Yesterday was the last of the weddings. And this one was real good. Set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains the ceremony was set under a canopy of trees in their full fall colors. The only thing that killed me, and this was on the venue, was why didn't they have the two centered with the stone aisle? As I stood there I tried to figure it out but couldn't find a reason. You know I love symmetry in my photos. But the night was great, even though we stayed up way past out bedtime. If you told me I'd be at the afterparty and at a McDonalds drive-through at 130 am I wouldn't have believed you.
This is the first wedding I can say I traveled far for. I know my daughter Juliet flys around the country, and the world, for bachelorette parties and weddings, but his was my first. It's nice to see the younger generations tightly knit friend groups stay connected and make these long treks to celebrate special days like yesterday. I'm glad we came out there to help celebrate, but to also check out Colorado, which I may never had done.
Before the wedding we hit the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Denver which is a large wildlife preserve set on a chemical weapons manufacturing site. It was established after WWII and stayed in operation before it was decommissioned after the Vietnam War. It was then cleaned up and turned over to the animals.
The 11-mile self-guided tour takes you through the preserve where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. We got to see some small herds of bison and about 1,000 prairie dogs. It was neat to hear how they communicated to each other, with a series of high-pitched warning sounds, as we slowly approached them trying to get a picture.
There's no doubt Colorado, at least the tiny sliver that we saw, is beautiful to see and must be to live in. While I enjoyed my visit I don't think it's for me. While I'm not a mountain man, I do like some terrain, but the long expanses of flat prairies aren't my thing either. Somehow in my head I need to exist somewhere near the ocean, or on the edge of where land meets the water. And I know that water would have a strong taste of salt in it.
The people out here are probably just like anywhere else. Out there they're a little left, or a lot left, like kinda hippie-chick meets granola eaters meets fitness folks, but they're not like Deadheads, they're a little more well to do and entitled. This place is a fortune and I don't know how and where these people make their money. Out here, I guess like anywhere else, the prices for rents and real estate are astronomical.
Above is a house and property that sits next to the Airbnb that we are renting. There was a For Sale sign in front so I went over to take a look. Besides the tiny house and leaning shed I did notice that it was on a nice chunk of land for a residential neighborhood. Then I flipped the card over.
Yep, that's $2.4 million dollars. You're basically buying the land as the structures are teardown. It's about an acre of land and they have already drawn up concept plans on how to improve the property. It reminds me of the Jersey Shore Rumson and Deal deals, where million dollar homes are bought and torn down to build a multi-million dollar home. I can see that happening here, or yet another collection of "grey boxes" constructed, where many people are squeezed into tiny spaces, like townhomes. I'm telling you, the million dollar homes you see being built in those grey square boxes from Maine to Florida to now Colorado will be the projects in years to come. History repeats itself. Trust me.
And then for me there's the elevation issue. I had a hard time with it and it worsened over our stay. Before I got here I already had shot sinuses, sarcoidosis, and lung nodules that challenges my oxygen exchange and retention situation. The air up here is thin, dry, and doesn't hold oxygen like my body is used to.
I finally had to break down and get some nasal spray, Vicks, and some cough drops to help me get through the days. In addition to that I just feel run down and almost pre-flu like. Today I'll be spending my day on the couch before getting enough strength to pack for tomorrows flight out of here and back to New Jersey.
But we definitely had fun out here and even over the past just about thirty days away from home. Hopefully by Wednesday night we're pulling into Sun City and re-settling into our new life down in South Carolina. I can't wait get back to asking the old bitties to slide over so I can join them in the hot tub.