😎 43* & sunny when we left beautiful Leadville and traveled towards Littleton for our next adventure. Drove over on scenic Hwy 91, passed the Climax Mine and snow was everywhere…even all the lakes leading out of Leadville were frozen. 🥶 What beautiful San Isabel & White River National Forests that we drove through. Then took I-70E towards Denver. Stopped in Breckinridge (elevation 9600 ft), since it had been 40 years ago since we last there and thought we’d grab a bite of lunch where our son Daniel & now fiancé Lauren visited 1 1/2 weeks prior. Such a cute ski town with lots of shops, bars, wineries and restaurants. We had a glass of wine 🍷 & cheese plate 🧀 at Breckinridge Cheese & Chocolate Shop! Tim even got his haircut here while in town. ✂️ As we were leaving the town we saw moose grazing behind house!!! **** Breckenridge is a town at the base of the Rocky Mountains’ Tenmile Range. It’s known for its ski resort (which opened in 1961), year-round alpine activities, shops, restaurants up & down Main Street and Gold Rush history. The historic buildings along Main Street with their clapboard and log exteriors add to the charm of the town. We went into a Starbucks 🧋, which was an old house with wooden floors that was so rustic! It was only 55* at Hoosier Pass/Continental Divide 11,539 ft when we crossed. ❄️ There were deer along side of the roads! 🦌 *****The city of Littleton’s (elevation 5,351 & a suburb of Denver), dates back to the 1859 Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, which brought not only gold seekers, but merchants and farmers to the community. Richard Sullivan Little was an engineer from New Hampshire who made his way out West to work on irrigation systems. Little soon decided to settle in the area at present day Littleton and brought his wife Angeline out from the East in 1862. The Littles, along with many neighbors, built the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in 1867, which provided a solid economic base in the community. By 1890, the community had grown to 245 people and the residents voted to incorporate the Town of Littleton. Littleton grew significantly throughout the 1950s and 1960s due to its proximity to Martin Marietta facilities, which produced the Titan rocket and other products. On June 16, 1965, the flow of the South Platte River had overgrown its banks from the significant rain in the area. The torrents of water flowed north through Denver wiping out bridges, homes, and businesses. After the flood the official decision was made by State and Federal authorities to build Chatfield Dam as flood control. In August 1967, two years after the flood, the Army Corps of Engineers began the construction of the project with a budget of 85 million dollars. Work in the recreational area of 5600 acres began in 1973, and in 1974 the State Parks of Colorado began a 25 year lease to manage the area. The dam and reservoir with recreation area opened to visitors in 1975. Over three hundred bird species both migrant and resident frequent Chatfield. Also a variety of mammals roam the park, including whitetail & mule deer, coyotes, red fox, cottontail rabbit, prairie dogs and weasels.**We stayed at Chatfield State Park for 3 nights with a beautiful view of the lake. The park centers on the Chatfield Reservoir, a 1,500 surface acre reservoir and 4,000 acres of land. The Lake is fed by the South Platte River and 2 creeks. A lot of water sports done here. There’s a marina and an area to rent boats, kayaks, small sailboats and SUP boards. We rode our bikes around the entire bike trail, 11 miles, all around the lake and across the rim of the reservoir dam. One day we slept in, did laundry then decided to check out a local brewery & historical downtown! What a shock as we turned the corner to see a huge, packed brewery!! 🍻 🍻Breckenridge Brewery opened its doors in 1990 in the mountain town of Breckenridge, Colorado. It’s the third-oldest craft brewery in the state. After 26 years, the focus is still on creating well-balanced, approachable, and interesting beers while also creating memorable visitor experiences. In 2015, a 12 acre farm was bought to build a brewery in Littleton. The farm-inspired campus on Brewery Lane features a new 100 barrel brewhouse, barrel-aging room, all new packaging, dedicated tour staff, and the Farm House restaurant. The Farm House is so much more than a tasting room. The wraparound porch and spacious beer garden offers multiple areas to convene, relax, and take in views of the majestic Rocky Mountains. 🏔 You can eat inside or experience outdoors around fire pits, playing bocce ball, or corn hole. The brewery tours were still closed. Big variety that Tim had a hard time choosing from that we went back the next day! Some of the options were…… Vanilla Porter, Avalanche Amber Ale, Agave Wheat, 471 Double IPA, and Breck IPA, along with a variety of specialty beers that include seasonals, barrel-aged beers, the Brewery Lane Series, and a nitrogen-charged canned series. We had the most amazing warm Pimento cheese dip with Farm House Chips and Peruvian Drop Peppers! Amazing! Next day we tried a sausage platter….link of hog sausage and one rattlesnake sausage with slices of brown bread and a spicy slaw! Amazing again! Good thing it’s not close to home.🏡 On the way back to campground we saw so many deer & big horn sheep! 🌞🌞🌞 The next day we decided to travel up I-70 and go see the town of Georgetown, which is yet another place that holds a special place in our hearts. 💞 As you guessed….our first time here was 40 years ago, then over the years took our sons (and my mother one year). Along the way, reminiscing as we passed Chief Hosa, Lookout Mountain, Buffalo Bills grave & museum, Golden, Idaho Springs, Central City & Mt Evans! We have camped all over the state and visited just about every place we could over 40 years! ❤️❤️ The town sits at an elevation of 8,530 feet nestled in the mountains near the upper end of the valley of Clear Creek in the mountains west of Denver along the interstate. Although population was only about 1,000 at the 2010 census, the town is a historic center of the mining industry in Colorado during the late 19th century, earning the nickname the “Silver Queen of Colorado”. It has evolved into a lively historical summer tourist center today with many preserved structures from the heyday of the Colorado Silver Boom. The town was founded in 1859 during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, the town grew rapidly following the discovery of silver on September 14, 1864. In the following years, thousands of mines were dug in the mountains surrounding the town and the town quickly grew into a center for prospectors and mine workers in the surrounding mountains. The made-for-TV movie The Christmas Gift, starring John Denver, was filmed in Georgetown in 1986. Other movies filmed at least partly in Georgetown include the made-for-TV movies “Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo, and “Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin Deep Scandal”; and the feature film “Switchback” with Danny Glover and Dennis Quaid; and at least one scene from “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox”, with Goldie Hawn and George Segal. It has been the site for the filming of various commercials, and some music videos, including part of John Tesh’s “A Romantic Christmas.” 🎉🎉🎉🎉 As we started walking around town we heard someone shout…”Sandra”, and we both looked at each other like…no way do I know someone here….but what are the chances that a girlfriend since 5th grade, Lynn & her husband Russ(who even smaller world was in Tim’s class) were there visiting from Florida!!! 😱 We took the Guanella Pass up the mountain to see if we could find the campground that we camped many times and sure enough the pass was closed due to heavy snow right in front of the campground! 🏕 Brought back lots of memories! Then had lunch at 511 Rose, a small new restaurant that only opened last week. Great food but the view was even more impressive because right out the big 3 pane high windows were Big Horn Sheep all over the mountain side! 🐏 Then had to check out to see if the train was still there. Our son Matthew was so enthralled with trains, everywhere we went we rode trains! On the famous Georgetown Loop Train 🚂 when he was little he was so excited we were going to take a ride on this train! At first he was disappointed because as we boarded the only seats left for 5 was the last row on the last car going up BUT when we reached the top, the train uncoupled and the engine was now right in front of us! He got to talk to the engineer and Matthew smiled the whole way back down the mountain! So many wonderful memories made….past & present! 🥰 Warms the heart & soul! Now we’re off to explore Mesa Verde National Park! Can’t wait to explore new territory! 😍
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