My plan was to do a loop of Lake Dillon with a stop on the way there - or back - to do one of the half hourly tours round Breckenridge Distillery. Of course, I thought I knew better and ignored Sat Nav's instructions coming out from our resort, thinking that it'll soon re-calculate anyway and re-direct us no matter which way we went. Certainly, the European software is not slow to tell you to turn around at the earliest opportunity if you're heading in the wrong direction.
We climbed out of Breckenridge on Highway 9 (S) and I did notice that the forecast time for reaching our programmed destination (Dillon) seemed to be getting later and later. Sat Nav didn't speak to us and the map showed that we should carry on the road we were on. We were in no hurry anyway and the drive was interesting.
Eventually we got to the top of the Hoosier Pass - 11,500 feet, marking the Continental Divide (https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Continental_Divide_of_the_Americas):
The scenery around us was spectacular and we thought we might go for a short stroll up one of the trails. We didn't get far before the heavy breathing started - the trail wasn't that steep but we were another 2,000 feet up from Breckenridge and it was hard work - especially after yesterday's relatively strenuous walk in the sun. I looked round at Jo and took pity on her - privately I was quite happy to quit too. Time for a few photos first:
Carrying on H9(S), we drove through Alma - the highest incorporated municipality in US - and to Fairplay. We had now driven over 20 miles in the wrong direction and Sat Nav hadn't said a word - until now. We were asked to take a left, then a right, then another right. Yes, back on the same road! Did Sat Nav think there was no safe place to turn until now?
Back we went - straight through Breckenridge, this time in the right direction - north. We drove through Frisco and crossed the dam at Dillon. What a quiet town - but we found a brewpub - Pug Ryan's:
We had lunch there and then walked down to the lakeside:
On the way back, we finally found the Distillery and did the tour there:
Back in our resort, I went back to the pool. Jo hasn't been in yet, but she's getting closer - twice she's come down in her costume, but she still hasn't taken the plunge. It's a large pool enclosed by glass surrounds, giving a great view of the snow-capped mountains. This shot doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea:
We are surrounded by wonderful walking and cycling trails, beautiful mountains and loads of bike rental stores. I was champing at the bit, but I knew I couldn't head off on my own, and my attempts to persuade Jo to try cycling met with resistance - until I came up with a creative compromise. It's all downhill from Breckenridge to Frisco - a distance just short of 10 miles - and I found a store willing to do one way hire, dropping the bike off in Frisco and then getting the (free) bus back. What's more we could do it on a tandem!
So this morning (Friday) we got up and picked up our helmets and the tandem, after a brief lesson from the shop. It's not as simple as it looks - co-ordination of both riders is essential and communication is key. The bike itself is big, long and heavy and takes a bit of manoeuvring. Our first few rotations were a bit wobbly - I could feel this weight behind me, swinging from side to side - it was all I could do to keep us upright, but soon we were off and running and all was well.
Further down the trail we posed for a photo:
We had been warned that there was a small uphill section as we approached Frisco, but we weren't quite ready when we hit it and we struggled up the slope. Jo was "peching" hard and so we stopped for a rest:
We made it safely in the end, although I don't have eyes in the back of my head, so I'm not quite sure how even the distribution of work was. The iced coffees at Abbey's were very welcome and we then wandered over to the marina and then up Main St, where it was a bit of a party day, with BBQ competitions going on:
The museum had some old school desks in it, just like we had back in the day:
You'll not be surprised that we found yet another brewpub - Back Country Brewery - where we had a lovely lunch on their upstairs decking, after which we jumped on the bus back to Breckenridge. I went back to the pool, but Jo decided on a bath instead.
Tonight we had pizza delivered as we slouched in our jammies.
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