The Gold Pan Saloon

I took the photograph above of the Gold Pan Saloon several weeks ago during a drive up to Breckenridge from Denver. The Gold Pan Saloon is the oldest bar in town. Their web site states that a tent was set up on that site in 1861 to serve thirsty miners and was called Long's Saloon. The building itself was erected in 1879, meaning that the Gold Pan Saloon has been around in some form for 146 years. I have been in the place once or twice, but the day I took that photograph I was more interested in getting home than stopping for a pint, since it had begun to snow and I didn't know how it would affect the roads. As I recall, it was a warm and sunny day when I started out in Denver, but that's the mountains for you. The weather can always surprise you. In any case, I think the Gold Pan Saloon is more of a summer destination, unless you decide to rent a condo in "Breck" and stay over. But that would not be cheap. Of course, at the various festivals held around the Denver area during the summer, you can register to win a three day stay in Breckenridge for a mere $99.  I tried that once, and for the next 5 years received sales calls about "special offers" in that quaint mountain town, none of them close to that $99 figure. Go figure.