It was back in the rental SUV for another road trip, a short one this time, Boulder to Breckenridge and a 2-night stay. Just short of 2 hours on the road, about 80 miles on good roads. I traded in that lumbering 4Runner for the smaller, better handling Ford Edge. The mountain roads are no longer as scary as they were. I decided to stop along the way in Georgetown for a caffeine dose and some breakfast. This is another town with interesting architecture, but I couldn’t take one shot. Georgetown is set in a deep gulch and gets no light at all at 8 in the morning. Worse, there was not a restaurant open. That was short visit, it was on to Breckinridge and an omelet at a nice little donut shop .

Breckenridge is primarily a ski town. It’s well regarded, a little smaller and cheaper than Vail and Aspen, the two most expensive ski resorts in the USA. Below: Summer view of ski runs.

 Breckenridge  has a serious labor shortage, mainly in restaurants and hotels caused not only by Covid, as in other cities across the US, but also in part by short term rentals like AirBNB and VRBO. Currently there are about 2,500 short term rental licenses, that amounts to 52% of the town’s rentals, causing a major housing crunch and high rent for employees. Some stores and restaurants haven’t reopened at all. The Lodge at Breckenridge only operates their restaurant 3 days a week.  Finding dining reservations is not easy, everyplace seems to be at capacity and yes, everything is expensive. This makes a visit a little challenging, but it is worth it. The views are spectacular, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails and tennis is big here as well. There is a train museum with an adjacent park, very family friendly. One of the ski gondolas runs during the summer if you are looking for a bird’s eye view. There are of course souvenir shops, galleries, pubs, salons, pretty much anything you would expect including an atypical Starbucks.  

Lake Dillon, one of the largest reservoirs in Colorado, is a 12-mile, half hour drive from Breckinridge. It’s a beautiful spot with a marina and views of the 10-mile Mountain ranges.

Unfortunately, water levels in all the reservoirs are low right now. This view is off Swan Mountain Road on the way to the marina.

On my second day in town I took an early morning walk along Main Street. The architecture is a mix of Western with a smattering of contemporary. The plantings everywhere brighten up an already colorful collection of store fronts. 

As I always do when I walk around with my camera, I find photographs within scenes that catch my eye. Here are a few from my last ramble in the Breck.