Monday, July 21, 2008

Colorado & Beyond...

I spent most of the last week in Colorado kayaking and catching up with friends.  I also did a ton of driving which landed me in Reno, NV last night.  I spent Tuesday night at the casino town of Black Hawk, CO.  I had a blast and ended up gambling in something like 6 casinos and walked away up a few hundred.  I stayed and paddled in Salida, CO for a few days and had a lot of fun.  I got to catch up with old Fluid Team members Deb and Tracy.  Tracy is doing well and now has an amazing little girl.  Deb is doing well and is now married, has a dog, and living near Salida.  I did get a chance to get out on a trail run on my first night in town with Deb.  I felt like I was breathing through a coffee stirrer for the whole 5 miles or so!!!  The run was at over 8,000 ft and probably climbed over a 1K ft.  I guess that is one way to try to acclimate to the altitude:)  I also watched Hell Boy II in the "local" theater in Salida.  Fun experience, and a somewhat entertaining movie.  I then got a chance to paddle in Gunnison and checked out Glenwood Springs, which was too low.  I basically then drove for two days straight across beautiful, but never ending, landscapes through Utah and Nevada.  I took Hwy 50 across NV and stopped for some fun at a crazy tinny casino in Ely, NV.  It was a 1929 6 story building in the middle of no where and had a ton of personality!  I'm now in Reno enjoying my free few nights stay at Harrahs.  So far I'm eating for free and also making a bunch of money to boot:)  Wish me luck and check in next week to see where in the world Bryon is!
(A cool little CO mining town HIGH in the mountains.)
(Me looping in the Salida hole.  It was  a bit on the high side of good, but still quality.)
(Me with a big righty backstab in Salida.)
(The mountain pass between Salida and Gunnison.)
(This is the really fun new wave in Gunnison.  It was tons of fun in my Astro and a handful in my Element.)
(This is the crazy 40+ miles of off-pavement that I drove between Gunnison and Glenwood Springs.  It was an absolutely spectacular drive!!!  The road less traveled is always more fun!)
(This is the Glenwood playspot at a lower than optimal water level.  I was also told by some locals that the river right wave changed with a rock that shifted recently.)
(Entering Utah at the Colorado border.)
(Entering Nevada at the Utah line.  The road looked like this for something like 500 miles!)
("The loneliest road in America" about sums it up.  I'll take it over the major interstates any day.)
(This is a crazy sand dune/mountain in the middle of no where Nevada.  It was totally out of place and very cool.)

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