Getaway Out West

Boulder

As soon as school was over, Brett and I headed out west to Boulder, CO for a short little getaway before the holidays!

We knew Boulder would be pretty shut down due to Covid, but those mountains called to us, and so we went! Leaving after work made for a late night arrival, but I was actually looking forward to waking up in the morning to that first view of the mountains we didn’t get to see the night before. It was an amazing sight to wake up to those pink flatirons right outside our hotel window!

Our hotel was in a great location – within walking distance to several stores and restaurants. That first morning, we walked across the street to The Buff, where we were seated outside on the patio. I was hesitant at first, but there were heaters and the sun was shining so it was actually pretty comfortable! At that point, we didn’t realize that in Boulder right then, if you weren’t okay with eating outside, you weren’t going to eat at all unless your meal was made at home. ALL restaurants were outdoor dining only!

The Buff was so delicious that we went back there the next morning before our massages. We loved their drink selection – Bloody Marys and Mimosas for Brett, vanilla lattes and mint teas for me!

We were told we couldn’t go to Boulder without checking out Pearl Street Mall, so after breakfast we drove downtown for some shopping! I looked up the stores included in the mall and they had me so excited for teas, natural things, and other random things I didn’t really need but “had to have.” 😉

One thing that is always on our list to purchase while on a trip is a magnet with the name of the town we are visiting. We found a wooden Boulder one to add to our collection and later, during the second part of our trip, we found another magnet to add!

The last two times we have gone to Colorado, we have stayed in town, which is fun, but we wanted to see more of the beauty of Colorado up close! So on our second day, after our massages at the St. Julien Hotel, we drove up into the mountains to an old town called Gold Hill. I am assuming it was an old mining town. They had a general store and even a lodge! The drive was so beautiful, but of course pictures never do it justice. My favorite part of the driving was the wildlife!

On our third day in BoCo, we went on another scenic drive. We stopped at a pull-off for a photo op of the city below us and a deer ran across the road near us and joined a few of his buddies! Yes, I see deer in Missouri all the time, but this was a deer in the mountains – which is so much cooler!

Brett caught a picture of me in my element – admiring animals and taking too many pictures of it.

The time came where we had done all we wanted to do in Boulder (that Covid allowed us to do, anyway). Brett had mentioned a few times during the trip how close Cheyenne, Wyoming was and we had been wanting to go there someday, so we decided to check out of our hotel a day early and head north to see what Cheyenne had to offer!

Cheyenne

I was kind of sad to be driving away from the mountains the morning we headed for Wyoming, but it was still beautiful and a sight I had been wanting to see for a long time! I loved those big rolling hills and the…BISON!

Brett found a bison ranch (Terry Bison Ranch) that was on our way into town and this was my absolute favorite part of our trip! I still can’t get over it. We went out on a train and stopped in the middle of a small herd of bison – which are different than buffalo, btw! The guide had buckets full of treats for us to feed to the bison out the windows and door of the train. They had plenty of treats ready considering a family of four were the only other passengers besides us!

I was expecting to feed them like you would feed a horse – with a flat hand. But the train stood too tall to put your hand down under their mouth, so the bison would lift their head up to you, open their mouth wide, and stick out their giant tongue! They would wrap their tongue around the treat or you could just drop it in. I had no idea their tongues looked, and moved, like they do.

If you follow me on Instagram, I have videos of feeding the bison in my Cheyenne highlight! They crack me up.

There were other animals on the ranch, so of course we went to see them. it didn’t matter if they were animals you see every day in Missouri – I was loving it.

Later that day, we checked out Cheyenne Frontier Days and dreamed of summertime when maybe we can come back to attend the rodeo in July. I am going to be watching those tickets like a hawk because I know they will go quick!

After visiting the rodeo grounds and touring their museum, we checked out the rest of town. We found a western outfitters store in the old downtown area where Brett bought me my next pair of boots that I am in love with. Thinking they would be perfect to wear to the rodeo although I hope I have plenty more places to wear them to before then!

There is not a whole lot else to do in Cheyenne in the winter time, so we just went driving out in the country and enjoyed more quality time together! Not that we ever will forget, but our driving around that day reminded us how “meant to be” we are. Find someone you can drive around the middle of nowhere with and actually enjoy it!

After our aimless driving, we got up early the next morning and pointed the truck toward the east and did a little more – you guessed it – driving! 9.5 hours of it to be exact. We were so ready to see our dogs back home!

I am so grateful for our quality time together on our little western getaway and the fact that our jobs allow us to take such trips. We are already looking forward to our next adventure!

Paige