We’re finally making it up north, and out of Texas! No offense to Texas, but I was really stoked to get out of that heat. I just wasn’t ready for that kind of business. This trip was a loooooong, long trip from Texas, up through Oklahoma,then through Kansas, and into Colorado – a total of a whopping 878 miles. We started out super early from Ft. Work with no breakfast, and got on the road quick. We went straight north on I-35 to Oklahoma City before we got a hankering for lunch and to pick up some local craft beers. We did a Yelp search, and found Byrons Liquor Warehouse, which had a large selection! We acquired F5 IPA from Coop Ale Works, and Polar Night Stout from Roughtail Brewing Company – both excellent Oklahoma offerings.

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Aside from great beer, we also had a great lunch provided by Tucker’s Onion Burgers. They’ve been around since 2011, and they’re doing something right! The guy who was super helpful at Byrons – showing us where to find the local beers quickly, had nothing but good things to say about Tuckers. It was right down the street, and all I gotta say is – Move over 5 Guys! Tucker’s does it RIGHT. The burgers were onion-y & juicy, the fries were crispy. I did take a photo of the burger with my phone, but at the time of writing this, I can’t find it!! Just know that if you’re ever in Oklahoma City, you’ve got to eat at Tuckers.

The landscape was beautiful – we saw a ton of windmills through Kansas – and it makes sense that they’re there, because it was WINDY! We even saw a couple of semi trucks toppled over on the side of the road. It kind of reminds me when the Inland Empire gets their Santa Ana winds. I remember one year, when I was going to school in San Bernardino, they actually closed the campus because it was too dangerous for people to get there. We ended up making it to Colorado, after a full day of driving, and not only were we ravenous, we also were in dire need of a beer after such a stressful windy drive! Our host in Colorado suggested we check out Colorado Plus Brewery & Tap house to plant ourselves for awhile.

They had great beer offerings, and the food was equally impressive! After the Tucker’s burger, I was ready for something a little more on the healthy side, and Colorado Plus delivered. I had a quinoa stuffed Portobello mushroom cap on a bed of arugula. It was seasoned perfectly, and hit the spot perfectly! The hubs had a buffalo chicken sandwich, which was amazing as well.

Having to cut out New Orleans, it afforded us the luxury of staying in Colorado for one more day, which was great, because having to get up and drive again that next morning would have been killer! We got up in the morning (which was our actual 10 year anniversary!), and after getting stamps to send out postcards, we ran into this beauty.

It never ceases to amaze me that some of the best places we find are completely by accident. Four Noses Brewing was set to open in one week, but since we expressed genuine interest, they let us in, gave us a tour, and let us taste a few of their beers. Check out the gallery for more of the pictures, but this place is absolutely STUNNING.

By the time we were done at Four Noses Brewing, we needed sustenance, so by the advice of our Colorado guide, we checked out 3 Margaritas – but it had to be the one on 120th street! We split some awesome fajitas with a side of Chile Colorado, which were your good standard fajita, and we were on our way to yet another suggestion – The Flatirons near Boulder, CO.

When you’re on a road trip, sometimes you don’t get in as much exercise as you’d like to, so we eagerly sought out these Flatirons, and were not disappointed! We didn’t do anything too strenuous, but it was super nice to get out in the fresh air, and get our blood pumping a little bit. The view of Boulder was just amazing, and the air was clear. It couldn’t have been a better day! We even got some good, quirky photos to commemorate our special day. They have quite a few different hikes up on the Flatirons, so if you’re ever there and feel like a hike, check it out! It’s is simply gorgeous up there.

After our mini-hike, we poked around Boulder, checking out all the cool shops on Pearl Street. We happened upon West Flanders Brewing Co., which had a delightful saison!

While we were in Boulder, we just HAD to check out the areas well-known breweries – Avery Brewing and Oskar Blues.

Avery was your classic tap-room, offering quite a few specialty beers we had never seen. It was absolutely busy, but that place runs like a well-oiled machine, so you won’t be waiting very long! We were lucky enough to score a seat at the bar. Since we knew we were going to Oskar Blues, we split a flight, and bought some of their specialty beers – one being Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. The story is that two breweries, one being Avery, and the other being Russian River, created a Belgian ale, and un-knowingly both named it Salvation. Instead of having one brewery relinquish the rights to the name, they decided to blend the beers, and call it Collaboration Not Litigation! Since it was our anniversary, we decided to splurge on a bottle!

Even though Avery is a “tap room,” they do serve food there. We were still good from the fajitas earlier, and wanted to have a proper anniversary dinner, so we passed this time, but we were sitting right by the service station, and everything looked and smelled amazing!

Oskar Blues boasts a blues-y feel – the whole establishment reminded me of The House of Blues concert venues that are all around the country. We started with the fried green tomatoes, which were excellent, crispy, firm, and lovley! The Hubby got the Blackened Mix Grill – it was supposed to be blackened salmon, but we got red fish instead, jumbo shrimp, and andouille sausage.

I got the chicken and waffles. I just couldn’t pass it up as it was the first time I had an opportunity to have it! The chicken was breaded in this lovely cornmeal crust that was crunchy, protecting the juicy chicken underneath. The waffles were fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside with the beautifully sweet syrup. The beer? Out of this world, of course!

It was a low-key anniversary for us, which was absolutely perfect. We finished off the evening discussing life with our guide over cocktails at our hotel bar. I wouldn’t have had it any other way – being surrounded by love of my husband and friend on a significant milestone of our life!

“The Flatirons’ Maiden,” to me defines the quintessential brewery of Colorado. Have you visited the area? Better yet, do you live there? What are your favorites? Tell me in the comments!

Cheers!

The map of places we went:

View Denver & Boulder, CO in a larger map

Links:

• Byrons Liquor Warehouse
• Tucker’s Onion Burgers
• Colorado Plus
• 4 Noses Brewing
• 3 Margaritas
• The Flatirons
• West Flanders Brewing Co.
• Avery Brewing
• Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids

Gallery

Love,

Listening to:
Run To The Hills
Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast

Follow the links to experience the entire USA Road Trip!
USA Road Trip #1: Tombstone & Bisbee, Arizona
USA Road Trip #2: Odessa, Texas
USA Road Trip #3: Austin, Texas
USA Road Trip #4: Fort Worth, Texas
USA Road Trip #5: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Denver & Boulder, Colorado
USA Road Trip #6: Yellowstone