Outta The Swamp!

This place in the picture above, this SWAMP, is within walking distance of my house.  I live in a SWAMP.  No joke.  Houston, the 4th largest city in the nation, and the largest port in the nation (and tenth largest in the world) was built on a swamp.  Why Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen thought this mushy, mosquito infested, much too warm 8 months of the year boggy ground was a great place to build a city is beyond me.  Oh, don't get me wrong; I really do enjoy living here.  Masterful engineering feats have made Houston a fun place to live in spite of the landscape .  However, the weather stinks.  It's mid-October, but the temperatures have been in the 90s for weeks.  We've had a few little cool gasps of fresh air whisk in for tea and leave before supper.  It's rather rude, but they aren't asking for customer input. 

Last week I decided I needed to get out of the swamp before I suffered a heat induced melt down (take the pun and enjoy).

I began thinking that a trip to central Texas to a horse ranch I want to visit would be perfect.  The extended forecast didn't agree.  I think we'll try the horse ranch for Spring Break.

Then I found an awesome Groupon for Gatlinburg, one of those places I love and would like to visit again.  While the Groupon was good, getting there for a long weekend isn't easy-or cheap.

Since my trip to Eureka Springs never happened this summer, I thought this might be a good third inquiry.  Every place I looked into was booked, and the 10 hour one-way drive wasn't so appealing for a long weekend either.  I will get there though some day.  There are some super cool looking tree house B&Bs!

I was beginning to think it was going to be three strikes and we were out for finding a fall getaway, but then I found a Groupon for Vail Cascade Resort and fell in love!  It's absolutely stunning, the temperatures are cool (some would say cold...), and with Southwest points, we were in business.   I've never been to Vail and don't even know what's nearby, but I think it's going to fabulous for hiking and horseback riding.  In sixteen days, this will be my view for a few blissful days out of the swamp: