August 2013 - Oxnard to Vail - Part 2, Vail and Green River

Our arrival in Vail was greeted with thunderstorms and raindrops the size of golf balls.  I had been watching the weather over the last couple of weeks and was concerned about the possible storms.  It wasn't worth it to drive all the way to Colorado and then get rained out, even though we were happy to visit with Paul and Joyce and stay in their lovely home...their "little" (7,000 square feet) cabin in the mountains.  Joyce assured me that the mornings were good and that the storms happened later in the day.  It turned out that was true.  

Once settled in their home, Paul called us into the living room to come and look outside.  Their view is breathtaking and spanned across their huge windows was a double rainbow.  A beautiful welcome for what was to be a lovely five days.

View of the Double Rainbow from the Krasnow's Living Room.

Joyce and I played a practice round on the Valley Course, one of three beautiful courses at The Club at Cordillera in Eagle/Vail.  The Club at Cordillera  The Valley Course was the course on which the tournament would be held, so we thought it best to practice there.  

That evening, Joyce prepared a lovely meal of steaks, salmon and sides.  We had great wine and laughed a lot, and then I went to bed, ready for another practice round before the tournament.  

That night, at 3:30, I woke up with a splitting headache, a rumbling tummy and nausea.  I spent the next 12 hours trying to get over a debilitating case of altitude sickness.  There was some question as to whether or not I would be able to play the next day, but as the day progressed I felt better.  I skipped the pre-tournament party to insure that I would not risk a relapse.

We woke up bright and early and drove down the hill to the Valley course and the breakfast they had waiting for us.  After breakfast, we went to the driving range and hit a few balls before heading to the course.  

Nice view for a driving range, no?

We were signed up for the non-competitive part of the tournament as neither of us have a handicap, and both of us felt we were better off without that pressure.  As it turned out, many of the people that had signed up for the non-competitive tournament switched over to the competitive tournament and there were only three couples left to play.  We were paired with two young ladies, Suzanne and Heidi, who had been assigned to the tournament to round out our foursome. 

Heidi and Suzanne, our playing partners on Day 1.

Suzanne is the Membership Director for The Club at Cordillera, and (I believe) Heidi is a friend of hers who works at a neighboring venue.  Heidi hit the ball like nobody's business.  The Valley Course is a beautiful, beautiful golf course.  Lush greenery, superbly kept tee boxes, fairways and greens, and a view that won't quit.  The greens were diabolical; impossible to read.  When you thought your ball would go this way, it went that way.  "Always to the Valley," they say, except when it didn't.  Hitting off the fairway wasn't too terrible; the rough was manageable, thank goodness.  My tee shots and fairway shots were pretty good, but oh those greens!  

After golf, we had a wonderful lunch at the club, then went home to have dinner with the boys at Larkspur.  Larkspur Restaurant  We ordered from their special Tuesday bar menu and had oysters, a caesar salad and a hamburger - the Larkburger.  Just delicious!!

At Larkspur.

Score-wise, things got a bit confusing as we considered switching over to the competitive side of things.  We were supposed to have been assigned a handicap and been given "dots" to deduct from our gross score.  We weren't given that the first day, but were given dots on the second day, which helped out a bit.  On day one, our gross score was 115, with no net score.  The second day, we knocked eight strokes off our gross score and ended up with a net score of 71.  We played with Kathy and Karen on the second day.  Kathy is a real hoot with a great personality and sense of humor.  Karen is a very nice person; a little quieter but a sweetheart just the same.  They did far better than we did.  I'm fairly certain that Joyce and I came in last place, if there was such a thing, but I felt so fortunate to be playing in such a lovely, lovely place with such a wonderful friend.  Thank you, Joyce, for inviting me to be your partner.  However, I advise you to pick a better golfer next time.  It'll help your score!

The Club put on an awards dinner that night which was great fun.  The food was delicious, from pasta to lamb chop popsicles, many salads, steak and drinks galore.  Not surprisingly, Joyce and I were not mentioned.  

Paul had made tee times for us the following morning so we could get in a round on the Mountain Course before we left for our overnight in Green River, Utah and then went home.  After Paul made us a fantastic breakfast (his first time ever making breakfast, according to Joyce), we loaded our bags into the Volvo and drove down the hill to the lovely clubhouse and course.  Joyce told me that the course was more difficult than the Valley Course, so I was ready for a challenge.  The course had much more elevation, but the fairways were wide, and if you hit it straight, you could stay out of trouble.  The great thing about Vail is that when you hit the ball, it goes so much further.  There is no atmosphere up here, and the ball just flies.  There will be re-adjustment to ocean air when I get back to golfing at home.  The views from the Mountain Course were even more spectacular, if that's possible.  It was great fun to play with our husbands.  I love playing with Stan, and I was ready to hit the ball with him after three days of playing with the ladies.  Score of 113 notwithstanding, the Aspen-lined, beautiful, sloping fairways were the perfect end to a wonderful, golf-filled five days in Vail.

Photos of the spectacular Mountain Course.

Joyce, Stan and Paul figuring out the lay of the land.

Back on the road again, we drove through the beautiful Vail Valley out of Colorado and through Utah where we stopped for the night in Green River.  This small oasis in the middle of nowhere was the only place we could stop without continuing our drive through the night.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, where motorcycle groups and families had also found respite from the long drive in the heat of summer.  Holiday Inn Express, Green River, Utah  Just as you'd expect from a Holiday Inn, the room was clean, comfortable and priced right.  The breakfast the following morning left something to be desired, but it was certain we wouldn't starve.  

We ate dinner at what seemed to be the biggest place in Green River; Tamarisk's.  At this writing, I could not find a website for the restaurant, but it is pretty basic diner/coffee shop food with a mexican twist.  To illustrate, I had cheese enchiladas and Stan had a patty melt.  I enjoyed my dinner, Stan wasn't so happy.  I had requested, and received, half of my enchilada with red sauce and the other with green chile sauce.  The cheese had been melted on top and had that great, crunchy texture that happens when it sits under a heat source for too long.  But I loved breaking through the cheese to get to the enchilada underneath.

Green River sky at sunset.

My cheese enchilada, with chunky (and very good) guacamole.

The patty melt at Tamarisk's.

While at dinner, I looked on my phone to see what there was to do in Green River.  There was a 9-hole course right in the middle of town near the State Park.  We called to make a tee time (it was still light outside and we hoped they would be there).  The voice mail said just to come on over and play!  After dinner, we took a drive to find the course (by then it was twilight).  We found it and decided to get there at 7:30 so we could be on the road by 9 or so.  

An early (not-so-great) breakfast at the hotel, and we drove to the course, arriving at around 7:30.  There was no one in the pro shop, which was strange.  We drove back to the hotel and asked the desk clerk about the hours of the course.  He really didn't know, but thought they opened at 8.  After debating the wisdom of waiting (which meant we'd get home around midnight), we threw caution to the wind and went over there at 8.  They were open, we got on, and had a nice little round of golf.  This course meandered around the Green River, with vistas of a plateau in the distance, and offered us a mosquito bite or two.

Because our breakfast was less than satisfying, I stopped at Green River Coffee and grabbed one of the best lattes I've ever had.  Like Tamarisk, I found no website at this writing.  We showered quickly, packed our things and headed home.  A quick stop for lunch at Crazy Cow Cafe in Beaver, Utah for a burger and a chili size.  Crazy Cow Cafe  Pretty basic food, with warm and friendly service.  

Hopped up on caffeine, we began the last leg of our journey, stopping in Arcadia, California at our favorite dim sum restaurant, Din Tai Fung.  Din Tai Fung  This place is absolutely amazing; packed whenever we go there and worth the wait.  I first ate there on Whampoa Island in Hong Kong, and my friend and former business associate, Terri, told me that they had brought it to the US.  The juicy pork dumplings (put in a soup spoon, topped with horseradish and vinegar - when you bite into them, the soup fills your mouth before the pork - my mouth is watering as I write this), pork fried rice and sauteed string beans with garlic are our favorite things.  Stan loves the hot and sour soup.  He buys the largest one available and takes home what he cannot eat there.  

Din Tai Fung's Hot and Sour Soup.

It is an experience to eat there, and, no matter where you live within the greater Los Angeles/Ventura/Orange county area, it's worth the drive.  

Finally home, we fell into bed.  I'm not looking forward to the laundry and work that awaits me after nine days on the road.  Some things are worth it, though.