Happy birthday USA!

From the Avon, Colo., fireworks display last night. They put on quite a show!

Girls gone "wild"

I'm spending the weekend in Vail, Colo., with Carrie and some of her friends, and while we just checked in to an amazing condo, last night was spent in a tent.

This wasn't just any ol' tent. It was Tom's Tent at 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott just outside Vail.

I was initially afraid it was going to be more like "glamping" (glamorous camping) than camping, but it was a little more rustic than I expected. And I got to use my new sleeping bag for the first time! It performed perfectly.

We all had a fun night - in spite of the downpour we had to put up with.

The tent...


Inside the tent. Carrie and I shared the bed, and Kate and Alley each had a blow up mattress. Kate, in the pic, was a rockstar at getting a fire in the stove there started...


A little sink, a propane stove and some other necessities - like the wine Carrie is drinking...


Carrie and Kate by our "cooler"...


Our "cooler"...


A marshmallow stick (every time I say "marshmallow stick" I think of the new Lady Gaga song about a disco stick...) I whittled down with my pocket knife that was a bridesmaid gift from Jonna...


The view of the mountains from the main ranch building...


Holy crap...country dancing!! I went country swinging more on the East Coast than I have since being back West! The 4-Eagle started up this country dance night a couple months ago. There's some real tasty looking food, a live band, a bar, and a dance floor. What more could a person need??


And tonight we're in a kicka$$ condo in Bachelor Gulch over looking all of Vail Valley. There'll be pics of that to come...

Ag-tivity

Yesterday, I went on a day-long Ag Diversification Tour with the Agribusiness division in my office to take photos and video. The tour takes folks to different ag operations to see how those producers are using innovative ideas and the resources they have to keep a steady income.

It was really interesting.

We started in Douglas, Wyo., at the Wyoming State Fair Grounds with these cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I had already eaten some oatmeal, but I gave one of these babies (and they're about the size of a real baby) a taste. Holy crap! It was amazing! What she does to get these so big and fluffy, I do not know. She's certainly giving my Pioneer Woman recipe a run for its money...


Our first stop was a Boer goat ranch outside Douglas, Wyo. They raise the goats for meat, seedstock and 4-Hers. I have always kind of wanted goats. I think they're cool, and cute, and what a great way to keep a yard mowed?!

The group in the corral...

Not the most flattering photo of me - I kind of look like a pirate - but the focus is on the week-old kid I'm holding named McBride...

This was through the windshield of the coach bus we were on. I thought it was a really pretty view...

A Wyoming traffic jam...

So, our bus got stuck in a ditch on a guest ranch about 20 miles outside of Douglas. Thank heavens for tractors!

Consequently, we had to hoof it (this is a post about ag) the rest of the way to the house and corrals on the guest ranch...

These "bales" are made of 100 compressed tires and weigh about one ton. They're used to...

...build the walls for this barn. It's still a bit of an experiment. The "bales" are covered in a layer of cement and provide remarkable insulation. There was a dramatic difference in temperature from the outside to the inside of the barn. And it saves tires from landfills...

The Deer Forks guest ranch above is diversifying their operation with a llama trekking program, and are raising miniature cattle, club lambs and pigs, and boer goats for a variety of uses.

I'm always impressed with how ranchers and farmers can make the most of what they've got!