Cirque de Bicycle?

Recently I visited a friend in Fort Collins. We were walking downtown when suddenly I noticed them. The "tall bikes". They were locked next to sign posts at lease six feet or higher, and almost looked like some kind of modern day penny farthing. After inquiring as to how they came about, I discovered that they are a recently acquired hobby of a handful of engineering students at CSU. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a member of Fort Collins' aptly-named "High Society" dismount: he rode right up to a light post, hit the brakes, chained up and slid down fireman style. I asked him how to get going on one of those things.
He said, "Well, they're kind of like horses. You just run along side of the thing and step up on it while it's moving. Or you can climb up the light post and get on, but it's easy to fall down that way,". He took off, ten feet up in the air.
While I realize this is the unofficial guide to biking in Boulder, I still have to admit some jealousy over this new trend. Where are our Tall Bikes? Where is the culture? With the "fixie" losing some of it's originality, (now available pre-assembled in nearly every bike shop in Boulder...so much for "one's trash is another's fixie") I have to admit to having the desire to admire some more do-it-yourself home-welders.