We were very fortunate to spend the month of November in Steamboat Springs, CO.  Colorado has long been one of the places that Marel and I love and it is our plan to eventually live there.

We made our first trip to Steamboat Springs, CO seven or eight years ago and loved both the skiing as well as the true town and community that surrounded it.  Unlike Vail or Aspen, Steamboat is a town that happens to be an amazing ski destination.

We began our adventure at the end of October with me (and dog Riley) making the drive while Marel and the girls flew a few days later.  I enjoyed 1200 miles of thinking with stops in Boise and Park City along the way.

We kicked off our visit with an amazing Halloween celebration in downtown Steamboat when Lincoln Aveneue fills with both parents and children trick or treating from shop to shop.  This community gathering really opened our eyes to the people who call Steamboat Springs home and how many were in our same "life stage" – young children, etc.

Our initial plan was to spend the month around Boulder but as we thought more about it, Steamboat made the most sense and we did work in a Boulder visit during the Defrag Conference in Broomfield. 

We spent our time in Steamboat as residents not really tourists while I was helping my long time friend Joe Solomon with a bit of marketing work for Iconic Adventures.  

 Joe is an awesome guy, has an amazing office right on the Yampa River, and provides outdoor adventures for brands, causes, and companies.  We've had a bit of fun working through the many great business opportunities out there including calling on various micro-breweries.  Definitely give him a ring if you'd like to do a company off-site or marketing event that will make a lasting impact.

I was able to work on the things I needed to including my social lead generation startup Nearstream from there with Skype, GotoMeeting, a smartphone, and a high speed interent connection.

I was really impressed by the the local tech startup and entrepreneurial scene.  In Steamboat Springs you ask? Yes, in Steamboat Springs.  There is a great group of folks there that have been putting on Ignite Steamboat for almost two years, have brought in some amazing speakers (via Skype), and even gave me the chance to do a presentation on the mobile workstyle:

 

Yes, we did a bit of skiing too but the visit was a great family adventure and we met so many warm and wonderful people who welcomed us unconditionally.  We will be back to Steamboat Springs soon and definitely see it as part of our lives going forward.