Welcome to Beyond the Whisk! All.the.time people ask me, what else do you do other than cook? The answer to that is PLENTY.
We have 3 boys. Ryan, newly 14. Hank, 9, and Grady Woods (GW), 3. The older two are thick into school and extracurricular sports, art class for Hank, and would really rather be hunting and fishing than anything else. This is why the kitchen is so important to me. We are constantly on the go, so coming to sit down together in the evening as much as we can is the goal at the end of the day. Even if that means we all eat in shifts. Or have a second supper!
A few weeks ago we planned an extremely last minute trip to Colorado. With Hank’s baseball schedule, we did not know for sure when we would finish. His team lost out earlier than we would have liked so we had a teeny-tiny window of opportunity to get away before mandatory football started for Ryan. Whew!
I had some help from a cousin and sis-in-law to plan the perfect 3 day getaway with a million things to do and see packed in.
We began at Grand Lake and stayed at Grand Lake Lodge where my cousin Jeremy worked a few summers. The cabin, view and restaurant at GLL, Huntington House Tavern were all outstanding. I ate a local mushroom lasagna there, and I know I will never be able to make something as good as that dish was and that I’ll be thinking about it for a long time! The boys were thrilled to find there was a heated pool with a s’mores fire pit right by it.
The highlight of the boys’ trip was their first fly fishing experience with Cutthroat Anglers. They caught around 70 trout in the Troublesome Creek, an offshoot of the Colorado River. Meanwhile I enjoyed breakfast by myself (!!!), went on a hike and read at Sauce on the Blue. Solitude is hard to come by, and I love and dislike it all at the same time.
The next day we did some hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, spending most of our time at Adams Falls. The waterfalls were gorgeous, and looking in any direction was the next best spot to take a picture. We have never been to Colorado in the summer, so we relished in the rich greens and the pretty aspen leaves fluttering with their soft two sided colors.
Hank can’t let us pass up mini-golf, so we battled against each other to rack up the most hole-in-ones. We went on a horseback ride at Winding River Resort which would have been better had the area not been burned by a fire that torched 170,000 acres in 2021. But I always love a horse!
We said goodbye to Grand Lake with ice cream and a drink at The Waterfront. I could have sat at this view a long while, but it was time to make our way to Breckenridge. Along the way we stopped at Green Mountain Reservoir, and these are my most favorite pictures from the trip.
Southerners are truly appalled when accommodations do not have A/C. We didn’t melt, but boy did we definitely sleep with the windows and porch door open! I had not been to Breckenridge since high school, and couldn’t believe how commercialized it was. Especially compared to Grand Lake. But very pretty and fun nonetheless.
The boys were dying to walk to town. We let them while we took the shuttle. I was surprised when they made it to meet us at Hearthstone Restaurant without having to call us. Hank was insistent on eating elk. I kept telling him he would not like it, but we ordered it for the two of us to split, and he ate almost every bite. Good thing I filled up on the cheese tray! This restaurant is in an old house and has gorgeous views upstairs of the mountains. The waiter surprised us with champagne and ginger ale for the boys in flutes.
Our last day was slated for white water rafting with Kodi Rafting. This was the most fun! We went for a half day trip through Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River. Our guide was fantastic, patient, pointed out things to see we would have definitely missed and even though we got completely drenched we had the best time. Ryan and Hank said next time they’ll go on the trip that begins with an 8 foot drop rapid. I will probably catch my book and a glass of wine that time!
We ended the day at the swimming pool and cornhole before supper at The Canteen Tap House where I ate the MOST DELICIOUS brisket Mac and cheese. Stuffing myself before crashing into bed was a fitting way to end our trip. We were ready to get back to Grady Woods who was happy as a clam to stay home with his Mimi.
Our trip was quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry, but I loved every second.
