Breckenridge

Oh Breckenridge you have our hearts!  Our summer vacations were cancelled (NYC, Kanakuk family kamp, Napa Valley) due to Covid so we fell back on our trusty Breckenridge for a last minute guaranteed fun trip!  And it did NOT disappoint!  We go to Breck at the end of every summer for a long weekend getaway and break from the OK summer heat.  This year we made this trip a full week and we could have stayed much longer!!!  The weather was perfection, our company was a blast and our adventures were non-stop!  I could not have imagined summer without a vacation so I'm grateful we were able to squeeze in one trip during these crazy times!

These three travelers were ready to hit the road!!!  Mason didn't watch an electronic the entire drive out there.  He looked out the window in awe and asked so many questions.  Love this little traveler!

Harper made bracelets most of the drive . . .

and Jackson took full advantage of relaxation time and watched his tablet the ENTIRE time!

We stopped in Alamosa for a night to visit the Great Sand Dunes!  What an amazing and unique place.  The Sand Dunes were bigger than I imagined and way more fun than we all expected!

We rolled into the sand dunes around 6:00pm which was perfect timing.  The sand wasn't hot and the dunes weren't crowded!  It almost felt like we had the entire park to ourselves!  The kids were ready for sledding after a full day in the car!

My first time down was with this cutie!

The hills were fast, lots of tumbles occurred, faces full of sand, exhausting walks back up and tons of energy burned!  Walking up the hill each time seemed like a marathon.  We were all out of breath and legs cramping but we kept going for hours and hours!

So beautiful and so peaceful!  

Don't let his smile fool you, he was panting the entire way up :)

Love our adventures together!

After perfecting sledding, the kids gave surfing a try!

As the evening wound down, we posted up for some amazing star gazing!  With the closest town 30+ miles away the sky was pitch black for star gazing.  We saw tons of stars, the Milky Way, Venus

Couldn't love this picture more!  We had the entire park to ourselves at the end and it was so peaceful.  Clearly Mason felt relaxed!

And Jackson was just as relaxed!

Such a fun adventure to start our Colorado vacay!  Next stop Breckenridge!

We started off our first day in Breck with the Vail Pass bike ride.  We loved it so much last year and all the kids were so excited to take the ride again!  Loaded up and ready to get to the top!

 And we are off!

 Love my crew and this view!  

This crew did A LOT of bike riding through quarantine but never had scenery close to this!  Breathtaking!

 Great neighbors make an even better traveling crew! So glad the Williams joined our summer adventure!

We ended our 14 mile bike ride in Frisco.  There was an adventure park with dirt bike ramps that the kids loved.  They couldn't get enough adventure!

We've been to Breckenridge for 5+ years and this was the first time we went on the Troll hunt!  What a surprise to see this big guy at the end!

Every full day ended with an evening in the hot tub.  Some nights just kids and some nights we all squeezed in!

Montgomery Reservoir is always a must and we couldn't wait to bring the Williams.  Another one of our favorite spots in Breckenridge.  Great fishing, hiking, beautiful waterfalls, perfect picnic spots, all which always makes for the best day!

Bigfoot followed us from Broken Bow to Breck!  Kids couldn't believe he could travel that far!

Fish or no fish, this view is worth every cast!!!

 Breckenridge had a full mask mandate.  Their Main Street was closed to car traffic so restaurants could move their tables outside for patio seating.  Just a group of outlaws dining in Breck!

On our 3rd day in Breck we rented a pontoon boat and hit the water for fishing and cruising!  Lake Dillon is one of the most beautiful lakes!

This kid is living his dream day!  He could boat and fish all day, every day!

Our last day we wanted a "challenging family hike" that included fishing along the way!  And boy did we challenge ourselves!  We decided to conquer the Lower Mohawk Lake Trail and ended up making it all the way to the Upper Mohawk Lake.   When we took this picture we had no idea we would be making it all the way to Upper Mohawk which was the the highest snow capped peak in this picture!  We would have called ourselves crazy if we knew how far and high we would be hiking.

This is Lower Mohawk which we were so excited to reach!  It was beautiful but the lake wasn't very fishable and if we carried the poles this far we were for sure fishing!!!  We were exhausted but Upper Mohawk was less than 1.0 mile further so we kept on trekking!

From lower to upper the hike was very steep and rocky!  Our calves were cramping and we were so out of breath but the kids were the BEST hikers!!!

STUNNING views the entire hike!

 The best scenery I've taken in!

The first sight of Upper Mohawk was absolutely breathtaking.  As we made the final climb, Upper Mohawk appeared like an infinity pool at eye level.  At this point we made it to timberline and lots of snow was covering the ground.  The lake was crystal clear and you could see the red trout swimming around!  So worth the long, hard, exhausting hike!  

These girls earned a rest and a snack!  We found the perfect rock chair for them!

The massive amounts of snow were an added bonus! 

This was the hardest hike I've ever done (can't believe we did it with kids) but this view was more than worth it!!!

 

On the way up we noticed a road that looked to cut a few of the first miles off the hike.  Kendal and I decided to leave the boys fishing a little longer to grab the car and shorten the hike down for the kids.  The dads gave us about an hour head start and then they were off to tackle the hardest part of the downhill hike with the kids!  Our drive up was very challenging but us off roading moms did it!  The first sight of the kids brought a few tears to my eyes!  WE ALL DID IT!!!!  The kids had some crazy stories from the hike down: 1) Jackson had serious altitude sickness which started with a severe headache and ended up with a few rounds of throwing up 2) Tyler got a bloody nose from the altitude 3) Wyatt and Mason had a big tumble down the mountain.  So proud of all of us for conquering the Mohawks!  It was extremely difficult but so worth it!!!

Totals for the hike!!!!

Another fabulous summer trip to Breckenridge!!!  Much needed break from the reality of 2020!