Into Colorado
I-70 view, west of Denver
It’s been a rugged couple of days.
After leaving Tucumcari, I headed north. I went back and forth as to whether I would go to Capulin Volcano to do star photos or not. I went almost all the way there to a town called Raton, where I planned to spend the night.
I grabbed lunch in a local diner, staffed with kids from the local high school. I had a good lunch and browsed my phone for a while, trying to decide. It was intermittently cloudy which is never a good sign and the forecast that night also said to expect winds of 20-25 mph. So far we’re not looking good.
The final straw was the weather forecast. A winter storm warning was issued for the area the next morning. I have clouds and wind in front of this storm and going through high elevation passes in the middle of a snowstorm in not the best way to do this. All indicators tell me to keep heading north.
After leaving Tucumcari, I headed north. I went back and forth as to whether I would go to Capulin Volcano to do star photos or not. I went almost all the way there to a town called Raton, where I planned to spend the night.
I grabbed lunch in a local diner, staffed with kids from the local high school. I had a good lunch and browsed my phone for a while, trying to decide. It was intermittently cloudy which is never a good sign and the forecast that night also said to expect winds of 20-25 mph. So far we’re not looking good.
The final straw was the weather forecast. A winter storm warning was issued for the area the next morning. I have clouds and wind in front of this storm and going through high elevation passes in the middle of a snowstorm in not the best way to do this. All indicators tell me to keep heading north.
Drone shot above Black Hawk, Colorado
I decide to drive to Cripple Creek, Colorado and play cards for a few hours. It’s at 9300 feet above sea level and I know it is a judgment call as to whether I should stay there. I’ve had altitude sickness before and I made a big jump from Tucumcari at 4200 feet. I’ll need more information.
I have a pocket size O2 sats monitor that I keep with me when I do high mountain travels. At rest playing poker, my sats ran in the high 80’s…….which is not great. Every now and then at the poker table I’d pull my monitor out and check. It wasn’t getting better.
I decided to leave after a few hours and 300 dollars….that’s 300 up. And it was a good thing. I drove to Manitou Springs, Colorado to spend the night. Manitou Springs is at 6300, a few hundred feet under that magic number of 6500 where altitude really starts to affect things.
I have a pocket size O2 sats monitor that I keep with me when I do high mountain travels. At rest playing poker, my sats ran in the high 80’s…….which is not great. Every now and then at the poker table I’d pull my monitor out and check. It wasn’t getting better.
I decided to leave after a few hours and 300 dollars….that’s 300 up. And it was a good thing. I drove to Manitou Springs, Colorado to spend the night. Manitou Springs is at 6300, a few hundred feet under that magic number of 6500 where altitude really starts to affect things.
Black Hawk, Colorado
I spent a miserable night of no sleep and what I’ll call a “food borne illness”. Yes, it may have come from the diner but it started in Oklahoma and continued to get worse. The only thing I had consumed on all those days was the fresh food out of my cooler.
Laurie thinks it was my homemade chicken salad. But whatever it was, it was awful. I was in really rough shape. The next morning I discussed with Laurie, threw all my fresh food out and stopped at Safeway (grocery store) for yogurt, water, fruit, etc. I ate VERY lightly that day.
That night I decided to stay in Black Hawk, Colorado. It’s an old mining town that’s now all casinos….and nice ones. I get a discount rate and booked the nicest $64 dollar room in Colorado. The valet even offered to park my truck by the front door for a ten dollar tip. A bargain in my book.
Laurie thinks it was my homemade chicken salad. But whatever it was, it was awful. I was in really rough shape. The next morning I discussed with Laurie, threw all my fresh food out and stopped at Safeway (grocery store) for yogurt, water, fruit, etc. I ate VERY lightly that day.
That night I decided to stay in Black Hawk, Colorado. It’s an old mining town that’s now all casinos….and nice ones. I get a discount rate and booked the nicest $64 dollar room in Colorado. The valet even offered to park my truck by the front door for a ten dollar tip. A bargain in my book.
Black Hawk, Colorado
I went to the room and slept a while, and while not great, I felt a bit better. I got up, went up the street to Bally’s and played in a small tournament. I finished 3rd, in the money. I went back to my hotel and crashed hard.
I played a cash game today and they got a little bit back but I’m still way ahead. Right now I’m in the cell phone parking area at Denver airport awaiting the arrival of the one I love the most. We’ll stay low tonight somewhere in the Denver area so she can adjust. We’ll climb high tomorrow.
Conditions haven't been great for photos mainly due to weather and the darkness that brings. Tomorrow promises sun....and with that, hopefully decent photos.
I played a cash game today and they got a little bit back but I’m still way ahead. Right now I’m in the cell phone parking area at Denver airport awaiting the arrival of the one I love the most. We’ll stay low tonight somewhere in the Denver area so she can adjust. We’ll climb high tomorrow.
Conditions haven't been great for photos mainly due to weather and the darkness that brings. Tomorrow promises sun....and with that, hopefully decent photos.
