Guanella Pass Scenic Byway

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Sunday, Day 3

What do I want to do on a Sunday in Breckenridge? That was the question. As I headed out, I stepped into a warm sunny day that was crystal clear with a sky so blue it hurt the eyes! My first stop was to get a picture of the gondolas. I plan to take them to the top of the mountain before I leave but I like the way they look as the cross above the road, so I stopped for a few pictures. 

Gondola photos done I headed for East Route 70 to find the wildlife viewing area I’d seen a sign for on Friday.

Wildlife Viewing Area

I remembered seeing a road sign for wildlife viewing, specifically big horn sheep. Since my accidental Moose sighting yesterday, I thought maybe my luck would hold. 

The Exit number was 228 and took me off the highway at Georgetown. I tried the visitor center first, but it was so packed I couldn’t even find parking, so I poked along toward the center of town watching for more signs. I spotted two of interest. One was for the Georgetown Loop railroad, and another was for Guanella Pass. I figured the wildlife viewing was probably along the pass.

Guanella Pass- A Scenic Byway

A former burro trail, the now-paved Guanella Pass scenic byway is 22 miles and climbs to timberline, taking in spectacular views of Mount Bierstadt, Mount Evans and the alpine tundra before descending into cool groves of aspen and pine. 

The road twists and turns through a series of hairpin and U-turns with minimal shoulders. Posted speed limits of 10 mph on these curves is common as is rounding a corner to a magnificent vista spread out before you. Of course, finding anyplace to pull over to enjoy the view is a challenge!

This is not the most difficult road I have ever driven but it does present challenges and can get the heart pumping and adrenaline surging.  Thankfully no Big Horn Sheep, elk or deer decided to cross the road in front of me. 

The Scenic Look out

Early on at the start of the pass there was one scenic turn out. I had the good luck to be there when the Georgetown Loop train went by, black smoke billowing out of the engine’s stack. I think I may have to see about taking that train ride now that I’ve seen the train.

The Summit

The summit was packed, cars campers, motorcycles and bicyclists. There were lots of trails leading in all directions and hikers and walkers roamed everywhere.  I managed to snag a spot to park and indulged in a few landscape photos. After all, I was on top of the world here. Before I pulled out to start my downward trip, I debated if I should go back down the way I came and return to Georgetown or continue down the other side of the mountain.

Although I had no idea where I would come out when I reached the other side, I decided I didn’t have any place I needed to be, so I’d just continue to explore.  Going down was easier than the climb had been. There were fewer of those incredibly sharp turns, but the views were no less amazing.

No wildlife this time but the week is only getting started.

Altitude Sickness?

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Is It Really Altitude Sickness???

Altitude Sickness is the real deal! My first day (not counting travel day) and unlike my usual go go go self, my go go has gone gone. I’m headachy and tired in spite of going to bed at 5 pm yesterday. I dragged myself out of bed for a shower and went in search of breakfast. The restaurant in the lodge is only open for the Happy Hour and the dinner crowd.  Maybe I’m just hungry.

Wendy’s Again

I drove through downtown Breckenridge but didn’t see any open restaurants. I retraced my steps from the drive in and located another Wendy’s. A bacon, egg and cheese biscuit later and I still didn’t feel any better.  Maybe I did have a touch of Altitude Sickness. The little convenience store next to Wendy’s was advertising oxygen so maybe this is common for us sea level types.

City Market

I don’t want to have to search for breakfast every day, so I stopped at City Market in Downtown Breckenridge to pick up some basics. I made sure to get a 12 pack of bottled water while I was at it. Then I returned to the condo and went back to bed.

Bullwinkle

When I finally started moving again around 1:30 it was still hard to catch my breath, but the headache was subsiding. I decided to drive down to check out the gondola. It goes right over the road when it swings up the mountain. I plan to ride it before I leave but I’m waiting for my system to acclimate before I add another 2000 ft to my altitude. I never got there.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a couple of cars pulled over and the occupants trying to cross the road.  Being the nosey type and having seen this behavior before I pulled over too. Sure enough, this was sure to be the start of a critter jam. There were moose in the field and not just one. At least 2 males with impressive antlers, one juvenile male and a female. Of course, I didn’t have the camera with me. Just my ancient cell phone.

Seeing those moose was the best boost I could have gotten.  You can be sure that my good camera & lens will be in the car the rest of the week!

Raining Fire

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I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky

To all the John Denver Fans out there, I have now experienced the “Raining Fire in the Sky”.

Turns out I was really close to Breckenridge when I stopped for my lunch at Wendy’s. As I poked along through the construction traffic the sky opened up with a tremendous BANG! Rain came down in a deluge, but the most amazing part was the lightening! I could see the lightning strikes hitting the mountains. 

It wasn’t like on the east coast with flashes followed by rumbles and grumbles of thunder. No this was Thor on a rampage. Lightning bolts rained down and the thunder cracked. The storm was intense. In Boston it would have had folks pulling off to the side of the road but here it was just business as usual!

The Lodge by the Blue

It was during a lull in this storm that I spotted my goal, the Lodge by the Blue. The rain didn’t let up for long, so I waited out the worst of it in my car.  Check in isn’t until 4 pm but I gave it a shot even though it was only 3:30. By now I had a mild headache which I chalked up to lack of sleep. the long drive and minimal food (except for the Wendy’s stop). It never occurred to me that I might have some mild altitude sickness. 

As I checked in my host pointed out that I was now at 10,000 feet. Another guest who lives in Colorado offered to help me with my bags as I was on the 3rd floor (no elevator) and he felt strongly that I probably was suffering from the altitude. 

Dragging those suitcases upstairs did seem awfully hard and I was out of breath by the time I got my door unlocked. I did notice my hand was shaking so I just bailed for the bed. No dinner for me tonight, just sleep.

The Lodge By The Blue

Travel with an Adventure Mindset

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Travel Needs an Adventure Mindset

Over my many trips and travels I’ve learned that no matter how prepared you think you are things happen. It’s much easier to work your way through them or around them or over them when you simply accept it as part of the adventure. Travel is made for Murphy’s Law– Whatever can go wrong will and at the worst possible time.

My Murphy’s Law Moment

My Murphy’s Law Moment came at baggage claim. No, they didn’t lose my luggage, but I discovered I didn’t have my car rental confirmation. That wouldn’t have been a big deal if the car rentals were in the airport. I could have gone from desk to desk to locate my car since I didn’t remember who I rented with. I’ve used Avis, Enterprise, Budget, Hertz, Payless. It’s kind of who haven’t I used. To get to the rental cars you have to catch a shuttle and you have to know which vendor’s shuttle to take.

I found myself a bench, nothing is quiet at an airport but at least I could sit while I pondered. Maybe I had an email? I’d rented the car when I booked my flight, maybe there was something on Delta’s website with my trip itinerary. I began scrolling through emails without success. Then I tried the Delta Skymiles site. At first, I didn’t have any luck there either but then I spotted a notation in tiny print- for help call Alamo.

I grabbed the next Alamo Shuttle and sure enough, they had the reservation.  They put me in a little hybrid SUV that cost more than a week’s pay but promised to save me money on gas. The attendant gave me some rough directions and assured me that Colorado drivers were not like Boston drivers. They are “very forgiving”. 

Breckenridge Here I Come

The drive to Breckenridge is only about 100 miles. Not a lot of different roads so the directions were pretty easy to remember but like most areas with seasonal weather we weren’t in summer. We were in road construction season. Traffic rivaled Boston for starts and stops and slowdowns. There wasn’t much to look at even if I dared to steal a peak at the scenery. The Rocky Mountains were covered in haze, so they didn’t stand out much. My first thought was that the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, made a bigger first impression.

There were lots of signs for Colorado Springs. Then came the signs for Steamboat Springs and I saw an entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The road took me down a long grade into a little narrow valley where the skies opened up in a deluge. Once out of the valley the sun came out and I spotted a sign for Big Horn Sheep viewing. As tempting as it was to explore a little, I was more anxious to find Breckenridge and my resort. 

Are we there yet?

When I saw a Wendy’s at the intersection of RT 70 and RT 9 I decided it was time to take a break. This Wendy’s was very busy, but the restroom was clean. Even with a load of teenagers in line the service was quick. I had no idea how much further I had to go but I’d already taken far more time than expected because of the traffic. Time to get back on the road.

 

Finally a Travel Day

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It’s a Travel Day!

 

My long-postponed vacation to Colorado is finally off the ground- literally. I spent last week finalizing the care for my kitties for my “great escape”.  I wouldn’t be honest with you if I said I was looking forward to this trip because I’m not. The time at home has made me quite a couch potato. My travel urge is pretty low. I’ve gotten used to hanging at home with the cats. But this vacation has been planned since COVID in 2020 shut down the world. It’s paid for so I really can’t justify backing out now. 

My Travel Starts at 3 AM

Part of the reason I am less than thrilled about the travel is the hassle just getting to the airport has become. I used to fly out of TF Green in RI but somewhere along the line they got more expensive than Logan Airport in Boston.  The recommended arrival time for domestic flights is 2 hours before boarding. My flight leaves at 7 am which means arriving at 5 am. So, I bundle myself and my bags into my car for the 45-minute drive to the Logan Express bus in Braintree. It’s $7.00 a day for parking there. Much cheaper than the parking at Logan but I need to allow time for the bus trip from Braintree to Logan so another (recommended) hour there. Not much sleep to start my travel day.

TSA Pre Check

I still have my TSA pre check status so getting through security is slightly less of an issue than for those that have to go through the regular security. It still doesn’t keep me from being pulled out for a pat down. My artificial hip lights up my whole left side so even though I warn the TSA agents what to expect they still have to clear me. At least the woman I had this time was friendly and even showed me what the screen showed her. All I can say is I am quite colorful!

Delta

I’m flying on Delta and although I didn’t spring for first class, it’s only a 4-hour flight, I did get a non-stop to Denver and opted for their new Comfort Plus cabin. I really lucked out too as I was the only one in that row! The plane was brand new, just put in service in June. It had huge roomy overhead bins so plenty of room for carry-on bags. The seats are larger and lots of leg room. At least on this plane I can say the Comfort + was worth every penny!

I remember one of my last trips on Delta when we had a crazy, rude flight attendant. She was verbally abusive to a couple that just wanted to change seats to sit together and at one point threw the cabin phone against the plane wall. It was the only time I ever filed a complaint. This time it was completely different. The crew were all super nice and friendly.  In any case they worked hard to accommodate seat changes for a family traveling with a tiny infant and it was all done without any drama, and everyone was happy. Quite the change! 

If there was one negative, I’d have to say that its they made the bathroom even smaller. Hard to believe that is even possible but I barely had room to turn around in it! 

On Time Arrival

We took off on time and arrived about 20 minutes early in Denver. By the time I made my way to baggage claim our luggage was circling the carousel. All I needed now was my rental car and a map and by Mountain time it was only 10 am! How perfect was that!?