Rocky Mountain Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, Colorado!

Hey gang! So I'm trying to blog by tour stop but things have gotten a little nuts so forgive me for falling behind. So I flew out of Bakersfield, CA at the crack of ass on Monday morning the 29th to meet Mike in Denver. Originally my travel schedule had me arriving in Colorado Springs for our split there on the 29th so Mike booked his flight to get there that afternoon. Well, it turned out we were going to get in in the middle of the night and Mike would be there all that time and I'd miss a whole night with him which was totes NOT cool with me! So Mike booked me a hotel in Bakersfield with points (while my castmates traveled after the show for a few hours then stayed elsewhere), we booked me a cheap flight on US Airways thanks to a travel voucher Mike got for getting bumped once, and I flew into Denver late Monday morning. I killed time with a desperately needed chair massage, lunch and a Caribou Coffee and tried not to pass out after walking ten feet. All over the area they have touristy tees with saying like "Got oxygen?" and "Got altitude!". They aren't kidding! I was winded after a short walk at my normal pace and wondered how I was going to do a musical here! Anyway, Mike got in just before 3:00 and I was so happy to see him! We got our rental car (an Explorer) and drove down to Colorado Springs. Growing up as a kid in Kansas, Colorado was the natural vacation spot for us and we went several times. Driving through the state all these memories started coming back to me. They were in bits and pieces but they came anyway. We got to our hotel which was pretty decent and got settled in to our room after having to change rooms due to getting the wrong bed size. We need a king size to sleep together anymore as we are quite accustom to spreading out!

We drove into downtown Colorado Springs (a.k.a. "The Springs" per locals) just across the bridge from our hotel and checked things out. We decided to go to dinner at The Melting Pot which for those who aren't familiar with the chain is a fondue place where they bring you goodies for dipping and you have a burner on your table. These places are expensive and we had previously cancelled a reservation in Florida once on vacation due to the expense but my hubby was here and I was on a national tour so we were gonna splurge! We picked our courses and prep choices and enjoyed the process. Our fave course was, no surprise, dessert. We picked a chocolate fondue with caramel and pecan pieces a la a turtle and it was amahhhhzing. Not used to eating sweets or that much food anymore I basically needed to be rolled out. Our server was very nice and gave us ideas for sightseeing since we had brochures scattered about on our table. We headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep...which I did not get. Apparently after sleeping alone for 6 weeks I couldn't sleep next to someone which made me sad. Used to be I couldn't sleep when Mike went out of town because I was so used to having him there. Regardless we got up and headed out to see the sights! The Rocky Mountains are beautiful and I hadn't been here since I was about 11 so I loved being back. We first went to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings which are centuries-old homes carved into the mountains by Native Americans. Mike loves anthropology and studied the Indians in college so I knew he'd enjoy it and he did. We had fun snaking through the structures and the air was crisp and autumnal. Next we went to the Garden of the Gods which is a national park of various natural red rock structures. We strolled about the main area that didn't require a steep climb as I was still struggling to breathe. Then we went to the town of Manitou Springs which is this cute little village at the base of Pike's Peak with tons of shops. We found this really kitschy arcade with antique pinball machines and such and had fun playing those. I was willing to bet my Dad would remember some of them from childhood as many appeared to be from the 50s. After that we headed to a Walgreen's to get our asthma inhalers filled. Did I mention how much the altitude messes with your ability to breathe!? Okay, just checking.
I had to get back to the hotel and clean up for the show. Mike and I followed the tour bus to the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts downtown where we were doing a two night stop. The place is beautiful! Very modern, large stage, huge wings. I shared a private dressing room with Rhiannon (Nancy) and my dresser was good. I had a lot of fun giving Mike the grand tour so he could see behind the scenes. He stood in the wings while we did sound check which was fun for me. He had my little backstage pass lanyard around his neck ("I'm with the show") and we went out to the lobby to pick up his comp ticket at the box office. They had given him a primo seat so I was pleased with that. Orchestra row B smack in the middle. Mike was impressed with the whole tour and setup and stuff and that was cool. I enjoyed getting to show him off to my friends too!

The show went fairly well. I had some prop issues but nothing terribly noticeable to the audience. I did end up having to take oxygen during intermission as I was still getting really winded and they locals suggested it might help. They keep a tank and mask on-hand for us touring folks who aren't used to performing at 7,000 feet! After the show we went to a bar called the Ritz Grill and drank. Once again, people really seem to enjoy buying me shots! What's with that!? And why do I accept them!? Already toasted we then all hiked over to a local GB (gay bar) where some of the others were hanging out and as seems to be the case in every town thus far, we were the only people there! So the straight boys were there with us too. Seeing Mike in a gay bar was pretty damn funny to me but he shot pool with the guys and we had fun. Zac took great pleasure in buying me a shot called a Red-Headed Slut. No idea what was in it but it was tasty. The Melissa handed me her rum & coke and by this point finishing it for her seemed like a good idea. When we got back to the hotel I had that whole can't close your eyes cuz things start spinning thing so Mike went to sleep and I sat nauseated watching TV so I would have something else to focus on. See this tour, like I've said before, is like summer camp with a paycheck and sometimes I forget I'm about a dozen years older than most of the cast on average and I can't quite hang the way they can in their twenties so I get my ass kicked.

Sadly Wed. morning Mike had to go and we had to hop a bus for Farmington, New Mexico. When it came time to say goodbye I cried (as I'm staring to now). I had managed to get used to being away from him. Not enjoying it by any means as I adore him and am very much a homebody but the everyday homesick feeling had waned so I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be to see him go. The good side of it is that I did get a mini vacation with him and I'll be home Oct. 27th for a week. He's taking some time off work so we can spend quality time together. I can't wait to sit on out big leather sofa with him and our pups and just watch TV.



So Zac Mordechai is my "Meet the Cast" featuree today. Zac is 29 and from New York. Now an extremely out gay man and sometime activist, he was raised by his Orthodox Rabbi father and mother. He went to Yeshive and then to medical school before deciding on acting for a living. I can't even imagine how hard that must have been and I give him kudos for having the courage to follow his heart rather than do what would make his family happy. He's a talented guy and makes very interesting choices. Zac plays Fagin in the show and the audience seems to really enjoy him. This pic is he and I at the GB in "the Springs" clearly after many an adult beverage.


I'll try to get the New Mexico stops up ASAP. The next few days are going to be insane and mostly spent on the bus as we have to get from southern NM (2 hours from El Paso) to freaking Montana in like 2 days but I'll try my best! Love to you all!