tomahawk and met us at the Sunshine Express lift. This is a great area for families as it has many different levels of slope that allow everyone to ride up together but ski down separately. We rode in this area for 3 more runs and I convinced the wife to do Lower High Noon (a relatively steep blue with some small moguls) which she didn’t love, but it gave her a bit of confidence. The boys took a wrong turn and had to take the Sunshine lift back up and try again. I sent the wife along ahead to grab a table at the base for lunch.

When the boys arrived tired from “2 miles of hard moguls” we grabbed the Elkhead express lift and rode back over to the main peak to head down to base for some lunch. The more adventurous of us took Heavenly Daze (known by the locals as Heavenly Glaze) to See Me, and the less adventurous took Why Not to Right of Way.

We met at the Timber and Torch and grabbed a table. Only a 10-minute wait and well worth it. It’s at the very bottom of the mountain, so no stumbling around town in ski boots. Turns out Steamboat has more winter Olympians than anywhere in the US and all their names are on the rafters with the years of their participation. There are photos of many of them together over the years and a sign that says “when they get together in Utah it’s called the Winter Olympics, when they are together in Steamboat it’s called Tuesday”. The food ranges from elk chili and salad to burgers and numerous appetizers to share. There is also a well-appointed bar with numerous beers, wines and whiskeys. We ordered a pretzel and some deviled eggs to start. The wife had a bowl of elk chili, which was delicious, the boys and I had 2 lamb burgers and a regular beef burger all cooked to perfection with excellent fries. As everyone was stuffed and getting a bit tired we parted ways with the boys who headed to the terrain park, the wife to the room, and I explored Storm Peak and all its wonders. The boys had a great time doing jumps and riding the half pipe. I rode down Cowboy Coffee, Rooster, Alarm Clock and generally explored the trees. A few words: Avoid skiing close to pine trees especially directly below them where there could be deep snow wells. There are signs all over the place reminding you of this. Stick to tracks someone else laid to start and explore the fresh powder after you get the lay of the land. Snow wells are dangerous. I found one in Keystone on the south bowl and it took me 15 minutes to extricate myself. Also don’t go too far into virgin powder without a buddy. After feeling like I explored most of this backside area I headed over for a few runs down 2 O’clock and Three O’clock then headed into the room tired and spent from more moguls then my body wanted to do.

We all took a nap and relaxed and the boys and dad headed out around 6 for some night skiing. The Christie Peak express lift was open and gave us an opportunity to get off halfway to ride Stampede, the Little Rodeo Terrain Park or ride the whole way up to do the few runs open from the top. The boys rode mostly on the terrain park, there were no lift lines, and it was a great way to grab another 6000 vertical feet for me. I tried the half pipe and boxes and had quite a bit of fun. Then it was back to the room around 8 for some hot stew, a shower, and a well deserved night’s sleep.

A word about Steamboat on my first impression:

Some greens are very flat (Why Not, Right Away, Spurs Run) making you feel like you are cross country skiing at times. Other are a bit stepper (Tomahawk and Rendezvous) so keep your speed up until you have to dump elsewise your arms will get a workout.
The Heavenly Days 7 day pass includes night skiing, is much more cost efficient if skiing more than 4 days over the Christmas holidays, and is good for 2 seasons, so if you use 4 this year you can use 3 next year. So, hold onto the pass.
Heavenly Daze, Vogue and See Me were windblown and icy so stay to the downwind side where more powder collects.
Many of the blues can be quite intimidating for beginner intermediate skiers with bumps collecting on them.
Almost all the blacks and blue/blacks have moguls on them so make sure your legs are fresh or you will be stopping to catch your breath along the way especially if coming from low altitudes like we were.
We lifted and did cardio for Breckenridge due to the significant elevation but we didn’t do nearly as much this time and this was a mistake especially given this was our first day of the season on skis.
There are many apps for vertical feet, etc. (I use slopes) but Steamboat has a cool app that allows you to see what’s open, weather forecasts, as well as track slopes done, vertical feet, and compete with others on the mountain. Worth a download for many reasons. I couldn’t get the Epic app to track my runs last year but the Steamboat app was a breeze.

Day 3- getting more adventurous

I awoke at 4:45 after 6 and a half hours of sleep and my legs reminded me of my 22,000 vertical feet the prior day. The soreness waned quickly and it was time to fuel up for a new day. Breakfast was a quick, one pot hashbrown recipe I love for cooking while getting ready for the day and feeds between 3-6 people.

Recipe:

1/2 -1 bag (15-30oz) of frozen hashbrowns or potatoes O’brien
3-6 eggs
4-8 ounces of mozzarella or favorite cheese
1-2 tbsp butter

Set oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking pan (13×9 or 9 x 9) with butter. Be liberal with the butter. Add the frozen hashbrowns making an indentation for each egg you’re using. Put pan in the oven for 12-16 minutes depending on elevation and oven. Add a piece of butter into each indentation and crack an egg on top of each. Put a generous layer of cheese over top and bake for 8-11 minutes longer depending on how firm you like your egg. I like to apply some butter after the first bake around the edges to help make sure there is no sticking.

Now you have a nutritious, no-frills meal that only makes one pan dirty and allows you to get dressed, rouse others from bed, etc. while it’s cooking in the oven so everyone can hit the slopes early (including the cook) and fueled up.

People were tired, so dad headed out to the slopes early and the rest of the family trickled out slowly. Dad did a fare bit of tree skiing and moguls and everyone met up at noon at Torch and Timber for another great meal. We found that getting there 10-15 minutes prior to 12 was the ticket as we arrived at 11:30 the day before and only waited 10 minutes versus 25 minutes today (we arrived at noon) and by the time we were seated the wait was almost 45 minutes.

After lunch we all headed back out to do some skiing as a family and came in a little early as everyone was a bit tired. The adults wanted to go into town to explore but the kids stayed back so the older one could Facetime his girlfriend (young love) and the younger one could hit the terrain park. Incidentally, we had two unbelievable things happen this day. One child lost an Apple watch and the other a battery for their heated sock. How those make it out from under multiple layers I will never figure out.

Steamboat the town is an ~12 minute drive from where we were at the resort and if you have the time and energy is worthwhile to visit. We went to The Laundry on 11^th and had a drink and some amazing buffalo carpaccio and pork cheeks. Definitely a great place to catch a bite and they have a million things to drink with very skillful bartenders. Unlike Breckenridge, which is built around the resort, Steamboat is a place people live and work year round so it’s not set up with only tourists in mind. There is an excellent square at the resort base with tons of shops, restaurants and places to pick up needed ski apparel, so for those who don’t have a car, shuttle or the gumption to go in there really is no need.

A cool thing we saw was Howelsen Hill park which is a very affordable slope located beside the middle of the town. It is Colorado’s oldest continuously operated ski area running since 1915. It is home to many skiers in both the Nordic and Alpine disciplines with the largest and most complete natural ski jumping complex in North America. A family pass can be purchased for 1000 dollars for both types of access and about half for either Alpine or Nordic access. Many high schools train here and nearly 90 winter Olympians have trained on this famed hill named after Karl Hovelsen (changed his name to Carl Howelsen upon coming to Colorado from Norway) who established the area. What an awesome idea and no wonder so many Olympians call Steamboat home.

We stopped at a Safeway on our way back in and picked up some more food as skiing builds up a hunger. We all were in bed by 10 wiped from such a fun and active day.

A few hints for those visiting for the first time after our second full day:

For the men out there, make sure you pack underwear with a fly. I packed two pair sans fly and it makes this much more challenging with all the ski gear.
If you have a kitchen I would recommend buying breakfast items and maybe over purchasing a bit as it saves time in the morning and makes for a good snack at night. Don’t overbuy lunch food, as honestly it’s the best time to eat out giving you time to warm up and make a plan for the rest of the day. Do plan on eating more dinners in the room than you think as 7 and 8 o’clock dinners will be a chore after a long day. This also makes night skiing easier.
If you don’t have a kitchen, purchase some snacks and things that don’t require cooking as it will come in handy especially if traveling with younger kids or hungry teenagers. Not sure where they put it all some days.

Day 4- powder day

Dad awoke at 6:45 (man he was tired to sleep almost 9 hours) and made eggs and toast for everyone. Everyone else was slow to get out of their pajamas so dad headed out at 8:15 to catch the first few gondolas up and head over for some serious powder off the Storm Peak and Sunshine Express lifts. The boys had a day just to themselves rotating around to different hills (as they call it leisurely skiing as opposed to dad’s planned and militant effort to explore as much as possible) and mom skied some easy greens. We all met for lunch at the room, and it was right back out to the slopes for some more powder for dad.

It snowed all day and the temperatures at the top of the mountain were in the low teens without the wind chill, so even dad had to stop at Four Points to warm up and add another hand warmer. I see heated gloves in dad’s stocking for Christmas next year. Mom has heated gloves and socks from Snow Deer. They have held up well for her over the past two seasons allowing her to stay on the slopes longer. Four Points (located about halfway down from the Storm Peak summit) was a key area for us as it sits below some of the coldest and steepest skiing on the mountain, so it is a great place to not only warm up, but also compose yourself after some long hard runs.

Another place we warmed up was the Rendezvous Lodge which had a great bar called Ragnar’s in it to grab something warm to eat and cold to drink. It is situated in the Sundown/Sunrise lift area and can be accessed by any difficulty of slope making for another great place to rest and meet up for the family.

Everyone met at the gondola and the oldest joined dad for a quick tree run (Biscuits) and some small moguls (Sunset and Moonlight) before heading back towards base via the Elkhead lift. Dad had 23,000 plus vertical feet today on some hard tree runs and difficult moguls so he was exhausted coming down the icy Heavenly Days and Vogue to the room. Dinner was in the room where we polished off the stew, shepherd’s pie and salad. The boys headed back out for some terrain park night skiing and mom and dad had some wine and spent some time relaxing in the hot tub outside. It was cold outside but well worth the view.

Day 5- snow dump

We awoke to 5 inches of new powder and many more inches on the way throughout the day. Steamboat added 18 new trails overnight bringing the total to 145 of 169 trails. Breakfast was dad’s hashbrown-egg one pan meal again to get us ready for another long day of fun in the white stuff.

Dad and the boys left early to grab the gondola and ski down to the Storm Peak express to get some fresh powder on the Christmas Tree bowl, Chutes, Biscuits, and Alarm Clock before heading to Four Points to warm up a bit as the youngest’s feet were frozen from all that fresh powder.

The whole family met up for a few runs down Why Not and Right of Way before lunch at the Truffle Pig. We got there at 12 to find a line and a 20 minute wait. You can make reservations so that may be the way to go if you want to avoid a wait. We waited inside and grabbed an order of tasty truffle fries from the bar and some drinks while we were waiting. There are signs to stay on the rugs and they are to be followed as the oldest child had a wipe out 5 feet after stepping off the carpet. Only pride was injured luckily. Our waitress was from Ireland and spends winters in Steamboat and summer in Martha’s Vineyard. She was spectacular, as were the people at the bar. Dad had a beer and pulled pork sandwich, mom a few glasses of wine and the wagyu bolognese. The boys had a wagyu burger and an adult grilled cheese. The food, atmosphere, and service were great.

After filling up on burgers, bolognese and grilled cheese the boys headed to the terrain park and mom and dad rode the gondola to ski together a bit. Dad gave mom a little lesson and after that she was skiing a bit more confidently. After some turns together, mom headed her way back via greens and dad headed out for some more moguls and tree skiing in the Closets, 3 O’clock, High Noon and Valley View before heading in for a hot chocolate with the family in the lounge. The amenities at Edgemont, including this lounge, were fantastic. Not many places have all you can drink hot chocolate (complete with Hershey’s chocolate, marshmallows, whipped cream and sprinkles), coffee, a 3 sided fireplace, great locker rooms and a heated pool and hot tubs all within feet of the slopes.

Dinner was in the room and the adults were wiped so only the kids ventured out to grind the rails at the terrain park with their nighttime skiing buddies. Mom and dad curled up on the couch to watch a Hallmark movie and have a glass of wine in front of the fire before turning in early in advance of the last big day on the slopes. The Keller’s work hard and play hard so we knew that all the juice would get squeezed out of the orange on Friday.

Few tips from our adventure on day 5:

The Christmas Tree bowl is steep. It is truly extreme terrain. For those looking for a challenge, this and the Gulley are where to find it. The Chutes and Triangle Trees are a bit easier but should challenge most skiers enough.
The easiest blue is Quickdraw and should be approachable for most beginner/intermediate skiers. It is accessible off Sundial or Tomahawk face and leads into another green (Tomahawk) that leads to the Sunshine lift.
Biscuits is by far the most approachable tree skiing run with the opportunity to opt out early by heading directly to the left over to Cowboy Coffee (a very easy but pretty ride through the forest) if you find it too challenging. Found off the Sundown and Sunrise lifts it’s worth a try for most intermediate skiers. Beginners should avoid the Morningside and Storm Peak areas as advanced terrain is needed to get back down.

Day 6- last hurrah

We awoke to more fresh powder and scrambled eggs, orange juice and toast made by dad to get the day started just right. It was set to snow all day so dad and the boys were on the slopes first thing to grab some fresh pow in between the trees. We all had a great day of skiing but dad took a huge fall on the Chutes and lost his GoPro in all the fresh powder as he slid down the face in an “avalanche” of snow. Tips on how not to lose your GoPro later in the post.

New Year’s Eve dinner was in town at Harwig’s. We had a four course tasting menu with gnocchi, monkfish, lamb, chicken puttanesca, and beet salad. It was excellent and we had some great family conversation about our trip and reflected on the past year as well as the year to come.

After dinner it was back to the room to pack up the skis and drop them off to ship home. Then all that was left was to ring in the new year at 10 MT. (A perk of being out West!) We picked up some quick bubbly in town to make it official. We decided to do East Coast New Year’s as everyone needed a good night’s sleep before our 5 am wake up to fight the snow back to Denver.

Day 7- drive back to Denver and flight home

We awoke at 5 am, packed up the car, grabbed a bit of gas and headed down 40 to Kremmling. It was dumping the whole way over the Rabbit Ear Pass and the roads never really got any better. We left 7 hours prior to our departure to make the 3 hour drive back, drop off the rental car, and get checked in at the airport. It took us the better part of 5 hours to make the drive including a short stop for a moose in the road and at the mercantile in Kremmling to use the bathroom.

We saw multiple accidents, cars off the road, and abandoned vehicles along the way, but made it to the airport safe and in plenty of time to get some lunch. There were multiple people at the airport who missed their flights or ran so close their bags probably wouldn’t make it. As my youngest always says, the Wanderingkellers always leave lots of extra time so we are never late (sometimes we are way too early though lol).

Tips for travel:

Don’t feel pressured to drive faster than you want by anyone. Pull over and let them pass and take your time. I know it sounds silly but the road was lined by those who didn’t heed this advice.
Rent a large SUV with great traction control. If you don’t need it, so be it, but if you don’t have it and need it, this could spoil your trip. We were really happy we had a large SUV on both ends of the trip.
Ship your skis if you can or rent out there. It made life so much easier at the airport and was really a breeze.
The heavenly daze pass is good for 7 days of skiing and the days can be used over 2 seasons. This includes night skiing as well on days you ski during the day. This is a cheaper and more effective way to book your tickets especially over holidays and if you don’t plan to ski at other IKON resorts, which would make an annual pass more economical.
Wear your GoPro on a chest holder as I unfortunately lost my GoPro in an avalanche of snow in the Christmas Tree Bowl/Chutes areas.
Consider powder skis if you are going to be deep in the trees as the “ice skates” I had were not up to the challenge of some of the really deep powder.

Thoughts about this trip:

We had a great time in Steamboat and would absolutely return. As far as skiing early in the season goes, Steamboat is great. According to zrankings.com, Steamboat is the second best place to ski in Colorado (Alta is first) with an average of 93% open on Dec. 25, and only 5% of its winters seeing conditions where less than half of the mountain is open by 12/25.

We loved the convenience of where we stayed and will certainly stay there again but we may try to book one steamboat place just for a change of scenery next time we visit.

The terrain is challenging but the powder was great. The best part was since it was a hike from Denver the crowds were very manageable. I don’t think we waited more than 10 minutes in any lift line all week (with the exception of the first gondola as we typically arrived at 8:15 or so) and probably less than 5 minutes most times.

I recommend Steamboat highly for anytime during ski season but especially for the holidays. The resort is well run and the staff are friendly and very helpful. The mountain rarely felt crowded except on a few of the beginner runs mid day. All in all, The Boat has something for all levels and all interests.

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Sailing the Florida Keys The Wandering Kellers Way

After our Sailing class in St. Pete with Offshore Sailing School we wanted to charter a boat as preparation and practice for the BVI’s (Part 1 and Part 2). We were concerned also that if we waited too many months, our skills and know-how would wane and it may be a more challenging vacation after 6 months not sailing a catamaran. We decided to do a Dream Yachts charter out of Key West since it was a place we could get without the need for COVID testing and they had the same exact model of catamaran (Fountaine Pajot 40) that we had used in our Offshore Sailing School liveaboard Class.

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Day 1- Travel to Stock Island Marina

The flight down to Key West was direct and easy. From the airport we took a cab to the Stock Island Yacht Club and checked in at the Dream Yachts office. The boat wasn’t quite ready, so we took dropped off our bags and took a cab over to the Hog Fish Bar and Grill for some lunch and a drink.

Tip: We met a nice cab driver on our way from the airport and he gave us his card so we used his services all week to get from place to place.

We had some tasty fish tacos and shrimp and with our hunger satisfied we headed back over to the Marina. Once there, we hit the pool for some relaxation. When the boat was ready for us we loaded our bags on the boat and packed away the provisions that were delivered from the local Publix through Instacart.

The boat was owned by a Frenchman and had 220-volt setup and also did not have air-conditioning. It was a 4 bedroom/4 bath configuration where our boat for the learn to sail class had two baths which allowed for a separate shower area that was more spacious and did not require the use of a sink faucet to rinse off. No complaints, just something we loved on the FP40 we used for our class and will look for in the future. As there was no wind in the marina it became very buggy and stayed hot (over 80 degrees) all night. This made for a very sweaty and bite filled “sleep”. We will never make the mistake of not asking whether the boat has air conditioning, a Genset and American power again. None of this was anything we couldn’t overcome, but compared to the fully loaded boat we used for our class, this boat required us to adjust some of our expectations. This is the big take away from this vacation as we assumed (we all know what that gets us) that a $600,000 plus boat that was relatively new would have A/C, fridges and freezers that got very cold, and the ability to plug in your stuff without a converter, but alas, it did not. Luckily, we brought our travel power pad we use when traveling overseas so this helped immensely in finding places to plug all our devices in.

We have the older model of the BESTEK International Power Adapter 250W, 220V to 110V Step Down Travel Voltage Converter with 4-Port USB and although you can buy any one you want, having one of these is great for travel anywhere as it provides 4 USB ports and 3 outlets for charging devices. We’ve had ours for 7 years and it has come in handy nearly everywhere we travel.

That night we took the dinghy down, fired it up and took a little spin outside the marina. This let us make sure we knew how to get it in the water, start it up and also let us cool off a little in the breeze outside the marina.

Day 2- Stock Island to Newfound Harbor

We awoke at 8 am and filled our cooler with ice. The Dream Yacht folks had given us some ice the night before, but we wanted to top off the cooler since we knew this would be paramount to keeping our food fresh and our drinks cold. Our fridge and freezer didn’t stay/get very cold so keeping them shut as much as possible on this trip would be key. The marina had a nice ice maker and they let us borrow a 5-gallon bucket to fill up with.

Someone from Dream Yacht came out to the boat to orient us and run over our float plan. After a quick debrief and run through the boat, we were ready to go. The table had been damaged on a prior charter and it needed fixed. The Dream Yacht staff member was great and gave us some great suggestions about where to go and what to see. We had done a good bit of research, but this really helped us make a few decisions. Local knowledge trumps any guidebook. The maintenance person from Dream Yacht did what he could to fix the table, but I had to retighten it several times over the voyage.

We shoved off the dock and headed out the channel to the open and deeper water offshore. It was the beginning of lobster season so the traps were everywhere but there was still plenty of room to maneuver. We motored all day because our destinations were upwind. The boat did make good speed into the wind and we arrived at Looe key by lunch time.

Looe key is a shallow reef a few miles offshore surrounded by deeper water and mooring buoys. We grabbed a buoy and hit the water for some fantastic snorkeling. In my opinion, this was by far the best snorkeling in the Key West area. It was not crowded because it takes a boat to get there, and the variety of fish was great. My wife and son saw what they described as a 6-7 foot reef shark as they were coming in, but I was dubious.

We had a bite to eat and headed up to Newfound harbor almost directly north. We tucked ourselves around the corner between Spottswood Island and Little Torch Key for the night. We grilled some shrimp and made some rice and had a relaxing evening watching the sun come down surrounded by other charter boats. The youngest noticed that our mooring light was out so we turned on the navigation light and sent a message to the Dream Yacht staff who arranged to meet us the next day to give us a temporary light. It was much cooler out on the water and far less buggy since we were so far from shore.

Day 3- Newfound Harbor to Bahia Honda

The next morning, we were up with the sun and off for another snorkel at Looe Key. This time it was earlier when we got there and sunny. I can indeed confirm there is a 6-7 foot reef shark that patrols these waters so I had some apologizing to do for my dismissive attitude when originally told about the shark. The fish were even more vibrant in the morning sun. After a good swim we raised the sails for a few hour long sail and headed to Bahia Honda state park and its protected anchorage beyond the derelict train bridge. The old bridge has a section removed that allows sail boats with tall masts to pass in to the harbor between it and the new bridge.

There is a story about this old bridge. The old Bahia Honda railroad bridge was built and opened in 1912 connecting Miami and Key West. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed much of the line and the bridge was sold to the state of Florida and converted for highway use in 1938. A new four-lane bridge was built and opened in 1972, a few hundred yards north of the old bridge. Many lives were lost including many on an 11-car rescue train trying to make its way north from Key West. (My wife had recently read the book The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton, so she particularly enjoyed seeing the bridge).

We dropped anchor as the holding was good and headed into the state park for some exploring and snorkeling off the beach. There were only 3 other boats in the anchorage so it made for a cozy spot. We blew up the SUP and let the kids float around while I affixed the temporary mooring light to the spinnaker halyard before raising it up.

I had tied a rope to get the halyard back down as the new light wasn’t heavy enough to lower it but the winds later in the vacation managed to untie my knot. Another lesson learned– I should have tied a bowline to a bowline to make sure they didn’t slip free. Well, the temporary light was up there until someone got it back down. I had screwed the table down at least 5 times already so I guess I earned a little forgiveness.

Dinner was steak and shrimp on the grill and a few glasses of wine for the adults. We were settling into the new routine and enjoying the great weather we were having.

Day 4-Newfound Harbor to Boca Grande

We awoke to blue skies again and 12 knot winds going just the right direction for us so today would make sailing part of our 30 nm trip to Boca Grande. When raising the anchor it got wedged in the fiberglass on its way up and I could not loosen it from on the boat. This boat did not have a metal sleeve where the anchor sat and I had not imagined the anchor might not right itself properly when sliding home. A metal sleeve over the fiberglass likely would have prevented this, but alas live and learn. It was almost in the hole so we decided to journey out into clear waters for me to try and pull it free with a winch where we were not drifting towards shore and other boats.

We slid out into the deeper waters and found some room. I boarded the stand up paddle board and went around to the front to tie a line to the anchor so that we could use a winch to pull the anchor free. With family teamwork, we were successful and I didn’t float away so, all in all, a successful mission. After that, we raised the sails and made our way down past Key West and civilization to Boca Grande Key.

Boca Grande Key is an uninhabited island within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. It is a beautiful and protected anchorage where one can SUP, snorkel, walk the beach, and enjoy the wildlife. The one thing to be careful of is approaching this Key through the right channel. It can get pretty shallow in some areas (as it does frequently around many of the Keys). It as not a problem so long as you kept your eyes peeled on the water and the depth finder.

We spent a beautiful night there as a family – walking the beach, taking a dinghy ride around parts of the key and jumping off the front of the boat. As the sun set we fired up the grill for our last meal aboard the boat.

Day 5- Boca Grande Key to Stock Island

We awoke to a 15 knot wind blowing just the right direction and rode the wind around Boca Grande Key to Cottrell Key to grab a mooring ball and do some snorkeling. There are several sets of mooring balls, but the best area to the north and east was full so we tucked into an area off the western edge. The water was full of large moon jellyfish and was pretty cloudy. There were a number of large fish but really no colorful fish or beautiful reef plants so after 30 minutes we headed back to the boat to see if we could jockey into a better position. After waiting around for 20 minutes or so we decided to make our way back toward Key West, and of course, once we were a half mile away, two spots opened up. Murphy’s Law in full effect. We had intended to spend our last night at anchor between Wisteria Island and Key West, then take the dinghy in to Key West to eat and explore. When we arrived, the channel was busy and there were many boats abandoned. In addition, the anchorage was tight and the hold not great. Knowing I wouldn’t sleep, we made the decision to grab some gas and head back into Stock Island Yacht Club.

The moment of truth for most captains had arrived. Backing your borrowed boat into the slip at the marina with everyone watching. We had a practice run of sorts at the fuel dock in nearby Stock Island Marina at the fuel dock. They have great hours and a nice large area to pull your boat up so it’s a great place to grab fuel if you’re in the area. When we got to the Yacht Club it was busy with boats coming and going but I just channeled our teacher Kelly from Offshore Sailing School and backed the boat in without any issues. I was anxious, but gained enormous confidence after accomplishing what for most of us is the most stressful part of boating.

None of us were looking forward to spending another hot, sweaty night on the boat, so as we were coming in, mom booked us a night at the Barbary Beach Hotel (now owned by Margaritaville). We packed up our stuff and some extra provisions and gave a ring to our taxi and were off out of the heat to the hotel. We were greeted with welcome drinks and a smile. The room was beautiful, the resort full of amenities, and most importantly air-conditioned. The kids had a large set of bunkbeds and the wife and I had our own area with a beautiful bathroom. There was a small kitchenette to keep our provisions cold and a beautiful beach across the road with Hobie cats and other toys to play with.

Day 6-The Long Trip Home

We awoke well rested to find that our flight home was cancelled. There were no flights out from Key West that day on any airline with availability. I had to get home to get to work and managed to get a flight from Miami and a car to drive me there. The kids grabbed breakfast and played at the pool while we officially checked out of the boat. We then headed across the road for some fun in the sand and took out a Hobie cat for 40 minutes or so to let the kids practice their skills on a slightly less intimidating boat.

After that it was time for me to grab my car for the 3 hour ride to Miami and the long flight back home. I arrived home late as per the usual Wanderingkeller fashion of squeezing all the juice out of the vacation. The rest of the family spent another night in the hotel and flew home direct from Key West the next day. As a bonus day of vacation, the kids got to parasail for the first time. They were both nervous at first, but ended up really loving it and the company they went out with was fantastic!

All in all, it was an excellent vacation full of fun, relaxation, and plenty of learning moments. We all came away with great stories and lessons that we will hold with us the rest of our lives.

We will definitely sail in the Keys again and definitely want to explore further north as we only made it as far as Bahia Honda. Some charter companies will let you pick up the boat in Marathon and that allows you faster access to the eastern area of the Keys which we would like to explore next time we are down.

What did we learn on this trip?

Make sure your boat has A/C if sailing in warm weather climates especially in the summer.
Some of our boating legs, especially from Bahia Honda to Boca Grande were too long and we decided to avoid such long stretches in the future as we did when planning our BVI trip. 15-20nm is probably a good leg for vacation especially if you’re not stopping for a few hours to break it up.
A boat with 2 bathrooms is more spacious and better served for a family vacationing alone. We opted for a 3 bedroom and 2 bath configuration on the Lagoon 40 we used in the BVI’s based on this experience.

The Beginning of Many Wanderingkeller Adventures: Learning to Bareboat Cruise on a 40-foot Catamaran with Offshore Sailing School

One of our plans for retirement is to buy a sailboat and cruise around enjoying the ocean breeze and beautiful sunsets, letting the winds and our whims decide where we spend our next day, week or month. As a young boy I often dreamed of owning a boat and always thought it would be a 60 foot power yacht. Not growing up on boats I realized that this was a dream (an expensive one at that). The more realistic and perhaps more adventurous, older, me realized a sailboat is not only more economical but the thrill of harnessing the wind appealed to me. My wife was initially a little skeptical and the teenage boys were less than impressed with 7 knot cruising but once I got them on the boat and we heeled the rail in the water the boys were hooked. How did I get the wife on board? Well the first time we sat on the hammock on the front of the Fountaine Pajot 40 and watched the sunset with the breeze, a glass of wine and pure quiet, she was hooked.

As I said earlier neither my wife nor I grew up with boats. We own a small pontoon boat which is perfect for beaching on the sand bar, tubing, fishing and watching the fireworks (my favorite thing to do), but is basically a floating cork with an engine. Fun, but limited. If we were going to really make a go of it we needed some training on the water and initially took a local ASA keelboat class in Maryland. This was a perfect way to get our feet wet and learn the ropes. The real goal, however was to bareboat in the British Virgin Islands and beyond. For that we needed some real water time on a bigger boat. This is where Offshore Sailing School came in. Offshore Sailing School was started by Steve and Doris Colgate 55 years ago and has over 150,000 graduates. All instructors are certified by the Central Sailing School, unlike many programs that are independently run and variable in the abilities of their instructors. With Offshore Sailing you get a great instructor every time and ours (Kelly) was no different. They have many classes that allow you to either go slow or to do a fast-track class that allows you to get many certifications in a packed week. We tested out of our basic keelboat since we had done that with ASA and decided to take a fast track to cruising class (103,104 and 114) in 6 days instead of the 8 if we would have needed to do the 101 as well.

They have schools in Tortola, Scrub Island, Captiva Island, St. Pete, Cape Coral and Ft. Myers which allows them to have year round training sites.

The school sent us all our materials months in advance so we could study and prepare on our own time for what we needed to know. This allowed us to have more focus on the actual sailing aspect and less classroom time when we arrived. There was also a pretest we took online to ensure that we, and everyone involved, had completed the reading and were ready for the class. This is a nice touch as it keeps people who didn’t do the proper pre-work from slowing down and impeding the groups learning during the class. Our class was just us and another couple, plus our instructor Kelly.

We flew into Tampa, took an Uber to Saint Petersburg and stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites St. Petersburg/Downtown. We got in the afternoon before our class began, so we were ready to do some exploring and took the short walk to the marina to begin our week of adventure and learning. The hotel was well-appointed and right near the marina and many restaurants downtown. We explored the main drag and ate lunch and dinner on the strip. We got to bed early knowing we were in for a long week.

Day 1- Monday

The first day on the boat was immediately down to business as my wife and I challenged the basic keelboat test. We took the basic keelboat test and then spent some time reviewing what we were going to learn, important points we needed to know and explored all of the boat’s functions and equipment. We checked the bilge pumps, explored all the holds and bilge areas, checked the oil, filled up the water tank and identified all the breakers, safety equipment, and necessary charts. We got all the provisions put away and got ready to shove off after a briefing and a little pre-work. The couple we were on the boat with had done the two day basic keelboat class prior to this fast-track class and found it excellent.

Our boat for the Class was a Fountaine-Pajot 40 foot sailing catamaran named the Oasis. She had air conditioning, plenty of refrigeration/freezer capacity and all the navigation equipment one would expect on a well-appointed boat. The bedrooms and bathrooms were very comfortable even for the 6-foot 4 inch sailor who was part of the class. There was plenty of space to stow the gear and I couldn’t have been happier with our luck in getting to spend the week on this fine sailing vessel.

Kelly did most of the driving the first hour or so explaining the lay of the land, important channels and where it was safe to play around. This became important for our last two days when we would do a solo sail from the marina. After that, we each took turns motoring towards our destination in Manatee River. This was a great anchorage that was quiet and peaceful. It was also near the end of Tampa Bay by the Gulf of Mexico where we had lots of room to sail and practice our skills.

Dinner was on the grill on the back of the boat with dolphins swimming by and a beautiful sunset.

Day 2- Tuesday

Today we spent much of the day sailing in the bay practicing our tacking, jibing, and pinching skills (pinching, which on a catamaran isn’t that close to the wind and holding a course). We also took turns working the sheets as couples to get the communication practice we needed to be effective teams. Kelly took a lot of time this first day working us all through the different roles on the boat making sure everyone was comfortable in each role. He made sure that the women spent some extra time to make sure the guys didn’t take all the fun away. He was patient but made sure we kept our skills sharp and efficient. This was a great day of relaxed but purposeful practice that got us all feeling more confident.

We spent the night in Manatee River again as it was a perfect anchorage given the wind direction and the ability to anchor close to shore making for a quiet and still spot to spend the night. We set the anchor this night as team and it went off without a hitch. After a great meal of shrimp and fresh fish we had a few glasses of wine and hit the rack early.

Day 3- Wednesday

We awoke early and had a quick breakfast before taking the second of the four tests we would take on the trip. We pulled up the anchor and headed out into the Gulf for some practice in higher winds and more rocky seas. This trip was cut a bit short as the ladies got a little queasy from all the rocking and rolling so we headed back into the stiller waters of the Bay. We sailed out to where based on the predicted winds we would anchor for our solo sail in Boca Ciega Bay near the Days Inn. After getting a good line in the channel and practicing anchoring a few times in this location we headed off to Longboat Key for the night. This gave us a chance to go through two drawbridges and practice calling the bridge tender operators.

The channel beyond the second bridge is narrow and staying on the windward side is paramount, but with Kelly’s support and trust we navigated and successfully docked at Longboat Key where we ate on land at the Mar-Vista Restaurant. The food was excellent and the venue was beautiful. After dinner we went back and had a few drinks on the boat prior to turning in.

Day 4 – Thursday

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise of all the boats floating in the anchorage and had a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs.

After breakfast we took our final two tests and headed back toward our home base marina and worked on man overboard drills and mooring and docking in a nearby marina. We motored into our home base marina and hooked up our shore power prior to heading out for a dinner on land at Stillwaters Tavern and a short walk to stretch our legs.

It was early to bed since we had our solo sail the next day so all of us wanted to be sharp and maximize our opportunity to practice and gain confidence without our instructor Kelly who departed before dinner to head home and sleep in his own bed.

Day 5- Friday

We awoke early and ate breakfast while underway as we shoved off and made our way out into Tampa Bay to practice our skills. Each couple took turns jibing and tacking as the others spent time inside relaxing and eating some lunch. After we all felt confident, we set sail for our overnight anchorage in Boca Ciega. We took turns sailing until we reached the entrance channel for our overnight spot where we fired up the motors and dropped sail to motor into our home for the night. After arriving we dropped anchor made sure we had plenty of scope and the anchor was well set and then broke open a bottle of wine to toast our accomplishment on the day.

Dinner that night was shrimp, steak, rice and vegetables as well as a few more glasses of wine as we watched the sunset and we remarked how much we had learned and how great our instructor Kelly was.

Day 6- Home Again

We got up early again and headed out the channel and back to home base to dock the boat and get our graduation certificates. The winds were strong and we battled waves as we made way against the wind and surf back to the marina.

We docked at a T-dock to pick up Kelly as the wind was howling and none of us wanted to end the week badly with an accident getting into a tight slip between numerous expensive boats.

Kelly got us safely in the slip, we tied the boat off and plugged in the shore power. We washed off the boat, filled the water tanks, disposed or boxed up left over provisions and got all our stuff up on deck. Kelly presented us with our certificates, we took a few photos to remember our experience and stepped onto shore much more competent and confident sailors then we stepped on 6 days prior.

Final Thoughts

Offshore Sailing School far exceeded our expectations as far as the quality of vessel we were on, teaching style and ability of our instructors, convenience of the booking and material review process, food provided, as well as the fun we had all while learning a lot.

For anyone looking to learn how to sail, Offshore Sailing School is really the way to go as we went from knowing very little besides the absolute basics to feeling confident enough to go it alone with the family. Upon getting home, we booked a short trip in the Keys out of Key West with Dream Yacht and an 8 day sail in the BVIs with the Moorings (graduates of the OSS Bareboat class get 10% off). We have completed both those trips and I will say our class definitely prepared us well for all we would need to do. This trip was a great start for many new adventures to come.

Wandering Kellers Sail The BVI’s Part 2

Day 5– Saba Rock to Diamond Cay

We decided to skip the journey to Anegada Island because the winds were predicted to be less than 6 knots all day and most of the next day. The trip to Anegada from Saba Rock is a 23nm journey and you don’t pass anything along the way so it’s a lot of motoring there and back. Instead, we decided to take a slow motor to the western end of Jost Van Dyke and stop numerous places along the way. We started out early (about 6:40am) and stopped at three snorkeling areas. Each one was a little different and amazing in its own way and each about an hour motoring at 6 knots apart.

Our first stop was off was the southern coast of Great Dog Island. The Dogs have many scuba diving spots, but only one that is truly great for snorkeling. It’s along the southern end of Great Dog Island. There are 5 National Park buoys allowing you to moor and snorkel right off the back of the boat. The reef is west of the beach and the day we were there the water was crystal clear and full of beautiful fish. The maps talk of a coral garden and it does not disappoint. The plant life and coral alone is worth the trip, but there are plenty of fish to be seen as well.

We ate a quick snack on the boat before departing for our second spot, Diamond Reef. It is located between Marina Cay –near Scrub Island — and Great Caminoe. There are multiple moorings in this spot but they are close together, so we chose one at the southern end to stay out of harm’s way. Be careful to fully come around the shallows south of Marina Cay before turning in. This area is partially demarcated by buoys but the shallows extend a decent bit to the east of the island so be extra careful if you have a deeper draft vessel. Some people anchor here overnight but one must stay clear of underground power lines when dropping the hook so stay southwest of the mooring field and consult an up-to-date chart if going this route. There is a dinghy line near the reef to tie off to. It is demarcated like all dinghy lines in the BVI’s by a line with several blue and white buoys connected to it and is attached on both ends to the bottom.

After working up an appetite snorkeling, we took the dinghy over to Trellis Bay (basically directly south of the mooring field near Diamond Reef) for a drink and some lunch at The Loose Mongoose. It was just rebuilt following Hurricane Irma and is absolutely amazing. The food was fabulous. We shared ribs, fish tacos, a shrimp roti, some fish bites, and buffalo tempura vegetables. The adults shared the drink of the day, a kiwi gin drink, that was tasty and refreshing. The kids opted for virgin daquiris and painkillers. The servers here were all very friendly and filled us in on a bit about the Bay and gave great advice on food choices. We also picked up a 20 pound bag of ice here to replenish the supply. Feeling full and ready for the next snorkel we headed back to the boat.

The next stop was Monkey Point, a snorkel area that is just around the southern end of Guana Island. We recommend when moving from Diamond Reef to Guana Island to take the inlet between Little and Great Caminoe Islands. It’s narrower than the pass between Little Caminoe and Tortola but has a consistently deep area in the middle where the pass between Little Caminoe Island and Tortola is more inconsistent without local knowledge. We arrived at Monkey Point around 1:30 and found 2 open National Park mooring balls available (if we haven’t mentioned already, all National Park mooring balls we used were day only and not to be used for overnight stays). We moored the boat and rode the dinghy out to the dinghy line which is all the way at the south end of the mooring field. It’s best to approach the line from the west outside the mooring field to avoid snorkelers that are in close to the shore along the reef. The water here was a bit cloudier than the two other spots we hit this day. Not sure if it was the time of day, tides, or if that’s just how it is, but this area made up for it with a far greater number of large fish. We saw a spotted eel and 5 cuttlefish. The current can be strong at Monkey Point (which is another reason why the water is likely more cloudy), so swimming to and from the boat can be more challenging than the other spots we visited. I recommend using the dinghy unless you get a ball close to the point, as that’s where the best snorkeling is.

All in all, three great spots to snorkel. For those of you who can’t visit all three, we will summarize to help you choose.

For those with small children who aren’t the greatest swimmers, or not experienced at snorkeling: Diamond Reef is the most accessible and protected. It has great fish and some shallow areas where fish can be seen easily near the surface especially if snorkeling with a noodle or life jacket.
For those looking for beautiful underwater scenery, especially coral, sea fans, etc., the area south of Great Dog is by far the most beautiful of the three locations
For those looking for a wider variety of fish, eel, etc., Monkey Point is the best. Additionally, the spot has the added bonus of White Bay Beach being right next to the snorkel area allowing those who choose not to snorkel to sit on the beach instead of the boat.

Tired and satisfied from a long day, we made the 9 nm motor, as there was still no wind, to Diamond Cay between Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke. We had reserved a Boaty Ball to make sure we had an anchorage as we were coming in less than an hour from dark. That said, and likely because we did reserve one, there were plenty of balls to be had. We cleaned up a bit and took a dinghy ride to Foxy’s Taboo, Foxy’s sister bar, for a drink. The wind was light, but the no-seeums were not, so we left quickly and headed across to try the B-Line bar on Little Jost Van Dyke. It was far less buggy and they had cornhole out for the kids. We had a drink there and met the husband and wife owners, lovely people who moved to the BVIs from Jamaica shortly before Irma and are still recovering from the hurricane that decimated these islands. They also have moorings available. We were having a great time and ordered some delicious honey stung wings. Foxy’s Taboo has the name, but the B-Line is where it’s at. Anyone in this neck of the woods should definitely make a stop at the B-Line for a drink and a snack. Both locations had Wi-Fi available, but the B-Line could be used on the boat, especially if moored on the B-Line balls. Movie for the night was Cruella, but we were so tired only the oldest child made it to the end.

Day 6– Diamond Cay to Cane Garden Bay

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise and started slow, letting everyone sleep in as we all needed it after a long day in and on the water. We left the boat around 9 after some egg, ham and cheese bagel sandwiches and headed out for the famous bubbly pool. It’s a pool that has a small opening to the ocean that affords the waves entrance, but in a controlled way that makes it nature’s jacuzzi. The weather was predicted to be colder than usual and very windy, so we wanted to get to the pool prior to the wind really kicking up. The trail to the pool starts behind Foxy’s Taboo through the back gate. You head right down the path that runs along the edge of Diamond Cay. There is driftwood and debris that obscure the path, but if one looks hard enough the trail can be seen and followed. As you come around the top of the bay a sign that says “up da rock” can be seen. These orange lettered signs help guide you the rest of the way to the pool. When we arrived, a few wild goats were by the pool. We guess humans aren’t the only ones who appreciate this interesting natural phenomenon. The pool is awesome, but if it isn’t high tide or there aren’t any waves, it’s a bit underwhelming. We were lucky to get a few huge waves and therefore the full effect of the pool. A quick note: the walk there does involve climbing rocks, narrow paths and uneven terrain. Those who are less coordinated, older or very young, or not in reasonable shape may find this a challenging hike. The entrance to the pool is over numerous slippery rocks and the pool is quite deep in the middle (5-6 feet) with a strong rip current when the larger waves come in. Those who are not great swimmers should be careful to stay in the shallower end of the pool and/or wear a life jacket.

cAfter returning from the bubbly pool, we decided to motor down to Great Harbor on JVD to try and score a mooring ball. We got there around 10:30 and drove between Great Harbor and nearby White Bay for an hour or so but could not get a mooring ball. The winds for the night were predicted to be strong, so the moorings and prime anchoring spots filled up quickly. A quick word: When looking for a mooring early in the day ask people if they are leaving. We tried to be polite and lurk a bit away from the moored boats, as a result, we had not 1, but 2, moorings stolen from underneath us because less polite souls drove right in front of us. After an hour or so of searching, we took this as a sign that we weren’t meant to be at Jost Van Dyke for the night. This is also the most common spot for pre-departure Covid testing, making it the place to be on a Thursday for folks leaving Saturday or Sunday. (This may change now with the US testing window moved to 24 hours before entry back in the States.) We headed out to Cane Garden Bay because we brought antigen tests we could do from anywhere with Wi-Fi. This is a tip we recommend to all as long as the pandemic rages. These tests allow you in about 20 minutes to do a rapid antigen test (good right now for fully vaccinated folks — which we all are) anywhere where you have Wi-Fi and it’s quiet enough to hear the person guiding you through the test. We used the Abbott Binax Now Covid-19 home test (6 for $150). After a beautiful sail where the wind cooperated, we arrived in Cane Garden Bay and headed straight in to do our Covid tests. We went to Paradise Bar Restaurant. This quaint beach bar is great and right along the swimming area of the beach. The staff were so nice and when they saw we were doing our tests and struggling a bit to hear the telehealth folks, they turned off the music and left us alone without being asked. What great people and a great place to see a sunset. We were all negative for COVID and ready to apply for our visas. The boys went swimming and the adults enjoyed a drink and some music.

It was Thanksgiving and one restaurant had a full Thanksgiving spread (something we didn’t expect but will take advantage of in the future if we do the BVI’s again for Thanksgiving) but we had already planned and purchased steaks, potatoes and shrimp for our Thanksgiving feast. We got back to the boat fired up the grill and made a feast to be thankful for. The movie for the night was Home Sweet Home Alone and both adults fell asleep again before the end. Honestly we are not sure we have ever gone to bed as early as we did on this vacation.

Day 7– Cane Garden Bay to Norman Island (The Bight)

Glad we got a mooring ball last night, as the wind and waves were significant and it was nice to not be worried about an anchor slipping. We didn’t sleep great because the boat was rocking and rolling. Although we don’t get sea sick, it is hard to sleep when the boat is banging around. The kids, typical teenagers, slept through almost all of it, but Mom (and therefore, Dad) was up every 30 minutes or so making sure nothing fell off the boat. We loved Cane Garden Bay but would advise against mooring there overnight unless the wind is calm or from the south/southwest. Also, we would recommend mooring as close to the western shore as possible as it seemed better protected from the more typical westerly winds.

We got up around 8:00 and headed over to White Bay where we anchored to try the Soggy Dollar. The swell was 3-4 feet so it made for an exhilarating ride over to Jost Van Dyke. Once you’re through the channel and the reef here there is an excellent sandy bottom for anchoring with great holding. Having known this, we would have been comfortable anchoring here the night before. Live and learn as they say. We beached the dinghy and drug it the whole way above the surf at the Soggy Dollar. The Soggy Dollar lived up to the hype with an incredibly soft sand beach and great adult beverages. They have a ring game, cornhole, and a ton of umbrella tables. We had a drink, a swim, and some games then headed back to the boat.

Then it was time for a great sail at 7-8 knots (with a reef in) over to Norman Island (The Bight). The Bight has a protected marina (except form northwesterly winds) with 100 mooring balls. We grabbed a ball and headed out to the Caves around the westerly tip (Treasure Point) of the Bight for some fantastic snorkeling. We recommend buying a dive flashlight or two to explore the Caves as they are dark but full of interesting fish. This area has shallows and deep areas so there are multiple ranges of size and species of fish. There is a strong current in certain areas, so a noodle or strong swimming abilities are recommended near the changes of tides. If not staying over in The Bight, one can moor at the National Park mooring buoys and either swim or use the dinghy line as we did. It can be a bit cloudy in some areas but is full of great fish.

School of fish in the Caves

Near The Caves

After a great snorkel we made our way back to the boat to drop off the gear and head to Willy T’s, a boat moored in the west end of the Bight, which features great drinks, merchandise, and food as well as the chance to jump off the top deck into the water. This is an experience appreciated by all. We even saw a few grandma and grandpas jumping off with their families! After a few hours, and a lot of flips and jumps, we headed back to the boat.

Dinner tonight was on Norman Island at Pirate’s Bight. In one word, the food was spectacular. As we had been doing all week we ate family style. We ordered octopus and potatoes bravas as our appetizers and both were spectacular. The octopus was perhaps the best we have ever had. For the main course, we shared a seafood jambalaya (with lots of fresh seafood), grilled wahoo (again fresh and amazing), an Anegada lobster (which was incredibly meaty, tasty, and different than the Maine lobsters we are used to), and a chicken roti. Of the six dishes, not one was bad. We had wanted to ride over to Willy T’s for one more drink but we were absolutely wiped and all hit the sack by 8pm.

Day 8-Day in The Bight

We decided after a great night’s sleep in a still harbor to stay in the Bight for the next day and overnight. This was the second spontaneous change of plans during this vacation and part of what makes sailing so great. We headed out after a small breakfast aboard the boat to the Indians by dinghy. As the seas were relatively calm and they sit less than half a nautical mile from the Bight there was no reason to move the boat off its mooring. If the seas are rough, your dinghy not as seaworthy, or you are just passing through for the day, there are also National Park mooring balls here that can be used as a home base. The dinghy line is to the north of the last rock (Indian) off Pelican Island. The whole area around the Indians, and between them and Pelican Island, is a reef, so there are so many places to snorkel. This was the most well-rounded of all the places we snorkeled and absolutely worth a stop. There were shallow areas with deeper crevices, plus a large deep area in the inlet, as well as off the west cost of the Indians which would be a great place to scuba as well. We saw one huge school of fish as well as many kinds of fish including a few we hadn’t seen yet on this vacation. The plant life and coral were also beautiful with very little reef destruction or bleaching.

We decided we would hit Willy T’s again for some flips, dives and some lunch. Dinner was on the boat with chicken, shrimp, and rice and beans.

All in all, a relaxing last day before an early wake up call to get back to the Moorings base ahead of a ferry to a plane to home.

Day 9– Trip back to Moorings Base and sad ride Home

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise and set off back to the Moorings base to drop off the boat and prepare for the long journey home. James met us right outside the marina and helped us dock the boat. Thank God he did, as the slip they put us in was a really tight squeeze in between a catamaran and the concrete wall of the marina.

We washed off the boat and had a post charter run down with a staff member. We then jumped on a cab for a ride back to the ferry terminal and to pay the multiple fees to leave the country. We used the Road Town Fast Ferry on the way back to the USVI and it, like the Smith’s Ferry, was air conditioned and well appointed. Upon arriving in the USVI we cleared customs and took a cab to the airport to await our flight. American Airlines as they are want to do recently, had cancelled and rescheduled our flights a few weeks prior, turning our 6 pm direct flight arrival into Philadelphia into a layover in Miami leaving hours later and a midnight arrival at home. The airport is nice and has a few areas for food and snacks but is small and our wait felt long. The flight home was nice but the cold air upon arriving in Philly was a shock to the system.

Last Thoughts

What made this a great family vacation:

We spent a lot of time off devices and disconnected from the internet which allowed us to bond and make memories truly as a family while all present.
The boys got to grow closer as there wasn’t as much competition but instead, shared experiences.
We had adventures as a family with tons of inside jokes and funny memories to remember.
We shared almost all our meals family style allowing us all to experience several different flavors everyday and often try things we wouldn’t as individuals.
We ate together and talked about the day and what we were looking forward to the most. This is something our busy lives often don’t afford without some disruption.

What the kids thought?

The eldest’s favorite things were:
1. All the snorkeling (Monkey Point was his favorite)
2. Willy T’s- flips, dives and good times with new friends
3. The B-Line bar with cornhole and fast Wi-Fi
The youngest’s favorite parts were:
1. Willy T’s
2. Snorkeling at The Caves off the Bight
3. B-Line Bar

Would we do this again? Absolutely. We already have a Bahamas charter vacation on the books this year, but we think another trip to the BVI’s is definitely in the cards in the next 2 years.

What would we do different- Not much really, but when we come back we definitely want to get out to Anegada. Other than not getting to Foxy’s, we really did most of the highlights otherwise (and didn’t feel rushed doing them). We would probably skip Salt and Cooper Island which were both fun and the Cooper Island Beach Club was beautiful, but having the lay of the land and being there once, a longer sail on day 1 is something we would definitely do. We definitely would do Jost Van Dyke on less crowded days and skip Cane Garden Bay as an overnight as it was the only night we really had trouble sleeping. We would also fly directly into and out of the BVI’s. We didn’t do this for Covid purposes, but without those restrictions there is no need to fly through the USVI.

Final Recommendations: A few things to remember when planning and going on a charter sail trip in The BVI’s:

Allow yourself some extra time and allow for planned flexibility as you don’t decide where the wind comes from and how much wind there will be. Spending too much time motoring and racing to locations without time to enjoy the sail and scenery defeats the purpose of this type of vacation.
If you’re not sailors, or don’t want to be bothered, consider a captain. But if you’re up for the adventure, the BVI’s are a very approachable place to sail even for those without years of experience. Consider taking a course (we used US Sailing for our training and you get 10% off with the Moorings if you complete your bareboat cruising with US sailing) and set off for adventure.
Do not miss The Bight, The Baths, Diamond Reef, Monkey Point, The Caves, and the Indians.
Places to go if you’re near by:
1. B-Line bar (Diamond Cay)
2. Bubbly Pool (Diamond Cay)
3. Pirate’s Bight (The Bight-Norman Island)
4. The Loose Mongoose (Trellis bay)

Wandering Keller’s Sail The BVI’s Part 1

In May of 2021 we took a bareboat cruising class with Offshore Sailing School (part of US Sailing) with the purpose of doing a trip to the BVI’s for Thanksgiving. We will write separate posts on the class as well as our warm up trip to Key West in August, but figured we would start with the real vacation, and that was our 9 day 8 night trip to the BVI’s. We used the Moorings charter company based out of Road Town, Tortola.

Travel in the time of the pandemic

As Americans we decided due to Covid and available direct flights to fly into St. Thomas (Cyril E. King Airport). There are several steps one must take to clear Covid protocols in both the USVI and BVI. As these change so frequently, and one day hopefully won’t be necessary, I won’t go into specifics. The best advice is to look at all the needed protocols on the CDC, USVI and BVI websites several times prior to departure as they changed slightly even in the few months prior to our departure. Also, print out and complete whatever you can prior to showing up at the airport. You will need to show all of this documentation several times throughout the journey so keep it separated in a folder. We used Smith’s Ferry to travel to Road Town out of Charlotte Amalie though there are several companies that do the crossing, so find the best one for your time schedule. (During non-Covid times, the ferries run much more frequently but are only running a few times a day right now. Because of that, we would recommend reserving and purchasing your tickets ahead of time.) The ferry was air conditioned and in very good shape. The crossing took about 50 minutes and after clearing customs and COVID protocols (which took about 90 minutes) we boarded a pre-arranged transfer which was waiting to us to the Moorings base, just a few minutes away.

Our Boat

A little bit about the Moorings and our experience. You get twenty pounds of ice and a cooler to start you out on your journey. Our porter gave gave us 30 pounds and it helped us make it to day three. The staff was very responsive repairing and assisting us where we needed it. The base is massive with clean toilets and showers on land and a great coffee shop. They even have a spa and pool if you have time to use them before or after your trip. We felt like they provided personalized service for each party. As an example, someone ran out for some minor provisions we forgot to order and delivered them directly to our boat. All of our other provisions were also delivered direclty to the boat. They supplied us with our National Parks certificate which affords you entry to numerous parks and access to free day mooring balls near most of them. Many companies may offer a few of these services but I felt this Moorings base really took a lot of the guess work out of the first day allowing us quickly unpack and relax upon arrival.

Southern Cross, our charter boat, was a Leopard 40 built specifically for charter, meaning it has all the things a charter guest would need (navigation by the helm, bean bags, lots of water, generator, A/C, etc.), but also a few amenities you may find on personalized boats. We had an owner’s cabin (3 bedroom/ 2 bath) setup, meaning the adults had one whole side of the boat to themselves with a privacy door, near-queen size berth, make up /desk area and spacious bathroom. It was nice to have our own space and the kids then had their own rooms and space in the other hull. If you don’t need more than three bedrooms this a great setup to have as a family. The forward bed on the kids side, though smaller had an opening to a forepeak area that a smaller child could sleep in, or as our youngest did, put their stuff in there to make the room less crowded. We have had 2 bath and 4 bath configurations in the past but prefer the size and amenities the 2 larger baths afford. The fridge and freezer were excellent, unlike our experience with fridges on prior boats. Everything stayed cold or frozen the whole trip. Also, this boat had a door connecting the front deck with the saloon, a feature common on boats over 50 feet, but very uncommon in a 40 footer. This was a great bonus for moving around underway and at anchor as well as a great source of air flow and light when not underway.

Day 1– Arrival and orientation at the Moorings base.

The Moorings base is huge and well run with many helpful staff. We were quickly checked in and escorted by a staff member with our bags, a cooler, and ice, to our boat which was clean and ready for us to move right in. As we have chartered before and since we had time, we chose to get our briefing and boat run through the night before. Our Moorings 4000 (a 40 foot Leopard catamaran made for the Moorings company) had only a few small odds and ends that needed fixed in the morning (2 small fans needed replaced and a dive flag put on board). After our briefing (which was complete and efficient) and the groceries, wine and beer that we preordered were delivered, we headed out to dinner at the restaurant on base. The food was excellent. We had jerk chicken, swordfish and BBQ ribs which really hit the spot after a long day traveling. That night in dock was quiet and cool with the A/C running on shore power, and relaxing. We once chartered a boat without A/C and I will say we will never do that again.

Day 2– Moorings base to Cooper Island

We awoke around 7 am and got the final repairs done by a cool guy named Beaver who incidentally has a number of interesting hobbies (farming, natural medicine, fishing, and boat repair) he shared with us, we were set to go. A quick call to the harbor master on channel 12 and two staff came out to help us shove off.

Our first stop was Salt Island, named for the three natural salt lagoons that have supplied the people of the area and the British Crown with salt for almost 150 years. Each year at the harvest, the local people would provide the Governor with one bag of salt as payment of rent for the island. The island is no longer populated but the harvest festival still takes place every spring.

We had a great sail over to the island with several tacking opportunities. Southern Cross got up to almost 7.5 knots despite only a 12-13 knot breeze. After lunch we had a wonderful snorkel of the RMS Rhone and surrounding reef full of many kinds of fish and sights.

The Rhone was a Royal Mail Steamer that ran into trouble on its way back to England from Peter Island in October 1867. A second ship was sailing alongside, the RMS Conway. The Captain of the Conway hailed Captain Wooley of the Rhone to alert him that he did not like the weather and thought they should shift to a different anchorage. While not hurricane season, an unexpected hurricane popped up and the ships tried to ride out the storm. When there was a lull in the storm the Conway changed anchorage to Road Harbour and during the second hit of the hurricane her funnel and mast were blown away and she ended up on the island of Tortola. The Rhone, however, tried to weigh anchor during the lull but the anchor got caught and fell to the bottom along with the chain. As she went toward sea to get space for the second part of the storm, the storm returned and forced the ship onto the rocks at Salt Island where she broke in two and sank, drowning 123 sailors.

We were able to see the huge rudder and tiller still intact at the stern side of the ship. The bow of the ship is more amenable to scuba than snorkeling because of its depths so we will have to come back and try that once we get our certification.

RMS Rhone Stern

Snorkeling near RMS Rhone

Next up was Cooper Island. The best anchorage here is in Manchineel Bay on a mooring ball, but since we were not able to reserve one or get there in time to grab a first come first serve ball, we headed a little further south past Cistern point to Haulover bay and dropped anchor close to the shore (in about 18 feet of water). This can be a rolling anchorage especially if the wind is from the south but as none of us mind a few rollers we had a fine night’s sleep.

We took the dinghy into Cooper Island Beach Club (they have two dinghy docks with plenty of room) for a drink and to explore. There is a solar-powered craft brewery on the island and the adults sampled the Turtle IPA and the Pilsner and can attest they were both quite good. When we got back to the boat the kids took turns jumping off the boat since we were in over 20 feet of water, while the adults got dinner started. That night was chicken and shrimp made on the boat and a screening of The Jungle Cruise on the Ipad (the boat did have a TV with DVD player but we forgot our Apple TV which we could have hooked up with an HDMI cord). We had a charcoal grill which I grew to enjoy throughout the trip. A tip I learned this night was if using a charcoal grill on a boat in the wind be sure to get some lighter fluid as it’s necessary to get the charcoal lit even if the bag says it’s not needed. We had some with us luckily, otherwise it would have been sandwiches for dinner. Also, you really need to leave a gap for air and wait 20 minutes and stir the coals some prior to starting to cook. This was a task we perfected by weeks end.

Day 3– Cooper Island to Leverick Bay

After another good night’s sleep we all woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Haulover Bay. We got the anchor up and motored out to Manchineel Bay to raise the sails. The wind was from the west so we had to do some beating to get to our destination which was immediately north west of us, but after a beautiful 2 hour sail we motored in the last 10 minutes to moor at one of the many free National Park mooring balls left. We arrived at the Baths at Virgin Gorda around 11am and there were still a few left. You must either go ashore in Saint Thomas Bay and get a taxi or dinghy to an appointed line where you can swim the last 100 feet in to shore. The water is deep (20 plus feet) up until the last 15 feet, so if you are not a good swimmer consider a life jacket. There is also a rope you can hang onto all the way in, but be careful as it is full of barnacles. A dry bag is also a must if you are bringing anything that can’t get wet. I didn’t bring ours so I had to swim arms out of the water which was my exercise for the day. What awaits those making it ashore is a true natural treasure, “The Baths”. We spent approximately 90 minutes exploring the rocks and the pools contained between them.

This trek is not for those who can’t bend low, climb steep steps and who have poor balance as there are many narrow and low overhangs as well as slippery rocks one must traverse. For those up for the trek it is well worth it, just make sure you bring a waterproof camera to document the views and sites.

After working up an appetite, we climbed to the top of the Baths to the aptly named Top of the Baths restaurant where we had conch tenders to start and then a boat of sushi. Anyone unfamiliar with conch should think of it as a mix between lobster and mussels in texture without any real fishy taste. The sushi was much better than one would expect given the remote location of the restaurant. They have a great cocktail selection including a wonderful painkiller, pink frozen lemonade as well as mocktails for the kids. There is also a pool the kids can enjoy, showers (for a nominal fee) and nice bathrooms so you can freshen up before going back to the boat. There is also the Mad Dog Bar around the corner which has a beautiful view as well.

On the dinghy ride back the boat we dropped the kids in an appointed swim/snorkel area for a 30-minute snorkel before swinging back in the dinghy to pick them up. They reported lots of fish and not much current. There are many areas to snorkel around the baths so one could really spend a whole day here.

We decided to skip Saint Thomas Bay/Spanish Town and head further north to Gorda Sound where we docked at a mooring ball in Leverick Bay. There is an entrance between Mosquito Island and Virgin Gorda but I would recommend taking the channel further north between Mosquito Island and Prickly Pear Island as it is a much safer entrance and only adds 10-15 minutes to the trip. There is a very wide and well-defined channel in this northern entrance and this also gives you an opportunity to see Necker Island which is now owned by Richard Branson. We mistakenly thought we were moored on a first come Boaty ball but it was actually a Blunder Bay Marina mooring ball. Make sure you determine what marina you are at when you arrive. The staff from Blunder Bay Marina came out and accepted our 30-dollar fee. As an aside, we realized throughout the week that only the orange balls go through Boaty ball system. All the other first come require payment to a bar or marina. Most of the time the people will come out in the evening and get your payment (all the balls were $30 and some come with free ice or water). Here, like many of the moorings, there are boats that come around to sell you ice and sometimes pick up your trash for a small fee. We took the dinghy into Leverick Bay Marina where we had a drink, relaxed, and picked up some very affordable provisions before heading back to the boat for a dinner of grilled Mahi Mahi and lime cilantro rice. The movie for tonight was Red Notice and it was enjoyable for the whole family. It rains in the BVIs often but not for long. Make sure you don’t leave anything out in the open if you’re away from the boat, else you may come back to wet towels, etc.

Day 4– Leverick Bay to Saba Rock

We awoke to another beautiful sunrise and made our way across Gorda Sound to Saba Rock. Recently reopened following a rebuild after Hurrican Irma, Saba Rock is a small boutique hotel, restaurant, bar and shop that is open to sailors and landlubbers alike. The original hotel was founded by world renowned diver, Brett Kilbride. Upon getting there, we grabbed the last first come first serve mooring ball. These balls are paid for in the Saba Rock gift shop so we went over to pay for the mooring ball (30 dollars) and pick up our free ice. Side note, you must come to the dock for the water and as we didn’t need any, they gave us 2×10 pound bags of ice. We did some shopping at the gift shop and explored the resort.

After we dropped our purchases and ice on the boat, we grabbed the snorkel gear to make a dinghy ride out to a small secluded beach with a reef north of it. We beached the dinghy and tied it off to a rock since the surf was rising and went out to do some snorkeling. This is not on any maps we saw but is a great snorkel area with no competition from others. It is about half a nautical mile west of Vixen Point and .25nm before the shoal area near the exit channel between Prickly Pear and Mosquito Island. The reef to snorkel is east of the small beach. You can also anchor just west of this area overnight when the wind is calm or from the west or north. Be careful to find a sandy area not over coral or reef areas. We playfully decided to call it WanderingKeller point.

After a 30 minute snorkel, we headed to the Sandbox, a family owned beach bar and grill, for a quick drink and to walk the beach. This is a great place to grab a bite, play some beach volleyball and watch the wild goats that run around the island.

After a short rest, we made our way back to Saba Rock to have a drink along the water and get some late lunch. The fish tacos were great, as was the lobster pizza. Would definitely recommend this as a great place to moor overnight, do some shopping and eat. The wait staff and personnel in the gift shop weren’t the friendliest, but the location and facilities, as well as the food more than make up for it. The dock staff are very friendly and helpful.

We had a very calm night sleeping in our quiet mooring near Saba Rock. For the teens out there, if you get one of the moorings close enough to Saba Rock, their wifi can be used on the boat. This caused our kids to spend much of the night on the front of the boat catching up on snaps and texts with friends.

See Part 2 for the second half of our BVI adventure!

Skiing Out West For The East Coast Family- Part 2- Keystone

After 3 great days skiing the peaks in Breckenridge we departed and drove the short 25 minute scenic drive to Keystone Mountain where we stayed at the Lone Eagle Lodge, one of two ski in/ski out accommodations at the mountain. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo that was on the same floor as the ski lockers and exit to the slopes. We were here for 5 days and we certainly made the most of it.

Keystone has a base altitude at 9,280 feet and the peak is just over 12,400 feet. As with Breckenridge, for those coming from lower altitudes, especially people on the coasts, that’s a hefty change in altitude and a prime setup for altitude sickness. We were coming down in altitude from Breckenridge, so we were already adjusted, but for those coming here straight away from significantly lower elevation see our post on Breckenridge for things we did to make the adjustment easier. (Breckenridge Post) River Run Village at the mountain base is quaint and cozy and has numerous restaurants and shops to serve all of your needs, including a small grocery/liquor store. As was the case in Breckenridge, all the people in Keystone are so nice and helpful.

Lodging

Lone Eagle Lodge and its sister building, the Timbers, are located at the main mountain base by the town (River Run Village), the Summit Express lift and River Run gondola. They have accommodations ranging from studios to 3 bedrooms, and amenities that include a gym, an outdoor hot tub and pool. There are many accommodations at Keystone, but most are owned and rented by a property management company, so you check in at that company located on the property but not at the actual building you’re staying in. This was something we only recognized when we arrived at the building to find we needed to check in elsewhere, so if staying here clarify all of that information in advance.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom and the accommodations were spectacular. The people who own the condo went out of their way to make us feel at home with a large chest of board games and puzzles, many appliances, and numerous glasses and plates. The condo was also setup to be very functional with two twin beds in the third bedroom, a king in the master, a queen in the second bedroom and a comfortable pull out sofa in the den. The furniture was all on casters in the den to allow for quick breakdown at night and setup in the morning. There was also a nice porch to sit on and relax which we did the last day as the weather reached spring temperatures of 56 degrees.

The gondola that starts at River Run Village is a great way to get up to the top . It is relaxing and warm especially on windy days. It was only a short ski or walk from Lone Eagle and we used it several times.

The Mountain

Keystone Mountain has 3 peaks (Dercum Mountain, North Peak and The Outback). Each peak is easily accessible and has a different theme. We skied them all and below you will find our take and a brief description of the peaks. Our trip was the last week in March and conditions were amazing. We drove into town in a snowstorm making for lots of fresh powder for our first day.

Dercum Mountain– This is the main peak and can be reached via many lifts, including the River Run Gondola and Summit Express which come from the base near River Run Village. Also, the Montezuma Lift comes from mid-mountain.

The Ruby Lift serves as a way back to the summit of Dercum Mountain from the base of North Peak. There are also numerous learning areas on this peak, and it is home to Schoolmarm, a 3.5 mile long green slope loved by beginners looking for a challenge and experts looking to cruise back down and enjoy the beautiful views.

The Summit House eatery lies at the top and is a great place to eat with indoor and outdoor seating. There is also the Outpost Gondola connecting Dercum Mountain with North Peak. It is a beautiful 8-minute ride across the peaks and allows you to transfer in both directions for eating and exploring even for those unable to ski the slopes. The lifts take you to 11,640 feet elevation. From here, one can hike in many directions to get to the peak elevation of 12,614. Dercum Mountain has it all. — from long, easy greens and learning areas to the Windows, which feature intense tree skiing. This mountain is also home to the 5 terrain parks which feature about everything one could want from small jumps and boxes to insanely high Olympic size jumps all in one area. Dercum Mountain truly has it all.

A few of our favorite slopes:

Beginner slopes- Schoolmarm to Ina’s way
Intermediate- Spring Dipper to Santa Fe, Paymaster to Jaybird to Dercum’s Dash, and Mozart
Expert- Mouse Trap and Gunbarrel in the Windows, Go Devil
Terrain- Easy Street and the Alley

North Peak– This peak has intermediate and expert terrain, but has one slope, Prospector, that is very enjoyable for more novice and intermediate skiers. We loved this slope and went down probably 15 times over the 5 days. This peak is the home to the Outpost restaurant and allows access to the Outback and Dercum Mountains via skiing down one side or the other and taking a lift (Ruby to Dercum Mountain, Santiago back to North Peak or ski down Anticipation or Spillway to the Outback Express) or the Outpost Gondola back to Dercum Mountain. This is a great spot for intermediate to expert families and is where the party is most of the day.

The lift lines are typically short and Labonte’s Smokehouse Barbeque at the base by the Ruby and Santiago Lifts is a great spot to eat or relax in the sun at one of the many tables or Adirondack chairs outside. We heard from folks there that during non-pandemic times they typically have a deejay that plays music there during ski season.

A few of our favorite slopes:

Intermediate- Prospector
Expert- Starfire and Geronimo (if you love many hundreds of feet of challenging moguls)

The Outback– This is the expert peak where even the blues are challenging. This is also home to the hike for the North and South Bowls. We skied both, and the sign that recommends the North Bowl should be heeded unless there are many inches of fresh powder from the night before. We were lucky enough to get 8 fresh inches the night before our first day on the slopes and took full advantage of that, heading to the Outback first thing and skiing all it had to offer.

Although the bowls were closed that day due to unstable snow pack we hit nearly everything else the first day. There is nowhere to eat at this peak and the outback is serviced by just the Outback Express lift. The Wayback Lift takes you back to North Peak and is the only way back from The Outback.

There are numerous challenging slopes here and the lift lines are always short, but for those looking to challenge themselves this is the peak for you. Our favorites were Wolverine, Porcupine, North Bowl to the Trap and Oh Bob. We skied the South Bowl but unfortunately it was near the end of the week and it was icy and not very enjoyable, so I recommend only skiing this bowl when the conditions are perfect.

Places to eat

Summit House – You can find the Summit House eatery at the top of Dercum Mountain. It is accessible by most of the lifts that all meet at the main summit. The restaurant has 3 stories and varying views of the mountains. The menu was limited during Covid to burgers, chicken fingers, chili and snacks. During non-pandemic times, we understand the menu is not so limited. It was a great, central location for all in our skiing group to meet for lunch each day.

Mountain House – The Mountain House is located at the Peru Express Lift and again, served a variety of normal mountaintop fare including burgers, soups and chicken fingers. Because of Covid, there was no indoor dining at this restaurant but there were plenty of outdoor patio tables to grab a quick bite and they had a 15 minute warming area inside.

Labonte’s Smokehouse Barbeque – This was our favorite location to dine on mountain. It can be found at the base of North Peak. Because it is only accessible by blue and black slopes, it tends to be less crowded than the other on mountain eateries. We also found the selection to be a bit better as the menu added a really good pulled pork sandwich. The outside area was also expansive with a load of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs to grab a drink and watch the skiiers fly down the mountain.

The Outpost – The Outpost Lodge is at the top of North Peak. Unlike Labonte’s, though, you don’t need to ski down a North Peak Slope to reach it. It is accessible by the Outpost Gondola and therefore is an option for non-skiers and skiers alike. During Covid, they were only offering snacks and drinks to go so we were not able to dine here but understand that during normal times it offers the typical on mountain menu. The Outpost is also home to the Alpenglow Stube restaurant which was not open this year.

Ski Tip Lodge – In our opinions, this is a must do dinner stop for anyone in Keystone. It is about a five minute drive from the base of the mountain and was once a stagecoach shop during the 1800s. It is now a B&B and home to one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the area. The atmosphere is cozy and you feel like you are eating in the home of the host with a fire crackling in the background. The menu is prix-fixed and changes weekly. The sommeliers have been there for decades and are friendly and willing to help even the most novice wine drinker with the extensive menu. Many of the folks in our party had the game trio and could not get enough of it!

Keystone Ranch – Keystone Ranch is located in an old log cabin homestead on the Keystone golf course about a 5-10 minute drive from the base of the mountain. This restaurant also wowed us with an amazing dinner and wonderful wait staff. Its menu is centered around its steakhouse fare and most folks order some form of steak with your choice of a variety of different sauces. The appetizers were all to die for and we could have made a meal on those alone. And none of us could get enough of the homemade butter and jam with the bread. The wine menu was provided on an iPad that allowed you to answer a few personality questions to help choose your wine if you wanted to try something new.

The Town

River Run Village

Unlike Breckenridge which has a main street with an old town feeling, River Run is your traditional ski village at the base of the mountain. There are quite a number of good places to eat and drink après ski, a small grocery/liquor store and some shopping. We grabbed a quick beverage and mid-afternoon snack at Montezuma Roadhouse on their expansive patio on a beautiful spring day. The crepe stand and cookie place were also fantastic! We got takeout from Pizza on the Run and Luigi’s pasta house – both were also fantastic and the portions from Luigi’s were huge! For a smaller mountain, this was a great little ski village with everything you could possibly need.

While we were in Keystone, we stepped inside the sales center for a brand-new resort that they are building in River Run Village right at the base of Dercum Mountain. There we met Don Thomas from the Kindred Sales Team who filled us in the scoop concerning this new, amazing resort they are building (as well as some great history about the Keystone Resort). The resort is named Kindred, and will be a luxurious, 4.5 star Rock Resort. It will consist of a hotel tower and two residential towers. The hotel tower is expected to open in summer of 2023. The residential towers will have 95 one, two, three and four bedroom suites. The initial offering of 17 residences has already been sold out in the initial release. There will also be 3 new restaurants, an outdoor pool and hot tubs, spa, ski club and conference facilities. They hope this brings some additional luxury to the Keystone Resort area and boy does it look fantastic! We are keeping a close eye on the development of Kindred!

Some additional Keystone information and history we received from Don included some great information on the natural amenities you can experience in the area during all seasons. As Don informed us, the Snake River wetlands, are filled with visiting moose, coyotes, foxes, pine martens, raccoons, porcupines and the ever present, easily scared, black bears. Beavers and muskrats occupy the area all year long, maintaining their watery homes. Deer and elk visit to munch flowers at times, but moose are here throughout the year and are easily spotted from the buildings-to-be of Kindred. Don and his wife feed the local hummingbirds about 220 pounds of sugar each year and their “family” of Broadtail, calliope and Rufous hummingbirds number approximately 1,000. They fill five or six feeders twice a day for most of the season, May 1 through September.

What do we think you have to do while at Keystone:

Explore River Run Village.
Have dinner at Ski Tip Lodge.
Have a drink and enjoy the ambiance of the mountain base at Labonte’s Smokehouse.
Take a trip to Breckenridge one evening if only skiing Keystone on your trip. It’s a bigger town with a different feel.

Overall, this was a great trip as a standalone but was even better combined with our time in Breckenridge.

Also don’t miss our post about packing for a ski trip with a printable packing list.

Skiing Out West For The East Coast Family- Part 1- Breckenridge

Mountain View of Breckenridge From Keystone

Everyone always says that if you really want to experience real skiing in the US you need to head out West. Our family enjoys skiing and we were lucky to recently be able to venture out to Colorado and try some skiing in real powder. Due to some 2020 trip cancellations because of the pandemic and other circumstances, we found ourselves with an opportunity to make one of our bucket list experiences come true.

We spent 8 glorious days in Breckenridge and Keystone, Colorado, but we will split up the blog posts based on those two locations.

The first 3 days we spent at Breckenridge where the base altitude is 9,600 feet and the peak is just under 13,000 feet. For those who come from lower altitudes, especially people on the coast, that’s a hefty change in altitude and a prime setup for altitude sickness. We took specific precautions ahead of our arrival and on the day of our arrival, which we will discuss in tips for a great vacation later, but all but one of us had some trouble on the first full day. We stayed at One Ski Hill Place, a slope side resort, at about 10,000 feet elevation. It truly is a truly marvelous place to stay with great amenities, and it is as ski in and ski out as a place can be. The town of Breckenridge is quaint and cozy, and the people are so nice it makes you want to live there.

Lodging

One Ski Hill Place is located at the base of Peak 8, which is centrally located on the mountain with 4 lifts, allowing one to ski any of the 5 peaks with little effort. They have accommodations ranging from studios to 3 bedrooms, two indoor pools, and an outdoor hot tub. There is also a spa, bowling alley, and theater room you can use (but we focused on skiing while there). The gondola that comes up from the parking lot at the base of the mountain also stops at Peak 8 so you can also take it down to town at the end of the day. There is a secure parking garage in the basement with very convenient elevator access allowing easy loading and unloading of skis and bags.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom that overlooked the slopes and was very well appointed with a king in the master and two double bunk beds in the second bedroom. It had two full baths (the master has a steam shower), a full kitchen, indoor gas fireplace, and 3 televisions.

Breakfast was included each morning (we chose eggs, bacon, sausage, a muffin, fruit and a drink) from the hotel and it was not only filling, but also quite tasty. What a great way to get some energy prior to hitting the slopes! The hotel in non-Covid times also sports sunny slope side Skiers’ Plaza, Skier Restaurant, a lively après-ski bar, and a full-service restaurant that unfortunately were limited during our visit.

The ski valets are excellent and know you from the first time they check your skis. Each morning as we were walking out, they saw us and had our skis out and ready before we even got to the stand. What service!

There are several other great ski in ski out options at Peak 8 (the Grand Colorado), Peak 7 (the Grand Lodge and Crystal Peak), as well as the Condominiums at Breckenridge on Peak 9. Of course, there are many other options near the mountain as well, but if you can afford it, being ski-in/ ski-out is really a huge bonus.

The Mountain

Breckenridge mountain has 5 peaks (6-10). Each peak is easily accessible and has a different theme. We skied them all and below you will find our take and the various slopes and a brief description of the peaks. We skied the last week in March and conditions were amazing . We drove into town in a snowstorm making for lots of fresh powder for our first day. Breck is projected to close this year on Memorial Day, but sometimes closes in late-April or early-May depending on weather.

Peak 6– This is a windy side of the mountain and features numerous blues and above the tree line terrain. The Kensho super chair takes you relatively far above the tree line and allows bowl skiing to be available to many, with very reasonable blue routes to the bottom. With a short hike one can access even more challenging bowl skiing in the Beyond Bowl and Serenity Bowl. We skied here one day and loved the easy access the lift provided, but as it was very windy during our time there, our time spent on this peak was far less than the others.

Peak 7– This is a peak for those who love intermediate terrain that is very approachable and skiable by most established skiers. The family loved this peak and spent most of a whole day here. We loved Pioneer, Monte Cristo and Angels Rest, skiing all 3 at least twice. We also ate at Pioneer’s Crossing which is a beautiful venue and the newest in on slope dining. The only issue with Peak 7 is that the Independence Super Chair can get busy at times, especially if Peak 6 is closed due to wind. There are plans to add a new 4 person high speed lift on Peak 7 at the bottom of Wire Patch to address these concerns which will make Peak 7 an even greater place to be for intermediate skiers.

Peak 8– This peak is meant for everyone and is truly the center of it all. With 4 lifts accessing different areas of the peak and the wide variety of slopes available–from beginner slopes to long greens to terrain parks and extreme bowl terrain– there is truly something for everyone on Peak 8. This is where our lodging was located and we thought it was optimal for our family.

This peak is also home to a t-bar that takes you to some lower bowl territory and the highest lift in North America — the Imperial Express– which takes you to 12,840 feet. This allows easy access to the Whale’s Tail and Imperial Bowls, and with a short hike one can ski even more extreme terrain from just under 13,000 feet.

The boys skied the Whale’s Tail one day and although it was grueling, especially with the knee deep fresh powder, but it was an experience worth the trip. This peak is also home to the longest run called 4 o’clock. This run is 3.5 miles long and will dump you the whole way in town if one wants to ski the whole way down, or to the parking lot if you take the Gondola Ski Back branch. What a way to end your day on the slopes! This peak is also home to the Vista Haus eatery just below the tree line with wide views of the surrounding majestic landscape.

Peak 9– This peak is tailor made for families. It has many green slopes that start mid-mountain, family friendly blues higher up, and some expert terrain for those more skilled in the family. Many slopes here have a family designation and are heavily patrolled for skiers and boarders disrupting the gentle flow by skiing fast and out of control. We spent a good amount of time here the first day getting our powder legs under us and adjusting to the altitude and it was time well spent and very enjoyable. As with Peak 8, there are multiple lift options that space everyone out and make the lift lines very manageable. There is also little to no wind on these slopes so it’s a great place to ski on those gusty days. This is also home to the Overlook eatery which is another lovely place at the top to grab a bite.

Peak 10– This peak is for the expert skier. All slopes on this peak are black diamonds although some are easy enough for an intermediate skier who wants to push their limits. One example of such a slope is Spitfire if you enter off Crystal. Spitfire is a gentle trip through the forest, and Cimarron, which though steep, is very manageable for a skilled intermediate skier. The Falcon super chair services this peak and is rarely very busy. The Burn is a challenging, but fun, slope with significant tree skiing. A variety of moguls can also be found on many of the slopes on Peak 10.

Places to Eat

Due to Covid, all on mountain locations served a very similar menu of burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, fries, chili and other comfort foods, so the view was the only real difference. Although next season we are sure not only will the variety improve but each location will serve to supply its own unique feel on the mountain.

There are three eating establishments near the peaks: Pioneer’s Crossing on Peak 7, Vista Haus on Peak 8, and The Overlook on Peak 9. In addition, at the base there are several places to eat including The Maggie on Peak 9, One Ski Hill Grill, The Living Room, and T-bar on Peak 8 and The Sevens on Peak 7. Besides the restaurants associated with the mountain there are also places to eat at the base not owned or operated by Breck.

The Town

The town of Breckenridge has ~5,000 residents and sits at 9,600 feet. Main Street is where the action is (particularly apres-ski) and there are many great places to eat. There is everything from the Gold Pan Saloon to the Carboy Winery, Pho Real, pasta places, and much more. There are also multiple shops with everything from traditional tourist items like shirts and stickers, to more unique places that make beef jerky, crepes, homemade cookies, and everything in between. A stroll down Main Street is a great change of pace after a day of skiing. We liked it so much we drove over for a day when were at Keystone just to visit again.

The Gold Pan Saloon has stood on its current site since 1879 and boasts the longest continuous liquor license west of the Mississippi. It was originally a watering hole for local miners during the gold rush. Today you can still see the mirror behind the bar that patrons would use to keep an eye on their back, if you will, while enjoying a beverage.

Attached to the Gold Pan Saloon, you can find the Carboy Winery, which is Colorado’s fastest growing winery. While Colorado is not known as the best location to grow your own grapes, Carboy uses grapes from around the country (including Colorado) and the world to make its own wines that it keeps both in the bottle and on tap at its three locations. The Colorado grapes come from the Grand Valley American Vinicultural Area in Mesa County, Colorado which is home to some of the highest vineyards in North America.

Breckenridge Distillery is one of the up and coming small distilleries in the US. They have won several national and international awards for their spirits. There is a small tasting room in the center of the town and if you like whiskey then stop in for a small taste. Its well worth it. They also have a larger restaurant on the outskirts of town where they also do distillery tours.

Overall, with the 5 peaks, a large distribution of slope difficulty, multiple peak and on mountain places to eat and 3 lifts that service above the tree skiing, Breck has something for everyone.

Recommendations for skiers of all levels

Novice skiers who have spent little time on the slopes. Aside from considering a lesson or two, the best place for you to start is on Rip’s Ride at Peak 8 until you gain more confidence and stamina to take on longer and slightly more challenging terrain. The 5-chair from Peak 8 services two intermediate length green slopes called Springmeier and Powerline.

Skiers with some experience but not yet ready for intermediate terrain. There are multiple areas of the mountain good for this type of skier.

The 5-chair from Peak 8 services two intermediate length green slopes called Springmeier and Powerline which are perfect step ups from the slopes serviced by Rip’s Ride.
Peak 9 has many green slopes serviced by the Quick Silver super chair as well as a smaller beginner area similar to that on Peak 8. We found Silverthorne and Lower Lehman to be very nice slopes, and for smaller children, Riperoo’s Forest is a great little run through the trees with cute “obstacles” to ski around and through. There are several areas like this spread around the mountain, but parents must be accompanied by a child (much to mom’s) dismay when the kids wouldn’t go with her (lol).

The Sawmill slope offers a gentle way to get to Peak 9 from Peak 8 and the Peak 8 Super Connect lift allows one to return to Peak 8 easily from Peak 9 by taking the Red Rover cut across from multiple greens on Peak 9. This allows for a green level skier to explore a large amount of territory safely and comfortably between the two peaks.

Intermediate level skiers who can do some parallel skiing and long slopes but don’t have the confidence for steep slopes or mogul skiing. My wife fits in this category.

Peak 7 is the mecca for this type of slope as it is composed entirely of blue square slopes of similar difficulty, but similar slopes can also be found on Peaks 8 and 9 as well.
Peak 9 has two very nice slopes, Bonanza and Cashier, that are great step ups for those gaining confidence from the previous category, and Briar Rose and Country Boy were a great proving ground for those looking to head over to Peak 7.
Peak 8 has a few intermediate level slopes with Upper Four o’clock being the most intermediate friendly.

Advanced skiers who can do moguls and steep terrain but don’t want to ski extreme areas like the bowls or challenging tree skiing.

Peak 10 is tailor made for this type of skier, allowing one to build from Spitfire to Cimarron up to the much more challenging slopes like the Burn and the numerous double blacks.
Peak 9 has significantly challenging terrain serviced by the E-lift, several of which are some of the steepest mogul terrain on the mountain.
Peak 8 has slopes serviced by the 6-chair that are like those on Peak 9 and the Horseshoe Bowl and North Bowl serviced by the T-bar for those looking for some easier bowl skiing. Lower down on Peak 8 are a few great runs I did with my boys several times named Little Johnny and Spruce.
Peak 6 also has some easier above the tree line skiing that although listed as blues, conditions and the line chosen will challenge even advanced skiers.

Expert Skiers. Those looking for the greatest challenge in fresh powder where hiking may be needed and expert skills required. My kids and I fall in between advanced and expert and I will say the upper bowls presented a challenge that we relished but also taxed our skills.

Peak 8 is really the launching point for this type of skier with the Imperial lift allowing easy access to the Imperial Bowl and Whale’s Tail without the need for hiking. Depending on your fitness, a 10-15-minute hike will give you access to the Lake Chutes.
Peak 6 allows a hiker spending 15-25 minutes to access the Six Senses, Serenity Bowl and Beyond Bowl.
Though other bowls can be accessed, the hike from peaks 8 and 6 are the most accessible.

What do we think you have to do while at Breck:

Explore the town.
Get a drink, alcoholic or not, at the Gold Pan Saloon.
If you like wine and small plates, the Carboy Winery is great (especially during Happy Hour) and we suggest picking up a couple of bottles while you are there.
If you like whiskey, make sure to try the Breckenridge Distillery and taste their highly rated whiskey. We loved the PX Cask and High Proof.

What we did to get the most out of our vacation and avoid the dreaded altitude sickness.

We all did squats twice weekly and rode a stationary bike for cardiovascular fitness 2-3 times weekly for five weeks.
We did not have any caffeine or alcohol for the first 24-36 hours we were there.
We drank copious amounts of water and some Gatorade from the day we left through the first 2 days
We ate healthy and took it easy the first day with plenty of rest between runs.
The adults did a couple days of acetazolamide upon consultation with a physician, and if you are coming from lower altitudes (less than 1000 feet) as we did, it’s worth considering this (if medically approved) to avoid losing a whole day to altitude sickness.
We did not, but some advocate spending 24 hours at a lower altitude like Denver to help break up the altitude difference.

Overall it was an excellent few days and the addition of 6 inches of fresh powder the night we got there made the experience all the better. We would highly recommend Breckenridge for anyone looking to get some solid skiing out west. It caters well to anyone with some experience skiing or snowboarding up to the most advanced clientele. Not somewhere, however, we would recommend going if you haven’t skied before because although the instruction is great you will miss out on much the mountain has to offer.

Also don’t miss our post about packing for a ski trip with a printable packing list.

Vacations We Did When Our Kids Were Young and Think You Should Consider #3- The Hyatt Chesapeake Bay

When our kids were little, we made it a tradition to head to the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina every summer. You may not live in the Mid-Atlantic area, but most coastal areas will have a similar family friendly resort you could look for. Whether it was for only a few days, or an entire week, it was the perfect getaway that was also close to home and a change of pace from Disney or other popular family vacations for small children. It also had a different feel and pace, distinct from popular beach locales. The resort is located in Cambridge, which is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The hotel overlooks the Choptank River and even has a small beach where the kids can play in the sand and water.

We started going to the hotel before our kids were born and started taking them when they were as young as 6 months old. We would often bring their grandparents as it was easy for them to travel there and relaxing for them as well. The rooms are sizeable, and they provide you with a pack and play. There are even family suites that have bunk beds that make it much roomier as the kids get older. There is plenty of room both inside and outside of the hotels for little ones to run. One year, our little guy was just fascinated with going up and down the stairs in the main lobby.

The Amenities

This is the type of hotel where you can literally sit by the pool all day and do nothing, or stay as active as you can possibly imagine. The hotel has an indoor and outdoor family pool and an infinity pool. The outdoor pool even has a great water slide that is perfect for kids of all ages. You can also bring (or they sell) inflatables for the pool. Our boys had a huge turtle that they would just float around on from the time they were babies. The indoor pool also has a volleyball net and basketball, and the hot tub is indoor/outdoor so you can swim from inside to outside even in the winter.

Each day the hotel has a list of activities for families, and we participated in everything from the hot dog eating contest, the cannonball contest, catching crabs in the river, three-legged races, and swim-up movie night in the indoor pool. There is an arcade with video games and ping pong, and pool tables are found throughout the resort.

While there is a Camp Hyatt where the kids can go to hang so you can have some adult time, we found that there was so much to do as a family we did not really need the camp (and having the grandparents with us also helped!). The huge lawns outside the back of the lobby were also perfect for pick up games of soccer and catch. The patio has a large fireplace where they roast s’mores every night and there is a giant chess set for anyone to use. If you are into tennis they also have a number of tennis courts. The waterfront also has paddle boards, kayaks and pedal boats for rent. For those nature lovers, there is an 18-acre nature preserve called Blue Heron Rookery where you can take a walk and check out the local wildlife including the Blue Heron and even bald eagles!

For those that are golfers, the River Marsh Golf Club on hotel the hotel premises is one of the prettiest on the Eastern Shore. The 18th hole runs right along the Choptank River and is in perfect view of the hotel guests, so we often took the kids there to watch their dad and grandpas when they would be coming in. They also used to run a family foursome where you could play late in the day and only play 4 holes. Not only was this ideal to get the boys their first real course experience (even when they were really little), but it was at the perfect time of day when the course was absolutely beautiful as the sun set over the river. For those that don’t want to play the actual course, there is a free, 9 hole mini-golf course too! Our one guy would just go around and around and around that course all afternoon!

We know this blog is for advice for people with kids, but we have to give a shout out to the Sago Spa at the hotel. We have visited spas around the country and on countless cruise ships, and this spa, is one of our absolute favorites. The river stone massage is perfect to unwind at the end of the day and the facials are also fantastic. The manicurists are wonderful as well and the entire spa is so clean and relaxing.

The Food

Now on to the food. There are a few options right within the hotel, and then our favorite, which is a brief walk down the boardwalk along the river at the marina. Inside the hotel, you will find the Water’s Edge Grille. This is your fine dining option that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It overlooks the crescent, infinity pool and river. The food is good, but with smaller children the more formal environment was one we didn’t frequent often, though we did a few breakfasts here.

Right around the corner, and off the main lobby, is Michener’s Library. This is a large cocktail lounge with floor to ceiling windows that are two stories high. While you cannot get a full meal here, they do serve small bites and their cocktails and wines are amazing. There are many low tables and seats where children are welcome before 6pm, as well as a pool table off the one end and a game room.

Also off the lobby is the Bay Country Market where they have a Starbucks as well as snacks and grocery items to buy. Our favorite thing to do at Bay Country Market, however, is to grab an ice cream after dinner and take it outside on the patio to eat.

Dock’s Poolside offers your typical poolside snacks and cocktails and is a great place to grab lunch and not have to change out of your swimsuits. They also have refillable cups complete with a lid and straw that the kids would get at the start of the vacation so they could keep a drink as we went around the resort and get refilled themselves. The Eagle’s Nest Bar & Grille is at the golf course and just a few steps from the main hotel. This was a great place to grab lunch with the guys when they would get back from golfing each day.

As we mentioned earlier, our favorite restaurant is Blue Point Provision Company. This restaurant is only open during the summer and usually only for dinner, but is definitely worth the walk! The kids really enjoyed walking the seashell paved boardwalk along the river to get to the marina where they could look at all the boats. The restaurant sits above the marina with a perfect view of the sunset over the resort. The seafood there is top notch and a great place to try some of the local favorites. They make a shrimp cocktail that we would get every time we ate there that was served in a martini glass and was out of this world!

We have many fond memories of this resort, and just writing this post makes us want to take the kids back there again to see what they remember. Once we bought a small house at the beach we stopped going to the resort but it might be a fun little getaway this summer.

Overall Opinion

What made these summer trips great:

Everything is right on the resort so you never have to leave unless you want to.
It is perfect for all ages, and a great place to go on a trip as an extended family, i.e., grandparents, cousins, etc.
The indoor pool and arcade are perfect on a rainy day.
The activities the resort plans each day are fun for all ages and a great way to make memories as a family.
There are plenty of quiet spots as well, to sit and read a book, do a puzzle, or play cards.
It was only a short drive from our home and the scenery on the drive down is beautiful – many sunflower farms on the way.
The baby pool was perfect for when the kids were tiny and the slide is the perfect speed and size for even the newest swimmers.
The rooms are sizeable and we could get connecting rooms with the grandparents to have built in babysitters in case we wanted a night alone.

What we do wish we had done that we didn’t:

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and the nearby museum and educational center – it only recently opened, but we would like to take the kids back there to visit the museum. It is less than 10 miles from the hotel.
Visited the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge—considered the “Everglades of the North”. It is known for its bald eagle sightings. This is right near the hotel, but given that there was so much to do on premise, we never really ventured off. This is also only about 8 miles from the hotel. There are nearby adventure companies where you can rent kayaks or stand up paddleboards, or you can hike, bike or simply drive through the refuge if you prefer.

Was this truly kid appropriate and kid approved: Definitely. It is definitely better for younger kids, but again, also appropriate for entire families with all ages tagging along. We stayed there (without the kids) for one night this past summer and all we could do was reminisce about the times we spent there as a family when the kids were little. This is a hotel and vacation we would recommend for kids from 1-99. A great weekend or week-long family getaway for sure!

PS – this hotel is also pet-friendly!

Vacations We Did When Our Kids Were Young and Think You Should Consider #2- Hawaii

We are parents in our 40’s with two teenage boys. We have travelled with our kids since they were small. We are lucky in that our boys have the same flare for travel and adventurous cuisine that we do. When they were very young, most of our vacations were short trips to the beach or down to Disneyworld due to convenience. As the kids got older and out of diapers, we took several very memorable trips with them. In our second post with this theme we will discuss a trip we took to Hawaii when the boys were 7 and 9.

My wife and I had wanted to go to Hawaii for several years, but as with our prior post about Alaska were waiting for the boys to be old enough to handle the 12 hour flight and also enjoy and remember the trip. We are Disney Vacation Club Members (DVC) and purchased points at Aulani on the island of Oahu in anticipation of this trip. Aulani is located in a more arid area of the island where they get approximately 20-30 inches of rain per year. June through September are the driest months, but rainfall, like many other tropical areas, can be unpredictable. We took our trip in early August, and the weather was beautiful for the whole trip. It is on the other side of Pearl Harbor from Honolulu and is an approximately 35 minute drive from the airport.

The resort is located across from a small shopping center and parts of Ko Olina golf course. It is built with many rooms facing the internal courtyard and the beach giving almost all rooms facing that direction gorgeous views of the resort and beach. When one arrives at the resort, in true Disney fashion, you enter a magical place full of traditional Hawaii art and architecture. You are met with flower or Kukui nut leis and enter a grand foyer with an open feel. The resort has Disney touches but they are not overwhelming.

The rooms are amazingly appointed, and we stayed in an ocean view deluxe studio with a queen sleeper sofa and a queen bed, a small refrigerator, microwave, toaster and a coffee maker. Aulani also has larger rooms with 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites, but honestly, the four of us fit nicely in the studio room. The room is also full of Disney details — from Mickey surfboard lamps to Disney-themed Hawaiian art, and of course, all of the conveniences that Disney is known to offer. As it’s Hawaii, most of your time is spent outside, but the room was plenty big enough to accommodate naps and downtime as well. The fridge is also nice to fill with drinks and leftovers as it can be a cost savings, especially with the shopping center with store and restaurants across the street.

As far as experiences and amenities go, there are quite a few. Below, we will discuss what to do, what to see, and where to eat.

Activities

Aulani features so many great activities and adventures, but we will highlight a number we did.

One of our kids’ favorites was Aunty’s Beach House. For anyone who has done a Disney Cruise, think Oceaneer’s Club and Lab. It’s called Aunty’s Beach House because Aunty and Uncle are terms of endearment for men and women and that is because in Hawaii everyone is related by their experience. This place was great, and the kids loved to go there to experience the different activities. The most sought-after activities, though free, “sell” out early, so if possible one parent should stand in line early to make sure your kids get at least one of their best experiences, like the comedy show. This created great memories for my kids and allowed us adults to have some time alone to enjoy more adult areas and experiences the resort offers.

They also have a large pool complex called the Waikolohe Stream and pool. Waikolohe means “mischievous water” in the Hawaiian language and it has something for everyone. There is a Lazy River (perhaps the laziest we have ever been on). Just hop in the tube and let it carry you along a stream with details reflecting Oʻahu. There are also two exciting slides. The first, Volcanic Vertical is a body slide that we found to be the more extreme of the two adventures. The second, Tubestone Curl, is an open air tube slide for 1-2 guests.

I’m sure no one is surprised that being a Disney resort they have their own artificial snorkel lagoon right in the middle of the property. We skipped this experience, as we took our own snorkel gear and explored opportunities around the island that were natural, including the Marriott lagoon next door which is home to a sea turtle. (All beaches in Hawaii are public so you can enjoy any of the resort beaches). But for those less experienced, or that want to have some great snorkeling minutes from their room, Rainbow Reef is the ticket. It’s a 3,800-square-foot saltwater lagoon that is home to thousands of tropical fish, including butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish and tangs. Hidden in the reef are also some Menehune statues for a little extra Disney flare and a viewing window for those who want to see the reef without getting wet. Children ages 11 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

For those who are musically inclined, or just want to learn something new, they have a free class to learn to play the ‘ukulele. My kids loved this, and I was amazed at how quickly the instructors got us playing. My oldest played so much he gave himself an ‘ukelele blister on his thumb, but to this day we own ‘ukelele and he still pops it out and plays it from time to time. It’s a very popular class, so be sure to check the Daily ‘Iwa (the newsletter with activities they put out each day) and sign up quickly as its well worth it.

For the young at heart, there is also a free hunt and puzzle (similar idea to Mickey’s Detective Agency activity of the Disney Fantasy and Dream) where you work together or separately to solve riddles, and search for statues along the Menehune Adventure Trail. Check out your tablet at the Pau Hana community center and you are ready to begin. Solving a clue makes the scenery come to life, and you learn about the Menehune—the legendary “little people” of Hawai‘i who are known for their magical powers and mischief. The Menehune are said to be gifted—possibly magical—craftspeople that are capable of mighty feats of construction overnight. It was a lot of fun and we completed it over an hour or so. Definitely a great way to kill some time and have fun as a family while waiting for a reservation, etc.

One night we took part in the ‘Imi Loa Nāa Hōkū (Explore the Stars) Adventure. It has a cost associated, but was well worth it. You learn how ancient Polynesian voyagers navigated to Hawai‘i using the stars as a guide. They bring local experts and powerful telescopes on to the property. We saw the International Space Station, the rings of Saturn, and learned about many constellations and important waypoints in the sky for early explorers. The kids enjoyed it, and they definitely keep it moving to allow kids of all ages to stay interested.

One of our favorite experiences was the Mo‘olelo Fire Pit Storytelling. The fire pit, which is in a prime location where you can see and hear the ocean, features Uncle several nights a week where he entertains the audience with Hawaiian legends and lore. You will see Uncle at many events around the property and he is truly a master storyteller. We think we enjoyed this as much or more than the kids.

The resort also has specific activities for older kids, breaking them up into a 10-12 years old group and a 13-17 years old group. There is also a shack called Makiki Joe’s with a wide selection of beach essentials. Many items are complimentary for Aulani Resort Guests, including Boogie boards, sand toys, and life jackets. You can also rent snorkel sets and stand up paddle boards there as well.

Other activities we enjoyed were family beach games (which we won, just as an aside), but I skinned my knee sliding in the sand to garner the win so maybe we broke even. We also made an outrigger canoe and raced it in the ocean versus other families but we did not win that competition. Last, but not least, for the adults, there is a world class spa, Laniwa, with treatments for men, women, and couples and an over 21 pool.

Places to Eat

There are several restaurants/quick service places to eat at the resort and all of them are great. We also went to Roy’s at Ko Olina golf course for lunch and to a place called Monkeypod across the street from the resort for dinner. Both were fantastic but we’ll focus on the good eats on the resort.

One night we went to the KA WA‘A Luau experience. This is a great way to learn and experience Hawaiian traditions, including traditional arts such as flower arranging and paʻi ai taro pounding, Lū‘au introduction, and oli welcome. The experience lasts about 2 hours and includes a three-course plated dinner featuring fresh local produce, island fish and many other Hawaiian favorites, plus kid-friendly selections and a decadent trio of desserts. The night ends with a Lū‘au performance and some expert ‘ukelele playing. Overall, it’s a must do in our opinion.

Another excellent venue to eat at is O’Lelo, a bar next to Makahiki. O’Lelo is the Hawaiian word for “word,” or “to converse” and the lounge is set up as a place for people to share an appetizer and have a conversation about the adventures they had that day. Overall, the food and drinks here are great and its definitely a place to experience at least once while you are there.

Makahiki —The Bounty of the Islands is a casual, family-friendly, preset 3-course dinner featuring fresh, local ingredients and chef-inspired dishes. It’s a nice place to eat and some nights they have a family buffet and some friends come around to entertain the kids while they eat. If your kids aren’t big eaters, this is one you could skip, as the food here, though good, wasn’t as good as the next restaurant.

‘AMA ‘AMA is set in the most beautiful location on the property where you have beautiful views of the ocean and can feel the nice island breeze as you enjoy contemporary twists on classic Hawaiian dishes, with locally sourced ingredients. Our kids are adventurous eaters and this was the best place we ate all week.

Other great lunch locations were the Off the Hook Bar, Ulu Café (quick service), and the Wailana pool bar. These were great spots in and around the pool to grab a quick bite and for those who want a cold dessert, Pāpālua Shave Ice is the place to visit.

Off Property

You can rent a car on site and pick it up and drop it off right in the garage on Disney property so you can explore the island.

We had made reservations before we left to go surfing one day. We chose West Oahu SUP and it was a great choice. We can’t say enough about the service and care they showed our whole family. By 30 minutes into it, we were all surfing. We had 3 instructors for the 4 of us, so the attention was beyond individualized. An instructor surfed with our boys until they got the hang of it and even got the boys to hang 10 on the board at the same time. What a great experience.

We rented a Mustang convertible one day as well, and drove the whole island. We stopped at a shrimp shack along the road for a quick snack and visited some of the sites. One stop was at the Dole Plantation. Originally operated as a fruit stand, the Dole Plantation opened to the public in 1989. The Dole Plantation is now one of Oahu’s most popular visitor attractions with more than one million visitors a year. There are many things to do there, including the Pineapple Express Train Tour, the staple of the visit, which we did. There is also the Plantation Garden Tour and the Pineapple Garden Maze, which we did not take the time to do as we wanted to see the whole island. There is a store there and if you’re hungry for something extra tasty, they sell the world-famous DoleWhip® right there.

Next stop was North Beach, and it’s said that if the perfect wave exists, you will find it here. Your first stop along the North Shore will be the charming surf town of Haleiwa which is filled with local style, country ambiance, surf shops and boutiques. One of the most well known spots is Waimea Bay Beach Park which is a great spot to stop and get your feet wet. The waves are huge here in the winter, but in the summer when we were there, they were just large (6-8 feet). This was the perfect amount of excitement for the family to body surf a couple waves and dry off before heading down the road to Waimaea Falls and Botanical Gardens where we took a swim at the base of the falls. Then it was on to the windward side of the island.

A trip to the Windward Coast reveals the slower-paced side of Oahu, and some of the most stunning natural beauty anywhere in all of Hawaii. Driving along the two-lane highway you can’t miss Mokolii, the tiny island fondly known as “Chinaman’s Hat.” We stopped here and took a few pictures, and as the day was getting late, didn’t spend too much time before heading through the Koolau Mountain Range tunnel back toward the resort. For those with the time and the gumption, the island is accessible during low tide, it is possible to walk right over, though most people who go there come with a kayak, surfboard or small boat. Just keep an eye on the tidal chart. Once on the island, which has sea caves and two small beaches you can climb up to the top for a stunning view of the majestic Koolau Mountains and the windward coast.

One of the most remarkable things on the island is the massive change in vegetation from the areas near the mountains, especially on the windward side which is truly lush and tropical, and the leeward side of the island which is almost like a desert climate certain times of the year.

Though the resort is spectacular, we very much recommend taking the time to explore the island at least a little. All the beaches in Hawaii are public so even the beach at the resort and the local military base is public. So feel free to stop almost anywhere and enjoy the beach, the scenery, and a swim.

We loved our time at Aulani, but all good things must come to an end. We stopped over at Disneyland on the way back for 3 days to get in some extra family fun and also break up 3 hours of the 6 hour time difference for us, as we live on the East Coast. We stayed at the Grand Californian and it was amazing. We will discuss Disneyland and the hotels and parks there in a different post but needless to say it was a great way to end the trip.

What made this trip great:

There were planned and unplanned experiences that kept everyone interested and added to the adventure.
Aulani was an amazing place to stay and exceeded our expectations. The people were amazingly friendly and truly made you feel like part of the family. From aloha to aloha we felt at ease and relaxed. The culture is truly amazing and the luau was a great introduction.
The room accommodations were spectacular and the activities well run and had something available for everyone — from the stargazing to beach games, to learning and succeeding at playing the ‘ukulele, it was nonstop fun.
The food was great both on and off the resort, and the close proximity to Monkeypod and the grocery store made everything so easy.
The ability to rent a car on the spur of the moment right on the resort was also key, as we had not planned to do as much off the resort, but that convenience allowed us to make changes at the last of moment.
The surf lessons with West Oahu SUP were the adventure of the trip for us all.

What do we wish we had done that we didn’t: wish we had spent an extra couple days and went to Volcano National Park on the island of Hawaii. Besides that, we think for the time and budget we hit this one out of the park.

Was this truly kid appropriate and kid approved: Definitely. The kids still remember much of this vacation and honestly we would all love to be able to go back and experience it with teens. 7 and 9 were just about the perfect age for what we did. I think the perfect age for this trip is 7-11 with an appreciation range of 6-13.