When the kids were little and we'd take vacations in Colorado, I always used to fantasize about riding my bike along one of the trails through the mountains. From the car window, they looked so simple - very flat and paved. So this week, I decided to ride the bike trail from Frisco to Breckenridge (about 10 miles one way). I've been in Colorado for a year now, so I figured I was in pretty good shape. However, the trouble with riding in the mountains is not the steepness of the trail, but the altitude, 9,600 ft - almost another mile above the already "mile-high city" of Denver.
I'll have to admit, the scenery was gorgeous, just like I imagined. But at 9,600 ft, I was huffing and puffing. I just couldn't catch my breath. I had thought about taking a dip in the reservoir, but the water was so frigid-cold, no swimming was allowed.
I managed to make it to the Breckenridge city limit, but turned around and headed back to Frisco in search of sustenance (you burn a lot of calories biking uphill). I stopped off at the Rocky Mountain Coffee Shop for a breakfast bagel and did a little sketching while I rested up.
Then I took off down the trail the other way towards Copper Mountain. Even though this trail runs alongside I-70, I thought it was even prettier with mountains and pine trees on either side. I even stumbled upon the ruins of an old silver mine. I didn't go in, because it looked awfully unstable to me.
While I was biking up and down the trails, Bruce was hiking to the top of Mount Royal (look back at the first picture to see how high he climbed). He said the trail was pretty hairy at the top being very narrow, rocky, and windy.
We met up for a much-deserved beer and burger at the Dillon Dam Brewery (the name comes from the Dillon Reservoir). All the waitresses had on cute t-shirts that said, "get your own dam beer." I'm not sure I'll be heading back to the mountains to bike ride any time soon, but at least I can check this activity off my bucket list.
