Cheyenne, Wyoming + Vernazza, Italy
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For her recent birthday, Alison's mom bought her a personal A/C unit, you add water to it so its a combo cooler/fan/humidifier/light/white noise machine. it is making her compact studio set up so much more bearable in the summer heat. Lulu is obsessed with her new iPhone! She upgraded to the 12 Pro Max from the 7 plus...so her life has absolutely changed!
Alison is wishing for the compact cosmetics carrier that is Subtl Beauty. It’s like the grown up version of the caboodle she had as a kid, this one just happens to make getting madeup while on the go so much easier! Lulu is wishing for new luggage that could last her for a long time.
Lulu is headed to the nation’s rodeo and railroad capital for a taste of the Old West! This may seem like an odd choice for her, but with this being our long-time producer Ash’s last few weeks with us, Lulu wanted to “go” on a girl’s getaway that was full of adventure. Memories are sure to be made as Lulu, Alison and Ash arrive at Terry Bison Ranch. There are cabins for rent, RV hookups…but Lulu is surprising her girls with a tent site reservation. We’re not even glamping, we are straight up camping? Trust us, once you read about the gear Lulu has ready, you’ll be ready to forego our typical luxury amenities too. At this ranch are loads of activities, you can board your horses, and there are bathrooms on site. Yes, usually this is where we talk about thread count, butler service, or pillow menus, but just stay with us here.
Everyone is getting their own tent. Alison will be staying in the Roofnest Condor XL, which is literally what its name says. This pop up tent unfolds out of a hard shell storage on top of our rented premium SUV, can sleep up to 4 adults, and has room for a solar panel and storage! Alison is going to be starfishing hard, making the most of the space that the $3300 price tag gets her!
Lulu and Ash each get their own Dirt Motel, a two-person tent by Kelty that weighs only three pounds and has a stargazing flap! She discovered this tent in TakeOutdoors.com’s article listing the Best Tents for Stargazing 2021 … it’s ranked number one! Only the best, naturally! Just $269 each! Everyone gets their own Nemo Double Luxury Sleeping Bag (that means it’s queen-size), and a pair of Nemo Switchback Ultralight Sleeping Pads! We may not be glamping but we are definitely not schlepping when it comes to our sleepy-time set-ups!
Now that Lulu and her crew have set up camp, it’s time for some breakfast! The trio heads to Luxury Diner for coffee, cinnamon rolls, and chicken fried steak with homemade sausage gravy. Now it’s off to explore the wild west!
Knowing that Ash is one for museums just like her, Lulu has slated TWO museum visits for their morning. First up is the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. There’s a whole rodeo thing also, but this trip we’re just taking in the history with lots of plaque-reading about wagons, guns, and other western life paraphernalia that Alison is sure to tire of, and probably some purchases as they often display art for sale! Next is the Cowgirls of the West Museum, a space dedicated to celebrating all the ways that women shaped the west. There’s gear, get-ups, and more to be seen here, and the gals are especially interested to learn that Wyoming was asked to repeal it’s suffrage law in order to join the Union, and they answered with a resounding “NO WAY!”. The state seal of Wyoming even features a woman in the center with a banner overhead bearing the words “equal rights”. All three ladies are thinking they want to grow up to be cowgirls now…
It’s back to the Terry Bison Ranch for a bison train ride before grabbing lunch at on-site dining establishment Senator’s Steakhouse and Saloon. It’s bison burgers and short ribs for Lulu and Alison, while resident veg Ash gets the hickory grilled cabbage steak! They also sip on some Wyoming whiskey…they’ll need nerves of steel for their next stop!
After a google search for a bartender becomes a rabbit hole that leads her to this underground flair battle, Lulu decides to hire a flair bartender from Mixology Flaired. They’re like a juggler, emcee, and bartender all in one person! You see she needs a lively person to sling drinks on the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley, as they embark on a “Spirits with Spirits Tour”. This is a forthcoming tour, not available yet, so Lulu is going to pay extra so that her group can be spooked - and smashed! - in July, instead of the usual October hauntings. She’s thinking since this is a personalized tour, we get to down a drink for every departed soul we encounter. Should make that whole prospect less scary, right?
Lulu found Wyoming’s first female Eagle Scout, whom she hires to go ahead of us to our campsite to start (and maintain) a fire for us all to swap stories over. Lulu orders a Mexican feast, the group’s go-to favorite cuisine, to-go from Tortilla Factory, so they can warm it up on one of the grills located next to their tent site back at the ranch. Salsa verde under the stars sounds like the perfect evening for these ladies. In fact, throw in some s’mores with our stargazing session and you have yourself the perfect end to the perfect good-bye trip!
Alison was inspired by the setting of her family’s recent movie night pick, Disney’s Luca, for her day this week. The beautiful unnamed Italian coastal town had her scouring the internet for views just as breathtaking as the animated ones in the movie. She discovered the highly desirable vacation destination known as the Cinque Terre. (Here’s how to pronounce that name, by the way). Literally meaning “five earth”, it is an area comprised of five villages that until recently were only accessible by footpath and ferry, more or less. Of the five picturesque towns, Alison decided to explore Vernazza. (pronunciation for ya!) The coastline is stunning, with jagged cliffs serving as foundations to colorful buildings, olive trees and grape vines!
Alison found an apartment on Airbnb located on the ground floor in the center of the town, with clear views of the sea! The MaDa Charm Apartment has a king size bed, a multi-jet shower with chromatherapy lights, and an in-room soaking tub with views out the window. The perfect spot to begin or end your day… or both! For just $300 a night, this could be your next solo getaway or romantic retreat!
First things first, Alison heads for a picturesque breakfast at Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre consisting of pastries, poached eggs, and people-watching.
Feeling one with the sea, Alison is going diving! She is more than prepared for her outing with 5 Terre Diving with her Henderson Aqualock Wetsuit and Sherwood Crux Professional Diving Package, complete with the vest and all that breathe-underwater-stuff, and a dive computer/watch device. This is serious gear, but Alison is going all in for this experience!
Swimming with all those sea creatures has her craving some fresh seafood. She’s in the right place at Ristorante Belforte, with its cliffside seating and spectacular menu! She’s ordering the mixed cold and warm fish sampler, squid ink tagliolini with shrimps and seaweed, and buccellato, a local cake, all washed down with a glass or two of passito (“raisin”) wine! Talk about a feast!
Alison is modeling her next burst of activities after the “triathlon” in the movie, where they have to swim in the ocean, eat a bunch of pasta, and then bike. Yeah, a little different the triathlon we all know and hate. Alison’s version is going to involve boating, making wine, and sidewalk chalk. So really the only similarities is the number of activities, but just go with it, doesn’t it sound fun!
She buys a rowboat, one 120-gallon wine barrel, and literally tons of sidewalk chalk. Hopefully some of the locals find her triathlon just whimsical enough and compete for the trophy! And if they aren’t in it for the trophy, perhaps they’re interested in the free round of pizza from Ananasso Bar.
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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