Hello, Columbus: Reader-submitted Vacation Photos

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems) Awakened in the middle of the night recently in a backcountry hut on Shrine Pass, I glanced out a window and saw stars, so I threw on a jacket and went out on the deck of Jay’s Cabin, three miles northwest of Vail Pass at 11,223 feet. The moon had set, so the stars stood out in the deep black of the sky above.

Sometimes, due to schedules or budgets, it’s impossible to plan a big vacation in the winter or during the holidays, or maybe you want to stay close to home and not travel a long distance. It can be a thrill to play tourist in your city or take a short excursion within an hour’s drive, especially when places are decorated for the festivities of the winter months. The mountain towns have the draw of the slopes and likely more snow, but Colorado’s Front Range cities offer big city amenities.

Picture this: Daylight is petering out behind the snow-capped Rockies, and it’s getting cold — really cold. You’re comfortable, though, sipping loose-leaf tea from a pot, nibbling on delicate, scratch-made pastries. Afternoon tea is a delightful ritual that Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford — one of Queen Victoria’s besties — improvised in England in the 1840s. According to the tale, the Duchess complained of a sinking feeling in her stomach between her midday meal and late-night dinner.

More than 1 million travelers are expected to pass through a new configuration of security screening checkpoints at Denver International Airport from Dec. 19 through Jan. 1, Transportation Security Administration officials said Thursday. TSA supervisors also are anticipating a surge of items in baggage that agents will have to confiscate. They displayed a cache of seized items including a cane containing a two-foot sword from last weekend, fireworks, pepper spray, activated stun guns and carefully wrapped holiday gifts, which often contain material requiring secondary inspection.

Remember when a wellness tip meant someone telling you to go outside, run around, and play in the snow and fresh air? That might still be good advice. But now, some experts might add that spa treatments and facials are necessary to support those choices and fight the effects of intense activity and sun exposure — even in winter. No matter where you go this winter — Colorado’s Front Range or the high country for a ski trip — you can find a spa treatment to help with what ails you during these colder months. “Winter brings unique challenges to how we get outside to exercise, socialize, and recuperate,” said Joren Joyce, lead massage therapist at Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa. “Physically, cold weather causes nerves and blood vessels to constrict, decreasing blood flow and circulation.