Breckenridge, Colorado. What can I say? Breckenridge is near ideal…at least, the town is near ideal for me. Encircled by mountains, Breckenridge is a small ski (plus more!) town about two hours west of the Denver International Airport.  If it is snowing, count on more time. If it is icy, count on more, more hours. Or better yet…don’t count the hours or miles at all. Just enjoy the mountains and the clear mountain air. Unless (of course) you have problems with altitudes. At that point, please stop and steer clear of my car. After all, I probably rented the car (surely, I was able to get a SUV) from Enterprise. I don’t want an accident–colliding with a dizzy person– on my record with Enterprise. They have good rates…even going to a ski town.

Yes…Breckenridge is definitely a ski town. So…you must think that I am an excellent ski person. So untrue. I want to be one. I tried to be one. I took lessons for 20 minutes at least 20 years ago. I thought that the snow would be soft and fluffy…very similar to petting a little bouncy, fluffy Bichon Frise puppy. The snow was the exact opposite of a Bichon. The snow was really ice wrapped in a few snowflakes here and there. Early spring melting. The mountain tricked me. The snow looked so beautiful when I was riding the ski lift up the mountain. My entire family was going to take ski lessons that day. Our son was already enrolled in a kiddie class at the bottom of the mountain. My husband was enrolled in the same class as me. He made it through the class. He probably got some kind of first day of ski school golden ski medal.

I received the first day of ski school earliest quitter medal. I was simply not able to stay upright in those expensive ski boot rentals attached to equally expensive skis. Maybe I should have upgraded to better boots and skis. No. Surely, there were not any more expensive than what I got. And the boots hurt. And that made my head hurt. And the continuous falling down hurt my pride and everything else attached to me. I quit ski school. A drop-out. I am just not a quitter except when it comes to pain. Let’s just say that the boots were too tight. Let’s not say that I didn’t exactly follow directions given by the ski instructor. I spent the remainder of the day sitting in a lounge (bar? coffee shop?) near the base of the mountain. I had countless cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows and wonderful conversations with other ski failure people. That is how I learned so much about Breckenridge.

By the end of the day, I was like a seasoned tour guide. I knew every special boutique (many to choose from), every excellent pizza place, every fancy restaurant, every tourist must-go-to place. There are so many fun things to do and things to see in Breckenridge…plus very friendly people. Plus an ice skating rink. Plus indoor pools at some resorts. Plus snowmobiles to rent. I am certain that I am a snowmobile natural.

Ah…the mountains! Rocky Mountain High in Colorado! The ski part does look fun, but there are lots more activities to do! Just find a hot chocolate place and start up a few conversations!