What's a "head shop"?

Day three puts us back in Boulder but today we have the fortune to be on University Hill. Thousands of University of Colorado (CU-Boulder) students live within a mile or so of "the Hill". This hill consists a single street about five blocks long. There are quite a few restaurants, bars and student-related shops, not to mention a police substation on the far end of the block.

In the building that houses the police station also is home to a small 'gift' store. From the outside, it looks like a typical souvenir shop. My trainer insisted that we go into this place of business so, like an obedient child, I lead the way into this shop. I could see and smell from outside what I was in for.

The shop was not a gift store but a head shop. My trainer, being a Mormon and from Boise, had never seen a pipe or bong in person before in his life. But this was different, very different. There were so many pipes and bongs that the business could be reclassified as a museum. There must have been 1000 pipes of every color, shape and size. The bongs on the other hand were very impressive. The collection ranged from the very small to the extremely large. I saw one that was almost five feet tall.

As I spoke with the owner, who must be in her late 60's, it became clear to me that she really wasn't worried about anything. I mean, taxes, no problem. Insurance, no problem. Her additude was very laid back and chilled out. I knew from the time that I walked into the shop that it was a waste of time but who am I but the lowly trainee.

As we walked out, my trainer actually believed that the pipes and bongs we used to smoke tobacco.

The moral of the story is...don't go to Boise.