Jeep Rentals New for Summer 2018

For quite some time High Country Activities has only been able to offer Jeep Tours, where you are chauffeured on a high alpine adventure. Now we have been able to add a Jeep Rentals that you are able to drive yourself over high mountain passes. These rentals are out of Buena Vista about an hour from Summit County and allow you to access the incredible ghost town of St Elmo by Mount Princeton as well as the following high mountain passes, Mosquito, Hancock, Tincup, Old Monarch, Cumberland, and Weston.The rental company will make suggestions based on your experience and interests. Jeeps offered are a 2-Door Wrangler, 2-Door Rubicon, or 4-Door Wrangler. Rentals are for a morning or afternoon rental (five hours) at either 8:00 AM or 1:00 PM, a full day (ten hours) at 8:00 AM, or multiple days up to a week. Pricing and information can be found on the Jeep Tours and Rentals page under the Rentals tab https://bit.ly/2KsFM2c. You must be 25 years of age to rent and have valid Full Coverage insurance with Comprehensive and Collision. Grab the family, a picnic, and your sunscreen and head out into the mountains for an experience you will not forget.

Water Shuttle Returns to Lake Dillon

There is a brand new Water Shuttle operating on Lake Dillon for the summer of 2018. Operating out of both the Dillon Marina and the Frisco Bay Marina, the shuttle offers a one way or round trip ride for adults, children six to twelve, and bring your children five and under for free along with your leashed canine companion, or your bike for a small fee. This is a great way to see the lake surrounded by mountains on three sides, or to hop over from one marina to another for a tropical beverage or lunch at the Tiki Bar at the Lake Dillon Marina or the Island Grill at the Frisco Bay Marina. After riding Vail Pass think about finishing your half day bike rental with lunch at one of the marinas before or after your boat trip and a bike ride back from Dillon to Frisco along the Summit County Recreational Path. The shuttle is also available for private charter for a minimum of two hours, additional hours may also be rented, where you are able to bring your own food and beverages on board for a one-of-a-kind picnic. Another option is to rent the boat for the Dillon Concert Series (Concert Schedule https://bit.ly/2luETXR), where you can be picked up from either marina and then listen from the water or embark to walk to the Dillon Amphitheater. The web site has just been updated with the latest pricing: Lake Dillon Water Shuttle information can be found here https://bit.ly/1yGr74C and Private Charter Information is included in the Boat Rentals, Tours and Lessons page under the Tour Tab and then Tour Option 3 information at https://bit.ly/Uct6ht. Be sure to check out the newest addition to the family of activity vendors for High Country Activities and call to book your adventure on Lake Dillon as soon as possible. We are so happy to have this service back on Lake Dillon under a new company, after this was not offered in 2017.

Tubing at the Frisco Adventure Park

I finally made it out onto the tubing hill http://bit.ly/cwvvn5 at the Frisco Adventure Park  http://bit.ly/gfYzyB and had tons of fun.

My husband and I were hosting a Spanish exchange student who is living in Denver with my sister-in-law, while their family were out of town. The last thing that my sister-in-law said to Carolina was " Make sure Jane and Peter take you tubing". Years ago we had celebrated Easter with a large number of relatives at the Adventure Point tubing hill at Keystone. It is an event that is fondly remembered, particularly by the two relatives who were five and seventy-five at the time and went down with a twist in a circle of tubes.

As we now live in Frisco and this is only the second winter for the Frisco tubing hill, we decided it was time to give our local hill a try. Guests must check in about a half hour ahead of your booked time at the newly built Day Lodge to fill out the obligatory waiver (it was pretty painless), and also pay for and pick up your tickets. The Day Lodge is very nice with comfortable chairs and a snack bar for before or after your tubing. If you have folks who do not want to tube it is a great place for them to hang out. The snack bar serves pizza, hot dogs, sodas, beer, wine and Schnapps.



Inside the Day Lodge



Day Lodge from the bottom of the hill



The hill is generally open Thursdays through Mondays (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Monday and Thursday times are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and Friday through Sunday the hill is open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. Tubing times start every 15 minutes, but the hill is closed between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm for grooming. During the holidays and from 3/10/12 to 3/25/12 the hill is open seven days a week from 11:00 am to 8:00pm. A one hour tubing session is $25 and there are discounts for locals. On the second Sunday of the month there is a special called a 4 Pack. For $55 you receive 16 individual tubing tickets to use how you would like, four slices of pizza and four sodas - a great deal for a group of four people. 

Once you have received your tubing tickets you head to the yurt at the bottom of the hill to watch probably one of the best safety videos I have ever seen, especially if you like penguins. The video was produced by a local company, Mountain Graphix www.mtngraphix.com, and really gets its point across in a very fun way. Kids and parents will both love watching the video.



Yurt for Safety Video

After watching the video, we proceeded to pick up our tubes from a large pile outside the yurt and headed to the magic carpet that takes you to the top of the tubing hill. The carpet was very easy to access and there was an attendant to help you onto it and to show you how to hold your tube. Again at the top there was someone to assist with the dismount.

Once at the top you are able to choose from a number of tubing lanes, with different degrees of difficulty. A tubing attendant will instruct you on the correct way to ride in your tube. They will also ask you how fast you would like to descend and whether you want to go straight or with a twist. I chose to go straight as the hill will turn you anyway as you go down.

You are also able to go down the hill with up to three tubes hooked together. You all lay down in your own tube and then hold the safety strap of the person's tube next to you. A ride like this is totally awesome for a group and great for parents with younger children who might be nervous about going by themselves. Children do have to ride in their own tube and be 36 inches tall. Right in front of us as we filmed the following video was a father with his young child, who definitely was not sure about going down the run. When hooked to the father's tube he really enjoyed himself.  I would not be surprised if he was descending by himself by the end of the hour. By the way, the tube chutes in Frisco are really long and give you a great ride. They might not be as steep as some hills, but the length means that your ride is a truly wonderful experience. It is a blast to go at night as the runs have iced up and are faster than during the day. However it has been so sunny and warm here in Summit County, that it would also be really cool to tube on a bright bluebird day. I think you will be able to see from the video how much fun our girl from Madrid was having. What a story to tell her parents when she returns home and what an outstanding memory from her time in Summit County.



It is easiest to reach the Frisco Adventure Park by car from Highway 9, turning at the traffic light the other way from Summit Medical Center Hospital. However you are also able to take the Summit Stage http://bit.ly/zxb8tr to the Frisco County Commons and walk to the Day Lodge.

So if you are visiting Summit County, make sure that tubing at the Frisco Adventure Park is part of your plan and call High Country Activities at 970-389-8214 to book your one-of-a-kind adventure.

Fall Comes to Summit County, Colorado

So there are still quite a few flowers blooming in the county.

 

However the Aspens are beginning to turn to bright yellow and many of the wildflowers have gone to seed.

The willows are becoming all colors of the spectrum from green through various yellows into red. Above all the meadows of grasses are coming into their splendor. I often think that a meadow with high grasses is just as attractive as a wildflower meadow, with as much variety of color, and a plethora of different seed heads.

The sunlight on some clumps of grass makes the seeds appear like sparklers on a July 4th evening.

The sage brush insterspersed in the grasses gives a dusty blue contrast to the shades of the grasses.

Go out in a meadow of grass after a rain or a frost and the contrasts of textures and hues is magnified.

I am lucky to live in Frisco, Colorado next to the Summit County bike path and Lake Dillon.

My daily walk with my dog Sawyer, takes me into the wetlands on Lake Dillon and I am able to see the changes in the grasses and the undergrowth in the forest on a daily basis.

Another favorite wetlands meadow for me is at Farmer's Corner & Swan Mountain Road, at the southern tip of Lake Dillon. In winter this area is transformed into an area for snow kiting http://bit.ly/b8zZ4a, but in the Fall it offers a myriad of colors for any passers by on Highway 9. Stop at the parking spot next to the lake some time and enjoy this assault on your visual senses.

After looking through this photo montage of  Summit County, when you are out and about in the county, open your eyes to the beauty of grasses, especially this year when our late Spring moisture has led to a bumper crop.

All pictures were taken with my Blackberry as I walked or drove in my neck of the woods.



Ten Days in Breckenridge with the Grandchildren

I recently was able to assist in planning and booking ten days of activities for a grandma and grandpa traveling with their two granchildren, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 7, to Breckenridge from the United Kingdom. The children were really kept busy and were able to experience a great deal that Summit County has to offer in the way of summer activities. I thought it was worth sharing their itinerary of adventures.

The first couple of days were spent adjusting from jet lag and also to the altitude. Then it was on to rafting with a float trip on the Colorado River http://bit.ly/nWCSjL. The half day trip is perfect for multiple ages and is one of the raft trips that will take children as young as three if they weigh at least 35 pounds. Although both children would have qualified in age for a whitewater rafting trip, as an introduction to rafting this is a great starter trip. The drive to the Kremmling Outpost is about an hour from Breckenridge. The raft company supplies wet suits if you want them, a splash jacket, and an experienced guide. For the adventurous who would like to cool off, there is a jump into the Colorado River from a cliff above the water, and sometimes trips stop at a small natural hot spring on the side of the river.

The next day the family members headed to the Country Boy Mine in Breckenridge http://bit.ly/ovO410. This is a working gold mine, complete with resident donkeys and the opportunity to pan for gold after the tour. Apparently each child did find a flake of gold, helped by their grandfather who is a geologist and has primarily worked in the field of gold mining. This particular mine has an added attraction of "Shoot the Chute", where you can ride down a 50 foot ore chute. Both children took this opportunity, but I think the grandparents declined.

The next day the group headed to Frisco, picked up bikes, and rode a shuttle to the top of Vail Pass http://bit.ly/r1fZ5I. My husband met them at the pass after having ridden up from Frisco and rode with them to the Village at Copper Mountain for ice cream. I joined the group in Copper and rode with them to Frisco and the bike shop, while my husband descended at a faster pace. The only difficulty that we had was that the little girl was between bike sizes and was really on a bike that was a bit too small (the next size up was too large) with only six gears, and so her little legs underwent quite a work out.

After dropping off the bikes, we all met up at the Frisco Marina and hopped on the Water Taxi for a trip across Lake Dillon for lunch at the Tiki Bar http://bit.ly/qtroLY. The wind had started to pick up a bit, and we took on a bit of water with some waves out in the main part of the lake. The children were equipped with life jackets. Even though the captain could not make it into the normal dock in Dillon because of the wind, he skilfully guided the taxi into a slip rather than the T-dock. We actually took our bikes with us and rode back to Frisco, leaving the foursome to take the water taxi back to the Frisco Marina.

Still ready for more adventures, the next day saw all of us along with two dogs heading up to Lily Pad Lake on a guided hike from Frisco http://bit.ly/oN3n2Y. As the grandparents own a condominium in Breckenridge and are frequent visitors to the county, they had work sheets for the hike, to add an educational dimension. The children had a number of wildflowers to find and identify, as well as some questions about the mountains they would see on their hike, the types of trees, and the lake. In the spirit of competition between siblings they were very eager to find their flowers and other information. It was great to come across the remains of an old mine, as well as picnic at the Beaver Pond, where the dogs were able to cool off with a much needed swim, and to see some flowers on Lily Pad lake. Unfortunately the beavers have abandoned their lake, the lodge is not in good repair, although the dam is still holding fast. We were however able to see where the beavers had been at work.

The next activity was to ride the Georgetown Loop http://bit.ly/qUXtbR. This is another really appropriate intergenerational outing and will thrill all ages. You have the option on the train ride to stop halfway down the mountain at the Colorado Historical Society's Lebanon silver mine. The group did not choose to do this as they had already visited a gold mine and were actually on their way down to Denver to stay with friends for the night and then go to Water World for the day.

A trip to Summit County with your grandparents would not be complete without a little shopping trip to the Silverthorne Outlets http://bit.ly/1bvdQo. Although these children would not need Back To School items as all school children in the United Kingdom wear uniforms, the sales for that time of year, meant a couple of fun outfits for each of them were not so expensive.

A lot to accomplish in ten days. I was impressed with the children's willingness to try everything and their interest in all of the activities that they undertook. I am sure that this is a trip that they will remember for a long time, and as they grow older will come to understand what a wonderful gift their grandparents gave them. They will be back to ski in March with mom, dad and little sister to experience the other wonderful season of this area. I forsee maybe a Dog Sledding activity http://bit.ly/h69aeJ or maybe a Sleigh Ride http://bit.ly/f4CynU if they can be dragged away from the ski slopes.

Consider bringing your grandchildren for this kind of experience in the Rocky Mountains and I would love to help you arrange unforgettable memories for your family. It was a gift to me too, in that I knew the family and was able to share in some of the children's joy in their surroundings.



Grandma & Grandpa Martineau, with Tabitha and Luke,
High Country Activities owner, Jane Shafroth
and canine companions
Sawyer and Huckleberry 



USA Pro Cycling Challenge Comes to Summit County

So I think everyone in Summit County is very excited that the USA Pro Cycling Challenge http://bit.ly/dQHJ65 is coming to the area.

By the way the web site is very informative, with topographical and road maps of the daily routes, visuals of the elevation profiles, excellent spectator guides, stage timetables with the time the riders are expected to reach each point on the route, pages on each of the host cities and their celebrations of the event, as well as team and rider information with videos and interviews, as well as the Shack Tour Tracker http://bit.ly/qtnOxn that will allow you to watch the race live on your computer.

Seven days and some of the most difficult terrain in Colorado will test some of the world's best cyclists. I personally have sat glued to the television and watched almost every stage of the Tour De France for the past ten plus years. Now this is my chance to see the stars of this great race at home in my own state. The added dimension to this Colorado race is of course the altitude. Andy Schleck has been in Steamboat Springs training for the altitude. His brother Frank has stayed home to spend time with his family, but will be here for the race. Both of them race for the Leopard Trek team and placed second and third in the 2011 Tour De France respectively.

Andy Schleck

Frank Schleck

Tom Danielson, of the Garmin-Cevelo team, who placed ninth in the 2011 Tour De France, the highest placed US rider, lives and trains in Boulder, Colorado, so he is a local favorite to do very well in the race.

Tom Danielson

 
One wonders how the great time trialist and the 2011 winner of the Tour De France, Cadel Evans, of the BMC racing team, will fare in a time trial in Vail http://bit.ly/oqzF1e that is almost all up hill. The question is also whether Andy Schleck, as a great climber, will race better against him in this discipline than he did in the 2011 Tour De France time trail, where Cadel guaranteed his first place finish in the race.

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Cadel Evans

All of the General Catergory podium finishers from the Tour De France will be racing, as well as US legends Levi Leipheimer of Team RadioShack - 2011 winner of the Tours of California and Utah, George Hincapie, team mate of Cadel Evans, former team mate of Lance Armstrong, who has finished the Tour De France a record 14 straight times, as well as podium Tour De France finisher from Italy, Ivan Basso, of Team Liquigas.

Levi Leipheimer

George Hincapie

Ivan Basso

I would say that the only disappointment about the roster for the race is the lack of the world's top sprinters. But we have all see how these guys struggle when the Tour De France heads into the Pyrenees and the Alps, and I am sure that the idea of crossing two high mountain passes in one day that are over 12,000 feet would be daunting for these riders. Speaking of Stage 2 http://bit.ly/lON69v on Wednesday August 24, racers have to ascend 13.7 miles to the top of the 12,126 foot Cottonwood Pass on a dirt road, and then summit Independence Pass at 12,095 feet with a 6.5% gradient, before descending into Aspen. This has to be the stage to watch. I only hope that I will be able to find a spot to cheer on these incredible athletes on Independence Pass, if I leave early enough from Summit County. The road will be closed at noon and the riders are expected to summit at about 3pm.

For the Vail time trial http://bit.ly/oqzF1e the next day, it is suggested that you park at the top of Vail Pass and then either ride your bike or walk down the bike path to the finish of the race. The ten mile stage will take the racers from Vail Village up the road that is part of the Vail Pass bike path. I imagine a lot of Summit County fans will be taking this option or riding all the way from Summit County to the finish.

Saturday August 27 is when the race really comes to town with the route taking the racers from Steamboat Springs, up and over the double-summit Rabbit Ears Pass, past Green Mountain reservoir, along the Blue River valley and into Silverthorne, around the shores of Lake Dillon, a King of the Mountain Stage on Swan Mountain road, and into a sprint finish on Breckenridge's own Main Street http://bit.ly/qioHat. There is only one King of the Mountain stage after the Swan Mountain ascent, over Look Out Mountain in Golden the next day http://bit.ly/ns1PD9.  Swan Mountain is where we will be tailgating at the Lowry Camp site and then walking or cycling to Sapphire Point to see who is the King of the Mountain for Summit County. Who knows, if the race is close, this could be a climb at the end of a long uphill day that could be significant. Let's hope so, as I know I would love to see a dramatic battle on the hill that so many of our local cyclists "love" to climb. The party in Breckenridge after the race finish, with a concert with Big Head Todd and the Monsters, promises to be a great way to finish what should be a very exciting day.

I know some folks are probably not so thrilled about the road closures and the potential crowds associated with the US Pro Cycling Challenge's arrival in Summit County. I know I have been taking extra time to warn my clients about the day's activities. But I for one am ecstatic that this event is coming to town. Let's show these elite athletes some Summit County hospitality and if you are not acting as a volunteer, get out there and cheer them on. I am in awe of their athletic ability and cannot wait to show them how much I appreciate their endeavors.

Watch this spot for my photos and blogs of the stages that I manage to see next week.

Fall is Coming Photo Essay

It may still be in the 90s on the Front Range of Colorado, and in the 100s in the south and middle of the United States, but here in Summit County we are beginning to feel a touch of Fall. It has been under 40 degrees a couple of mornings, and the snow seekers are beginning to post 100 day count downs to the ski area openings.

Out in the forest and in the wetlands, changes are beginning to show that our short summer may be coming to an end, even though many wildflowers are at their peak at the same time. The moisture this year has led to the growth of some spectacular grasses. Many plants are starting to go to seed. The Fireweed patches are a blast of shocking pink in the trees. Berries are beginning to appear where the flowers are gone. Scrub plants are showing the various yellows and reds of their passage to winter sleep. The sun shines brightly in the morning with clear blue skies, the winds come up in the afternoon, making for some great sailing on Lake Dillon, and the evenings are cool enough to require a sweat shirt. Night temperatures are great for sleeping, and the overhead fan is no longer needed. What a great time for a nature lover to live in or visit the high country of Colorado.

GRASSES

SEEDED PLANTS

FIREWEED

BERRIES



COLOR CHANGES