experiencing back in Texas....what a relief! We awakened everyday to low-40‘s and the afternoons reached low to mid-70‘s. We cycled many of our usual routes this year including riding from Frisco to Keystone and up Montezuma Rd, Frisco to Vail Pass Summit passing through Copper Mountain Resort, around Lake Dillon on the Swan Mountain Rec Path, Frisco to Breckenridge, and out the Blue River Trail through Silverthorne. In addition to cycling, we did some of our favorite hikes including St. Mary’s Glacier, Mayflower Gulch, Shrine Ridge Pass, North Ten Mile Trail, and a few others. (Photo to the right is the new Swan Mountain Rec Path)
Jarrett & Crystal and the kids were able to come up for a few days this summer. We took them cycling up to Copper Mountain and back which is 18 miles round-trip. It’s a little tough getting to Copper Mountain but you can come back flying down the trail. 
The next day, we took them to hike St. Mary’s Glacier which has a lake in the valley and a snow glacier up further. There were even snow boaders coming down the glacier. Christian and Lynne hiked up the mountain a little further than the rest of the gang for some glorious views of the glacier, lake, and surrounding mountains. (Photo to the left is all of us at the start of the St Mary's Glacier Hike and photo to the right is near the top where Lynne and Christian hiked) We also rode the gondola up Keystone Resort, roamed around and ate at the BBQ at the Summit, attended the Concert in the Park in Frisco (the girls won the dance contest), and the kids went to the Peak 8 Fun Park in Breckenridge one evening. There is always something going on in one of the small towns in Summit County that you can always find new things to do.
Something new this year was the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. We were able to make two of the days. The first day for us was Stage 3, the Vail Time Trial. We parked at Vail Pass Summit and rode our bikes down the rec path to the finish line. Reaching the finish line area about 10:30am, we staked our spot out 50 meters from the finish line. The time trial started at 1:00pm and the first rider came through at 1:28pm, then a rider approximately every minute thereafter. The race finished about 3:45pm and we, along with the other 10,000 spectators, proceeded back up the very steep rec path to Vail Pass Summit. This took us about 45 minutes to climb the 5 mile trail back to the car. (Photo to the right is near the finish line at the Vail Time Trial, Stage 3)
Stage 5 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge finished in Breckenridge. Our good friends, Bill and Bobbie, joined us for this one. We rode from Frisco to Breckenridge, parked our bikes, walked through the market/vendor areas, stopped for lunch, and then staked our spot directly on the finish line. While we waited for the cyclist to come through, we were able to watch the race on the big screen TV set up nearby. 
And what a rush when the lead cyclists crossed the finish line. It was so fast and so powerful....WOW! The crowds were magnificent....over 50,000 in Breckenridge to watch the finish. The announcers kept saying the crowds were reminiscent of the Tour de France. (These last 2 photos are Lynne and Bobbie at the finish line in Breckenridge and one of the racers coming across the finish line) Click the link to the right USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011 under Links to Cycling Pics for more pics of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.
We never get tired of the Colorado mountains and we plan to go back again and again. Summit County is such a great place to visit. We highly recommend it.
For more on cycling in Colorado, check out the Blog Archive for 2010 and 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment