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  • Our Next Shows:

    Junk Jubilee

    Iowa State Fairgrounds

    Des Moines, IA

    April 26-28


    That Flippin Market 

    Flippin Furniture

    Carthage, IL

    May 4


OUR NEXT SHOWS:

September 22
That Flippin’ Market
Carthage, IL

September 29 & 30
Main Street Vintage Market
Hannibal, MO

October 20 & 21
Fall Pickers Market
New London, MO

Give us a call or send us a message anytime. If you’re interested in a custom piece, have old materials you’re not sure what to do with, or just want to learn a little more about Inspired By The Farm, we’d love to hear from you! 
CONTACT US
  • Our Next Shows:

    Junk Jubilee

    Iowa State Fairgrounds

    Des Moines, IA

    April 26-28


    That Flippin Market 

    Flippin Furniture

    Carthage, IL

    May 4


Farm to Mountains: IBTF Takes Colorado

  • By design
  • •
  • 19 Jul, 2019

"We're climbing up through the trees...and all of a sudden, there's a bear in front of me."

Mountain lake with snow on Mount Evans, Colorado.
Summit Lake on Mount Evans, Idaho Springs, CO.
Sometimes in life, it's not about the destination, but the journey. And sometimes, it really is about the destination, and that's okay, too. This is one of those times.

After completing the Quarter Horse to Purgatory (nothing sinister: Purgatory is a resort) in Durango, CO, last May, IBTF co-founder and bicycle enthusiast Dick Rees was looking for another challenge this year. Dick and Carol used to live in the Breckenridge area, so returning to Colorado to visit friends and their old "stomping grounds" was quite a treat for them. But by Christmas, Dick already had his eyes on a new prize: the Triple Bypass Ride.
The Triple Bypass is a 120-mile ride beginning in Evergreen and ending in Avon, covering three passes in the Rocky Mountains: Juniper, Loveland, and Vail. If you're exhausted just thinking about climbing 120 miles of mountain on a bicycle, you're not alone. It was a long and grueling day for the riders, but we'll get to that in a bit.
Elevation map for the Triple Bypass bicycle ride.
Elevation map for the Triple Bypass.
The Triple Bypass ride itself was on a Saturday, but we left early Wednesday morning to get a head start on the twelve and a half-hour drive (plus stops, and back an hour for Mountain Time). While we were driving, a handful of Dick's cycling friends who had arrived in Colorado earlier decided to take on an even bigger challenge: climbing Mount Evans on their bikes. 
Dick Rees at the summit of Mount Evans.
Mountain man.
An interesting fact about Mount Evans: the Scenic Byway that leads to the top of the mountain is the highest paved road in North America, with the summit reaching 14,265 feet above sea level. Other interesting facts: the road is very narrow, makes several hairpin turns, and is frequently occupied by mountain goats. The kind of mountain goats that will walk into traffic and just stand there because they know you can't do anything about it. The thought of climbing an additional twenty-eight miles up 7,000 feet was...less than enticing to Dick. Driving up was hard enough, though it was certainly worth it for the breathtaking views.
Mountain goat on Mount Evans.
The most majestic goat.
The days before the ride were a nice vacation for the Rees family, spent enjoying the cool weather, the distinct lack of humidity, and the crisp mountain air. Of course, we were all constantly yawning and chugging water to combat the high altitude, but a little thin atmosphere didn't ruin our fun.
Mountain sunset.
Beautiful Georgetown, CO.
Thursday morning, before we drove up Mount Evans, Dick went on a short ride around Georgetown to get acclimated to the terrain and the atmosphere while Carol and Shelby walked around looking for Pokémon and enjoying a lovely mountain morning. In the middle of that lovely mountain morning, we got a text from Dick: 

 Georgetown to Loveland Ski Area. Got a little adrenaline boost from a black bear on the trail this morning. 🐻🚵‍♂️💩

Unfortunately, his GoPro was turned off, so we'll never know what the bear looked like, but Dick does a pretty great impression of it.

Mountains and trees in Colorado as photographed by cyclist.
A view from the bike. Bear not included.
Friday was our day trip to Breckenridge (by way of Loveland Pass, the second on the route). It had certainly changed since Dick and Carol lived there, but it was still a picturesque scene with beautiful architecture, the breathtaking Blue River running through town, and flowers in bloom. We even ate at a fully-vegan, plant-based pizza joint called Piante Pizzeria, where we highly recommend the garlic knots. 
RACE DAY
Before every endurance ride, Dick partakes in a special routine. The night before the race, he prepares all his bike food in portioned plastic bags so he knows exactly how much he's eating and gets exactly the amount of energy he needs. Instead of relying solely on pre-packaged energy bars, gels, and chews, Dick takes a more natural foods approach, using roasted savory potatoes, peanut butter wraps, and dried cherries to sustain himself.  And every morning before a ride, he fuels up on Peter Pan honey-roasted peanut butter on a Thomas everything bagel and a cup of black coffee. Truly, a breakfast of champions.
Dick Rees and bicycle before starting Triple Bypass bicycle ride.
Ready to ride!
Saturday morning, the Rees family departed for Silverthorne at 4:00 am. Since the Triple Bypass is a ride, not a race, the riders were free to start when they chose. Some of Cannibal Velo, Dick's cycling group, started at 4:30, some at 6:30, and some in between. Dick had intended to start at 6:00 with most of the group, but as all well-made plans do, that fell apart. So he officially took off around 5:30 am from Evergreen. While he departed alone, he met up with other members of Cannibal Velo along the way, some of whom were setting a rather break-neck pace. In the end, he joined up with a pair of his friends and rode the route together.
 At 7:41 pm, after a rain delay in Vail and some mishaps along the way, Dick and his comrades rolled across the finish line in Avon, CO. That's a little more than thirteen hours on the ride. Fortunately, they were greeted with a medal, free artisan tacos, and a specially-brewed beer for the occasion. He also received a cool T-shirt and some pretty nice socks, but those were a gift from the family.
Dick Rees and friends crossing finish line.
Official Triple Bypass finishers.
Though Dick quite literally had the "ride of his life" in Summit County, CO, when asked if he would tackle the Triple Bypass or the ambitious Iron Horse, he only laughed.

Whatever his next cycling adventure may be, we know he'll be out there putting in 110% effort and making us proud.

10 Farm Finds for Your Landscaping

By design • 26 Jul, 2020
Get inspired with some outdoor decor ideas for your landscaping straight from the barn.

What Is It About Canning Jars?

By design • 17 Jul, 2020
I'm obsessed with canning jars!

Three Keys to Growing Garlic

By design • 05 Jul, 2020
Learn to grow your own garlic with these three easy steps.

Aunt Fannie’s Pies

By design • 22 Jun, 2020
Aunt Fannie, flour-flying pie baker, and her glazed strawberry pie.

It’s Strawberry Season!

By design • 12 Jun, 2020
There aren't many things better than homemade jam! Find out how to make your own.

Rustic Bleacher Table

By design • 20 Jun, 2019
A rustic farm table near and dear to our hearts.

Custom Outdoor Kitchen Station

By design • 20 Jun, 2019
Another custom piece from the folks at Inspired By The Farm.

Spring Floral Ideas

By design • 27 Feb, 2019
Spring is in the air, and we've got some tips to help you spruce up your home with seasonal florals!

Custom Barn Quilt Chairs

By design • 03 Feb, 2019
At Inspired by the Farm, we love creating custom pieces for our clients. Not only does it give us a chance to exercise our creative muscles, but it also allows us to work directly with our customers to create something unique that we know they’ll love.

Back to the Basics: Farmhouse Style

By design • 20 Sep, 2018

In this, our very first blog, we…admittedly struggled to settle on a topic. We have all these big ideas that we can’t wait to share with you, from gardening tips to recipes to decorating ideas and everything in between. And yet, we couldn’t decide what story we wanted to tell first.

Well, we were getting way too far ahead of ourselves, and we realized that the best place to start is at the beginning. So we’re going all the way back to the first lesson: Farmhouse 101.

What is farmhouse style?

“Farmhouse style” means different things to different people, of course.

For us, true farmhouse style is authentic, original, and straight from the barn. Some of the pieces we get literally come straight from the barn (dust and all), some are made from barnwood, and some we find along the way.

When we think farmhouse, we think:

·      Raw wood

·      Corrugated barn tin

·      Galvanized metal

·      Gingham

·      Burlap

·      Twine

·      Cotton

·      Wheat

·      Warm rustic colors

·      Natural distress

·      History

That’s not to say that manufactured pieces, crisp white everything, and replicas of old farm-inspired items are bad. They’re just a little more modern and urban. Hence the term “modern farmhouse.” Imagine having pristine white furniture and coming in to relax after working the fields outside all day! My grandmother would’ve had a fit trying to keep a modern farmhouse clean.

We just prefer to focus on genuine craftsmanship and unique pieces with unique stories that we can share with you.


I like farmhouse style, but it doesn’t match the rest of my décor. How can I incorporate it into my home?  

Start small! Try dedicating one room or area of the house to the farmhouse look. The laundry room, guestroom, or even home office are great places to start. They’re fairly unassuming spaces that are often overlooked when it comes to decorating. In these rooms, you can take a few more liberties since they don’t necessarily have to match the motif of the rest of your home. That unfinished basement? Deck it out and make it a canning kitchen or a farm-inspired entertainment space.

Outdoor spaces also naturally lend themselves to farmhouse décor. Decorate your landscaping, porch, patio for any season or holiday with staple pieces like milk cans, galvanized buckets, or wagon wheels. Then, mix and match seasonal florals, vegetation, and fabrics to give them a fresh new look!

Do I have to cover my entire house in shiplap?

Only if you feel so inclined.

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