How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I grew up in Colorado and lived there for the first forty-seven years of my life until I moved to Key West which is now my home. I went back to Colorado a couple of weeks ago and traveled to Aspen for an overnight visit.

I drove up to Independence Pass where I nearly passed out from lack of oxygen and took a trip to Maroon Bells where I was reinvigorated by the grandeur of one of God's best creations. I did what I assume a lot of tourists do when they visit resort towns like Aspen - I looked at the MLS listings displayed outside of real estate offices. If you think prices in Key West are high, go to Aspen. There is nothing affordable in Aspen. 

The wealth from the silver mines made Aspen the richest city west of St Louis back in the late 1800s where it was also the first city west of the Mississippi to have electricity. Many of the old houses still stand and have been restored or re-imagined beyond the comprehension of old time miners and merchants. New construction fits right into the natural beauty of the area. I saw more than a dozen renovations and new construction projects. Landscaping crews were still planting flowers even though the first frost and the turning of aspen trees is but days away.

Two days earlier I made one day trip Vail.  I remember driving to the to the west side of Vail Pass with my parents when I was a child where they would fish in two little lakes. The Town of Vail and the ski resort were first built in the 1960s. Fifty years have passed and Vail has expanded for miles to the west gobbling-up the lush valley and mountains. Money, money, money. Buildings, buildings, buildings. People, people, people. I finally found the bridge. But it is now like a Disneyland attraction amid so much modern construction. I am not being negative. Just making an observation.

I parked in a city owned parking structure and tried to adjust to the many changes in the town I remember from decades ago. I found two landmarks that had not changed: The Lodge at Vail where I stayed years ago and the covered bridge over Gore Creek. I walked the streets and eyed the new construction and renovation and upgrading of older buildings. And I checked out several real estate offices. Prices in Vail were very high. I found a reasonably priced studio condo for $449,000 and a parking space (parking space!) for $299,000. That made perfect sense. My four hour parking fee was $50.

Today I sell houses to rich people in Key West. Our architecture is as rich and varied as those two resort communities, but our prices are generally less expensive.  Our natural environment is equally beautiful. I also sell houses to people who are not rich. It just helps if you are rich.