Colorado Food-Fun

So, who knew there was such a thing as "coffee politics?"  Well, apparently in every small town in Colorado, there are seven to a dozen coffee shops waging war for costumers.  We were lucky enough to check out the top two "awesomest roastery's" in Buena Vista-Brown Dog Coffee Co.-http://browndogcoffee.com/ and The Buena Vista Roastery-http://bvroastery.com/the-roastery/our-team/.  In my humble opinion, Brown Dog won hands down for taste and behind the counter service while Nick picked the Roastery for it's smells!

One fine meal we had in CO. was at Eddyline Restaurant and Brewery in "Old Buena Vista"  While the little town didn't look a day over 15, it's sidewalks led you to magical stores with hemp clothing, hand-painted tiles, and cow-hide moccasins.  We stopped at "Eddyline" on the suggestion of our rafting guide.  The restaurant was packed for 2:00 on a Wednesday afternoon, but we got in and sat amongst the locals and listened to the chatter about "the river." Nick ordered the "Mt. Princeton Calzone" filled with ricotta, feta, mozzarella, pepperoni, prosciutto, roasted red bells, scallions, and green chile's.  He could barely finish it!  Considering it was my "meat day,"  I went for the "wood-Fired Wapiti Burger" which was 1/3lb of All-Natural ELK with caramelized onions and cheddar.  It was interestingly good!

The last "local-cool" place we ate at was the Boathouse Cantina in Salida. The brick boathouse is right on the Arkansas river.  As a "green establishment," they choose an open air approach to their dining as well as the food coming from as many local farmers as possible.  Nick enjoyed the sporty environment and being able to watch kayaks pass by. He barely finished his 5lb black bean and rice burrito with green chili sauce while I on the other hand, inhaled my Boathouse Rellenos made with vegan cheese, green chili's, avocados, black bean and corn salsa, with a bowl of vegan green chili. YUM!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our final Colorado post-Exploring Colorado Nature

A Colorado Anniversary

What do you get when you have 2 people who absolutely adore each other still after 10 years of marriage? 4 days exploring the beautiful Colorado Rockies!  While this was a BIG anniversary to celebrate, we decided to take a small trip and just enjoy being together in Colorado.  The drive was 9 hours and I made it my duty to find the most interesting places to stop along the way-much to Nick's dismay because it ended up being a 10 1/2 hour trip.

Buffalo Bill's Ranch, Colorado Visitor Center, and Boot Hill

When we finally pulled into Colorado, we couldn't help but pull off to the side of the road for a picture and an opportunity to dip our feet into a swirling rush of cool mountain water. 

We stayed at the beautiful Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Spa-http://www.mtprinceton.com/
Our room was considered a "cliff side room" with an awesome view of the surrounding mountains.  There were 5 pools to choose from, 4 being hot springs, 1 with a 400 ft. water slide, and 1 was a creek- which was FREEZING!

Each morning we would wake up to the quietness of the mountain and have breakfast on the back patio.  Sometimes we would have a furry friend or two checking us out.  At night, we would once again hit the back patio to watch the sunset the best we could with mountain blockage, but one night stood out in particular.  A few patio doors down, we met a man from Arkansas who played some "backwater bluegrass" on his mandolin for us.  His talent was unreal and I loved having the story that we had our very own "mountain-man" playing for us in the "Rockies."

Stay tuned for post on "Colorado Food" and "Exploring Colorado Nature"

Flatwater Music Festival

If anyone knows me well, they know I have a love for bluegrass-backwater- banjo-Americana music.  Which is why when I won tickets to the Flatwater Music Festival in Hastings, Nebraska, I crowed like a rooster, packed my bag a week early, and memorized every word to "Rock Me Mama"-which was played by almost every band there.  Click on the following link to learn more about the festival at Prairie Loft: http://www.prairieloft.org/Prairie_Loft/Flatwater_Festival.html

 When we got to the festival, we were greeted by three large barn/lofts, half a dozen gourmet food vendors, a Lucky Bucket beer garden, several crafty tables, massage therapists, and the sounds of harmony.  It just so happened that my luck followed me to Hastings and after buying a set of raffle tickets, I won the VIP Lounge for a set!  We had a great time listening to the Ukulele trio named "Star Belle" and chomping on fried oreo's-delish!

Night two of the festival found us saying goodbye to our friends Brian and Angie and leaving us to venture to Prairie Loft on our own.  We had fun walking the grounds, checking out the vendors-again, and listening to "Nora Jane Struthers and The Party Line."  Being the smart alec that I am, I told Nick, "I'm going to test my luck and only buy two raffle tickets this time."  Low and behold-I won-again. The best part about the festival-besides the music, was talking to the people and watching Nick totally in his element talking to the farmers about equipment and being invited to meet "the family."  This brought about an opportunity for me to get the band I manage a chance to perform next year so, consider this your invite y'all!