Monday, September 8, 2008
Stairs
I just jogged up the stairs to my office... apparently I forgot that my legs feel like jello and my knees are like little bee hives. If anyone wants to pay for me to get a massage, I'll send you my address so you can send me some money.
Buffalo Bicycle Classic
I drove down to Boulder this weekend for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic that I was preparing for. It was a 100 mile ride from the football stadium at CU to Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. The weather was perfect. A little chilly in the morning, but perfectly comfortable for most of the ride. It got a little warm in the afternoon, but nothing like Texas heat. Vail Resorts had a group of riders, but I didn't really know anybody. I tagged along with random groups and pacelines at the beginning and ended up riding by myself from about mile 25 to mile 50. I was riding really strong and passing alot of people during that section. I can't imagine how much faster I would have been if I rode that section with a paceline.
After eating a few snacks at the midway point of Horsetooth Reservoir, it was time to make the trek back to Boulder. I ended up meeting a guy who works in our finance department in Broomfield, Chris, and we rode most of the way back together. The ride is much more enjoyable when you have people to talk to or ride with. I sucked down a gel with about 35 miles to go because I was starting to feel a little tired. We got a paceline together with Chris, Lee (who is a financial analyst in Broomfield) and a few other guys. My gel kicked in and I started riding pretty hard, leading our paceline. At one point I bombed it up a hill, staying in the same gears and keeping the same cadence. One of the other guys in our line caught up and told me I had dropped everyone so I slowed down. After we got back together and rode awhile, Chris dropped off the back as we rounded an s-corner and climbed another short but steep hill. By this point my gel was wearing off and I got dropped. I knew the ride would be much easier if I stayed with the group. Time to suck it up and pound the pedals to catch back up. Somehow I managed to catch them. Eventually Chris caught back up as well so our group of about 6-8 was back together... At least for a little bit. Chris got dropped again and I was really feeling it. With about 9.5 miles left, our group started hammering and I got dropped again. I was wasted. After my demoralizing drop, I decided to eat another gel so I could make it to the finish without having to walk my bike. That gel kicked in with a few miles left so I followed another group in to the finish line.
Pasta has never tasted so good. I was really happy that the line for food was short and quick. They are usually long at events like this. So either I finished fast enough to get to the food before the rush (possible) or they had it well planned (more likely). I didn't stay at the finish long because I was ready for a nap. I headed back to my friends apartment which was about 4-5 blocks from the event and passed out on their couch for about 2 hours before driving back to Edwards.
It had been so long since I went on a long ride with other people that I forgot how much fun it is. I'll have to be more pro-active in seeking out these events in the future. The only problem is that most organized rides are charity rides where you have to raise several hundred dollars and I feel guilty asking people for donations so I can ride my bike.
After eating a few snacks at the midway point of Horsetooth Reservoir, it was time to make the trek back to Boulder. I ended up meeting a guy who works in our finance department in Broomfield, Chris, and we rode most of the way back together. The ride is much more enjoyable when you have people to talk to or ride with. I sucked down a gel with about 35 miles to go because I was starting to feel a little tired. We got a paceline together with Chris, Lee (who is a financial analyst in Broomfield) and a few other guys. My gel kicked in and I started riding pretty hard, leading our paceline. At one point I bombed it up a hill, staying in the same gears and keeping the same cadence. One of the other guys in our line caught up and told me I had dropped everyone so I slowed down. After we got back together and rode awhile, Chris dropped off the back as we rounded an s-corner and climbed another short but steep hill. By this point my gel was wearing off and I got dropped. I knew the ride would be much easier if I stayed with the group. Time to suck it up and pound the pedals to catch back up. Somehow I managed to catch them. Eventually Chris caught back up as well so our group of about 6-8 was back together... At least for a little bit. Chris got dropped again and I was really feeling it. With about 9.5 miles left, our group started hammering and I got dropped again. I was wasted. After my demoralizing drop, I decided to eat another gel so I could make it to the finish without having to walk my bike. That gel kicked in with a few miles left so I followed another group in to the finish line.
Pasta has never tasted so good. I was really happy that the line for food was short and quick. They are usually long at events like this. So either I finished fast enough to get to the food before the rush (possible) or they had it well planned (more likely). I didn't stay at the finish long because I was ready for a nap. I headed back to my friends apartment which was about 4-5 blocks from the event and passed out on their couch for about 2 hours before driving back to Edwards.
It had been so long since I went on a long ride with other people that I forgot how much fun it is. I'll have to be more pro-active in seeking out these events in the future. The only problem is that most organized rides are charity rides where you have to raise several hundred dollars and I feel guilty asking people for donations so I can ride my bike.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Caffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeine
I just drank a grande caramel frappuccino from Starbucks. Soon I will be jittering in my seat as I drive to Boulder for the weekend. Then I will crash with mind still racing... in a caffeine induced coma. Sound like fun? You can do it too!
OK, really I'm just wasting the last few minutes of the work day... and waiting for the energy wave of caffeine to throttle me into hyperspeed down I-70.
OK, really I'm just wasting the last few minutes of the work day... and waiting for the energy wave of caffeine to throttle me into hyperspeed down I-70.
Why I Want A Laptop
The better question is why would I NOT want a laptop. I could get one with 3 times the hard drive space, a faster processor, and more RAM than my desktop for about $600. I would love to have the flexibility of a laptop. My desktop is still great, but I never want to be on it at home because I don't feel like being secluded in my room. If I could take it to the living room and do stuff while watching TV or talking with friends, I would be much more likely to use it. Not to mention being able to take it on vacation or to a coffee shop or whatever. Mainly it would be used for internet searching, blogging, music, and maybe some simple photo editing. And of course I would want to have Microsoft Money and other Microsoft Office programs on it, too.
If anyone has any suggestions on good deals or which system to get/avoid, please comment.
If anyone has any suggestions on good deals or which system to get/avoid, please comment.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Huron Peak and Labor Day Weekend
I almost feel like I'm back in school with how much I have been procrastinating with this post. Unlike my reasons for procrastinating when I was in school (a disdain for having an assignment with a due date that I wasn't really interested in, resulting in a grade), it's more because I haven't been at a PC long enough to organize my thoughts and put them into the form of a blog post. I somewhat enjoy that challenge. Plus none of you get to grade me... and if you do I can just laugh at you. Onward with the blogging...
Saturday - Huron Peak
My friend Jon flew in from Portland for a little vacay and mountain hike. I was more than happy to return the favor of offering lodging, meals, transportation, and entertainment since he hosted me on my trip to Leadville back in July of 2006. That is what REALLY made me want to move out to Colorado, but I'll have to write about that later. We decided Saturday was the best day to hike due to the weather. He and his friend Daniel drove up late Friday night. We talked for a bit, then crashed out so we could get up and leave by 4 in the a.m. The road to the trailhead was reported to be a 4WD road, but if we got all the way up in my 2WD it would cut off a 2 mile each-way hike to the trailhead. That sounded pretty good to me. In the morning glow I barrelled down the road and easily made it up. If it was muddy or wet I would have been in trouble, but luck was on my side. So as the sun was waking up we strapped on our packs and headed towards the peak. At the car about to take off... Daniel, Jon, and me.
I think some of my favorite morning shots are when the sun casts an orangish glow on the top of any random peak.
There was still a decent amount of frost on the foliage as we trekked up the basin. It looks alot cooler when the whole area has this frosty morning glow.
We took our time on the well defined trail. Jon had just flown in from sea level, but I was pretty impressed with the pace he kept up. I led for the first part of the hike then moved to the back of the pack to release some demons. While hiking up the switchbacks, a little figure caught my eye. A ptarmigan was chilling right next to the path as Jon and Daniel passed it. We stood and watched it for a bit. It made this awesome coo-ing noise that reminded me of a cats purr. I almost wanted to pick it up and take it home. It slowly started to walk away from the side of the path... but every movement was so slow that I could easily see how Jon and Daniel missed it.
The rest of the route was pretty much like any other 14er hike. I ran, sorry, jogged, ahead to grab a shot of Jon and Daniel just below the summit.
Here's a few shots of us on the summit. Jon has a habit of letting out a war whoop on the summit. This summit was great because it echoed all the way down the mountain range. You could hear it bouncing off distant mountains for a long time. I really liked the shot of Daniel on the summit. It really seems to sum up the whole experience. I just look like some lame dude who needs to find a new hobby.
The Three Apostles were south, southwest from us at the summit.
We took a little nap on the summit and woke to a really interesting guy making the summit. I believe he was in his 70's, but still seemed fit as a button. He went by the name Coach. I asked him what I could do to still be able to hike at his age and he had a great response. I don't remember his exact words but it was something to the effect of "Stay active and eat right. They kinda go hand in hand. You don't see many active fat asses." Well... he put it much more eloquently.
We took a little more time to look around on our way down. I found a few patches of microbiotic soil. This stuff is really cool. I didn't mess with it here, but I played with it a little when I went to climb at Indian Creek in Utah a few years ago. It helps keep the soil from eroding and is usually found in more arid climates. Unfortunately it can be disturbed very easily by stepping on it or even on the soil around it... and it takes YEARS to grow.
We celebrated back at the car with... a beer of course. We got out of the tougher driving terrain just in time. It started sprinkling and some of the rocks would have been MUCH harder to drive over if they were wet. There was a little museum in Winfield that we decided to stop by. They had a few buildings with some displays you could see through the windows. One of the cabins had a lot of pictures with Wallaces, so we may have had some ancestors in them thar hills. Maybe I'll do some research if I get the motivation.
There was another little museum area that we stopped at on the way out. Some of the stuff was kinda cool, but I got a kick out of a wood post that we saw on the way out. It had a sign that read "In Memory of AL LEVIN" and a button. Pushed the button and nothing. We didn't see anything else near it. We assumed Al was a practical jokester and this was a tribute to him... watch people on vacation push a button and stare confusedly at a wooden post.
The only thing we had left was to get a burger and some beer at Rosie's Brewpub. I finally got a picture of my favorite bar. I almost feel like a local when I go in there now. Most of the employees seem to recognize me. Maybe that's a bad thing.
My friend Jon flew in from Portland for a little vacay and mountain hike. I was more than happy to return the favor of offering lodging, meals, transportation, and entertainment since he hosted me on my trip to Leadville back in July of 2006. That is what REALLY made me want to move out to Colorado, but I'll have to write about that later. We decided Saturday was the best day to hike due to the weather. He and his friend Daniel drove up late Friday night. We talked for a bit, then crashed out so we could get up and leave by 4 in the a.m. The road to the trailhead was reported to be a 4WD road, but if we got all the way up in my 2WD it would cut off a 2 mile each-way hike to the trailhead. That sounded pretty good to me. In the morning glow I barrelled down the road and easily made it up. If it was muddy or wet I would have been in trouble, but luck was on my side. So as the sun was waking up we strapped on our packs and headed towards the peak. At the car about to take off... Daniel, Jon, and me.
I think some of my favorite morning shots are when the sun casts an orangish glow on the top of any random peak.
There was still a decent amount of frost on the foliage as we trekked up the basin. It looks alot cooler when the whole area has this frosty morning glow.
We took our time on the well defined trail. Jon had just flown in from sea level, but I was pretty impressed with the pace he kept up. I led for the first part of the hike then moved to the back of the pack to release some demons. While hiking up the switchbacks, a little figure caught my eye. A ptarmigan was chilling right next to the path as Jon and Daniel passed it. We stood and watched it for a bit. It made this awesome coo-ing noise that reminded me of a cats purr. I almost wanted to pick it up and take it home. It slowly started to walk away from the side of the path... but every movement was so slow that I could easily see how Jon and Daniel missed it.
The rest of the route was pretty much like any other 14er hike. I ran, sorry, jogged, ahead to grab a shot of Jon and Daniel just below the summit.
Here's a few shots of us on the summit. Jon has a habit of letting out a war whoop on the summit. This summit was great because it echoed all the way down the mountain range. You could hear it bouncing off distant mountains for a long time. I really liked the shot of Daniel on the summit. It really seems to sum up the whole experience. I just look like some lame dude who needs to find a new hobby.
The Three Apostles were south, southwest from us at the summit.
We took a little nap on the summit and woke to a really interesting guy making the summit. I believe he was in his 70's, but still seemed fit as a button. He went by the name Coach. I asked him what I could do to still be able to hike at his age and he had a great response. I don't remember his exact words but it was something to the effect of "Stay active and eat right. They kinda go hand in hand. You don't see many active fat asses." Well... he put it much more eloquently.
We took a little more time to look around on our way down. I found a few patches of microbiotic soil. This stuff is really cool. I didn't mess with it here, but I played with it a little when I went to climb at Indian Creek in Utah a few years ago. It helps keep the soil from eroding and is usually found in more arid climates. Unfortunately it can be disturbed very easily by stepping on it or even on the soil around it... and it takes YEARS to grow.
We celebrated back at the car with... a beer of course. We got out of the tougher driving terrain just in time. It started sprinkling and some of the rocks would have been MUCH harder to drive over if they were wet. There was a little museum in Winfield that we decided to stop by. They had a few buildings with some displays you could see through the windows. One of the cabins had a lot of pictures with Wallaces, so we may have had some ancestors in them thar hills. Maybe I'll do some research if I get the motivation.
There was another little museum area that we stopped at on the way out. Some of the stuff was kinda cool, but I got a kick out of a wood post that we saw on the way out. It had a sign that read "In Memory of AL LEVIN" and a button. Pushed the button and nothing. We didn't see anything else near it. We assumed Al was a practical jokester and this was a tribute to him... watch people on vacation push a button and stare confusedly at a wooden post.
The only thing we had left was to get a burger and some beer at Rosie's Brewpub. I finally got a picture of my favorite bar. I almost feel like a local when I go in there now. Most of the employees seem to recognize me. Maybe that's a bad thing.
Saturday Night - Yacht Party
Back at home we relaxed and napped before getting ready for the Yacht Party. A friend of ours was having her 30th birthday party. She grew up on the east coast and wanted to have a yacht themed party. Since Jon and I had no yacht clothes, we turned to my roommate Luke. It is kinda sad how quickly he got these "costumes" together.
Jon and I met the rest of our crew in Vail Village. Chris, Jon, Colin, and I snuck off to get some pizza at Vendetta's. We had to kick up our obnoxious yacht costumes, so we devised yacht-names for each other. Chris became Chase, Colin became Trapster, Jon became Brock, and I became Landon. We were so annoying. I don't have pictures from the rest of the night, but if I get some that are appropriate for posting, I'll do so.
Back at home we relaxed and napped before getting ready for the Yacht Party. A friend of ours was having her 30th birthday party. She grew up on the east coast and wanted to have a yacht themed party. Since Jon and I had no yacht clothes, we turned to my roommate Luke. It is kinda sad how quickly he got these "costumes" together.
Jon and I met the rest of our crew in Vail Village. Chris, Jon, Colin, and I snuck off to get some pizza at Vendetta's. We had to kick up our obnoxious yacht costumes, so we devised yacht-names for each other. Chris became Chase, Colin became Trapster, Jon became Brock, and I became Landon. We were so annoying. I don't have pictures from the rest of the night, but if I get some that are appropriate for posting, I'll do so.
Sunday - Bouldering
You have no idea how good it felt to sleep in on Sunday. Jon and I went for a late breakfast at Route 6. The clouds were rolling in, and even though we wanted to nap, we met my friend Alex in Wolcott for some bouldering. Jon was a natural on the rock.
The night ended with the obligatory bbq get together.
You have no idea how good it felt to sleep in on Sunday. Jon and I went for a late breakfast at Route 6. The clouds were rolling in, and even though we wanted to nap, we met my friend Alex in Wolcott for some bouldering. Jon was a natural on the rock.
The night ended with the obligatory bbq get together.
Monday - Gilman Canyon Climbing
Woke up early on Monday to take Jon to the Greyhound station in Vail. It was sad to see him go because we were having a great time. Alex and I made plans to go climbing and get some rope work in. We met around noon and drove down to Gilman Canyon. This was only the third time this season that I have put a harness on, so I knew my endurance would be suffering. I led the first 2 climbs and felt relatively solid. I had to take about 3 breaks on the second lead of a 5.9 route, but I got no shame in that. After those two climbs we headed down the canyon. I quickly noticed the raspberries growing everywhere along the trail. I had to stop and pick some of the tasty treats. Ignore my dirty hands.
On the way down the canyon I noticed some garbage across the canyon. As I looked closer I realized it was the remnants of a CAR. What the HELL!? Alex told me there were actually at least 3 cars that had jumped the cliff and remained in the canyon. I have a feeling the drivers didn't make it... and I hope they at least got the bodies out. The greenish-blue one up top looked like a newer wreck, but the two down lower seemed like they had been there for awhile.
Two more climbing routes and we were both worn out. We headed across the street to check out a bouldering area, but both of us were already spent. I barely finished a V1 route just before we left.
I think this weekend reminded me of why I came to Colorado... to get out and have fun. It's already getting cooler and feels like fall is about to drop on us like an atom bomb. I have had to shut my window at night because it is getting so cold. That just means it's that much closer to... SNOW TIME!!!!
Woke up early on Monday to take Jon to the Greyhound station in Vail. It was sad to see him go because we were having a great time. Alex and I made plans to go climbing and get some rope work in. We met around noon and drove down to Gilman Canyon. This was only the third time this season that I have put a harness on, so I knew my endurance would be suffering. I led the first 2 climbs and felt relatively solid. I had to take about 3 breaks on the second lead of a 5.9 route, but I got no shame in that. After those two climbs we headed down the canyon. I quickly noticed the raspberries growing everywhere along the trail. I had to stop and pick some of the tasty treats. Ignore my dirty hands.
On the way down the canyon I noticed some garbage across the canyon. As I looked closer I realized it was the remnants of a CAR. What the HELL!? Alex told me there were actually at least 3 cars that had jumped the cliff and remained in the canyon. I have a feeling the drivers didn't make it... and I hope they at least got the bodies out. The greenish-blue one up top looked like a newer wreck, but the two down lower seemed like they had been there for awhile.
Two more climbing routes and we were both worn out. We headed across the street to check out a bouldering area, but both of us were already spent. I barely finished a V1 route just before we left.
I think this weekend reminded me of why I came to Colorado... to get out and have fun. It's already getting cooler and feels like fall is about to drop on us like an atom bomb. I have had to shut my window at night because it is getting so cold. That just means it's that much closer to... SNOW TIME!!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Blogophile
I believe I am quickly becoming addicted to reading blogs. A friend of mine, Jane, started commenting on my blog. I started reading her blog. Then I started looking at some of the blogs that she had on her blogroll. Then I started looking at blogs they suggested. It's almost like a pyramid scheme that joyously sucks up my time on the computer. I haven't been at my work computer for the reasons mentioned in the last post, so I haven't kept up to date with my newest addiction. I feel oddly out of touch.
I had a lot of extra time on my hands while working over the last few months, so I started looking for ways to fill it without going insane. Now that I haven't had the time to read my favorite blogs and update my own blog, I almost feel cranky... like when I quit smoking cigarettes. All this bike riding and bouldering after work is getting in the way of my addiction. Not quite sure what I plan to do about it. Probably blog.
So here are some of my new blog interests:
Diary of Why
hang on little tomato
Last Name Unknown
Saving Diva
The State That I Am In
They offer interesting and different perspective on a variety of topics and events... each with their own quirks and reasons for blogging. I hope you enjoy. And maybe I'll do some blogging of my own tomorrow. I have much to catch you up on from the weekend.
I had a lot of extra time on my hands while working over the last few months, so I started looking for ways to fill it without going insane. Now that I haven't had the time to read my favorite blogs and update my own blog, I almost feel cranky... like when I quit smoking cigarettes. All this bike riding and bouldering after work is getting in the way of my addiction. Not quite sure what I plan to do about it. Probably blog.
So here are some of my new blog interests:
Diary of Why
hang on little tomato
Last Name Unknown
Saving Diva
The State That I Am In
They offer interesting and different perspective on a variety of topics and events... each with their own quirks and reasons for blogging. I hope you enjoy. And maybe I'll do some blogging of my own tomorrow. I have much to catch you up on from the weekend.
Behind Again
Yet again I am behind with posting. I had a weekend filled with fun, off work Monday for Labor Day, and yesterday and today I am sitting at a table for most of the day at a health fair for Vail Resorts. And I haven't taken the time at home to update my blog because we keep having bbq's and random dinners. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I can fill you in on the haps in my life over the weekend.
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