Friday

Friday was filled with relaxation and good food. Dustin, Sarah and I began the morning by heading to Mountain Brew, a local coffee shop, while Thom worked out. Mountain Brew has been ranked best coffee place of Steamboat for the past 4 years. I got a chai tea and coffee crumb cake-both were delicious. We then took it back to the condo to sit, eat, and drink by the indoor fire pit. 

Once Thom had finished working out we headed to the downtown area to explore some shops. Downtown had cute shops, some very expensive. We enjoyed lunch at a place called Backdoor Grill. They have very unique burgers. I got the Mahalo which had pineapple, Swiss, and teriyaki on it. Thom got the G6 which had quest, pepper jack, and jalapeños on it. We also got sweet potato fries. I enjoyed a Colorado Cider beer. All was very good, but Thom said his stomach hurt later. 

We then headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner. We got down to the mountain around 5:15 and looked in some shops before heading to the gondola. When we got down toward the base of the mountain they were doing a lighted parade  down the mountain. It was neat. There was also a DJ and a fire performer. 

We lodes the gondola at 5:45. On the gondola ride we made two very abrupt stops. Clearly the new kid was running the brakes for the gondola. We swung quite a bit and it was kind of scary. We made it to the top and were offered hot chocolate while we waited for our sleigh ride. We enjoyed a seat by the window so we could see the lights of the town down below. 

We went on sleigh number 2. Although we were wrapped in our blankets, we could not help getting the snow in our faces from the snow cat. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. The moon was bright and the sky was clear. 

When we arrived at Ragnar's we were seated. We enjoyed a smorgasbord platter that had cheese with a berry jam on it, chicken liver (gross), a homemade sausage, and salmon. I tried it all and thought the chicken liver was disgusting. Sarah and I ordered a bottle of wine to enjoy and the boys had IPAs. We also got bread to enjoy.  The next course was an apple and parsnip bisque soup followed by a chefs salad. For dinner I enjoyed a filet and Thom had duck. I really enjoyed my filet. It came with potatoes and asparagus. It was very good. Dessert was chocolate fondue. It was super yummy. We then took the sleigh ride back to the gondola. The starts were out even brighter. And took the gondola back to the base. Once returning to the condo we packed up to leave town. We are sad to go, but ready to see Teddy.