Summit County, Colorado

Two friends recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by inviting family and friends to join them for a summer week in a large, rented lodge in Summit County, Colorado. Summit County is in the Rocky Mountains about 70 miles west of Denver on I-70 and its largest towns are Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, and Silverthorne. The area is most famous for its winter sports, particularly downhill skiing in towny Breckenridge, but we found its summer activities just as appealing and we had a great time.

First, our lodge! Our stay was in a wonderful cabin nestled on a hillside in aspen and pine trees overlooking Silverthorne's golf course, if one can call a fully furnished, 3 story, luxurious 6 bedroom, 4 bath home a 'cabin'! The lodge's owners had anticipated every need and more: tourist suggestions, several large screen televisions connected to a premium satellite package, lots of current periodicals, outdoor spa, and gas grill. We noticed a few nearby and similar homes for sale at $1,000,000 or more! In our great location, as Tucson sweltered in its June temperatures, it was marvelous to sleep in Silverthorne under a light blanket with windows open to the cool mountain air!

When we were able to drag our group from this luxury, so much awaited us in the mountains. We started by piling five people into my little 4 cycle engine car to find out if it could climb with that load to the top of Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet. With a lot of downshifting, we made it to the top! We climbed a few steps, huffing and puffing, to the actual top of the pass but one of our ladies felt a little faint at that altitude so we were reminded of the effects of altitude. My car handled the descent to Frisco much more easily! This vibrant little town was a mining center in the mid19th Century and now, although it does not have a ski area in town, its proximity to so many courses ranked it among Sky Magazine's '18 Best Ski Towns in North America' in 2002. It is the beginning point in summer for many biking, mountain biking, and hiking trails. For example, we started a yearround volksmarch (www.ava.org) at Frisco's Holiday Inn and walked the 10km course along Dillon Reservoir to Dillon. A dam forms the reservoir and Dillon is located at one end of the damn and has a marina filled with small sail- and motorboats. The views of sailboats coursing across the reservoir with the snow-capped Rockies as a backdrop were awesome! Dillon also hosts a Farmers' Market each Friday throughout the summer and free concerts every Saturday evening from early July to early September.

We were surprised and pleased to learn Summit County had a free bus service between its major towns between 6:00am to 1:30am seven days a week so we gladly rode it back to Frisco for a picnic lunch alongside the many boats in the town's own marina. Dillon and Frisco marinas rent sailboats, powerboats, and small pontoon 'party' boats. We also discovered several companies in the area offer whitewater rafting on one of five rivers within a one and a half hour drive (see links below). Finally, the highest altitude hot air balloon rides in North America are available in Summit County, too (www.coloradoballoonrides.com).

Later we wandered along Frisco's blocked off Main Street through its annual 'BBQ Challenge' in which passionate BBQers from around the West compete annually for the title of 'Best BBQ'. The smells of fantastic BBQ ribs, chicken, beef, brisket, and pulled pork flowed over us and we sampled as many as we could. I didn't envy the judges in having to pick winners! Frisco hosts its own Farmers' Market every Wednesday from June to September, too.

Georgetown is just over the eastern county line from Summit County but it is too cool to miss! The town was founded in 1859 as another of Colorado's 'get rich quick' mining towns. The mines closed long ago but Georgetown retains its mining heritage. The small downtown is filled with old buildings which today hold shops, boutiques, antique stores, and restaurants. A rehabilitated rail system connects Georgetown and Silver Plume with a stop for a tour of the abandoned Lebanon mine. Colorado Historical Society guides take visitors 1,200 feet into the mountain, wearing hard hats! After bumping my head a few times on the hard rock, I was very glad to wear that yellow hat! Our guide passionately described the hard and short lives the miners lived to make a few dollars a day! It was great fun, also, to ride an open railcar slowly into the forested, cool mountains.

We were happy and tired after each full day in the mountain air but the ladies in our group always seemed to muster the energy for some shopping on the way to our lodge in one of the two outlet malls in Silverthorne. The guys wanted to get back quickly to the lodge's spa followed by a 'cold one' on the deck as steaks sizzled on the grill but were delayed, of course.

Summit County, Colorado in the summer is a great place for a little fresh, cool air; exercise, historical sites; and an escape from the our Sonoran desert's heat.

Lodging
www.wildernest.com
877-668 STAY
www.Americana resorts.com
www.bighornrentals.com
www.Friscolodging.com

Whitewater Rafting
www.buffalojoe.com
www.whitewater Colorado.com
www.performancetours.com