The traffic wasn’t bad for the start of my adventure. Google had suggested that driving in Atlanta around 6 p.m. on a weeknight might be challenging. So I left earlier, and got to the hotel parking lot a few minutes before 6 p.m. At 6 p.m. precisely, I was on the shuttle to the airport, watching the pink sunset in the west. The driver said it was going to get cold. Well, maybe cold for Georgia. I’m still used to Wisconsin.

Weather plays a part

When I traveled from Wisconsin to Tennessee recently, I experienced a 65-degree temperature difference in 11 hours’ time.

Tennessee had “snow” the day I flew out. Barely a dusting, but salt trucks had made the rounds ahead of the “storm,” to lay down a swath – just in case. Schools around Chattanooga were on a two-hour delay the day after the “snow.”

I’m rolling my eyes.

Partly because I just came from the Midwest, where the worst weather in 20 years closed schools legitimately, and windchills hit 50-below.

And partly because I was on my way to Colorado. Breckenridge in particular, where real snow is plentiful – but so is sunshine and milder winter temps.

A bit of an adventure

Visiting Breckenridge is kind of an adventure. We snowshoe, eat out, do projects, and try different things my hostess usually can’t do when everyone just wants to ski. During previous visits I’ve gone dog sledding, bathed in hot springs, experienced a historic walking tour, ate at great restaurants, attended a symphonic concert, went to movies, rode up the mountain in the gondola, and shopped at local stores. I’ve seen moose (several at different times!), a fox just down the block, sunrises and sunsets, art, sculptures, festivals, snowboarding competitions and much more.

It’s such a cool place. I feel cool just being there. And generally, I don’t feel cool. And I’m not just cool because of the snow.

So, while I’m not looking to get into trouble, if I were, Breck might be the place for it. Everyone is friendly. They ski all day and drink ‘til close, and get up the next day and do it again.

My days will be filled with work and maybe some snowshoeing. Mostly it will be a time away from the routine. A time to renew, refresh and recenter.

Here’s to adventures, relaxing, and finding yourself in Colorado.

Be a Better Writer

In this column, I used “renew, refresh and recenter.” I wrote it re-center, then looked it up to be sure I was using it properly, with the hyphen. Nope. AP Stylebook pointed me to Webster’s New World Dictionary, which is included in my online AP Stylebook subscription.

You use the hyphen if without it the word would have a different meaning, such as recover (meaning regain) and re-cover (to cover again). You also use a hyphen when the word that follows stars with an e, re-elect, for example.

When in doubt, look it up. You don’t have to know everything, but you do need to know when to look it up.