Rocky Mountain High

We left Moab and headed north on I-70 in Colorado which has to be one of the prettiest routes in the United States. But as we traveled farther and farther from the red rock arches, the elevation rose and the temperatures dropped. Pretty soon we were in the middle of more snow than we'd seen since leaving Alaska last December. 

 

We finally arrived in Dillon, Colorado, a high-mountain ski-town that sits at 9,100 feet above sea level and is absolutely gorgeous. Since it had been three four more days than I like to remember since our last shower, we made our first stop -- after finding a riverside campsite for the night -- the local rec center and their five-bucks-a-head locker room showers. Hot water + soap = bliss. 

We spent some time traveling to the nearby towns of Silverthorne, Frisco, Leadville, and the ever-famous Breckenridge. Fortunately for us, it's 'mud season' right now -- that special time of year when it's too warm to ski and too cold to mountain bike -- so the tourists are at an all-time low. And even during the high season, it doesn't take much to get out into the wilds and away from the people.

 

We managed to get some hiking in even through the haze coming to us from the New Mexico forest fires and despite the snow piled on either side of the trail. The rest of the time we spent drinking Breckenridge's finest beer and practicing our Scott Davis Photo Faces.