Welcome to the 844th Metamorphosis Monday! During the time my son was growing up, we visited Breckenridge, Colorado, to ski a total of three times. During each visit, we would have a little trouble breathing the first two to three days. It was always very minor, not enough to stop us from any of the activities we had planned. I distinctly remember that the only time I noticed the altitude change was when I walked up 3-4 steps to go inside one of the shops in the historic area. As I reached the top, I’d find myself gasping for air, and found it hilarious. After just a couple of days, that breathless feeling went away and never returned.
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Well, I don’t know what’s changed, but it’s not so funny anymore! As mentioned in a previous post, the altitude sickness really got to me this time. I found myself gasping for air pretty much every single day of the trip, even when just walking across a room! How ridiculous is that?! In addition to the gasping-for-air issue, I had a headache and was slightly nauseated for the first 2-3 days. Fortunately, the headache and nausea stuff eventually went away, or at least got a lot better, but the gasping-for-air thing never did.
The day before we were scheduled to leave to return home, I decided to visit one of the local Oxygen Bars. I had never heard of an Oxygen Bar before this trip. I don’t think they were around when we visited so many years ago. Okay, I just did a quick search, and it appears that Oxygen Bars started popping up in the late 1990s.
The bar I visited in Breckenridge was The O2 Lounge. There were already several customers inside when I arrived. They appeared to have just finished their Oxygen treatments. I kept thinking my issue this trip had to do with being a lot older than on my previous visits to Breckenridge, but seeing so many young people in the bar, including big burly guys, I realized it’s not an age thing. The Oxygen Bar staffer/employee confirmed that, saying he often has people my age or older come in with their children or grandchildren who are having issues breathing, and they (the parent/grandparent) are just fine. Interesting, huh?
Have you ever visited an Oxygen Bar? They break the cost down by the length of the treatment—15 minutes was $16 and 30 minutes was $22. I went with the 30-minute option, and the time passed quickly as I scrolled through Instagram.
Another choice I had to make was the “scent” I would be smelling as I breathed in the Oxygen. I didn’t want a scent since I typically don’t like artificially scented air fresheners and such, but the guy running the bar said that without a scent, the air would have a metallic smell. There were four scents from which to choose. I don’t recall all of them now, but I remember one was named Energy, and another was Relaxation. I went with Energy since the description of the scent sounded more to my liking. I barely noticed any scent during the treatment, which was good. I was given a cannula, and as the air flowed into my nose, I noticed nothing—no change in how I felt at all. I couldn’t even feel any air going in. For me, it was just like sitting and breathing normally, but with a cannula in my nose.
Did it work? No, not at all. As soon as I left the bar and walked a 1/2 block down the street, I found myself gasping for air. Disappointing! Would I go to an Oxygen Bar again? Nope. But I’m glad I gave it a try, just to see what it was all about. I think it may help some people, though. The folks who were just leaving as I was coming in seemed to be happy with their results.
Breckenridge is such a pretty place, especially the historic part of the town. I loved seeing all the older architecture and I’m so glad that it’s being preserved.
It was kinda hard to take photos since so many areas were super crowded with people and cars.
Doesn’t this feel like a building out of an old western movie?
As I shopped, I kept being surprised by the wonderful views. It’s easy to forget that the mountains and snow-covered ski slopes are just a few feet away!
On this trip, my son did something we’ve never done before: he signed up for a private lesson. The cost for a private lesson is insane! It was just under $1,500 for a single day. He split the lesson with his sons. My grandsons are 8 and 11 and they enjoyed a private lesson for the first 3 hours of the day. Afterward, they all went to lunch with their instructor. After lunch, my son dropped the kiddos back by the room and had his private lesson that afternoon. This photo below was taken from our balcony at the end of the lesson when they were wrapping up.
Despite the insane cost of the lesson, my son was thrilled with how much he learned. He was already a very good skier, but he learned a lot! During the lesson, the instructor had him confidently skiing Double Blacks. My grandsons also improved greatly. So the exorbitant cost of the lesson was worth it to them in the end. It’s our understanding that very little of the $1,500 actually goes to the instructor, so it’s important to tip generously, if you can.
The next day, my son and grandsons were able to use what they had learned and rode the highest ski lift in North America, the Imperial Express, to an elevation of 12,840 feet! You would think they had been skiing their whole life. Kids are fearless! They are all three (my son and grandsons) completely obsessed with skiing now!
By the way, if you have a skier in your family and you’re looking for a great birthday or Christmas gift, I very much recommend this book. I purchased it for my son’s birthday in June, but he was so excited about this trip, I gave it to him the day before we left for Breckenridge. He LOVES it! He wants to use it to highlight/document all the ski trips they take and the slopes they ski. The cover of the book is in black and white, but the images inside by James Niehues, an artist who is famous for creating the drawings in ski maps, are in color. It’s a great book for anyone who loves skiing!
Here’s a description of the book. The drawings inside are all in color and are beautiful!
Featuring over 200 ski resort trail maps hand-painted by one legendary artist, this beautiful 292-page hardcover coffee table book is the first and definitive compilation of the art created by James Niehues during his 30-year career. Eight geographically themed chapters form the heart of the book, offering you full-page images of the world’s most iconic ski areas including Alta, Arapahoe Basin, Aspen, Breckenridge, Big Sky, Deer Valley, Heavenly, Jackson Hole, Jay Peak, Killington, Kirkwood, Lake Louise, Mammoth, Mont Tremblant, Mt. Bachelor, Park City, Revelstoke, Snowbird, Squaw Valley, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride, Whistler Blackcomb and other renowned resorts. In engaging narrative that complements the maps, Niehues reveals his exacting technique, which demands up to six weeks to complete a single painting. He then walks you through the step-by-step process for mapping Breckenridge, sharing everything from aerial photographs, to numerous pencil sketches, to in-progress builds, to the final trail map illustration. The magic of the finished product is captured in both a foreword by pioneering big-mountain skier Chris Davenport and the perspectives of other ski industry insiders. Every detail was taken into consideration: Italian art-quality printing, heavier weight matte coated paper and a lay-flat binding.
You’ll find the book available here: The Man Behind The Maps.
I’ve already shared a few of the items I picked up during my breathless shopping trip. Ha! Here are two more silly, fun things I couldn’t resist. I loved this little bear wearing his Breckenridge ski sweater. I bought him in the gift shop at Beaver Run, the resort where we stayed during this trip.
Though I’m not really a believer, I found this wooden, 8.5-inch Sasquatch/Big Foot too cute to resist. I asked the sales clerk as I was checking out if the Bigfoot myth originated in Colorado, since I kept seeing them for sale in all the stores. She said she wasn’t sure, but that it’s a popular myth in the area. I did a quick online search and discovered that the first sightings were in Northern California, with most sightings reported over the years in Washington State. So, while Mr. Breckenridge Bear keeps me company in a chair here in the office, Sasquatch is hanging out on the console desk behind me. lol It’s so neat how the design is carved/layered to create the design.
Currently on my puzzle board: Thanks so much to Donna for telling me about this Agatha Christie mystery puzzle featuring 90 clues from her various works! I am loving it!
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
