Author: amazingmrd

I’m a sucker for butterflies and hummingbirds.  When I discovered the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado (about 15 miles north of Denver) I had to stop and check it out.

Given that Halloween is fast approaching they had special exhibits of bugs and spiders.  I’m not much of a bug person, and definitely don’t like spiders, but this fish in one of their aquariums was one I had never seen before.

And now on to the main attraction.  Before going in to the large enclosure where the live butterflies and moths were I passed a display case with many deceased specimens.  Not knowing how many varieties of live ones I might actually see I thought I’d better get some pictures.  As you’ll see in the next post, though, there actually was a very good selection of live ones flying around.  I got pictures of as many as I could.  Some were just too quick and never stayed put very long.  Some were rather frisky and were perhaps pursuing love interests so I thought I’d respect their privacy.  It is a neat place and the kids (and adults) really seemed to enjoy it.

These butterflies and moths were all very much alive, flying around the large indoor enclosure at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado (about 15 miles north of Denver).

This next one was HUGE.  It is an Atlas Moth and never moved the whole time I was there.

And this was another large moth, an African Moon Moth.  If you look closely at the top you’ll see it’s antennae.

I tried and tried to get the settings on my phone correct. This is extremely exaggerated but makes the point that as the sun was setting Main Street was getting darker but the mountain to the south was still in bright sunshine.

And this is looking towards the west over the lake behind my hotel.

Went up to get coffee for the morning (so I can just heat it in the microwave while watching my morning news program). Got back to the room just in time to catch the kickoff for Eagles at Panthers.  

#GoPanthers

This dude was at the bar next to me at Breckenridge Brewery.  But hey, he bought everyone a round…

I’m living like a local now.  Well, for 24 hours at least.

900a, dressed in layers (it got down to 34 degrees overnight) I walked up the street for my coffee fix. I bought a stainless steel thermal mug so most convenience stores only charge a dollar for refills AND I get to use my preferred creamer.

Next, I walked around exploring Main Street and a few side streets (the sunny side of the street). I ate my way back to the villa and scoped out my Happy Hour options. By the time I got checked in and got oriented last night I missed out on HH. I don’t plan to make that mistake again. My goal is to spend less on food and drink all day than I did for dinner last night (though it was worth every penny).

Breckenridge is one of the largest and most popular ski areas in the country, maybe even the world.  It is massive.

I am staying below the 9 on the map below. The big hotels are at the south end of Main Street left is south). It is a short walk from my particular hotel to the Quicksilver Super Chairlift.

I am making these posts with my phone. Breck has a strong 4G Verizon signal everywhere, even in the villa. 

Well, at least I made it back to my room on the first try…

#CheaperThanTheMotel6Denver

I normally don’t do this but I feel guilty that I won’t be posting for two nights…

Round 1 – remember, I’m walking.

#DontDrinkAndDrive

#Yummy

The good news is I have arrived at my next stop. I’ll be spending the next two nights in beautiful downtown Breckenridge, Colorado at the classy Marriott Mountain Valley Lodge.  My nice clean car is safely parked in the underground garage so I can walk to restaurants and drink!! Woo-hoo!!

But now the other shoe must drop. You probably know what’s coming…  As fancy as this place is (I was VERY lucky to reserve it before the price went way up) it doesn’t have secure wi-fi so I won’t connect my computer to it.  So that means no blog posts until I get to Denver on Friday.  Sorry.

I am posting this from my phone via regular internet access. I don’t even set up wi-fi on my phone if it isn’t secure.  

#ParanoidJohnBoy

Evidently Rocky Mountain National Park (well, Mother Nature) just doesn’t want me to check off the final two things on my list.

I asked how long “temporarily” is and she said “oh, a couple of days…”.

So back to Estes Park and will take the Million Dollar Highway south to the dreaded interstate. Beautiful day for a drive, at least.  59 degrees at the East entrance (and for me, exit) at 1226pm local time.