Saturday, December 22, 2007

Feature: Jenny's


Jenny's Restaurant, Empire Colorado
Small Towns like Empire Colorado are packed full of local jewels. Today brought us to Jenny’s for breakfast.
The front door creaks as we arrive out of the wind and single digit temperatures into the warm country style diner. Immediately the smell of fresh brewed coffee, bacon, eggs and pancakes got me thinking about my breakfast and not the high wind advisory on the highways. The waitress is buzzing around with coffee in hand. She is friendly, fast talking and sits us immediately. There is antique crap all over the walls as well as many old photographs. This morning's light complements the warmth of the place.
Jenny's is the quintessential small town Colorado Breakfast diner. The people are friendly, the food is excellent, and the prices leave enough cash to park at the resorts (usually about 20 bucks). Yes, parking at the resorts costs more than breakfast.

2eggs, 2 sausage links, home fries, and 2 pieces of wheat toast,
Coffee
Strawberry jam on Toast.
$7.00 + tip.

…Food Comma ensued, lucky I was not driving.

Jenny’s is awesome, cheap and fast.
A perfect fuel up for a deep day on the mountain

Monday, December 17, 2007

Colorado Backcountry: The Wolfie


Big storms bring out the heavy snow removal equipment. CDOT makes back country access possible. Snow mounds from plowing the parking lots were well over two stories high.
After a balmy and dry early season, winter weather systems finally deliver deep snow to Colorado. The Southern part of the state was hit HUGE. Wolf Creek Ski Area, near South Fork Colorado reported 99 inches of new snow in a seven-day period. Mid-mountain settled base depths up there are now reported at 117 inches.
The icing on the cake for us backcountry powder hounds came with mild temperatures that have stabilized snowpack in most of the area. With the avalanche danger LOW last weekend on all aspects and at all elevations, we attack and enjoy the deep stable goodness. A double layer of icing or maybe the whip cream was added with bluebird skies, sunshine and plenty of visibility, a stark contrast to the conditions we have been getting in the central Rockies lately.


The goods.
Sunny side softened up nicely with the heat of the day.


Mo and Nessy near Wolf Creek Pass.


D-Brown, a free heeling hippie.


Gravy, a knuckle dragger.