The Munchie Report: Rocky Mountain Road Trip Part 2

The Munchie Report: Rocky Mountain Road Trip Part 2.

(Editors Note: We are not paid or sponsored by any of the brands or businesses mentioned in this article.)

 Welcome back, friends! Let’s finish the tale that I started last week, shall we?

To Read The Munchie Report: Rocky Mountain Road Trip Part 1- Click Here

When we left off, we had just left Denver. We were headed to a spot in Utah just outside the Colorado border.

We were hunting Elk! Now I know a lot of people don’t agree with hunting. That’s ok. We are not vegetarians. We are animal lovers. Our goal is to stay away from factory-farmed meat. I know quite a few people who are vegans or vegetarians because of this practice. Understandably.

 Most hunters know more about the animals in the woods than your average grocery store shopper. Hunters also care about the environment in which their food comes from. Hunting fees and license fees (this elk tag ended up costing around $500 when it was all said and done) all go back to the conservation department. This helps preserve our national forests and manage the well being of ALL the wildlife. Every tag is counted and they are always limited to keep the animals from being over/underpopulated.

 After 50 hours of hiking in the Ashley National Forest, we did not find elk. We only had a 2% chance for success and we knew it. Still spent the money. Saved some land. It was very beautiful and an amazing adventure up on the mountain. We saw bears, coyotes, mule deer, pronghorn, and of course the free-range forest cow. HA! Seriously though, they’re everywhere. They surprised us more than once.

While at the Ashley forest, we heard there were some dispensaries just back across the Colorado border. We figured we would stop by on our way out. We packed up not so early on a Saturday morning and headed back towards Dinosaur, Colorado.

Dinosaur, Colorado

We pulled up on a picturesque desert scene with a warehouse and small white building with a big green cross. I find it hilarious that there are three dispensaries in this teeny town on the edge of Utah. I’m sure you can guess which state most of the plates in the parking lots were from. GET WITH IT UTAH.

Anyway, we got there 30 minutes before they opened and some people were seated at a table outside. We were debating in the car on waiting or just blowing through to Denver when a lady hollered, “You should wait! It’s their anniversary! First ten people get a free t-shirt!”

LIKE, OK! Who doesn’t love the obligatory vacation tee?! Obviously we waited for them to open the doors. Once inside, we were yazzed. They offered hella sales and indeed, we each got a t-shirt. They have a huge Willie’s Reserve display wall.

The budtender was telling us that they sold more Willie’s Reserve than any other dispensary in Colorado. Neat! The prices were great. I will say we’ve found a few seeds in our bulk purchase of house flower but, none the less, it was tasty. We also picked up some of Willie’s pre-rolled joints and some gummies.

DEvour Strawberry Gummies are vegan, gluten-free, and delicious. I am a fan of soft gummies. Also sour coating. Which I didn’t expect but it was delicious. These are a really great brand of gummies. 

The Willie’s pre-rolled joints were awesome, didn’t run, and came with a cool little tin. Thanks, Willie! 

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Once we were done in Dinosaur, we put on our Dino Dispensary t-shirts and headed back to Denver. After a ton of fun and smelling all the brake pads burning cruising through the mountains, I had to stretch my legs at a gas station in beautiful Steamboat Springs. Down the street was a ruckus of people and tents. We asked the attendant what was going on. Farmer’s market! YAY!

I have a ridiculous obsession with street food videos on YouTube. If there is any chance there might be street food or good food trucks, you will find me there! Lucky for us there were two delicious food trucks. The first one was Cajun and the second was a BBQ.

We opted to order a sandwich from each. We ordered a shrimp po’ boy from Fais Do-Do Bistro and a smoked brisket sandwich from Q Live Crew.

First of all, great name. Secondly, their motto is “We smoke you a long time.” Pffft. HAHAHA.

The po’ boy included lettuce, jalapeño mayo, and rémoulade. The shrimp was fried to perfection. Each one was really crunchy and not over battered. A soft sandwich roll cradled a giant serving of crustaceans, as it should be. The kick from the jalapeños was awesome and the ingredients were fresh and delicious. They have some chip options for aside and we had to try the Spicy Cajun Crawtators. Crawfish potato chips. Whose idea was this?!?! Bravo. They were yum. I have a fat love for Cajun food.

Brisket from the Q Live Crew was killer. As I mentioned in the last article, we like to smoke things (zzttt) and brisket is one of our favorites. The brisket was juicy, falling apart, had a lovely bark, and crushed that great smoke flavor.

My favorite BBQ sauce ever is Carolina Sauce from Jack’s BBQ in Nashville, TN.

This place had a similar tasting mustard-based sauce and it was a great surprise to see it in the mountains.

The sandwich was served on a delicious bun. We ordered classic sides, potato salad, and coleslaw. The coleslaw was not overdressed and still kind of crunchy. This is how I like it. Fresh As Fuck. Our potato salad was really well cooked and creamy as can be. They packed a surprising amount of flavor into the slaw and the salad.

 We hung around and people watched by the river for a bit. Steamboat Springs, CO really is a beautiful town. By the time we arrived in Denver, it was almost time for dinner. There really isn’t any good food on highway 70 until Kansas City, so we decided to stop.

Denver, Colorado

Our furry family comes with us on trips and it was kind of hot so we searched for dog-friendly places with good food. This brought us to the LowDown Brewery. They have a huge back patio complete with cornhole and turf for the pooches. We picked a spot close to the doggy water bowl and decided on pizza.

The Papa Smurf looked interesting and delicious. This pizza is topped with crisp prosciutto, gorgonzola, brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, and white bean hummus for the sauce. It was mostly very tasty. All of these flavors get just smudge murky on a pizza. They tended to balance out really well if you got a bite of the gorgonzola. The sharpness is almost refreshing in a sense. The cheese was peppered on the pizza so you may not get a hunk with each bite. I get why though. Gorgonzola is a little strong for most people. Overdoing gorgonzola is a no-no. Overall the pizza was really good. The service was great and the dogs had a good time. We also got to see other people’s cute doggies! EPIC BONUS.

With bloodshot eyes and full bellies, we said goodbye to the west. We had a great time enjoying the wilderness and eating across the Rockies. Join us next time for more food and reefer adventures!