We spent the weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado. We wanted a small vacation, a little break from routine....and a chance to take in all the fall colors. We wanted a break in Breck.
And we got exactly that. It was a perfect weekend get-away.
We left Fort Collins on Saturday, around 9:15am. We pulled into the town of Breck around noon. We couldn't check into the hotel until a couple hours later. So we found some good parking and hit the streets.
Our first stop was a park in the heart of the town, right next to the Visitor Center. Which was perfect for us, because this place has the only public restrooms in the area. And between the four of us (mainly me and Sage) we are making potty stops at least every 30 minutes.
The weather was perfect. (I feel like I say that a lot - on almost every blog post. It must be a Colorado thing...)
It was warm in the sun. And cool in the shade.
It felt like early Autumn, but looked like late Autumn. The forest was alive with color.
We had lunch at the Crepe stand. We've dined there many a time before. And it has developed quite the reputation in town. The line was at least 10 people deep. And always is. We had to wait 45 long minutes to get our hands on the crepes. (And to be honest...trying to keep two little boys entertained for that long made us re-think the whole weekend get-away thing.... We were stressed by the end of the dining experience.)
But that all quickly changed once we checked into the hotel.
We started to have the BEST time!
We stayed at a Marriott Vacation Resort. (Thanks Dad, for the great discount!) I've come to love vacation resort line. Because they are designed for families. They are designed for people who need to hunker down and stay on property. And that's us. We can't venture into town all willy nilly whenever we want. Two young kids are tough to manage on crowded streets. The hotel gave us a safe space to roam, and relax, and refresh. Beer time!
The view was spectacular. We were on the top floor. And looking out the window quickly became my favorite Breckenridge activity.
This was our balcony view.
Simply gorgeous.
After a round of drinks for all, we were re-energized and ready to go exploring. The Marriott had several amenities on property. We stopped by the game room on the way to the pool. And Sage quickly became enamored with Pac Man.
The pool was outdoors, but had a small indoor entrance. And thank goodness it did. We didn't hit the pool until about 4 that afternoon, and it was getting cold and windy about this time. The pool was heated, but not enough to stop the initial submersion from shocking you. Brrr!
We swam for a bit. Once Kale's lips turned blue....we knew it was time to warm up. So we dashed over to the hot tub. Heaven! I only allowed Sage to submerge up to his waist. And Kale sat on my lap so that only his legs and bottom were in the water. And then I would use my hands (when they weren't holding a wine glass) to pour warm water over their arms and back.
The sign said "no infants." (Technically I have two toddlers.)
But I wanted to be extra safe.
We had a cold walk back to the room....
After a round of showers, and some warmer clothes, we headed out to explore the area on foot. Matt and I wanted a fancy cocktail. And we needed dinner too.
Sage was a great big brother on this trip. He asked to push the stroller on this particular walk. And then it became "his thing" for the rest of the vacation. He pushed Kale everywhere, turning corners with care, and freeing up the hands of his parents. It gave him a task, made him feel important, and also kept him walking in a straight line on the side walk. Win-win-win!
The Marriott is one of several resorts grouped together at the bottom of the ski slopes. In the center of all this lodging are several shops and restaurants, nestled up against a lake. A sort of "private on-site" downtown experience. This is the area we wanted to explore. Because we were just a stone's throw away from our room.
On our walk, we passed by a restaurant/bar lit up and playing fun music, but not a soul was inside. Totally empty. With two kids in tow, we decided this was the perfect placed for Matt and I to have out celebratory Breck cocktails. We went inside.
The entire place was ours to roam. Pressure was off to keep the kids in their chairs. It was the most wonderful public dining experience ever.
The bartender made Sage a chocolate milk.
And then Sage and his dad played four rounds of Wizard the Oz pinball. While Kale and I quizzed the bartender on his life story. Turns out he was a CSU business major. Small world!
For dinner we stopped at a nearby Italian restaurant - Taddeo's - and ordered a feast to-go. We could have had it delivered to the room for a 22% gratuity charge. But with us already out on foot, and with the room just a hop, skip, and jump away, I decided to save a little cash and deliver the meal myself.
Sage rented the movie Cars 2 from the Marriott's front desk (they had an impressive selection of options), and had himself a little movie night. While Matt and I stuffed our faces on incredibly good Italian, all from the comfort of our full-service kitchen studio suite.
On Sunday, we wanted to explore more of the town on foot. I envisioned eating a grab-and-go breakfast from a quaint corner shop (like a burrito) and then meandering up to the gondola for a ride. If found the burrito. But the gondola never panned out. It closed after Labor Day. So we ended up in a toy store instead. Bad idea. Very bad idea.
An hour later, I had two very crabby children, an exhausted husband, and half a cold burrito on my hands. We went back to the hotel and vouched to never leave again.
Just like the day before...after a short break...things made a turn for the better.
We hit the pool again. And today it was warmer - both the air and the pool water. People were sunbathing all over the place. It was a hot day in Breck.
Then it was back up to the room so the 3-year old could nap.
While Sage slept, Kale and I explored the river - running right by the hotel property. I was stunned to find such a natural oasis within such a short walk from our room.
In the late afternoon, we headed back to the on-site restaurants and shops, and took advantage of happy hour at the Quandry Grill (the sister restaurant of Taddeo's). $3 beers and 2 for 1 appetizers. Not bad at all! Surprisingly, this cheaper and more-casual diner lived up to the high standards of its big sister Taddeo. The food was fabulous. And the view was too.
(Definitely get the egg rolls!)
A lady dining by herself overheard Sage talking about the bouncy ball quarter machines at the entrance to the restaurant. I didn't have any quarters. But she did. And she generously hooked Sage up. Turns out...she was a CSU graduate too!
After happy hour, I wanted to show Sage and Matt what I had discovered earlier in the day.
So we took a hike.
In the picture below, that's Kale and I on the bridge....
Teeny tiny.
Now Matt's on the bridge.
Sage's turn!
We really liked the bridge...
The colors of the fall foliage were gorgeous.
Almost florescent...
Sage gets very excited about hiking when we first begin.
But by the end... he gets tired and bored, as you can see below...
Kale tuckered out too.
So it was back to the room for some TV time.
A little Rugrats and Bugle chips made everyone happy.
(Bugle's have become our official travel snack.)
On Monday, before returning to Fort Collins, we wanted to get in one more hike. We decided to try the Spruce Creek Trail.
The drive up to the trail-head gave us the most amazing views of the autumn colors.
Sage found a large branch on the ground and found it to be most hilarious when he couldn't pass between two trees.
We felt like pretty chill parents, letting Sage cross this bridge (over a shallow rocky river) all by himself. He did a great job.
Kale found a tree stump to sit on...
At noon, we loaded back into the car. And began our descent to Fort Collins. Shortly after hitting the highway, we pulled over for one final scenic look.
And this is what we saw:
