I was out on the Harley a couple of days ago, just taking a relaxing run up through the Vail Valley. I believe there are more motorcycles, mostly Road Kings, in Colorado than any other state in the country. Mine isn�t a Road King, it�s an �88 Softtail with chrome just about everywhere you can find a place for it. It doesn�t make it run any better but it sure looks shiny.
People ride or trailer their motorcycles to the Rockies to do just what I was doing, riding up through magnificent vistas, untroubled by teeming traffic and tall buildings. See and be seen is the idea. I�ve lived here in the Rockies for five and a half years and I�ve never gotten over the majesty of it all. It�s pretty hard to be a part of all of this and not think about the Creator, whatever your particular ideas may be on that subject. I love to ski and the winters are great too. But once you put the skis away for the season, Breckenridge is still as neat a place as you can find to kick back and just enjoy the world you live in.

Breckenridge locals have for years referred to the four to six week gap between the snowfall and the flowers blooming everywhere as �mud season.� As the spring weather warms the mountains, the snow starts to melt and runs down through the valleys in torrents, swelling the Blue River to the delight of fly fishermen and kayak enthusiasts. But before the summer is officially here, that same snow melt can create a lot of mud in the lower altitudes. Hence, the term �mud season.�
This has been an unusual spring even by Breckenridge standards where, if you don�t like the weather, wait twenty minutes. As recently as yesterday, June 11th, we had snow. People have broken out their motorcycles, bicycles, and hiking gear and, seemingly as a protest, nature says, �Not so fast, partner.� But Breckenridge offers as much fun during the summer as anywhere on the planet. It�s a treat to live here and a treat to just come spend some time watching the mountains and the valleys pop with flowers. There�s a saying here. �People come for the winter to ski, they come for the summers to live.�

Some insights into hiking in low visibility conditions is provided in CamperVoice.com. The article makes the somewhat intuitive observation that falling off a cliff "can be painful," but the author's levity makes the point. Falling off a cliff can be deadly. It's not hard to check weather reports or even camp rangers for clues as to the conditions you might expect on your expedition. Mountain trails can become narrow without much warning so communication with your fellow campers is vital. Then too, avalanches are always a safety threat but the danger can be minimized if you familiarize yourself with the terrain and any history of such potentially lethal events. The author isn't trying to dissuade anyone from hiking into the wild. He just wants hikers to minimize the inherent dangers they might encounter. Have a nice hike.