Week 16 at Loveland RV Resort: Burgers, Pumpkins, Beers & One Last Sunday Flick
- 1nonblonde
- Nov 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Hello, fabulous fellow road-warriors, RV-life lovers, and dear “Chasing 78°” readers! It’s week 16 here in Loveland, Colorado, and let me tell you - between secret menus, Italian feasts, pumpkin escapades, and beer-competition hijinks, we’ve hit that sweet spot of RV-park comfort meets “we’re still on an adventure” vibes. Grab your coffee (or kombucha) and buckle up for a run-down of the fun.
Monday: A Burger Aha! Moment
I introduced my good friend Kara (who ventured down from Fort Collins) to the magical world of In‑N‑Out Burger. Yes, the California burger cult rolled into our lunch date, and I proudly showed her the “secret menu” and how to order “animal style.” (If you don’t already know: extra spread, grilled onions, mustard-seared patty - game changer.)
Fun fact: In-N-Out emphasizes simple quality and actually has a cult following. Kara’s reaction: wide eyes, a little squeal, and a vow to return soon.
Wednesday: Italian Reunion
On Wednesday, I got together with my wonderful friend Karen (she’s also married to my bandmate, Mike) for lunch - our little “pre-road-launch” hangout before we leave Colorado again. We landed at Oregano’s Pizza Bistro in Fort Collins - the only Oregano’s in Colorado! Originally founded in 1993 in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, Oregano’s started as a family-run spot inspired by generations of Italian home cooking. The chain has since become a beloved Southwest staple known for its hearty pastas, Chicago-style pizzas, and those giant, nostalgic portions that make you wish you wore stretchy pants.
The Fort Collins location brought all that retro charm north - colorful décor, friendly chaos, and smells that make you instantly forgive every carb you’re about to inhale. Karen ordered a lunch portion of a slice of pizza, and it was the size of a small baby. And I had their Alfredo in the Dark and ended up making three meals of it! We laughed over memories from when I trained her at LearningRx, and we lamented about the road coming up to meet Darren and me sooner than we expected.
Farm Harvest Time (Pumpkin Edition)
Meanwhile, Darren jumped back into harvest mode (you know we love our farm-friend collaborations). This week, he helped with the pumpkin “harvest” - although it wasn’t planting seeds or raising vines, it was selecting a fantastic lineup of pumpkins from a fellow farmer to resell at On the Vine farm. Lots of orange, lots of “oh this one’s perfect,” and lots of hauling. Darren came home dirty, proud, and with a potential small pumpkin-sculpting idea.
Big Time: Off to Great American Beer Festival (Phase I) in Louisville
Then came the grand adventure of the week: heading down to Louisville, Colorado, for Phase I judging of the GABF. Since we volunteer with the Brewers Association behind the scenes (you know how we roll), we were deep in the thick of it.
Here’s a taste of what went down:
Brewery visit: 4 Noses Brewing Company - craft vibes, laughs, and a “we’re-on-a-mission” mood with our beer-nerd friends: Bruce, Alex, Paul, Shawn, Kathy, Dottie, and Cathy - big love to this crew. Followed by Asian dinner at Colorado Wok (with Alex, Bruce & Paul), where dumplings and banter ruled.
The admin team brought the theme days: Wild West day, Favorite Team day, Tropical Animal day, and Back to School day (we all were in branded competition shirts – yes, we are adorable).
There was even a 500-piece puzzle of last year’s Back-to-School photo (the Back of House [BOH] team basically conquered that thing).
And yes - crazy sock competition. My socks were ridiculous, and I was proud.
Behind the scenes: The BOH crew tried to install the GABF banner in the warehouse, and they looked like a Laurel & Hardy routine. If you were there: you saw the cable pitching, you heard the clunking, you felt the laughter.
Friday after judging: a beer-and-Costco-pizza (if you know you know) party featuring my band, KD & the Painkillers!! Huge thanks to Kris L and Chris W for thinking of us. The surprise band = success. The crowd = delighted. The hangover = optional.
And one of the sweetest moments of the week? LillyAnn (head of Admin) and her husband (and Bruce’s beer-bro) Rodney surprised Bruce with a birthday cake - completely catching him off guard! The entire association crew and even the judges joined in singing Happy Birthday right in the middle of the warehouse. It was such a heartwarming moment and a perfect example of how this group feels more like family than coworkers.
Sunday Night: The Last Movie + Dinner with Logan
To close out the week on a softer note, we had our last Sunday-night movie & dinner (next week will be Monday) with Logan: Apollo 13. Good food, good company, and that classic “Houston, we’ve had a good week” moment. Bittersweet because we know our launch from Colorado is looming, but perfect for right now.
So there you have it: week 16 done and dusted (and delicious!). If I were to sum it up in one line: “Secret burgers, Italian feasts, pumpkins in tow, beer-geek chaos, and one last cozy Sunday”.
Thanks for following along on the blog and social feeds. If you’re reading this and you want the backstage scoop on the sock competition or how to sneak an ‘animal style’ into a burger order - I’ve got you.
Cheers!
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