Since I discovered what a lovely place my company had in Breckenridge last December when Courtney and I stayed a weekend, Sam had said she wanted to go check it out while she was here for the summer.
We headed out after she and Jason got off of work Friday evening.
We got in around 9 after the easy 2 hour drive and checked out the digs, played some cards, and hit the sack.
My room
My bathroom
(our kitchen for the weekend puts mine to shame)
Saturday morning sunrise
For breakfast we checked out the place Mom and Dad had recommended
and then we set out on our hike for the morning at McCullogh Gulch
Well, sort of. The trailhead we pulled into even had signs saying this wasn't really McCullogh Gulch, and that if you wanted to hike to the top with the Falls, you should really drive another couple of miles south. We decided this trail was good enough, along the water and in the shade.
It also had some good elevation rises.
along one spot where we stopped to catch our breath, we built a little rock tower
squatter's shack that looks recently used was right along the trail
streams meet trail at some points
our turn-around spot
the whole hike was awash in butterflies!
We drove around and checked out the trailhead at the actual spot and it was super busy by that time. It's also a pretty strenuous hike and Sam's hip had started bothering her, and it was lunchtime. We headed back to town to grab supplies and hung out in our little palace the rest of the day.
We played Monopoly and Apples to Apples in the evening
and watched the sun set from the balcony
One discovery, as I sat in the window seat this morning sipping coffee, is that the backyards below us are part of the highly traveled Fox Highway.
Of course, I could never get a photo, but as I sat there over the course of an hour, I had four fox sightings! The first one I was alerted to by the insane cawing of a crow, who was chasing a large fox across that yard, through the small opening between the larger blue house on the right and the little one at center. That crow shepherded him across the street and between the houses before I lost sight of them.
A bit later, here came another fox, this time without crow encouragement, and he followed the very same path.
Then, here came a momma fox and cutest little baby trotting along behind her, with his fluffy tail as big as he was.
And finally, another little one, but not as small as the first, came sauntering through all alone, as if following the street signs to the others.
After breakfast, we hiked the Sawtooth Creek reservoir and creek, chosen specifically because it was an easy one and Sam still wasn't feeling up for much else.
the creek passed underneath a ski lift that isn't in service in the summer
we sat and watched the dogs playing in the water across the reservoir for a good while
the wildflowers are coming out!
We drove over to the gondola and rode up to the top to check things out.
This is the Alpine Slide, which you have to ride the open lift to get to the top and then sled down. We had two free passes to do this, but I was ambivalent and Sam was not interested in the open lift. Neither of us like ferris wheels precisely for the combination of height and open swinging on stop/starts, but we both love roller coasters. Go figure.
the newer, wider lifts were bringing people up to the top of another peak, next door.
Heading back down:
This was the only duck we spotted, although the signage indicates there are more around town. She was right down the street from the condo.
I mean really, who could ever get tired of this view?
even from the dining table, it's lovely! (Jason in shadow over in the window seat, drawing)
We left after lunch and joined the weekend throngs coming back down to Denver. The traffic wasn't terrible, but there were some slow spots, which explains the third traffic lane that's been installed as a toll lane from before Georgetown past Idaho Springs.
And it's about 20° warmer back at home. Bleh.
0 comments:
Post a Comment