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Saturday, September 17, 2011 We did something a little different today - we drove up to Breckenridge for their Oktoberfest! It was the first time Kelly had gotten up into this section of the Rockies, so it was a fun day for all three of us. Of course, it could have been even better, but it was still fun. So, what could have been better? Well, it could have been a sunny day instead of a drizzly one. And the aspen could have been a bit farther along in their autumn colors. It could have been a little warmer (mid 40s most of the day). But, all in all, it was a pleasant day. We arrived at Breckenridge a little after noon and found a parking lot just a block off Main Street that still had some spots available in it. The website wasn’t helpful about what the parking situation would be, so we were lucky. Our first stop was for lunch at a small deli just off of the Oktoberfest street. Good lunch! Breckenridge had four blocks of Main Street closed off for the event. The event itself was free, but, if you intended to buy beer, you had to get a wrist band showing that you had had your id checked by security. So, we got in that line and were soon passed to the next line, which was selling souvenir mugs and beer tickets. We passed on the mugs, but got a beer ticket apiece. Our first actual stop was at the Paulaner beer tent for our beers. This company is from Munich and had a couple of special beers available that were specifically brewed for the Munich Oktoberfest each year. Yum! The other beer tent available was for the Breckenridge Brewery, which has some excellent beers, also. Then we wandered. We had soon covered the entire street, looking in windows. Looking at the other booths. Looking at the crazy people who thought they were dressed like Bavarians. Looking at the people who really did look Bavarian. Watching the oom-pah band that was playing and the people dancing in front of them. Some of the dancers had large mugs that they were holding while they danced! And didn't spill a drop! It was mostly a people watching afternoon. We also stopped in a couple of the shops just to browse. Outside of one shop, we noticed that the clouds coming over the ski area west of town were very dark and forbidding. They dumped on the crowds for a while, then cleared again. We spent that time inside the shop.... We wound up leaving a bit after four. It’s just as well. The skies had really lowered by then and the drizzle had turned into a steady rain. We had planned on driving back over Loveland Pass instead of going through the Eisenhower tunnel, just for a change, but, as we neared Silverthorne, we could see that the top half of the nearby mountains were completely covered in clouds. The visibility at the top of the pass would be almost nothing, so we headed for the tunnel instead. And it snowed on us on both sides of the tunnel! Not enough to stick, but enough that we could tell it was snow. It was a fun day. We might go again, if the sun is shining, that is. |