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Breckenridge, Colorado |
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Grandpa and Grandma with Max |
It's summertime and time for family vacations. On July 7th, we headed to
the Town of Breckenridge, Colorado, for a long anticipated vacation with Ron's daughter, Margaret, son-in-law, Jeff, and our 19 month old grandson, Max. We picked up the family at
Denver International Airport (DEN) after their non-stop from
Moline, IL arrived on-time. A heavy rainstorm hit soon after we hit
I-70 in
Denver and we edged our way through traffic slowed down by the rain. About two hours later, we checked into
our timeshare condo in Breckenridge. The baby furniture was there as ordered from
Baby's Away.
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Jeff and Margaret with Max |
Everyone was a bit beat (especially Ron and I who had departed at 6AM that morning from
Sandia Park, NM and had now driven about 8 hours that day) so we ordered pizza delivery and I prepared a green salad. We got to read to Max his favorite book: "Where is my T-R-U-C-K?" - several times over - before Max went to sleep.
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On the Gondola to Peak 8 |
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Mom and Max in the Gondola |
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Ron, Margaret, Max and Jeff at Peak 8 Funpark |
Next day, we enjoyed a trip to Peak 8 via the
Breck Gondola. Ron and I watched Max while Jeff and Margaret ascended the rest of the mountain via the chair lift. Max is a darling child and easy to care for. He's a bit too young for the activities of the
Peak 8 Fun Park but he enjoyed picking up rocks and placing them in the trash can. We met a family from Syria who were biking and Max got to get into their bike trailer for a ride. The family lived part of the year in Texas and were here on vacation, a welcome respite from the worries of their war-torn nation. Sunday night we dined at home on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and salad. Max has a great appetite and will try almost anything you offer him. Then we read his favorite book about Tommy and his lost red truck. Margaret and Jeff took a evening walk to explore the town of Breckenridge while Max slept.
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Peak 8 at Breckenridge |
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Max loved the rocks |
On Monday, Max got to take a bike ride with his parents on the
bike path along the Blue River. He quickly fell asleep. Later that day, Jeff and Margaret went hiking up the
Mohawk Lake Trail by themselves while Ron read Max's favorite book about Tommy's lost truck. That evening, Margaret and Jeff got to take a parents' night out while we babysat and read Max his favorite book about that red truck. Jeff and Margaret enjoyed dinner at the old Victorian house that is currently the
Hearthstone Restaurant and an evening walk in the town of Breckenridge. We were happy to watch Max while Jeff and Margaret enjoyed a little Mom and Dad time. Afterall, their 9th wedding anniversary is July 19th, so they deserved a little time to themselves!
On Tuesday, Ron and I drove Margaret and family up to
Boreas Pass just southeast of town. The wildflowers were blooming everywhere so it was a treat for me. There were many bike riders and hikers on the narrow dirt road of the former
South Park narrow gage railroad route and when we finally arrived at Boreas Pass Summit at 11,492 feet elevation, we were amazed to see that so many mountain bikers had made it all the way up.
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Margaret and Jeff at the start of Boreas Pass road with the town of Breckenridge behind them |
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Margaret at Boreas Pass Summit |
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Jeff and Margaret at Boreas Pass |
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At the start of Boreas Pass Rd., we stopped to visit Engine No. 9 that once traversed Boreas Pass |
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The rotary snowplow engine was also on display. This is how the narrow-gage railroad cleared the tracks of snow in winter |
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Max loved the"reh-reh" |
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The old Section House used by railroad workers is still there, now used by winter sportsmen (Right click to open link and enlarge to read sign) |
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The Continental Divide where rivers on the North American Continent drain either west toward the Pacific Ocean or east toward the Atlantic Ocean |
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Right Click to open link and enlarge map of the area |
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Right click to open link and enlarge to read sign |
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Mariposa Lily, also called Sego Lily, blooming along the Boreas Pass road |
That afternoon. Ron treated Margaret and I to massages, plus Margaret enjoyed 30 minutes of oxygen-therapy to energize her at the high altitude of Breckenridge which is 9,600 ft. in elevation. That evening we enjoyed dinner out at
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co..
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Max enjoyed fish and chips |
On Wednesday, we took Margaret, Jeff and Max back to Denver International Airport for their return to their home in
Iowa. We will miss them all but we were so happy to spend some time with them in this beautiful Rocky Mountain setting. Ron and I tried to follow
US 6 route home instead of
I-70, but much of US 6 is superceded by I-70. We did enjoy driving through the mining towns of
Idaho Springs and
Georgetown and then taking the
Loveland Pass to the
Arapahoe Basin to
Keystone instead of taking the
Eisenhower Tunnel route through the mountain.
Thursday was a special treat for me as Ron paid for a Fly Fishing Clinic for me. Vicki and Steve from Boston and I with our guide,
Troy Booker from
Mountain Angler, practiced our casting techniques and then got into waders and boots to fish the
Blue River just south of Breckenridge. I hooked a
rainbow trout but lost him with my tackle. I very much enjoyed the experience and pledged to do more fishing in the future!
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Vicki on the Blue River |
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Casting for a Rainbow Trout |
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Steve from Boston |
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Vicki from Boston |
Ron and I went out to dinner at
Southridge Seafood Grill for some seafood fare. We then walked to a show at the
Breckenridge Backstage Theatre - a comedy called
Completely Hollywood (Abridged). But Ron was beginning to feel unwell and on Friday morning we decided to head home early. I started feeling ill on the way home and both of us were incapcitated totally by the weekend with nasty colds. However, the memories of our Rocky Mountain vacation with Max, Jeff and Margaret will always be there to make us feel great happiness and joy.