Here we go, and went and came again. We're now sitting up high in Boulder, Colorado for the just- about the last leg of a very busy travel October, and 2026. I can share the sentiment we both have, "We just want to go home", and stay there.
We had an uneventful travel to, get through, get on, and flying experience which is always good for the nerves and the blood pressure. The only thing that got my heart rate and left ventricle stressed was checking in our checked bag, which, of course came in slightly over weight.
And by slightly I mean it weighed 65 pounds, fifteen over. We weighed it at my parents house and it made weight at 48 pounds and then Theresa thought she could "just add a few more things"....
As we approached Denver Airport I could see the vast expense of land around the area. Many times, with airports and stadiums, they are named for the closest and largest city they are near, but are really in some podunk town. Example, we had Trenton-Mercer Airport in our backyard but it was really entirely in Ewing, New Jersey.
If you look at Denver International Airport and it's location to Denver city it's a little confusing. Well in 1988 Denver annexed it's borders by "taking over", if you will, the land that was Adams County to incorporate the airport inside the city limits. So Denver became bigger and in 1995 the new airport was in operation. To note, DIA is 23 miles from downtown Denver.
Destination weddings, or travel in general, takes time and planning, unless you just got it like that and the expense doesn't matter. Flights, checked bags or not, picking your seat (Theresa and I sat 20 rows apart), lodging, and car rental all call for internet sleuthing to get the most value for your money. It can be frustrating, and eye opening. For some it's not worth the time and effort, but for me the thought of not getting the best deal irks me to no end. Why pay more for the same thing?
So when it came to the car rental I searched through the discount sites, the car rental places them selves, Costco, Sam's Club, AAA, and AARP. Well AARP had the best offer, but it came with a thing. That thing would be you'd roll the dice on a mystery car. You get what you get and you don't get upset. It's listed as "Special, special".
After we landed, got our luggage, and took the shuttle to car rental row, we stood there and talked with the lady who explained "Special, Special" in greater detail. Basically, the car rental places have cars, a lot of them. Some are more popular than others, which means they won't always have a said model available, while others are just sitting there. So, for a discount, renters, like us, roll in, and then roll out with what they give you the keys for. The lady said she's seen young couples drive off with a 12 passenger van, because that was the "Special, Special" of the day. That sounds very NFL play call like, and we're in Denver.
So the vehicle of the day, was "a pickup". Now you know me and my pursuit for a new pickup, it's never-ending, and never will be. While new is always nice, but not always better, the costs of new are exhorbitant these days. Like $60,000 plus for a new one off the lot, or a $500 a month lease payment. No thank you.
And you know my go-to dream pick up. A white Chevy Silverado, 4x4 of course, for towing those boats around one day. Now I don't know if it was the truck Gods or someone wanting to rub it in my face but when we got to space D19 there she was.
A white 2026 Chevy Silverado 4x4 with almost no miles on it. Crew cab. Short bed. Pretty much a basic version, which is what I want. It drove on the highway like a luxury car, around town, well, it's not an around the town, like downtown Boulder, kinda vehicle. But it's really nice and will be fun for the next few days. At least we didn't get the Ford Ecoline 12 seater, although that may have helped out with the wedding.
Boulder is a 100% college town, like more of a college town than I have ever seen. We walked around and came up with a Princeton/New Brunswick (Rutgers)/Cape May vibe. Boulder is one of the most liberal and progressive cities in all of Colorado but we didn't see that or feel weirded out. Remember, we moved to South Carolina, which is a very conservative state, and we don't see or get weirded out down there either. To be honest, we saw more political and social agenda shit when we lived in New Jersey. Now, a young lady did approach us asking us if we would like to support closing ICE detention camps, which we politely declined.
By chance we hit a place called The Sink for lunch in the heart of the college area. Oh, that picture above is from the Pearl Street Mall, similar to the Washington Street Mall in Cape May. The road is closed for a few blocks and it's pedestrian only. But The Sink is on 13th Street and by luck Tuesday was 50% off pizza, so that's what I did, while Theresa had a local beef burger.
We've eaten so much pizza in the last month I feel like Dave Portnoy from his "One bite everybody knows the rules" pizza reviews. That pizza above, off the charts. That crust is hollow inside, and crispy, and on top is honey, goat cheese, apple, and arugula. While I enjoyed the 50% off, it goes for $27.50 regular, a little pricey I think for starving college kids. But as we looked around this place is pretty bougie, although we did see our share of down and outers on the side streets and on the outskirts of town.
And then there's the whole "Mile high" thing. No, not having sex on the plane, but the altitude where these Colorado cities sit. New Jersey sits at average about 240 feet above sea level, Boulder, 5,450 feet. That means the air is thinner due to the lower atmospheric pressure. So with each breath you get about 20% less oxygen molecules then you would at sea level, like in New Jersey, again 240 feet, and now for us, Bluffton, the Lowcountry, which is 20 feet above sea level.
Now I know my lung health isn't the best and I was waiting to see if I would be affected by the altitude of where we were. We went through the day and as soon as we checked in I hit the couch for a nap. I was beat. Even after I woke up and we headed out I wasn't short of breath, but was feeling off, like an early flu feeling, and tired.
Normally on a pulse oximeter I sit at 95-96% at a heart rate around 60. Not that it's alarming but I was holding onto a little less oxygen and my heart was ticking a tad higher to compensate for it. They say it takes 24-48 hours for your body to adjust so that'll put me in prime lung shape for the dance floor at the wedding on Friday night.
Today we'll hit somewhere and maybe even test the lungs on a hike after we drive to the top of some mountain. There's a few fly shops in Boulder and I'll swing by and take a look. I started my day at 5 am at Dunkin' Donuts getting Theresa and I some coffee. Last night I Googled "Best bagels in Boulder" and the top place that popped up is just at the end of the block where we are staying. Fleishmen's Bagel and Delicatessen brings the, "authentic flavors of New York to the
discerning palates of Colorado" with their New York style bagels. The only big difference between a New York bagel joint and this one here in Colorado, it opens at 9am. By 9am most of the bagel places I know have already sold out their first round of bagels and the next batches are coming out of the oven. Maybe they're late risers here in Boulder, or the lower oxygen levels affect the dough, or the staff, at first light.