The little red-headed curly top and even her dog Sandy were right...the sun came out, in full force. Proving once again that, contrary to her other philosophical sing-song, it is not a hard knock life.
We headed from our Frisco Wal Mart straight to Breckenridge to see if any of yesterday's snow could survive the spring weather. Brant was even up to try some downhill telemarking, and he waxed up the skis in the sunny parking lot before we hopped on the high-speed quad at Peak 8.
Brant wasn't very excited today.
One run later, he switched skis for his board, since the snow just hadn't held up in the late April weather. It was as slushy as we'd seen it, making for brake-and-go conditions even on the steeps. Rather than break another pair of poles struggling with the mushy stuff, he glided (albeit jerkily like the rest of us) over the near-puddles.
The three peaks of Breck, from a distance.
We made it across to Peak 9, but couldn't traverse anymore towards Peak 10...this was definitely a day that couldn't possibly do this hill justice. We stuck to the most sun-shaded slopes and leaned back to avoid being thrown nose over heels by the melt: the patches of thick slush mingled with still-frozen streaks of bright white made an effect akin to swimming through water and then suddenly being in a pool of honey. We called it a challenge, but quit early all the same, opting to explore the town of Breckenridge on our bikes.
A still moment on the slopes.
The town of Breck is most cool...a long main street is lined with shops and eateries, and a creek running along the length of town is accompanied by a narrow paved bike path. Mountain biking is big in the summer, after the Mud Season, commonly known as spring in most of the world. For now we contented ourselves with the main path and streets. We found a great joint called Sushi Breck which was having a mud season special...20% off the entire bill. That plus the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory kept us smiling big time. After dinner we found the crown jewel though, the O2 Lounge, an oxygen and juice bar on Main Street.
The O2 Lounge.
With enough purple to make Prince jealous, the cozy bar was littered with comfortable, funky couches and chairs, a three-sided bar with tall stools, and oxygen outlets every few feet. No alcohol, just smoothies and a variety of exotic herbal martinis. The best part of the whole crazy joint was Pat Wise, aspiring chef extraordinaire, and current tender of the purple den. Originally from Michigan and soon to be a student at the infamous chef school at University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Pat gave us all sorts of tips on stuff to do in his home state and hopefully we'll be able to hook up with him if he's visiting home when we're there.
Herbal martini to go with your oxygen?
We settled in to the comfy chairs, set up the backgammon board, and starting sucking the O2 between sips of zero proof martini. The oxygen level up at Breck is about 14%, but in the O2 Lounge you get 80%. And it is amazing what it does for your body. Mixed in with aromatherapy of your choice (Clarity, Relaxation, Passion, Energy, etc.), the extra oxygen hightens your awareness and even more noticeably, relieves and prevents the sore muscles often acquired by a few hard days on the slope. Beats aspirin by a long shot.
Getting extra O...while A works B in backgammon.
The next day we hit Keystone, and given the conditions, it proved to be our favorite Colorado resort. The snow was great, the terrain was steep and went up and down over three peaks into hidden territory that just kept opening up new slopes and incredible vistas. The challenge was unending, and it had nothing to do with swimming through honey, which made it all the more enjoyable. Since it was possibly the last day on the snow for the season, it was quite a way to go.
AK Speeding down Keystone slopes.
