Solo Camping and The Bridge Concerts

One of my goals this summer was to do some solo camping, (with Rock, my dog, of course) and with my busy schedule, this hadn't happened yet, but I was determined to get in at least one night in by July.  My favorite band, The Bridge , was playing in Breckenridge on a Wednesday night and Josh wasn't able to go with me due to his work schedule.  I knew this was the perfect time to do some solo camping and to watch a great band; plus my cousin Patrick is the sax player in the band and over the years I have enjoyed getting to know the rest of the guys in the band as well and I was really excited about my day in the mountains! 

I woke up later than expected on Wednesday and got a couple of hours of work in before packing up the camping gear and getting on the road with Rock.  I arrived in Frisco, where the band was staying and my campground was located, and quickly went to the campground I had chosen, Peak One Campground, and found a spot near the water with views of the surrounding mountains and in height of the wildflower season. 

After picking out my site I called my cousin and drove over to the hotel to pick him up with whatever band mates wanted to hike.  In my rush to leave the house, I managed to leave directions for the hike I had wanted to do; fortunately the Breckenridge/Frisco area has loads of hikes and Kenny had observantly noticed several hikes along the stretch of highway 9 and we drove to the Gold Hill trailhead just between Frisco and Breckenridge. 

We hiked for a while and found a really sweet viewpoint with a handmade swing.  It was the first time I have come across a swing like that in the mountains and it was really unique.  After checking out the views for a while, the guys had to head back to the hotel to set up and sound check. 

I went back to camp and cooked dinner in a rush before the impending storm (the weather said 30% chance of rain)and just as I sat down to eat the rain came.   I quickly put everything away in the truck before scrambling into the tent with my potatoes and peas for dinner.  The rain didn't stop until 3:00am the next morning, so much for 30% chance of rain! 

At about 8:45pm, Rock and I got out of the tent and drove to the show in Breckenridge to hang out with Patrick.  It was raining and if you haven't been to Breckenridge before all of the buildings architecturally look very similar and  it was nearly impossible for me to find this club Three 20 South.  Finally, I had to call Patrick to come outside and chase down my car as I drove slowly by.  After I parked one of the club managers came outside as we were remarking about how difficult this place was to find.  She said; "It's hard to find, but everyone that matters knows about this place", I jokingly thought to myself maybe that was why I hadn't found it, didn't I matter? 

We got into the club and hung out for a few before the guys took the stage; at first there were only a few people that had arrived, but after the music started playing, people started to arrive.  These must have been the people that the club manager meant, I thought to myself. 

The Bridge started rocking and the vibe in the room was great, everyone was having a good time and dancing.  Song highlights of the night were; "Big Wheel", one of the newest songs;  crowd favorite, "Chains;" my favorite song, "Colorado Motel;" and the encore especially rocked which was an Al Green tune, "I'm a Ram."  Each time I see The Bridge I have a killer time and this Breckenridge show was one of my favorites of all time.

After the show ended I had to go back to my soggy tent with Rock and see what awaited us, it rained the entire show and it was still raining at 2am as I drove back.  Somehow the tent wasn't too wet, although it wasn't dry either, but it could have been worse.  I fitfully slept for 3 hours until the birds decided to park themselves in the trees above my head and make lots of noise.  The tent was even more wet by morning and I was not sleeping but it was really early and I just wanted to pack up and go home!  I hastily packed up my stuff, called my cousin and told him I was on my way to pick him up; he probably doesn't see 7am unless he stays up all night and groggily got his stuff around and met me to drive back to Golden. 

All in all it was a great time and a good first experience solo camping, even though the rain was a real downer.  It can only get better the next time I go solo camping, right?

*Post is Dedicated to Budman, 2008-2010 (as tour manager)