August 6 – 27, 2019
For this segment of our journey, we moved from the western slope of the Rockies to Breckenridge, Colorado on the eastern slope.
Breckenridge
The town of Breckenridge lies at the base of the Rocky Mountains’ Ten Mile Range at an elevation of 9600 feet. The area is known for its ski resort, year-round alpine activities and Gold Rush history. The core of the town, which runs primarily along Main Street, is preserved as the Breckenridge National Historic District. Here one finds colorfully painted buildings dating from the 1880s and ’90s that house shops, galleries and restaurants. Gorgeous flower boxes and hanging plants adorn the sidewalks and lampposts along the streets. I intended to take some photos of the town but never did.
Tiger Run RV Resort
Our home base for the month was Tiger Run Resort, a luxury year-round resort, situated between the Swan and Blue Rivers near the base of the Ten Mile Range. Accommodations consist of individually owned RV sites and mountain cabins/chalets. The resort features numerous recreational amenities along with a clubhouse, indoor pool, hot tubs, fitness center, locker rooms, game room, and laundry facilities.
Our site was a concrete pull-thru with a fire pit and rustic swing and chair. Unfortunately it was not quite long enough to accommodate both the RV and the truck as you can see in the photo. Lori, who owned the lot across the street from us, graciously allowed us to park our truck on her site after she left for the season in return for watering her gorgeous plants. We weren’t the only ones that enjoyed her plants.
Pickle Ball Anyone?
Although the resort had tennis/pickle ball courts, we rarely saw them in use. In fact, they closed the courts near the end of our stay for a much needed resurfacing. Not to be deterred, we located some courts in Breckenridge (and nearby Frisco) which were heavily utilized by the Summit County Pickle Ball Association. The group welcomed us with open arms and we had all the competition we could ask for.
It’s Always Good to Spend Time with Friends
Early in our stay here, some friends (Ellen and Bruce Smith) from Ft. Myers who were staying in Golden, Colorado drove over to meet us at the resort. In the afternoon, we ventured into Breckenridge for a late lunch at C. B. & Potts Restaurant and Brewery. We had a great time catching up and really appreciated Bruce and Ellen taking time out of their summer vacation to meet up with us.
Hoosier Pass
The area around Breckenridge is gorgeous so we absolutely had to take day trips when we weren’t meeting friends or playing pickle ball. One day we decided to take CO-9 south to Hoosier Pass. Hoosier Pass sits on the Continental Divide at the northern end of Mosquito Range. While there, we walked up one of the trails for views of Quandary Peak, Mt. Lincoln, and Fairplay with Pike’s Peak in the far distance. On the way down, we stopped to investigate the Lodge at the Blue Resort. The restaurant, Myla Rose Saloon, had an inviting deck with magnificent mountain views that we would have loved to try out. Unfortunately they were closed so all we could do was look.
Leadville
On another day, we ventured a bit further afield to Leadville to visit the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. With an elevation of 10,152 feet, this historic city is the highest incorporated city in the United States.
Prospectors first descended upon Leadville in 1860, when gold was discovered in nearby California Gulch. Though the gold rush brought 10,000 people to Leadville, the city didn’t reach its height until 1877, when the Silver Boom was in full swing. Profitable silver mines supported a population of 30,000, including hotels, saloons, gambling halls, stores, boarding houses, and brothels. Some of the country’s greatest fortunes were made during this time, such as the Guggenheim’s, Marshal Field’s, and founder of Macy’s, David Macy.
Leadville’s history brims with colorful characters whose stories have withstood the test of time. Most popular are silver magnates, Horace and Baby Doe Tabor, whose love triangle inspired an opera (Ballad of Baby Doe – 1956) and a Hollywood movie (Silver Dollar – 1932). Another legend whose roots stem from Leadville is the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown. After obtaining wealth from silver claims, Brown became a champion for suffragettes and survivors of the Titanic.
The wild west was alive and well in Leadville. Residents like outlaw Doc Holiday, lawman Martin Duggan, and conman, Soapy Smith, paint a picture of hardened streets and rugged saloons where bullets flew and lies were told. Likewise, legendary brothel owner, Mollie May, personified the seedy side of the west, where prostitutes brawled amongst themselves before luring men into their beds.
Leadville has done an incredible job at preserving its vibrant history. A National Historic District consisting of 70-square-blocks of downtown Victorian architecture was designated in 1966. Nearby, a 20-square-mile historic mining district is protected as “The Route of the Silver Kings.” There’s also Clear Creek Canyon, which showcases ghost towns, and the Mineral Belt Trail, which offers interpretive signs that tell Leadville’s vast history. Walking tours, museums, and a railroad tour provides details of the stories and characters that shaped Leadville, made it the historical destination it is today, and established it as one of the world’s greatest mining capitals. — leadville.com
After visiting the museum we took a brief walk around the town (remember, the air is thin here) before stopping at High Mountain Pies for pizza on the patio with a view of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. From Leadville, we drove back to the RV via the Top of the Rockies Skyway through Red Cliff and past the abandoned mining town of Gilman.
Dillon
The town of Dillon was our getaway for nearby exploration and errands.
The original town of Dillon was built as a stage stop and trading post on the northeast side of the Snake River. The town was named for Tom Dillon, a prospector, and was incorporated in 1883. By 1892 the town had been relocated twice, both times in order to be closer to railroad lines that were extended into the area. All three of these historic townsites were situated very close to the Blue River Valley confluence where the Snake River and Tenmile Creek flowed in, and this area is now referred to collectively as “Old Dillon”.
During the Great Depression, Denver Water began acquiring land around Dillon. In 1956, residents and business owners in Dillon were notified that they would need to sell their property and move out, because Denver Water was about to begin construction on a dam just downstream from the town, and the resulting reservoir (which would help supply water to Front Range communities) was going to flood Dillon and the surrounding valley. About a mile to the north, some land on a hillside was set aside for the current townsite, which is now situated on the shoreline of Dillon Reservoir.– wikipedia
One of the scenic drives that we took around Dillon was Swan Mountain Road with a stop at Sapphire Point Overlook. We followed the short trail at the Overlook for some nice views of the Dillon Reservoir, Swan and Tenderfoot Mountains, and Grays and Torreys Peak.
From Swan Mountain Road we decided to take US-6 (Loveland Pass Road) past Keystone Resort and the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area to Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet above sea level. There we stopped to enjoy more beautiful mountain views. Bill was in his element here.
We continued on Loveland Pass Road until it joined I-70. We took I-70 through the Eisenhower tunnel back to Dillon, stopped for lunch at the Dillon Dam Brewery, and then returned to Tiger Run.
Steamboat Springs
Going even further afield one day, we decided drive to Kremmling with the intention of going on to Granby and Grand Lake. On the spur of the moment, we changed direction and headed for Steamboat Springs in the Yampa Valley.
The Yampa Valley was the summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians for hundreds of years. The Yampatika Ute and Arapaho tribes also visited the area for its mineral or “medicine” springs considered sacred places of physical and spiritual healing.
The name of Steamboat Springs is thought to have originated around the early 1800s when French trappers thought they heard the chugging sound of a steamboat’s steam engine. The sound turned out to be a natural mineral spring, to be named the Steamboat Spring. — steamboatsprings.net
We spent some time wandering around the town before having lunch on an upstairs patio at Salt and Lime. On the way back to the parking lot we crossed the Yampa River via foot bridge where we stopped to watch folks tubing on the river.
Central City
For another outing we set out to explore Central City.
The city is a historic mining settlement founded in 1859 during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush and came to be known as the “Richest Square Mile on Earth”.
On May 6, 1859, during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, John H. Gregory found a gold-bearing vein (the Gregory Lode) in Gregory Gulch between Black Hawk and Central City. Within two months many other veins were discovered. By 1860, as many as 10,000 prospectors had flocked to the town, then known as Mountain City, and surrounding prospects, but most soon left, many returning east. The 1900 census showed 3,114 people.
The population of Central City and its sister city Black Hawk fell to a few hundred by the 1950s. Casino gambling was introduced in both towns in the early 1990s, but had more success in Black Hawk (which has 18 casinos) than in Central City (which has 6 casinos). — wikipedia.org
If you want to gamble in a low key environment, this is the place to go. Otherwise, aside from the welcome center detailing the history of the town, there was not much to see.
Wow, We’ve Been Busy
As you can see, our time here on the Eastern Slope has been quite busy but is now coming to a close. Before we move on to our next destination, there’s one more adventure we want to share with you – in the next post.
