“It’s going to be cold,” they said,”but not like the cold you’re used to. It’s a dry cold, so it’s not that bad.”
One of my biggest fears before moving to Denver was the cold.
Yes, it is true that I was born in Indiana and used to play in piles and piles of snow as a child, but after living in Georgia for over 15 years, I definitely adapted to the warmth and eventually acquired the trait of cold-bloodedness, as any day below 50 degrees in Georgia chilled me to my bones. So naturally, the thought of moving to a city where it would snow – a lot – definitely frightened me to say the least. But after hearing everyone talk about this “dry cold” that really wasn’t all that bad, I decided to give it a go.
And I am so glad I did.
This winter in Denver has been unbelievably kind to us. The temperatures have been mild, anywhere from 0 degrees to 60 degrees, fluctuating every week. We’ve also had very little snow in the city – 3 to 4 significant snowfalls so far – and they really have not been that bad. In fact, I find myself looking forward to snow days more and more every time the weathermen predict a hint of those fresh flakes falling from the sky to completely change our surroundings with a blanket of sparkling white power.
The one downside of the snow is getting around. Since we’re from Georgia, we had no need to have all-wheel drive cars, so Matthew and I both have 2 front-wheel drive cars that struggle to make it through any type of ice or snow. So when it snows here, we try our best not to drive. Luckily, the lightrail is not a far walk from our place, so we don’t have too much trouble getting to work (unless it’s a blizzard), but we do have trouble getting out to the mountains, which is what we truly want to do.
Since winter began, we hadn’t really been able to make it up the mountains due to the heavy amount of snow. But this weekend, it didn’t snow, so we were able to make it up to Breckenridge – and w❄w. The mountains were spectacular during the summer, so wonderfully colorful in the fall, and let me tell you, the mountains during the winter are a whole other level of beauty.
Not only did we get to check out impressive snow sculptures at Breckenridge’s International Snow Sculpture Championships, but we were able to see the abundance of snow that was piled throughout the mountain towns all the way up. In this case, I figured pictures would be better than words 🙂
It’s true. Denver’s winter is different. It’s dry and really not that cold, even with temperatures below 20 degrees. But no one ever told me how beautiful it was. I’m sure that goes without saying, and I should have just assumed, but I’m also sure that, just as I wouldn’t have believed that the winters are truly not that cold out here until I felt it, I wouldn’t have believed how beautiful it was out here until I saw it for myself.
Clearly, after living in Georgia for so long, I am back to being a snow rookie, but I’m actually quite loving it. Because, unlike many people who have lived up north for a long time, I get to wholeheartedly enjoy every second of it because it’s all so new to me. And it’s so incredibly great.
Hangry & Restless 