Selkirk Camp Ground

BETH writes - Today's 41 miles was one of the best days. After getting through Silverthorne we turned onto the most amazing bike path. This bike path went around the Dillion Reservoir which supplies water to Denver. The bike path also goes from Silverthorne to Keystone, to Breckenridge, Copper and Vail - well over 40 miles in length. Bethany and I rode 24 of it. Beautiful views of the mountains were all around us. From the town of Frisco to Breckenridge we had a fantastic, curvy descent through the forest - it was soooooo fun! We saw more bikers of all kinds than I think I have ever seen. Breckenridge is a bustling ski town with the summer tourists enjoying the shops and bike rentals. Wow is that a ski hill!! Today the climb was to Boreas Pass at 11,438 ft - Yippi the highest I have been yet and Continental Divide crossing number 15. The climb was very easy because the road is the old track of the Union Pacific and South Pass Rail systems the went from Denver to Leadville between 1880 and 1937. The railroad was ended when the mining boom ceased in the late 30's and the rails were removed in the 50's. The climb gave us countless views of Breckenridge and the surrounding 14000 foot Rocky Mountains. Once at the top we looked around at the old Boreas Pass town that used to be the home to 150 people and the highest US Post Office in the country, which is no longer in service. We enjoyed hamburgers with Mom and Sue as we watched a mother Elk and her baby in the field across from our campsite. We have a rough life these days!!
JAN writes of today - Sue and I checked out Breckenridge, CO today. A quaint town below a massive mountain range. Although it was hot (Colorado is breaking heat records the last few days), there is lots of snow in the mountains above. The hanging baskets and large pots of flowers are everywhere in town. Certainly a picturesque spot to live!! From there we drove to a preserved area called South Park City in the town of Fairplay. Buildings were moved here from all over the area and house amazing collections from years gone by. The old fashioned pharmacy is purported to have the best collection of old drugs, remedies, and bottles anywhere in the US. We spent about 2 hours visiting the 40+ buildings and viewing the various artifacts they housed. We met the girls at Selkirk Campground, a primitive area above a riparian (stream with wetland shrubs and plants on either side) habitat. We had bottled water with us and washed in the stream with biodegradable soap. Cold water! The moon was full overnight and the coyotes active! We saw elk and deer, but luckily the bears that we saw warnings for didn't visit us!