Dear Arne and Lisa,
May I take the liberty of sharing with you a report of our sublime visit to Crested Butte this fall in 2009 to hike and experience the aspens in all their glory. We were bound and determined to write you in Norway, as we learned from the guest books you were Norgewians, to tell you how happy we were with choosing your home for our trip. We have just been so busy with our day in and day out lives, that we waited until now to express our satisfaction with our decision to choose Crested Butte and Shangri Lai. What a vantage point your truly Western style home gave us for this memorable fall weekend. We arrived at dusk, having driven over Kebbler Pass, in a rain storm, and the instructions were perfect to get out to your spacious, yet luxurious home. Even in the dark it was quite easy to find the house.
We drove through the second largest aspen grove in the world to reach Crested Butte over Kebbler Pass. We feared that the old mining town would be jammed with visitors. To our surprise we met mostly locals. Crested Butte and your home at the height of the leaves turning has to be one the best kept secrets in the world.
There were only two of us, and we had worried that the house might just be too much for us. However, the floor plan is brilliant, as the public areas and master suite are on the first floor. We toured the variety of large bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, and because the second floor is accessed via a broad stair case, we never felt like we were tucked into some corner of such a large home. The floor plan flows so seamlessly on the first floor, and makes you feel like you are in your own intimate world. However, the home would work so well for even 8-10 people, using the elaborate "tree house" upstairs.
The soaring ceilings in the living room, which faces back towards the mining town, creates an amazing volume of space. Everything ties together so nicely. The kitchen is wonderfully stocked. Nothing was lacking. Upon returning from dinner on Friday night, we went straight to the outdoor spa. The weather had cleared, and the sky was ablaze with stars. With no light pollution, the skies out here in the West seem so much brighter. We could recognize so many constellations. The temperature in the spa was perfect.
We had a portabella mushroom and an enchilada with mole sauce, which was the best mole sauce ever, at a new restaurant, we think was called the East Side Grill or Bistro. The atmosphere was an understated elegance. We would go back there in an instant.
We climbed up to East Maroon Pass and Copper Lake on Saturday. The entire trail system around Gothic is superb and so well marked. We ran into a threesome coming over from Aspen. There are manageable trails everywhere to reach mountain peaks, passes and lakes. Gothic is utterly charming. Before we drove back to our log hideaway, we drove up to Schofield Pass and turned off to a lovely valley. We were startled upon surveying all the views to be able to see the Maroon Bells from the West Elk Mt. range view point. Knowing you are Norweigians, we wanted you to know how lovely it must be for you two to cross country ski up towards the pass and then to return down that Gothic valley looking at the Butte. It truly has some of the best views in all of Colorado.
We were surprised and delighted to learn of the Harvest Festival that was held in Crested Butte that Saturday evening. It was like an early Halloween, as locals were decked out in costumes. There was an early evening parade through the streets with bands performing on Elk Avenue. The old mining town was alive with a celebratory air. The restaurants were filled with masqueraders, which added such an element of fun to the evening. Families were everywhere from up and down the valley lining the streets to witness the fun time.
Though we had made a plan to take another hike on Sunday morning, we fell prey to the ambience, panache and cushiness of your wondrous log dwelling and slept in, enjoying the log bed immensely. It is amazing, every piece of furniture in the master, except for the chaise, is made of logs and branches from the Rocky Mt. trees. It gives that room an incredible atmosphere. We took one more quick dip in the spa and drove away, wishing we could stay forever.
Best wishes and thanks. What a weekend!
