Happy Birthday America - Boulder version

Greetings travelers and welcome back from altitude. I get the impression that CB held some surprised for bIKE cLUB members new to Doctor Park. I seem to recall a little jeep road climb to the top that used to take oh, "ten minutes". At least you got a chance to experience one of the best stretches of singletrack in the area.

This reporter had a less active holiday with a viewing of "War of the Worlds' prologue to the weekend. Tom Cruise manages to avoid proselytizing about Scientology and doesn't save the world. Worth the $9.50(?!) to see on the big screen though.

Saturday dawned with a failed effort to convince 10A how cool it was that Dave Z. was in yellow. "When does Lance get to wear it?"

The highlight of the weekend was a Sunday afternoon spent at Elitch's. This long term Colorado resident hasn't visited this amusement park at the new location. (Extra credit for any reader that can name the original location.) The first hour was spent in the water park to compensate for the extreme heat that an average July day brings. Inner tubes and water slides!

The next hour was spent in line waiting to ride the Minderaser, only to have the standard issue afternoon thunderstorm roll in and close the ride just as we were getting close to our turn. @#$$$! Fortunately, it passed quickly and we managed to get our ride in after only two hours. Was it worth the wait? No.

However, the Tower of Doom is a must do! Everyone looks the same when they get on. When they get off, they look different....they look scared. Absolutely worth the wait in line.

I should point out that Elitch's has the highest percentage of ugly people of any entertainment venue in Colorado. More than a bowling alley, more than a drag race, more than a fishing tournament. Seriously, try not to look at anyone else. Clearly the video game generation is fond of amusement parks as well.