They Don't Call it the High Country for Nothing

When I lived in Breckenridge, the diviest dive bar in town was a ramshackle, crooked old barn (it was, literally, an old barn, and it was, literally crooked. If you stood across the street and face it, the entire building had a noticeable list.) called Seamus O'Toole's. It was dark, it smelled bad, the regulars had about seven teeth between them, and it was one of two bars in town where you could go in during ski season and not have to be polite to tourists.

The downside of living in a town whose economic engine is powered by tourism is that you have to interact with tourists. At least in a ski town you only have to do it for four or five months of the year.

Thus, Seamus's.

On Friday nights during happy hour, the bar would be crowded with locals pounding Coors Lights (to drink aything else was heresy), until about 7:30. Around that time, a guy on a giant Harley would roar up to the bar, stroll in, look around, and stroll back out. Ever so slowly, the regulars and locals would follow him out the door, like an ebb tide, until you noticed that the bar was practically empty.

That guy, come "up the hill" on his hog, was of course their dealer. Duh. It took me a few visits to realize.this.

Now I read this -- that poky (in the off season), pop 3000 Breckenridge might legalize pot!

Think of the boom this would bring to their economy. It could be locally grown (though I don't know if marijuana will grow at 9500 feet), packaged, and taxed. Breckenridge would become a little American Amsterdam.

When I was there Breck had the biggest halfpipe in the world; legalizing pot would make it even more of a snowboarders' mecca. Not to mention a year-round destination or relocation spot for people who need medical marijuana to treat their "anxiety" yet who don't want to live in the Land of Douchebaggery (aka LA).

I may need to move back, even though sadly, Seamus's was sold in 2002 to some local community theater group.

Humming John Denver now...