Photos On-Line

You can see all my photos from our trip on-line here:
http://breck201102.shutterfly.com/

Back home

We packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and left the house around 8:30am to catch our 12:40pm flight back to Tampa.  It was snowing steadily as we slowly made our way back down the mountain.  As we passed Denver and neared the airport, Dan asked if we could give Del Taco one more try.  Luanne used her phone to get directions and we were more successful this time.  Dan was in heaven as we ate huge burritos for brunch around 10:30am.  I thought it was pretty good, too.

Our timing worked out pretty well:  We turned in the rental car, caught the shuttle to the terminal, checked our luggage, went through security, caught the train to the gates and arrived with about 30 minutes to spare before they started boarding.  Michele & I were the first on board and we quickly staked out our spots in the overhead bin before it filled up with over-sized roll-aboards.

The flight went pretty smoothly, with just a little turbulence as we flew near some thunderstorms over Texas.  Toward the end of the flight, the captain announced that the Space Shuttle had just launched for the last time and he made an S-turn so we could see it.  While I couldn’t see the actual shuttle, I was able to see the curving contrails heading up into the sky where it had taken off.

After landing, we picked up our bags and Roland was there to pick us up and give us a ride back home.  We were so happy to see the kids and I think the feeling was mutual.  It was great to be back in our big, beautiful home, in our own bed.  It was also great to be back at sea level with some humidity in the air –I slept like a rock!

All-in-all, it was a fun trip.  I really enjoyed seeing everyone, but I don’t think I would go back to Breckenridge for one reason:  Elevation.  You lose the first day & half (or more) of your vacation due to altitude sickness.  They say it takes a month to get fully acclimated, but who wants to waste their time feeling bad on vacation.  I would love to do something similar again, but maybe at a ski resort at a lower elevation , like Park City, UT (4,500 feet).

Well, I get one night in my own bed and then I’ll be leaving again tomorrow afternoon with Justin for his hockey tournament (state finals) in Pompano Beach.

Snowmobiling

Another 5am day for me –I guess I won’t have any trouble returning to Eastern time tomorrow!  We had lots of time to relax at the house before our snowmobile tour at 10am.  John K wasn’t feeling well and decided not to go on the tour.  Dan seemed to be feeling better after another rough night, but the Quiggle’s decided to skip it, as well.  I relaxed in the room listening to music, reading, and watching TV until it was time for the van to pick us up at 10am.

The van showed up right on time and we all piled in.  We drove about 35 minutes, through the town of Frisco, up toward Chicago Ridge in the mountains.  Their base camp consisted of several large temporary buildings (like big tents), a few port-potties (disgusting), and lots of snowmobiles!  We checked –in, paid, got our helmets and then went outside to join our group.  After a quick briefing, we hopped on and headed off.

There were a LOT of snowmobiles out there.  We had ten in our group and we were part of a larger group of 20 that left at the same time.  In addition, there were 2 or 3 other groups that head left earlier or later than us.  There must have been hundreds of us zooming around the trails!  The guide did a good job of keeping us separated as much as possible, but it was a bit too crowded for my tastes.  I was near the back of the line as we pulled out and I thought I was going to choke on 2-stroke exhaust fumes!

They led us slowly through a winding, tree-lined trail to a large practice area / track they had setup.  We took a few laps there and then we continued on our tour.  We soon got above the tree-line as we climbed higher into the mountains.  The scenery was BEAUTIFUL!  I really enjoyed cruising along and taking in the wonderful mountain vistas.  As we neared the summit, there was a few large bowl areas were we could ride high up on the side of a hill and then back down.  We did this a bunch of times and it was really fun.

Finally, we reached the top:  12,600 feet.  We stopped for a while here and took some photos before hopping on and heading back down to base camp.  We stopped on the way back for hot cocoa in another tent tucked in the mountains beside one of the trails.  I really enjoyed the tour, but Michele said her hands kept going numb and she didn’t like it so much.

The van dropped us off right on time at 2pm back at the house and Dan had margaritas waiting for us at the door!  The plan for the evening was for John K to cook dinner for everyone (steaks on the grill) and celebrate multiple birthdays.  After getting cleaned up, John & JJ went to the grocery store to pick up the supplies while some of us headed downtown.

A few of our friends  had gone to an Oxygen bar the previous day and said it really helped them feel better overall and get a restful night’s sleep.  So, we decided to give it a try.  It was Michele & I, the Quiggle’s, Karen J, and Cathy P.  The Oxygen bar was relaxing and we all had fun laughing & joking while we breathed in the sweet O2.  We did 45 minutes and then walked around downtown for a little while to shop for souvenirs.  Cathy & I ducked into Mimi’s and picked up some awesome meat pies to snack on.  They are a local specialty referred to as “hand warmers”.

We got back in the car and made one more stop on the way home to pick up cupcakes Susannah had ordered for everyone.  Michele volunteered to go in and pick them up and she fell on the icy sidewalk in front of the store on the way in –OUCH!

When we got back to the house, it was time to get the party started!  We got the ipod pumping some music and the margaritas started flowing.  At one point, some of the guys broke off a huge icicle from the back of the house and brought it inside.  They used hot water to shape it into a shot-luge –genius!  After getting it shaped, they set it up out back and we all took turns doing ice-cold shots.  John & co. did a great job with the dinner –it was delicious!  Later, we sang happy birthday and ate our cupcakes.  It was a great party and we had lots of fun hanging out with all our friends.  I think the oxygen really did help because I was still feeling pretty energetic at 10pm as the party started to wind down and I slept pretty well that night.

Ski Day #2

My body clock must still be on Eastern time, because I was up at 5am again today.  The weather was forecast to be a little warmer & sunny today, so I was looking forward to hitting the slopes again!  Just to be sure I wouldn’t be as cold, I wore an extra sweater and put hand warmers in my mittens and toe warmers in my boots.  This was the first time I had used them and they worked GREAT!  I didn’t feel a bit cold all day.

Roman’s knee injury must have been worse than he thought, because we had a different instructor today (name???).  He was a much better fit for us.  He gave good advice & tips, but we kept moving much faster and didn’t waste any time standing around.  The time flew by and, before we knew it, the lesson was almost over.  We bumped into the Quiggle’s on our last run and told them we’d meet up with them after lunch.

We said goodbye to (name???) and took a lunch break at Seven’s restaurant.  The food was good, but the service was a bit slow and, worst of all, we had to walk down two flights of stairs & a hallway to get to the restrooms –what a stupid design!  I would never go back there again for that reason.  Who wants to CLOMP-CLOMP all over the place in those big, heavy, uncomfortable ski boots?!?

After lunch, we met up with the Quiggle’s for a few more runs.  However, after two days of skiing, my legs were spent and I felt myself getting tired & sloppy with my skiing.  We were skiing on peak 7, so I suggested we start working our way back to peak 9 (the villiage), while enjoying a few runs on the way there.  After getting back to the Villiage, we changed our boots and then walked across the street to return our ski rentals.  We then caught the bus back to the house.  Michele & I managed to ski & have fun for 2 days without falling once –not bad!  J

We went out for an early dinner again with the Quiggle’s.  This time, we went to a casual Mexican restaurant that had received good reviews on Trip Advisor, (name???).  The place was VERY casual –in fact, it was kind of a dive.  We sat at picnic benches, which I found a bit annoying for the lack of back support, but the burritos were delicious and the service snappy.

Dan told us over dinner that he had been really sick the previous night and hadn’t slept well.  Although he felt fine during the day, he started feeling poorly again while we ate.  By the end of the meal, he was visibly shaking and anxious to get home.  We dropped him off at the house to rest, then went out to the grocery store for a few more supplies.  After we returned, we chatted with our friends for a little while and then turned in around 8:30pm.

Skiing #1

Because of the 2 hour time difference, I was up bright & early at 5am.  I took a nice, hot bath (our bathroom had no shower) and then went out to make coffee & breakfast.  Most of the other couples rolled out between 6 & 7 and most said it was too hot and they didn’t sleep very well.

It was our first ski day today, but I had a little trouble getting excited since it was 8 degrees F (wind chill below zero).  Besides being cold & windy, it was also gray & dreary out.  Not a fantastic start to our trip, but we decided to proceed as planned and make the best of it.  We got bundled up and walked across the street to the shuttle bus stop around 8am.

The shuttle bus was almost completely full and we were lucky to get a spot!  It was standing room only for the short ride to the Villiage, where we got off.  Michele & I had a private lesson from 9am – 12noon.  After getting our gear arranged and ski boots on, we went out to meet our instructor, who turned out to be an older gentleman named Roman.

After saying hello, we quickly headed out to the lifts to get started, but Roman slipped and fell just outside the lodge.  He lay on the ground for several minutes before getting up.  He later told us that he had dislocated his kneecap and put it back in place!  He said he felt well enough to continue, so we got on the lifts and headed up the mountain.

Maybe it was because Roman wasn’t feeling 100%, but we didn’t really enjoy the lesson very much.  He started way too basic (pizza) and went very slowly with too many long pauses on the hills.  It was SUPER cold out and there was too much standing around for me.  I was bored and found myself skiing ahead and waiting at the lift.  My fingers & toes were freezing and I found myself shivering uncontrollably on the chair lift rides.  I made a mental note to add another layer of clothing and use hand & toe warmers tomorrow.

After our lesson, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Spencer’s and then met up with the Quiggle’s for a few more runs.  We skied for another couple hours and had a great time!

Finally, we were getting tired, so we decided to call it a day.  We checked our skiis, put our boots in a locker and caught the shuttle bus back to the house.  After being so cold all day, I couldn’t wait to take a nice warm bath.  I thought of going out to the hot tub, but it was not conveniently located –it would involve a long walk in the snow on the way there & back.  So, I decided to use our bathtub instead.

After getting cleaned up, I took a short nap and then we went out for an early dinner with the Quiggles around 5:30pm.  We ate at an Italian restaurant on Main St. and it was delicious!  It was a good thing we arrived early, because it was full and people were waiting for tables when we left.

Back at the house, we sat around the living room chatting with everyone and trying to keep our eyes open as long as we could.  Kris had arrived during the afternoon and was suffering from the altitude-headache.  Other than being very tired, I felt pretty good.  I turned in around 9pm.

Getting There

My mom came by to give us a ride to the airport.  She was waiting outside the house at 6am in order for us to catch our 7:40am flight direct to Denver on United.  Everything went pretty smoothly at the airport and we enjoyed a pleasant flight.  The in-flight movie was  “Secretariat”.  With the 2 hour time change, we landed around 11am local time.  We got our bags & caught the Hertz shuttle to pick up our rental car, a black Cadillac Escalade.

By the time we started driving away from the airport, everyone was starting to get pretty hungry.  Dan really wanted to eat at one of his favorite fast-food restaurants, “Del Taco”.  Since our car had Hertz’s Never Lost GPS system, I pulled over to the side of the road and found the nearest Del Taco.  It was about 4 miles off our course, but Dan was really craving it, so we decided to give it a try.  As we followed the GPS directions, the neighborhood went downhill fast.  We became increasingly skeptical that it was actually leading us to a Del Taco restaurant.  Our fears were confirmed when the final direction turned us right into a run down trailer park!

Much to Dan’s disappointment, we abandoned our quest for Del Taco (for now) and decided to get back on the highway and find something else along the way.  We had a nice lunch at Chili’s and then got back on the road.  Soon, we were past downtown Denver and began the treacherous climb up into the mountains.   The outside temperature dropped quickly below freezing  and we had intermittent snow flurries.  The roads were wet and I was concerned about ice forming, so I drove extra slow.  Sure enough, as we exited a long tunnel, we saw a car that had recently flipped over and burned.  I slowed down a bit more still after seeing that wreck.

We finally made it to Breckenridge around 2pm and found the big house where we’d be staying:  The Little Mountain Lodge.  The 13-bedroom lodge used to be a bed & breakfast, but now is available for rental to private groups.  We couldn’t check in until 4pm, so we rented our equipment, bought our lift tickets, and picked up a few supplies at the grocery store while we waited.

By the time we got back to the house, it was almost 4pm and the rest of the gang had arrived:

JJ & Melanie J

Brian & Susannah M

Todd & Karen J

Lance & Cathy P

John & Jenn K

Kris P (arrived the next day, Elizabeth couldn’t make it –kids sick)

The management company showed up right on time to let us in.  The house was AWESOME!  It had plenty of room for everybody to spread out and have some privacy along with several good rooms for gathering together as a group.  Perfect!

Everyone was a bit winded after carrying the bags & supplies upstairs.  The elevation in Breckenridge is almost 10,000 feet and everyone had some altitude sickness symptoms to some extent.  Most had headaches and shortness of breath, while some had nausea and trouble sleeping, as well.  We all drank as much water as we could stand, since we had been told that it would help ease the symptoms.  Most also laid off the alcohol the first night, took it easy, and turned in early.  I went to bed shortly after 8pm.

Our room, the Buchanan Suite, was just off the kitchen.  It had a Queen bed downstairs and a twin bed in the loft.  Michele graciously volunteered to sleep in the twin so that we would both have more room and (hopefully) get a more restful night’s sleep.  Even though we had the thermostats set on 65 degrees, it was much too warm and we both slept fitfully.

Getting Ready to Go

Brandon & Justin had a President’s Day hockey tournament (Palms) and I was busy most of the day shuttling them to their games.  First, Brandon had an early morning game at the Ice Sports Forum.  I had just enough time to run him home, relax for a few minutes, then head back out for Justin’s game.  Afterwards, I had only an hour or two to pack and get ready to go on our trip before heading down to Ellenton for two evening games.  This was the first time all season they had a game at the same rink at approx the same time!  They finished up around 8pm and we headed back home.  Michele had been at the Lightning game with her Dad and Cameron.  Also, the Quiggles were enroute to our place, where they planned to spend the night before leaving on our ski trip.  We all arrived home around the same time.  We gave the Quiggles a quick tour, finished packing, put the kids to bed, and turned in.