Mark and I, both Kansas natives, grew up going to Colorado for family vacations. Mark’s fondest memories of Colorado involve ski trips with family and friends and mine are of summer family reunions in or near Colorado Springs.

When we had children of our own, we began taking them to Colorado, too, whether it was for skiing in the winter or hiking, biking, climbing and fishing in the summer. We have continued the tradition with their husbands and have now introduced our first grandchild to joys of Colorado.

We’ve known for a long time that we’d love to have a place in Colorado to retreat to, either by ourselves or with friends or family, and after a trip to Estes Park in July of 2012 we decided the time and place was finally right.