2020-06-01_Travel+Leisure

Wyoming

Cheyenne

Denver

Brush Creek Ranch

UTAH COLORADO

50 TRAVEL+LEISURE | JUNE 2020

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COURTESY OF BRUSH CREEK LUXURY RANCH COLLECTION. ILLUSTRATION BY MAY PARSEY

grain left over from the brewery and distillery,

then blitzed the loaf with steam to form a

light, crunchy crust. She fed us smoky whiskey

ice cream and chocolate-chip cookies that

glistened with brown butter. As we said

goodbye, she wrapped up a loaf and insisted

that we take it on the plane.

When we arrived back in Portland, Oregon,

I heated the bread in the oven, poured some

olive oil and balsamic reduction into a dish, and

brought it to bed, where Sherry and I ate our last

bites from the Farm and promptly fell asleep.

brush creek ranch.com; doubles from $1,800,

all-inclusive; additional experiences,

including cooking lessons and wine tastings,

$250 each per person.

wide-screen view of the mountains and plains,

and we often found ourselves nursing our

swollen bellies on the couch, recklessly opening

one of the bags of cheese-covered popcorn

the staff had left for us. Some of the best

moments of our visit were spent lazily watching

the stillness out the window or falling asleep

staring at the fireplace.

We squeezed in a morning of horseback

riding—with some trepidation on my part,

given that I’d never ridden before. “We love

first-timers!” the wranglers said, in a tone that

suggested they’d never lost one.

Our trail was encircled by peaks that towered

over us, despite the fact that we were already

7,000 feet above sea level. The plains were

quiet except for the clip-clop of the horses, and

I couldn’t help losing myself in the long white

clouds stretching across the sky. Then Steel, my

horse, started shaking his head and neighing.

“Is that normal?” I said, clutching the reins.

The wranglers explained that Steel was

actually sneezing and that horses sneeze when

they feel comfortable and relaxed. This

explanation sounded a little dubious, but I’m

no horse doctor, and given that we enjoyed

our scenic ride without Steel trying to buck

me a single time, I’ll take their word for it.

On our final morning, we popped in to the

bakery to meet pastry chef Keisha Sanderson

Treasure, who, as we’d been hearing throughout

our stay, supplied much of the staff with cookies

and cakes to power them through their

days. Needless to say, she was very popular.

“I develop recipes as I receive the

ingredients,” Sanderson Treasure explained.

For one of her breads, she used mash and

One of nine cabins,

built in the early

20th century,

at the Magee

Homestead.

TAL0620_E_BrushCreek.indd 50 FINAL 4/21/20 7:03 PM