Week 1 – Let The Fun Begin

In mid-summer of 2020, in the midst of social distancing and masks required, my employer notified us that we would not be returning to the office for the remainder of the year, possibly longer! Jen and I had discussed an epic road trip before, but we’d never really had an opportunity like this. I would be able to work remotely – in some cases very remotely! The wheels started turning, and in pretty quick fashion we’d begun planning a trip that would take us as far as we could venture in the continental US. The northwest tip of Washington state, and out to the San Juan Islands.

I began the search for a popup camper that would serve as our home away from home for 30 days! I wanted air conditioning, a gas furnace, a propane refrigerator and an overall weight of under 3,500 pounds fully packed. I managed to score a nice little Fleetwood Sun Valley camper for a reasonable price, and we were in business. We named the camper Mac. Yep, Fleetwood Mac! At under half the total towable weight of my tow vehicle’s capacity, the popup camper would tow very nicely. For this trip, we drove my 2006 Lexus GX470, which is named Lexie.

We plotted a course that would take us to the upper northwest and back in the allotted 30 days, and started reserving campgounds and researching the National Parks and breweries we might visit along the way. We crammed a LOT of planning into a short window of time, and we hit the road on September 6th, 2020 – Labor Day Weekend! Leaving Chattanooga, we put in a pretty long haul on day 1 and made it to our destination just west of St. Louis, Missouri. We set up camp at Dr. Edmund A. Babler State Park, had dinner, and enjoyed a nice quiet evening. It was good to just relax and shake off the 8+ hours we’d been on the road. We had big plans for day 2!

After breakfast at camp, we drove into St. Louis and found our way to Schlafly Brewing. It was a very warm early September day, upwards of 90 degrees, and we initially thought we’d be having lunch in the Schlafly parking lot (due to Covid measures, and us having the dog). After inquiring with the hostess, we found out that they had a dog-friendly patio area in the shade! We had a delicious lunch with, some very good beer! Brewery stop #1 was a success! Off to National Park #1, Gateway Arch NP. What a sight!

After checking out the Arch, we headed over to 4 Hands Brewing, where they had set up an outdoor beer garden in the shade of a huge tent. It was a bit of a festival atmosphere and we had a good time hanging around, drinking beer, and taking in the local scenery. Their actual taproom was closed to the public for this event, so we didn’t get to see inside, but had a great time anyway!

The last stop of day 2 was Alpha Brewing, for dinner and of course, a beer or two. We both got the black bean quinoa burger, and we were not disappointed! They also had really good beer and a fun, friendly atmosphere that was dog-friendly outside. It was the end of a very good day, and we were happy to have checked off 3 breweries and 1 NP. Good stuff! Day 3 had us making the drive across Missouri for a quick stopover in Kansas City. It was mid-afternoon when we made it into town, and we quickly found our way to Brewer’s Alley, and made our first stop at a fantastic brewery called Casual Animal.

We knew very quickly that we were going to like this one! The beertender was friendly, dogs were allowed inside, there was really cool artwork on the walls, and the beer was super! Not really too much more we could ask for. Little did we know, but we’d actually make a second stop at CA on our way back through KC in just over 3 weeks time. It has the distinction of being the only brewery we visited traveling in both directions! After finishing our beer at CA, we walked a short distance to Border Brewing, which was also very cool. Sportsbar vibes with nice staff and very good beer. Since time was limited and we wanted to see a little more of what KC had to offer, we settled up after just one beer and walked a bit further down Brewer’s Alley to Double Shift Brewing. DS was not dog-friendly on the inside, but did have some outdoor seating around back, with views of a lot of very well-done murals. It was pretty cold and we had another 45 minutes to drive, so we called it an afternoon and headed for Lawrence, Kansas!

We set Fleetwood Mac up for the night and took Stella for a walk, and quickly realized that the furnace would be needed later this evening, as the temps had dropped into the mid-thirtees. Chilly! We headed into Lawrence for dinner at Free State Brewing. Fun fact, Lawrence has a long history of being the home of state’s rights politics! But anyway, we enjoyed our dinner and I made a note that the onion rings were delicious. Jen ordered the Hungarian Mushroom Goulash and it was delicious as well. After dinner we walked across the street and had one last beer at Black Stag Brewery. We wrapped day 3 after 5 brewery visits! Pretty good day!

Day 4 was the longest drive of the entire trip. Lawrence, Kansas to just southwest of Denver, Colorado – 600 miles. We listened to the entire Shit Town podcast! What a story that was. After temps in the mid-90s a few days before, we entered Colorado in a snow storm. Overnight temps were expected to be in the 20’s, so we were very thankful for the gas furnace in Fleetwood Mac. It was working like a charm, and keeping our traveling home nice and toasty! We arrived at Bear Creek Lake State Park and once again got Mac set up for a 2 night stay. It was nice knowing that we’d not be doing any major driving the next day. We had dinner and went out for a beer at Landlocked Ales, in nearby Lakewood. It was warm and inviting, and most importantly on this very chilly evening, dog friendly on the inside! Sometimes, for us, that is a requirement! We wound down our long travel day enjoying some good beer in a casual, fun atmosphere and we were happy. We’d made it to Colorado!

Day 5 started with a very nice hike around Bear Creek Lake Park! It was good to get in some walking! After lunch at camp, we had an amazing visit to Red Rocks Ampitheater, in Morrison. Music was not playing, but we got the sense that concerts there must be every bit as epic as people say they are! It was absolutely beautiful!

We left Red Rocks and went into downtown Denver, and hit a place recommended by a friend, Cerebral Brewing. It was an outstanding recommendation! It had warmed up a good bit and the sun was shining, which was nice. Unfortunately, Stella had to chill in the truck on this stop. It happens sometimes. I honestly think she was ready for a front seat nap at that point. The beer at Cerebral was fantastic, and right up my alley! Double-dry hopped (DDH) IPAs! Hell yeah! We left there and drove up to Boulder to meet my cousin and her husband at a place called 4 Noses Brewing! We had so much fun catching up with them, and the beer was also very good! We rolled back into downtown Denver and hit a spot called Great Divide Brewing, where there was a taco truck!! We sat outside with Stella and enjoyed excellent beer and fantastic tacos! It was a fitting way to close out our Denver stay. 5 days, 12 breweries, 1 National Park and we still had 25 days ahead of us!

We left the Denver area heading west on I-70, then got off around Empire on Hwy 40. This would take us up to well over 11,000 feet of elevation, crossing near Jones Pass, before we dropped down into a beautiful valley. We drove past Winter Park and made our way into a town called Granby for our lunch stop. We had a great meal at the Fat Cat Cafe (authentic English fare), and then wandered around Granby and found Never Summer Brewing, a very small little brewery. We enjoyed a cold beer and resumed our drive toward Steamboat Springs. Our next stop was in Grand Lake Colorado, at a little place they call Rocky Mountain National Park.

We made a brief stop near the Grand Lake Lodge, and then finished off the drive to Steamboat. We made it to our KOA, got Mac set up, and walked around the campground. We’ve stayed at a fair number of KOAs, due to their convenience and amenities, but this one was a bit unique in its beauty. The Yampa River flows right through the middle of it, and the views of the surrounding mountains are outstanding!

They also offer a free shuttle into the heart of town! Great campground! We finished touring the place and headed into downtown Steamboat to find dinner. We decided to stop and get a beer at Storm Peak Brewing, which just happened to be right next door to How Ya Doin Pizza! We ordered the Wook, with avocado, artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes. It was phenomenal! Can’t say enough about Storm Peak – great atmosphere, great beer, and the pizza was amazing! Great dinner stop!

We rounded out our evening by checking out one last brewery, Mountain Tap. It was also a very good stop and they also offered pizza, but we’d hit our limit for the day so after a quick beer, we headed back to the KOA for the night.

We packed up on the morning of day 7, and began our drive west with Salt Lake City, Utah as the destination. It was now mid-September and the Califonia wildfires that had been ravaging that state’s forests were becoming a bit more of a concern as we continued our steady march west. The drive west out of Steamboat on Hwy 40, along the Yampa River, has got to be one of the most beautiful stretches of road anywhere in the world! The terrain was ever changing and something new was around every corner! As we approached Utah, we drove past Dinosaur National Monument, what a sight!

Of all the beautiful drives we made on that trip, that one stands out to me as easily one of the best! We arrived in SLC and got Mac set up at the downtown KOA. Not ones to just sit around, we headed into Salt Lake and met up with some friends at TF Brewing (Templin Family). They had a very fun atmosphere and fantastic beer! We had a lot of fun on that stop. We later walked a few blocks down the street to Fisher Brewing, who just happened to have a taco truck! It was a great way to wrap up week 1 of our epic adventure! 7 days in, 2 National Parks, 17 breweries, and a lot of amazing memories!

Week 1 – Chattanooga to Salt Lake City; 1,800 miles; 7 states; 2 National Parks; 17 Breweries.

Pages: 1 2 3 4