IT HAS BEEN NEARLY 15 YEARS since we visited Colorado ski country—each year we promise to make the trip but keep putting it off. But Houstonian friends Greg and Laura were in town on grandparent duty and a day in the mountains seemed like a good way to reciprocate for all their Texas hospitality.
Greg and Laura on Loveland Pass
Despite their many trips to Denver, Greg and Laura had never experienced Rocky Mountain high so we decided to bypass the Eisenhower Tunnel and take them over Loveland Pass, just a skosh shy of 12,000 feet elevation. Most of the snow is gone now but I think they enjoyed the views from the Continental Divide.
Million-dollar homes and Aspens; Breckenridge
The historic mining town of Breckenridge has changed since our last visit. Main Street is no longer the main street into town and million-dollar vacation condos have sprung up on both sides of the Blue River. Laura (with a little help from Siri) discovered one of Breck’s new residents; Isak Heartstone is a large wooden troll created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo from recycled products, the most recent of 100 giants and trolls in 17 countries. Who woulda known?
A Stroll Through Breck
A River Runs Through It—Blue River, Breckenridge
After a nice lunch and a walk around town we drove home the “back way” over Hoosier Pass through South Park with a stop on Kenosha Pass at the Colorado Trail. It was a perfect Colorado day yet it didn’t make up for all Greg and Laura’s kindness over the years—but it’s a start.
Free labor, Tim and Candice's Cabin
We had to work for our supper at Tim and Candice’s cottage in Allenspark on Friday. A freak May windstorm had uprooted several lodgepole pines, knocking down a fence and narrowly missing the cottage. The logs had been removed but the yard was littered with bark and branches. Candice supervised while Connie gathered branches and Tim and I repaired the fence.
View on Old Fall River Road, RMNP
Chasm Falls, Rocky Mountain National Park
View from Trail Ridge Road Visitor Center
As a reward, yesterday we drove up Old Fall River Road, the original route through Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped along the way for scenic views, wildflowers, birds (of course) and critters—yellow-bellied marmot, chipmunks, snowshoe hare and elk. We eventually joined Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in America, and turned back after hot chocolate at the Visitor Center.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Allenspark
Yellow-bellied Marmot, RMNP
Our first Snowshoe Hare
Shooting Stars and Indian Paintbrush, RMNP
When we got home and Connie checked her journals, we were shocked to learn we hadn’t been on Trail Ridge in 25 years! Where has the time gone?
