Alma: Population 179

Below is a clutch photo - I had told Pa Harvey I'd get him a picture of the Durango-Silverton train. It was Saturday morning, the car was packed and we were minutes from leaving Durango with no picture. Then it came by. It actually came by several times every day and loved to blow its whistle long and loud as it went by our house - especially if I was on a conference call or telling my bosses how hard I was working. Here it is from our driveway:



Here are some pictures of the scenery along the way up north to Alma:





Alma is the second highest incorporated municipality in the US at 10,578ft and they are very proud of it. We are staying here as it is a more affordable option than staying in Breckenridge itself. Alma is about 16 miles south of Breckenridge via a no-doubt very sketchy drive in the winter over Hoosier Pass:



Below is a picture of where our place is, to the right of the unpaved road on the right. On Saturday I took Hudson out for a 15-minute run along the road. We met up and ran with George, who lived about half a mile away and was from Chicago. I guess George is 50 and runs 10-miles 3 times each week.



Breckenridge is very cool and somewhat active in the summer. Here are a few pics of the views from town:

There is a trail from Breckenridge to Vail, 23-miles away. On Sunday I ran 4 miles on it and was jazzed about doing a longer run Tuesday. A stream ran alongside and it was slightly hilly with non-stop views of the Rocky Mountains.

My plan was to get up early Tuesday, make some coffee, drive to Breckenridge, run 9 miles and come back before my first call (with my boss and my boss's boss). Unfortunately I had trouble sleeping Monday night, getting maybe 4 and a half hours. At 5:30am I made coffee and took Hudson out for a walk. Still groggy, I came back and poured the pot of coffee all over my hand, prompting the Missus to ask if the scalding hot coffee hurt. Eventually I mentally woke up and by 7am I started the run. I think it was about 35 degrees and I could see my breath, bringing back good memories of Ontario.

There was some construction going on that I passed near the beginning (and end) of the run -- I find it interesting that folks who work in road construction consistently seem much happier at their jobs than those of us who make a lot more money in corporate gigs. I have no idea what this means - maybe I should become a flagger?

Anyways, we're here until Monday morning. After that it's out East...