Wait, no, not Seattle. I'm in Silverton, Colorado now. But it has rained for 24 out of my 28 days here so far. I only have 6 days left...and guess what's in the forecast? So yeah, remember that post about getting up early? Still doing that here because the mornings are quite beautiful. The rain doesn't roll in until around 2 PM, but then it's game over for the day because it's not just rain; it's thunder and lightning too. At 9,300 feet elevation, Silverton is already pretty close to the clouds, so you really don't want to get stuck out in the mountains in a thunderstorm.
Silverton is chaotic, kind of like a junkyard, really. And it makes me happy. It's a good antidote to the super corporate, big-box feel of Redding, and to the glitzy, hyper-planned mountain towns in Colorado like Aspen and Vail. There are no laws here. The streets are filled with OHVs, there are no parking laws, and only the main street has stop signs. In every other four-way intersection, it's up to the drivers to figure it out. There are no services either. I have to haul my own garbage out to the transfer station on Wednesdays or Saturdays.
My little rental house is wreck too. It looks quite charming from the outside, except for the unmown lawn, but inside, there's not a single right angle anywhere. Everything is off kilter and the door to the basement is in the master bedroom, which is super fucking creepy. It is an authentic miner's home, and, actually, it's spacious, all the furniture is comfortable, and it's right in the center of town so all the restaurants and shops are walkable. All the shortcomings are why this three-bedroom house was $2,700 for five weeks, while in other, trendier and more accessible towns like Salida, you're looking at a minimum of $5,000 for a comparable summer rental. And Aspen? Lolololol. I don't have $18,000 to blow. Welcome to Colorado, kids.
