I was happy to receive a message on my phone that a blogger who lives in Manhattan was going to be visiting Breckenridge, Colorado, for a week and asked if my husband and I had some time to visit. She wasn't sure how far away we were from that pretty ski town but we told her it was totally doable and set a time and date. I was a little worried that she would feel a bit of a headache and tired from the high elevation--NYC is at sea level and the town of Breckenridge is at 9600 feet (2926 m), and gave her some high altitude hints and told her to take her first few days easy. We set off for our visit by driving west on Interstate 70 up into the Rockies! I always love the view you see in the photos above as we approach the Genesee area. (All photos and collages will enlarge when clicked on)
The drive up is always beautiful, especially when the mountains are still snow-capped.
When we drove into Breckenridge I saw that the gondolas that go up to the ski lodge were not moving. We found out that this was a shoulder season between winter and summer activities at the lodges so they were on a break until later in June.
Pat on the left, Carol on the right
Here we are! Carol Zwick of the blog "Buttercup Counts Her Blessings" and I was meeting again after quite a few years! It was so good to see her and we had a lot to talk about.
We had lunch together at a local bistro in Breckenridge and we then decided to take a drive over scenic Hoosier Pass into Fairplay. The pass is located on the Continental Divide at the northern end of the Mosquito Range, at an (elevation of 11,542 ft (3,518 m))
We went to the town of Fairplay, located in South Park, at an elevation of 9,953 feet (3,034 m). We were told not to miss their dramatic new sign at the junction of US 285! The sign gives homage to the fact that the town was founded during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush days. The town was named by settlers who were upset by the generous mining claims given to the earliest prospectors and promised a more equitable system for its residents 
We visited the South Park City Museum in Fairplay. I love this outdoor museum that consists of actual Gold Rush era and pioneer buildings that have been restored and preserved. There are forty-four authentic buildings filled with over 60,000 vintage artifacts that were donated by local Coloradans, and that portray most of the economic and social aspects of boomtown life. Seven of the buildings are on their original sites; the others have been moved from abandoned camps and ghost towns in South Park. We were told that soon another building would be added to the museum--a county jail! I've blogged about South Park City Museum before--click here.The gold and silver mining aspect of the South Park area is shown in many exhibits...
...as well as what everyday life was like during those times from 1860 to 1900.
I could have spent hours examing all the authentic vintage artifacts! Each building has displays!
There are also displays about the Native Americans who once lived and hunted in South Park. The displays above are arrowheads and spear points found in the area.
After our visit to the South Park City Museum, it was time to drive Carol back to Breckenridge. We returned over Hoosier Pass, enjoying the mountains vistas until we reached her hotel.
It was a wonderful day in the Rockies! We enjoyed seeing Carol again and catching up on New York City news, and I know she enjoyed seeing a part of Colorado she's never visited before and learning some Colorado history at the South Park City Museum.
What is new around here? This past week I enjoyed wonderful birthday celebrations with my family! My husband and our youngest granddaughter and I all have birthdays in early June, so there was lots of cake and lots of fun. My roses began to bloom on my birthday--always a pleasure to see, and it is the baby fawn season! Aren't they cute?
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