Week 3: Winds, Work, and Wellness

Every morning I start the day around 7am outside with the horses. Milo has begun to join me while feeding and tending to them, and it’s my favorite part of every day!

Thursday

A super windy day canceled our plans for a trail ride. Mike spent the entire day working on the arena, while I fed the horses and worked inside.

The day ended with a foggy, rainy night.

Friday

I went into Buena Vista (BV) for a yoga Align & Flow class at JalaBlu, then worked in a coffee shop for a while.

Before heading home I visited the local yarn shop Serendipity I’d seen in passing. For those that know me well know that I love yarn shops and have spent many hours in them, especially back in the maritimes. It is very exciting to have one right in BV!

Late in the afternoon, I set up our new Clam tent, which is rated really well for wind. I was excited to have a space that could keep our chairs dry during night frosts and sudden microbursts. We spent the evening cozy in the tent by the propane fire.

Saturday

We enjoyed morning coffee and breakfast in the tent. While Mike mended fences, I made creamy zucchini soup—one of my favorites—but I ruined it because bouillon is not the same as broth. Lessons learned.

Just before lunch, I saw the tent upside down and heading towards the creek! I ran outside and managed to hold it down until Mike arrived. This sporadic, unpredictable wind is going to be a huge problem for our tent. Very disappointed, but it had to come down for now. We’ll try again with bigger stakes later.

After lunch, we cleaned up the Wrangler house as it had been closed for the winter and the bird dog trainer is arriving this week to stay there. It was nice to learn that we work well together. 

We headed into Leadville for a little shopping at Big R and then dinner at Tennessee Pass Cafe. The cafe doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the food was delicious with great plant-based options too.

Sunday

Mike had the day off, so we made plans in town. First was a yoga class at Jala Blu with Kati that included a hypnotic sound bath. Really loving this yogo studio, set up so nicely even with a beautiful alter at the front.

Then we had breakfast at Cool River. With it being a long weekend, the wait was very long but worth it. After breakfast, we headed to Cottonwood Springs. It was busy, but there was still lots of room in the amazing pools. Unfortunately, the long weekend traffic made the dressing rooms so horrible they were basically unusable.

After the hot springs, we headed to the South Main Street area of town, where some Paddlefest festivities were taking place. Unfortunately, the music wasn’t happening, but we found a neat new mezcal bar called Coyote inside the Black Burro Bike Shop.

After dinner at Crave BV (again, we really like it there), back at the ranch, I went for a long walk with Otis and Milo up past Coyote Meadow and over Fish Creek. It was a beautiful evening. I checked on the horses out in the back pasture and sat down by the creek. Too dark for pictures, but I saw a sheep up on the hill and a buck on the top of the hill looking down at me!

Monday

Monday was a holiday for both of us, so we took advantage of the time and beautiful weather. Mike unloaded our trailer, including the motorcycle, while I caught up on some Shakti School classes. Early in the afternoon, we went for a drive up the road to the old mining towns, Vicksburg and Winfield.

Winfield had the first cabin built in 1867 but hit its prime in 1890 when it had an estimated population of 1500. At that time it had 3 saloons, 3 stores, school, post office, 2 hotels, mill and smelter. Was a booming mining town, but the people had to walk all the way to Granite past the ranch (at least 12 miles) to catch the stage coach. Many would stop at the ranch to get supplies like eggs and milk for their travels, so I’m told.

We had a lovely picnic at one of the San Isabel National Forest dispersed camp spots by Clear Creek.

In the evening, we went for our first ride on the motorcycle in Colorado! The scenery was beautiful as we cruised through the roads to Buena Vista, where we had dinner at Buena Viking. They have a wide selection of plant-based burgers (at least four varieties), and the theme of the place is pretty cool.

Tuesday

Back to work for both of us. Mike worked on various tasks like yard work and cleanup on the trails.

I went to town for a yoga class and then worked at The Blend coffee shop until the afternoon. Before heading home, I checked out Charlotte Hot Springs for an hour. It’s new and very nice. Fewer pools than Cottonwood, but they were comfortable and really hot. The luxurious dressing room made for a nice shower before heading back to the RV.

In the evening, Mike took me on a tour of the back areas of the ranch on the side-by-side, showing me the areas he’s become familiar with while working on creek irrigation. We saw a beautiful sunset and two huge herds of elk, each with a bull starting to grow antlers!

Wednesday

Started the day with a beautiful yogurt bowl sitting outside in the sun. Mornings really are the best time of day here.

While working inside the RV, I was visited by a few sheep on the hillside and a very pregnant coyote hunting the prairie dogs in the horse pasture.

I tried some new plant-based food ideas. For lunch, I made a vegan egg salad sandwich on fresh gluten-free bakery bread from Simple Eatery. It was delicious! For dinner, I made tacos with Pumfu, a tofu replacement made from pumpkin seeds and water. We made our own taco seasoning and mixed it with the Pumfu, onions, and peppers. They were the best tacos we’ve ever made!

That ends this week. I thought it would be a short post, but we’re still finding lots of new and fun experiences. Until next time!