Cheyenne Frontier Days got underway on Friday (7/19), and we went on Sunday (7/21) to participate in the festivities. I have been fortunate to get a media invite for two years in a row, and I happily jump at this opportunity, partly because it’s so close to home. I’ve often driven from Loveland, Colorado, to Cheyenne, Wyoming. However, I never cease to be amazed at how short it feels. While
22 Years of Love Celebrated in McCook, Nebraska It’s no secret that I have a little soft spot for Nebraska. I didn’t grow up there and didn’t even visit until 2019. However, I’ve been going back every year since. Why? First, despite growing up thousands of miles west of Nebraska, the small towns there remind me of the one where I grew up; a rural, agricultural town, where everyone gave
We finally won the Casa Bonita lottery and got the email after nearly a year on the list. For those who don’t know, the only way to get a reservation at Casa Bonita is to be on the waiting list. You cannot, and I am emphatically writing this, you cannot walk in without a reservation! Let’s rewind about 40 years, to Ryan’s Colorado childhood. Okay, maybe 45 years. Ryan is
I’ve been singing the praises of Nebraska since 2019. Sheila Jenkinson, host of “Growing Small Town Nebraska,” has been singing those praises her entire life. She is, after all, a proud native of the Cornhusker State. I cannot recall how I found her podcast earlier this year. In doing research for HeidiTown Consulting, I think I was searching on the Internet for anyone talking or writing about small towns, and
Surprised by Kansas, Little Jerusalem & A Norman Rockwell Town Part 3: On our last morning in Dodge City, we got up as we did every morning and walked Fritzi at Wright Park. While we paid more than I thought we would, staying at the Holiday Inn Express was worth it. The location is ideal for enjoying downtown on foot, and there’s a water park and a big beautiful park
Some Touristy Stuff, More Tacos, and Whiskey Part 2: Day two started with saving some money. We decided the breakfast at our Holiday Inn Express & Suites looked pretty good. So, we saved money by eating at our hotel, something that’s become more and more important to me on my travels. By the way, there isn’t much to choose from in Dodge City for breakfast. There is an IHOP, but
Tacos, Wrong Turns & Cattle Truck Backups Part 1: We started our Cattle Drive Road Trip on a Thursday morning. If you missed my post on why this road trip happened, read this. We set out with beef jerky, taco-flavored sunflower seeds, Fritzi the dog, and high hopes. Kansas was going to be the tenth state Fritzi had visited and she was very excited. Just kidding. She only cares about
This May, for our anniversary, we took one of our literary-inspired road trips. This one has been on our minds since our Dust Bowl Road Trip in April 2022. That trip was motivated by the two of us reading books about the Dust Bowl like Timothy Egan’s “The Worst Hard Time.” By the time we took that trip, Ryan had begun listening to “Lonesome Dove” on Audible. From our hike
Cheyenne, Wyoming is just 45 minutes away. So, when I was invited to experience a night at Little America, Tim McGraw, and the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the small-town gal in me got very excited. Fun fact: I grew up in a town of 5,000 and listened to quite a bit of nineties country music. I wrangled my friend Karen into going (it wasn’t hard), and a lot of
I’ve always had a soft spot for Durango. As I wrote in my recent post about our April visit, this was a return to the town after five years. It was good to be back. Since I was there for HeidiTown Consulting at IN THE GAME, a conference by Downtown Colorado, Inc., I was busy hosting luncheons and presenting, but I still wanted to touch on some highlights downtown. We
