Wyoming Is My Favorite Of The Why’s, What Are The Freaking Family Feasibilities? I’m A Winter Sport Survivor Who Avoided Fighting An Olympian.

A few weeks ago, the Coach and I revisited a favorite place, for the third time with new blood; Angee & Rob. The first time we visited Three Forks, was for Coach’s fiftieth birthday (2015) along with two of our faves: Don and Kelly. Then we went with whole fam-damily in 2022; which was by far one of our best family trips; who knew that vacations with your grown kids would be so fun? Ok, I actually knew it would be, because I made the best, most funnest humans.

In addition to all the outside activities and inside activities (Spa & pools!) they’ve been hosting small concerts for up to 54 people. We were able to see Rhett Akins and he did not disappoint. (If you are a country fan, he’s Thomas Rhett’s father and has written most of Tom’s hits, plus many of Blakes, Justin’s, Brooks & Dunn’s, Luke’s, & John Pardi, to name a few)

It’s A Far Out Family Reunion

Our very first evening, the four of us went to the small lounge area for happy hour prior to dinner. Wait, did I tell you that there were only TWO OTHER GUESTS for our first three days here? *We had the entire place to ourselves, aside from the concert night when they sold tickets for the show to benefit a charity.

*Oh wait, I’m a Big Fat Liar. I forgot about Lindsay Vonn! She was there with a small enterouge for the first two days; she was filming promo’s for the Lodge which meant we couldn’t go into the main lounge on our first night and the next day, we weren’t able to do something or other because of her group.

Me to my people: This olympic b*tch is encroaching on my vacation, if she wasn’t six foot, strong and young, I’d tell her so. 🤣

Back to our first evening: As we were ordering our drinks, Angee asked about a certain champagne/bubbly wine, or something like that. The sweet barmaid said: Hey, hold on, let me get our Sommelier and he’ll pick out something special for you.

A moment later this man walks out and I notice Angee’s eyes go deep looking in his direction; as he approached the table, she says and I clearly think she’s already drunk: HEY, YOU’RE MY COUSIN. JIM? JIMBO!

He stops. Looks at her and says; YES, YES I AM.

At which point, I thought I was being punked. We’re literally in the MIDDLE of nowhere!

Y’all, they are first cousins. Their Moms are sisters, but they’ve not seen each other in fifty years and Angee only recognized him because they are both on Social Media. His wife also works there and she was such a doll; we had so much fun with them!

Unlike when we visited Three Forks in warmer weather, I only planned on one outside activity: Snowmobiling. I’m sure you can only imagine how much experience I have doing this since I’ve was born and raised in Florida.

Even though I know nothing about this sport, I elected to drive my own mobile in lieu of being a passenger. Listen, I love my husband and trust him, but I’m not a huge fan of his driving in general; I opted to take my life into my own hands as we followed a trail.

The snow had turned into mostly Ice, so if you veered out of the tracks ahead of you, it was hard to get yourself back in line. Lordy, there were points where I was looking down at long drops on either side of the trail. If Lindsay could have seen me, she would have pooped her pants because one of her biggest fears is her mother dying.

I was damn proud of myself for being able to navigate, not die and for risking life and limb by peeing in the wild– I didn’t know we were going to be gone for two hours!

I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone; this was fun! The snowmobiling, not the peeing outside part.

The guys opted to go ice fishing one day and Rob went skiing one morning. Plus, we all had massages, body wraps, some did yoga, we had a *mixology class, a cooking class and we visited the salt room, hydrotherapy spa, ate gourmet meals, revisited with the amazing staff and generally enjoyed ourselves.

*During the mixology class I drank an entire Lavender Lemon Drop Martini and earned myself a nap.

You won’t be surprised to know that one of my favorite things about vacation is NOT cooking and NOT doing laundry and I’d like to vacation at least once a month. Please. Pretty please!

Can you imagine traveling across the country, staying at a not-so-well-known resort and running into your childhood friend; your cousin? I think Angee should buy lottery tickets weekly because that is crazy WILD serendipity if you ask me.

Have you run into someone randomly, so far from home by accident? Have you snowmobiled?

I’ll resist asking if you’ve relieved yourself outside, in the winter, because if you’re my friend, you probably have.

XOXO

27 thoughts on “Wyoming Is My Favorite Of The Why’s, What Are The Freaking Family Feasibilities? I’m A Winter Sport Survivor Who Avoided Fighting An Olympian.”

  1. Yes, it really can be a small world sometime. One time when we were in Maui (shopping for groceries at a Safeway), we ran into my neighbour from across the hall. We had no idea we were all vacationing at the same place at the same time.

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  2. That martini is my kind of drink. Now I want one (well, not now–it’s 8:30 am–but you know what I mean).

    You’re so brave and adventurous! Not only would I not choose to be outdoors in the wintry weather, but I’d probably not command my own snowmobile on an icy trail. Kudos!

    My dad was always seeing people he knew everywhere. We were on a cross-country trip once, and he saw some guy he knew from the steel mill in Ohio all the way in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was ridiculous. And the two of them acted like it was no big deal, either.

    And hmpf, that Lindsay Vonn. She’s been trading on her Olympic appearances for a long time now. She needs to get a real job and stay out of your life.

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    1. Thank you for being on Team Suzanne as opposed to Team Lindsay. LOL!

      I’m shocked that the winter weather didn’t bother me. I mean, I was dressed FOR it, but for some reason I thought I would be miserable outside in the cold, but I wasn’t.

      I’m cracking up at your Dad and his worker friend, acting like running into each other wasn’t a big deal. MEN!

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  4. Lots of WTH moments for me in this post! LOL! I thought you were kidding about peeing outside in winter. I’ve only ever done it in the summer and I was a child! Seeing a cousin one hasn’t seen in 50 years in the middle of nowhere is tremendous!!!! I LOVE that!!!!

    I have never been snowmobiling, but I’ve always thought it looked fun. I used to ski when I was young and even younger than that, I used to go tobogganing, which I suppose is not a Florida thing! My snow sporting days are over, I believe.

    That looks like a fun trip, despite the cold weather. I’ve only been to Wyoming in the summer. We drove across the whole state, which is a lot wider than I thought it would be. Welcome Home!

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    1. Our snowmobiling trip started at 9am, shortly after coffee! So, the ole’ bladder was full and I didn’t want to push it on those bumpy hills!

      This resort is actually in Wyoming and Colorado. It’s such a gorgeous part of our country, in every season!

      I agree. The cousin meet-up still blows my mind!

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  5. Your whole second paragraph was so confusing to me. Rhett Akins is the “That Ain’t My Truck” guy, right? I look it up. Yes, that’s correct. Is Thomas Rhett a person? Oh, he’s a new guy. I’m an Old and only listen to Old Country. *sigh*

    Snowmobiling is surprisingly fun. I’ve never driven, though, so you are a Wonder Woman!!

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    1. Sorry, I thought Thomas Rhett was mainstream popular for the last few years; but if you avoid the newer stuff, you’d not know that. Yes, the Rhett Akins of ‘That Ain’t My Truck’, and his son is Thomas, who has surpassed him as a recording artist, but Dad wins in the writing territory; he has 34 number one hits under his belt.

      Wonder Woman? Dang, now I need another costume!

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  6. The cousin thing – so completely wild. What in the world? Last year when we were in Ireland in the most remote part we visited (Doolin), we were in a bar listening to traditional Irish music. That’s why folks go to Doolin. Anyway, we got there early to stake out a space to stand. A guy next to us, tight quarters, was talking about something from home. I didn’t MEAN to eavesdrop, but I gathered he was from Chicago. Turns out – we went to the same Catholic grade school. He is a few years older than me, but he remembered my mom, who was the main substitute teacher. His family is good friends with the retired 5th grade teacher, who we are still tight with too. I make her soda bread every year. She lives minutes from me. It was wild. I’ve also run into people from home at Disney World, but the bar thing was so wild.

    I’ve peed outside, but in the summer. It was also in Wyoming. I guess that state brings out the wild side in all of us. I’ve never ridden snow mobile and don’t have any interest.

    Glad you had a wonderful time. Love the photo of you and Coach on the balcony. Great backdrop and you look amazing. Love that hair style.

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    1. The Ireland bar thing is incredible; so is running into people at Disney. I mean, that place is HUGE! You know how hard it is to MEET up with someone, somewhere crowded, on purpose? So when those weird run-ins happen, it’s always mind blowing.

      The other couple at this resort (aside from the four of us and Lindsay’s troop) were from Fort Myers and they live about six miles from our offices/factory! Of course Coach made friends and the guy texted him the day after we arrived home looking to get together.

      Me: “Can we go somewhere without making friends?”

      Thank you for the compliments. My hair does so much better when I’m away from the humidity!

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  7. While on vacation, my Mom and Dad had several encounters with people they knew from their small town in Ohio. It’s quite cool, actually. AND, another interesting fact: my dad was stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Navy in the late 1960s. Fast forward to a few years ago, and a new couple moves three houses down in their neighborhood. The man was also stationed on that same carrier at that time. I love stuff like this.

    I’ve never snowmobiled, but I’ve definitely peed outdoors. 😊

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    1. That is such a funny story too about your parents; but the two men who were stationed on the same carrier, now neighbors. WHAT THE WHAT?

      When you gotta pee, you gotta pee.

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  8. That is a crazy coincidence. We were on a restaurant patio in Mexico years ago, and a guy came up to my husband and greeted him like a long lost friend. They had both lived in the same down for years, he asked about my husband’s kids etc. After he left I asked why he didn’t introduce me, and he replied that he had no idea who the guy was. Have I ever peed outside? Hmmm, well I was a long distance runner for many many years so I think that’s an easy answer…in all 4 seasons. Snowmobiling in the mountains is so much fun. I did it in Utah years ago. One of my fave winter activities ever. 

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    1. I’m laughing so hard at your husband not knowing this long, lost friend! HA. I had that happen at a funeral years ago. I mean I knew the person’s name, but she was going on and on about all the parties we went to together while in Beauty school and I was ‘Um, maybe she’s confused’ because I don’t remember any of it! I didn’t even remember she went to school with me.

      I’ve heard the horror stores about runners. OH the humanity of it all!

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  11. Tara used to be a hardcore snowmobiler when living on the outskirts of Yellowstone, but I have never been. It’s something I definitely want to try, and there are tons of trails in Wisconsin, so I’m sure it will happen someday.

    I love that you take these big trips to Wyoming, of all places!

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    1. Tara must be a pro—you need to try it; I thought it was a lot of fun, especially once I got the hang of it. At first, I had a death-grip and I was so tense, but I realized I was better off relaxing and just enjoying the ride/scenery. Wyoming is gorgeous in all seasons!

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  12. Have you run into someone randomly, so far from home by accident? Yes. We were in Palm Springs on vacation and decided to go into a bar that featured buckets of beer to watch a NFL game. Got talking with the older couples beside us at the bar and found out one couple were from my hometown. Small world, right? It got smaller, they were the parents of a girl who I’d work with as a waitress, a summer job, when we were in college. 

    Have you snowmobiled? No

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  13. That looks like a great time and your friend seeing her cousin after so many years is wild! My husband had surgery many years ago and we went to the upper peninsula a few weeks later for a boat tour of the Soo Locks while he was recovering. Of course his surgeon and family were on the same boat! It was crazy!

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