Our son and his family moved in August from Denver to the Rocky Mountain town of Dillon, Colorado, located some 9,600 feet above sea level. I was anxious to visit and scheduled a trip in late October to coincide with our granddaughter’s thirteenth birthday. Fortunately, I was once again able to book American Airlines First Class tickets simply by redeeming 65,000 Avios miles from my British Airways Executive Club Program account and paying only $11.60 in taxes. That’s a deal that can’t be beat! On the morning of departure, I breezed through the security procedures at the Raleigh Durham Airport, thanks to having enrolled in TSA PreCheck, offering a much smoother screening process. With TSA PreCheck, there’s no need to remove shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, or light jackets. After clearing security, I stopped by the American Airlines Admirals Club located in Terminal 2, across from Gates C1 and C3. Breakfast was available at my hometown club that morning, consisting of scrambled eggs and toppings like green peppers, bacon bits and diced cheeses. Cereals, fruit, yogurt, bagels and hard boiled eggs were also on tap, along with juices, coffee and hot water for tea. Their coffee machine is impressive. It even offers espresso, latte and cappuccino but I was disappointed to learn I couldn’t get a simple cup of decaffeinated.
My morning flight to Chicago boarded on time and I settled into Seat 2C on the Airbus A319 aircraft. There are eight seats in two rows of the forward cabin in a 2x2 configuration and the seats are 21 inches wide with a pitch of 38 inches. Beverage service was offered on this flight which lasted approximately two and a half hours. I had about a good amount of time before my connecting flight and made my way to the Chicago Admirals Club located in the crosswalk between Gates H6 and K6. This is a fairly large lounge but it was pretty crowded when I opted for a visit that morning. It was only about 10:30 AM Chicago time when I arrived and so they were still serving breakfast which was exactly the same as that offered at the Raleigh lounge. They were due to change over to their all-day dining menu at 11:00 AM but my connecting flight was boarding at 11:15 so I found a quiet spot to get some work done during my time at the Chicago Admirals Club. My next flight to Denver was operated by a Boeing B737-800. This version had sixteen seats in First Class in four rows in a 2x2 configuration. I was pleased to note the airline has installed device holders for tablets in the seat backs with USB ports right next to them. The seat back push buttons are now in the middle consoles. There’s also a separate button used to access a small drinks holder and the tray tables themselves are put into play via a “push button, pop up” feature on the center arm rests. The tablet holders are a welcome addition to the cabin and the new push button features are intuitive and simple to use. Since the flight took place during meal time and was over nine hundred miles in length, we were served a cold, pre-packaged lunch in the premium cabin directly after the beverage service.
I had made a reservation with the Peak Express Colorado Shuttle to take me from the Denver International Airport to the Residence Inn by Marriott in Breckenridge. It was on time and is actually the easiest and most convenient Colorado airport shuttle in the area. Our driver assisted passengers with their luggage and bottled water was provided during the trip. The shuttle dropped me right off at the entrance to the hotel and it wasn’t long before I was checked in and on my way to my room. This three-star hotel features 129 studio and one-bedroom suites and I was fortunate to receive an upgrade to a one-bedroom suite at check-in. The 480 square-foot suite had a small sitting room with a pullout sofa bed. It also had free Wi-fi and two, 32-inch LED-screen televisions with satellite cable and premium movie channels The sitting area opened into the fully-equipped kitchen and the hotel does offer grocery shopping service. The kitchen featured a pantry area, coffee maker, refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, dishwasher, dish-cleaning supplies, and silverware, along with dishes and glasses as well as pots, pans and serving dishes. The Residence Inn would be an excellent hotel for an extended stay in the mountains at any time of year. A full buffet breakfast service with an omelette station was complimentary for hotel guests and the Base Camp Lounge was said to offer speciality cocktails and light fare but was closed during the time of my visit.
It was wonderful to spend time with family that evening and check out their new home in nearby Dillon. Bordering the Dillon Reservoir (also known as Lake Dillon) and nestled along the Ten Mile and Gore Mountain Ranges, this town is located some seventy miles west of Denver and close to no less than seven world-class ski resorts. Needless to say, our grandchildren will be getting even more time on the slopes this winter with their home being so close to those resorts. Around mid morning of the next day we went over to the Butterhorn Bakery & Café in the nearby town of Frisco for breakfast. It has long been a favorite among Summit County locals and visitors alike, offering wholesome and reasonably-priced food where everything is homemade daily. The service was as good as the food and we were well fortified for the day ahead. After leaving the café, we visited the famous Breckenridge Troll, a 15-foot sculpture made out of recycled and scrap wood. The Breckenridge Troll, named Isak Heartstone, was created by Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist. He’s built over fifty other trolls around the world, all made out of scrap materials. The artist wants to help people understand the value of recycling, and used scrap wood from the local area to create Isak. Originally fashioned in August 2018 for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts. Isak’s first home was near a neighborhood trailhead. But, because of his quick rise in popularity, it brought a lot of heavy traffic and noise to an otherwise quiet neighborhood, so the troll was taken down in November of 2018. The City of Breckenridge (or Breck, as the locals call it) found a new locale for him in 2019, and Thomas Dambo returned to reconstruct Isak at his current home. Just south of downtown, the Breckenridge Troll is now located at the Trollstigen Trail in Breckenridge, about a mile from the lively downtown area.
And that’s where we headed next. It’s no surprise that Breckenridge is often referred to as the perfect mountain town. It’s ideally situated at the base of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. While the mountain offers five peaks and 2,908 skiable acres to explore, it’s the town that really sets the area apart. Full of history and character, Breckenridge shares an incredibly laid-back and welcoming charm that made me feel almost like a local. We took a stroll down historic Main Street and felt the vibrant spirit of eclectic boutiques and many sun-soaked café patios and decks. The town was alive with people out enjoying the day among the multitude of restaurants, shops and galleries. We went to Giampietro Pasta & Pizzeria for dinner that evening. It’s an Italian restaurant serving everything from pizza, mussels and beef carpaccio to Italian and Greek salads along with baked pasta, chicken and veal entrées. The restaurant's got a great reputation and nearly all of the tables were full of folks enjoying the casual, red-checkered tablecloth atmosphere and good food.
Our granddaughter’s birthday was celebrated the next morning and then we went into Denver for a matinée performance by The Improvised Shakespeare Company at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Based on a single audience suggestion (a title for a play that has yet to be written), this Los Angles-based theatre company created a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before our eyes. Nothing was written, planned or even rehearsed and all of the dialogue was being said for the first time. The characters were created as we watched and the results were hysterical. The standing ovation they received at the play’s conclusion was certainly well deserved. After the show, we walked down to the Foraged Restaurant for dinner. This hip, bi-level spot on Blake Street is an upscale sushi bar serving craft cocktails in a nice atmosphere and we shared a number of scrumptious sushi rolls for our evening meal.
Since I had an early flight out the following morning, I spent the night at the Westin Denver International Airport Hotel. It stands 14 floors high, with 484 guest rooms and 35 suites. My king-bedded room had wall-to-wall windows with sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado’s high plains. The hotel is connected directly to the Airport’s main Jeppesen Terminal which made my departure so much easier. While Denver is known for long security lines and wait times, I’m happy to report it only took me about five minutes to clear security in the TSA PreCheck line, giving me ample time to visit the Denver Admirals Club prior to my flight.
I returned home to Raleigh in the afternoon with more memories of happy family time in the remarkable setting the Colorado Rockies provided.
Until next time..safe travels.
Sounds like a great place to visit - especially with family in the area.
Wow! What a great choice for the family to settle down. Sounds like a wonderful place. Knew you would have a great time...how could you not with a family such as theirs!