Road tripping

Vicky

Live Well is on the road. We’ve packed up the chefs’ knifes and donned the hiking shoes to scout about in Colorado. As you will know if you have had the chance to out the About Us section of our site, we have our eyes on the Rockies as a possible natural home to the developing business of Live Well Food Co. 

So, I touched down in Denver, fresh from chef school, and joined Florence for a road trip down to Crested Butte. Four and a half hours of cruising through the epic vistas of the big country. 15 minutes into the trip and we realise we have adopted the ‘red peril’ Jeep, and so begins our hate/hate relationship with the fours wheels that will see us travel the length and breadth of the state. Sigh. Still, onwards we go… and as we travel deeper into the wilds, each wind of the road leads to yet another exclamation and screeching to a halt for a photo opportunity. One view will stay with me, tipping over a large ascent and dipping into a valley below that lay flat and vast ahead of us with a scale that was hard to compute. Big country indeed. 

As we arrived down the highway into Crested Butte we saw the town’s namesake mountain bearing down, the most majestic of peaks standing guard over the valley below. I can only imagine what the vista looks like draped in snowfall during the winter time. The valley is alive with colour, at what is just the start of the Aspen trees beginning to turn, a process which happens quickly in a very short Autumnal season before the first snows make an appearance. 

And so starts a full-on week of exploring both locally and beyond, checking out properties and opportunities in the area. We drive, we hike, we exercise, we eat and we drink, and soak in what the area has to offer. Four hours drives become the norm as we go to check out ‘nearby’ locations in Telluride, Vail and Beavercreek. Telluride is just gorgeous, a combination of quaint mining town architecture, mountain hippy chic, and pure luxury up in the nearby mountain village that is just a gondola ride away. There is so much on offer, from the craggy ravine and flowing river drive in, to the world-renowned blues festival and thriving town life.  

Our other monster road trip day featured a drive over the Cottonwood Pass to Vail and the surrounding area. And what a drive it was. From taking the ‘red-peril’ off-roading (dirt track summer crossings across the hills) to dodging stubborn cows (and I do mean the bovine variety), seeing the first of the snows at the top of the pass to tasting the lightest of donuts at a tiny small-town bakery in Buena Vista, and seeing some of the most inspiring properties of our trip at the other end. Some great ideas and inspiration from sampling some of the homes in the area - retreats, active holidays and living-well a-plenty. 

And as for our home base Crested Butte? Well, that place is something a little bit special. The valleys and mountains that surround are home to fantastic hiking, the Kebler Pass heading out the back of town offers up some of the best views anywhere of the changing Aspens, and the quaint mining town architecture offer picture postcard vistas and some great culinary experiences. Two recommendations from me are Elk Avenue Prime and First Ascent Coffee Roasters. 

Elk Avenue Prime was a great evening choice. Two dishes of note were scallops on a bed of lentils, peppered with chanterelles foraged by the chef in the local woods, and a hint of lavender grown in his own garden. A risky combination that was balanced perfectly. And the second dish? Steak. Oh my. On our drives we’d encountered hundreds of cattle roaming the big lands and I’d been looking forward to finding out what kind of effect that has on the meat, and I wasn’t disappointed. The bone-in ribeye at Elks was just outstanding, served simply chargrilled, with a truffle infused hollandaise. So good, we went back for a second go.

First Ascent Coffee Roasters was my go-to coffee house. Tucked up at the end of town they roast their own blends in house (and what a pretty little house it is too). Also on offer are artisan breads and cakes made on the premises daily, which all in all makes for the perfect little brunch location, or for the homeworkers in Crested Butte, the perfect little home office - the industrious were always busy working away. And what a lucky bunch they are.

Flo

The Live Well exploratory trip for me was so much about restoration. Taking a break from hectic days, I experienced the value of the quiet shroud of the mountains sheltered embrace. Nearly every morning before day break, (thanks jetlag) I took solitary, peaceful and finger freezing walks where I tuned in with the type of experience we hope to provide through Live Well.

Restoration by location is so important to the Live Well experience. Reprieve from “the ordinary”, a refreshed look and new perspective gained from a new or revisited destination IS restoration. My interpretation of restoration is a perspective shift so that when I return I can see the beauty that always surrounds me, bringing some of that beauty back with me through a positive attitude and fresh perspective. From Colorado I take with me the sound of the golden, shimmering Aspen trees.

Restoration by dinning was a big part of the journey. I considered myself lucky to be one of the first recipients of the fruits of Vicky’s culinary school experience. Her onion topped focaccia bread and coq au riesling chicken was addictive and doubled for filling sandwiches during the next day’s drive to the mountains. Visiting the local farmer’s market in Denver before heading to the mountains meant the purchase delightfully made granola peddled by the maker’s sister, fresh peaches so good they scandalized those on offer in Georgia, and coconut butter (which will certainly be making an appearance on the Live Well menu offerings soon). Eating fresh and local every day was a break from the downward slide of not eating much of anything that sometimes happens while in my busy regular life. I take with me a much needed palette kick start.  

Restoration by connection for me is the most important part of my wellbeing. For me, beyond anything I see or taste while away, it’s the people that go into my memory house of treasures of this trip. Local photographer Alison White of Alison White Photography met with us a few times during our stay for serendipity tea and conversation and presented us with a parting gift of honey crisp apples. Observing and speaking with award winning pastry chef and owner of Wildflour Sweets, Danielle Riesz while she expertly applied multiple thin layers of lusciously decadent butter cream to a layer of wedding cake while she discussed her journey to becoming a pastry chef via her family owned and operated restaurant and motel in upstate New York was informative and visually tantilizing. Then there was Dennis, the father of the owner of a local tee-shirt and angling shop who was subbing in for his hardworking son and who, while I was looking for nothing particularly, gave me the kind of wisdom in natural conversation that only comes rolling off the tongue with age and living. I take with me the kindness and perspective these people offered.