Above the Lights of Town: Star Gazing in CO

While star gazing last week near Breckenridge, Colorado, I actually saw the Milky Way with my own eyes. In my experience, we tend toward truth, and standing face to face with the expanse of foggy stars, there were no barriers between me and truth's piercing rays.

The truth is, I could certainly have seen the Milky Way better if using a fancy telescope, but then it wouldn't have been with my own eyes. Still, I was able to make out the signature whitish mist stretching across the sky. Brighter stars twinkled in and among the clouds, bringing my focus to a point and guiding me along the trails of our planet's intangible orbit.

Sadly, the street lights of Breckenridge dimmed the glamor of the sight, making me wish I were high on Mt. Evans rather than just a few hundred yards from the town. But the image imprinted itself on the retina of my eye and has remained vivid in my mind.

I suppose towns have their purpose, though, because I found a T-shirt in a shop in Breckenridge that reads "Allergic to Cities" and has a cartoonish campfire and tent image below.

Conclusion: seeking another location to view the Milky Way. Any suggestions?