At an elevation of 9,600 ft above sea level,
Breckenridge is a very cute ski town on the Rocky Mountains about 40 minutes away from Vail and an hour and a half from Denver Airport (where you'd fly to if you are coming to visit me.) I won't go into the history of the town which you can read about by clicking the link to Wikipedia - has a lot to do with mining - but I will tell you just how severely frigid it is to live up here. Today's high is 6 degrees Fahrenheit and low is a whopping
negative 5 degrees with winds gusting at 35 mph. And this is the average range for Dec/Jan. Not only do your fingers and toes resemble frozen fries by the time you walk to the car, you can actually feel your insides turn icy with all your body heat sucked out of you the moment you step outside.
Then there's the altitude. If you don't stay hydrated the first few days you arrive - and I mean drink lots and lots of water and cut out cigarettes and caffeine - you will get altitude sickness caused by low air pressure that occurs at high altitudes. The air is very thin up here so you feel as if there's not enough oxygen and you forget to breathe. Walking up one flight of stairs will feel like running a marathon. In my case, I get huffy and puffy just by putting on my coat and boots. Altitude sickness is not something you want to experience, especially if you're only here for a long weekend, as symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can debilitate you for a couple days.
Nonetheless, once you get over the harsh temperatures and thin air, it is hard to miss just how beautiful it is to live here. Snow-covered trees adorning majestic white mountains create a 360-degree view of winter wonderland that you thought only existed in movies like
Lord of the Rings or
Chronicles of Narnia. Pink sunsets cast an incandescent glow on the pristine snow, while the lavender night sky is so clear and the moon so bright that every star and constellation is easily tracked. Unfortunately, words or even pictures cannot do justice the magnificent landscape that is Colorado. You'll just have to come and see for yourself!
At an elevation of 9,600 ft above sea level, Breckenridge is a very cute ski town on the Rocky Mountains about 40 minutes away from Vail and an hour and a half from Denver Airport (where you'd fly to if you are coming to visit me.) I won't go into the history of the town which you can read about by clicking the link to Wikipedia - has a lot to do with mining - but I will tell you just how severely frigid it is to live up here. Today's high is 6 degrees Fahrenheit and low is a whopping negative 5 degrees with winds gusting at 35 mph. And this is the average range for Dec/Jan. Not only do your fingers and toes resemble frozen fries by the time you walk to the car, you can actually feel your insides turn icy with all your body heat sucked out of you the moment you step outside.
Then there's the altitude. If you don't stay hydrated the first few days you arrive - and I mean drink lots and lots of water and cut out cigarettes and caffeine - you will get altitude sickness caused by low air pressure that occurs at high altitudes. The air is very thin up here so you feel as if there's not enough oxygen and you forget to breathe. Walking up one flight of stairs will feel like running a marathon. In my case, I get huffy and puffy just by putting on my coat and boots. Altitude sickness is not something you want to experience, especially if you're only here for a long weekend, as symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can debilitate you for a couple days. 
Nonetheless, once you get over the harsh temperatures and thin air, it is hard to miss just how beautiful it is to live here. Snow-covered trees adorning majestic white mountains create a 360-degree view of winter wonderland that you thought only existed in movies like Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. Pink sunsets cast an incandescent glow on the pristine snow, while the lavender night sky is so clear and the moon so bright that every star and constellation is easily tracked. Unfortunately, words or even pictures cannot do justice the magnificent landscape that is Colorado. You'll just have to come and see for yourself!
3 comments:
ok, you had me there for a second with the nausea and vomitting but the sunset and lavendar skies sealed the deal.. we're coming to visit! woot! woot!
I thought you hate cold weather? This must be LOVE! :)
You could be a travel writer! It sounds breathtakingin it's beauty, high altitude and frigid air.
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