One benefit of our long hike to the petroglyphs was that on the way we met a couple of balloonists who told us about a hot-air balloon ‘fire-up’ that evening in Mancos, the little town just on the other side of Mesa Verde.

The signs at the edge of town exclaimed, ‘Welcome Bikers!’, ‘Welcome Hunters!’, ‘Welcome Ballonists!’

Mancos was a charming town full of happy smiling graying long hairs and art galleries.  And a ‘cat in a hat shop’.We watched the hot-air balloon fire-up. Al was ecstatic, “I’ve always wanted to see something like this”Afterwards we went to a bar in town and consumed taquitos and hot wings along with SKA Brewing Mexican Lager (Al) and Red Stripe (me) – both were good.

At the bar a customer was teasing the crazy busy combo bartender/cook/waitress, saying, “Now I don’t want to chap your hide or anything….”

The most popular drink there was a ‘Cowboy Cocksucker Shooter’, consisting of Butterscotch Schnapps and Crown Royale. Sounds disgusting and sweet, something only little girls would order. But the grizzled old boys at the bar kept on ordering it.

The only exceptions to the Cowboy Shooters were what looked like a couple of real cowboys. Obviously watching their weight, they ordered Coors light, just one each, and then they were out of there.

As the evening wore on there was ‘Cowboy Karoke’, with Patsy Cline being the favourite request. Al sang Commander Cody’s ‘Panama Red’, looking uncomfortable and shy while doing it. Was that my Al?????