Sitting at Sunflour Café in Monte Vista, listening to a table full of men talk about their crops, it is obvious that the San Luis Valley is farm country. In fact, the San Luis Valley is the second largest producer of potatoes behind Idaho.
The next time you’re in Costco, check where those big bags of potatoes are from. My Northern Colorado store gets bags of potatoes from Monte Vista. While I have been to the valley many times, on this trip, I discovered they also grow carrots. A lot of carrots. Next time I am at King Soopers, I’ll check those bags.
We’ve always wanted to get breakfast at Sunflour, but it seems it is always on a Sunday when we pass, and they are closed on Sundays. So this time, we were in luck. I’d definitely go back (and probably get the same thing). We also got a couple of cinnamon rolls for later that weekend.
Perhaps you’ve seen the sign on Hwy 285 for Center, Colorado. It’s east on Highway 112, while Del Norte is west (you take this route from Denver to Durango also). On this visit, we stopped twice at the Gunbarrel Station on that corner. Gunbarel is one of those clean, cute gas stations, and it’s worth stopping, if even just for a bag of candy. The San Luis Valley, by the way, is in south-central Colorado.
The Prettiest Drive in Colorado: Denver to Durango
More likely, you’ve noticed the movie screen at the corner of Hwy 285 and Highway 112. Today, it’s the Frontier Drive-Inn, and yes, movies are shown. Opened in 1955, as a proper San Luis Valley drive-in theater, it closed in the 1980s. Today, it is a “drive-in” during the summer, but it is private.
This is where we were staying, in a dog-friendly yurt (the yurts and the huts here are dog-friendly). This is an exceptionally dog-friendly place and I love that. Who wants to leave their dog at home? Especially when they visit the San Luis Valley? We rarely have. This was Fritzi’s fourth trip to the valley (and she turned 5 years old this June).
Full disclosure: The San Luis Valley is a Colorado destination we visit when I’m not on official HeidiTown time.
By the way, you can’t leave your dog in a yurt here, it would be too hot on most days during the summer anyway, so plan accordingly. Frontier Drive-Inn is open year-round, but movies are only shown from May to October.
A cozy pellet stove is located inside each yurt so a winter stay isn’t out of the question. While there won’t be a movie from November through April, you’ll still have access to the amazing community kitchen. Plus, Joyful Journey Hot Springs is only 30 minutes away, and we LOVE Joyful Journey.
A Colorado Hot Spring at 7,700 Feet Above Sea Level
We spent two nights here and the beds are super comfortable (a big deal when you travel as frequently as we do). However, it rained both evenings—great for the potatoes, I think—but not so great for movies. Thankfully, guests can watch from inside the snack hub/community kitchen building, which was the original concession stand. Today, it’s a fancy, cook’s kitchen.
Each night, an employee comes in to make popcorn and play the movie (May through October).
On our first night at Frontier Drive-Inn, it was pouring before the movie even started. The movie was “Country Strong” with Gwyneth Paltrow. The second night, “9 to 5” was scheduled and it didn’t start to rain for about 15 minutes. So, we got to have the outdoor movie experience for a bit at Frontier Drive-Inn.
You don’t drive your car up like a regular drive-in. Instead, grab a lawn chair (provided) and snag a spot on the well-manicured lawn. The inn provides outdoor blankets in your yurt that can be used while watching the movie. We ran inside once it started to rain and got fine seats. It’s a fun movie! I have seen the stage play, but I have to be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen the movie (please don’t hold this against me. I lived a very sheltered childhood).
I stayed at Frontier Drive-Inn when Sherry Ott and her logistics queen, Lynne were there. This is exciting and I’ve blogged about it.
Join OttsWorld Capitol to Capitol Bike Road Trip
Frontier Drive-Inn is a unique stay for the area, and indeed all of Colorado. It’s sort of a yurt/hut hotel. The land sits in the middle of fields and very near a farm. Every morning, we were woken by a rooster crowing at 6:30 a.m. That part was super funny, as we were already awake, preparing to go hiking the first time we heard it. The potato and carrot farmers had probably been up for hours by then.
By the way, we think Frontier Drive-Inn would be the perfect place to stay with a group. We could rent out all the yurts on the east side and take over that fire pit! It would be grand. There are two semi-circles of yurts with a firepit in front of each semi-circle and a nice, modern bathroom building in the middle. There are four huts, closer to the Snack Hub, and those have bathrooms.
On the trip, we went hiking, drank beer, visited the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, ate pizza, and drank more beer. I’ll tell you all about it next week!
Book your stay at FrontierDriveInn.com.
Thank you to the Frontier Drive-Inn for hosting our stay.
