Breckenridge

This past weekend, Wayne and I enjoyed the brisk mountain air of Breckenridge, Colorado. Thankfully, Ted and Sue were able to watch Tyler and Aubrey. Between finishing home projects, the Showalter visit, all of us getting sick, and getting ready for Extended School Year (the program I work during the summer) we weren't sure whether we could make it work...with both kids running fevers through Wednesday, we weren't sure whether we'd be able to go on Thursday. Finally, we ran into car issues on our way to drop the kids off in Hesston. But, I'm so glad we were able to go. We had a great time away. Other than visiting my sister last year, I haven't left Aubrey overnight before. My mom said "it was about time!"

We enjoyed carpooling on the way there with Matt and Michelle.

 

The first night, we drove to Limon, Colorado and stopped for a quick sleep and breakfast before continuing on.

Friday, we enjoyed shopping then lunch in Breckenridge.

The house we stayed in was amazing. It was right outside of Breckenridge, but felt secluded and was right next to the mountain with a little stream running by. We had a nice kitchen were we prepared several meals, a nice living area, a large deck with a hot tub, and a fire pit in the back. A.Maz.Ing!

The view off the deck to the back.

The view of the mountains from the deck.

Both evenings, the guys built a nice big fire in the fire pit. It was pretty chilly, and we appreciated the warmth. The second evening, Pedro the fox visited our fire.

The first evening, Wayne, Michelle and I hiked a bit of the way up the mountain behind the house.

 

Day two's highlight was McCullough Gulch Hike. Here are the ladies at the start of the hike.

Jill, Michelle, Tina, and me.

 

Silly boys.

 

 

All the guys

Dave, Joe, Wayne and Matt

 

 

 

Since we had only been there one day, we needed lots of breaks to catch our breaths. The altitude difference was pretty easy to detect.

The hike was gorgeous. The trail was often a bit difficult to follow, and there were a lot of trees, streams, and snow plains to negotiate.

There were lots of little streams to cross. Several times there were nice logs, like this one, to help us across.

 

Snow!

 

 

At the top!

 

 

The lake at the top. Not so gorgeous, definitely cold!

 

Several of us found our way down right next to the beautiful falls.

 

We returned to the house and Joe, Tina and Wayne relaxed in the hot tub before getting ready for dinner.

 

 

 

Soaking in the sun.

 

 

 

We had a delicious dinner and walked around in town, then returned to a gorgeous sunset.

 

 

And enjoyed relaxing on the deck.

 

 

 

It was nice to just relax, be able to meet new friends and hang out.

 

Sunday morning was beautiful.

 

 

Of course, we missed our kids, but we are so glad we went. We had a great time!