Erik2454

So we are getting ready to depart tomorrow for Mesa Verde National Park and a stay in Ouray Colorado. I am working on some lamb stew to take with us for the trip, we have fridge and microwave in Durango and a full kitchen in Ouray so we thought we would bring some food to help defray the cost of my new $500.00 panoramic camera I bought for the trip (hello vacations spawn more impulsive spending then Erika’s Mom at the holidays). Of course we have to go get new tires tomorrow because mine are worn badly, it turns out that the shop I take it too for cheap oil changes didn’t really rotate my tires, I had the feeling those snake oil salesmen were full of sh*&%$, amazingly the guys at the new shop which ... read more

So it really is a big ass hole in the ground, cool place to see, the Swedes had to admit it was cool. The Swedes are such giving people at one point I look at Olof who is eating a melted Snickers bar and I inquire how it got so melted and he tells me it’s been in his pocket the whole trip and then asks if I want some, what would you say to such an offer, I politely declined Olofs generous offer. Now we venture into the desolate shithole called the desert with its wonderful moonscape and depressed Reservations. On a positive note we had Navajo tacos at a reservation trading post(thanks for the idea Mehens), like a page out of an Anthony Bourdain novel we attempted to eat the entire hubcap sized fried ... read more

Now that room has stopped spinning and we’ve fueled up on Taco Hell it’s time to add to our adventures. Well it is truly impressive how gullible Americans are when confronted with foreigners. T-Bone the Swedish Rapper was an awesome hit everyone bought it, we even had some girls yelling to T-Bone to come out and dance, it makes me laugh right now hearing the chorus of female voices yelling “T-Bone over here”. Our Boy T-Bone could have won an Oscar with his silent but thoughtful looking manager Olof at his side, I myself just looked angry all the time and stared at people like a good security guard, oh I will never forget this one. Tom summed it up best, “last night we partied like Rock Stars” and believe me Weeeeeeeee DiiiiiiiiiD. I would add ... read more

So we pick up the saga with the Swedes making it home after a long night and some 4 in the morning pancakes. Our reunion was after my gym time around 11ish with a very hungry Tom(their both hungry all the time I warned them about the whole slowing of the metabolism later in life but what the hell their young) knocking on my door with overtones of food. So it was decided after a short discussion that the cheap pancake house next to the hotel was best( I found out from a very blotted Olof that they have endless pancakes) of course it was the International House of Pancakes go figure. We start our journey on the strip bus which is like a snail packed with Japanese tourist going to the main casinos for some ... read more

This saga starts as so many epics (Beowulf, the Iliad and the Odyssey) with our heroes Erik/Olof/Tom departing from familiar turf to the great unknown on a journey thru the Southwest. Tom and Olof are Swedish ski bums who are in the US for 3 months squandering there socialist countries subsidies for drunken sky bums, apparently it’s not bad. I met Tom and Olof thru Shannon and Lloyd my roommates who share a Breckenridge rental with our ski bums who will now be referred to as just the “Swedes”. On several visits to our house in Colorado Springs the Swedes insisted I accompany them on their planned drunken escapade through the Southwest, initially I refused but one night hopped up on Jaeger that the Swedes provided I agreed to this madness. Our good man Lloyd donated ... read more