Breckenridge is a tourist ski town in Colorado. The main street is packed with shops, bars and restaurants. The neighboring streets are filled with Victorian homes, condos, and very expensive private residences all with the backdrop of the ski resort and stunning mountains offering both summer and winter activities. It has been this way for so many years and the development just keeps expanding and the old gets redone and improved. From Granby it was about an hour and a half drive.
Breckenridge, Colorado
Founded in 1859, it was named after a prospector, Thomas Breckenridge. There were rich placer gold discoveries along the Blue River. The gold mines are all closed down, but evidence of dredging of the Blue River with gravel ridges along the Blue River can still be seen. Skiing wasn’t introduced until 1961. Michael first skied here in the 70s. Located in Summit County, Breckenridge is at an elevation of 9,600 feet. It is one on the higher base elevation ski areas and can take a few days to acclimate to when coming from a lower elevation. Fortunately, we’ve been staying at around 7-8,000 feet for weeks with day trips to 12,000 on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park so we weren’t affected.
Tiger Run Resort RV Park, Breckenridge
We had 50-amp electric, good water pressure, sewer and fast enough internet to stream.
Tiger Run is a private resort that has very few RV spaces since most of them have been built out into park models. They have an indoor pool, spa, and gym. Even though Michael had been working out, it was noticeable at this elevation.
We had lunch at Breckenridge Brewery. Good beer and food.
Breckenridge Boreas Pass
Boreas Pass is a dirt road that goes to an elevation of 11,481 feet over the Continental Divide. It eventually leads to Como, Colorado. The aspen trees were just starting to change. It was elk hunting season, so there were quit a few hunters, in addition to mountain bikers, campers and hikers. The drive was very scenic, but we didn’t expect to see much wildlife given all the hunters.
Como Roundhouse
We have visited it numerous times over many years. There have been incremental changes since the 70s. It was built in 1881 to serve the Denver South Park & Pacific railway. It included a 6 bay roundhouse & turntable used to do repair work on trains and to turn trains around and a hotel.
Surprisingly, one person can turn the entire track by themselves. Rail operations in Como ceased in 1938, but many are actively trying to keep the rail history presentable.
We had a delicious lunch at Mr. Burro Cafe in Fairplay.
Fairplay, Colorado
Hoosier Pass goes from Breckenridge to Alma/Fairplay, Colorado. The pass goes over the Continental Divide at an elevation of 11,542 feet. Along the way we saw a fox and a coyote, but couldn’t get a photo because of construction traffic. We came across columbine, which are usually done blooming by now, such a treat. The pass is open year round to give access to southern Colorado skiers to Breckenridge. Michael used to bicycle this pass in the 70s and 80s sometimes on 100 mile rides but can’t imagine doing that now. He also occasionally installed leech fields while in college in the area. Fairplay is a historic town that is part of South Park which is a large grassland flat that is a high valley at an altitude ranging from 9,000-10,000 feet. Extensive placer deposits of gold were mined here.
South Park City Museum
The gold boom was from approximately 1860 to 1900.
Fairplay got its name because settlers were upset by earlier generous mining claims in other areas.
Miners flooded the area, then left it leaving many buildings and possessions behind.
The South Park City Museum accumulated 44 buildings and over 60,000 artifacts to recreate a small town in Fairplay to preserve the era and give a feel for what life was like during the gold rush in South Park.
