Keystone, Colorado

One of the Y regulars mentioned skiing this morning which reminded me of Keystone, CO.
It was in '72 or '73 when my boss at the advertising agency and a friend of his decided to partner in the purchase of a condo in one of the new developments at Keystone. For my boss it was an investment, but for the other partner it was that plus a chance for his four teenagers to enjoy skiing vacations.
The purchase price of their condo was $25,000. I remember that so well because I was afraid they would lose their money on such a chancey investment and $25,000 was a heckuva lot of money!
The first time I visited their condo was in the winter. I am not a skier. Even if I had wanted to try, I was so ill with altitude sickness I couldn't wait to get out of there. The cold air made breathing even harder and the headaches were terrible.
The second time we went there Mom & the kids & I went out during the summer. We had visited a friend of my Mother's in Longmont four days then drove up to Keystone for a couple days. The summer weather made dealing with the altitude much easier. We enjoyed wading in the icy cold Snake River; driving up an old mining trail and exploring a delapidated mining cabin; and driving over Loveland Pass. At nearly 12,000 ft., there was still some snow at Loveland Pass. I made Kari & Preston get out in their shorts and t-shirts and play in the snow just so I could take some pictures. (I think they still hold that against me.)
The last time I went there was to celebrate either my 35th or 36th birthday. A stop was made to visit friends in Denver and attend a Broncos football game before going on up to the condo. It wasn't bitterly cold that trip. I remember coming home across Kansas and running into freezing rain. I didn't realize how icy it was when I got out of the car. I fell and severely sprained my wrist.
Sometime after that the owners decided to sell their condo. By then units were selling for more than $100,000. I needn't have worried about them losing their investment after all.