High Rollers

With the wives out of town and Chad preparing to leave Colorado in the coming weeks, we decided it was Go Time. Climbing the Coors Crag on North Table Mountain, we texted the guys to recruit them to an epic night. Alas, none were available; it is likely that their wives were in town. As it were, Chad and I stopped climbing in the rain and headed to the hot tub instead. There we mulled over evening and decided that it was time to do something adventurous. Our plans solidified on the walk down to Qdoba. Let's go to Blackhawk!

Blackhawk is an old mining town that has been converted into a gambling mecca in the foothills. Only passing through Blackhawk on previous skiing outings, we decided tonight to take it by storm.

Before we got out of Golden, we were pulled over. After getting a warning for faulty equipment, we located our theme song: Johnny Cash Ghost Riders in the Sky. Yippeee i Ohhh! Yippeee i Ehhhh! A quick stop at Bullwhacker's for an energy drink, we rolled into the towering Ameriprise parking ramp.

Our goal was to find a cheap buffet, karaoke, and free pop. In the Gilpin Casino, Chad spotted a penny slot featuring a rampaging buffalo - Dakota Thunder. I won $6. We wandered into one of the shadier casinos, lured in by the advertisement for $2.99 prime rib. The joint was a bust, though, as the prime rib looked to be gas station quality and we lost a dollar in Lucky Seven. We downed some Mountain Dew, listened to a live band, and found a free photo booth.

Up the road a few miles in Central City, we headed to Bonanza Casino. A man with a cowboy hat and a six shooter checked our IDs. At the simply named slot, Buffalo, I won $10 - apparently to the chagrin of the lady sitting next to me, who was presumably perturbed but some sort of etiquette breach. Both Chad and I then employed great skill and won a couple more bucks at the Red White and Blue Lucky Seven. Man, I didn't know gambling was such easy money!

Around midnight, we made a pitstop at Z Casino. Serendipitously, we came across the $7.77 Prime Rib dinner. Combined with apple pie, it made a nice toast to the evening.

Finally, we returned via the Central City Parkway. Either the Colorado Department of Transportation hit a windfall or the gambling municipalities have wealth to spread around, for the insignificant road over the mountain pass was built like an interstate. Once we merged onto I-70, giant snowflakes fell furiously. Given our hypercaffeinated state, it was like driving through the twilight zone. But Chad kept her on the road this time and we rolled into town with our new wealth. Or my new wealth anyway as Chad had only fond memories and a prime rib in his belly.