Dinner with Cowboys and Mules

Goooood morning from a colddddd Frisco, Colorado!  We left home at 4am yesterday, and arrived in Denver around 11:30 in the afternoon, only to be greeted by a horrible headache and dizziness!  Luckily, we planned to have a couple of days for some R&R before my meetings start Monday.  Because this girl needs it.  I spent most of yesterday wishing I was home sweet home at sea level or curled up in a ball sleeping off this altitude change.  Crazy right?!

Anyway - I hope you're ready for a photo dump because boy do I have some fun photos to share with you!  (Again, all taken in my newly learned manual mode!  The fact that it has finally "clicked" for me just makes me giddy!)

Last night my mom and I did a sleigh ride dinner thing here in Frisco.  Two Below Zero, the company we did this through, was awesome.  They will definitely be getting a good review from me on tripadvisor!  :)
 

Before the ride out to the tent I decided this would be a great time to introduce myself to the mules who would be pulling the sleigh for the night! 

The sleigh above was actually the sleigh we ended up riding on.  The horses mules above are Judy and Jan.  They are sisters.  And apparently much cooler than horses.  At least according to our driver... who's name also started with a J.  

 

 These two were feisty!  Agnes and Ada... Crazy fool mules!  But their black fur looks cool with the white snow for photos! I absolutely love the photo below... Amazing what a perspective change will do for a photograph.

 Agnes tried to eat the fur ball hanging off my hat... silly Agnes. 

Then Ada tried to bite my mom's glove...  Silly Ada.   

We took off to the tent as the sun was setting against the Rocky Mountains.  It was about a 15 minute, windy, chilly ride.  Originally I was a little dissapointed to learn it would only a 15 minute ride... then we started on our the bitter cold journey and I was thrilled it would only be 15 minutes!

Thankfully the tent was nice and warm!  (The bathroom outhouse on the other hand... not so much.  I held it like a champ just so I wouldn't have to go out there!)  The waiters were actually the dudes that drove us out there! (The men, not the mules.)  Nothing like some cute cowboys greeting you at your table with hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps!  Deeee-lish! 

Ready for some dinner pics?   The meal started with a hot bowl of spicy chicken soup.  I loved it, my mom - not so much.

That was chased by steak, chicken, veggies and a baked potato!  Minus the potato and the schnapps this meal was totally in my meal plan!!   I also LOVED that all of the food was served on the red metal plates.  It made eating dinner in a tent feel so authentic! 

Of course there was dessert.  A ton of whipped cream with a piece of apple pie hiding under it!  Not so paleo but oh so delicious.  

With the apple pie came the entertainment.  Meet David Peel.  His voice sounded a little like Neil Diamond meets Johnny Cash.  I loved it!  He even gave us a little John Denver West Virginia shout out with some Country Roads, take me home... to a place... where I belong... Blue Ridge Mountains...  You know the rest, right?

Then we had to face the cold again.  And the mule butts.  And head back to the parking lot.  All in all, it was such a fun night!  A little expensive ($80 each) but since we are not skiing or doing anything super exciting today, it was justifiable.  When else am I going to be able to say cowboys served me dinner, in a tent, in the middle of a snowy Colorado?  

And since I have the song stuck in my head, I want it stuck in your head too... Happy Sunday friends!

PS...  I just asked Siri about the current temperature outside... you ready for this?!  Shiver Me Timbers!