NOTES, OBSERVATIONS

Coffee house, library, I get booted off my portal so here is another installment. Heading back down to Glenwood for one night then up to Steamboat at a cabin at Strawberry Hot Springs. Natural hot springs are better than the block long springs in Glenwood. Soaked there for a couple hours and came out rubber man.

COWS: Cows were on the trail and a teen gal was afraid to pass. At least they weren't Texas Longhorns. It's a cow not a coyote, moos are mellow. Never heard of a cow that killed someone, unless it was at McDonalds. The wilderness group that hiked through there wouldn't have had to treat the water if cows hadn't polluted the entire valley. Like the Grand Canyon where their regulation is that hikers scoop and bag their poop. Hello, I won't stoop that low, bag pooches poop sure, but not my own. Especially since the entire water supply is pretty much contaminated by ice cream bucket sized loads of poop dropped by the mules. Poop and flies in the grand canyon, great way to treat it.

RADIO: Satellite was invented for the west. I listen to a book on tape and music but like to change it up. I feel great if I can pull in the in your face Dr. Laura (hey, people that stupid need to be treated rudely), the wind bag we know as Rush Linbaugh (everthing is always rosy if your the right wing), and Air America for those late drives on the I-state.

LANTERNS: Are lanterns and 500 watt flashlights really necessary when camping. They limit your field of vision to the perimeter of the light. Humans have marginal night vision because we have great color vision, rods & cones my boy. We have lots of cones to see color and rods see luminense i.e. light. But we can see if you give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust. With even an 1/8th moon and starlight you can function quite well. I saw a huge light out of the corner of my eye camping in Rocky Mtn N.P., I assumed it was the headlight of a car, it was the brightest biggest lantern I had ever seen. I assumed the hubby was behind her hauling a car battery. Caveman knows that red light does not destroy your night vision. I believe the red/orange spectrum emitted by a campfire does not destroy your night vision. I think our eyes evolved that way from caveman with fire. Being able to see at night is important to a caveman. Lights attract bugs and limit your vision. Do NOT use them around kids.

CRESTED BUTTE: I have never seen any town with a speed limit of 15 m.p.h. It reflects the pace of life here as well. People are on perpetual check out here, resort town, skiiers, bikers, dreamers. I have to head to town like the old pioneer cowboys: supplies, booze, and women except I get supplies, slices, and newspapers.

PEOPLE: I like people, I just don't like to hang around them.