Explore, Ski, and be Merry!

Downtown Breckenridge has to be one of the most character rich, charming downtowns I have seen.  What captured my attention first and foremost was its unique blend of new brick "strip malls",  repurposed houses, and historic buildings.  Almost every house was converted to storefront, ranging from art studios to outdoor retail shops to tourist-centered shops.  Even Starbucks was placed in a beautiful former home with an attractive yellow facade.  As an interesting side note, the Starbucks in Breckenridge is the highest Starbucks in the world.

The downtown area seemed to go on forever, with the main drag giving way to side road and alleyway shops.  The variety offered ranged from coffee shops, restaurants, retail, studios, and museums, each with its own unique spin and curbside appeal.

Nighttime entertainment was also abundant in Breckenridge.  Motherloaded Tavern on Main Street offers Trivia Night every Tuesday night.  Even though we were late to arrive, we were still offered a chance to compete in this mind-challenging event.  There were obviously the regulars, who were a little more cut-throat than folks like us, visitors looking to add to our travel rapport.  Live music was advertised at various bars and restaurants, and many shops accommodated this late night crowd by staying open late into the evening.

The most popular spot by far was Crepes a la Carte.  This homey-looking yellow cart, festively adorned with lights and inviting stairway, remained open late into the night to sell handmade sweet and savory crepes.  Abbie and I drooled each time we walked past this cart.  We even filed into line twice before realizing that our best chance to actually enjoy these succulent treats would be to catch it during the daytime.  I'll come back to this in a bit.

Even the ski hill offered plenty of eateries.  Though most were cafeteria style, The Maggie at the base of Peak 9 offered table service and a full bar.  With weather in the high 50s and abundant sunshine, The Maggie's patio was the place to be apres-ski.  After a long day on the slopes, there is something abnormally satisfying about biting into some fried treats.  Jalapeno poppers or sweet potato rounds, anyone?

The Midwest crew enjoys the sunshine on the patio post-ski.
Goggles were a must with the bluebird skies!

Sweet potato rounds, anyone?!

Breckenridge is the vacation destination for travelers from all over the world.  For this Midwest crew, it also meant a boisterous, yet fun, British invasion on our visit to Ollie's.  Ollie's boasted friendly staff, who were obviously proud of the local distillery, which distilled vodka and whiskey.  The bartenders were more than happy to pour us a sample of the whiskey, which was surprisingly sweet and smooth.  Early into our visit at Ollie's we were approached by a group of British travelers, who came to spend a week skiing and exploring Colorado.  This group was a diverse mix of twenty-something travelers who amounted to a night of ridiculous fun.  Interestingly enough, we ran into them on our last pass through downtown Breckenridge.

Approaching the line to Crepes
a la Carte.

Okay, back to the mouth-watering crepes.  After wearing off some energy at the slopes, we made our last pass through downtown Breckenridge to get a taste of these crepes.  Even at one-thirty in the afternoon, we were five people deep into the line.  While the savory crepes were what drew me to the cart, the sweet crepes beckoned both Abbie and me.  She selected a delectable mix of strawberries, liquor, and chocolate, while I went a bit more traditional and ordered the Nutella crepe.  Upon ordering, the wait was not as long as I had anticipated, even though each crepe was fresh poured onto a circular griddle upon ordering..  The staff working in this tiny cart was very efficient in preparing these treats, paying careful attention to how they were cooked and giving detail to not only their presentation, but also to the portability of them.  First bite to the last bite of these crepes were both impressive.  This was certainly a great way to start a nineteen hour trek to Wisconsin!

Seven Days of Skiing

Staying within walking distance to a ski hill certainly has its advantages.  Perhaps the largest advantage is the convenience of coming and going as we pleased; this is a stark contrast to our usual skiing adventures, where we typically drive three hours up north to the cabin and an additional hour and a half to ski.  Driving this far is typically a commitment, it means that you will spend all day on the slopes regardless of the conditions.

This flexibility to come and go as we pleased meant that we were able to wait for the crusted snow to get softer before heading out to the slopes and let us sneak back for a quick lunch.  Given the cold nights and warm days, it was certainly advantageous to be able to ski out later in the day to avoid what we experienced on Monday's skiing adventure.

Tuesday brought us similar conditions to Monday.  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, however, were a welcomed reprieve from the icy conditions we saw earlier in the week--as long as we waited to head out until later in the morning.  The lack of icy conditions also meant that we were able to go to the top of the mountain, where the chairlift brings you to a height of 12,840 feet.  Wednesday was our first foray at the top of the mountain.  Moguls and steep runs were our choices to pick from.  Although I less than love moguls, I was willing to give the mogul run a shot.  While it wasn't an epic failure, it was disheartening to see a seven-year-old outperforming me on this run.  The second run down, I opted for the steep run.  Going fast is way better than taking a measured mogul run in my book!

The view from 12,840 feet.

Thursday brought another bluebird sky day.  The sun quickly softened up the snow and gave us another opportunity to run to the top of the mountain.  This time, we literally made it all the way to the top.  The Imperial Lift takes you to the elevation of 12,840 feet, but if you're willing to brave a hike, you can make it all the way to the top of the lift.  While I'm typically adventurous, it was really the fact that I would be able to get an unobstructed 360 degree view that led me to the apex of the mountain.

With the wind whistling through our helmets and our legs aching from the short ascent, we were able to take a short break before sliding down the bowl to take in the breathtaking view.  Snow-capped mountains scattered with pine trees could be seen all around.  Stunning!  With the view relegated to several pictures and our memories, we began to traverse down the run.  A narrow catwalk led us to a vast, open, steep bowl.  Yes, I know I stated just a short time ago that I preferred a fast, steep run over a more calculated one; however, the slickness of the snow pack combined with the approximate 60 degree pitch of the run almost proved too much for this Midwest girl.  Gritting my teeth, digging my skis into the slope, I slowly made my way down the bowl.

At the tippity-top of the mountain, 13,000 feet above
sea level.

Making it through the bowl was only the first feat of this trying run.  The land would flatten out for a brief bit before giving way to more steep runs littered with moguls, rocks and other obstacles.  However, I was not defeated by the run and I made my way to the bottom!  I wish I could say that the adrenaline rush from skiing my first bowl led to an epic day of skiing.  Rather, I had a rush to my head from the lack of oxygen and nerves, resulting in a dizzy spell that took over an hour to shake off.  Thank goodness I was still able to wrap up a successful day on the slopes!

Taking a break before entering the bowl
to look back at the catwalk.

While it was winter at the top of the mountain, the base of the mountain was quickly seeing the effects of the spring weather.  We witnessed this on Friday as we were closing up Day 6 of our ski adventure.  We were making our way across the mountain to head from Peak 8 to Peak 9 so we could head back to the condo.  Frosty's Freeway would take us to the chairlift we needed to get to the peak; however, the lift closed before we could jump aboard.  This meant we would have to take the green run, Sawmill, to the base.  Portions of Sawmill were covered in ice, and this ice gave way to uncovered portions of earth.  This meant either having to take off the skis or slowly walk over the gravel, rocks, and sparse green cover to get to the next snow-covered portion of the run.  Though the run was only a green, it was rather a grueling way to end the day!

Day 7, Saturday.  Technically this was our departure day; and it still was.  We just decided that we would take the edge off the nineteen hour drive by doing a few runs on the hill first.  The spring weather was continuing to take its toll on the runs, and we saw staff at the resort closing off more runs.  We enjoyed some fast runs, like the black diamond American run, which was steep and fast, before we parted Breckenridge for Wisconsin.

Ice Skating-Downhill

Not too long ago, Aaron and I had a moment where we were just sucked into the TV. It was one of those lazy nights where your mind is just too overwhelmed to do anything beyond just sitting in front of the TV like a zombie. What drew us in was the braveness (read: insanity) of a group of guys throughout the world who compete in a sport called Red Bull Crashed Ice. If you're not familiar with Crashed Ice, and I don't blame you if you're not familiar, it is a hybrid of downhill skating and ice skating where competitors ice skate downhill on an enclosed track.

Minus the ice skates, this is the experience we had today on the slopes. While yesterday was 60 and sunny, today was cold and cloudy; you do the math on what this caused the snow to do. I know, it's a bit of a pop quiz, so I'll give you a second to come up with the answer. Okay, time's up! If you answered the following: "It turned the slushy snow into ice," then you are absolutely correct. Combine the ice with our love of challenging routes and you get an experience quite similar to that of ice skating, except you're on skis.

You see, today's forecast called for snow, so we were at least anticipating a small layer of powder. Unfortunately, that was not the case, so the ground was left in cobbly, crusty snow and ice. But, hey, we're always up for a challenge. Minus the enormity of the slopes, though, the conditions aren't too different from what we have seen skiing in the midwest.

Despite the challenge of maneuvering our skis down steep, icy runs, we traversed the mountain to make it to the far side of the mountain. Given the icy conditions of the run Monte Crisco, we were happy that is only a blue. Any steeper and it wouldhave been a LONG ride down; unless we fell, then it would have been a short, but painful, ride to the bottom.

Having made it over to the other side of the mountain, we decided that scratching our way down the mountain had taken its toll on us and called it a day. Hopefully tomorrow's forecast will be a little more accurate. It's calling for 3"-7" of snow. Combine that with slightly higher temperatures and the next few days of skiing should be heavenly!

Skiing

While we were quite comatose yesterday with the long trek and lack of sleep, we were able to muster the energy to enjoy some wonderful spring-time skiing in the mountains today. The forecast for today was 60 degrees and sunny, meaning that the ski conditions would not be perfect, but enjoyable.

While the snow was a bit sticky, we were still able to cruise down the slopes at a comfortable speed, and I found that, while I was initially intimidated, the black diamonds here were not overly cumbersome. The 60 degree weather did not harm our experience on the slopes, but it did affect our ability to ski in the trees. Aaron and I attempted to cut through some trees, which led us to a tiny cabin the woods being checked out by mountain police and ski patrol (apparently, this cabin is a spot that is prone to "trouble"--its secluded location makes it a perfect spot for skiers to throw parties. The mountain frowns on that). Leading up to this cabin, the snow cover was getting progressively less and less, and the snow turned from white, to brown, to a thin layer of white that didn't cover the rocks and pine needles. Strapping off our boots, we hiked down a small hill that led us from the trail back to the ski hills.

The takeaway from today--when the sun is out and it hasn't snowed in a while, stick to the main routes. At least you know they will still have snow!

Westward Bound!

Remember those days of road trips with the family? The days where you had to draw a diving line down the middle of the two seats in the car so your brother couldn't encroach in your territory. The days where, when misbehaving, the parents would threaten, "If you don't knock that off, we are going to turn this car right around!" The days where you would play Mad Libs, made up alphabet games, and the license plate game to stay occupied. Yes, I had plenty of those road trips as a child.

There's something to be said about taking a road trip. I think that it allows a certain degree of spontaneity, flexibility, and freedom. While planes can certainly get you from Point A to Point B quickly, road trips allow you to take in all of the scenery and nuances that cannot be witnesses from 25,000 feet above the ground. Granted, in the case of taking Iowa to Nebraska to Colorado, you're not necessarily in for an overly exciting ride; however, it gives you an appreciation for the drastic landscape changes that occur in a three state stretch.

Iowa and Nebraska are less than exciting in terms of topography. The entire drive through these states have very little change in altitude and the landscape is vastly farm fields. Even these farm field ridden roads have a certain degree of charm and character. It just gets a bit redundant. That redundancy is broken once you cross over into Colorado. The vast expanse of wide open fields transitions into breathtaking views of the mountains. Traveling a little farther into Colorado, you're now surrounded by the mountains.

Traveling with our friends Phil and Abbie, Aaron and I headed out to Breckenridge, Colorado to do a spring ski trip. After 19 hours in the car, 30+ hours of no sleep, and countless rounds of snacks, we arrived to Breckenridge and promptly made our way over to the Breckenridge Brewery for some grub.

What struck me upon entering the brewery was the eclectic style of this resort village. While the buildings themselves obviously adhere to some form of design guidelines, the personality of personal style shines through. The style runs the gamut from the "I just got done with a run look" to the ski bum look to more eccentric, but fitting, look. The bar at the brewery was adorned with this eclectic collection.

Ahoy Manitowoc!

It's too easy to forget that worldly treasures exist right here in the midwest. While cheese curds, beer, and brats are the epicenter of our unique culture, we have far more to offer than those delectable treats (says the lactose intolerant, wine drinking vegetarian). Need proof? Then head to Manitowoc.

Manitowoc is home of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, which celebrates Wisconsin's role in the shipbuilding industry. Appropriately located on the shore of Lake Michigan, this museum showcases artifacts from recent history. The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built 28 submarines during World War II for the US Navy, 25 of those served in the war.

A short jaunt from the Maritime Museum, but a far cry from the utilitarian nature of submarines, luxury yachts are produced at Burger Boat Company. I had the fortune of getting to see a yacht in the construction phase there several years back while working for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. Coming back to Manitowoc, I found myself driving past this facility, which has managed to survive the recession.

Manitowoc is divided by the Manitowoc River, which feeds into Lake Michigan and gives character to Manitowoc's downtown. This downtown features restaurants, cafes, museums, and shops. Not far from the downtown is a trail which leads from Manitowoc to its northern neighbor, Two River (in the midwest, it's often pronounced "Trivers". My theory is that our mouths are usually stuffed with cheese and beer, making it difficult to appropriately enunciate the words.) This trail follows the Lake Michigan shoreline, with much of the vista open to the public, thanks to Manitowoc County owning a significant portion of land along the six-mile paved trail. If you're an early bird, I highly recommend catching this trail before sunrise to experience the breathtaking transformation that occurs to the lake when the sun rises.

Manitowoc is a community that embodies its history, recognizes its fortune for being on the shore of a Great Lake, and provides a unique experience for its visitors. This city is definitely worth a visit!

The Best of 2011-ish

Madison

I hesitated to consider this as part of the "Best of 2011-ish". No, I'm not referring to Madison itself when I talk about my reluctancy. Madison is a great city; I just hate the reason why we went to Madison. We went to protest our governor and certain members of the state legislature making a horrible decision, the decision to try to use public employees as a scapegoat and to try to offset years' worth of financial mismanagement on the backs of public employees. Compound that decision with a proposed budget that would cut critical programs and people got pretty riled up. Angry, in fact. Turning that anger into empowerment, thousands of people took to the Capitol to be heard. Politicking, however, trumps democracy. Some pretty bad legislation was passed, programs were cut, and scores of people are disenfranchised; however, the spirit of what made Wisconsin the great state it is refuses to fizzle. Oh, and the fact that over a million signatures (to this date, they need to be verified) have been collected to recall our dear governor. Therefore, my travels to Madison made the ranks of the "Best-ish of 2011".

I Wanna Be a Cowgirl, Baby

Themes are a very important part of a bachelor or bachelorette party. For my best friend, we celebrated the coming of her special day cowgirl style!

Sommerhalder-Meyer Wedding

When I was six, I wanted nothing more than to be a ballerina. Or a real life princess. Seeing that it was a tad more feasible for my parents to get me to ballet lessons than to try to establish royal blood, I decided it was okay to commit myself to being a ballerina. After all, I was only six. I had time to become a princess. During my first ballet lesson, I was introduced to a bevy of tutu-clad ballerina-wannabes. That was my first introduction to Megan. Little did I know that our first unofficial encounter would lead to a lifelong friendship.

While almost every little girl wants to be a princess at some point, mostly thanks to the world of Disney falsely convincing all of us that it's possible, most of us get our chance...even if it's just for a day. June 11, 2011 was Megan's day.

My First Muslim Wedding

I first met Fouda when I agreed to mentor an Egyptian student who would be studying at the Fox Valley Technical College campus in Appleton, Wisconsin. Fouda, who had no family here, certainly had no problems making friends with his fellowstudents, and he was quickly "adopted" by my family as a fellow family member. Almost two years after meeting Fouda, I was happy to see him marry a beautiful woman named Kaylah.

All Dressed Up and Everywhere to Go!

As mentioned before, themes are VERY important for bachelorette parties. Heather's bachelorette party was certainly no exception, nor was it to be "average". Heather's bachelorette party entailed a night of of fully-painted, winged fairies tearing up Chicago.

Lichtfuss-Stinson Wedding

Chalk it up to destiny. That's probably the best way I can describe how I met Heather and Paul. Aaron and Heather first met when Aaron was working his first summer at Outdoor Outlet in Appleton. Shopping with a friend, Heather was looking for bike jerseys, which Aaron was more than happy to help with. After helping Heather and Trish for a while, they got on the topic of how Aaron and I had recently moved back to Wisconsin and that I was looking for girls to ride with. Long story short, I rode with Heather one day and we became fast friends. Not only did Heather and I become fast friends, we eventually met Paul and many of their other friends. Almost three years to the date of our first bike ride, I was happy to be part of this beautiful wedding party.

Boise-Bound

"Idaho? What's in Idaho?" I was asked this question quite a few times when I would excitedly tell folks of my pending travel plans to go to Boise. "A friend's wedding. I've never been to Boise and I think it'll be fun." Yes, a generic response, but I really had nothing to go off of. I had never been to Boise and I really didn't know what to expect. Yes, a friend from grad school was getting married, which also meant that I would get to see friends who I have not seen in a long time.

As it turns out, Boise was spectacular! A historic downtown offset by a beautiful mountain vista. Endless hiking options. Amazing food. Ice cream shaped like a potato. Really, what isn't there to like about Boise?

Wedding in Idaho

Liz is a nature girl. That's why her decision to have a purely outdoor wedding, including reception, was not surprise to me. From a wedding cake topped with a bird's nest to local honey as a party-favor, Liz's and Aaron's wedding was a perfect reflection of who they are as both individuals and as a couple.

Quick Trip to Minnesota

While I'm sure there's more to say about our trip to visit Aaron's brother Michael in Minnesota, I'm goingto leave it at this: I learned to wakeboard!

White-Sprague Wedding

(Note: I have pictures from our trip to Lake Geneva, but my duties as wife of the best man prevented me from taking pictures of the actual wedding. I will do my best to find said pictures of Lake Geneva so I have some way to show this beautiful city. With that said, it would be almost taboo for me to miss one of Aaron's and my best friend's wedding as a "Best of 2011-ish" just because I'm not responsible enough to keep track of all of my pictures!)

Ortiz-Rucci Wedding

Adam and I first met my freshman year of high school. Our first encounter reminded me of a scene out of Napoleon Dynamite. Sitting behind this black-haired junior, I couldn't help but notice that he was more preoccupied drawing an imaginary creature than listening to our math teacher. He turned around and introduced me to his version of what Napoleon Dynamite would call a liger. While I cannot remember his name for his hybrid creature, I do remember this being the conversation that sparked our friendship.

As with every friendship, there are major milestones that you reach and celebrate. One such occasion was celebrating Adam's and Carmen's wedding in November of 2011.

Mountain Biking on New Year's Eve Day

2011 left us with unseasonable weather. So unseasonable that Aaron and I were able to actually go mountain biking. Normally this time of year, we're on our skis, not our bikes. Thus, my first time mountain biking in the winter. That's noteworthy for me :)