A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of traveling with my favorite cup of english tea or otherwise known as the beautiful Julia Wiese. It had been a year and a half since we last saw each other but none the less we didn’t skip a beat and headed straight for the mountains from Kansas City. This was her first time skiing in the US and was my first time trying out the slopes in Breckinridge…the people were great, the powder was perfect, and we dealt with the mini snow storms as if we were locals.

Now for some details and photos of Breckenridge ::

Total time from Overland Park, Kansas to Breckenridge, Colorado :: Close to 11 hours due to a snow storm after passing through Denver.

**winding roads and little lights on highway, try to save mountain driving for when the sun in up**

Weather conditions :: unpredictable….but really it either started out sunny in the morning and turned to light snow storms or started the day with snow and ended up with sun, anywhere from 20-50 degrees due to influence of clouds/wind/sun, gotta love spring weather near the unpredictable forecasts of the midwest

Hotel :: Wayside Inn in Breckenridge, Colorado…http://www.breckwayside.com/ Definitely worth every penny, the front desk people were extremely nice and friendly, only a 5-7 drive from the gondola that takes you up the mountain (no cost for gondola rides, quicker and much better view than waiting for the buses)

**breakfast was included and was located in the main lobby, also sold other small snacks for late night cravings such as candy, popcorn, chocolates….yes basically your typical munchies**

Skiing :: We tried every peak except Peak 10 because well it was covered in black diamonds, the best peak was 9. We mainly took Beaver Run Super Chair Lift and Mercury Super Chair Lift because there were numerous blues to choose from, our favorite being Cashier and Pioneer because they weren’t filled with moguls but still had some speed along with trees you could zip in and out of.

Good Eats :: First day we bought breakfast goodies such as bagels and fruits at the local grocery store just up the road and skipped lunch to eat an early dinner at Ollie’s Pub and Grill, I believe that burgers are the best thing to eat after a long day of skiing in the cold and of course accompanied by a deliciously cold beer. The second day we had breakfast at the motel and ate lunch at the Overlook Restaurant on Peak 9 which had an amazing view but very unattractive prices, however resort food is always going to be overpriced so you just have to learn to accept it if you’re going to eat there.