When I think of craft beer, (and being an enthusiast that is often), one of the places I have on my bucket list is Colorado. So when I saw that Zephyr Adventures partnered up with Draft Magazine, New Belgium Brewing, and Untappd to give away two places in their active beer tour adventure and that World Class Beer was providing the airfare for two lucky beer lovers. I was all over it!
You might have guessed, because I am writing this post, that I was one of those lucky winners. To say I am excited would be an understatement. I mean look at what I am going to get to do:
On our active beer tour, you will hike or bike each day (usually in the morning) and visit a brewery or two, most of which are located in picturesque mountain towns, each afternoon and evening.
Our brew pub dinners allow us to take in copious amounts of the local flavor (in terms of culture, food and beverages), with menus that include Colorado-inspired items like Raspberry Chipotle Wings, Beer-Battered Mushrooms, Smoked Trout Rigatoni, or Brewhouse Sirloins.
We explore three fantastic towns:
- Fort Collins – Another university town and, home to famous New Belgium Brewing.
- Estes Park – Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park
- Boulder – A university town, one of the nicest small cities in America and also home to Zephyr’s owner Allan Wright
Our biking in Fort Collins takes place on paved pathways surrounding town and leads us right to its best beers. When we arrive at Rocky Mountain National Park, we’ll do some hiking and witness the thrilling “elk rut.” In Boulder we bike on a vast network of paved trails and hike in the beautiful Flatirons. Although October can be cool in Colorado, the weather is generally clear and perfect for outdoor exercise.
As of this post I only have a little over two more weeks before I catch a plane in Spokane and land in Denver to start my “Epic” tour.
Why is it “Epic” you ask? Well because…
- I have NEVER been to Colorado before. So I have downloaded every app onto my iPad and iPhone about Colorado that I could find… a girl has to be prepared.
- My Personal Blog has the URL HoppyGirl.com and is titled Brews, Bicycles, and Bites. I don’t think that needs further explanation.
- This is my first ever Zephyr Adventure, but have a feeling it will not be my last.
There are a lot more reasons it is going to be “Epic”, but I think those three cover it pretty well. Besides, I plan on blogging more as the trip gets closer, during the trip, (but don’t expect too much, plan on enjoying myself.), and of course there will be a post after I get back. Have to make sure everyone is sufficiently jealous about what a good time I had.
Now to just figure out how to get everything I want to bring into just a backpack and one small suitcase. That could turn into an adventure of its own!
This guest post was contributed by Jamie Lynn Morgan.
@jamiemorgancda