A Texas Girl dishes on Life in the Rockies by Karilyn Bentley #TWRP

I'm trying something different today. Instead of talking about my dogs in the Tales from the Crate blogs, I'm going to talk about Life in the Rockies. Why? Because, almost a year ago, The Hubster and I moved our family of one dog and various fish, corals and other critters in a salt water fish tank (almost all of which died during the move, the fish and critters, that is, not The Kraken or the corals) from North Texas to the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say, things are a bit different up here, and I'm not talking about the Rocky Mountain High. So, in case you are interested, here is a list of things I've learned since our move. 

1. Altitude takes awhile to get used to. Become accustomed to gasping for breath while walking anywhere. Having an upper respiratory infection makes this worse (as a side note, don't go skiing with a URI lest you find yourself suddenly unable to breath while hurtling down the side of a mountain. Just saying).

2. Don't admire the scenery while driving. Distracted driving leads to deer and/or elk jumping out in front of your car.
3. A Chevy Equinox can go from 40 to 0 in 1.5 seconds (see #2 above for why this is necessary).
4. A wrapped Pappa Murphy's pizza will stay intact while flying at 40MPH from the seat to the floorboard (see #3 above)
5. Cars flash their lights not to warn of a speed trap, but to warn of the elk herd in the middle of the road. Slow down and proceed with caution and be sure to flash your lights at the next driver.
6. Watch out for mountain lions and bears
7. Figure out how to drive with brights on all the time (there is no greater darkness than that of a mountain)
8. Driving an ATV with a snowplow on it is fun
9. The state cars are Subaru, Jeep, and pickup trucks with snowplows.
10. Lock your car doors! Bears like to get into them and will wreck the heck out of the inside of your car. Subarus are especially prone to this kind of destruction (something about the door handles).

11. Fourteen degrees Fahrenheit is no reason NOT to take a walk in shorts. Yep, shorts. Be sure to pair with a parka and ski hat and accessorize with your dog. Be sure to put a coat on your dog. 

12. Speaking of walking, there are a pair of walkers in our neighborhood that will walk in any type of weather. Even -5! Even when the temp drops and causes a flash freeze during the middle of a snowstorm, which jams up the highway, they are still out walking. They are better than the post office which didn't run when the temp dropped below 0. 

13. Speaking of the post office, if the mail truck can't make it around due to excessive snow, they pull out the special Jeeps with the driver on the right and deliver mail in those.

14. Winds around 70 MPH seem to be the norm. In North Texas if the meteorologist stated sustained winds of 70 MPH up to 100 MPH, you'd think a hurricane was blowing up through the state. At any rate, you'd definitely think this to be abnormal and would probably duck and cover inside your bathroom. Here? That's called Tuesday. 18-wheelers go slower on the highway but everyone else just shrugs and goes about their business.

15. Internet in the mountains is not cable. It's GSM. In other words, it uses a satellite dish to a tower. If you can't understand that techie speak, in my terms: they stick a tower on the highest point (this can be a house, we toured one with a tower on it) and beam it to your house. Space age! On the downside the aforementioned winds can twist your receiver around, making your internet run sloooooowwww.

ACTIVITIES:
1. In Boulder you can don your dress shirt, tie and jacket, pair with swim trunks and hop on a inner tube for float to work day. (yes, this is a real event, click here)
2. The Dam Duck Derby: purchase a rubber ducky at a local store for it to be put in a large net which is suspended courtesy of the hook-and-ladder firetruck above the dam then dropped. First ducky across the finish line wins. Proceeds go to charity.
3. Jeep ice races!! Jeeps race on top of frozen Georgetown lake.
4. Skiing and lake ice skating.
5. Polar bear plunge. People pay good money to hop into a frozen lake and be pulled out by the fire department. It's a charity event.
6. Ice Melt Challenge. Guess when the lake melts enough for a 20 pound barrel to drop through the melting ice into the lake.

7. Frozen Dead Guy Day: Yes, this is a festival. Click here to read more. 

8. Renew your marriage vows in Loveland on Valentine's Day. Then ski down the slopes in your wedding dress. Here's the news coverage.

If you want something besides my experiences in my new home, here is my latest book, releasing next month on March 29th!!! Excitement! Demon Cursed is the third book in my Demon Huntress series. It's available for pre-order on Amazon now!  Here's the blurb:

Gin Crawford, the world's newest demon huntress, just wants to enjoy a football game, but finds herself hunting a serial killer minion instead. When his victims turn out to be the local football star’s female fans, she must determine if the player has joined forces with the minion, but her efforts lead her deeper into danger. When her mentor, Aidan Smythe, is attacked, Gin resolves to go to any lengths to save him, even if it exposes her most tightly held secret. Minions and demons, however, aren't the only terrors she faces. Will she realize the greatest danger lies within—before it's too late?

Until next month, happy reading! And watch out for those mountain lions. :)

Karilyn

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