Top COVID fun so far

 Last Wednesday night my wife, daughter and her bubble buddy went to the 'drive in' at buttermilk to watch Almost Famous.

What a fun evening.  We were lucky enough to be able to borrow a friends most excellent and perfect drive in car---a 1969 Chevy Impala.  

If ever there was a perfect car for the drive in this was it.  We grabbed some candy, drinks and popcorn and lots of blankets, cranked up the girls horrible music on the excellent Alpine stereo system and headed over to butter milk.

Wait let me take a step back---I started the car and my daughter tried to open the door.  The door was locked.  She asked how to unlock the car door.  I said pull up the lock on the door.  After a couple minutes of shouting she figured out the button sticking up out of the door panel was the lock pulled it up and took some steroids and was finally able to open the car door.

We are driving along and the questions start coming----how do these seatbelts work, what are these things in the side of the car (ash trays), how do the windows work (crank) and OMG where are the cup holders (the cup holders were a reoccurring question).  And finally this car is awesome can we buy it.  Please.  Pretty please.  Answer is no you want friends with this car you do NOT want to drive it in snow, rain or have to stop quickly for a deer that doesn't look both ways before crossing the road.

We pull into buttermilk, get front row parking as the car clearly demands, and settled in to watch a great movie.  

A couple of highlights:

1. Turning the engine on every 30 minutes to keep from draining the battery while running the radio to tune into the audio and hearing 350 cubic in of American horsepower.
2. Watching a turbo prop come into land very low and buzz the drive in directly over the screen.
3. Watching the stars come out and blanket the sky while snuggling under a blanket with my wife while my daughter made retching sounds in the back seat and tried to 'keep us separated'.
4. Watching my daughter discover where my line 'don't do drugs (and my addition don't kiss boys') came from
5. Letting my daughter and her bubble buddy know that there STILL were not cup holders in the car (and trying to answer why without disturbing everyone else at the drive in

overall a really awesome COVID safe night.  It also made me realize how long it's been and how much I miss being able to go out and do stuff.

 

and why not to take drugs

like rats fleeing a sinking ship---and Google Maps shits the bed

 Glenwood Canyon is on fire.  At last check the fire was about 20k acres and 0% contained.  

If that sounds bad it is---but wait there is more..........I70 had to close because of the fire.  Gov Polis has indicated that with luck I70 will re-open in 2-3 days.  I suggest he is high on some of CO finest MJ if he actually thinks that is possible.  Not only is the fire raging around 70, but the fire has also burnt a lot of tress and bushes on the canyon wall that keep it stable.  Next up is rocks falling all over I70 like some bad video game.  That will get worse if and when it rains but truth be told I70 is gonna be in bad shape for a long time.

What does that mean for this Aspen local?  Well first off if you want to get to Denver the last couple of days that means an 8 1/2 hour drive not a 3 hour drive because not only was I70 East closed but they also closed independence pass due to massive traffic jams (maybe 15 times normal traffic over pass) and jacked knifed trucks on pass.  However, this is a very fluid situation and independence pass was just re-opened due to ---well an 8 1/2 hour drive to go to Denver.  They are currently metering traffic (letting cars go in bunches one way and then the other way) and keeping 35 foot plus trucks off road.  

Not being able to get trucks into Aspen is a starting to result in food shortages.

And the air quality is horrible---so you shouldn't exercise (the fine particulate matter from the fire in the air will damage your lunges.)  

Before fire

Now (during down valley fire)---yea that ain't LA that is Snowmass Village

With food shortages, periodic massive traffic jams as I70 traffic is re-routed through Aspen S curves, and horrible air making exercise dangerous what to the private jet folks do?

They flee.

Today when I went by the airport there were about 15 jets lined up on the taxiway and another 25 with their doors open and stairs down awaiting the arrival of the rich and famous looking to flee to their next bolt hold.

Don't tell me Aspen is your home just because you pay $15k in property tax on your $10 million home.  Home is like family--you stick with it in good times and bad.  When things get shitty you deal with it.  You stick it out.  You don't get to get away with saying you're a local when you take wing (literally) at the slightest discomfort.  

Did the school enrollment just fall by 100 kids because of fire, soot, shortages and traffic?  I don't know, but I do know that the ultra wealthy aren't sticking around for the hard times.  And honestly why should they?  But don't demand to be treated like this is your home if you don't ever wait around for vail pass to open after taking your kids to hockey in Denver, or make do with what ya got because what you want isn't available at the local store.  

Society is made strong by sharing the pain (just like families).  If you are going to flee at the slightest discomfort that is your right, but don't expect to have the local bond.  As I tell my kids when we drive from Aspen to LA for Thanksgiving--you may hate the car ride but you will remember it.

Speaking of car rides---some NYC friends of ours (one a senior google exec) were coming to the Aspen area by car on Wednesday.  From the East on 70 and then they detoured to US50 and were going to come over independence pass.  But then that closed so google suggested hangerman pass.  If ya think google is smart ---its not (or not always).  In this case virtually everyone that was trying to go East or West on 70 was being directed to go over Hangerman pass by google.  Hangerman pass is an ok road if it is dry and snow free (it is right now ergo the fires) and you are a skilled 4X4 driver with a serious off road truck-car with hopefully 16 in of clearance and real off road tires.

My friends got to the first tough section and were luckily able to pull a U turn and flee.  They then went over cottonwood pass (no piece of cake and soon to be closed by CDOT as well).  

Just because there is a way doesn't mean it should be THE way google maps.  People will get hurt following google's totally unaware advice.  At this stage of development google maps should be better.  And as my google friend exec said "I am going to write an email".  

Meanwhile welcome to the wild west.  Please ignore the private jets stampeding.  

 

COVGE? RAGID (COVID RAGE)

 Some weird COVID stuff in the roaring fork valley:

1.  Private jet flights into Aspen in June 2020 up 6% from June 2019, while commercial flights down 65%.

2.  School enrollment up 8% at Aspen School District (had a funny conversation about where they would put the additional 150 students, I said at home on their couch in their new home or rental like everyone else), that said with cost of COVID hurting schools finances and TABOR really putting the screws to school finances adding a bunch of students will strain an already strained school.  Private jet folks how about some 7 figure gifts to AEF (aspen education foundation).

3.  Real Estate prices are up, up up and rentals are way the fuck up

4.  Soccer in the roaring fork valley covers 3 different counties (Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield)  some counties require players to wear masks, one allows small side games only, one allows regular games no masks (all subject to change at any moment)---and they would normally play games at in other counties as well---crazy, crazy crazy that there isn't a statewide agreement on youth sport (or much else)

5.  Speaking of living in a fantasy world---Hockey is still assuming everything will be 'normal' ---I find that hard to believe

6.  Rumor has it the ice garden won't have ice this year---too expensive --its like 10k a month--how about one of those private jet folks drop 100k to make sure there is ice at the Garden (of course no one might use it with COVID )

7.  My wife had two separate knee replacement surgeries at Steadman in Vail--no COVID test, I am getting my colon inspected in Aspen---fast COVID test---why the discrepancy?  No clue.

8.  Finished moving into my new rental--ski in ski out on snowmass.  But will the lifts spin?  If they do will I be able to ski with friends over x-mas break or will my season pass have black out dates?  Will the only on mountain bathrooms be port-o-poties?  (if so should I sell access to my heated flush toilets to help pay for the rent and if I do does that violate the terms of my lease)?

9.  Do Texans and others realize that if they are in Aspen half a year they owe CO property taxes?

10.  Do you know that property taxes in Aspen are about 1-2k per million in home valuation (yea if you are a private jet owner you are loving the carry cost (taxes) on your Aspen bolt hole).

So yea as the crowds drag on the locals are getting increasingly pissed.  It's not regular tourists that are here its the ultra wealthy.  And while many own homes paying .1% of your homes value in tax isn't much of a burden.  For a local who puts up with lots of costs and expense to enjoy the 6 months the town isn't slammed now looking at the town full all the time the Rage is rising.  

might be time for me to watch 13 days again (excellent movie).

be safe and wear your dam mask.

I wanna know right now

 what the future holds.  

It would be great to get the winning power ball numbers too while I am seeing the future.  

I was on a call with the school today and many (not all but many) wanted to know the future.  

One parent asked for a guarantee that they kids would be back doing in personal learning in December.  Another was frustrated that their kids would need to get an in person physical before doing sports (no telehealth check ups for CO high school sports), because they didn't want their child exposed to COVID (but of course is happy to have them play sports with other kids).

People, people people our school is doing the best they can during a PANDEMIC.  Pandemics are hard, and unpredictable.  Online school is less than ideal, but this fear that our children will fall behind I just don't get.  Fall behind what and whom?  Assuming your kid goes to college it was always possible that they will know less about Calc or philosophy than the student next to them.  But they will be fine, or should be if they got a decent head on their shoulders----exactly what material is covered in high school just isn't that important.

So parents relax.  It will be ok.  And Strass Boss (the school principal) if you can see the future so as to guarantee when classes re-start I would love to be in a power ball pool with you.

Becoming a bitter local?

 True locals seem to harbor a certain disdain for anyone who hasn't lived here for 20 years.  While I don't come close to local status by any standard I am finding myself slightly exasperated with non locals.

First a little background on the unspoken Faustian bargain that exists between locals and everyone else.  Locals have agreed to let non locals (this is everyone from weekend tourists to second home owners) overrun the town for 7 weeks in the summer, 2 weekends during the fall and 3 weeks during ski season.  In return locals expect limited non locals during the rest of ski season and summer and no non locals during shoulder season.  

As we enter the tail end of summer we are still at close to 4th of July capacity.  Trails are slammed (with many people neither wearing masks nor having a clue).  Town is still full of people who don't know about two way stop sign intersections and City Market continues to be the first circle of parking hell.  

Aspen School district has seen its enrollment expand by 8%.  And a number of other families plan to stay in Aspen and both work and do school remotely.

This is all breaking the bargain---locals agree to live in a very remote place and deal with crazy real estate pricing (from stupid high rents, to overpriced retail to pay their rent) in return for 8 months of small town natural heaven.

Instead we are dealing with Belly-Up getting busted for being open at 1am serving 75-100 maskless partiers.  Crowds of tourists who by their very nature are a self-selecting group of COVID risk takers (those who are COVID paranoid are staying home and sanitizing their once a week grocery delivery).  These COVID super spreaders are walking in the middle of streets and overwhelming trails and trail parking.  ARGGGGGGG.

Aspen may not be the next Portland but there is an ugly energy building up.  I don't know where the release value is, but I wonder how some of our newest community members will like October-November when they can't find the services they want and it starts to get dark early and cold.  How will locals feel about providing services for second home owners 24/7 365?  I predict ugly stuff on the horizon.

Me---I am venturing out earlier than ever, staying off my road bike to avoid getting run over and going to trails further and further off the beaten path.

The most dangerous ski run in North America?

So I have moved rentals (more on that later), now I am back in Snowmass living in a ski in ski out house.  Guggenhill runs right next to my house ---like the run touches my house.  That is pretty cool and would be even cooler if the lifts are spinning (more on that later). However the stats in the pic don't do justice to my potential first/last run of the day.  Yea its steep.  Yea its ungroomed.  Yea it crosses the road 5 times, 6 driveways and runs next to a major road with snowplows pushing heaps of snow on the 'run'.  

Sometimes the most dangerous skiing isn't a cliff and 25 feet of mandatory air, its putting on the breaks on a steep run to cross a road and not get hit by a car while on rubber strip.  Simillarly I still think the most dangerous mountain I have ever skied is Mt. Chestnut in Illinois.  For sure it's not the steepest (with less vertical drop than Guggenhill).  However, they have a chain link fence at the bottom to keep people from skiing into the Mississippi river and its gets used because most skiers on on Olin Mark IVs and haven't yet figured out how to turn.  Getting run into by a 280lb farmer going 50mph will leave a mark.

Ditto my ski in ski out run---I am a 2 1/2 minute walk to Adams Av which seems a much better way to both start and end the day.

We do have a bunk room and a spare bedroom if skiing is happening and you don't have the Vid.