Last week we (myself, Patti and Emily) took a short vacation to Estes Park, Colorado. Patti?s grandmother lives there year round (I say year round because over 3M visitors come each year with roughly 3,500 permanent residents) and we went out for a 3 day trip. I am going to write about the trip in another, soon to be written post.
Anyway, Denver is roughly 5,000 feet above sea level and Estes Park is about 7,500 feet. Rocky Mountain National Park is anywhere from 8,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level, a place we spent two mornings exploring. At one point, we were at two miles, or 10,500 feet above sea level. Living most of my life at sea level in NY and Boston, there are small things about being that high.
For one, I was slightly out of breath at times. At sea level I blame this on being fat and out of shape, but in Estes Park I was able to blame it on the air.
Another is that matches, and I guess fire in general, burn faster. How do I know this?. I had a cigar one night and realized the matches went pretty quickly. So did the cigar.
The other thing I attribute to the thin air is that the gas stations sell 85, 87 and 89 octane gas. In NY and Boston, usually varieties are 87, 89 and 91 with an occasional 93. I just thought it was interesting.
My discerning and observant behavior is fascinating, I know.
Thought I?d share.
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