10th Wedding Anniversary in Vail, Help me make it special! (Eagle: car rental, restaurant)

[Dogmama50]

You have a lot of great activities planned, most of them very physical, so I thought a reminder of the altitude would be wise. Since you are going to be playing around 7,000-8,000 feet remember to stay hydrated, even if you aren't thirsty drink water, watch your alcohol intake, it will generally take much less to feel tipsy. Most people do fine at altitude but some do get headaches, shortness of breath and have trouble sleeping.

[dlvonde]

thanks for the reminder..I did wonder what the effects of the higher altitude would do to a coastal dweller such as myself . I will be sure to keep bottles of water handy! We won't need to worry about the alcohol part as we don't drink any :P.

I'll check out the rafting link..thanks!

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by dlvonde

thanks guys. I'm going back and forth on my first day activity..I was going to go rafting but when I called sage outdoor adventures in vail they said the local rivers would be too low that time of year and I would need to travel an additional hour west (on top of the 2 hours west from Denver that day) to get to a rafting spot. They said tubing would be fine on the local rivers however. I decided I would just go tubing but then was wondering if there are any other rivers/rafting places along I-70 between Denver and Vail? I was thinking it would help break up the drive and be very efficient! I realize it requires a river with sufficient water so if it's just not there then I'll fall back to the tubing.

thanks again!

There is rafting on clear creek in Idaho Springs, but what their season is I do not know.

That's it until Vail.

These rivers and creeks are fueled by snow melt, which winds down in June into July.

To raft in August you'd have to go down to the Glenwood Springs area.

Ultimately you have to remember that after August 15, weather starts to change with cooler nights, shorter days, Aspen trees are about to start their process of turning color. Weather is still mostly "summery" but fall is definitely in the air and by Labor Day, it's here. Vail can easily get a snowfall in early September for instance. For you in Houston summer is still in big time effect, but in Vail, it's winding down. Tubing could be a chilly proposition with water temps below 40F.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

You have a lot of great activities planned, most of them very physical, so I thought a reminder of the altitude would be wise. Since you are going to be playing around 7,000-8,000 feet remember to stay hydrated, even if you aren't thirsty drink water, watch your alcohol intake, it will generally take much less to feel tipsy. Most people do fine at altitude but some do get headaches, shortness of breath and have trouble sleeping.

Having been in the tourist business for as long as I was in Vail, I've seen many people from sea level plan an enormous outdoor adventure trip and jump right into only to end up flat on their back sick or worse. Even super athletic people can get hammered by the altitude change. It's a lot for the body to adjust from sea level oxygen and humidity to the Rockies dry and oxygen depleted atmosphere in a matter of hours and then put the body under strain.

Personally I would not want to jump off a plane in Denver from living at near sea level and then immediately embark on something as strenuous as rafting a Colorado river.

[dlvonde]

thanks everyone for all the information. I did try to space things out with some of these things in mind so it will be like this:
Thursday:
- Arrive at airport @ 10:30,
- drive approx. 30-40 min. to clear creek rafting (sitting).
- stop and eat from 11:30-12:30 (sitting)
- Show up at the rafting place and turn in our waivers/etc. at 12:30-1PM
- We are doing the beginner course. which is 1.5 hours and should be somewhat leisurely. (sitting and paddling)
- Drive from there to the hotel taking the "more scenic" hwy 6 detour 3:30 - 5:30ish
- Check in and crash or walk around the village if we feel like it 6PM to Bedtime

Friday:
- Eat breakfast and go paragliding 8AM-11AM. My understanding is there will be some running involved during take-off but after that we are seated and the instructor does the steering. All we have to do is sit and try not to pass out . The actual flight is approx. 20 min..everything else is signing your life away, getting schooled and gearing up.
- 11AM-2PM Make our way to the 4E ranch, eat..lounge around
- 2PM - 3:30PM Horseback riding
- 3:30PM - 7PM Open to go throw up in our hotel room, go into coma..or do something leisurely (walk through gardens, gondola ride, etc.
- 7PM-8PM - Reservations for nice dinner
- 8PM on: crash

Saturday:
???AM - 11:30AM: sleep in, eat breakfast..lay around if needed
11:30AM: check out of hotel and head back to denver airport

If anyone sees any big red flags there please let me know. I will be 32 and my wife will be 28 at the time of our trip. Neither of us are overweight but I wouldn't describe us as very athletic either. I have however been rafting before and I have also been skydiving a couple years ago as well as horseback riding. I tried to space out our activities and give us several hours at the end of each day for naps, recovery, etc. if needed or for other leisurely activities. I also chose activities that I did not believe would be overly strenuous. My thinking was the only unknown variable here is the effects of the 8000+' altitude to our sea-level bodies! But I would be foolish not to heed the advice of the locals!

[Mike from back east]

If you arrive at DIA at 10:30AM, by the time you get your bag(s) and rental car, it will probably be 11:30AM.

It's 122 miles from DIA to VAIL, which will be a 2.5 hour drive, putting you in Vail at 2PM, at the best, which blows away your rafting session. Even if your rafting is in Idaho Springs, you most likely will not be there until 1PM, cutting it awfully close.

[Dogmama50]

Our best friend is a tri-athlete, when he comes up to visit from sea level he is a mess for a couple days, my husband who is healthy, but doesn't really exercise adapts the minute he gets to altitude, it takes me a few days before I can run up a flight of stairs. Everyone is different, there is no real way to predict how you will feel.

Forgot to mention earlier, don't forget the sunscreen, a burn will really ruin your vacation.

[dlvonde]

Mike,

Thanks for showing me my error on the Denver Airport to Idaho Springs drive! You are right..it's 1 hour! So we'll have to grab something quickly or bring a packed lunch to eat on the way. They asked us to get there at around 12:30 for the slackers who don't have their paperwork already signed so we'll have all that signed so if we roll in at 12:45ish we still aren't holding them up (they don't really start gearing up until 1PM. I'll try to see what I can do to streamline the getting out of the airport part

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by dlvonde

Mike,

Thanks for showing me my error on the Denver Airport to Idaho Springs drive! You are right..it's 1 hour! So we'll have to grab something quickly or bring a packed lunch to eat on the way. They asked us to get there at around 12:30 for the slackers who don't have their paperwork already signed so we'll have all that signed so if we roll in at 12:45ish we still aren't holding them up (they don't really start gearing up until 1PM. I'll try to see what I can do to streamline the getting out of the airport part

It takes just a hair under an hour to get to Idaho Springs.

DIA is variable. Often the bags are coming out just as you get to the carousel. But then you have to get a shuttle to the rental car companies. Probably an hour is to be expected.

Sounds like you have a good and busy schedule, be sure to let us know how it all turns out.

[CTC]

Sounds like a good 10th-if you have time head on down to Beaver Creek (Avon) Very relaxing and beautiful in the Summer-Romantic too