Bringing Home The Bacon

I was in Colorado Springs this past weekend at BAcon, a blogging conference sponsored by Boarding Area. It was a quick trip: I flew out of Oakland on Friday morning and planned to return Sunday afternoon (just in time to celebrate Mother’s Day with my kids)! The event was small – 46 bloggers – and intense, and I think I can safely say that it blew my mind.

I knew it was going to be an interesting weekend when I walked into the first session and saw that The Wandering Aramean was swirling a glass of red wine as he reclined in his seat, waiting for the first speaker to take the stage. While I was expecting a great weekend, nothing could have prepared me for the variety and quality of the sessions. Between the speakers and the invited bloggers, there was such a huge amount of talent and knowledge in the room that literally every minute was packed with valuable info. I took 26 pages of notes and still don’t feel as if I captured all of the information I wanted to remember (Randy, I need a copy of those notes!)

The information exchange didn’t stop with the scheduled sessions, it spilled out into the hallway and flowed out into the city as well. A big group of us spent the first evening at Phantom Canyon Brewery in Colorado Springs. Have you ever tasted chicken fried bacon? All I can say is OMG, and that is in such a good way. It’s even better with a flight of beer.

We stayed at a rustically gorgeous hotel called the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. I don’t think I’ve ever slept in such a comfortable bed in my life, but I didn’t spend much time sleeping. Not when there was so much going on!

The next day was just as action-packed. Amazing conference sessions, followed by a delicious BBQ dinner and a private performance by the Flying W Wranglers at the Western Jubilee Recording Studio.

We finished the evening at Randy Petersen’s home. Or rather, at his premium Tequila Bar. He’s got an astounding collection! His motto: “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Bad Tequila.”

The depth of Randy’s hospitality and generosity was staggering. He encouraged us all to taste anything and everything we wanted to try, and he was the life of the party.

By the last day of the conference, I was hyper-conscious of what an incredible experience this was. I didn’t want it to end! (Although I really missed my kids, and it was Mother’s Day). The final session was a somewhat impromptu one (due to a last-minute cancellation from the Points Guy), but I learned so much from Jeff Sauer that my mind almost imploded. (I think I need to write a Thank You note to the Points Guy).

So what does this mean for you? Well, if I learned anything at BAcon, you can expect great things! I’ll do my best to deliver. Like the saying goes: I can bring home the bacon, and fry it up in a pan!