Travels with The Rayman

Rayman on the tee.

A second day in Parachute, CO.  Fenced in by towering mountains on east and west.  There are towering mountains north and south too.  However, we are in a valley and the Colorado River runs through it.  OMG.  There is water in the Colorado River.  And we have seen other rivers with water.  It’s like a miracle.  Running water.

Parachute doesn’t have much going for it since the oil bust dried up and all the people left town.  There are a smattering of hotels right by the big Interstate 70 highway.  A Wendy’s.  A post office.  A huge fire station that presumably serves the valley as there are small bergs around.  And a golf course.  The golf course is what kept us here.  And we are glad because it was like our own private course.  No one in front.  No one behind.  Just us and some unidentified birds, turkeys, rabbits, and one hawk.  Oh, and an occasional maintenance worker here and there.

It was a 3 1/2 hour round and while we were golfing, we snapped a few pictures.  Here they are.

Yes, I was there too.

Clouds. Hyper clouds.

After golf, we found the only grocery store in town and bought some sausages, a can of black beans, and Thomas’s English muffins.  Barbecuing tonight because it looks like there won’t be any rain today.

Speaking of rain, the clouds here are fabulous, white, billowing affairs that look like they are resting on a piece of glass as the bottoms are all flat the same way.  The tops though gather together and form thunder heads that look ominous when  they turn dark gray.  But when they are all white and billowy looking, they take your breath away.

The RV park is actually listed as Battlement Mesa RV park and it is bare bones.  However, it has trees, a found circle of grass, adequate laundry facilities and a few RVs scattered here and there and look like they haven’t moved in the last decade.  When we arrived we found it difficult to find a place to park as not all the utilities are working order.  And Rayman had a heck of time prying loose the caps that plug the sewer hookups.  We called for help, but naturally, Rayman figured it out before help arrived.  And this a.m. the place was swarming with gardeners mowing, racking, blowing the flora.  Could it be that the owners said, “We got some new blood.  Let’s make it look like we do this every week.”?  Just speculating.

After our golf game, we drove around town.  And guess what we found?  The Tumbleweed Dispensary.  Quite a cute name for a marijuana store.  It’s legal in CO but not all counties allow it as I discovered while visiting with the young woman behind the cash register.  The place was grand.  Reminded me a bit of McPhee’s in Templeton because it sported a tin ceiling.  And it had a long bar on one side of the room and comfortable seats against one wall.  And it was busy.  In addition to driving away with some maryjjane cookies, we also left with Issue 1 of the Tumbleweed Tmes, a brochure that includes recipes and an article that spells out their big plans for a drive-thru window.  Just phone ahead and pick up your order from the comfort of your jalopy.  These people are customer focused.  Their drive thru is going to be just like big pharma.  Think CVS.  They have drive throughs too. The people that work there are referred to as “budtenders”.  So inventive!!  They also have canna punch products.  In flavors.  Pineapple Mango, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon Nectar and Black Cherry Fusion.  They feature 100 mg and 10 mg recreational potency.  There is a recipe for Pineapple Mango Canna Punch infused shrimp.  Yum.  May need to go back and buy some of that.

Rayman regarding the store.

There are also rules.  You are to use what you buy in CO in CO.  It should be locked up.  And you are not to drive.  Or smoke in public places, on federal land and a host of other places.

So, there you have it.  Colorado rocks!!