For pretty much every summer of my childhood, my dad's side of the family hopped into our cars and caravanned out to gorgeous Summit County, Colorado. My brother learned to ride his bike there, we all learned to ski by age five, and we spent weeks at a time hiking, biking, fishing, and exploring the gorgeous mountains. If we didn't make it in the summer, we visited over spring break. This last week was a special treat, because I got to spend it back in Colorado with my family for the first time since 2010. And this time, I got to bring my hubby along for his first visit! Mountains are so amazing to me; they always remind me just how small I am.
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Kicking off our trip at the Continental Divide. |
We always stay in Frisco, Colorado, a sweet little mountain town nestled right between Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. Check it out
here. The city has grown a TON since my parents first started coming out in the late 80s, but it still has a small town feel with well-kept paths and a cute main street. They always have fun events going on, especially during the Fourth of July. What is ruled by skis and snowboards in the winter becomes mountain biking and hiking country in the summer. While there are occasional mountain storms, they don't last long, and the weather is always a nice escape from humidity. There is nothing like mountain sun.
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The condo where we spent our week- "Papa Bears". |
When we go, we always rent out condos from various owners, but our favorite has always been
Mountain Side condos. They have a great clubhouse with some
amazing outdoor hot tubs, and various sizes of places to stay, ranging from apartment style 1-2 bedrooms with lofts, to townhouses, to full houses that can hold up to 15 people. They also have access to tennis courts and a fishing lake, and are right off of the bike path. We took a rainy bike ride back from Breckenridge, a mostly downhill 9 mile trip that's actually super fun.
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Our condo had access to Bill's Fishing Lake, just a few steps away. It was beautiful. |
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Aaron and Kirk caught fish! I had a nibbler that got away. |
When we stay, we usually prepare meals ahead of time and cook them in the condo. It saves time and money, and the condos' kitchens are always fully stocked and ready for use. Plus my mom's an awesome cook, so that's a perk. We make a lot of runs to Safeway. It was a special treat to go out to eat to celebrate my mom's birthday while we were there! After dinner, we play cards and crazy board games or fall asleep to movies.
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We celebrated Momma's birthday at a Mexican Restaurant in town. |
Skiing in the summer is a well kept secret. My dad and I actually once skied in July. No lie! The only place that is normally open late enough for this is
Arapahoe Basin. This time of the year, you can get excellent prices on ski rentals and lift tickets. We always use
Pioneer Sports. They're great. We got a super deal, so my brothers and I decided to take Aaron on his first ski trip ever. The first run may have been a little iffy (since the bunny slope was closed this time of year), but by run number two he was getting off the lift and skiing down the entire mountain like a pro. It's a little slushy at the bottom by the afternoon, but the temperatures are glorious.
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Sibling Ski Selfie. Arapahoe Basin is open through June! |
It's so fun exploring the Summit County area. Great ski resorts like Keystone, Vail, Copper Mountain, and Breckenridge are all a few minutes away from Frisco. We went down to the Breckenridge area to do some shopping and ate some amazing cookies from
Mary's Mountain Cookies. Seriously, get a sandwich cookie. There are lots of deals on ski gear this time of the year. The resorts are much more laid back this time of the year, but their events start up again in mid June. You can even ride the lift up for free at some of them.
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A quick visit to Copper Mountain. Everything is closed for "mud season". |
We drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park one day. Sadly, there was a lot of snow so the road was closed part way through. We made the most of it, parked the car, and just walked on the road for a while. We even enjoyed a picnic lunch while a few elk nibbled on some grass in the background. Everything is so beautiful here.
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On a hike to the falls on our Rocky Mountain National Park visit. |
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Safe to say, the mountains, and this man, will always have my heart. |
I'm so thankful that we were able to escape away on a mountain adventure. If you have any questions about Colorado, or Frisco, please let me know! I'd love to help you plan the perfect family trip to the mountains. Contact me
here, or on my
Facebook page. Or you can always comment below. Thanks for reading, friends!
Currently,
Kelsie
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