mt. marcy

Our walk took us by a smoothie shop. A non-threatening dog started following us so we stopped until its owner came. Soon after a woman runs towards us, apologizing profusely for letting her dog out. I assured her nothing was wrong and bragged on how sweet her dog seemed. She said, her dog was mellow because it grew up at Rainbow Gatherings. Wikipedia describes these gatherings as temporary intentional communities that congregate in an outdoor setting for several days or weeks. No money is allowed, only bartering. There are lots of drugs, but no alcohol allowed.

The woman, who was no older than I am, was bent over petting Jane. Then she lifted her head and said through rotted teeth "GOAT MILK" and smiled.  Excuse me? "GOAT MILK, give ya' dog some goat milk to cover her ribs." What does goat milk do? "Probiotics, it coats the ribs. That there dog behind me was rescued two weeks ago, and we give 'er goat milk and now her ribs are covered." Thank you, I'll try that. (then I considered saying "TOOTHBRUSH.") Poor Jane, everyone is forever telling her she is so skinny. We always assure them that she eats 6 cups a day and that the vet is very happy with her 100# weight.

Jane and I wandered back to the natural grocery where Caylan was meeting. Outside was a gas pump with bio-diesel. Inside I found Caylan, who had just completed a therapy session with the owner of the store.

Before we left, we felt obligated to help the store out. We scoured the empty shelves, looking for items that weren't too old. One item that stuck out in particular was a bottle of $35 water that has been purified and promises to give you vivid dreams. We passed and bought old chocolate. When we got into the car, we looked at each other and said, "leave - before everyone turns into zombies!"

We dodged deer all the way to Alamosa, CO, which was an hour south. When Caylan checked into our hotel, he asked the attendant what the deal was in Crestone. The guy responded that there were a lot of "growers" there (presumably, marijuana). That seemed about right to us.

In Alamosa we ate at the San Louis Valley Brewing Company. We had an awesome hatch chili beer, that "even I liked." This beer smelled as good as it tasted. Caylan bought a few bottles to take home.


The next morning, Jane and I ran and Caylan went to an early morning meeting. The store is expanding and they are interviewing point of sale companies. The meeting went well!

Next stop: Las Cruces, NM.