My Travels

Flew out to Austin for a quick weekend trip. It has been a very long time since I was last in Austin. With the United merger of Continental, there are direct flights scheduled to Austin and I boarded a Bombardier CRJ-200. It was a tight fit but I made due with the space. Since I was arriving at odd hours and there was a motocross race this weekend, I ended up staying at several hotels each night. Got a deal on Priceline for a rental from Avis and ended up with a Kia Sorrento. For a SUV, the Sorrento did really well and I was pleasantly surprised how nice it was inside. It didn't have much power but it was helpful in my treks crisscrossing Austin. Checked into the Home2 Suites Austin Round Rock. Unfortunately, my reservation was canceled from a credit card processing fee and the hotel was almost sold out. It took some finagling but the receptionist was able to get my rate and put us in a one bedroom suite. An upgrade from the studio I booked. It is the first time I've st

This year has not been a good year for snowboarders. Haven't had a chance to snowboard, I hoped Aspen would be able to provide some much needed powder in my life. Used frequent flier points to fly on United Airlines to Aspen. Super small airport and the resorts all make pickups. I called the Westin Snowmass Resort ahead of time to confirm that they will send someone to get me. The shuttle driver found me fairly easily and I was able to check into the room in the early afternoon. Since I had some time to kill, I had lunch at the Snowmass Kitchen. Pricey but good, the only drawback was the slow service in the restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised of the suite upgrade when I checked in. The one bedroom suite had a dining area and wet bar pantry room. The balcony was the same size as the living room, definitely a party room if you wanted it to be. I liked the amenities which included an in room humidifier and a portable heater. The balcony also came with outside heater lamp for c