Week 13 in Loveland: 35 Years, Mural Chases, and Mountain Mishaps

Hey gang - welcome to the latest episode of “RV life with just enough drama to justify the blog.” We’ve now officially hit Week 13 at Loveland RV Resort (yes, still here, still loving it) - a week of art walks, anniversary shenanigans, mountain air, bruise souvenirs, and beer flights. Strap in.

Saturday swagger in Old Town Fort Collins

Saturday morning, I embarked on a solo mission to Old Town Fort Collins for its monthly Artisan Fair. Because nothing says “I’m an adult” like wandering booths of candles and handcrafted trinkets while pretending you know what “mixed-media assemblage” means.

I strolled down Jazz Alley, hoping for mural magic - you know, maybe the mural had evolved overnight into something even more dramatic. Nope. Same old, same old, but still very cool.

However, I did snag something delightful: a beachy-scented candle from a Northern Colorado artisan. Soy + essential oils = non-toxic smells that (fingers crossed) won’t set off smoke alarms or the EPA. It’s now residing on our dining table (my desk), making everything smell like “somewhere breezy but not over the top.”

The 1st: Anniversary lunch with van-life pals

September 1st marks 35 years of wedded bliss (or negotiated peace, depending on the day) for Darren and me. To celebrate, we accepted an invitation from our dear friends Alex & Bruce, who generously hosted a lunch at their place. And by “lunch,” I mean sliders + salad + enough laughs to count as cardio.

They’d invited their van-life compatriots, Charlie Grace and Paul. Charlie Grace, for those who don’t wander the YouTube / tiny-home / van-life corners of the internet, is both a comedy writer and author - so she’s basically a walking punchline. Paul, newer to the van life game, also wears a brewery hat via his beer association connections, so yes, he’s a kindred spirit.

We also got our dose of feline affection from Marvel and Scarlett (their cats), who were chillin' like villains.

Mountains, meow, and mild mayhem

Darren decided to carry on the anniversary celebration in style: by driving us into the mountains. Because nothing says “romance” like altitude and squishy hiking socks.

Denver detour: Meow Wolf time warp

First stop: Meow Wolf Denver — Convergence Station. If you’ve never been, it’s an immersive art/interactive-oddity playground where your imagination is both the tour guide and the victim. I could have spent 12 hours there following side quests, reading hidden texts, poking at sculptures, and trying to figure out if I accidentally stepped into an alternate dimension.

Fun fact: Meow Wolf’s Denver venue is 90,000 sq ft and spans four levels. Good luck exiting without smelling like “electro-candy” or having your brain rewire itself.

Click here for even more Meow Wolf

Hotel bliss in Silverthorne

Next stop: Hotel Indigo, Silverthorne, CO - what a gem. Nestled in the valley near Buffalo Mountain, with 115 rooms, the place strives for that seamless stay-in-nature–meets–urban-taste vibe.

We had a gorgeous room facing the main road - but, miraculously, it was whisper-quiet (a blessed contrast to the RV resort’s ambient hum). The on-site restaurant was a treat (think Southwestern-inspired flair), and amenities like a firepit, WiFi, and interior design that does not make you feel like you’re in a corporate chain all helped.

Pedal-powered exploits (and embarrassment)

We decided to get our cardio in by bike every single day in that mountain paradise:

9/2 (Tuesday): 20+ miles circling Dillon Lake. I had a minor “oops moment” on a downhill curve - overcorrected, bonked my head (thank goodness for my helmet), scraped shins in the brush, and bruised knees/ankles when the bike surrendered and landed on me. I had a tiny rainbow of bruises to commemorate the day.

9/3 (Wednesday): 25+ miles into Frisco and back across the dam. We paused at Outer Range Brewing Company in Frisco for a mid-ride stop. On the return, we sampled a flight at Dillon Dam Brewing in Dillon. Beers and views = win.

9/4 (Thursday): 30+ miles around Dillon Lake again, this time venturing into Breckenridge. We discovered the Breckenridge Troll (yes, real) and rewarded ourselves at Downstairs at Eric’s with beer + pizza. Later, we hopped to Highside Brewing in Frisco for more flight sampling, and also made a pit stop at Pug Ryan’s Brewing in Dillon.

As we pedaled back toward Hotel Indigo during dusk, the trail gifted us a perfect mountain moment - a small family of deer grazing peacefully on the hillside next to the bike path. They barely acknowledged us, too busy enjoying their dinner, but it was a quiet, beautiful reminder that sometimes the best views come at the end of the day.

Friday & Saturday: Family, friends, and national park wanderings

9/5 (Friday): We drove to Winter Park to rendezvous with our oldest son, Cory. He took us to Vicious Cycle Brewing in Fraser, where we sipped flights and devoured gourmet grilled cheeses from the Wicked Cheesy food truck. After lunch, we drove out to Cory’s girlfriend Nikki’s place in Hot Sulphur Springs to stay the next couple of days.

9/6 (Saturday): After a delicious Nikki + Cory-made breakfast, but before we got too comfy, Cory had a “Dad, I need your help” project queued up - the installation of a bear lock for Nikki’s trash cans. Apparently, the neighborhood bears have figured out the fine art of dumpster diving. With a mix of power tools, ingenuity, and that patented ‘Esslinger engineering magic’, the guys created a “trash-man friendly, bear-baffling” locking system. I’m pretty sure it could win a Home Depot innovation award - or at least make it onto a Colorado dad’s DIY hall of fame. We spent the rest of the day hanging out at Nikki’s place in Hot Sulphur Springs, soaking up the mountain air and the affection of her sweet doggos, Pua & Gunner. Then another fantastic dinner with her dad at the family restaurant in Granby.

9/7 (Sunday): Our route took us through Rocky Mountain National Park to Estes Park, then onward to Windsor. We paused at the RMNP visitor center for scenic photo ops (the mountains never disappoint).

We spent several hours in Estes with longtime pals Barb & Jim (Jim is a fellow UPS retiree - we’ve vacationed together in Kauai and the Dominican Republic in years past). This was our only chance to catch them before heading deeper into the RV life again.

Later we stopped at Nancy & Mark’s for their legendary croquet + martini party. Alas, I forgot my “Heather’s costume”. Still - great drinks, great people, and lots of laughs.

This week combined art, friendship, romance, adventure, and (in my case) some bruising humility. The contrast between relaxing RV life and high-energy day trips reminds me why we chose this wanderlust track in the first place.

Looking ahead: more trails, more artisan fairs, more brewery flights - and hopefully fewer wipeouts.

Cheers!

–Chasing 78° 🚐✨🍻🚵‍♂️😎#RVLife #Chasing78 #35YearsAndCounting #VanLifeFriends #ColoradoAdventures #MeowWolf #BikeTrailsAndBeer #Chasing78Degrees #FullTimeRV #FamilyTime