Sancho's w/Rachel, & trim damage

Tracked Rachel down to Sancho's Broken Arrow in downtown Denver, drove up there to meet her and two of her friends. Rachel told me to expect parking to be terrible because Social D was playing at the Fillmore--would that I had known!--but by the time I was heading out around 22 or 23, the show had let out and parking was fine. Unfortunately, a pothole-style drain by a curb knocked a piece of trim off my rental car as I was looking for parking; I didn't actually check the car until later, and on a hunch, headed back to the appropriate corner--and lo, there was the piece, which I collected. Now I just need to figure out who to contact in ADIC so their insurance can cover the repair when I return the car to Hertz. :P

Anyhoo, Sancho's was full to capacity, such that there was a line outside. Fortunately, most of the people ahead of me bailed, so I got in fairly quickly. I then got a drink and spent the next half-hour looking around for Rachel, missing two calls from her in the meantime, but I eventually tracked down her table. Aside from the masses of people and overly loud music, which aren't really my thing, it was a pretty cool place--art and posters and mosaics and paintings on every surface. Hung out there until 01ish, watching assorted drunk and/or dancing people, before heading out and on our separate ways.

Now, I just need to figure out where to go snowboarding tomorrow.. oh, the hardship. ;)
(Choosing between Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, and Copper.)

Update, a bit of research later: Loveland it is! Closest by a few miles, most trails open, and quite a bit cheaper than Copper.

Snowboarding @ Loveland

The drive from Denver to Loveland was gorgeous, as one might expect driving into the Rockies. I did get to see a bit more of it than I intended, because I missed the exit due to signage issues. I knew immediately, but there was no point to turn around until after I went through the Eisenhower tunnel, and about 6 miles down the other side of the mountain. At any rate, got there around 10, opted to get a Loveland Pass--offering assorted discounts at the mountain, including "first lift ticket free," for $29, $5 less than the early-season lift price. How can you go wrong? :)

The place is not small. With two of nine lifts open, and only eight of 75 trails, there was still plenty to keep me occupied until 1600ish, when the lifts shut down. (I was pleased to find that I hadn't lost too much ground, despite having not snowboarded at all last season, and only one day the previous season (in Jan '03.) (Incidentally, it seems like most of Colorado's ski resorts are much broader than they are tall--though the top of Loveland's ridge was around 13K feet, the vertical drop to the lodge was only ~2500ft; other resorts I checked out have similar specs.)

The weather couldn't be beat. Never colder than 40, though windy at the top; probably reached 60 by afternoon (but still chilly in the shade/wind.) And surprisingly, my right boot didn't hurt my foot like it did two years ago--might've been the socks, or how I tightened the bindings, don't know. However, I do need to figure out some way to stabilize my feet in the boots, possibly via a ratcheting strap around the lower calf, to properly put the stress on my leg instead of my foot inside the stiff boot.

With my lunch, I got a bottle of Sobe. The inside of the cap reads: I wanted lizards with laser beams attached to their heads. I was pleased. :D

Anyhow, by 1600, I was just about beat, so I packed up and headed back to Denver. (And headachey! Bah. I took my Camelbak and drained it, but I think more water was called for--high altitude and dry. I did get anti-chap for my face and lips, though.)