Greetings from South Park! We're in Fairplay, CO, which is in the heart of South Park in which the TV show is set.
The town does kind of resemble what's in the show, and they play it up a bit:
And, after meeting a few people, I see where Trey and Matt got their inspiration. For instance...
Two nights ago, we went to dinner at Mason's High Country BBQ, a place that looks a bit run-down from the outside, but the food was tremendous.
During dinner, one of the owners came out to chat. She asked where we were from, and hearing that we were in town for hiking and looking at birds, she asked curiously, "So are you doing that bird thing they made a movie about?"
We looked at each other, shocked. How would she have guessed that? The author of "The Big Year" book and one of the participants was from Colorado, so maybe there had been some local publicity about it?
When we said Yes, she got very excited. "Lady, I'm going to help you!" she declared. (Wait, why does the wife get help? She's better than me at this.)
First, she went to the shelf of stones and crystals near the door (she sells crystals on the side, as well as practices reiki, declared her business card), and selected a small stone, a citrine. She presented it to my wife, saying "Lady, this is for success!" (I thought about saying, "she's no lady, she's my wife" but thought better of it).
Then, Ms. BBQ-Owner went behind the counter, and from a shelf hidden below, produced a large metal prayer bowl.
Two nights ago, we went to dinner at Mason's High Country BBQ, a place that looks a bit run-down from the outside, but the food was tremendous.
During dinner, one of the owners came out to chat. She asked where we were from, and hearing that we were in town for hiking and looking at birds, she asked curiously, "So are you doing that bird thing they made a movie about?"
We looked at each other, shocked. How would she have guessed that? The author of "The Big Year" book and one of the participants was from Colorado, so maybe there had been some local publicity about it?
When we said Yes, she got very excited. "Lady, I'm going to help you!" she declared. (Wait, why does the wife get help? She's better than me at this.)
First, she went to the shelf of stones and crystals near the door (she sells crystals on the side, as well as practices reiki, declared her business card), and selected a small stone, a citrine. She presented it to my wife, saying "Lady, this is for success!" (I thought about saying, "she's no lady, she's my wife" but thought better of it).
Then, Ms. BBQ-Owner went behind the counter, and from a shelf hidden below, produced a large metal prayer bowl.
"Lady, now I'm going to raise the vibration of the stone for extra luck." She placed the stone in the bowl, and tapped the edge of the bowl with a small baton. The bowl rang like a bell, as she closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, she stopped the ringing and withdrew the stone.
"Here you go, lady," she said, handing my wife the stone. "Now you're sure to find your birds!"
She then called a friend, and asked if it would be OK if we stopped by her house in the morning to watch her feeders. Getting consent, she wrote down her friend's address and wished us good luck again.
The next morning, a clear, crisp 14F morning with a dusting of snow powder from the night before, we did go to her friend's house. Sure enough, we found a new bird for the year, a Brown-capped Rosy-finch, along with several Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin's Finches! But, we were missing two other Rosy-finches, including the somewhat rare Black Rosy-finch. So, off to Silverthorne, a 35-mile drive north. Not too far for a life bird, right?
"Here you go, lady," she said, handing my wife the stone. "Now you're sure to find your birds!"
She then called a friend, and asked if it would be OK if we stopped by her house in the morning to watch her feeders. Getting consent, she wrote down her friend's address and wished us good luck again.
The next morning, a clear, crisp 14F morning with a dusting of snow powder from the night before, we did go to her friend's house. Sure enough, we found a new bird for the year, a Brown-capped Rosy-finch, along with several Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin's Finches! But, we were missing two other Rosy-finches, including the somewhat rare Black Rosy-finch. So, off to Silverthorne, a 35-mile drive north. Not too far for a life bird, right?
But, getting to Silverthorne required crossing a Hoosier Pass, a 12,000-foot "low point" just before Breckenridge. And, as we climbed, the temperature started to drop and the snow started to fall. Slowing to a crawl, with 4-wheel drive activated, we gingerly crept up and then down the mountain, with snowplows racing past.
Arriving safely in Silverthorne, we re-read the recent Rosy-finch report. "Found in the Wildernest neighborhood" was all the guidance it offered. And, it turns out that Wildernest is a large place, as we drove around in circles for 30 minutes on steep, snowy roads without seeing any birds.
About to give up, we spied a flock of small birds overhead! We followed them, as they landed on a driveway and mobbed the sunflower seeds the owner had scattered. Could these be our guys?
Sure enough, after several episodes of the birds spooking and scattering due to an unseen enemy, we finally found our target on the home's roof, playing in the snow:
There must have been some magic in that old citrine stone she found...
And now, off to find the endangered Gunnison's Sage-grouse!
With gusto,
Me
Arriving safely in Silverthorne, we re-read the recent Rosy-finch report. "Found in the Wildernest neighborhood" was all the guidance it offered. And, it turns out that Wildernest is a large place, as we drove around in circles for 30 minutes on steep, snowy roads without seeing any birds.
About to give up, we spied a flock of small birds overhead! We followed them, as they landed on a driveway and mobbed the sunflower seeds the owner had scattered. Could these be our guys?
Sure enough, after several episodes of the birds spooking and scattering due to an unseen enemy, we finally found our target on the home's roof, playing in the snow:
 |
| Black Rosy-finch on the far right, Brown-capped on the left. |
And now, off to find the endangered Gunnison's Sage-grouse!
With gusto,
Me
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