Denver, yet another iconic city I've never visited, until now. Though I was here for two solid weeks on my training assignment, I feel like I didn't have near enough time to explore what all the Mile-High City had to offer. Speaking of high, let's get one thing out of the way. I did not smoke any weed during my stay. Actually, it wasn't as prevalent as I was expecting. To be honest, I came to town thinking hash brownies would be on the complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel. That wasn't the case; but they had scrumptious powdered eggs, greasy sausage patties and crispy hash browns! Wait, were those peppers in the hash browns?!
Anyways, the folks I was working with at Central Federal Lands definitely put me to work analyzing accident data for Zion National Park. The workdays were a blur. I'd get to the office by 7am and check-in with the security guard at the front desk (who, after hearing my accent, wanted me to say a different word every morning as a "password" so that he could have a little chuckle in response to my not-so-Midwestern pronunciation... "oil" is a hard word to say). I'd try to remember my way to my cubicle - up the stairs, past the library, right at the bathroom, right at the printer, left at the window, continue straight until you get to the overhead fluorescent light that is a tad bit more pink than white. I had arrived. I'd settle in at my empty cube, only prairie doggin' when there was a strange noise, loud laughter, or to try and scope the closest water fountain. I only left for lunch and to meet briefly with my supervisor to get updated marching orders. The work was monotonous, challenging, yet rewarding. I was lucky to leave everyday by 6:30. My sole motivation would be to catch the "early" games that would come on at night. Mountain time has its advantages! I rarely saw the sun during the day, except when I took the left at the window. I was lucky to have a holiday (#happyvetransday) and a full weekend to get out and about.
On Wednesday, I took a ride on the light rail to Union Station.
Positioned on the western side of the notorious 16th Street Mall, about 14 blocks of retail stores and restaurants leading to the outskirts of the State Capital Building, the station was the perfect gateway to the historic part of downtown Denver, Coors Field, and the University of Colorado's campus.
After exploring all of these places, I stopped in for a piece of pie at Slice Works, then had one (or two) beers at Wynkoop Brewery. Confession: I had one of their infamous "Rocky Mountain Oyster" stouts. This foreign-style stout is happily brewed with approximately 3 RMOs per barrel... I should alert Old Hatchie Vet that there may be a market for their freshly harvested RMOs.
The following Saturday I got to visit the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater. Most well-known artists have a live album recorded here. I didn't know what to expect as I had never searched for pictures of the place. I was floored to say the least! It almost felt like you had been shrunk by Wayne Szalinski (#honeyishrunkthekids) and then wandered into the center of an ant pile. It'd be hard to figure out the best seat in that place. Do you sit down low where you could possibly catch a guitar pick from your favorite band, or do you sit at the top where you could see the backdrop of Denver's high-rises? I bet the easterly views of a full moon during a night concert are magical. Even though concerts are finished until next spring, the place was packed with local exercise enthusiasts. The show offs were running the length of each row all the way to the top. There were even crazy people jumping from one row to next row above all the way to the top. Even as a marathoner, I felt out of shape.
On Sunday, my oh-so-supportive wife encouraged me to spend our life savings to go watch our beloved Peyton Manning set the NFL record for career passing yards. With the 8 inches of snow melting off from a recent storm, the weather turned out to be perfect for sitting outside on aluminum bleachers. Sitting on the 40 yd line, three rows from the top of Sports Authority Field at Mile High, I had the perfect vantage point to see history... Run play, run play, interception... Kansas City TD... Run play, Peyton fumbles, 4-yd completion! There, I had finally seen Peyton surpass Brett Favre's record. Interesting side note, my wife has met both of these men and still chose to marry me. #winning. But from that point forward, I also got to see Peyton play the worst game of his career, eventually getting him benched in the second half. He completed 5 passes to his team, and 4 to the opposing team (should have been 6). Regardless, it was an awesome day for football. From the pre-game parachuters, the fighter jets flying over during the national anthem, and the picturesque sunset behind the stadium, I thoroughly enjoyed everything.
I finished out the next week working hard to leave a good, lasting impression on my colleagues. One of the big wigs took me out to dinner on the last night to discuss my future plans with the agency. Lauren and I are not mobile right now, but it's good to know we may have opportunities in the future.
In closing, I'd like to report a celebrity sighting... well, sort of. After getting settled in on the first leg of my flights home, I noticed all of the women on the plane were taking selfies with the guy sitting in front of me. Some of the guys were high-fiving him on their way to their seats. Feeling outside of the cool club, I leaned over to the gentleman sitting next to me and asked who this guy was. "Man, that's Kenny G!" Nodding my head as if I knew who in the hell that was, I stealthily did a quick Google search to solve the mystery. Kenny G, is an American saxophonist who broke out in the early 80's. He's, more than likely, the guy who you hear playing Christmas songs over the speakers in the mall this time of year. Apparently he's still a big deal... so big that he's flying coach next to a government employee. At least he had an aisle seat, Kenny!
I'm taking off all next week to spend time with family for Thanksgiving, and then I'll be back on the road. Y'all enjoy the holiday!
Cheers!
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