Your journey to Summit County, if coming from Denver via I-70, will consist of crossing the Continental Divide through the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel. For me & I expect for some of you, this is an experience in itself. I grew up outside of Kansas City. Going through a tunnel in KC is driving under a really wide bridge. The Eisenhower Tunnel is way more than that!
The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world. The average elevation while traveling through the tunnel is 11,013 feet and it's nearly 1.7 miles long! Try holding your breath through this tunnel! It took 5 years to create the first bore and another 4 years for the second. The two bores are approximately 48 feet tall and 40 feet wide although you would never guess when you drive through them. Ventilation ducts take up a huge amount of the head room and drainage runs underneath the roadway so the road surface to ceiling is just over 16 feet, one third of the actual bore. The tunnel is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provides full time employment for 52 people. More interesting facts about the tunnel.
As you drive west through the tunnel you leave Clear Creek County and enter Summit County. At the bottom of the really big hill lies the town of Silverthorne, known mainly to Denverites as the home of the factory shops. Silverthorne is much more than that to me. It is less well known than Breckenridge, Frisco or Keystone but only a short drive away. Silverthorne offers a more affordable Summit County lifestyle than does the ski mountain towns, the trade off being the drive. You don't wake up at the base of the slopes but you don't pay extra for it either.
When heading for a destination, don't neglect the journey. Many times, that is at least half the fun.
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