🇺🇸 Golden Gate Canyon and the CO State Park Pass - 09.27.2026
Reprieve today… I get to unplug from the matrix for 36 hours straight… so I made my way to my favorite nature spot near the Denver city limits.
I stopped at the visitor center to get a State Park pass… I’m stuck in Denver for at least another month and half and I need to find things to keep my bod busy… or I start missing my peoples in Mexico City way too much.
There are rangers… and park people all over… and as I pulled into the parking lot a dude asks, “how may I help you?“
“I’m here to buy an annual pass.”
“Whatya need to do, is go to the DMV and opt in for a state park pass…”
“I’m not going to the dmv today.”
“Whatya need to do, is buy a day pass…”
“I’m not doing that… I want an annual pass.”
“Whatya need to do is go to the DMV…”
“I have a New Mexico car…”
“Ohhh… Whatya need to do is buy a day pass…”
Internal scream happening, “dude!!! I don’t want to talk to you no more in the good English!!!”
Colorado… I am getting a headache.
I parked and walked inside the visitor center. Approached the counter. The ranger gal barks out with authority, “what can I do for you?!?”
“Ummm… take it down a notch… and I would like an annual state park pass.”
“Whatya need to do is go to the dmv and opt in…”
“O-M-F-G. I just want to pay the full price for a pass. I have a New Mexico car and a Colorado ID. I’m not going to the DMV today (which is not even open) just to walk in nature.”
“Ok… what is the license plate number of your Colorado car?” She barks.
“Grrrrrroaaaaan… I - have - a - New Mexico - car… I just told you that.” As I hold my fat face in my hands.
“Whatya need to do is buy a day pass…”
“🤯” me está matando!
Colorado… you give me a headache… in my head… and also in my ass. But… you’re so beautiful… I can’t stay mad at you.
And there was much more back and forth conversation before I actually walked out with the pass, despite saying I changed my mind… and wanting to lie on the floor and play dead.
And for the record… I was at the DMV last week… I wanted the OpT in for State Park Pass… but I totally forgot because I was annoyed at the amount I paid for a moto trailer because I’m too lazy to bring it all the way down to NM to get plates. It was 5 times the amount of what I would pay in NM… and trailer plates are “NM forever” and you only pay once, for your lifetime,says the second poorest State in the Union. And I had to go to the DMV 3 different times because they close at 1:30pm because they’re understaffed and they get sleepy (I guess)… and I waited 3 hours in the parking lot on the last day for expensive moto trailer plates to make things easy on myself… and when I walked out, “chale! I forgot the pass!” There is no going back!
Colorado = PITA
Anyways, Sunday autumn hike in the colorful Colorado… it’s was everything the brochures said it would be…
Welps, I now can get into any State Park in Colorado, for one whole year… except Cherry Creek. Cuz “Whatya need to do is pay an extra $1 each time you visit…”
but… if you want to go… conmigo… I’ll swing by and pick you up in my New Mexico car… we’ll have a blast.
🍁🍁🍁
