Here We Come!!

August 9. Yesterday was low stress and mellow until we hit Piper's house at 4pm. We ditched the kids with the grandparents and headed out for a field trip to a nearby dispensary.  Can't go to Colorado with checking out the goods!  Nikkol calls 'The Green Solution' the Sharper Image of marijuana dispensaries and it didn't disappoint. Each group or individual who checks in (the busy times are 9-10am, 4:20-7pm) gets their own 'budvisor' to guide them through accessories or product. It was impressive with different strains of marijuana exquisitely marketed and packaged, different edibles of hard candy or baked varieties individually packaged and labeled with the amount of TCH in them, and even drinks, with the amount of THC per bottle. There were also plants one could purchase for $25 each. It was a clean, open, respectable shopping experience. Not all dispensaries are so big with so much variety of product. Some are not much more than a counter with twelve or so items. So I have been told. We didn't have the ability to tour different dispensaries. Everything bought has to be put into a reusable, opaque plastic envelope with a child proof zipper. They don't last long, and I am sure Reese could figure out the zipper but it is a nice safety gesture.  Our visit made me realize not only how much the state was making, taxing marijuana nearly 30%, but how many local jobs were created with this new industry. The 'budvisor' gets a base wage and commission, not to mention all of what goes on behind the scenes.

Today has been a whole different animal. First fail, Hill Air Force Museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Second fail. Missed an air show there two days ago. Reese took it like a trooper. No crying or tantrum. Best to hit them hard with disappointment in the morning, they have more reserve.

Third fail, going through the mountains. We set off at 0900, which has proven to be our take off time. We took I-70 which is beautiful, but climbing up to Eisenhower Tunnel was anxiety provoking and maddening. Because of the altitude and the climbing, the van did not appear to be working correctly. Rich had it floored and we were crawling at 45-50. It brought back flashbacks of the previous engine, the Tiico, and all that we had moved past with the conversion. Rich was apoplectic, and calling Ricky Mtn Westy, ready to turn around and take it back. The exit after Eisenhower Tunnel (the tunnel is 1.7 miles long at an elevation of 11,013 ft) is a few miles downhill cooling Rich down a bit. We stopped, I talked about my lifetime of experience in four cylinder Subarus dogging it up the hill, as well as the elevation before deciding to move on. I was ready though, contacting coworkers about switching shifts and looking up the schedule. Now sixty miles down the road and a drop in elevation all has calmed and we are headed home. It seems the 4x4 won't disengage, but we'll look at it later.

We stopped for a bite in Glenwood Springs, realize we are stuck with the 4x4 until home. While we saw glimpses of red rock and desert plants hinting of the southwest and drier climes it is passing through Rifle we feel it. Junipers, dried grasslands, and sage blanket sandy, sedimentary soil. Utah, here we come!