Day Seven
Breckenridge o miles
I was awake at 3:30 and it was pouring again? still? Finally got up at 5:15 to do laundry. Put two loads in the washers and then read on the treadmill for 45 minutes til I switched into dryer. Brought the stuff to hang dry upstairs and Bob was watching the news. Mt. Evans, which we drove by at about 3p yesterday, got snow during the night. It is weird weather!
Walked down to Cabin Coffee at 7a when laundry was done. Clouds were so low we couldn’t see halfway up the mountain and it was very wet — puddles on lawns and sidewalks. We got Cabin Coffee commuter cups — 10% off the coffee! haha — and brought it home. Watched CNBC, made breakfast (exactly the same as Monday except I added the leftover shallots from last night to my omelette) and worked on work emails, blogs etc all morning as we waited to see what the day will be. Looks like it’s clearing up and then dark clouds again. It is basically supposed to be rainy/iffy until Friday. I am wearing the same cashmere sweater, sweatshirt and Camp Birchwood parka every day for warmth and/ or rain protection…..
We signed up to do the bike ride from Vail Pass tomorrow morning. They outfit us on bikes, bring us up to Vail Pass and we ride the 15 miles down the mountain through Copper into Frisco.
About 11:30 we decided to pack up and pick up a lunch to take to the top of the mountain on the Gondola. As we were walking down to get light gloves for tomorrow’s bike ride (will probably be in the high 30’s at top of pass when we start), it started pouring and hailing! So we picked up a sandwich from the French bakery and brought it back to picnic in our room in front of the fire. Great sandwich that we split — Le Mozzarella Plus: french baguette with romaine, proscuitto, tomatoes and a pile of shredded mozzarella mixed with pesto. I removed almost all the cheese to save for pasta? vegetables? and ate half of mine. We got a side of cornichons and some kettle chips from Boulder Canyon that were The. Best. I ate almost the whole bag; potatoes, sea salt, sunflower oil. We had a couple of glasses of chardonnay and played dominoes all afternoon. Bob kicked my ass. He is closing in: he only owes me $798.
We walked down to Hearthstone for Happy Hour and a storm was brewing:
Hearthstone was great. It is in an old Victorian and the bar is upstairs. We always enjoy it. Really nice bartender, Mia, was behind the bar all evening. We started off with new cocktails ($6 each): Bob, a Barrel Aged Manhattan: Breck bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters, oak cask aged in house and served up. Me, a Strawberry Serrano Martini: Breck vodka infused with strawberries and serrano peppers, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, served up. Both were winners! The happy hour menu has $6 apps. We started with beef tenderloin tacos and jalapeno stuffed shrimp. The tacos were too hot for Bob so I had two the three and he had the shrimp (I had a bite of one) that were stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeno and beer battered. Next up, pan-seared sea scallops with braised fennel and fresh fennel in a lobster tarragon sauce and tomato, fennel and sherry vinaigrette. Could not eat it fast enough! It was one of the best seafood appetizers I have ever eaten. Even Bob who is not a scallop fan was fighting me for it.
Then a couple sat down next to Bob and the woman had… Man Hands. She was a slight woman but HUGE HANDS. Seinfeld episode.
Our next courses were tips and chips (tenderloin tips in a meaty rich sauce and a side of sweet potato fries) and beet salad with chevre and arugula. I managed a photo. I ended up eating a tip and most of the beet salad.
Bob had another Manhattan and I had a glass of the Cupcake Malbec ($5). It was a great evening but I was too full to have a slice of the pizza when we got home!! Wild skies between storms on the walk back.
Bob and Sharon's Travel Diary 