My sister Susan and I, along with her dog Blackberry, drove up to Breckenridge from Denver Saturday afternoon to check out the Oktoberfest celebration being held there. I found a parking space just a block away from the festival, but when we tried to walk in, we were told that no dogs were allowed. An outrage! I left the dog with Susan, walked into the event by myself, and noticed that the line for beer was at least a block long. No skin off my back - I refuse to buy a beer, even a large stein of beer, if it costs the same as several cases at the local liquor store. That did not seem to deter the crowd - they must have all been rich Californians.
Breckenridge was founded in 1859 to serve the gold miners working along the Blue River, which runs right through town. Many of the original buildings are still there, and the place looks exactly like a 19th century mining town would if it had been settled by wealthy 1800s era hipsters. The winter ski season is still the busiest time for Breckenridge, but it is also popular in the summer and fall, proof of which is the hoard of visitors there for Oktoberfest. The main street was closed off and set up with tents selling beer, food, and merchandise, although all the restaurants and bars were doing a land office business too, as seen in the photograph on the right.
As Susan and I and Blackberry were walking back to the car, we passed the Gold Pan Saloon, which has been in business since 1879 and is the oldest bar in Breckenridge. It was crowded inside, but appeared to have more of an Old West vibe than a German one. Back in the day, Breckenridge was actually affordable, and many Coloradans, including my ex-wife Lisa's family, had a condo there. These days it is no longer affordable. If you are looking for a mountain home on the cheap, I suggest buying a piece of land in the middle of nowhere and putting an old doublewide trailer on it. The good life on a budget!
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