Big 4-OH trip (Silverthorne, CO)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I ❤ Colorado. This was our seventh road trip to Colorado since 2018. We stayed in Silverthorne this time around, which was nearby Frisco and Dillon, and a short drive to Breckenridge... exploring more of Summit County.

Being that I was turning 40 years old (yikes), I wanted to check off a couple of things from my bucket list. One was to do The Big Texan's 72 oz steak dinner challenge.

Another was to hike a 14er. A fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet.

Quandary Peak is an easy 14er but no 14er is easy, it's an oxymoron.

And so it begins...

It was already an uphill battle from the start.

I took the two big boys along for the hike and Mike brought Collin. Initially, I wanted to also include Tyson (and even contemplated carrying Elliot) but I'm glad I didn't because that hike was brutal. We woke up at 5:30 am and started our hike by 7 am (and the parking lot was already full). 

The boys taking a breather.

Andrew feeling the effects of high altitude.

Lunch break. This is where we would leave each other.

Although everyone had difficulty with the uphill hike and high altitude, the boys did surprisingly well. They made it to the false summit, which was above the tree line, but with another 1000+ feet climb ahead, they decided to turn back around with Mike. I proceeded to the summit by myself. 

The view from our lunch spot. So much more to go...

Just a few more steps to the summit...

I made it!

The last part of the hike was the most difficult. Footing was an issue since I was hiking purely on scree (mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain). It got progressively more steep and the air was thinner. I hiked for about 30 seconds and rested for about 2 minutes. And repeat. It sucked. But after 5 hours, I finally made it to the top. Whew.

Now I have to go back down. People look like tiny ants from here.

Going down was much easier. Besides running out of water, I didn't have any issues going down, which took about 2 hours. Another bucket list item checked off. 💪

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Here are other pictures/activities from the trip:

My support group at The Big Texan as I attempt to stuff too much food in my face. (Amarillo, TX)

I already ate a lot before I remembered to take a picture... but there's still so much food left!

Bang! Bang!

My leftover steak became steak fajitas for the entire family. 🤣

Blue River, right outside of our house.

Family walk in Silverthorne.

Exploring Main Street in Frisco.

Ollie's Pub and Grub. (Frisco, CO)

Lake Dillon.

Shopping at Dillon Farmers Market.

Lunch at Dillon Dam Brewery. (Dillon, CO)

Hike with the boys around Lake Dillon.

Our neighbor, a moose.

Soaking in the hot tub after our hikes. 

Birthday lunch at The Denver Central Market... various eats and treats. (Denver, CO)

Birthday (take-out) dinner from Torchy's Tacos. I don't need anything "fancy", just good food. (Amarillo, TX)

I'm 40 now... 😬

The kids gave me cash... to buy Minecraft... so that I could play with them.

Vietnamese lunch at Pho District. (Fort Worth, TX)

Some of my favorite coffee that I can't get locally... Cliffside and Summer Moon.

List of restaurants/foods (for my sake):

• Ollie's Pub and Grub - Good food (and beer) all around... Happy Hour was a steal
• Last Resort Pizza - Good local pizza option
• Farm Stand - Fresh fruit
• Dillon Dam Brewery - Good food (and beer)
• Helga's Homemade Pie
• Rich Brownies
• Izzio Bakery - "Colorado Queen" is a meh Kouign Amann (pass)
• Vero Italian - Good Neapolitan style pizza and pasta
• Green Seed - Good smoothies and acai bowls
• Pho District - Good ol' Vietnamese food in the Fort Worth area (tad pricey)