Welcome to the 843rd Metamorphosis Monday! Getting up at 3 AM for an early morning flight isn’t much fun, but seeing this sunrise through the plane window helped make up for it.
Our room in Breckenridge was such a wonderful surprise. This is my 4th time visiting Breckenridge and my first time staying in a room with a balcony view of one of the slopes. It only takes a minute to reach the door downstairs where everyone leaves to ski for the day. The Ski-In/Ski-Out option has been wonderful for the guys.
When my son was small, we would come ski here every few years. One year, we skied in Snowshoe, West Virginia. Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to ski often enough to get really good at it. My son is changing all of that. He loves skiing with a passion and purchased a season pass this winter, so he, his dad, and my grandsons have been skiing several times this season, including a trip to Heavenly in Lake Tahoe.
I’m not skiing on this trip, but it sure looks fun out there! Having a room directly overlooking one of the slopes has been fascinating. Every afternoon, after the slopes close down around 4:00 PM, we see the grooming machines gliding by, preparing the slopes for the next day. We’ve also witnessed a few rescues where skiers injured or overcome with altitude sickness, aka, Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) are brought down on a yellow sled that’s attached behind one of the rescue crew.
Speaking of Altitude Sickness, we have all been suffering from it despite drinking tons of water and trying to follow all the rules for acclimating to the higher altitude. Breckenridge, Colorado is 9,600 feet above sea level. I remember during past trips having trouble breathing when climbing steps for the first couple of days, but this time around has been much worse–and not just for me, so it’s not an age-related thing. We’ve all had terrible headaches, felt nauseated, and really run down/tired. Not getting the oxygen you’re used to definitely has some harsh affects on the body!
One night I awoke to go to the bathroom and felt very faint when I sat up in the bed. I immediately sat down on the floor and put my head lower than my body to keep from passing out. I was super nauseated, too. It was the pits! Today seems to be the big turning point, we are all doing much better and feeling a lot closer to normal. They actually have “Oxygen Bars” here, just learned about those yesterday. I wish I had known about those earlier because they sound like a good treatment for altitude sickness. Have you ever visited an Oxygen Bar?
Yesterday, and late into the evening, from our balcony we watched horse-drawn sleighs pulled by large draft horses, make their way up the slopes.
I know these horses are built for pulling heavy loads, but I’m a softie when it comes to animals. I can’t help but feel bad for them, although maybe they enjoy getting out for this in the evening. Any horse lovers out there? Do draft horses enjoy this type of work?
A nighttime sleigh ride on its way back…
Last night we had dinner in Hearthstone, a beautiful restaurant in the downtown area of Breckenridge. The food was excellent, definitely recommend! (Photo from Coloradodotcom.)
This was the view as we exited the front door of the restaurant. It was so freezing cold out, we didn’t really have time to enjoy this view. The temps are going to be pretty moderate during the day this week, so I’m looking forward to exploring a bit more.
This is my first vacation since before everyone stopped traveling 4-5 years ago. Feels weird to be on an actual vacation after so many years. What vacations do you have planned this year?
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
When we lived in CO and had visitors from other states we had them stay at our house for at least a day before going to the mountains. You need to adapt to a mile high before going higher.
Agree, we live a little higher than Denver. My plans are to buy canned air for guest staying with us and visiting higher elevations.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos! Breckenridge is such a wonderful place, I haven’t been there in ages, but I remember liking it so much because it feels like a town that happens to have a ski resort, than just a purpose built resort (though I really like Snowshoe, WV, too, which is absolutely a purpose built ski resort, so go figure :)!). I had a cousin-in-law who drove a carriage in Central Park, NYC. He always said the draft/dray horses who pull the carriages were well-suited to what they do – they’re bred to pull heavy carts. He drove Belgians, if I remember correctly.
Oh, Susan – isn’t Breckenridge gorgeous????? What a wonderful post. And that room with a view is indeed perfection! I am so happy you are enjoying your get-away. My sis is a mountain climber and avid skier and they always suffer from altitude sickness too. Ugh. Glad it’s better for ya now.
My husband I used to ski but alas had to give that up years ago due to back issues. My hubby is taking me on a week long Baja Mexico cruise for my 75th birthday gift on Holland America. Looking forward to that fun surprise. I’ve only been on two other cruises (Alaska and the Greek Isles…both were fantastic) but this will be our first alone. Have fun in Breckenridge!
We struggle with the altitude as well. See if you can buy patches to put behind your ears. You can also buy canned oxygen, which was really helpful. Good luck! Usually by the time you’re acclimated, it’s time to leave.
Susan, I have a friend who lives right outside Breckenridge, up on the mountain, and hikes and skis the slopes from her house. She only has about 3-4 months of warm weather in summer. She’s happy though as she absolutely loves skiing. The wildlife roam all around her home. Moose, fox, you name it. Have fun. Carol
We were in Denver for the first time a few weeks ago and my husband helped pack up a relative’s house. He couldn’t figure out why he was so winded when carrying items up from the basement. Then he remembered the altitude! Someone else in our group (from NYC) had to go to an oxygen bar. I’m off to the UK next month: York, North Wales and London. Also fitting in a visit to Chatsworth House – it’s where they filmed the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Enjoy your vacation!
Have fun making memories with your family.
Thanks for sharing the happiness.
And thanks for Met Monday Blog party.
Susan,
Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much for hosting!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links!! I hope you are enjoying your week and you are doing well…
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Love, love, love the sunrise photo. I too hate early flights that get me up and out before 5:00 am. However your photo has inspired me to do it for my upcoming summer trip, especially if I could get to see a spectacular sunrise like the one you captured. Also, I’m not a skier, but have always enjoyed the Colorado mountains. Thanks for sharing such beautiful views.
I have been to Colorado often, and have always wondered what the Oxygen bars were for?, Now I know. I guess I have been luck all these years as the altitude has never bothered me or anyone that I was traveling with. My daughter and son in law did have issues with it one trip with their infant daughter, while in Red River New Mexico. They ended up going to the local care facility and were treated, fortunately they recovered soon. Enjoy Breckenridge ! I love the horses and sleighs!
Beautiful photos! I used to ski a couple of times/year, but now I’d be all about the sleigh ride! Took a full-moon sleigh ride in Austria long ago; what a fabulous memory!
Hi Susan! So happy to have you in our lovely little town! We’ve lived in Breckenridge for two years, and it is picture-perfect!
I’m a nurse, and I’ve seen countless patients with altitude sickness, or acute mountain sickness (AMS). If you’re visiting high altitude, definitely drink more water, but be careful to not over-hydrate to the point that you impact your sodium levels (hyponatremia). Avoid alcohol, especially in the first 48 hours. If possible, spend the first night at a moderate altitude (a night in Denver can make a big difference). If you love coming to Colorado but have repeated issues with altitude sickness, ask your doctor about prescribing Diamox, which speeds up acclimatization. If your symptoms become worse or do not subside in 2 to 4 days, see a doctor. The hypoxia that comes with this altitude can be very serious. Red flags include Respiratory Distress (more than just “winded”, this is difficulty taking a breath), and Neurological symptoms like confusion or disorientation.
Our doctor recommends that anyone over 40 living at this altitude sleep with oxygen. Although we are fully acclimated and very active, due to the natural decrease in respiratory rate during sleep, our oxygen saturation was decreasing to unhealthy levels. So, my husband and I bought oxygen concentrators that we use every night. They’ve improved our sleep quality immensely!
After returning home, can you provide the name of where you stayed? Is parking available?? Went for a day visit last month, and drove around for an hour looking for a parking spot. Never found one!!!
Sure! I can email that to you, as well. Yes, they have covered parking. My son said that sometimes the parking garage on the lower level fills up but we’ve been very lucky and have always been able to find a place this time