Closer to Fine

I went to the doctor,

I went to the mountains.

- Indigo Girls, "Closer to Fine"

I prepared for the WSOP main event by getting the hell out of town. I drove to Silverton, Colorado and met my old friend Nate. We backpacked into an enchanted place called Ice Lake Basin. I was sick and Nate was breathing through sea lungs but the weather was fantastic. We thought about climbing some peaks but weren't up to the challenge. So we skipped stones into Island Lake, got sunburned and bug-bitten, and played cribbage. We talked about girls and what we want to do with our lives and girls we want to do in our lives, and music, and really, what else is there?

We hiked out in time to watch the Silverton 4th of July Home-town Parade. It was awesome. The people were fired up. Happy to be there, happy to be alive. Jets flew overhead, even though Silverton has a population of less than 1000. Classic cars and bikes came by firing beads and candy at the kids. A firetruck sprayed people down.

When it was over I drove to Vegas. It's 100 miles between Shiprock, New Mexico and Kayenta, Arizona, but you don't know the significance of that number until you're there. It's many hundreds from Kayenta to Vegas.

At 9:30 PM, I got to Vegas. Jim Morrison was yelling about Mr. Mojo Risin' as fireworks were exploding above the Strip. I was delirious.

The next day I woke up and felt a little closer to fine.

I play Saturday. I have an advantage over those who have spent the last week in Vegas.