Field notes from the mountains

Summer in the Vail Valley, on horseback and on an ATV. A morning at the stables near Wolcott, two hours out through the wildflowers, and rougher ground in the afternoon. Written from the saddle rather than the brochure.

A guest piece from an angler who flew over from London and spent a week on the water around Vail and Beaver Creek. Where the fish were, which guides and fly shops earned their fee, and what they would do differently next time.

The Fourth in the Vail Valley, which starts on the third: the fireworks at Nottingham Park in Avon are the largest show on Colorado's western slope, choreographed to music. The parade follows the next morning. Includes where to park, which is the part nobody mentions.