Thursday 26th September

A very early start as we needed to be at the airport by 6am - and we managed that though it seems tougher to get up early when you are on holiday.

We flew to Salt Lake City where we caught a flight to Denver. Unfortunately our luggage wasn't on the same flight - that's handy - so we had to trust the airline to deliver them to where we were staying (3 hours away) when they arrived.

Anyway, Robyn (Carolyn's ex sister-in-law) was waiting for us and we drove the three hours to Basalt. Robyn lives there with her husband Warwick, their two kids, Lexi and Charlie as well as one of her other two daughters, Genevieve. And their dog Daisy.

It was a great drive as we went through the Rockies and the trees and scenery were gorgeous.

Robyn and co live in a wonderful house and we stayed in one of their cabins next to the riverin their grounds - a lovely spot.

Friday 27th September

We started the day with a bit of shopping followed by watching the Basalt Homecoming Parade as Genevieve was the Homecoming Queen.

After that we caught the bus to Aspen and looked around there and it is a fantastic place. It isn't the ski season yet, so it wasn't buzzing, but while we were there, it started snowing - which is always a pleasure. Robyn then met us there and took us for a drive around the various snow areas and the spectacular homes of the rich and famous. And whilst we drove, the snow got heavier and heavier - marvelous stuff.

And we finished the day with a nice family meal before we headed back to the cabin so that I could listen to the AFL final (Hawthorn v Fremantle) - I was hoping to find somewhere to watch it but, no luck, so I could only listen. Despite the lack of vision, it was still exciting to monitor the games progress and was thrilled that at about 1:30am, we had won. Go Hawks!

One note here is that I had picked up a stomach bug on our last day in Vegas and unfortunately Carolyn caught it off me - we were both pretty bad this evening - shame.

Saturday 28th September

We had a restful start to the day as Carolyn needed rest having had a bad night.

We spent the time hanging with the family before heading off to Denver the scenic way - down the Independence Pass - stunning views as we weaved through the Rockies - snow capped peaks along the way.

We stayed with Robyn at her place in Denver and that part of the trip was over.