Field trip!

Two things became apparent to me last weekend while I was in Denver: one, the city has a mighty fine zoo. Two: be careful about Leafly postings in regards to dispensary menus and the availability of certain types of herb strains.

I have to admit I had my heart set on it. After years of searching it was really great to know, or at least read, that a couple of dispensaries in Denver carried Colombian Gold. I was jazzed to say the least and knew a road trip was in order but I also knew that real life took precedence over a storied adventure like that. So, in order to build some legitimacy into the day I packed up the car and took the family off to see the world famous Denver Zoo.

I like a crowd and the crowd we got to mingle with that day was stellar. There is nothing more amusing than taking in a warm summer day at the zoo with all manner of humanity, all of us grooving on animals that were, in a lot of ways, equally amused, irritated and frightened to see us staring at them from the other side of the berm. It was too warm for the critters to be restless. I didn't see much in the way of pacing, rather that animals took a much more languid approach to the day. The cheetahs, spent from running, lounged in the grass, the elephants swayed and tossed straw on their backs, the polar bear, after a call from his trainer, serenely noshed on Romaine. Several of the animals stood out in my mind that day: a hyena, lying on his back, his well endowed self exposed to the sun. The giant Silverback Gorilla, who, after he had his share of folk staring at him through the plexiglass, turned his back on us and took a very long and delightful piss, in full view of everyone in the room.

But it was the Silvered Leaf Monkey that thrilled me the most that day. It was his sense of dignity, repose and coolness that inspired me to emulate his bitchen style of pure "animalness". So I walked about the rest of the day, then, cool and content, following the crowds, keeping my young charge in sight, holding hands with my mujuer, taking in all the family action, relating to the plethora of dads, appreciating the calm and civil demeanor of the crowd. We were all big city parents but we all got along splendidly that day.

Yeah, if you ever find yourself down on humanity I highly recommend a walk around the zoo. Maybe it was not only knowing that we were mingling not only with the wildest sorts of animals but that we all had a chance, even if it was just for that day, to show our fellow man that we were not as wild as we normally make ourselves out to be. Mixing parents with kids and critters can do that to adults. Chill them right out.

So I took that relaxed mode of being out of the zoo and hit Colfax knowing it was time for afternoon noshing. Caught happy hour at Annie's Cafe and Bar, ate some burgers along with the rest of the hipsters, bagged some old fashioned candy for the ride home and went off looking for the fabled dispensary of my dreams. The map I brought along was a poor image shot but we managed to make it to Buddy Boy. And boy, was I disappointed! I am sure that I came across as a babbling loon when I walked in. No one in line, plenty of time to tell my tale and let the staff know what I was looking for.

Alas, no Colombian! The help there was kind but let me know that "corporate" did not update their menu, in fact, they said the menu online posted everything they had ever carried! Wow, but not a good kind of wow. Also, their Leafly connect apparently was not up to date, either. They hadn't carried that particular strain in years, said the staff.

I took all that goodness I accumulated at the zoo that day and took it with me on the road. Stopped at one more local pot shop before hitting the highway and got the advice from the budtender there to stop by Good Chemistry and buddy up with a medical patient and get my medicine that way. Oh well, not to be that visit, no back tracking.

The next few days in Greeley saw me doing my librarian best to research the good herb. I watched an episode of Strain Hunters, the one where they go off to Colombia to research three local land race strains. I researched "landrace" and found that it applies not only to weed but to any plant or animal that has a long run of time somewhere, that adapts to it's surroundings, that becomes genetically significant. Landrace pigs, anyone?

I made my rounds to my local pot shops to see if there was anything coming up landrace wise. I had missed Maui Waui but found a few other great, genetically important treats around town, including Mantanuska Thunder Fuck and Northern Lights. My biggest intelligence score was hearing that Skunk #1 was in the curing stages at Nature's Herb and Wellness in Garden City and possibly available this weekend. And an even bigger bit of news was reading about the Oasis Cannabis Super Store in Denver on 44th and Sheridan that carries 150 types of flower strains. Holy cats! Talk about needing to get back on the road!

But as I made mention in an earlier post, I have to remind myself to be sure to call ahead. It's nice to dream, It's always great to check out new dispensaries and see what they have in stock. Just don't get your heart set on something that's not meant to be.

Ah, BS to that! Field trip!

Salud!