My sister Susan wanted to take another trip up to Breckenridge from Denver to see the fall colors this past Tuesday afternoon. I told her that all the leaves were probably off the trees by now, but we went up there anyway, and as usual, I was wrong. The leaves were at their peak, and well worth the trip. Plus, it was a sunny, pleasant, laid back day in "Breck," as we hipsters call it, and most of the mid-week visitors were retirees, like us. Since I don't have snow tires, or chains, this will probably be our last trip up there for a while. If you are caught on I-70 during a snowstorm without either of those items, and wind up stuck in the middle of the highway, blocking traffic, you can be saddled with massive fines, or even executed on the spot, depending on the mood of the state trooper.
As I said, the leaves were all still on the trees, and very colorful, as seen in the photograph on the right. I was kind of surprised at that, since Breckenridge is located at an altitude of 9,600 feet, but I guess the weather has been mild up there this fall, just like in Denver, which had its first freeze just 4 days ago. However, snow is starting to accumulate on the peaks, which are at an altitude of 13,000 feet, and is no doubt a harbinger of things to come.
Breckenridge is, of course, a world class ski resort, and some of the currently bare ski runs can be seen in the photograph on the left. My ex-wife Lisa's father owned a condo in Breckenridge years ago, and the entire family would head up there from Colorado Springs every weekend to ski and enjoy that town's wonderful ambiance. However, after virtually no snow for two years in a row, he sold the place, and that was that. Now, of course, Breckenridge is one of the most pricey mountain towns in the country, and finding a condo, let alone a house there for less than a million dollars is virtually impossible. A lesson to be learned - never try to outguess mother nature. It will cost you.
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