Fort Collins (Colorado, USA) | Surfacing for Air - 18 Feb, 2023

One of the things that makes Fort Collins such a desirable place to live is its proximity to the mountains and the abundance of public "green space" or "open space." Rather than pack every square inch of the landscape with houses, the city of Fort Collins and Larimer County have invested in maintaining open spaces. As a result, the area has hundreds of paved miles (kilometers) of trails for the public to enjoy. While living here, I frequently walked 5-10 miles (8 -16 km) daily. No wonder why I chose to travel on foot.

This is what I have been up to since I've been back. Sorting through my storage locker. Looking for things I know I packed away but can't find. I've learned in visiting my storage that my memory is shit, and the thing I am seeking is never where I remember it being. I should let go and quit looking! 😂

This past week has not been sexy or exciting. Unfortunately, as those who live in the United States know, this time of year (February and March) is known as tax season. This was one of the primary reasons I recently returned to Colorado. In June of 2022, I left for Europe and have been renting out my house for the past 8 months. I knew that doing so would complicate the preparation of my taxes. Unfortunately, I didn't know what paperwork or files I would need to prepare for my taxes, so it made more sense to return to Colorado. This allows me not only the flexibility to rummage through my storage locker but also enables me to quickly contact people and pick up duplicates as needed.

The good news is that I filed my returns this morning and am pretty pleased with the outcome. So much so that I intend to keep exploring and traveling over the next year. I have more adventure simmering in my head and am not ready to turn in my walking shoes yet. I need a little time to work through some administrative matters before I can resume. I still have several matters I need to address pertaining to my rental and hope to do that while I am here too.

Fortunately, this was a great week to spend my time indoors. Unfortunately, the weather has not cooperated this week. I have found it difficult to return to the cold in Colorado. This week I experienced a 30-degree F (16-degree C) swing overnight. On Tuesday, the high was 50 F (10 C). Wednesday, a cold front moved it. The high was only 20 F (-6 C). This is tough to swallow on my return from southern Baja, where it was mid-70s F (low 20s C).

It wasn't all gloom, though. I found time to tap into my inner geek. I took Friday off to enjoy one of my favorite stores in Fort Collins. The  Haunted Game Cafe is a wonderful place to visit and hang out. The store combines a retail game shop with a lounge for playing games. They specialize in what is commonly referred to as Table Top Games. These include a variety of board, card, strategy, role-playing, and bluffing. I love Table Top Games. Whenever I visit my sister's family, we spend countless hours playing games like Clank!, Munchkin, and Qwirkle. My affinity for tabletop games came from my time with my Grandmother in Montréal. Something I have never outgrew!

This is the lounge area at the Haunted House Cafe. The table to the right is a group that is playing Villainous. I have never played it, but I notice they have every version available at their table. 😂 The biggest perk of The Haunted Game Cafe is the library of games (i.e., shelving unit behind the red table in the photo). I can play any game I want. Even better, the staff there will help me learn the game. 

The group in the far right corner is playing Magic: The Gathering. Magic is a deckbuilding, collector card game with strategic battles. I know it is a very popular game. I have never played it. 

However, today my quest is to learn how to play Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I've been interested in learning this game for a while now. It's a deckbuilding, strategy, storytelling, and role-playing game wrapped into a single experience. It is considered a "Heavy" or "Dense" game, meaning it has many rules, and the strategy takes time to learn. It also takes several hours to play a single scenario. Fortunately for me, I have Kailey at my disposal. Kailey works at The Haunted Game Cafe, and this is her favorite game. Below I am sitting at the Skull Throne Table with the game pieces on the table.

What did I think? I loved the game. Kailey did a great job of explaining the mechanics and answering my questions. Joni and I had no trouble playing it. What makes the game appealing to me is its versatility. There are 8 expansion sets. Within each expansion, there is one campaign with 3 to 10 scenarios. The scenarios can be played as stand-alone games or as part of the campaign to develop my character's abilities. It's a fascinating game with simple mechanics and a tremendous amount of complexity, sure to keep me interested for a long time.