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Rocky Mountains
As we approached the Rockies from a distancePagosa was great...nicer than expected. Instead of rafting the next morning, we decided to save it for later, possibly in Montana. We briefly shopped in town, then settled back into the car for a four hour drive to Frisco. Frisco is an hour west of Denver and about 20 minutes from Breckinridge. It's an unplanned stop, but we found a Saturday morning race there that sounded fun, so Denver will wait. Another day of driving, another day of 10,000 ft passes. Wolf Creek pass was pretty neat and covered with snow. There were even families dressed in complete winter gear out for the day to play in it. Driving time passes quickly while reading and we're now more than halfway through our first book. Though quite long, today's drive was stunning.
Once again we beat Priceline at their own game and won a $40 bid at a beautiful Holiday Inn in downtown Frisco. We seem to be getting good at this game. Finding a cheap pasta dinner was a challenge, so we settled on Old Chicago in nearby Dillon. The next morning we woke up to a delightful 55 degree temp instead of the predicted mid 30's. The race is
Before our Race
Hanging out in downtown Frisco before our race called Run in the Rockies and it's a 10K and half-marathon event that advertises 75-100 percent downhill routes. Downhill - great! It's got to be easy, right? Wrong.
Always the seeker of challenges, Rob registered himself for the half-marathon. Jen happily decided on the shorter one. They share the same course for the first six miles, a magnificent bike path that runs along the river from Copper Mountain to Frisco. The views are spectacular: the snow capped mountains, rushing river, and towering pines are almost enough to help you forget what you're doing. The altitude on the other hand, not so much. It's over 9000ft in Frisco, and despite our one week of altitude acclimation, this race kicked our butts. It's really, really hard to breathe; it feels like your lungs are being squeezed and the body fatigues much quicker due to the oxygen deprivation. But, we made it to the finish lines and overall, it was a great experience. This was a cheap race and pretty small too. We estimated about 450 people total between the two races. The small town feel of it all was so cool though and afterwards the refreshments and food were awesome.
Lake Dillon
Doesn't this look like a postcard? After the race, we took the scenic route to Dillon on the Dillon Dam Rd. The view of the lake and surrounding mountains were postcard worthy. We stopped on the side of the road to take a few pics then headed on to the outlet shops at Silverthorne. One week of shopping deprivation demanded that Rob stop the car at the shops for an hour (or two) of Jen's much needed retail fix. Finally, we were on our way to Denver, Jen driving for the first time...and both of us looking forward to Free Food, Free Lodging, and Family!
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Steph
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So far so beautiful...
Looks like you guys are hitting up some really nice places. The blog is a great way for all of us to see where you have been. Have fun and safe travels.