There is a new invasive species moving into Colorado. Rumors of its coming have been circulating for months. My first sighting of its arrival took place a few weeks ago. I am not sure why I still often look at the ‘plates’ on other cars. I find out-of-state plates a source of both curiosity and irritation—‘please feel free to visit but enjoy your ride home’. I am not a big fan of personalized plates, but I am a sucker for trying to figure out everything from the narcissistic gloats to secret codes. The arrival of the BLACK PLATE seemed like the worst idea since New Coke.
As a kid I remember the iconic Skier Plate. As a native Coloradan the 14 year-old in me knew that boring plates from Texas were just that. Black Plates—come on—who came up with this idea? Now I see them everywhere. The mountain silhouette plates that would alternate from the Rockies on the bottom to the top, said something that no other state could boast about. We are the envy of the US. Nebraska has to run tourism adds touting “Nebraska, It’s Not for Everybody”. States like Indiana boast of a once a year car race. We have the Rockies. Black Plates???
Here is a fun geography fact. Think of Colorado as a wrinkled sheet. If it were completely flattened out, guess what state it would completely cover—Texas. Yes, our surface area is huge, it’s just vertical and our license plates reminded us of this. Now we have boring, and I do mean boring black plates. I guess you can still pay extra for your own special plates but the standard issue black is not going away.
A number of years ago my dad wanted me to get Pioneer plates. I resisted. “Mark you qualify for them, I will pay for them”. Well, in 2014 when I bought my favorite Lyft car, RED, I decided in honor of my dad I would apply for the Pioneer plates. I got them and sported them proudly. I still do. Pioneer plates are reserved for those whose roots predate 1900 in Colorado. With the invasion of black plates my resolve to sport them has strengthened.
I have a friend who said to me, “Mark, good ideas are a dime a dozen. The difference between a good idea and its implementation is about a whole lot of work”. I am not sure that is the same about a bad idea. “Hey, I have an idea, lets dump the 50–year—plus mountain theme on our plates and just go black and white”.
I am a fan of black and white photography; we owned Dalmatians, and I can even tolerate Magpies… but sheesh these plates are probably putting the inmates who are making them to sleep.
Onward and Upward,
Mark
Lyfting Me Up 