Colorado Hoppin'

We are headed north for a few days in Wyoming with Amanda and her family.  It is Ryan's birthday party weekend -- yep, his birthday was 3 weeks ago but as you know, it has been a busy month.  Since the flights out of Dallas are a bit iffy, we decide to make a connection in Houston.  It sounds odd, but after last weekend, I really don't wish to be stuck at an airport right now.  Once we arrive in Houston, we are given seats to Denver and guess what plane we are on ---- that's right, the new Dreamliner.  What an awesome plane!

Mister and I have decided to  have a play day in Colorado and to check out some of the local breweries that have been on our list for awhile.  Once we pick up our car, we find a cool little Mexican restaurant called Santiago's and enjoyed a few breakfast burritos.  Okay, now we are ready to start the day.

First up, is Longmont, Colorado and the Oscar Blues Brewery and the Tasty Weasel Taproom.

The instant we walk in the door, we discover that they are canning.  Yay!  I absolutely love these moments where I am able to observe the automation process firsthand.  It is so loud, but oh so quick as well.  Dales Pale Ale cans everywhere!  After watching for quite awhile, we decide to taste a few of their brews and the Mr. Robusto stout turns out to be so very good.  It is still fairly early in the day, so we take our time and just visit for awhile.

From here, we drive into downtown Longmont.  What a great area.  After finding a spot to park, we walk a few blocks down to The Pumphouse Brewery.  Since we each had just a single burrito this morning, we order a bowl of soup and a curry hummus wrap to split while we enjoy sampling some of their beer.  This place is packed and we have hit right during lunch.

When we finish, we drive towards our next destination, but since it doesn't open until 3 --- well, it is nap time.  We find a park with a shady tree, pull over and lay the seats back for some much needed shuteye.  Between the early morning travel and a couple of beers, it doesn't take long and we are both sound asleep.  I wake first and open the doors for a breeze while taking out my Kindle and laying back to read and let Mister continue his rest for awhile.

At around 3, I wake him and we are soon on our way to the one brewery we have wanted to visit each time we drive through here.  Left Hand Brewing makes one of my all time favorite brews: Milk Stout.  Unfortunately, they are remodeling right now and so have set up a temporary taproom with a smaller menu available.  We give a couple new ones a try and then I have to break down and get my fave.  Oh my, it is sooooo good.

Soon, it is time to hit the road for Cheyenne and start our fun with family.  We arrive at the gate, meet up with Amanda, and are soon helping her unload groceries and playing with the boys.  Let the party begin.