Search results for “durango”

End of Eras Craft Beer & My Youth. HeidiTown (17)

Earlier this fall I learned that Boundary Bay Brewing would permanently close in September 2025. This news hit me harder than any other brewery closure notice of late. Much harder.  Boundary Bay opened in Bellingham, Washington, in 1995. That’s the same year I graduated from high school in a town about 30 minutes south. After a bit of hopping around to various colleges, I ended up at Bellingham’s Western Washington

The Magic of Old Colorado Hotels. HeidiTown (1)

New and shiny is popular right now, especially in Colorado—new neighborhoods, new bars, restaurants, new cars, new hotels. However, I think Colorado’s old hotels have a sort of magic about them that simply doesn’t exist in new builds. Don’t get me wrong, I like new boutique hotels purpose-built in charming Front Range towns. However, do not discount the stories an old hotel can tell or the stories you’ll create there.

Peace in the San Luis Valley, Colorado Frontier Drive-Inn, HeidiTown (14)

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.

La Veta, Colorado

As a speaker, I talk a lot about town assets, and I’m referring to those things that we take for granted because it’s part of our everyday scenery. For example, I feel that many Coloradans take sunshine for granted.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where it was rainy a lot of the time. The sun that shines through my bedroom window nearly every morning is something I never

Best View in Colorado Kenosha Pass HeidiTown.com

Here’s the thing… there are “no best views” in Colorado because they are all great! I name a few in this post, but there are so many more (I even have pictures of a lot that I couldn’t share because I don’t have three days to write this post, and you don’t have three hours to read this post). By the way, these are views you can see mostly by

Don't be Bored This Winter Festivals Abound. HeidiTown

HeidiTown got its real start when it became all about festivals around 2010. This virtual town was around before then, but once I started concentrating on events and festivals, things took off and the town grew.  I thought I’d return to my roots and share a few upcoming festivals that should be on your radar. Being blessed to have attended a lot of events over the years, these are ones

Front Range Rally Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer, Mayor of HeidiTown

Reading article after article about the potential demise of the beer festival has got me thinking, and I have decided that it’s not all doom and gloom. Yes, the pandemic spelled the end of some beer festivals, but in the years before COVID arrived on the scene, there was already festival fatigue among brewers. I count myself lucky to have lived through the heyday of craft beer, having gone to

Spend St. Patrick’s Day in One of These Colorado Towns 1. HeidiTown

Updated 3-12-24 I want to start this post by telling you who it is not for. It is not for those with wee children looking for face painting and parade information. It’s also not for those who think green beer, whiskey shots, and a DJ make an excellent St. Patrick’s Day. To me, a good St. Patrick’s Day means old friends and new friends, a bar where talking to new

Let’s Go Ride Bikes 3 Easy Bike Paths in Colorado. Animas River Trail in Durango. HeidiTown 1

I’m not one of those gnarly bike riders who tackles rocky trails, downed trees and tall mountains. I will never take a selfie in logoed spandex. I prefer easy bike paths and preferably a destination, whether it be a brewery, farm shop or pretty little park.  So without further ado, I give you three easy bike paths in Western Colorado that provide not only a destination but multiple destinations along

Road Trip Colorado Scenic Byways. HeidiTown (Blue Mesa Reservoir 2019)

It is likely that 2021 will be another big year for the road trip. With so many unknowns in regarding to vaccines and the airlines, jumping in the car just may be a lot easier. But where will you go? Colorado is not short on beauty and it is best seen during a road trip. Thankfully, there is a website dedicated to some of the most scenic drives in the