Our Story
Mike and I met June of 2020 in the middle of the global pandemic. The bad news – the pandemic made things a bit awkward in the dating world! The good news - Mike and I immediately connected and like so many made-for-tv movies, the rest has been an amazing adventure!
One of the things Mike and I first connected on was our disillusionment with our city-lifestyle and our corporate career paths. We both independently had begun putting things in motion to find a different path in life. Mike had gotten a job offer as a contractor’s apprentice and I had started to study for my real estate license hoping it was a job I could do in a smaller mountain town.
One day I was stalking Zillow and found an amazing hospitality business for sale. I’d always dreamed of owning a campground or cabin rental business and started dreaming of possibilities. I showed Mike, not sure he would be interested, and to my surprise he enthusiastically offered to start the business with me. As we started to talk through the business plan we realized that we might actually be able to pull this off!
That kicked off a months-long quest to every corner of Colorado to see what was for sale. We stayed in an 1800s cabin on the Grand Mesa, toured an inn with a real Anasazi kiva on the property, and seriously considered whether we could care for 60 horses at a dude ranch.
We finally landed at the Tudor Rose. Salida and Buena Vista were very high on our list of towns we’d like to live in, and we couldn’t wait to see the property. We love small towns, but I wasn’t ready to completely give up delicious restaurants, breweries and live music for a rural lifestyle.
When we first walked onto the property at the Tudor Rose – now Blue Coyote Ranch – we were in awe. How could 33 acres of piñon pine forest exist right next to downtown Salida? The night after we viewed the property we drove halfway up the driveway to see if we could see any stars. Stepping out of the car, I think we both knew we’d found the place: the sky was sparkling with constellations, as clear as many campsites we’d stayed at.
Few days go by that I don’t think about how lucky we are that everything came together as it did. I guess they are right when they say that sometimes in life you need to take a leap of faith – if you’re really lucky you might just land in a forest of pine trees under a starry sky.