I’m very nearly running out of fingers to count the number of times we’ve been to Colorado. We did a quick tally, and since we first fell in love with Summit County in the Covid summer of 2020, this would be our tenth trip. The vast majority of which have featured in the blog. So what could I possibly have to write about or photograph?
I admit, there’s some things we’ve done again and again because they’re just that cool. But what’s unique about this trip is that we had company. Brother and sister-in-law Wayne and Judith came to visit. And seeing somewhere familiar through someone else’s eyes brings a whole new magic to the proceedings.
There is absolutely no better introduction to Summit County than a circumnavigation of Dillon Lake on two wheels, taking in the Keystone/Frisco/Dillon triangle. Lucky we brought those four bikes with us.All still smiles at this point. Helping to ward off the Brits’ jet lag with fresh mountain air and one of our favorite treats, afogato (double shot of espresso poured over ice cream) at Abbey’s cafe.Almost overdosing on the highlights of Frisco on the first day: The best ever Thai-ish fried chicken you could possibly eat – lunch at Bird Craft in Outer Range brewery.25 miles in and hanging on in there for the last leg. The seat on Judith’s e-bike was unforgivably evil. An aerodynamic wedge engineered to crush dreams and tailbones alike. At this point, numbness was the best she could hope for. Thankfully, salvation came in the form of a cheeky margarita at the Tiki Bar.Maxing out day 1 with a boat ride across the lake to the Dillon amphitheater. Leaving behind sunny t-shirt weather and calm waters in Frisco, things turned a little spicy out on the lake as the wind came out of nowhere, whipping up a frenzy.What an amazing venue for a concert. Big Head Todd and the Monsters, no less. What do you mean, you’ve never heard of Big Head Todd? Still… cool venue!Cheers!A night ride back across the lake to round off the evening. With expert lighting assistance from Judith.Out came the woolly hat and the fleecy blanket.Impossible to capture on a I-phone. But the clear night sky stretched overhead with a myriad of stars, far far away from city light pollution. In contrast to the earlier storm, the water was calm, the wind was hushed, and we were in awe of the night.Allowing for tush recovery time, the next day started with a hike from Loveland Pass. I mean, c’mon… those views.Darren on top of the world!Early start to get to Rocky Mountain National Park before they started with the timed entry thing. No goat sightings inside the park, so token photo as we were driving over one of the mountain passes. No elk photos either, although we did see little specks of them in the distance.Couple of mini hikes and some awesome viewpoints in RMNP. But even though we went there early and deliberately picked a non-weekend day, it was still hellishly busy.My new breakfast thing: home made egg-bites. You can throw virtually anything in them (including pizza topping leftovers – ham, cheese, onion, etc.). Good for picnics and on-the-go snacks. Such as when you’ve got a hunger on after driving a few hours to a National Park. We sat at the above viewpoint and noshed our egg-bites, much like these ones but without a plate.Egg bites will only get you so far. Called in to Busey Brews in Nederland on the way back from RMNP for a late lunch and a refreshing beer.Back in Keystone, we needed to stretch our legs after the road trip. While Darren took the mountain bike up Keystone Gulch, Wayne, Judith and I discovered Rathbone taproom, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Airbnb.We alternated the non-biking days with biking days. Judith looking bad-ass. (Feeling bad ass too lol).Back at the ranch, we ran low on beer, shock horror. The quickest option for top ups was an e-bike run to the local gas station. As Wayne and I emerged laden with reinforcements, we were treated to this fabulous rainbow. Sunlight streamed radiantly to our left while the incoming storm approached ominously on our right. Classic Colorado.Gave the girls and boys a break from cycling to leave them to their own devices, while Darren and I did a hike on the Ptarmigan trail. Thunder and lightning in the distance but we remained dry.And would you just look at that… we had persevered through thick and thin, fueled by Oyster Bay and crisps. Success! And how pleased as punch was I. Got the serious giggles trying to re-enact this for 1SE. Happy days!Another day, another bike ride. Only this one ended up at the Breckenridge distillery, so can’t be bad.Long story short, everyone else ended up with alternate means of getting back from the distillery. Just me cycling then. Fueled by Breck Old Fashioneds and a bit of turbo boost on my e-bike, I literally flew up (and down!) Swan Mountain.More fun, back at the ranch playing corn hole.Bikes all safe, sound and tucked away.The next day’s road trip: Maroon Bells. Prepare for scenic overload.Despite the palaver of having to get a shuttle bus up to Maroon Bells, it really is one of the most picturesque places imaginable.And then there’s this. Aspens and wildflowers. Say no more.Aspen perfection.We hiked up to Crater Lake. Kind of similar to the view from below but with a different lake in the foreground. And a lot of cool birds swooping around and scooping up flies and insects. Keep up the good work!While Darren got his mountain bike fix in at Trestle, Winterpark, we had a much more relaxing day, starting with a cool crisp sauvignon blanc at Frisco marina. (Well hang on, we probably didn’t start with that… I’m sure we had breakfast first.) At a bargain $9 a glass, we weren’t expecting much. But despite the plastic glasses, we were very pleasantly surprised.Fun trip on the boat. Happy vibes, party music, Tiki bar. Holiday feels for keeps.Wilson made a surprising appearance to join us on the boat. My absolute favorite quote from Wayne, chatting to Aaron ”You know, I’m not normally a fan of dogs, but Wilson… well, he’s different”.So that blue route at the bottom… that was the initiation ride on the first day. Coming up to the end of the first week, we felt Wayne was ready to tackle Vail Pass. That’s the orange one.You wouldn’t even know I was there. But there I was, playing the role of official photographer on my e-bike, while the boys persevered on the road bikes. The Vail Pass ride: so damn scenic, just gorgeous, and actually a pretty damn good achievement.The boys up the top of The Pass. A fitting end to Colorado Week One. Bring on Week Two!
