You can tour the restored buildings at the summit of Boreas Pass during the summer months and read about the difficulties of life at 12,000 feet above sea-level.

Originally, known as Breckenridge Pass, the pass was actually a trail used by burro pack trains and foot travelers to carry supplies across the rugged Colorado Rocky Mountains.

In 1860, men from the Breckenridge and South Park sides of the pass carved out a wagon road.  At the top of the pass is Ken’s Cabin (originally known as Wagon Cabin) which is one of the oldest buildings in the Breckenridge area.

The railroad reached the summit of Boreas Pass in late 1881. Winters were so harsh that the Pass was renamed Boreas Pass, for the God of the North Wind.   The rails reached Breckenridge in September of 1882 and Leadville by December of 1884.

In 1882 during the height of Colorado’s railroading, the settlement of Boreas came into existence.  A small section house was built next to Ken’s Cabin for the men working on that section of the railroad and their families.

By 1886, a two-room telegraph office, a two story section house, and a storehouse were built.  There was also a stone engine house with a wrough-iron turntable, coal bin, and a wooden water tank inside.  Unfortunately, this engine house was destroyed by a fire in 1909.  A 997 foot snow shed was built to keep out drifting snows.  In January of 1896, a post office was built and was known as the highest post office in the United States until it closed in January of 1906.  In 1898 a depot was built onto the snow shed for the comfort of boarding passengers.

The settlement of Boreas was thriving and the winters were brutal.  The wind always blew and the snow never ended.  Trains and tracks were under 10 feet of snow during the winter of 1898-99.  The Pass was shut down from February 6 to April 24, 1899 until the snow could be removed.  Snow removal was a never-ending job for most of each year.

With the steep grades and sharp turns of Boreas Pass, train wrecks were a constant threat. To retrieve runaway trains that derailed, temporary spur tracks were built. Cables, ropes, pulleys and chains were the used to retrieve the trains. In January 1936, two locomotives descending from the Pass at about 20 mph hit a frozen snowdrift and plunged down the mountain. One of the engines slid 208 feet from the track; the other stopped 50 feet from the track.

Although Boreas Station was all but deserted by 1905, the railroad workers remained at the Pass to keep the tracks open and the trains running.   By the 1930’s the route over the Boreas Pass was abandoned and the buildings eventually fell into disrepair.  Between 1952 and 1956, the rails were removed and Boreas Pass was converted into a road.  The US Forest Service and the Colorado Historic Society brought the buildings on the summit of the Pass back to life again in 1993.

Directions: The Pass begins 10 miles northeast of Fairplay at the junction of Highway 285 and County Road 33.

Eating in Summit County is an experience in itself because of the large crowds.  During the winter while the skiers are here for their Colorado vacation, not only are the restaurants crowded, but also the grocery stores, hair salons, liquor stores, movie rental places, gas stations, etc.  We learned quickly that eating in Summit County requires being at the restaurant at awkward times.  Because my husband refuses to wait for a table, getting to a restaurant at 3:00 pm for lunch, or 8:00pm for dinner, or 7:00am breakfast is what we now do.

A few months ago, my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants in Dillon, Colorado called Pug Ryan’s.  Every visit to Pugs is an experience.  With all the skiers in town, the place gets quite crowded and you sometimes overhear very interesting conversations.  The waiters and waitresses at Pugs are constantly running to keep up with the crowds and I don’t know how they do it, but they always seem to have a smile on their faces.

We arrived at Pugs about 7:45pm or so and we were immediately seated.  Pug’s is known for their Micro Brews, my favorite being the wheat beer.  Since it was so late the dining room was clearing out as most people were moving into the bar area.  It was nice, and rare, for my husband and I to have a little area in the restaurant all to ourselves.  We talked and laughed and never noticed the time.  At one point, a waitress came to our table and refilled our drinks, compliments of the restaurant.  At that time, we noticed the time and yes, we had been there waiting for our food for a very long time.  Waiting for your food at Pugs is very unusual, but like I said, we were enjoying our night so we didn’t really care.

A few minutes later, the owner of the restaurant came to our table.  As he grabbed a chair and sat down, he apologized for our wait and told us that he had several people out sick.  I had seen him waiting tables earlier, but really didn’t think much about it until he began talking to us.  The poor guy seemed so tired, but he was in a good mood.

What sticks out in my mind about this Pugs experience is the fact that the owner of the business was working so hard.  As I thought about this, I began to realize that seeing owners work like this is nothing new in Summit County.  In fact, you can often see the owners of many restaurants and other small businesses working like this.  So many times, in the larger Denver chain restaurants, you see some manager-type looking person barking orders at employees.  At Pugs, not only have I never seen anyone barking orders, I’ve seen the owner working right along side of the employees several times since that first night a few months ago.  This type of leadership creates a great working environment, which in turn, creates a great dining experience for the customer.

The majority of jobs in Summit County, Colorado attract numerous young people because of the wages.  The tips are good and the jobs are plentiful, which enable them to save for college or any other ventures they may have.  Unfortunately, Summit County offers very little affordable housing for these people.  Most of these young people live with five or six other people in a small condo.  A lot of these people only stay here a year or two then return to wherever they came from.  This makes it very difficult for businesses to hire employees.

So, why does it seem that restaurant service is better in the Summit County than in Denver?  More of the restaurants here are smaller and independently owned.  I believe that since employees are so hard to find, the employers treat them better.  Nobody wants to work for a micromanaging jerk.  Up here, employers can’t afford to be micromanaging jerks, nor can they afford to pay outrageous salaries.  So instead, they create a better working environment for their employees.

I believe the way your treat customers defines your business.  A great working environment……a great customer experience…….wow, what a concept!

Pugs is located in Dillon at 104 Village Pl and their phone number is (970) 468-2145

Jake’s Dive Bar
100 N. Main St., #204
(970) 485-0027
Appetizers, Hot And Cold Sub Sandwiches, Pizza, Soup And Salads

Hearthstone Restaurant
130 South Ridge Street
970-453-1148
The Hearthstone Has The Largest Wine List I’ve Ever Seen.

Downstairs At Eric’s
111 S. Main St
(970) 453-1401
Pizza, Dozens Of Beers, Arcade For Kids

Park Avenue Pub
The Village At Breckenridge
(970) 453-2000

Breckenridge Brewery
600 S. Main St.
(970) 453-1550
One Of Colorado’s Oldest Brew Pubs.

Fatty’s Pizzeria
106 S. Ridge St.
(970) 453-9802
Americana Food, Sports Bar, And The Best Pizza On Earth.

Briar Rose Restaurant
109 E. Lincoln St.
(970) 333-0313
Victorian Ambience.  Best Prime Rib.

Salt Creek Steakhouse & Napper Tandy’s Pub
110 E. Lincoln St.
(970) 453-4949

Gold Pan Bar
103 N. Main St.
(970) 453-5499
Historical Saloon Type Restaurant And Bar.

Empire Burger
500 S Main St.
(970) 333-0313
The Best In Fresh Burgers. Try Their Fried Mozzarella And Chili Cheese Fries

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
231 S. Main St.
(970) 547-9000

Mother Loaded Tavern
103 South Main
(970) 453-2572
Live Music And Fun!

Peak 9 Restaurant
Top Of Peak 9 At Breck Ski Resort
(970) 453-1108
Burgers, Pizza, Chicken, Deli Sandwiches

Crown Cafe & Tavern
215 S. Main St.
(970) 453-6022

Modis
113 South Main St.
(970) 453-1401

The Dredge
180 W. Jefferson St.
(970) 453-4877
Restaurant Is A Replica Of An Old Dredge Boat. Quite Unique!

I hate lettuce. I don’t like the way it smells when it is warm, the way it “crunches” in my mouth when it is cold, or the way it is piled on the plate when it is served. Every time we visit my husband’s brother in Denver, we always manage to eat out before returning to our home in Summit County. We’ve practiced this routine for over 20 years now. We have eaten at some of the so-called “finest” restaurants Denver has to offer, only to be disappointed in the lousy service. And not only do we get lousy service, I GET LETTUCE ON MY PLATE NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN!

I’ve decided that there must be some new “idea” about hiring waiters and waitresses. It looks almost like these restaurant owners grab employees from where ever they can, give them as little training as possible, pay them as little as possible, and after they soon quit, start the process all over again. From what I’ve seen, this new “idea” sounds about right. Great way to run a business!

What these restaurant owners need to understand is that one must speak English, not only because they are in an English speaking country, but because “lettuce” is not a hard word. Lettuce is eaten in nearly every country on earth and if I don’t want lettuce on my plate, I should be able to say the words “no lettuce” and have them understood by the waiter or waitress.

Restaurants in Summit County are very much different than Denver. It is quite normal in our restaurants to see the owner working right along side of his waiters and/or waitresses. Sometimes the service might be a bit slow because of the crowds, but the waiters and waitresses are always serving with smiles on their faces. I would classify the majority of them as friendly people. Often, if you are waiting for your table, you are served drinks, compliments of the owners or managers. I will say, overall, eating in Summit County is generally a good experience.

So, what about my lettuce problem? No, I have never had a problem with lettuce on my plate in the restaurants in Summit County. Waiters and waitresses here seem to understand what “no lettuce” means. The concept of having no lettuce on a plate does not seem difficult for them at all.

To conclude my “lettuce” and restaurant gripes, I would like to say, next time you visit a restaurant in Summit County, Colorado, please remember to tip your waiter or waitress well.  They work hard up here during difficult times, especially during ski season.