A special thank you to Capital One for partnering with me on my adventure to Aspen.
Staycations are the best type of vacations with the opportunity to explore the places near you. Living in Colorado offers plenty of winter adventures like snowshoeing, hiking, skiing, ice skating, snow tubing and much more. My favorite trip to the mountains was with my sister Kate, when we embarked on a road trip from Denver to Aspen without any plans. The only rule we had was to go with the flow without any expectations. Being a last minute trip, I booked a hotel on my Venture® card and we were off.
We queued up a podcast and drove through multiple snow storms. At the fourth hour of our trip, slowly moving through traffic, we pulled off at Glenwood Springs and hopped into our swimsuits. After the long drive, nothing sounded better than jumping into the hot springs. It was incredible to be soaking in the 93 degree water while snow dumped all around us. It refreshed us for the final stretch to Aspen.
Once we were in Aspen, the snow was still coming down so we grabbed a bite to eat and went back to our hotel for champagne in the hot tub. We made friends with other hotel guests and eventually moved to the indoor fireplace. Kate and I were living in the moment and loving every minute of it.
The next morning we planned to find a trail for a hike. While at breakfast, we made friends with the locals who gave us the scoop on a silver mining ghost town called Ashcroft that was nearby. Sticking to our "going with the flow" rule, we adventured there and found ourselves alone in an eerily silent town. We looked through windows of the saloon and post office that had been untouched and walked through a few of the buildings that weren't boarded up. We hiked around the ghost town and watched the wildlife play in the snow. It was a beautiful, sunny day with the snow melting away on the untouched street.
The rest of our trip was filled with spur of the moment memories like game night at one of the local restaurants, tarot card readings from a local we met and plenty of shopping. It had been almost 10 years since Kate or I had visited Aspen and we couldn't have had a better time. Using my Venture® card earned me unlimited double miles on every purchase, that I will be redeeming four our next exploration.
Have you ever had a staycation that turned into unplanned, amazing memories? I encourage you to get out and explore the next town over or get lost in a place you think is unfamiliar.
Have you had a chance to explore the Destination Venture dome? The next upcoming event is at the ice skating rink at Skyline Park on January 5th and 6th. Step inside the dome for a larger-than-life cooler bar serving up drinks and eats from local Denver restaurants, 360-degree projection of some of the world’s most captivating travel destinations and kid-friendly activities such as a balloon artist.
A special thank you to Capital One for turning my vacation memories into unforgettable ones.
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** This blog post is sponsored by Capital One.