We are pretty darn high. And loving it!

We've been in Breckenridge, Colorado for almost 4 days. We'll be here for another three. Staying for a whole week in one beautiful spot is a great luxury on this long of a road trip. And we are definitely in the lap of luxury.

The Grand Timber Lodge (an exchange of our timeshare) is really delightful. The apartment is beautiful and functional. Our patio backs onto the mountain. The kitchen is big, all granitey and fully equipped. The washer and dryer are fast and really good. (Clean laundry is really awesome.) We have a hot tub in our bathroom. Life is good!

The elevation of Breckenridge is about 9,400 feet. So we are staying pretty darn high. (If you were to come ski here -- you could start your run at 12,998 feet. Let's just call that 13,000.)  As a comparison: St. Paul sits at about 700 feet. The good news is that we got from 700 to 9,400 gradually.  Missoula is at 3,209, Anaconda is at 5,335, West Yellowstone is at 6,663. Old Faithful is at 7,349.

The extended time here, along with the elevation, has us feeling a little lazy. Or maybe just pacing ourselves more? We've done hikes, played golf (on what has to be one of the most beautiful golf courses on earth: Breckenridge's Jack Nicklaus-designed public course), driven on scary mountain roads, walked around town, soaked in hot tubs, cooked full meals for ourselves (a wonderful luxury), enjoyed happy hour, eaten well and visited with family. And been high all that time. We're mostly doing great. But we definitely rest a lot more!

Our favorite hike:  McCullough Gulch Trail, which starts at 11,000 and climbs along a beautiful stream to an alpine lake above the timber line at 11,900. My pedometer said it was about 4.5 miles round trip. We rested often on the way up -- our hearts pounding. At one point I turned to Jan and said, "Doesn't the air smell great?" His reply? "I don't know. It's going in and out so fast I can't tell what it smells like."

We made it!!!!

"I have no fear! I am an excellent driver!"

Scariest (and most beautiful) drive: Boreas Pass in close to full fall color. Stunning and terrifying. The dirt road, that, let's face it, is really only wide enough for one car but is a two way road, runs very windingly along sheer drops to cross the continental divide at 11,482. Niece Lindsay asked if we did the drive in both directions. I sort of shrieked my "are you kidding?!?" reply.

Yep. That's a fox. It later jumped in the car you see, which got the driver pretty excited.

This was an old train station. At 11, 482 feet. 

 Favorite happy hour activity: Walk to the outdoor hot pools in a warm fuzzy robe. Step into the perfectly heated pool and when the waitress comes out to check on you, order a rum punch. She brings it back and hands it to you in the pool. For $2.25 per. Then sit and look at the mountains (and weirdly tame local foxes) while sipping said drink in said perfectly warmed water. It's a very good life.



And did I mention the foxes?














On a final note, the people of Breckenridge are very sensitive to the needs of wildlife. And maybe have a sense of humor?