Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Rocky Mountain Vacation with Family



Breckenridge, Colorado

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.


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.

On the Gondola to Peak 8
Mom and Max in the Gondola


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.

Peak 8 at Breckenridge




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.

Margaret and Jeff at the start of Boreas Pass road with the town of Breckenridge behind them

Goose Pasture Tarn just south of Breckenridge with the Tenmile Range in background

Tansy Asters

Margaret at Boreas Pass Summit

Jeff and Margaret at Boreas Pass

The Section House at Boreas Pass Summit

At the start of Boreas Pass Rd., we stopped to visit Engine No. 9 that once traversed Boreas Pass

The rotary snowplow engine was also on display.  This is how the narrow-gage railroad cleared the tracks of snow in winter

Max loved the"reh-reh"

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)

The Continental Divide where rivers on the North American Continent drain either west toward the Pacific Ocean or east toward the Atlantic Ocean

Right Click to open link and enlarge map of the area

Right click to open link and enlarge to read sign 


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..




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!

Vicki on the Blue River


Casting for a Rainbow Trout


Steve from Boston


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.

3 comments:

  1. What an amazing family you have, and it looks like you had a great vacation! Was there anything to do in the area for older children though? I feel like my kids have outgrown the family resorts in the poconos, and it is time to take them somewhere else!

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are many activities for older children in this area. Winter: skiing/snowboarding, ice skating, sleigh riding, Breck Rec Center has an indoor pool and water park play area, rock climbing wall, basketball and other court sports. Summer: hiking, road and mountain bike riding, fishing, white water rafting, concerts, plays, art workshops, mine tours, horseback riding,Breck Rec Center activities, skateboarding park, Peak 8 Family Park, shopping, chuck wagon dinners, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Vicki,
    My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
    I was looking for blog posts about Peak 8 to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
    Hope to hear from you :)
    Jane

    ReplyDelete