Day 19 - Summit County, CO

Today was a rest day with no driving. I started the morning in Breckenridge, CO. It is, perhaps, the quaintest town you can imagine, that is if it wasn't so touristy. Here's downtown Breckenridge:

A typical view down a Breckenridge street.

Somewhere a hippie cries...

No stop in Breckenridge would be complete without a ride on the alpine slide (or as they now call it at Breckenridge, the Super Slide).

Here's the view from the chairlift up.


I tried shooting a full run down the slide, but my camera ran out of batteries after only 15 seconds, but this should be enough to give you an idea of how much fun an alpine slide is.

Next up was a short hike off the Swan Mountain Road, which goes around the unpopulated part of Lake Dillon.

Chipmunks are officially the cutest rodents ever.

Also, near the end of the hike, I came across what may be the most ideal spot for a picnic table I have ever seen.

On the way back, a bright flash of color caught my eye. About 50 feet off the trail (and about 20 vertical feet down the mountain side), I saw what appeared to be some roses growing. I went to investigate. Indeed they were roses. Fake roses. Someone took the time to hike off the trail to place a bouquet of fake roses. Impressive.

After the hike, I decided to drive up to Arapahoe Basin, or A-Basin as it's locally known. This remains a holy grail of skiing areas for me. I've never been but its slopes are legendary. It may not look like much in the summer, but it is known for having difficult terrain.

Another reason it has a reputation for difficulty is its sheer elevation. The oxygen gets a little thin at this altitude.

You can see how close to tree line the base of the ski area is.

Having gone most of the way up, I decided to drive on up to the top of Loveland Pass to take some pics above tree line. Note the highway in the picture below. The amazing thing is that truckers carrying hazardous cargo or oversize loads have to exit the interstate below and take this road, even in the dead of winter.




And, yes, here I am again at the Continental Divide. This time I didn't cross, but just drove up, kissed the line, and stayed on the west side. Note the Brooklyn Law sweatshirt: it was rather chilly and windy up there.

Tomorrow, it's on to Aspen, for real this time.