Just Getting There Was an Adventure

You know how they say getting there is half the fun? Well, they’ve clearly never dealt with a split spare tire on a car dolly. We do our usual check before hitting the road, only to find our trusty spare looking more like a rubber pancake. Naturally, this kicked off the Great Tire Hunt of 2024.

After several annoying stops at automotive shops that, for some reason, don’t actually sell tires, we struck gold at a Les Schwab in Timnath. They took us in right away, which meant we could drop the dolly and hit the Walmart next door for a “few supplies”—the kind where you go in for bread and leave with a cart full of things you didn’t know you needed. I rearranged my clients to accommodate our late arrival in Longmont (because life on the road is nothing if not flexible), and we finally, finally, got back on the road.

Checking in…

Now, the Boulder County Fairgrounds RV Park? Easy enough to find, but the check-in process? Not so much. The office was closed, but there was this weird little machine out front, the kind that looks like it’s for parking tickets. Luckily, we watched the guy in front of us figure it out first (bless that man) and somehow managed to pay for a couple of nights. He was super chatty as well so we made a new friend in the process (never-to-be-seen again of course!) Score!

With a little time to spare, we took the dogs for a nice long walk, even let them enjoy some off-leash freedom in a beautiful manicured park on the other side of the fairground complex. Everything seemed peachy until 9 a.m. the next morning. That’s when the breakfast-interrupting knock of doom hit the door. Enter: a very angry old man who demanded our receipt like we were trying to sneak into a concert. Apparently, we missed the crucial step of dropping the little receipt slip into the box at the office. Oops. I blame our chatty little friend, who will remain nameless, mostly because we have no idea what his name was, but to blame nonetheless.

I threw in an apology and some self-deprecating humor (always a crowd-pleaser), and while he seemed a little less rage-fueled by the end, he still stomped off in a huff. So that was fun.

The Stay was Worth It

But all’s well that ends well! The fairgrounds were beautiful, with lovely parks, ponds, and endless walking trails. Bonus: It’s right next door to the humane society, which meant volunteer dog walkers paraded by all day long, keeping our chihuahuas very entertained. The dogs had no idea what was happening, but it made for some good entertainment during our walks!

Staying an extra day had its perks, namely giving us time to explore nearby Boulder, Colorado—and wow, did it deliver. The old city center? Absolutely beautiful! We walked the entire length of it. Twice. With all three chihuahuas in tow. It wasn’t until we were heading back that we noticed a little sign gently informing us that dogs were not, in fact, allowed in the pedestrian area. Oops! Clearly, no one told August, Finnegan, or Casey—they strutted through like they owned the place. Missing small steps is becoming our thing..

After that little faux-pas, it was time to make amends (aka, find John the Rockstar husband Laverty a brewery). Luckily, Boulder is not one to disappoint, and we stumbled upon Avery Brewery. A quick pit stop there, and the day got even better. Great Hazy IPA and a delicious fresh-baked pretzel to kill the tummy growls. On the way back to Longmont, we rounded things off with a visit to Left Hand Brewing, because who are we to resist another local brew? There were several dogs on the deck and just keeping them all settled was a bit of a struggle (no thanks to Finnegan). But we managed to have a lovely drink before piling back into the car to head for ‘home’.

All in all, what started as a stressful, tire-repairing detour ended up being a lovely, beer-fueled bonus day. We left Longmont with full hearts, happy dogs, and—thanks to those breweries—a few more beer in John’s special cooler.