Jefferson Geiger / jgeiger@summitdaily.com
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Don’t know what to do this weekend? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Pull up a seat to the counter and I’ll tell you about everything that’s hot and happening.
I don’t know about you, but I spent my Fourth of July holiday doing something I’ve only done once before on Independence Day: skiing. The snow and crowds at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area were nothing to write home about, but it’s more about the rare and fun experience than anything. I did two runs, which is better than none, to mark off my 58th day of the ski season. I started it at The Legend back in October and ended it at The Legend.
Being my first full winter season up in Summit County, I’m pretty proud of my new personal record of days on the slopes. It goes up to 62 days out in the snow once I add on snowshoeing Mayflower Gulch and the Snowshoe for the Cure fundraiser at the Frisco Nordic Center. Before becoming a resident I would either drive roughly 90 minutes out and back for a day at Wolf Creek Ski Area or three hours for a long weekend in the High Country and average in the low- to mid-20s.
However, it’s still a far cry from the 100 days my co-workers and I originally estimated I’d accomplish. Dang life and responsibilities getting in the way of my powder time.
Now, with my snow boots in the closet, my sandals on and the shovel in my car replaced with a sunshade, I can devote my energy to getting out and about with summer activities. I still usually go to the gym an hour a day for exercise, yet with the nicer weather I feel like I have more options for cardio than laps on Peak 6.
Though if hiking, biking and running trails aren’t your thing, then go lounge on a deck, patio or bench with a book or a beer as you soak in the sun. It’s nice to be just as lazy as you would at home, but with the added benefit of vitamin D. Walk around aimlessly, window shop, or trot down some side streets not usually taken. Sure, one could do that in the winter, but I always felt like I had to take the most efficient path with a destination in mind in order to not freeze.
One path I took recently was to see Isak Heartstone’s new home near the Stephen C. West Ice Arena in Breckenridge. The trail isn’t as much of an adventure as the old one, but it’s inviting with stone benches and picnic tables. It’s closer to civilization as well, but the forest dampens the highway sounds and creates a more meditative space than the stone quarry — as long as the mosquitoes don’t bite too much.
If you’re in Breckenridge already, you might as well stick around to take in some public art in the evening. Through Sunday, July 14, Cédric Le Borgne’s The Travelers (Les Voyageurs) and The Birds (Les Oiseaux) are on display in the Blue River Plaza and Breckenridge Arts District. Lights shine on the wire sculptures of people and birds, transforming them into almost ghost-like figures as the sun sets.
A neat aspect of the installation is they aren’t all in one location — and there was no map as far as I could tell — so it was fun to stumble upon some pieces hiding among trees. The work was originally planned to be part of the WAVE: Light + Water + Sound festival, but transportation issues delayed its arrival, making it stand alone for a longer period of time. See it now before it’s too late.