Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — For the first time ever, I'm actually taking a vacation during mud season. I mean a real vacation. It's not that "going down to the Front Range to hang with my parents and sitting at old bars with old friends" crap.

Nope, this is sun, beach and a foreign culture. Yes sir, I'm going to Walden.

Just kidding, but there is the North Sand Hills Recreation Area near Walden if you want sun and beach.

No, I'm going to Cancun, my first real vacation in forever.

It's a bittersweet departure, if I can be perfectly honest. September could be one of the worst times to leave Steamboat Springs. The crowds are minimal, the weather is good, there are cheap dinner specials and you don't have to smack some skier or softball player to belly up at your favorite bar.

And speaking of beer, I'm leaving the day of the brewfest this year, which is Sept. 21.

Not that I will miss the 'Boat all that much while exploring ruins or lying on the beach. Plus, I hear there is beer in Mexico. I think I'll make it.

But there is something about a ski town in the fall.

In August, I always feel a tension. I attribute it to the consistent heat coupled with the increased visitors to the area. It's the summer blues or the dog days of summer.

When Labor Day passes, things finally change. The monotony of the summer subsides and the tension is released.

The trees present a colorful change on the mountains, you can pull out your favorite fleece for the evenings and there is some breathing room in town.

It's time to cut wood if you put it off all summer collect coal and snag some winter clothing at discount.

For some reason, thinking of the coming winter in September is comforting. Winter is predictable, constant and normal. You can depend on it, even if it's a light one.

When the snow falls, it's hard not to feel warmth of ease.