Welcome to the 844th Metamorphosis Monday! During the time my son was growing up, we visited Breckenridge, Colorado, to ski a total of three times. During each visit, we would have a little trouble breathing the first two to three days. It was always very minor, not enough to stop us from any of the activities we had planned. I distinctly remember that the only time I noticed the altitude change was when I walked up 3-4 steps to go inside one of the shops in the historic area. As I reached the top, I’d find myself gasping for air, and found it hilarious. After just a couple of days, that breathless feeling went away and never returned.
Well, I don’t know what’s changed, but it’s not so funny anymore! As mentioned in a previous post, the altitude sickness really got to me this time. I found myself gasping for air pretty much every single day of the trip, even when just walking across a room! How ridiculous is that?! In addition to the gasping-for-air issue, I had a headache and was slightly nauseated for the first 2-3 days. Fortunately, the headache and nausea stuff eventually went away, or at least got a lot better, but the gasping-for-air thing never did.
The day before we were scheduled to leave to return home, I decided to visit one of the local Oxygen Bars. I had never heard of an Oxygen Bar before this trip. I don’t think they were around when we visited so many years ago. Okay, I just did a quick search, and it appears that Oxygen Bars started popping up in the late 1990s.
The bar I visited in Breckenridge was The O2 Lounge. There were already several customers inside when I arrived. They appeared to have just finished their Oxygen treatments. I kept thinking my issue this trip had to do with being a lot older than on my previous visits to Breckenridge, but seeing so many young people in the bar, including big burly guys, I realized it’s not an age thing. The Oxygen Bar staffer/employee confirmed that, saying he often has people my age or older come in with their children or grandchildren who are having issues breathing, and they (the parent/grandparent) are just fine. Interesting, huh?
Have you ever visited an Oxygen Bar? They break the cost down by the length of the treatment—15 minutes was $16 and 30 minutes was $22. I went with the 30-minute option, and the time passed quickly as I scrolled through Instagram.
Another choice I had to make was the “scent” I would be smelling as I breathed in the Oxygen. I didn’t want a scent since I typically don’t like artificially scented air fresheners and such, but the guy running the bar said that without a scent, the air would have a metallic smell. There were four scents from which to choose. I don’t recall all of them now, but I remember one was named Energy, and another was Relaxation. I went with Energy since the description of the scent sounded more to my liking. I barely noticed any scent during the treatment, which was good. I was given a cannula, and as the air flowed into my nose, I noticed nothing—no change in how I felt at all. I couldn’t even feel any air going in. For me, it was just like sitting and breathing normally, but with a cannula in my nose.
Did it work? No, not at all. As soon as I left the bar and walked a 1/2 block down the street, I found myself gasping for air. Disappointing! Would I go to an Oxygen Bar again? Nope. But I’m glad I gave it a try, just to see what it was all about. I think it may help some people, though. The folks who were just leaving as I was coming in seemed to be happy with their results.
Breckenridge is such a pretty place, especially the historic part of the town. I loved seeing all the older architecture and I’m so glad that it’s being preserved.
It was kinda hard to take photos since so many areas were super crowded with people and cars.
Doesn’t this feel like a building out of an old western movie? 
As I shopped, I kept being surprised by the wonderful views. It’s easy to forget that the mountains and snow-covered ski slopes are just a few feet away!
On this trip, my son did something we’ve never done before: he signed up for a private lesson. The cost for a private lesson is insane! It was just under $1,500 for a single day. He split the lesson with his sons. My grandsons are 8 and 11 and they enjoyed a private lesson for the first 3 hours of the day. Afterward, they all went to lunch with their instructor. After lunch, my son dropped the kiddos back by the room and had his private lesson that afternoon. This photo below was taken from our balcony at the end of the lesson when they were wrapping up.
Despite the insane cost of the lesson, my son was thrilled with how much he learned. He was already a very good skier, but he learned a lot! During the lesson, the instructor had him confidently skiing Double Blacks. My grandsons also improved greatly. So the exorbitant cost of the lesson was worth it to them in the end. It’s our understanding that very little of the $1,500 actually goes to the instructor, so it’s important to tip generously, if you can.
The next day, my son and grandsons were able to use what they had learned and rode the highest ski lift in North America, the Imperial Express, to an elevation of 12,840 feet! You would think they had been skiing their whole life. Kids are fearless! They are all three (my son and grandsons) completely obsessed with skiing now!
By the way, if you have a skier in your family and you’re looking for a great birthday or Christmas gift, I very much recommend this book. I purchased it for my son’s birthday in June, but he was so excited about this trip, I gave it to him the day before we left for Breckenridge. He LOVES it! He wants to use it to highlight/document all the ski trips they take and the slopes they ski. The cover of the book is in black and white, but the images inside by James Niehues, an artist who is famous for creating the drawings in ski maps, are in color. It’s a great book for anyone who loves skiing!
Here’s a description of the book. The drawings inside are all in color and are beautiful!
Featuring over 200 ski resort trail maps hand-painted by one legendary artist, this beautiful 292-page hardcover coffee table book is the first and definitive compilation of the art created by James Niehues during his 30-year career. Eight geographically themed chapters form the heart of the book, offering you full-page images of the world’s most iconic ski areas including Alta, Arapahoe Basin, Aspen, Breckenridge, Big Sky, Deer Valley, Heavenly, Jackson Hole, Jay Peak, Killington, Kirkwood, Lake Louise, Mammoth, Mont Tremblant, Mt. Bachelor, Park City, Revelstoke, Snowbird, Squaw Valley, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride, Whistler Blackcomb and other renowned resorts. In engaging narrative that complements the maps, Niehues reveals his exacting technique, which demands up to six weeks to complete a single painting. He then walks you through the step-by-step process for mapping Breckenridge, sharing everything from aerial photographs, to numerous pencil sketches, to in-progress builds, to the final trail map illustration. The magic of the finished product is captured in both a foreword by pioneering big-mountain skier Chris Davenport and the perspectives of other ski industry insiders. Every detail was taken into consideration: Italian art-quality printing, heavier weight matte coated paper and a lay-flat binding.
You’ll find the book available here: The Man Behind The Maps.
I’ve already shared a few of the items I picked up during my breathless shopping trip. Ha! Here are two more silly, fun things I couldn’t resist. I loved this little bear wearing his Breckenridge ski sweater. I bought him in the gift shop at Beaver Run, the resort where we stayed during this trip.
Though I’m not really a believer, I found this wooden, 8.5-inch Sasquatch/Big Foot too cute to resist. I asked the sales clerk as I was checking out if the Bigfoot myth originated in Colorado, since I kept seeing them for sale in all the stores. She said she wasn’t sure, but that it’s a popular myth in the area. I did a quick online search and discovered that the first sightings were in Northern California, with most sightings reported over the years in Washington State. So, while Mr. Breckenridge Bear keeps me company in a chair here in the office, Sasquatch is hanging out on the console desk behind me. lol It’s so neat how the design is carved/layered to create the design. 
Currently on my puzzle board: Thanks so much to Donna for telling me about this Agatha Christie mystery puzzle featuring 90 clues from her various works! I am loving it! 
Puzzle is available here: Agatha Christie Puzzle.
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.
Very interesting about the oxygen bar. I hope you told them about your experience. It could be that you had a defective machine. Colorado just wouldn’t work for me as I am often short of breath due to medical issues that I live with. Great that you had a good trip with your family. Love the puzzle!
I know. I wasn’t sure if it had worked until I left and started walking down the street to go shopping. At that point, I really just wanted to get on with my day. Maybe I got a defective machine. I would think they would test them periodically to make sure they are working.
Thanks, Debra! That was the best part…spending it with family.
Love all the photos of your trip! Is there a story with the puzzle with a crime to solve? Is there a list of the 90 “clues” to find? You must have a secret to getting your puzzles finished so quickly – can you share it?!
I don’t think there’s a mystery to solve with this puzzle but on the back of the large poster that came with the puzzle, there are 90 “things” to find in the puzzle that are characters or clues from her many works. It makes me want to read more of her books! Amazingly, she wrote 72 novels, 150 short stories, and 30 plays during her lifetime. The poster also shares a lot of information about her life… such an incredibly talented women!
Oh, and I don’t really have a secret…I just do the border first, then work on individual parts/things in the puzzle. I actually did a post about how I work a puzzle since I had several questions about that. You’ll find that post here:
https://betweennapsontheporch.net/how-i-work-a-1000-piece-puzzle-answering-your-puzzle-board-questions/
Thank you!! Lots of great, helpful information!
When I worked at DTW airport, there was an oxygen bar in the concourse. We used to go up & have oxygen when we were feeling sluggish at work. It seemed to work for a while. We felt more energetic but no one actually had breathing problems to compare it to. Maybe you did have a defective machine?
Yeah, I did wonder if I got a defective one. I was hoping it would make me feel a bit better, at least long enough to enjoy shopping.
My kiddos absolutely love snowskiing (& water skiing, wake boarding, etc…not my gene) & travel Utah every winter. SO GLAD you had a great time inspite of oxygen deprivation. franki
I bet the skiing is amazing in Utah!
What a great trip – shortness of breath aside. I’m glad you got to enjoy it anyway, and I’m sorry the oxygen bar didn’t work for you. I love the Agatha Christie puzzle! I’ve done that one, and the Poirot version too – both really fun! Thanks as always for the great inspiration and suggestions, and for the party! Hope you have a great Monday!
Oh, I bet the Poirot one is awesome! Will have to do a search for that one.
XXX
How very interesting! The buildings, the o2 bar, etc.
So sorry you were having trouble breathing. Scary!
However family time trumps it all!
I’m better now that my feet are back in Ohio. lol Yes, the family time was great!
As a resident of CO at 6000 feet year around, they only way to adapt to the lower concentrations of oxygen at altitude is by time. Your body needs time to product more red blood cells to carry oxygen. An hour ‘treatment’ isn’t going to do anything. That’s why professional athletes come to CO and train for months, not days. The body needs about 3 to 4 weeks to adapt, or just take it really easy depending on your age and health.
Yeah, but when you’re only there for a week, you don’t have a lot of time. Not sure why I adapted in just 2-3 days back all those times we visited in the past. The guy who was running the oxygen bar said that when he goes on vacation to Europe for 2 weeks, even though he’s only gone for a couple of weeks, it takes him a while to readjust when he returns. I was so surprised that just two weeks away had that effect on him. So interesting about athletes coming there to train!
The older we get the longer it takes to adapt. My grandkids have no problem with the SuperChair on Breck which tops a little over 11,000 feet. Not for me!
According to Dr. Google. “While older individuals can enjoy high-altitude adventures, age-related physiological changes can increase the risk of altitude sickness (AMS) and other altitude-related illnesses, but acclimatization can mitigate these risks.” Cheers
What a lovely trip!! Love the bear and sasquatch….so much more fun than the mugs or t-shirts I usually buy as souvenirs! 🙂 That book looks wonderful too.
I wanted a long-sleeve t-shirt but never saw one that was quite right. I can’t even imagine the patience the artist has to draw all those maps! He draws in each little tree individually!
I’ve gotten some really good t-shirts lately, but long sleeve ones are harder to find for me. I usually wear the short-sleeved ones over a long-sleeved solid tee. I don’t mind layering. Oh, I agree….that map book looks SO detailed and amazing. Artistic talent is truly wonderful.
My son used to live in Frisco, just a few miles away from Breckenridge. I had the same problem with the altitude. I live at sea level and it really was debilitating for me to visit. Between the lack of oxygen and time difference I was ready for bed when everyone else was ready for dinner. Not the best visits unfortunately.
I keep imagining a cowboy walking into a bar and finding oxygen instead of beer. I’m not an expert but I can’t see the oxygen really helping unless your body has had time to adjust the red blood cell level to carry it. What a lovely trip though!
LOL, that would be funny! I know, it def didn’t work for me.
Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s exhausting to go through a whole day feeling breathless. One night, I could not sleep, kept waking up feeling like I couldn’t breathe. That was a miserable night. So Frisco must be at a good bit lower altitude.
So interesting about the O2 bar…And the town looked so charming…Seems like a great trip was had by everyone!! Thanks for sharing!! And Thanks so much for hosting this charming party!!! I truly do appreciate it as I do know the time involved with it….I hope you are enjoying your week!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
It really is charming, that’s a great way to describe it! Hope you have a wonderful week, Deb!
XXX
Ah yes, Sasquatch is alive and well here in the Pacific Northwest. Had not heard he made his way to Breckenridge. You’ll find him all over the local shops here in Seattle. T-shirts, coffee mugs and occasional “sightings”. Glad you found a souvenir to enjoy from your trip!
Hi- When I would go skiing out West I would take a aspirin every day to thin the blood and deal with the altitude sickness. It would help. The only place I had issues being short of breath was Telluride which is higher than Breck.