"Keystone, Colorado - 9,400 feet closer... " a Keystone Travel Page by Callavetta

Billed as the "Nature of the Rockies", Keystone seems the most environmentally friendly of the Summit County resorts. Developers take great pains to insure that man made features are added in concert with the natural beauty of the area.

In 2002 I bought a second home here. Since then, it calls to me. I check the resort website daily to look at the minicams (updated every 5 minutes) to see what I am missing. And when I get back to my home in the forest I am most happy.

While winter is the most crowded time in Keystone, it's truly beautiful every month of the year. And each month has its charms.

In summer rates are much lower and the crowds thin dramatically. Wildflowers abound when they have bloomed their last at lower elevations. Cycling, hiking, golf, tennis and boating become the sports au jour.

What a winter it's been! At 154% of normal, Summit County has had more snow than seen in decades. Amazingly, it seems like a fresh sprinkling of powder comes at night and just before the weekends, leaving the mountains perfect for weekend skiers. But I really love the weekdays, when it's relatively quiet and I feel like all this beauty is just for me.

I've gotten good at digging out my car, driving the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to town, watching my car's automatic tracking take over because it thinks I don't know what I'm doing, and picking the least slippery spot in the parking lot.

As I write this, it's a frigid 4 below (F) and too cold to snow much.

Winter is definitely SUV and 4WD time. But in the summer it's "top down and enjoy the scenery. Ripping around mountain curves with a view of the world is the way to live. But be sure you get back by early afternoon. The clouds come in and the daily thunder storm is not when you want to be a lightening rod!