Colorado Winter and my "Old Kentucky Home"

Well it is that time of year where the nip in the air and the snow starting to fall on Pikes Peak (as seen in the above picture) gets you giddy, and constantly checking the web cams at local ski resorts to see how close you are to all the winter fun that lies ahead.

This did not use to be my normal reaction to winter knocking on the door. Originally I am from Kentucky, and no doubt for all of you that have never been there you are inevitably thinking of chicken, horses, and hillbillies with no teeth or shoes. But I have to say that I LOVE my "Old Kentucky Home"! Kentucky is absolutely beautiful, and it has plenty to do for mediocre adventurers like me. Great hiking, biking, and climbing is right there at your finger tips. Plus my city of Louisville (I grew up in a smaller town of Lexington, but lived in Louisville for about ten years) has so much to offer. It is like the perfect combination of a big city and a small town. It also has GREAT FOOD!!! If I were to compare Colorado Springs (and possibly even Denver) with the city of Louisville I would be hard pressed to say that Louisville isn't the better metro area. In fact when you compare food, arts, activities, and culture, directly with the cost of living it may be hard to find a better bang for your buck anywhere else in the country.

However, the KY winter is fairly depressing. In fact it may be a U.S. center for seasonal affective disorder. The skies are generally grey, it is fairly cold, and it rains more than snows. So I have to say that winter in Ky was never very exciting, and for the person who likes to go outdoors it can be a real bummer. For the most part people just hang out in their homes and wait for spring.

This is definitely where I have to say that Colorado has KY beat. Most days in the Springs the skies are clear and sunny, with all the beautiful snow dropping just to the west of us in the mountains we can see everyday. All the sunlight makes the temperatures feel milder than they do most of the time in KY, but the mountains which are about 1-2 hours away get so much snow that you find as much to do outside in the winter as you do any other season. Last year in addition to our normal snowboarding and skiing, we added ice climbing, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing, to the list of activities we would enjoy over the weekend. So as winter and the colder temperatures approach, instead of feeling the normal gloom and doom, we find ourselves excited and impatient for winter to find its way to us. Colorado is great place to be in all seasons, and that is probably the best reason to love it.