On the Road

Do you Facebook?

2009-02-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

If so, read this.

If you want to delete your account - which is different than deactivating your account - read this.

And yes, I understand the irony of my posting this on the internet.

Welcome, New Year

2009-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

Into the lake

Sea kayaking on Lake Michigan
On New Year's Day, I flew to Michigan to spend a few days with Greg's family at their home near Traverse City. It was a relaxing time for all of us away from TV (well, mostly away from TV) and the news and cell phones, and the short, cold, cloudy days made for great beer drinking. In fact, we reverted to old Prague habits and elected for the "steady drip" method of consumption. In our estimation, most events - including sea kayaking and snow mobile touring - were better done with at least a little help from the liquid jacket.

Cross-country skiing right down to the water

My flights up were quick and easy - and free because I'd been bumped from a flight earlier in 2008 - and as I walked out of the airport, Greg and his mom pulled up to the terminal. For the next few days, we ate leftover Christmas cookies and drank fancy beer. We also checked out the peninsula via snow mobile more than once. On our second night, Greg led me on a 3-hour tour that started at midnight and involved racing up and down a snow-covered grass airstrip before some hill climbing through trees in the dark. The next day we visited some of the same places by daylight with his family, and before the end of the night we were jumping the snow mobiles over a levee near Greg's house.

Specially designed sea-kayak suits

We figured it'd also be fun to spend some time on unfrozen water and got out the sea kayaks for an afternoon of drinking and paddling on the high seas. Because it was so cold outside, we donned wetsuits under our clothes and rain suits over our clothes. I think mine was designed for an 8-year old girl - I couldn't really inhale deeply - but it did keep me warm. I don't know if you've ever tried to get out of a sea kayak while it's floating, but it's tough. I almost ended up in Lake Michigan when we landed to take a leak, but that didn't go as poorly as Greg's attempt to, uh, relieve himself without first removing the top half of his wetsuit.

Greg catching some air on the snow mobile

Yes, we had matching snow-mobile suits

Between great adventures, we watched Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman's documentary film - Long Way Around - of their adventures riding BMW motorcycles around the world - from London east through Europe and Asia and eventually America to New York. It's worth a look. We worked in some cross-country skiing to do something semi-active, and we even tackled the icyest sledding hill I've ever experienced. We chopped wood for the family fireplace, and you can see some excellent instruction from Greg below. He even managed to sneak a piece into my luggage before I left. I suppose that's his way of leaving me with something to remember the trip by, as if that could ever be an issue. Thanks to Greg and his family for welcoming me in as one of their own and sharing an awesome couple of days with me. I hope to visit again sometime.

One of the sweetest sounds you'll ever hear...

Greg demonstrates the correct technique to split a log.

An action shot of Greg doing what Greg does

The ever-popular "hand split."

The Autumn Film

2008-11-29T11:22:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday night, I stopped by the Oriental Theater in Denver with some friends to see a local band called Paper Bird. They were entertaining, but I'd say their eclectic mix of folk-Americana and beautiful women was more of a one-time affair, even for the price ($11). However, I was pleasantly surprised to hear another Denver-area band, The Autumn Film, playing in the run-up to Paper Bird.

The Autumn Film are Tifah Al-Attas on vocals and keyboard (from which I think she simultaneously plays the bass line), Dann Stockton on percussion and Reid Phillips on what I'd describe as mostly rhythm guitar (with some additional keyboard on selected tracks). Imagine Amy Lee from Evanescene singing to a musical mix between Sigur Ros' driving rythms and Coldplay's piano-driven riffs, but without the Euro-wuss factor. Hmmm... Maybe it's just better if you listen to them. Click here to redirect to their free download page, where you can have 8 DRM-free tracks. Their homepage also streams a few tracks not available for free.

Anyway, I liked these guys enough to see them again last night at the Marquis Theater in Denver - that's where the pictures and video (pending) are from. Forgive the poor quality on the video, by the way, because the light was low and the microphone on my camera isn't really designed to pick up the bass coming from the venue's speakers. If you like them, they'll be playing at the Fox Theater in Boulder on 11 December (it's a Thursday night).

Following Suit

2008-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Mike recently stumbled onto something interesting that he discussed on his blog, Beautiful is Safe. The Typealyzer is designed to "read" your blog and from it, determine your personality. Mike felt like his was pretty damn close. Does anyone who actually knows me think that the analysis below accurately describes me?

INTP - The Thinkers
The logical and analytical type. They are especially attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

An Open Letter to Mr McCain

2008-11-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

Dear John,

When I arrived home last night from an election party, I had to check my phone to make sure it wasn't Friday. You see, although it was indeed Tuesday, the streets were filled with the sound of music. Well, excitement and happiness, anyway. It seems that people - many of them young - were and remain quite excited by the recent election results, which were as much a rebuke of our current President as they were about the campaigns you and Mr Obama have only now finished. I must say, in both regards, the right man won.

I am an unaffiliated voter. I did not make a final, fill-in-the-oval-next-to-the-name decision until late Sunday night in order that I might deliver my mail-in ballot Monday before work. I liked you a lot in 2000. If that version of you had run this year, you may have received my vote. I also liked your stances on such things as immigration, crime and (eek) taxes; no one debates your credentials as a man who loves his country and has served her for over 50 years. Your consolation speech last night was gracious, your manor admirable.

So let me tell you where you - in my eyes - went wrong. For the previous three months, I've heard nary a positive campaign commercial from your camp. While Mr Obama is certainly no saint, I distinctly remember watching at least a few of his adds that didn't mention you; that is, they spoke of what he would do if elected instead of trashing the credibility of his opponent. Your demeanor during the debates, which I tried hard not to watch, was often condescending, especially considering your close ties with Mr Biden. You avoided questions, often answering with statements clearly designed to change the subject, and continued ad naseum trying to paint Mr Obama as a radical who regularly communed with terrorists. Had you instead advanced your own platform - or at least stuck to the facts about Mr Obama's distinct lack of experience in national government (especially relative to yours) - you may have fared better.

And let's talk Veep. Mr Obama made a qualified decision to select a vice-Presidential running mate who excelled where he did not, most notably in foreign policy. You, on the other hand, burned the remainder of your credibility at the stake, selecting a running mate who's service to her country makes Obama's limited credentials look something like Cal Ripken, Jr's continuous-games-started streak. Mrs Palin's appeal ends where it begins - with her looks. Her experience as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, is comparable to that of the head of a PTA in a local school district, and let's be honest, Alaska isn't that contentious a place to govern. Let's not get into the allegations of misuse of power during her short term there, or her inability to answer direct questions when prompted, or the frightening thought that if you (God forbid) should die in office, she would be the leader of the free world.

Just what segment of the American people where you trying to woo with Mrs. Palin, anyway? You're a moderate Republican with a legitimate record of bi-partisan behavior. You're certainly right, but you're much closer to the "center" than Mr Obama. You've spoken against your party on numerous issues, including torture, the environment, and campaign finance. These issues did not go unnoticed by me. However, your record as a moderate was damaged when you picked a candidate farther right that Mr Obama is left. Were you worried about losing the ultra-conservative vote? Who else would they support? They'd have to jump over you to vote for Mr Obama, and that would never happen. They may have been cranky, but you were still their man! Instead, you passed up the man I believe may very well have won you the election, the man who is running as an Independent but is a registered Democrat, the same man who ran with AL GORE for Veep in 2000 on the Democratic ticket!!!! Are you nuts? Joe Lieberman would have only helped your image as a man capable of crossing party lines, but instead - by your own misjudgment or from capitulating to your party - you chose poorly, and I - as an unaffiliated voter - felt insulted by your selection.

Finally, and mostly because this is already too long, I must comment on a few last subjects that also influenced my vote. They were not abortion, your "faith," gun control, gay marriage or any other of the host of hot-button issues that likely aren't going to change regardless of who's President. Your admission that your knowledge of economics and the economy was misguided. When men such as Warren Buffet back your opponent, you're doing something wrong. He has much less to lose with your tax policy, and yet he backed your opponent. Many different panels of economists said your economic policy was inferior to Mr Obama's. This is unacceptable at a time like this. Although no one factor (or person) can be blamed for today's economic situation, very few people "in the know" liked your plan. And that's a big, big deal.

In January, Mr Obama will become the first black man to be President of the United States. Many people have said that we're overdue for such an event. I don't necessarily believe that to be the case. Instead, I believe the best candidate in this election won, and he happens to be black. This is indeed historic for our nation, and the significance of this event must not be underplayed. Internationally, we have sent a message that the American Dream lives on. Nationally, we've reiterated the message that racism is not only wrong, but unfounded, and that anyone from any background can ascend to the highest position in - arguably - the world. White, black and brown, all Americans should be proud of Mr Obama today.

Mr Obama energized the young demographic, and in many ways, you insulted it. His message of hope and optimism captivated our country, and like any good grassroots movement, it only built on its own momentum. You tried to play catch-up, and it showed. What seemed effortless to him seemed pained to you, and we noticed.

While I don't believe any one person can solve all of our problems - especially in this day and age and in this country (we're not in a dictatorship or monarchy) - Mr Obama will gain a favorable Congress and will likely advance many of his causes. I wish you the best in the future, and hope you will strive to fulfill the claims you made last night in your speech conceding the election to our President-elect.

Here's to the future,

Jack

And Your Winner Is...

2008-11-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

Make you voice heard. Vote now.

Who will be the next President of the United States ( polls)

And think about giving this site a read before you actually vote.

The Republican Party

2008-11-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Presidential Candidate: John McCain
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Sarah Palin
Party Founded: 1854
# of registered voters: 55 million

Yar, maties. It be time for the final post of me breakdown of the candidates on Colorado's 2008 Presidential ballot. In the pirate garb, fighting for the Republican Party, it be John McCain, war hero, career politician, and former cap'n of the "Straight Talk" schooner. There's no debating John McCain's credentials as an honest, trustworthy American who honestly believes he's doing the right thing for the country. His valor has been proven in the line of duty and his service to his country has extended from the time he returned home a war hero.

John McCain has broken from the Republican Party ranks on numerous occasions, but recently - for many reasons - he's seemed a bit more reluctant to stray too far from home. His work in the past, such as the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act (2002; which is why each advert during the election includes the statement, "I'm ____________, and I approved this message), is considered to be an example of legitimate bi-partisan work, helping to work "across the lines" within the Senate. Other examples of his bi-partisan work include work with Joe Lieberman on the 9/11 Commission and Fritz Hollings on the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. According to a Gallop poll, McCain's "favorable" rating from 1999 - 2008 has remained largely above 50%, recently rising above 60%.

In another recent series of polls, Americans gave John McCain the nod - should he be elected President - on issues such as national security, the wars, immigration, crime and values. He is a moderate Republican, and while he voted with the President - and other Republicans - 90% of the time, his party was obviously concerned with securing the "far right," and chose Sarah Palin as his VP candidate.

McCain is generally more of a state's rights supporter, believing many issues should not be regulated by the Federal Government. This stance applies to issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. He is for stem-cell research, believing it's going to happen either way, so it might as well be regulated. He has broken with Republican ranks on many issues related to the environment.

But John McCain has stuck with the GOP on a number of topics, such as his affirmation of the Patriot Act, his support of the wars in Afgan and Iraq, and his general financial and economic policies. He famously admitted that he "doesn't know as much about the economy" as he should. Even if this is true, I didn't need to hear it, not right now, anyway. He should try and fake it if he must, because The Economist's recent poll of economists felt strongly that Mr Obama's economic plan was stronger than Mr McCain's - and it wasn't even close.

When it comes down to it, most people will vote for the wrong reasons. They'll vote for the candidate they believe is "doing God's work (they're both 'Christians')," or the one who's not black, or the one who speaks the best. They'll vote about a candidate's stance on an issue that's never going to change, or their party affiliation, or they'll cast a vote most popular with their friends, who aren't guaranteed to make an educated vote, either.

I guess you need to figure out what's most important to you, personally. Read through Obama's and McCain's platforms, look into the qualifications of their second-in-line, and see which you think will help lead our country toward a more prosperous economy and sustainable future on a world stage. See where they come out on education, crime, the wars and anything and everything else you believe is important for our country's future. And heed the advice of well-qualified experts in said fields. Your friends - while influential in your day-to-day life - may not be qualified economists (the same can be said for your family). And if they are, they may not be the best person to talk with about values, foreign policy, or immigration. There's simply too much information for anyone who doesn't spend their entire life analyzing all of the issues.

It's easy to become passionate about the election. The adverts would have you believe the fate of your life hangs in the balance. But lets be honest. Life will go on. The election - and your support for or dislike of any given candidate - shouldn't come between you and friends and family. Often times, we don't make good decisions when we're too close to any issue, or too emotional. Respect other people's opinions, actually look at each side of an issue you find important, and make a qualified decision. Remember, just because someone you know votes for Obama doesn't make them stupid, and just because you vote for McCain doesn't mean you're incapable of thinking for yourself. Don't perpetuate stereotypes, don't vote emotional, and do your best to make a grown-up decision. Voting without researching the issues is as deplorable as not voting at all.

Please come back tomorrow and cast your vote - keeping in mind that we're pretending to be in a fantasy world where we live with a multi-party system - and vote for the candidate who'd be elected if only your vote would be counted. Don't worry, I won't judge.

JM is and will be 72 in January.

links:
War Hero Website
Republican Party Website

The Democratic Party

2008-11-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Barack Obama
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Joe Biden
Party Founded: 1828 (for all intents and purposes)
Interesting Fact: About 46% of all registered voters are Democrats

Okay, it's time to get serious about this election. Barack Hussein Obama has a real shot at winning this thing. So before you turn tail and run to Canada, consider these facts.

Barack has spent almost four years in the US Senate. He's spent two of those years campaigning for the Presidency of these United States. He spent 8 years in the Illinois state senate. That's ten total years of government experience, with a background as a lawyer who graduated magna from Havard Law. Not a bad start, really. He's a Christian (eek! to some of you), and his former pastor's often controversial beliefs have let everyone know this.

Mr Obama gets the nod from American people in terms of his approach to the economy, regulation and trade, health care, the environment, and education. If you make less than $112,000 a year, Obama's tax plan stands to benefit you more than McCain's, but both will put more green in your pocket. Obama tends to follow the maxims of more government oversight, less free trade and a tax system that punishes your success, should you have a great deal of it.

In August, Barack Obama and Joe Biden came to Colorado to celebrate the Democratic National Convention and Barack's acceptance of his party's nomination. My friend Greg and I scored that night. We were standing outside of the convention center when a very attractive woman approached us, smiling. She asked us if we wanted to get inside. We looked at one another before looking back at her, simultaneously asking, "how much?" We were shocked to hear we were in for free.

The party included free alcoholic drinks, swordfish and lamb. Fancy people who donated a lot of money were our peers. I was underdressed. Then I met Joe Biden, and my world changed.

There's no doubt Barack Obama offers change from the current administration. The question isn't even one of whether or not we (the American people) we want another George Bush or not. But Obama offers a distinctly liberal change. In 2007, he had the most liberal voting record in the Senate. While he is eloquent beyond belief, he does not offer much beyond the standard Democratic platform.

In terms of advertising, neither candidate has stuck to their promises to run a "clean" campaign, but Mr Obama - from the perspective of an infrequent TV watcher in Colorado - has said more about what he wants to do and less about how much of a d-bag his opponent is. Regardless of the veracity of either's statements, I like the positivity - or lack of negativity - of Obama's campaign.

Affiliations with former domestic "terrorists" aside, Barry is perfectly capable of lifting both of his arms above shoulder level, which makes it easier to wave without looking awkward. His jowls don't quake and shiver while he walks as if an earthquake is rattling the foundation below his feet, and he won't break the century mark during his term if he is elected President. His VP candidate - my friend - Joe Biden, is not nearly as good looking as Sarah Palin.

The rest of the world wants US to elect Obama. But the rest of the world isn't voting. Come back tomorrow for a brief rundown of McCain.

links:

Democratic Party Website

Barack Obama's Homepage

The Constitution Party

2008-10-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Chuck Baldwin
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Darrel L. Castle
Party Founded: 1992
Interesting Fact: The Constitution Party ranks 3rd of all political parties in the United States in terms of registered members (366,937*).

Can you call yourself a "doctor" of something if your Ph.Ds are honorary? Could you elect a man who calls himself "Dr. Baldwin" if you knew he only had a Masters degree?

The Baldwin/Castle Doctrine:
No foreign government or world government body or entity, not even an ally or neighbor of the US is allowed to own any portion of US roads, airports, homes, buildings, lands, waters, resources (oil, gas, precious metals, minerals, etc,), religious facilities (no matter what faith), stocks, bonds, US treasury notes, businesses, banks, military bases or military assets or manufacturing facilities in the US regardless of how much the foreign governments donate to the political campaigns or private fortunes of US officials, elected or bureaucratic, or even to the US treasury.

The Constitution Party is kinda like the Libertarians, but with a Christian bend (or angle). They're generally for less government, but more Jesus (though not necessarily officially; Chuck is a pastor of a big-time Christian church in Floreeda).

From the Constitution Party's platform:
"Our federal republic was created by joint action of the several states. It has been gradually perverted into a socialist machine for federal control in the domestic affairs of the states. The federal government has no authority to mandate policies relating to state education, natural resources, transportation, private business, housing, and health care, ad infinitum."

Chuck has a radio program. It is considered to be the most influential voice in the Florida Panhandle for conservative principles. That's almost as good as being a "community organizer!" Don't tell his listeners, but Baldwin has been both a registered Republican and Democrat, thought not at the same time. And to keep it spicy, Baldwin himself said, "I believe the South was right in the War Between the States, and I am not a racist. Neither do I believe that the leaders of the old Confederacy were racists. " Maybe true, definitely controversial.

Chuck'll be 56 next January.

links:
Constitution Party Homepage
Chuck's Homepage
*I already told you. I'm not citing anything.

The Libertarian Party

2008-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Bob Barr
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Wayne A. Root
Party Founded: 1971
Motto: "Smaller government, lower taxes, more freedom"

Despite his appearance suggesting long-time late-night TV info-mercial king, Bob Barr Jr. actually knows something about government. He represented Georgia in the US House of Reps for 8 years before bugging out to do something more Libertarian-minded. Bob and I both have glasses that would help us to look at home in a nautical arena.

The Libertarians themselves support the free market. They'd like the government to butt out of just about everything, leaving the market to control goods and services, supply and demand. They are anti-big government. They don't think citizens of this fine country should be prevented from doing anything that only hurts themselves. Therefore, they are for the abolition of laws against prostitution, drug use, driving without a seatbelt, etc. These are "you" problems, not "me" problems. The Libertarian Party states that the government's responsibilities should be limited to the protection of individual rights from the initiation of force and fraud. They belive in free trade and non-interventialism. They do not oppose their own motto.

"Foreign aid has proved to be a drain on the U.S. economy while doing little good for the recipients. Aid is routinely used by corrupt foreign governments to oppress their people and enrich powerful elites. Foreign aid almost always discourages economic and political reform, while subsidizing nations which often work against U.S. interests."

Barr says, "I oppose any law requiring registration of, or restricting the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition to law-abiding citizens."

Barr said of Patriot Act: "I'd drive a stake through its heart, shoot it, burn it, cut off its head, burn it again, and scatter its ashes to the four corners of the world." Dramatic. And the world is round, Bob. It has no corners.

Please don't forget to stop by the Barr Store before voting.

B.B. J. would be 59 if he breaks through significantly fewer glass ceilings than Cynthia McKinney to become the 117th President of the United States of Amerigo.

links:
LP Homepage
Bob Barr's Homepage

The Green Party

2008-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Cynthia McKinney
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Rosa A. Clemente
Party Founded: 2001
Best Known For: Ralph Nader

The Green Party - as far as this "political" discussion has gone - is one of the more "realistic" parties fielding a candidate for President in the upcoming election. That doesn't mean much, really, as many of our previous candidates may be legitimately certifiable. But the Greens, as they are commonly known, do have some rather risque statements sprinkled throughout their website and party platform.

"...we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system.

"We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics.

"People of color in this country have legitimate claims to reparations in the form of monetary compensation for centuries of discrimination."

McKinney also "charged that George W. Bush may have known about the September 11 attacks in advance and allowed them to happen in order to make profits for the Carlyle Group, an owner of defense contractors with which former President Bush has connections. 'It is known that President Bush's father, through the Carlyle Group, had–at the time of the attacks–joint business interests with the bin Laden construction company and many defense industry holdings, the stocks of which have soared since September 11'"

Hmmm, walking on dangerous ground with those last two...

I do like this party's focus on the environment as a necessary issue regarding the future of the United States, but I don't necessarily agree with their methods for achieving their goals. I do not like the scary image McKinney puts forth at the top of this blog. Yikes!

Cynthia will be 53 if she breaks through every known and unknown glass ceiling in existence and manages to become the first black, female, third-party candidate who thinks Tupac is still alive to win the Presidency.

links:
Green Party Homepage
McKinney's Homepage

The HeartQuake '08 Party

2008-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Jonathan E. Allen
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Jeffery D. Stath
Party Founded: 2008
Note: The solid nod to Det. Andy Sipowicz; short-sleeve button-up shirt with a tie.

I know what you're thinking... just another religious wacko. Stop right there. I started this post thinking the same thing, but I was pleasantly surprised with the professional appearance and performance of the HeartQuake '08 website. Not only does Jonathan Allen seem to have a clue about web design (or more likely, he's smart enough to know better than to try and do it himself), but he seems to have a clue about a few other things as well.

I guess I can start with what Jonathan Allen isn't. He's not a career politician. He makes no reference to attempting to do the will of God. He isn't a socialist, communist, prohibitionist, or any other -ist, except maybe a capitalist. But as I read more from his site, he seems to be a capitalist with a conscience who believes in sound business and personal responsibility (I know this sounds a bit cliche). He's not crazy, has no criminal record, and wasn't born in a foreign country (read: I had a hard time finding anything to make fun of him for, other than the name of his political "party"). He seems to meet the bare minimum criteria to become President of the United States.

"...Jonathan believes that America needs a practical businessman, not a career politician, to lead the nation out of its urgent economic crisis, and that the federal government needs to be managed like a for-profit business with a non-profit mission and a focus upon the American taxpayers as its prime customers.

"We need to restore and nurture a culture of Personal Responsibility again in our nation. In recent years Americans have been taught to demand and scream about their "rights" without any recognition or acknowledgement of their associated responsibilities. As a result, we have created an entitlement culture where many have been taught to believe that the government "owes them" a good life. This "you owe me" mentality is a social cancer that prevents people from taking personal responsibility for their lives, from actively co-participating with government to solve problems, and from nurturing a thankful spirit for governmental assistance when it is provided.

"We need to specially focus upon helping the poor, needy, and underprivileged in meaningful, new ways in our nation. The federal government currently offers them financial assistance and a lifetime of dependence, but no real hope for rising above their current circumstances to achieve and unlock their hopes and dreams. We must find innovative ways to personally encourage and practically assist them in taking personal responsibility for improving their lives so that they can rise above all the obstacles that hinder them and hold them back."

Mr Allen seems to be a business-minded individual who believes in the ability of every man, woman and child to stand up for and make something of themselves. While it may be a bit niave, I like the idea. Jonathan lives on the western slope of Colorado where he has amassed a reputable resume of relevant experience that demonstrates an ability to lead. We share the same first name and state of residence.

"One of our greatest crises of heart is our national arrogance. This prevents us from acknowledging how dysfunctional we really are, forces us to continue living in denial of the seriousness of our problems, and blinds us to the solutions that are present all around us in the world."

Seriously, check this guy out, read through his website - it's linked below.

Jonathan Allen will be 46 next year.

links:
HeartQuake '08 Campaign Homepage

The Prohibition Party

2008-10-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Gene C. Amondson
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Leroy J. Pletten
Party Founded: 1869
Mascot: Camel

"They are who we thought they were!" The Arizona football Cardinals former head coach Dennis "Denny" Green said this once at a press conference after losing to the Chicago Bears. While the game has changed, the story's the same. The Prohibition Party stands for the same things today it did over 130 years ago, and the number one thing they want to do is take your booze. That's right, these moral legislatures would like to prevent you from drinking the fruit of the vine, the bounty of the backwoods distillery and the foment of your local ferment.

While you're busy not drinking, you should also stay not busy by not using "tobacco products, illegal drugs, pornography, and commercialized vice." They're also not too hot on gambling. Hmmm....

When Gene isn't busy damning us all for partaking in the fun vices, you might find him painting landscapes or carving wood. He keeps these horribly boring hobbies because he's not allowed to have fun. He's also a minister.

On the positive side, Gene is old enough - and qualified in the sense of being a natural born citizen - to be President, and so is his running mate. This immediately places him above at least two other tickets mentioned so far in this series.

The Prohibitionists don't have much of a plan for the rest of America. National security, domestic and international policy, the economy, the environment, crime, Medicare and the concept of a "balanced budget" will all be addressed after taking care of their primary concern, namely getting you to stop having fun. Goodbye Las Vegas, goodbye quaaludes, and goodbye weekend.

Gene is 65, but looks older and more boring.

links:
Prohibition Party Homepage
Gene's MySpace Page
Temperance and Prohibition Trivia

The Socialist Workers Party

2008-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: James Harris
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Alyson Kennedy
Party Founded: 1938
# of times the candidate has been convicted of a felony: 1

John McCain has received a great deal of press because he selected a female for his vice-Presidential running mate. James Harris is just as progressive, yet we don't hear quite as much noise from the media on this one. Could it be that Alyson Kennedy just doesn't have the "naughty librarian" feel of Sarah Palin? (She doesn't.) Or could it be that she knows too much: She recently "completed a fact-finding trip to Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; and Stockholm, Sweden, meeting with workers, youth and immigrants." That would give her the edge in foreign policy experience, although I couldn't find out whether or not she'd ever visited Alaska.

Calero has a few other issues that may prevent him from being elected - or at least accepting the position of President - should he win the popular and electoral votes on November 4. First, he's been convicted of a felony for selling marijuana. Second, he's not a natural-born citizen (how do these people get on the ballot?). And finally, he's a freakin' commie!

But in all seriousness, Calero's party has been around for much longer than any of the ones we've discussed so far. The SWP was founded in the 1930s and has fielded candidates for President in each of the last 15 elections, dating from 1948.

"Under the lash of the bosses’ profit drive, our labor ends up not transforming nature to the betterment of humanity, but poisoning the air, soil, and water on which society depends. Protectionist aggression among capitalist powers—and more so against the semicolonial world—rears its bellicose head.

"As capitalists plead poverty to rationalize their disregard for the welfare, health, and safety of workers and the public, the socialist campaign demands an end to business secrets. Open the books! Let’s find out! Nationalize the energy industry, including the coal mines, and run it under workers control to enforce job safety, halt pollution of the environment, and make energy safe and affordable.

"We must establish a workers and farmers government that can abolish capitalism, reorganize society in the interests of the vast majority, and join in the world struggle for socialism."

Hmmm, so we're pitching communism. Let's take a look at a list of current communist/socialist states in the world today:

People's Republic of China,
Republic of Cuba
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (yeah, that would be North Korea)
Laos
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

And now countries that have collapsed under or fought to end communism during the last 40 years... (list not complete):

The USSR (Russia and newly created states coming out of that breakup)
East Germany
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
all of the former Yugoslav Republics
Romania
Bulgaria

Out of the two lists, which one has more examples of places you'd like to live?

And dont pitch that old song about Cuba's medical care. If it was so great, Cuban athletes, professionals and anyone else capable of stringing together a shitty raft made of empty milk jugs wouldn't be trying to come to America. Defecting at an international sporting event doesn't exactly speak volumes about your living situation, and taking your chances floating across the ocean in hopes of hitting Florida (seriously, if Florida is looking good, it must really suck in Cuba) sounds more like a death wish. But if you think taking that chance is better than continuing to live in your home country, who am I to tell you to stay.

Roger will be 39 in January.

links:
Vote Socialist Workers!

The Boston Tea Party

2008-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Charles Jay
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Dan Sallis, Jr.
Party Founded: 2006
Slogan: "Time to Party Like it's 1773!"

The entire platform of the Boston Tea Party is short. It reads, "The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose." A paucity of words from a party intent on less of, well, everything. It works.

Their program is also to the point.

1. The Boston Tea Party calls for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of US troops from, and a cessation of US military operations against or within, Iraq.

2. The Boston Tea Party supports repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.

3. The Boston Tea Party calls for an end to the federal prohibition of marijuana and hemp.

4. The Boston Tea Party calls for the immediate repeal of the REAL ID Act and any and all National ID plans.

5. The Boston Tea Party calls for legislation adopting an annual, regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income tax of $1,000 or more, and the additional application of said personal exemption to all FICA/Social Security taxes paid by employees and employers.

In 2004, Charles Jay also ran for President. Despite having a porn actress for a running mate (Marilyn Chambers), he gathered only 946 votes and finished 3rd from last. He ran with the Personal Choice Party that year and was only on the ballot in Utah, which made his choice of running mate that much more interesting.

Conflicting unsubstantiated reports suggest that the VP nominee of the Boston Tea is actually Thomas Knapp and not Dan Sallis, Jr. I don't really care; I suppose both potential VPs should be investigated, but who has the time?

links:
The Boston Tea Party's homepage
Charles Jay's homepage
Thomas Knapp's blog, which is actually kinda funny
Dan Sallis, Jr.'s homepage (you're right, there's no hyperlink here. Dan Jr. doesn't have a homepage)

America's Independent Party

2008-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Alan Keyes
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Brian Rohrbough
Party Founded: 2008
# of times the candidates have been to AK: 2

For starters, Brian Rohrbough is a Coloradoan, and I do like to "vote local." Second, Keyes ran against and was defeated by one Barack Obama for a Senate seat from the state of Illinois in 2004. Third, he was accused of being a carpetbagger during that election.

Keyes served under R. Reagan during his run through the early and mid-80s as the 16th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. His term lasted two years, and relative to our candidates discussed so far, this is by far the greatest body of "real" political experience enjoyed by anyone.

Al, as he is known by his friends, was a Republican for 30 years before showing signs of instability earlier this year. For one month he was affiliated with the Constitution Party. He then shunned those ties for the aforenoted (is that a word? does it really matter?) America's Independent Party.

If I were voting based on websites, Alan Keyes wouldn't get my vote. The America's Independent Party website sucks. I've seen more interesting websites googling home enema kits. The last update was August 21 of this year and there are no pictures. The stale black on white is boring, and my interest was lost before I even had the chance to read what they had to say. And while Mr. Keyes personal website initially appears a bit flashier, the facade is thin, and the invesigative reader will be roundly disappointed.

"America’s Independent Party is being built by Reagan pro-life, pro-family, “Peace through Strength” conservatives who believe that the Republican Party, with the pending nomination of John McCain, has abandoned the principles of Ronald Reagan – particularly the Reagan pro-life platform plank that recognizes the personhood of the unborn and their protection by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

"The party also opposes John McCain on many other important points, including his opposition to a federal amendment protecting traditional marriage and the natural family; his sponsorship of the McCain/Feingold legislation, which they view as a direct attack on their First Amendment rights to political free speech and grassroots citizen activism; his long-time support for so-called “comprehensive immigration reform,” which they consider to be amnesty; and his support for the global warming agenda, which they believe will destroy our economy and strip us of our national sovereignty if pursued as public policy."

Needless to say, they don't like Barack Obama much, either.

Alan Keyes is and will be 58 when he becomes President next January.

links:
Don't Tread on Me
Alan Keyes

The Socialism and Liberation Party

2008-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Gloria La Riva
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Eugene Puryear, or Eddie Murphy from the Nutty Professor
Party Founded: 2004
# of times the candidates have been to AK: a baker's dozen

A few words from the party's website...

"Capitalism—the system in which all wealth and power is held by a tiny group of billionaires and their state—is the source of the main problems confronting humanity today: imperialist war, poverty, exploitation, layoffs, unemployment, racism, sexism, lesbian/gay/bi/trans oppression, environmental destruction, mass imprisonment, unionbusting, and more.

We are fighting for socialism, a system where the wealth of society belongs to those who produce it, the working class, and is used in a planned and sustainable way for the benefit of all. In place of greed, domination and exploitation, we stand for solidarity, friendship and cooperation between all peoples."

"...the true cause of economic crisis—capitalism itself."

"Now, the United States is attempting to undermine the pro-socialist government of President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. Venezuela and Cuba have formed an alliance that is attracting other progressive governments and popular movements in Latin America. This new alliance has the potential to end a century of U.S. domination and exploitation. "

Who wants the US to lose its dominance? Not this guy.

Candidate's age is and will be 54 when she assumes roll of benevolent dictator of the United States + Cuba. However, her VP candidate is only 22. This will be a problem if they want to play by the rules (VP must be 35...).

links:
See Che here.

The US Pacifist Party

2008-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Bradford Lyttle
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Abraham Bassford
Party Founded: 1983
# of times candidates have been to AK: unknown

"Bradford Lyttle has orgnized [sic] and participated in numerous public rallys [sic] and demonstrations against war, equipment for war, and taxes for war. He has participated in projects to oppose the Vietnam War, the Gulf War against Iraq, and the war in Bosnia. He has traveled to these countries to support peace initiatives of these projects and peace movements in those countries. He has several times been arrested for his non-violent actions."

If the above isn't a comprehensive list of what it takes to become supreme commander of America, I don't know what is.

Brad also looks a bit like Fire Marshall Bill from In Living Color. Other actor/presidents - slashies as they'll now be known - include Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman, who starred in The Truman Show.

Brad's running mate is named Abraham. Many well-known Abrahams have led people. These include Father Abraham, who had many sons, Abraham Lincoln, who started the Civil War, and John Abraham, defensive end for the present-day Atlanta Falcons. He is a "sack master" and anchors my fantasy football team's defense.

The US Pacifist Party seems dedicated to getting America's ass kicked. From their 2008 platform...

"Preparation for nonviolent resistance against possible invasion and occupation attempts; This would include establishment of a national Department of Peace, and an unarmed service corps trained in strategic nonviolent defense and equipped for mobilization anywhere in the world;

"Reduction of the military budget toward zero

"Ending of private logging, grazing, and oil drilling on public lands

"Unrestricted immigration. Health and educations needs of immigrants would be paid for from the hundreds of millions of dollars saved by shutting down the military “defense” system.

"A guaranteed minimum income for U.S. citizens through the establishment of a negative income tax (A negative income tax gives checks to people whose income lies below the poverty level)."

Yes terrorists, we are now open to your occupation. Don't mind the unarmed "peace force."

age: unknown

links:
go make fun of the pacifists here. What will they do about it?

Unaffiliated

2008-10-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Frank Edward McEnulty
Vice-Presidential Candidate: David Mangan
Party Founded: n/a
# of times candidates have been to AK: 13

Frank is actually running under the banner of the New American Independent Party, but on my ballot, he's listed as "unaffiliated." Also, I found that he's running with various vice-presidential candidates; they seem to change based on state (see map here).

"My name is Frank McEnulty and I am pretty much a regular guy. I am married, have two daughters, go to a lot of sporting events that my daughters participate in and am completely and utterly disgusted with both political parties in this country. " So far, so good.

"We do not need to be the world’s policeman. For one thing, most other countries resent it. Second, we aren’t very good at it. We are in places we shouldn’t be and not in places we should be, so let’s not be anywhere unless we are asked and there is a compelling reason for us to be there. If a dictator in Africa is allowing people to hack the arms off of each other, then maybe we have a moral obligation (not the right) to do something to stop it. Beyond that, we shouldn’t be spending all of our money stationing our soldiers all over the world. “Walk softly and carry a big stick” was excellent advice. I propose that we stick to that advice by greatly reducing our presence overseas and focusing our attention on the defense of our country."

On flag burning:
"I don't think flag burning is an issue that requires a Constitutional amendment for the simple reason that if no one got overly excited about it, then it wouldn't be any big deal to do it. Flag burners are like little children trying to do something bad to get their parents' attention. If a parent ignores the behavior, the child stops. Same with flag burning. Aren't there more important things to worry about than whether or not someone burns a flag now and then?"

Frank is here ----->

I don't know if this guy is for real, but if he is, he might be the early favorite.

Frank is 52.

links:
Frank for President indeed

The Socialist, USA Party

2008-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Brian Moore
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Stewart A. Alexander
Party founded: 1973
# of times the candidates have been to Alaska: 0

"THE SOCIALIST PARTY strives to establish a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control -- a non-racist, classless, feminist, socialist society in which people cooperate at work, at home, and in the community. The Socialist Party is committed to full freedom of speech, assembly, press, and religion, and to a multi-party system. We are dedicated to the abolition of male supremacy and class society, and to the elimination of all forms of oppression, including those based on race, national origin, age, sexual preferences, and disabling conditions."

If you like capitalism, you may want to check out a different party. "The primary goal of economic activity is to provide the necessities of life, including food, shelter, health care, education, child care, cultural opportunities, and social services." Read: not to get rich.

They say you can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep, well... famous socialists include:

Karl Marx (lived off Engel's money)
Vlad Lenin and John Lennon (brothers in arms)
Fidel Castro (loves vintage American cars)
Muammer al-Gaddafi (finally seeing it "our way")
Albert Einstein (invented electricity - right? electricity is all-American)
Helen Keller (I heard she was quite a pinball player)

Sounds like a rough bunch to me.

Brian Moore is and will be 65 when he ascends to the head of the United States in January.

links:
Socialist Party USA

Unaffiliated

2008-10-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Ralph Nader
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Matt Gonzalez
Party Founded: n/a
# of times candidates have visited Alaska: Did the Corvair ever make it to AK?

Former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader and running mate Matt "the hammer" Gonzalez bring a unique and multi-cultural ticket to this year's Presidential Election. Nader hails from Lebanon, which is also where world-renowned actor Keanu Reeves was born. Point Break is my friend Greg's favorite movie.

Nader and Gonzalez believe...
"After more than 300 years of de facto affirmative action to benefit white males, we definitely need affirmative action for people of color and women to offset enduring historic wrongs as well as present day inequalities."

and

"The plight of the Tibetan people is one of the great human rights tragedies of the Twentieth Century. The Chinese government has brutally oppressed the people of Tibet and engaged in a conscious campaign to wipe out traditional Tibetan culture. "

and

"Nader/Gonzalez propose a rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq. A target of withdrawing troops in six months will be set. The war is costing taxpayers nearly $4,600 every second — and that doesn’t include the long-term reconstruction costs."

and

"The state of health care in the United States is a disgrace. For millions of Americans it is a struggle between life, health and money. The Nader Campaign supports a single-payer health care plan that replaces for-profit, investor-owned health care and removes the private health insurance industry (full Medicare for all)."

Nader is and would be 74 years old when he is sworn in as the next President.

links:
Ralph Nader's website

The Objectivist Party

2008-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidate: Thomas Robert Stevens
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Alden Link
Founded: 2 Feb 2008
# of times candidates visited Alaska: unknown

These guys are from the New York area and like Ayn Rand. Their party "platform" page consists mostly of quotes from her books (which does make sense...although Rand allegedly opposed formation of political parties based on the ideals of her works), sprinkled with others from authoritative sources such as the musical Les Miserables. I enjoy their selected quotes, but I'm unsure whether or not I want to vote for a party too lazy to "put it into their own words." C'mon, you could really do better than quote someone else when explaining your platform to the masses. But I digress.

So what do they like?

America's founding ideal was the principle of individual rights. Political freedom and capitalism follow. Police protect from inside aggression, the army from outside aggression, and the courts protect from fraud and breach of contract. Live and let live, but don't be a bitch. Fight back only when someone starts shit with you first.

links:
Objectivist Party Homepage
Objectivist Party Facebook page

Time to Vote!

2008-10-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's registered to vote. If you're not, you've still got time, but there are only 10 days until we vote for the next President of the United States. Some people think this election is important, and I respect their view. But can we honestly vote for any given candidate when we don't fully understand our options?

Over the next 10 days, I'll be giving you the opportunity to learn about each of the 16 candidates on my ballot. Because there are more candidates than days until the election, I'll have to go with 2-a-days until next weekend, when I'll spent one day each on the two "major" party candidates. I will try to use the most up-to-date and authoritative sources possible, such as Wikipedia, wild, rumor-based internet sites, and opponent's claims (when available). Also, I won't cite sources.

On the first Monday before the first Tuesday of November, I hope to post a poll, which I encourage you to pick the candidate you'd most like to see in office for the next four years. I will use that poll to determine the candidate for whom I vote on November 4 (this is not true).

Your instructions regarding your "right to vote" are as follows:

1. Please read each post about each candidate (if you have time, they will be short. I'm trying to limit my posts to 300 words. this is the "literacy test" portion).
2. Please vote as if we did not have a two-party system, but instead enjoyed a multi-party system. Vote for the candidates and party to which you most strongly relate.
3. In that light, consider all inputs, including personal appearance, national origin and number of times the candidate has been to Alaska, which counts as foreign policy experience.

Happy voting.

Walkability

2008-10-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

A friend showed me this website a few weeks ago and I thought it was great. You enter your address and it calculates your "walk score," which is basically a ranking on a 100-point scale letting you know how pedestrian-friendly your house or apartment is based on your proximity to grocery stores, libraries, restaurants, parks, schools, etc. It's also a great tool if you're looking to move soon.

Check it out. My score is 83. What's yours?

It's Getting Late

2008-09-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

Crestone Needle dominated the landscape from every direction; it's steep and imposing and reminds me a bit of the Trango Towers in Pakistan.

On Thursday night, Greg, Dusty and I left Denver for the South Colony Lakes, nestled high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, to set up base camp and do some hiking over the weekend. Dusty's Jeep carried us up a challenging 5.5 miles of rocky road, saving us a ton of time and allowing us to pack "heavy" for the weekend. We arrived at the upper parking lot around 2am on Friday, and hiked into the South Colony Lakes area, setting up base camp in the dark around 3:15. We left camp at 4:20 to begin our hike up Humboldt Peak, which seemed like a straightforward first ascent for the weekend. Fresh snow kept the 2.4 mile hike interesting, and the wind kept it cold. But it was all worth the effort when we summited just before the sun rose over the Wet Mountains to the east.

Greg on Humboldt signing the register just after sunrise.

Looking north through the Sangre de Cristo range from Humboldt Peak.

After fielding the most ridiculous question I've heard since living in Alaska, we returned to a sunny camp at 8:30 to cook breakfast and drink PBR in celebration of a successful hike. I passed out moments later, waking at 1pm to eat again before falling asleep again. I woke at 3:30 to a blast of winter in the valley (see video).

Enjoying "blue ribbon" beer in base camp at 9am after our first summit.

We slept most of the remainder of the afternoon recovering, and after dinner, we slept all night preparing for the next day's hike. We decided to attempt Crestone Peak and Needle via the northwest couloir, but changed plans after reaching Bear's Playground, a high saddle with descending views to the San Luis Valley to the west and the Wet mountains to the east. It's a unique position as it's a simple saddle dividing the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and it's windy as hell. Instead of hiking the Crestones, we hiked northwest, gaining Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak. It ended up being a long day, but we were rewarded with great weather during our hike back to camp (followed by more PBR).

Greg pauses on the way back to camp.

Crestone Needle (left) and Crestone Peak during our descent from Humboldt.

That night, the weather turned again bad and it rained and snowed heavily for nearly 3 hours. We were holed up in our tents for most of the afternoon and early evening as water accumulated around us. In the dark and cold confusion of our base-camp setup, we didn't do a very good job of determining low points in our camp site. The water pointed out our mistakes. After dinner, though, we sat outside in the wind as the skies cleared and watched shooting stars before heading to bed. It seemed like the previous two nights - clear and cold.

Crestone Needle (left) and Peak from Bear's Playground.

When I woke at 1am, the wind was howling loudly, but I could still see the light from the moon. By 3:30, the moon's light had gone for good, and when we woke at 5 to begin our final day, it was cold, windy and beginning to precipitate. We decided to go back to bed for an hour and re-evaluate before calling the whole thing off, but when we crawled back out of our tents at 6:15, the clouds were actually lower against the mountain, and we could no longer see the tops of Crestone Needle or Peak. It simply wasn't safe to try to hike either peak without good visibility, so we packed up our wet camp and hiked back to the truck. But the day wasn't a total loss. There was a break between the clouds to the east and the horizon, so when the sun finally rose around 6:55, we witnessed an amazing alpen glow against the Crestones. We drank the last of the PBR watching the sun's rays magically ignite the cold granite before all the color was again lost. It was stunning.

Morning alpine glow; beautiful, but the clouds shut us down.

The view back into the Sangres on our way home confirmed we'd made the right decision to not climb on our final day.

Moral of the Story: Start Early

2008-09-08T15:57:00.001-07:00

Great photo ops; there are three people in this picture.
If any of you have ever climbed Greys and Torreys (mountains just west of Denver off I-70), you know what I learned on Saturday, which is, they are very popular mountains. Despite having a very poor excuse for a road, many, many people exit I-70 at Bakersville and make the 3-mile crawl to the Greys Peak trailhead every Saturday and Sunday.

My friends wanted to get an early start, so early in fact that our goal was to see the sun rise from the summit of Greys. In July, this might be an okay idea. In September - and one day after a cold front moves through the state, dropping snow at higher elevations - this is not such a great idea. When we arrived at the top at 5:50 (43 minutes before sunrise), it was probably about 25 degrees and the wind was blowing consistently at about 30 miles per hour. It was cold and dark, and we were getting cold, no thanks to our sweaty backs after the 4-mile hike from the parking lot. In fact, three of us got so cold that they decided not to summit Torreys, the nearest mountain, which happened to be only about 35 minutes further. Kind of disappointing, really. So I climbed Torrey's solo, enjoyed the view, ate some peanut M&Ms and tried not to be blown off the mountain. This was easier said than done. I met the other three about half way down the trail as we passed another group of hikers every 30 seconds or so.

So if you're interested in hiking one or both of these mountains, go on a week day or start from the trailhead at 3:15, like us. Oh, and try to avoid returning to a flat tire. That's no way to end a hike.

Rachel watches the sunrise from Greys summit trying to stay warm in the cold wind.

Trying to stay out of the wind while watching the sunrise.

Sunrise over Mt Evans and Mt Bierstadt

I-70 valley undercast.

Eagle's Nest Wilderness

First rays of sun strike Torreys east face.

Mostly just a minute long clip of the wind blowing so hard you can't hear me.

Sunny September

2008-09-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Looking northeast from below Evans' summit - most of what's under the clouds is the north Denver metro area.

Fall's here, and with the end of summer comes the best time to get outside and climb some of Colorado's many mountains. The snow is (mostly) gone, the morning air is again quite cold, and the sun shines most of the time. Last night at about 9pm, I decided today - my Labor Day observed - would be spent in the mountains, hopefully after the throngs of 5-day-a-week workers had left the hills and returned to their jobs. I packed a few things into the Subaru and left town at about 10:30, arriving at the top of Guanella Pass by midnight. The freezing temperatures reminded me about how warm my bed probably was - even without me in it - so I blocked out that image and crawled into the back of my car with warm sleeping bag.

Almost to the summit of Bierstadt, I noticed the undercast over Lake Dillon behind me.

When I woke this morning at 5:30, the sky was clear and the condensation on the inside of my windows had turned to frost. I dressed quickly and ate a bit of breakfast before walking down the trail through the dark. No other cars were in either of the two parking lots. I had the mountain to myself.

Greys and Torreys were just to the west.

By the time I started to ascend Mt Bierstadt's western ridge, the cold wind had reduced my ambition to nearly nothing. It wasn't until I reached a high vantage point and saw that the entire Front Range of Colorado was covered in clouds that I realized how lucky I was to have made the post-holiday trip. The undercast sky wasn't limited to the east, however. Lake Dillon and the surrounding valleys were also under cloud cover. South Park was the only large area below 10,000 feet elevation I could see. As the sun rose over Denver and shone warmly against my freezing face, I wondered what everyone must have been thinking waking up to cool, cloudy skies.

Bierstadt Summit.

I reached the summit just before 8am and opened the register. At least two pages were completely filled out yesterday. I looked down to the parking lot - now in the sun - and noticed two other cars had joined mine. But standing there in the breeze I got cold and had to keep moving. By the time I descended and crossed to Mt Evans' western flank, mysterious clouds were billowing up from the drainage below. I wanted to finish my climb so I hiked faster, but by the time I made it to the summit of Evans, I could no longer see the route I'd just hiked. Only brief glimpses to the north and east revealed a still-undercast Front Range and an empty parking lot at the observatory. Thinking it not wise to spend too much time that high, I ate and headed back down to my car. Not a bad holiday.

Evans summit; here come the clouds and cold wind.

Things looked much better by the time I made it back to the car (Bierstadt is upper right).

Congratulations!

2008-09-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

This weekend, a friend of many of ours was married in Boulder at Chautauqua Park. Mara and Dylan Towne, congratulations. It was a pleasure to join you - you really know how to throw a wedding. The ceremony outdoors was perfect, and the bluegrass band inside kept the party rolling. I wish you both the best in your new lives together.

And yes, that's Greg - short hair and all, dancing with Shannon, a friend of Mara and Greg's from way back in Cincinnati. Buy her cookies online here.

The DNC: Biden for Pres... Vice President!

2008-09-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Really, for starters (and I know this is deplorably late), you should watch this DNC Orientation video from a comedy troupe here in Denver. If you like jokes about Denver's reputation for being a skiing town full of cowboys and/or our "150 year battle with the Ute Indians," this video is for you.

Playin' it cool at the Nike Store.
As many of you probably noticed - or didn't, I guess - the Democratic National Convention went off without a hitch in Denver last week. Delegates, Super Delegates and thousands of heavily armed police - both local and federal - used plastic handcuffs, armored vehicles (mostly courtesy of Aurora...hmmm...), kind words, and a great deal of intimidation (read as, standing together in lines at least a dozen long on every corner in Denver with fingers just inches away from triggers of M-16 assault rifles) to successfully maintain peace with a minimum of disruption to the local folk. Protesters protested without major incident, and curious Denverites (me) wandered around taking pictures of what it must be like to live in a police state.

An amazing contrast on such a beautiful evening.
Sorry, blurry. This was just moments before I thanked Joe for, well, I'm not sure - never lived in Delaware.

After watching Joe Biden accept the nomination to run as Barack Obama's VP at a local LoDo bar, Greg and I met up with a couple of friends near the Convention Center. They had tickets to a party that night, but we were going to stand outside and look pathetic, hoping someone would spare us tickets, too, so that we could join in the festivities. Our plan worked, and magic tickets appeared before us, granting us access to a party for (allegedly) donors to the campaign responsible for raising more than $350,000. I have no way of authenticating that, other than saying that the drinks were free, I ate a great amount of swordfish and lamb, we were hands down the worst-dressed people at the party, and no one was really very interesting to talk with, there being two exceptions (neither of whom live anywhere near Denver). To wrap the evening, I met Joe Biden and told him thanks, but for what I'm not sure. By the time I stumbled into bed, it was past 3am on Thursday. Work on Thursday - at 7am - was a struggle.
As if we could have made any bigger asses of ourselves...

(At)tempting Fate; Winter, Abate.

2008-08-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

Myself, Rachel, Craig.
Two days ago, Craig, Rachel and I decided to try and climb Mt Yale. The forecast was calling for the first snowfall of the season in the high country and buckets of rain everywhere else. When we left Denver on Friday afternoon, almost two inches of rain had already fallen. But as we climbed toward Buena Vista, the rains dried up, and when we pitched our tents on the side of the road at Denny Creek Trailhead Friday night around 9, it was actually dry. This wouldn't last.

Railroad crossing south of Leadville.
Road into Leadville.
About 15 minutes after we crawled into bed, the rain started falling. It was followed by lightening, and shortly thereafter, thunder. This continued all night, with some of the most aggressive strikes coming just as we were waking up to start the hike. Along with the lightening came heavy rain, but no snow. Unable to hike safely, we decided to drive up Cottonwood Pass in search of some of the fluffy white stuff, but as the picture shows, we were out of luck.

Church and road into Leadville.
Our hike halted by danger, we drove back into Buena Vista and asked an old man where we should eat breakfast. After breakfast, we asked the counter girl about hotsprings near by. After deciding unnamed hotsprings didn't meet our expectations, we decided to drive home through Leadville. That's when the trip got interesting.

Church near Leadville.
The farther north and east we drove, the more snow we saw, and the lower it'd fallen. By the time we reached Climax Mine, the snow was just outside the door, and it was beautiful. Blue skies were breaking through to our west and dark clouds framed the white summits to our east. We stopped a few times to take pictures before running into a "December-esque" winter scene at Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70. With Loveland Pass closed due to snow, we waited a while longer than usual to make it through the tunnel. Finally down the mountain, we agreed that next time we decided to go hiking in the high country, we'd listen to reason and respect the rain.

Late-morning mist over Clinton Creek Lake.
Clinton Creek Lake sits just west of the Ten-Mile Range.

Yeah, this shot was from today, 16 August. No, it was not taken last December.

more pics:

Mt Yale attempt 16 August 2008

San Francisco Marathon

2008-08-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Bay Bridge looms high over the piers

This morning at 2:20, I hobbled off a Boeing 757 at gate B38 in Denver International Airport. I struggled through the terminal, into an awaiting car, and then into bed, where I stayed 'till 1:35 this afternoon. It was a fitting end to a long and eventful weekend in San Francisco, where five of my friends and I ran the San Francisco Marathon.

Rogue Public House and hazelnut rum

Francis and I arrived in San Francisco on Friday morning around 10 o'clock to heavy fog and temperatures in the mid 50s. We traveled into the city, stopping in Chinatown for lunch before visiting the City Lights Bookstore en route to the Rogue Ale Public House, where I enjoyed a hazelnut rum in the comfortable open-air pub (at this point, it was about 104 degrees in Denver - we managed to miss the hottest weekend of the year).

The Bay Bridge

Greg, me, Francis and Julia (L to R) on Saturday at the registration and expo for the marathon

After lunch, we met a couple other friends from Denver for an afternoon of sightseeing and napping in nearby Washington Square before riding the bus to Julia and Greg's place just south of the Presidio. We spent the next 24 hours relaxing, eating, and enjoying being comfortable outside with friends playing disc golf in Golden Gate Park before calling it an early night to rest before the race.

Francis and I left our hotel on Sunday morning around 4:50 and jogged down to the start line. At about 5:10, Francis decided he needed to use the toilet and disappeared. I began to get nervous when the race announcer told us there were three minutes 'till the start, but thankfully Francis showed up soon afterward.

Twain was right

The race went well; the weather was perfect. We paced with the three-hour marathon guy (he held up a sign) for the first 10.5 miles, running along the Embarcadero before climbing up to and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. After making our way back into San Francisco, we made the decision to pull away from the pace runner heading toward Golden Gate Park. We crossed the half-way point at 1:29:48, just ahead of our goal of finishing in under three hours.

Andrew, Francis and Clay (L to R) at Coit Tower on Friday afternoon

The Golden Gate Bridge from Coit Tower

The run through the park was tough, culminating in a 2+ mile climb before dumping us out on Haight Street for a long trek east. Francis started to hit a wall here, but we pushed onward as the course took us down through the south and east parts of the city. I left Francis at mile 24.5 just before running around McCovey Cove at Pac-Bell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

I crossed the finish line at 2:57:22 and Francis was just a couple of minutes behind, making it in at 2:59:55. He was the last person to run the race in under three hours. We finished #39 and #54 overall.

Margaritas after the race with some new friends (Francis, Natalie, Fabio and me, L to R)

The Painted Ladies (you know you watched Full House)

We met our friends after the race for brunch before a pre-margarita nap. We were in bed early Sunday night nursing our sore muscles and aching bones, and spent Monday hobbling around the city seeing a few sights before learning that our flight home was canceled, and we were re-booked on a later flight that was already delayed an hour. By the time we left the ground in San Francisco, we were almost 4 hours behind schedule, but it didn't matter. If we learned anything, it was that we will run more marathons, and the airline industry in the United States still sucks (especially United).

Golden Gate Bridge on Monday morning. We hobbled a long way down the slope to see that.

Francis making his way down to Land's End.

more pics:

san francisco marathon trip

Denver International Conspiracy Theory

2008-08-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Now it's time for some fun. I'm not sure if any of you have heard of the litany of conspiracy theories surrounding Denver International Airport. They're wild and off-the-wall, but they're a lot of fun, too. They range from outer space communication site to head of the New World Order after the fall of mankind in the near future (2012?) to holding cell for half-reptilian, half-men creatures from the center of the earth.

I took these photos last week at Denver International Airport. They're the work of artist Leo Tanguma, and in his mind they in no way represent windows into a conspiracy theory future. Either way, they're undeniably strange, especially the one with the Army-of-Death soldier killing a dove.

There are other oddities at the airport, including the strange keystone with Mason-esque characteristics near something that looks like a giant spaceship remote control. We didn't have time to photograph this - or any of the other strange stuff - but if you want to read more, you can do it here in an article from Westword Magazine.

Holiday Hike

2008-07-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the 4th of July, some friends and I went on a hike south of Breckenridge. We climbed a few mountains - Lincoln, Bross and Democrat - for most of the morning and early afternoon. It was the perfect way to escape record heat in Denver and enjoy the sun on our Independence Day. Hope yours was great, too. Here are a few pictures.

"No Camping" wasn't strictly enforced.

Colorful forbs near the Bross summit.

Matt leaving the summit of Lincoln walking west.

Lunch break mid-way between Democrat and Lincoln.

Francis's Corolla did really well on the bumpy, circuitous road to the Kite Lake parking lot at around 12,000 feet elevation. It's always nice when you can start hiking above treeline.

There's still heaps of snow in the high country, especially through the Gore Range and west toward Aspen.

A Weekend in the Weminuche

2008-07-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, three of my friends and I set out on a five-night journey through the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado. Andy, Brian, Greg and I caught the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad from Silverton Thursday afternoon after an early morning drive from Denver, and after about 30 minutes, we were standing alone in the forest as the train chugged on down the line. The only thing between us and our return to civilization was almost 34 miles of untamed Colorado wilderness.

The following days found us fording remote streams running full with the abundant waters of a snowy winter and late spring, hiking the Continental Divide and Colorado Trails past old mines and camping along the banks of numerous rivers. We saw elk and "wild" mountain goats, fresh bear paw prints in the snow and mud along our trails and more marmots than we could count. Towering waterfalls knifing through steep, exposed canyons were common sights, along with commanding views of the San Juan mountains in all directions. As far as the eye could see, snow-covered peaks loomed above us, hemming us in from all sides. Our ascents and descents took us through many ecotones, from lower-elevation pine forests along the banks of the Animas River to alpine tundra along the Continental Divide. Wildflowers bloomed with the warm sun around every corner, and near-freezing nights by the campfire gave way to perfect hiking weather during the afternoons.

Our trip didn't last as long as we expected; we reached Needleton (our pick up location) almost a day early just as a north-bound train was slowing to a stop. After four nights and five days alone in the woods, we crossed the river and boarded the slow train, finally beginning to relax as thoughts of cold beer and bacon cheeseburgers danced through our heads. I think picking favorite pictures must be like picking a favorite child, so I've included a few of the best, along with a link to the rest.

The ride into the Weminuche was breathtaking.

Day 1, just moments after the train left us standing alone in the woods.

Reflections

On our first night, we camped just below this peak, which we called "Hozomeen."

Greg and Brian hiking about half way up Elk Creek drainage.

We found this old miner's cabin high up Elk Creek on our second day hiking.

Miner's cabin in Elk Creek drainage.

Our view during a late lunch at the junction of the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails.

We saw the most snow on day 2 on the Continental Divide and Hunchback Mountain.

Columbines were everywhere along the trails.

Fresh black bear paw print in the trail.

Andrew and Greg were an odd couple when it came to filtering water.

Hiking on day 3.

Brian on the bridge above Vallecito Creek.

This shot could have been taken at any number of river crossings we made during the trip. The water was never more than about 34 degrees.

Greg rests near a waterfall on Johnson Creek.

Andy and Greg pushing up to the head of Johnson Creek drainage.

Brian on Columbine Pass.

The descent from Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin was really steep and icy at times. We were in a hurry to get down because a storm was rolling in from the northwest.

During our descent into Chicago Basin, we stopped to explore an abandoned mine.

At first, the goats were interesting. They soon became annoying.

A view of Chicago Basin on our final morning.

For more pics:

Weminuche Wilderness 08

Some of Andrew's pictures are here.

Sandy Weekend

2008-06-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I traveled down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park with some friends from church. The weather was beautiful all weekend and I think we each got more sun than expected. The nights were cold but dry - colder for Aaron who forgot his sleeping bag. We visited the dunes, hiked through ice-cold water to see Zapata Falls up close and personal, and lounged in the sandy river at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with beer and a Frisbee. The weekend was relaxing - and as usual - too short. Thanks to Andrew and Kate who planned the trip and everyone who pitched in with food, transportation and, er, site management. Below are a few pictures and videos.

Rotta captured this action shot perfectly.

The sand got hot in a hurry - we needed to put on our shoes.

Rotta rafting

Kate jumps into the creek.

Burying Andrew.

Relaxing in the creek.

Zapata Falls

Ginni splash.

Corn prep work was handled by everyone.

Sand Farts

For more, check out this web album from Picasa:

Sand Dunes NP 2008

Indiana Jones and the Heap of Ridiculous, Predicable Shit

2008-05-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a well-thought-out critique of the worst movie I've seen in a theater since Deep Blue Sea, read Brett's take - it's right on. My take on my movie "experience" is more about what else happened to make a bad movie worse.

Last night, five of my friends and I met at the Denver Pavilions United Artists Theater to watch this summer's most highly anticipated action-adventure blockbuster. We bought our tickets and found seats in the tell-tale empty theater. About 15 minutes into the movie, a strobe light started flashing in the theater. Someone got up and walked out into the lobby to inform the 15-year-old popcorn jockey, and he told her it was a short. She returned and told us the same, and we kept watching the movie for about 5 minutes before the lights came on and theater personnel entered, asking us to evacuate. Once outside, we were informed there was no fire and we could return to our theater to finish watching the movie or receive a refund at the counter.

That wasn't good enough. I stopped a couple of 16-year-old employees and explained that I wanted comp tickets for my entire group because we had been inconvenienced by an alarm that interrupted our movie and we wanted to finish watching our movie. Instead of saying, "of course, we'll take care of that for you right away," the girl said, "well, this was inconvenient for us, too." You know what, I don't care. You work here. My friends and I just paid to come here and our experience was awful. We're the ones about whom you should be worried, my pimple-faced friend. Apparently, she didn't expect that response. Thankfully - for both of us - her manager was standing nearby and I approached her and explained the situation. Being older and wiser, the manager immediately asked me what she could do to "right this wrong," and I explained that I wanted passes for me and my friends. She graciously gave us passes to come again and apologized for the incident. It didn't end there.

Back in our theater, the movie never stopped running. For the first 5 minutes back in our seats, the volume was barely audible and the lights remained on. When the lights were dimmed and the volume re-adjusted, the movie never restarted from the point when we were evacuated. We had just missed 20 minutes of the movie. To make matters worse, I was actually afraid they'd restart the film and we'd have to watch parts of it again. Yes, it was that bad.

When the movie ended, I was still pretty upset. Not only did I feel like I lost 2 hours of my life, but I hadn't even seen the entire movie. I found the manager with whom I'm spoken earlier and explained that even after the evacuation, my experience was terrible and that I was never coming back to this theater again. She again apologized and asked what she could do to get me to come back. I explained that I wanted an additional two passes to the theater for me and my friends. She complied.

Thinking about it, I'll use those three passes to see movies at the Denver Pavilions. But if anything goes even remotely wrong - of if I just happen to choose poorly - I'll never return.

What's Not To Like?

2008-05-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

If I hadn't eaten one, I would have thought it was a joke. But something just doesn't seem right about free pills...

Off to the Glue Factory

2008-05-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

The late Eight Belles

They say blogs are best when fresh and new, relevant and timely. I haven't posted in a while for a couple of reasons. The first is that not much worth posting has floated my way. The second is that I don't have much time. And then today comes around, and I'm given the gift of time and a story.

It's Derby Day, beloved by the uber-wealthy, horse freaks (sorry friend), and junkies in casinos. It's the sport of kings, after all. But I'm more of a serf, and it's just not relevant. Sure, I'll watch it, but I'm that guy hoping for tragedy. You see, I was sad when Barbaro died at the beginning of last year. I was sad because the news stories of a horse receiving flowers and candy and get well cards would come to an end. I was sad because people could no longer project ridiculous, contrived "love" for animals they don't own or know above the love they don't feel for random people who invariably get hurt much more often, and aren't wealthy enough to have doctors pour over them every minute of every day so that hopefully, some day, they'll live out their lives in a grassy pasture having sex with all the pretty girl horses. And don't think my contention ends with horse people. Generally speaking, I think that the least of humans is still higher and more worthy of life than the best of animals. So when you croon at the "whittle pwuppy" and I don't respond in kind, don't be surprised.

Today's big race was surly a great to-do for rich trophy wives in big hats and horse trainers who were once so down-and-out that they were sleeping in horse stalls and those two Cuban guys who defected and toiled day and night to survive meagerly and - oh - spend $35,000 on a horse. Wow, talk about a heart-warming story. I could have just cried for them, I was so happy. But for the rest of us, I assume we'll pay a small amount of attention to the Preakness to see if Big Brown (boring horse name, by the way) can continue his improbable bid for the elusive Triple Crown. If he does, great. If not, well, I'll probably have forgotten his name anyway.

And let's not forget the harrowing plight of Eight Belles, the filly who could. She gave it her all, literally. After breaking both ankles after completing the race, she collapsed and was euthanized. Sounds like she was juicing - that's a pretty ticky-tack injury for an animal that should be in phenomenal shape. I really hope - for her owner's sake, because this was probably their last chance at feeding their family - that an ankle injury doesn't devalue her at the glue factory. But I guess that's just one more reason not to buy a horse.

This one's an oldie but a goody, from my post-Barbaro post on my old blog.

Breakdown

2008-04-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, let's see how much money $3.7 billon really is.

Well, it's $72,549,020 for a week of work, assuming you took a week off to celebrate the holidays.

Assuming you work harder than the average hedge fund manager (for fun, let's say 73 hours/week, on average), it's $993,822 AN HOUR!

And that's 33 times the amount of money I'll make in one year where I work.

Who am I? I'm John Paulson, and I made more money than you last year. I guess the real question becomes, what do you spend it on?

Growing Confliction

2008-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

"When the executives at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. realized there was green to be made from green initiatives, their efforts took off: The company expects to reduce solid waste 25% in three years at almost 4,000 U.S. stores." - WSJ.com

I'm a capitalist with a conscience, and maybe a bit of a soft spot for the underdog, regardless of what my NCAA tourney bracket looked like this year. I cheer for the Red Sox because they don't have as high a pay roll as the Yankees, even though I acknowledge the Sox' pay roll is still the second highest in the majors. And I don't like Wal-mart. I don't shop there. But I don't blame people who do. In fact, I feel fortunate to be able to afford to shop elsewhere, even if that is the local King Soopers grocery store, which is of course only one chain under the enormous Kroger brand.

But with King Soopers, I'm able to buy products that are locally grown, such as Rocky Mountain Pastures organic milk and Mountain High Natural Yogurt. My local grocery store - although not really local - provides me with local products, which means that while I am paying a premium price for these goods, I know that they're only being shipped from other parts of my state, instead of other parts of the country, or in some cases other countries all together. It's the entirety of the the green idea - from field to supermarket shelf - and it encompasses all aspects of production, shipping, and consumption. While Kroger may not be making the effort to truly support more sustainable practices, I can with my spent dollar.

Wal-mart's sustainability webpage says: "We view environmental sustainability as one of the most important opportunities for both the future of our business, and the future of our world. [Note here that the "future of our business" comes before "the future of our world."]

Our opportunity is to become a better company by looking at every facet of our business—from the products we offer to the energy we use—through the lens of sustainability."

This is all well and good, but I can't escape the reality of the quote I've used to open this post. Their green is all about their green.

In the end, I want to spend my money where I believe business and true concern for the environment cross. I guess I'm looking for the best of both worlds. Sure, King Soopers isn't the perfect answer - and neither is Whole Foods. But I think that by at least offering consumers the option to buy locally (even at a premium price), they're taking a step in the right direction.

Just because McDonald's now offers higher quality beef than it did 4 years ago doesn't mean I'm going to start buying their burgers. It's simple economics, and it's the same story for Wal-Mart. I eat at the Cherry Cricket, where the burger is more expensive, the managers aren't brought in from another state, and the the beef is from closer to home.*

I have a number of issues with Wal-Mart that I must admit are not exclusive to that company. However, they are again #1 on the Fortune 500 list, and they must set an example for those who follow. I support their green initiatives and welcome their reduction in consumption and pollution the same way I'd welcome equal changes from McDonald's. But that's not enough to get me to shop there.

*I haven't checked this fact. To be honest, I made it up. But I'd be more willing to bet their beef is local than that of McDonald's.

Under- and Overestimation...

2008-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

...and a new blog. First, I'm starting an additional blog. It'll chronicle my quest to run the San Francisco Marathon this summer, on 3 August. You can find it at www.runsanfran.wordpress.com. I'm giving Wordpress a try, just for kicks.

In case you're wondering, the fault caves in Clear Creek Canyon are a great way to spend an afternoon. I visited them with my friend John on Saturday, and despite having only one light (a big mistake), we had a helluvan adventure. The caves are deep and the passages between chambers - if you can call them that - are often narrow. At one point, for only a few seconds, I thought I might be stuck. The darkness was complete and seemed to weigh me down as I waited for John to pass the light. It was strange having my eyes open and sensing only absolute darkness.

There's no good way to describe the angle at which I'm crawling.

We learned it's good to wear long sleeves (the rocks can be sharp) and maybe gloves. A hat can be nice, but a light for each person is nearly essential. Bring a camera, the caves are better than expected.

It's nice to be back in the sun.

We spent the rest of the weekend catching up, snowboarding (I broke my snowboard and maybe the right side of my ass) and ended with the very over-hyped Coors Brewery Tour. I only realized half way through that I'd actually done it once before, back in 2002 (?). I have a bad memory, I'll admit, but I thought I would remember visiting the largest brewing facility in the world (their claim). My previous experience - redeemed only by our guide (who was a friend) - must not have been so great. This time, our guide was uninformed, unfunny, and generally unlikeable. But the free beer at the end wasn't too bad.

The Benefits of Flexibility

2008-03-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Park City, Utah, with one of my best friends, Greg. We traveled together last year in Europe, and I hadn't seen him since leaving him at an airport outside Frankfurt, Germany last September. So when Greg invited me to visit him and his family in Utah for some spring skiing, I was pretty excited.

Last week, I worked Monday instead of Friday. That meant I only needed to take two hours off on Thursday afternoon to catch my plane, instead of those two hours and Friday. So I drove to the airport, parked in the Mt Elbert lot, and flew out of Denver Thursday evening. Although Greg was sick with the flu while I was visiting, we still had a great time. He was in a NyQuil induced haze for a good part of Friday morning, but he recovered in time to hit the hot tub and watch some of the NCAA tourney. On Saturday we skied at Robert Redford's resort, Sundance. Redford and a group of investors purchased the approximately 5000 acres in the late 1960s, but have only allowed about 450 to be developed, preserving the remainder. The three-lift resort is steeper than anticipated, cheaper than it's competitors, and powered by wind. Oh, and it's only 15 miles from Utah's "front range," which makes it an easy commute if you live anywhere near Provo.

Greg and I were scheduled to flight out of Salt Lake City early on Sunday (different flights), so his dad dropped us off at 6:50, one hour before my flight. We sailed through security and were standing at my gate when the airline representative announced that the flight was overbooked and they needed volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for a later flight and a free ticket on United anywhere in the contiguous United States. United uses Denver as a hub, and I couldn't get to the counter quickly enough. I cashed in and walked with Greg to his gate. After saying goodbye (again at an airport), I went back to my new gate, sat down and started reading. A beautiful German woman sat down next to me, we started talking, and my flight was again overbooked.

I collected my second free ticket of the day, got bumped to a flight 2 hours later, and said goodbye to the beautiful German woman as she boarded the flight to Denver. Almost jokingly, I said we should have lunch in Denver later if we ran into one another at the airport. I tried to get bumped again, but my third flight of the day wasn't overbooked. I landed in Denver and thought that because my bags had been sitting outside of carousel 15 since 9am, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. As I was walking through the airport, I saw two flights going to Frankfurt, and stopped to look for the German woman with whom I'd been talking in Salt Lake City. No sign. I turned around and almost ran into a representative from United, and I asked her if any other flights were going to Frankfurt that day. She told me the gate, and again, unrestrained by time, I walked that way. Yeah, you know where this is going...

I wasn't even to the gate when I saw Simone walking off an escalator in front of me. She'd been sleeping upstairs in the airport, and if she hadn't come down at exactly that time, I never would have seen her. We had lunch and talked all afternoon before I walked her to her gate she flew home. It was incredible.

It's unique when you're on the same wavelength as someone else, but you know it can't last. You're forced to live the moment without thinking about the past or future, and the result is beautifully simple. In a few hours, you can learn so much about someone that you're shocked, and you miss them when they leave. Maybe it's the power of honesty. Maybe it's the connection you make when you realize that someone from another part of the world understands a situation that you thought was unique to your own life. But you've got to be willing to give it a shot.

Here's to life.

What Customer Service Should Look Like

2008-03-24T19:18:00.001-07:00

I visited my dentist today. I've been a customer for over two years. But my most recent problem started a couple of weeks ago when I noticed a loose tooth (it's a fake, by the way). I called on Saturday to let them know I needed to come in and get it re-glued soon. This morning I bit into a bagel, and my tooth came out in the tasty breakfast treat. I had a problem that needed to be fixed quickly.

My dentist had called already that morning, but I missed it - I was in a meeting. When I called back - tooth in hand - they listened and made an appointment for 1pm this afternoon.

When I arrived, we discussed my options: implant vs. new fake tooth vs. re-glue old fake tooth. I chose the last (and cheapest) option, and we took care of business. But while I was waiting for my tooth to be cleaned, I was trying to pick some pieces of cactus out of my hand (I'd fallen on one late last week, most of it's out, some of it's not) and my dentist offered to help me. It was obvious I was at a disadvantage trying to work on my own hand with a dull pair of tweezers, so he prepared sterile instruments and went to work, removing the nasty bit of cactus starting to fester in my thumb. Not pretty, and not an advertised service.

That's why I go to Bennett Dental, and that's why I'll continue to return. That's the power of customer service that goes beyond expectations. Do something you don't have to do for someone else, but something they will appreciate (and perhaps can't do as well as you on their own). If they're your friend, they'll never forget about it. And if they're a customer, they'll stay one (and tell their friends about you). Maybe they'll become both...

Also, a huge congratulations to Marcus and Lynn. I'm thrilled for you both, all my love.

Spelunking

2008-03-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

A view from the inside of Horned Bear Cave looking back down into Golden.

I'm fortunate to have a job that allows me to be outside almost 80% of the time I'm working. Most of my days begin and end walking back into the office after hiking around greater Jefferson County, seeing and doing things most people must wait 'till the weekend to see and do. And I don't complain.

But some days work compels us to do things that we'd really like to do on our own free time, like find caves. Yesterday was one of those days, and as we set forth in the cool morning air, I had to remind myself that yes, I was still getting paid. We were in search of a cave near highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon. Our sources told us it was nearly 50' deep, dark as night and doubled as a wintering home for rattlesnakes (still dormant from the cold nights). We spotted the cave on our way up the gulch and slowly approached from below, wary of cats of bears that may be using the cave for shelter. When we got to the mouth, we were disappointed (much as I am with my NCAA bracket). The "cave" was about 8' tall x 18' wide x 12' deep. It was more of a whole in the rock. We took pictures, recorded the location and hiked back to the truck.

Pools of water are home to green moss thriving in direct sunlight in Indian Gultch.

After lunch, we went in search of Quandary Cave, also along the Clear Creek Canyon. Following a written description and photos adapted from Google Earth, we quickly found the "cave" while listening to the riveting Drake - Western Kentucky basketball game. What the second hole-in-the-wall "cave" lacked, the basketball game more than made up for with a thrilling three-point shot to end overtime and give the #12 seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers the victory.

A bit let down by our caving experiences, we decided to end the day with a proven winner (no, not North Carolina's pounding of Mount Saint Mary's). There are little known geologic features along the fault running through Clear Creek Canyon - a series of caves created by the moving earth - fault caves. Most of these are smaller and pretty tight. Some of them (and most of them are unknown) combine with geothermal factors to produce larger chambers with active caves features, such as heated pools, "curtains," "fountains," "stalactites," "stalagmites," "flowstone," "cave popcorn," "frostwork," and other "speleothem." Clear Creek Canyon's Crystal Cave has all of these. The cave itself is nearly 150' long/deep, descending from the mouth to a low point and then ascending steeply again toward the back of the cave. At it's widest, I'd guess it to be 30' wide, with a ceiling at times more than 35' tall.

Looking toward the entrance - this is much steeper than it appears. The lower ladder is - in reality - nearly vertical.

The cave was discovered as a developer was cutting a road with his bulldozer to reach his quarry. The results of the bulldozer striking the edge of the cave caused a massive cave in (sorry), covering the floor of the cave with rubble nearly 6' deep and coating much of the inside with dust. Before JeffCo purchased the property, it was frequently vandalized and many of the formations were either touched (which can stop cave feature growth) or simply broken off and stolen. This is disappointing. But since JeffCo's acquisition and closure of the cave, the natural humidity has been restored and many of the features have begun regrowing.

Calcite curtains inside of Crystal Cave.

Unfortunately, I don't have a key for this cave. But if anyone is interested in going to see some other fault caves up Clear Creek Canyon, we can do that. It'd be a good way to get everyone together in April and get outside for a morning (and afternoon?). Remember to bring your headlamps and leave your claustrophobia at home.

Happy Easter.

Ice formed around the branches of this bush overnight at the base of a small waterfall.

Casting a shadow

2008-03-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Over the last week or so I've been at a trailbuilding conference in Reno, Nevada. But before the conference, my co-worker Dave and I traveled to San Francisco to visit Julia and Greg, friends of mine from Nebraska. Our time in San Francisco was too short, but we were able to bar-be-que on the beach below the Golden Gate Bridge on a perfect Saturday afternoon and see the city the following day under cloudless skies.

Long's Peak and RMNP from the south.

We walked through Chinatown on our way north toward Fisherman's Wharf, stopping at the City Lights Bookstore, made famous by Jack Kerouac and numerous other Beat writers from the 60s.

Outside of the City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco.

We walked along the bay for a while toward the Presidio enjoying the sun and cool breeze while children chased kites in the park.

The National Trailbuilders Conference went well. Dave and I learned a lot about building trails in difficult terrain as well as the new challenges facing trailbuilders. We demoed new equipment, attended a number of seminars, and, oh yeah, gambled a bit.

You read my mind

2008-02-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

So you really like that feisty Canadian, Feist, but don't know many other artists like her. You don't want to go out and buy songs on iTunes or at the local music shop without hearing some of those "other artists'" work.

You log onto Pandora and create a station called "Feist." From there, you're able to listen - for no cost and commercial free - to Feist and other artists who sound like her. If you like a song, you select a "thumb up," showing you want to hear that it and others like it. If you don't like the song, you select "thumb down" showing you don't like it and don't want to hear it again. If you like the song and just don't want to hear it right now, you just hit "next."

It's free, it's easy, and you'll probably find something else you like, too. Check it out, and create a "Drive-By Truckers" station if you're not listening to them yet.

Happy Birthday, Kosovo!

2008-02-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Balkanization: to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units.

Today a new country is born, and an old one, like an injured animal, becomes more dangerous:

"Britain, France and Germany [and the United States] are likely to support the fledgling state but some fear it will set a dangerous precedent.

Kosovo's parliament unanimously backed independence on Sunday but Serbia's PM denounced it as a "false state".

A split emerged at the UN Security Council when Russia said Kosovo's declaration should be null and void." (article here)

With Serbia claiming a 600-year old religious and cultural connection to Kosovo, it's easy to understand why Serbians are upset. You see, many, many years ago, during the first Battle of Kosovo (1389), a young Serbian noble called Stefan Lazar was given a choice from God. Appearing to Lazar as the prophet Elijah in the form of a grey falcon, God said Lazar could defeat the invading Ottomans on the battlefield and receive earthly glories, or he could build a cathedral (being an Eastern Orthodox Christian) to God and capitulate on the battlefield, losing his men, his life, and his territory, but gaining the heavenly kingdom. Of course, he chose the latter, instantly becoming a martyr and burning cultural and religious connections to the region of Kosovo into the fabric of Serbia's identity. 1

Fast forward a few hundred years. Albanians, Serbians, Ottomans and sundry members of the Austro-Hungarian empire have lived in, died in, moved into and out of, and occupied Kosovo. It seems like everyone has a claim to the region, although it's been part of Serbia (and for a while there, Yugoslavia) since WWI (more or less). The atrocities committed by Serbia against Kosovars in the late 1990s resulted in UN intervention. The ethnic cleansing at the command of then-President Slobodan Milošević incited further nationalistic tendencies in Serbia to re-claim Kosovo as it's own, despite the fact that the vast majority of it's citizens are in fact ethnic Albanians. The ethnic Albanians aren't interested in rejoining the Serbian fold, nor should they be. Would you want to forcibly re-marry an abusive spouse?

Which brings us back to today - Sunday 17 February, 2008. Kosovo declares it's independence, upsets the balance of power within the UN Security Council, the G-8, and the EU. Russia, a staunch Serbian ally, is currently refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of Kosovo's statehood, saying such recognition creates a dangerous precedent for other potential breakaway provinces (probably true). That's in sharp contrast to US, and most of western Europe. Outstanding. Think about this, though. How would you feel as an American if people X (fill in religious/political/national affiliation here) had been slowly moving into a American state where we claimed great national and historic pride, such as Valley Forge, New York City, or Roanoke, and after years of occupation under American rule and law, decided that they were going to declare their independence? That happened once already, it was called the Civil War, and it wasn't pretty. Of course, that's not a perfect parallel, but it helps you to understand how the Serbs feel.

"In the ethnically divided northern city of Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbs vowed never to let Kosovo go.

"The Albanians can celebrate all they want, but this stillborn baby of theirs will never be an independent country as long as we Serbs are here and alive," said Djordje Jovanovic." (2)

Happy Birthday, indeed. This could be a bumpy ride.

if you're interested in some overarching history of the region, look into Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, by Rebecca West. It's a general overview of Yugoslavia.

For a more pointed view of the war in Bosnia from 1991-1995 and many first-hand accounts of the war in Kosovo, read Madness Visible by Janine Di Giovanni. It's a fast read but it will break your heart.

Cause a scene

2008-02-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last night a friend of mine showed me the website for a group based in NYC called Improv Everywhere. Their tagline, "We Cause Scenes," is fitting. Based around a smaller group of creative types, Improv Everywhere stages scenes all around the US (although mostly in NYC) with collaborating volunteers. Although they sometimes create more than a simple scene, most of their attempts at humor succeed, and hidden cameras capture much of the mayhem.

Although not nearly as cantankerous, a rather large group of my friends descended on Rocky Mountain NP in snowshoes and multiple cars to enjoy some winter scenes of our own on Saturday. About a mile or so from the Bear Lake trailhead, we found a cliff suitable for jumping with about 10' of snow as a landing. You can see a slideshow here at Andrew and Jessica's website.

First, thanks to Andy for setting up the festivities - I know we all had a great time. Second, I think we should create a few more scenes of our own. We're all close, it's easy to get together, and it doesn't always have to be a day-long event. For example, we could meet on a Monday night in the Highlands to bowl. It's only $7 for 3 hours, shoes included. Also, if anyone is interested in a camping trip this spring (think may/june), let us know.

Accounting

2008-01-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

I'm reading an interesting book called The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders, and if you're looking for a simple way to "get ahead" at work, home, or on the social scene, check it out. The premise is simple: be honestly and genuinely friendly and helpful. There are four elements to likeability.

1. Friendliness
2. Relevance
3. Empathy
4. Realness

You can't truly have one without the previous; they build upon one another. The subtitle of the book is "How to Boost your L-Factor & Achieve your Life's Dreams," and it's worth a look.

In other news, I've had a chance to read most of this book because I've been recovering from a weekend in Las Vegas. Eight of us made the trip, most of us lost money, but I think we all had a great time. If you're headed down soon and looking for a great place to have dinner, try Bautista's Hole in the Wall. The wine is free and it comes in carafes.

12 minutes to blow your mind

2008-01-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

Go ahead, imagine the 10th dimension.

Break it on down.

2008-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Michael Adams, chairman of the NCAA executive committee (and President of the University of Georgia), has recently publicly proposed a college football playoff. Talk about a long time coming... Of course little can happen before the 2010 bowl season is complete, and a lot of negotiation is needed, but we've come a long way from "that'll never happen." With a playoff in mind, I too wanted to contribute with a plan based on the BCS poll before the bowl season began.

To recap, the BCS looked like this on December 2.
1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Virginia Tech
4. Oklahoma
5. Georgia
6. Missouri
7. USC
8. Kansas
9. West Virginia
10. Hawai'i
11. Arizona State
12. Florida
13. Illinois
14. Boston College

In my world, the top two teams would get a bye week, and the remaining 12 would play on December 8, in a typical seeding set up. Therefore;

3. Virginia Tech vs. 14. Boston College
4. Oklahoma vs. 13. Illinois
5. Georgia vs. 12. Florida
6. Missouri vs. 11. Arizona State
7. USC vs. 10. Hawai'i
8. Kansas vs. 9. West Virginia

The winners would advance and play the next week, December 15, and would be re-seeded. Therefore;

1. Ohio State vs. 8. West Virginia
2. LSU vs. 7. USC
3. Virginia Tech vs. 6. Missouri
4. Oklahoma vs. 5. Georgia

Again, on December 22, re-seeded. Therefore;

1. Georgia vs. 4. West Virginia
2. Missouri vs. 3. USC

The winners (Georgia and USC) now have 10 days to prepare for a New Year's Day BCS National Championship Bowl Game.

The remaining teams would be re-seeded in the order they lost, to play #3 vs. #4, #5 vs. #6, etc., each in a BCS bowl (ie. Sugar, Rose, Orange, Fiesta and TBD) on January 1 leading up to the BCS Championship later that night.

Fiesta: 3. Missouri vs. 4. West Virginia
Orange: 5. Ohio State vs. 6. LSU
Rose: 7. Virginia Tech vs. 8. Oklahoma
Sugar: 9. Kansas vs. 10. Hawai'i
TBD: 11. Arizona State vs. 12. Florida
TBD2: 13. Illinois vs. 14. Boston College

Of course, each conference would have to play a conference championship (I'm talking to you, Pac-10 and Big-10 (11)), and (in my world), the remaining 26 bowls would be paired down to 8, giving us only 15 bowls. They would be played out between the final seeding of the BCS teams on December 22 and January 1.

If the season must be shortened by a game, everyone gets rid of their match-up with the weakest non-BCS conference school before conference play begins. This (relatively) strengthens the overall schedules, lessens wear and tear, and pares a game off a long season. If the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division II and Division III college football can all figure out a playoff, so can Division 1-A, the so-called premier division in college football.

Here's hoping...

2007-12-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

"Usually when an asteroid is headed toward Earth, I'm not rooting for an impact." But "I think it'll be cool," said Don Yeomans, who heads the Near-Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Don is referring to the potential impact of a football-sized asteroid with Mars, our second nearest heavenly neighbor. According to calculations, the impact would not affect earth, but would create a half-mile wide crater and release an amount of energy similar to the 1908 asteroid that struck Siberia, leveling 60 million trees. The current odds of impact are 4%. Keep your fingers crossed...

story

Who's keeping score, anyway?

2007-12-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

A lot happens over the course of an ordinary year. I was fortunate to have an extraordinary year, and while there's no way I can/want to cover it all here and now, some type of retrospective seems - if only for me - desirable. To help it along, I'll use a lot of pictures and try to keep the stories short. Happy holidays to you all. I hope 2007 has been as good to you as it has been to me.

Wenceslas Square, Prague, where Joel, Rob and I rang in 2007. The start of this year was a stark contrast to the end of 2006, a year which culminated in my arrival and subsequent unhappy departure from southern France. For six weeks in the Czech Republic, I lived as a hedonist with my friends, traveling the country, eating dumplings, drinking beer by the liter, and chasing beautiful Czech women.

Cesky Krumlov, the place to visit in the Czech Repulblic (other than Prague, of course). This was probably my favorite trip during my stay in Czech.

Welcome to New Zealand. A view along one of my running routes above Blenheim, a small town in the Marlborough wine country. In short, this experience was what I sought but didn't find in France.

We called this the "press gallary;" I called it home for 4 months. During my stay in New Zealand, I spent most of my time working the night shift - 7pm - 7am, 7 days a week. They didn't pay overtime, but the relationships more than made up the difference. The sunrises weren't bad, either.

Our only "warm-up/training ride" before leaving Prague. Greg's choir was singing in a town about 100km north of Prague. I decided to ride up and see the show, meeting Greg that evening. The next day we attempted to ride back to Prague, but took a train instead (we had a softball game...). Later that night after showering, I cramped up so badly that I couldn't walk and had to go to bed at 8pm. Pretty sad.

The only way to see an empty Charles Bridge? Summer solstice, 4:55am. This was one of the highlights of my return to Prague. While it's a beautiful city any time of the year, summer is amazing. It's only dark for about 6 hours a day, beer gardens pop out outside of every restaurant bar and the city simply buzzes with energy (read as: is packed with tourists).

A common scene on our bike trip, Greg and I stopped daily at local pubs during our trip. They were a welcome relief after 8 hours of riding, but always seemed to make the last 15km pretty challenging. Add a pizza, and well, you get the idea...

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria. Stunning opulence. This is what Prague lacks.

Bled Lake, Slovenia. It's more beautiful than it appears. For a small country, Slovenia really has it all. From this lake to the Julian Alps, down to the Adriatic sea and across to some of the largest caves in the world (not to mention the world's oldest producing grape vine!), Slovenia is more than worth a trip.

Catching a nap on the island of Hvar in Croatia. On this day, we caught a ferry from the mainland to the island, rode up up up through fields of lavender, and napped along the spine with views to the sea in all directions. It was Joel's first taste of the solitude Greg an I shared throughout much of our trip before Joel's arrival.

Mostar, Bosnia, and the New Old Bridge. It's still hard for me to reconcile the physical beauty and genuine kindness from the people of Bosnia with the blind hatred that ripped the country apart in the 1990s.

Mostar, Bosnia. In a town far less cosmopolitan than Sarajevo, scars of a war 13 years gone still dominate a town without the resources to rebuild. These are the constant reminders of a war that affected everyone, and will continue to do so for many more years.

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro. It was tough to pick a photo to represent this strategic and diverse country. The only uniformity came from the people who constantly went out of their way to help us in any way possible. From the coast to the fjord to the mountain markets and national parks, our four nights in Montenegro were some of the most challenging of our trip.

Sunset in Sarajevo, a city trying to heal. Our first night in town we got some local food and drink and hiked up the hill to watch the sun set across the long valley. Here, we were pushed, challenged, and humbled everyday. This was par for Bosnia.

Belgrade, Serbia, with Nikola and Marija. In what can only be described as the most unlikely rendezvous of our trip, Nikola and Marija - friends from Banja Luka - found us in Belgrade, 350km away. After saying goodbye only 30 hours previous, Nikola drove the distance with Marija in hopes of finding us in Skadarlija, the Bohemian part of town. Somehow, it worked.

Sofia, Bulgaria with John and Nancy. Our only real taste of "home" during our trip, John and Nancy welcomed us without knowing us (their son is a good friend of Greg), putting us up for three nights. We enjoyed speaking English, eating hamburgers, and driving in a car.

Bucharest, Romania. Ask Joel.

Wine tasting in Germany with Christian. I know Christian from New Zealand, and when I told him I'd be back in Prague, he offered to put us all up in his guest house for a week and drive us all across Germany's Rhine Valley, visiting the wineries of his family and friends. It was perhaps the epilogue to our trip, a time to decompress without bicycles or the constant concern of what we'd eat or drink or where we'd sleep. From this point, Joel, Greg and I would go our separate ways.

A return to the States, Aspen, Colorado. Coming home wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done. I'd become accustomed to life on the road and the constant change of place and pace. Signing a lease and taking a permanent job, along with seeing a girl for a while threw me for a loop and kept life moving pretty quickly. It's great to be back with friends and closer to family again, but I know now that I must find a way to support the life I love, a life of travel. More on that in 2008...

By the numbers:

13,000: Miles traveled from Prague to Blenheim, New Zealand, where I lived.
44: Contiguous hours I spent traveling from Prague to Auckland.
10: Inches of snow on the ground when I left Prague.
13: Longest single flight during my trip, in hours.
3.5: Movies I watched during that flight.
2: Hours after landing in Auckland before I was surfing in the Pacific
1: Car accident in New Zealand.

3200: Approximate number of kilometers Greg, Joel and I each rode last summer.
60: Number of days it took us to ride that many kilometers.
114: Average temperature in degrees, Fahrenheit, during the daytime in Croatia.
180: Cost, in Euros, Joel and I forfeited for an egregious lapse of judgment one
night in Budapest.
11: Countries visited during our trip.
2: Encounters with wildlife while camping that actually scared us.

Here's to 2008.

"Interim Nebraska AD Osborne fires Callahan"

2007-11-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

It look less than 15 minutes, reports say. On a sunny Saturday morning, after leading Nebraska to two losing seasons out of his four coached at the university, Big Tom has sent Little Bill packing. Those two losing seasons were the first of their kind in more than 45 years for a football program that's fallen a long way during the last 10 years. And while many people believe the outcome of Friday's game could do nothing to change todays decision, Callahan didn't help his cause - even a little bit.

I witnessed Bill's last hoorah yesterday in Boulder. The game was covered on ABC, and to let you know the general sentiment, I saw people holding signs that read:

Adios
Bill
Callahan.

One of these signs was black and gold, the other red and white. I don't think very many people are upset about this one, including Callahan, who'll pick up a nice $3m + buyout for his troubles. Anyone interested in a new job?

...And I'm back.

2007-11-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

My uncle just introduced me to Shelfari this weekend, and if you consider yourself much of a reader - or even just someone with a passing interest in books - you should think about joining. It's an online networking site that allows you to share the books you're reading/have read/want to read with your friends, family and anyone else who thinks books are neat. It's also a great place to find your next read. For example, if your name is Mike D, maybe you could expand your wholly liberal views on, well, everything, by picking up something by an author named Ayn Rand - just an idea.

And that's how it works. Here's my shelf.

I'll get back to you as soon as possible

2007-11-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

My blogs don't usually get too deep into what's really happening in my life, and this one won't be much of an exception.

Last weekend, Jacque and I went hiking up Bear Creek Canyon (in Mt Falcon Park) in search of what we'd heard was an old Elk's Lodge up a side canyon. After negotiating Bear Creek and hiking for a few minutes, we came upon the remains of what was listed in Jefferson County's anthropological register of the park as nothing more than "an unfinished homestead or other building." That's not exactly the analysis for which we'd hoped, but nonetheless, we had a great time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday night, we saw Neil Young on his Chrome Dreams tour at the Wells Fargo Theater. It's an intimate 5,000 seat affair, but the sound quality was outstanding and Neil Young's doing alright, too. After seeing Bob Dylan a few times during the last five years, I expected a similar performance (old, decrepit, out-of-tune, unintelligible, difficulty moving on his own, etc.), but was blown away by his clarity - both physical and mental. The sets seemed to speak to my emotional state at the time - ah, the power of music.

set list

Yesterday I enjoyed my first "friendsgiving" with a few friends from college. Laura and Rachel, again, thanks. I'm sure everyone had a great time. Between flag football, guitar hero, beer pong and copious amounts of great food, how could you not? I'll be back next year...

2007-11-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's snowing in Colorado. Well, that's not entirely true, but it has snowed - a lot. In fact, four ski resorts are already open; winter is upon us. This is only important to me because I haven't done much more than see snow from a distance for a long time. I've missed it...

Near Fremont Pass.

I've missed a lot during the past year or so, actually, and transitioning back to the "real world" has been a balancing act I sometimes feel like I'm struggling to master. Between a new job, a new female friend, and a strong desire to see and do everything, I find myself only making brief stops at my apartment to change clothes, pick up and/or drop off books, shower, and occasionally sleep. I wish I could pay rent based on actual occupancy time. I think it'd be about $54/month.

Step Out to fight diabetes.

I'd like to thank all of my friends and family who helped me raise money for the American Diabetes' Association's annual Step Out to fight Diabetes walk. I'd also like to thank the aforementioned "new female friend" - her name is Jacque - for showing and signing me up for the walk, as well as for supporting me by choosing to walk with me. It was a bittersweet event for me; at times I felt near tears, at others excited to be part of a fight to end something that's played an enormous role in my own life. Again, thanks to everyone who chose to support this cause.

Loveland Pass.

(Just an aside. I've received about 5 text messages while writing this blog reminding how great Nebraska's defense is playing this season. Thank you, I hadn't noticed. I think Big Tom is going to re-tool the Big Red after this season, and tackling may again become part of the agenda, right after he fires everyone on the coaching staff.)

We're not as tough as we look.

After the walk, Jacque and I headed west to Grand Junction on the western slope of Colorado to get out of the city, visit her aunt and uncle and hike around the Colorado National Monument. Between baseball and football games, we cooked Indian food and enjoyed being inside when the weather outside wasn't so hot. We finally made it onto the monument late Sunday as the skies cleared. It was cold but clear, crisp but beautiful. It was the first time I'd really been out of a city for a long time, and it was great.

Colorado National Monument.

We left Grand Junction Monday around noon and decided to take the long route back to Denver. Instead of traveling I-70, we headed south toward Aspen and the Maroon Bells, which were covered in snow after the weekend's weather. Independence Pass was (remarkably) still open, so we headed up and over and through a lot of snow. The sun was out but it was still well below freezing on the summit. Of course that didn't prevent us from taking a few pictures... We ate dinner that night at The Beau Jo's pizza in Idaho Springs. Just a recommendation, stay away from the gluten-free wheat crust. It ruins the pizza.

I'm just that happy to be at the Maroon Bells again.

At Jefferson County, I feel like I'm finally being paid to act like the 5-year-old boy I once was. This week we had bulldozer training and I spent an entire afternoon pushing dirt around a construction sight. The previous week I helped clear a clogged culvert with a backhoe. When we're not driving heavy machinery, we've been repairing some of the damaged trails and spending a lot of time outside - and it's been a great few weeks to spend outside.

World Series game 3. Photo courtesy of Andrew Schaefer and Schaefer Photography, LLC.

As some of you know, the Colorado Rockies made it to the World Series this year. While they didn't perform as well as anyone'd hoped, I was fortunate enough to attend the first World Series game in Coors Field history, thanks to my good friend Andrew Schaefer. Due to his flexible work schedule (he's a wedding photographer, if you know anyone getting married soon), he was able to sit in front of his computer for three hours one afternoon last week and get tickets to each of the scheduled three games in Denver. While the Rockies were swept from the Series, the experience was unmatched. Our seats allowed for wide-angle viewing of the game, which was exciting until Brian I-Don't-Ever-Want-to-Pitch-for-the-Colorado-Rockies-Again Fuentes did what he does best, which is not keeping a close game close. The loss was disappointing, but it was well worth the $101 ticket (yeah, Andy, I swear I'm good for the balance of my ticket. I get paid Monday.)

Plans are starting to come together for a trip to...

Check these guys out, they used to be the Refreshments. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.

Maroon Bells, mid-October.

In the name of national security.

2007-10-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

In case you've managed to miss the last 3 weeks of life in America, the Colorado Rockies are currently putting together one of the best runs in recent sporting memory. They've won 17 or their last 18 baseball games, including a first-round playoff sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, and are now about to begin the National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team they beat twice in three games two weeks ago. In Denver, the Broncos are experiencing unheard-of competition from a team that hasn't played an October game since 1995. People are Rockies crazy, almost instantly buying every available ticket to the upcoming home playoff games. A lot of it is bandwagon-ism, but I don't care. The excitement is palpable, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

The problem with our instant fanatics means tickets have become a luxury unfordable to most people. With this in mind, I'm suggesting we (Rockies fans) stop competing with one another and start buying seats in Phoenix. To attend two games in Denver, you're looking at spending around $300 per ticket to sit 35 rows behind the first base dugout (www.stubhub.com). That comes out to about $1250 for two people for two games. If you were to buy tickets to the first two games in Arizona to sit in the same area, you'd only be out $468. That's because Arizona's fans still haven't bought all available face-value tickets. You could fly round-trip for $614 (two people) and stay less than a mile from the ballpark for two nights for $360 at the Holiday Inn Express, which also has the benefit of making you feel smarter - which you probably are to take advantage of a Rockies playoff opportunity. They don't come often. Throw in around $200 for food - you're thrifty, shopping at the local market - and your total trip cost is about $1650 - only $400 more than seeing the game in Denver. Now, if you're lucky and have friends/family living in Phoenix and can cancel some of those hotel and food costs, you're in the black. It's cheaper to fly down to Phoenix for a couple of days, cheer the Rox on the road, and bask in the glory of the hottest team in baseball's incredible run.

From your Holiday Inn Express to Chase Field, only 0.9 miles.
View Larger Map

Unrelated: My place is coming together. If you decide to forgo the above travel itinerary and stay in Denver for the League Championship Series (and World Series?), consider this option.

Also unrelated: This morning I visited the Green Mountain Exempla Health Care Clinic for my pre-employment physical. Aside from being healthy enough to "eat a double cheeseburger," I also signed away my medical confidentialities in the name of national security. Under the section labeled "Special Situations," the clause shown below was listed.

Really? I'd like to know how my height, weight or blood pressure could possibly demarcate me as a risk to "the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state." "Hmmmm, he's 5'8", 151 lbs., and has yellow pee. We've got to get this son of a bitch!" I don't buy it.

The Wolverine

2007-09-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Most of you have figured this out by now, but I'm back in the states. I arrived in Omaha a couple of weeks ago after leaving Prague on a cool, wet morning. It seemed appropriate - the weather was nearly the same as when I first arrived nearly 8 months previous. During my intermittent visits, I'd seen rain, snow, naked trees and cold winds, early summer, green, crowds, more crowds, "all the sights," and again the cooling of the seasons; autumn. Sitting in my hostel the last day or so and watching the rain fall, I knew it was time to leave. New travelers came and went, full of the excitement of being in a city they'd never seen, I didn't feel that I was missing anything by staying warm and dry.

My family and a few friends still live in Omaha. I spent about a week there visiting, catching up and sharing stories. I also interviewed for a permanent job with Jefferson County's Department of Open Space for a job with their trail crew. I worked there last year before going abroad and while I like the work, I like the people more. It's a good place to work and it gives me the opportunity to live in Denver with my friends without being too far from home. Napa is a long way from Omaha.

It's been a busy week and a half since I arrived in Denver. Aside from seeing as many friends as possible, I've also been apartment shopping, and consequently, apartment-furnishing shopping. Right now I have a lot of clothes and some assorted sporting goods, but not much on which to sit or sleep. Two days ago - within about 45 minutes of one another - I received (and accepted) a job offer from JeffCo, and received (and accepted) a 1-bedroom apartment near Cheeseman Park. I move in on Monday. Things are going well.

My new address is:
1420 E 13th Ave # 9
Denver, CO 80218

View Larger Map
I will keep my PO Box, so if you're mailing stuff there, no need to stop.

I'll get a picture or two up when I move in next week, but if you're in the area, give me a call. New phone is 303-905-2750.

hmmmm

2007-09-28T09:37:00.001-07:00

If you're having a resolution problem with the slideshow below, you can watch it directly by clicking here. Thanks

Watch this

2007-09-25T21:30:00.001-07:00

Furthur – An Epilogue

2007-09-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

Rhine River

Greg, Joel and I planned a trip to Germany this week to visit Christian, a friend I met in New Zealand, whose family owns a winery. We needed to relax and decompress a bit from the last two months on the bikes, and we figured drinking wine and sleeping in real beds was a good place to start. We caught an overnight bus from Prague to Frankfurt and a train on to Bad Kreuznach, where Christian met us on Monday morning.

Old Town Frankfurt.

Frankfurt

We only traveled a few hundred miles, but we might as well have boarded the magic time-travel bus into the future. Arriving in Germany, we were pleasantly reminded what it’s like to exist in the first world. I’m not saying Prague isn’t a great city – it is. But there’s something undeniably “eastern-European” about it. It’s a combination of characteristics (tangible or otherwise) that are present across the Czech Republic and down through the Balkans (uh-hmm, communism). So walking into a modern, clean, traveler-oriented train station was amazing. Automated ticket machines gave us the option to pay by credit card, customer service representatives weren’t sitting behind dirty glass windows with cigarettes hanging from their mouths, and smoking in designated areas was actually enforced. Things got off to a good start.

Famous vineyards on the Rhine.

With the last-minute change of plans, Christian didn’t get our email explaining that we’d arrive Monday morning rather than Monday afternoon. It wasn’t a problem, though, and we headed to Langenlonsheim, stopping for breakfast along the way. After a mean breakfast fry up (and naps), we set out with Christian and his girlfriend Julia for a tour of the Nahe wine region, which is near the Rhine River. The weather cleared up just in time for a relaxing afternoon drive through dozens of vineyards, and we had coffee overlooking the Rhine in the late afternoon sun.

Christian and Julia above the Rhine.

Wine tasting in Jacob's vineyard.

After dinner, Christian presented to us a selection of his family’s wines. Not adhering strictly to a tasting format, we drank the better part of 6 bottles that night. Christian has a degree in oenology and viticulture (winemaking and vine growing, respectively) and will be the winemaker at Clemens Honrath Winery (his family’s) when his father retires. Therefore, he was able to explain to us many characteristics about each wine, from the soil types of each vineyard, to the time each wine was in barrel, to the specific weather conditions each year that produced certain attributes in each bottle. It was the best wine tasting I’ve ever done because we were able to ask him anything without being made to feel stupid or un(der)educated. The wine is quite nice, too.

It would be difficult for Julia to look less interested.

The next two days were full of late mornings and visits to many of Christian’s friends’ wineries. We tasted and learned a lot, and it’s clear that Christian and his friends are passionate about what they do. That was reflected in their patience with us, the quality of the wines they produce, and their desire to continue to make a better product every year. Making good wine is a full-time, year-round job, and as Jacob said, he’d do it even if he wasn’t making money. The difference is that I believe him. Each of Christian’s friends welcomed us and made us feel at home, even helping Joel with his German.

Joel and Greg soak in the view.

Greg left on Thursday morning and Joel and I took some time to visit Bad Kreuznach. That evening the four of us made dinner and relaxed with a few more bottles of wine. Christian managed to outdo himself by presenting a Clemens Honrath 1982 noble-late-harvest sweet wine, a Reisling, from his personal library. He followed that with a 2001 Bordeaux blend (merlot, cab franc, cab sauv) from Robertson Winery in South Africa. Both of these wines were phenomenal, and Joel and I felt very fortunate to experience them with Christian. Seeing as it was nearly impossible to go up from there, we decided on a nightcap of a few German beers.

The future of Clemens Honrath Winery gains inspiration from the past.

And so I sit in Frankfurt waiting for a bus that will come shortly to take me back to Prague (again overnight). I spent the day walking around the city, most of which is really new, at least relative to many of the other places we’ve visited during the past couple of months. From the pictures I’ve seen, Frankfurt was leveled during WWII. The “old town” is nice but small, and much the city is now modern, lacking a “personal” feel. It looks more like Minneapolis than anything I’ve seen lately, complete with a big river running through the center of town. But my first trip to Germany has been a memorable one, and I hope to return.

Frankfurt's banking district.

Greg and Joel now gone, our trip is really over. It’s sinking in that I’ll be in the states in a few days, and I’m having mixed emotions about returning home. I’m excited to see my family and friends – it’s been too long. But this experiment – this experience, this past year – has been the best of my life. I’ve struggled with my own limits and been forced to change course more than once. I’ve made new friends, seen old places, and learned that you can never lose your “family.”

If you want some unsolicited advice (after buying property in Montenegro and visiting Bosnia, which I’ve already covered), get “out there.” “Out there” may be Peace Corps in Swaziland, it may be teaching English in Prague, or it may be making a decision that’s really for you, but it’s got to be uncomfortable, and it’s better if the odds are stacked against you. Take calculated risks. Don’t hesitate to try something that everyone tells you is crazy, and if you fail, fail well. Fail because you’ve given it all you’ve got, fail because you’ve run into a wall at full speed, fail because there’s no overtime and you chose to go for the win instead of the tie. But don’t fail because it’s too hard, too steep, or too long – for then you have truly failed. What’s more, you’ll probably succeed anyway - we’re smarter than we think and capable of more than we know. And that’s why I don’t want this to end.

This didn't make the cut from Belgrade. I know I'm acting like an 11-year old. It's still funny.

go furthur

And So It Ends...

2007-09-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Downtown Bucharest

We left Veliko Tarnovo and rode north toward the Romanian border, losing elevation as we approached the Danube River Valley. We arrived in Ruse at the end of another long, hot day, but this time with the added joy of humidity. So when we found a hotel room with air conditioning, we quickly settled up and bought some beer. Ruse doesn’t offer much, so we rested that night and crossed the Danube the following morning as we headed toward Bucharest.

The House of the People

Bucharest's own Arc de Triumph

Bucharest is a city still emerging from many years under a dictator with a “Western” complex. In some respects he succeeded; it’s at times Paris-esque (or so I’ve heard). The buildings lay along streets lined with trees and fountains. In fact, Nicolae Ceauşescu (the dictator) built one of his boulevards exactly (and intentionally) 6 meters longer than the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Bucharest has an Arc de Triumph situated in an enormous traffic circle, and in what is widely considered his cruelest urban planning effort, a Parliament building which required the bulldozing of 1/6 of the city’s area, displacing nearly 70,000 of it’s inhabitants. And he had the balls to call it “The House of the People.” Not kidding.

Cercul Militar Naţional

But for all the “westernized” areas of Bucharest, it is distinctly a product of years of communism. It’s thick and gray and sprawling. Furthermore, Romania falls exponentially behind progress with distance from its capital. Stray dogs are a problem country wide, along with poverty and gypsies, who are also known as Roma. Some studies show they are Indian in origin, but they’ve been around long enough to speak their own language and solidify their place as national “outcasts.” Often they live in their own communities at the edges of towns, and fierce nationalism across the Balkans has made their lives difficult.

"House of the People" from Ceauşescu's knock-off Champs-Elysees

Again

Our trip dynamic changed dramatically in Bucharest as Greg had to leave for Ljubljana, where he would meet his choir for a tour of Slovenia. That left Joel and I to explore the city in the heat and humidity. We tried to stay outside in the evenings, and we soon found ourselves on the roof of the National Theatre at an outdoor bar. However, we were feeling cosmopolitan (despite our dress) and headed next to a bar called Twice. For more reasons than our style of dress, we didn’t exactly fit in. But we had a great time dancing that evening. And that was Bucharest. The following day was basically the same. Sightseeing by day, beer and dancing by night. We left on a rainy Sunday afternoon by train toward Brasov.

Brasov, Old Town

Brasov, Old Town, lucky picture.

Brasov is Romania’s domestic tourist destination. It’s known for its Old Town Square, its varied architecture, and simply being the gateway to Transylvania. In a beautiful area, Brasov manages to impress. We also visited Bran, the mythical home of Count Dracula, and Rasnov, where Joel honed his bow-and-arrow skills. After a couple of nights, we were ready for our final day on the bikes, and we left for Sighisoara, 122km away. It was our longest day ride of the trip, and the weather was wonderful. After a night there, we caught a train to Cluj-Napoca where Lynne, my second cousin once removed (or maybe my second aunt?) lives with her husband Jim. They’re (you guessed it) volunteers with the Peace Corps working with the local prisons, stray dogs, and a few other things.

Joel works on his sweet bow skills.

Lynne and Jim took us in, cooked us dinner, and gave us beer. When we weren’t eating, drinking, or watching South Park on www.tv-links.co.uk, we also managed to sell our bikes and buy Joel some Nasonex. We actually had so much fun hanging out with Lynne and Jim that we didn’t see much of Cluj. On Friday, we left on a minibus for Budapest, minus the bikes. After an infuriating night in Budapest (see sidebar), we caught a train to Prague, and the greatest adventure on two wheels came to an end.

Sighisoara

I haven’t had much time to decompress and reflect on the previous two months, and I imagine that will take some time. I do know that it’s been a life-altering experience. Together, we bicycled over a mountain pass in the Alps, through lavender fields on islands in the Adriatic Sea, and below tunnels that seemed to run on forever. We witnessed progress, westernization, and scars slowly healing. We met people who’d lived under communism and experienced the horrors of senseless wars that took the lives of their friends and families. And yet it was these people who opened their homes to us, shared their food and drink with us, and talked with us about what it means to live in such an area. It's clear that life changes after living through such things. It has been remarkable.

Rasnov

Sidebar

2007-09-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

It happens to foreigners in big cities everywhere. You probably know someone who knows someone who’s got a story like the one I’m about to tell. It involves the unsuspecting Americans, the ones too stupid to see they’re being played. It’s typically a sob story of some nature, and ours is no different.

But the night began well. After all, we were in Budapest; the bikes sold long ago. Having spent the previous Christmas there, we were excited to see the city by summer with its warm nights and beautiful people along the Danube. We’d been approached by a couple of girls we suspected to be Scandinavian (or perhaps Dutch) asking directions. Unable to help, they told us about an outdoor concert and we said it sounded nice but were headed the other direction. “Good luck,” we said.

After finishing our beers on the Chain Bridge, we began walking back into town and decided we’d head toward the outdoor concert and look for the girls. It’d be good to hear some music, we were out of beer, and let’s be honest, the girls weren’t a tough sell, either. So when we were stopped by two more women along the way (and I say women because they were - ya know - attractive women in their 30s) also asking directions, we didn’t plan on chatting for long. But they were headed the same way and asked us if we wanted to have a quick drink.

It didn’t take us long to say yes. After all, you know what they say about a bird in hand. So when we began walking toward a restaurant, we assumed a beer was a beer. We’d have one, yuck it up with these “old ladies” for a few minutes, and be on our way to the more appropriately aged ones at the outdoor concert. I made the first mistake, which was going to the toilet before getting to the table.

When I arrived at the table, there were already four wine glasses, four shots of schnapps, and two energy drinks (the women ordered these for themselves). The waitress was uncorking the wine bottle, and I was confused. It seemed strange that they wouldn’t even wait for me to arrive from the toilet before ordering. So as the wine was poured from a half-liter bottle, I was already suspicious that something wasn’t right (half-liter bottles of wine are often really expensive).

The conversation wasn’t stellar, either. The woman talking with Joel seemed riveted to every word that came out of his mouth and laughed (excessively?) at all of his jokes. The one talking to me was pretty much the same. This made me very uncomfortable (I’m not really laugh-out-loud funny). When the conversation turned to our accommodation for the night, we explained we didn’t have much money and were staying in a hostel. “It’s like a hotel for poor kids,” we said. Joel’s “date” then extended an offer of returning to their place later that night, presumably after going to the discos. At this point, I knew we were going to get fucked.

When the waitress returned asking if we wanted another bottle of wine, I clearly said “no,” and Joel followed my lead. After all, we were leaving early the next morning and had to get to bed (we managed to work that into the conversation about as smoothly as they worked their ex-boyfriends in). My suspicions confirmed, the bill was 44,000 forints, which converts to about $240.00. Not surprisingly, the women had no cash. However, the waitress was “kind enough” to show us outside to an ATM. As Joel headed out, I asked to see a menu (having not been, uh, afforded the opportunity before ordering). The energy drinks were $20 each, the shots the same. The bottle of wine was about $120. Sweet.

I asked if the menu was for “stupid tourists,” and tried a bit to fight our way out of it. But Joel was already tapping the cash machine, and by the time he returned, the bill was paid in full. Still slightly in shock (and hoping my mental conversion was way wrong), we left the restaurant with the women. We walked to the corner together where we said our goodbyes, turning down an only slightly veiled offer of “more fun.”

I don’t get seriously angry often. It’s only when I’ve been taken advantage of, betrayed, or, in this case, robbed. The walk home that night was at a fast pace, and I mastered a vernacular in which the word “fuck” assumed nearly every known part of speech. I was furious with the women for clearly taking advantage of us, but in reality, I was probably more upset for allowing it to happen. We should have seen it from a mile away - the restaurant too good for us, and the women, well, we had no business with those women, for any reason. We were set up and knocked down. I would have rather taken my bike and thrown in into the Danube River than spend the money from it’s sale to halve the cost of our night with Joel.

A de-briefing not withstanding, the lessons learned from this night are clear, and I won’t bore you with a drawn-out explanation. I’ve been through it more times in my head during the last 48 hours than anyone could ever dream. I guess it just goes to show that you’ve got to stay sharp all the time. While I was upset for a little while, there’s no way I could let it dampen the previous two months. It’s disappointing that it happened at the end of the trip, but it could have been worse. I still recommend Budapest, but now that recommendation comes with a small caveat.

Crankin' Along

2007-08-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

Sofia from 2000 meters.

So after gorging myself on John and Nancy's high-speed internet uploading videos to YouTube during our first day in Sofia, we finally got out of the house and saw the town. Well, let me back up a minute. Greg and Joel did visit the US Embassy on the first day, and returned from the "American Store" with peanut butter, Dinty More and Ruffles. That night John and Nancy grilled hamburgers and we enjoyed our first "American" meal of the trip.

St Nedelya Church

Russian Church in Sofia.

The following day we decided to get back to nature (sort of) and explore Mt Vitosha, which rises high above Sofia on the south side of the city. We rode two ski lifts to avoid hiking up, and this was a good thing, because we didn't get started 'till well after noon. It felt amazing to be in big mountains again, and looking down across the wide valley below, the smog-choked city of Sofia might as well have been Denver. After a few hours in the alpine, we began walking down the mountain (we missed the last chair) before Nancy met us in the car. That night we met John and had dinner at a local microbrewery.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - note gold-brick roads below.

It wasn't before our final day "in Sofia" that we actually made it into Sofia. We followed the Lonely Planet's suggested walking route of the town and enjoyed being full-on tourists for an afternoon. Sofia is beautiful and yet undeniably the product of many years of communism. Near the stunning Alexander Nevsky Cathedral you'll find things like the National Palace of Culture, which is perfectly ugly (and not surprisingly opened under the Iron Curtain). However, after walking around the golden brick streets for an afternoon, we felt satiated with Sofia and returned to John and Nancy's for a traditional Bulgarian dinner of shopska salad and stuffed peppers. We followed it with some Rakia and cigars, courtesy of John. It was tough to leave the next day. We'd experienced unmatched hospitality and kindness and we all felt as "at home" as we had since, well, leaving home. So, John and Nancy, thank you again for everything.

John and Nancy with "the smelly boys."

We call him "Joel the Lionhearted."

We headed out of town by train to Karlovo, and with some fellow Peace Corps contacts from John, we met up with Matt Sumpter, a volunteer living in Kalofer. Matt works with the local municipality on a few different projects, but spends a lot of his time "advertising" the community and nearby national park in an attempt to bring more visitors to the region. Their website is actually modeled on the state of Colorado's tourism site, so check it out if your planning a trip to Bulgaria any time soon. Matt opened his flat to us and we all enjoyed dinner in town that night. As a note, we also saw our second burning car of the trip.

The Balkan Range

Biking through central Bulgaria.

The next morning we headed out on the bikes for one of our better rides. Heading east, we soon began our accent of Shipka Pass, passing through the town of Shipka and the most heavily plated, gold-domed church I've ever seen. It shown brightly on the hillside from miles away, and upon approach became more impressive. That was before the 14-km climb to the top of the pass, which was long and challenging. The view was alright, but the mass amounts of traffic (the pass to the east was closed for repair) made the climb longer, louder and smokier than it should have been. The decent was steep and fast as we passed through dense forests approaching Gabravo, where we'd meet up with Casey and Lindsey Foltz, also Peace Corps volunteers.

High country on Mt Vitosha

Casey and Lindsey welcomed us into their spacious flat and even let us do a load of laundry. So after stashing our bikes on their neighbor Amanda's porch, we showered and headed out for dinner. Casey and Lindsay also work for the municipality on a number of local projects. The next morning they took us to the local orphanage, which they explained is actually one of the nicer facilities of its kind in Bulgaria. We met many of the kids and spent about an hour with them before heading to lunch and back on the road. We rode on toward Veliko Tarnovo and met Melanie (yeah, also Peace Corps) in another town just up the hill.

John and Nancy would call this a "Bulgarian moment." Trash dumpster in the middle of town burning, and no one seems to mind.

VT, as it's called, has received a lot of attention of late, and the Lonely Planet has even gone as far as calling it the "new Prague." We all agreed that's blasphemy, but it's a town not without charms. It was once the capital of Bulgaria, and a fortress stands proudly above a large kink in the river. At night, a laser-light show captivates tourists. We missed it last night because we were still eating dinner, but we'll try and make it tonight. Tomorrow we're headed north toward the Danube River, which we'll see for the third time this trip. It's also the border with Romania, and with any luck we'll be in Bucharest in two days time. Thanks again to everyone with the Peace Corps who've welcomed us along our journey. It's been wonderful to speak with Americans again, and your hospitality won't be forgotten.

Fortress by night.

Fortress by day.

route update

View Larger Map

Wild Life

2007-08-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

As it goes, we struggled to get out of Sarajevo in a timely fashion. We went on what nearly became a 4-hour wild goose chase in search of a Fed Ex, all the while using directions from a well-meaning woman who was instead thinking of a DHL. Problem is, DHL didn't do what we needed. We needed Fed Ex. Eventually we found a Fed Ex, but it was about 5km from the DHL and not in the direction we needed to go. So after getting things sewn up with the package people, we struck north toward Visoko and the "world's largest pyramids", or so we thought.

See, it's a "pyramid."

Upon visitation/investigation, we believe the "pyramids" to be nothing more than generally pyramidally shaped mountains, or, as some people believe, a mass-marketing scheme. I suppose with a bit of creativity, you can see pyramids, but Giza these ain't. However, because we had a late start, we didn't mind spending the night in Visoko in favor of an early start the next day. This turned out to be a good thing.

Yeah, so I mentioned in a previous post that buying property in Montenegro might be a good investment. Well, this isn't Montenegro.

First, let's get something out in the open. Bad maps prevent good planning and often lead to frustration. This was the case for most of our day, and the frustration was magnified as Greg and I thought back to our decision two days earlier; "we don't need a better map, it's expensive and this one's got the roads we need." Well, 12 hours, 120km (lots of backtracking) and a really steep, rocky pushing section later, we found somewhere to camp in the Bosnian countryside. But things were (almost) all up from this point. We ran across the first major wildlife of our trip in the form of the meanest, ugliest, hairiest woman any of us have ever seen. We call her the grizzly bear. She tried to charge us 20 Euro per person for a room without a bathroom or running water. Luckily, a family was grilling out across the road and saved us time and money by translating and telling us not to take her room, and that we'd be better off to sleep outside. One of the men was a local cop, and he assured us that no one would bother us there; it was perfectly legal for us to stay all night. We sat around and talked for a while, and it turned out they were Muslims from Albania and Bosnia taking a short holiday. They gave us beer and fired up the grill, cooking the rest of their food for us and leaving us with more than we could manage.

Engineers take note.

That night, the leftover trash attracted what Greg initially thought was a wolf. We yelled loudly and scared it away, but when it returned an hour later, we watched it for a while before deciding it was not a wolf, but something much smaller. We thought it'd be a good idea to charge it and scare it away because it was keeping us awake as it rummaged around the bottles and bags. So I put on my shoes and picked up a rock and started running toward it. About half way there, I realized it was a lot bigger than a raccoon, and in fact it was probably a coyote. No matter. It was more scared than me and after it ran off we built the fire back up and slept well the rest of the night. How could we not when we were sleeping in such a masterfully designed shelter (engineer friends of ours, take note)?

Skinned sheep - 9am.

We planned on riding about 80km the next day, but were slow getting out of bed. Just as we were about to leave the site at 9am, a car pulled up and a man got out, walking over and re-starting the fire we'd just extinguished. We said hello, but he didn't speak much English. Over the next 5 minutes, a few of his friends arrived and offered us a beer. We knew we were walking a fine line, but accepted the offer as "stretching beers." Well, during the coarse of our stretching, about 15 more guys showed up with two sheep (one cooked, the other prepared for a rotisserie-style slow cook over the coals), 10 cases of beer, and a soccer ball. Our "stretching beers" just below half full, we were presented with a second round (by now it's about 9:30a) and an invitation to spend the day with these guys and share in the lamb-roasting festivities. We decided that 'cause we had to go so far that day, it'd be best to hit the road "as soon as these beers are finished." Yeah, right.

Skinned sheep 3 hours later. Notice we're "ready to ride" only in a clothing sense.

The next 5 hours were a party the likes of which we may never experience again. We had 3-on-3 soccer matches (the USA didn't fair too well in the international match), drank about 7 or 8 beers each, and had a few shots of bourbon to balance out the 2 - 3 pounds of lamb we inhaled. These guys were thinking ahead. They had cooked one lamb the night before so that they wouldn't have to wait the 3 hours for the second lamb to cook. So between beer and soccer, we gorged on lamb, Ćevapi and bread. Turns out these guys all worked together at a shoe factory and came camping once a year at this spot together. They were all Muslim (hence the lamb), and welcomed us completely, sharing stories and telling jokes, listening to music and even inviting us to stay the night back at their homes - after all, 80km was looking harder and harder. But as the storm clouds rolled in, they decided to move the picnic to a better campsite with more shelter, and we decided to ride toward Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srpska (but not without a heaping plate of freshly finished lamb and a loaf of bread from the guys).

The sheep scene.

Riding 80km in rain while drunk is not a good idea. We survived the drunk part, but the hangover, combined with the professional lamb consumption of the morning, made for a long, cold, wet afternoon. Arriving in Banja Luka (Бања Лука - yeah, we've moved onto the Cyrillic alphabet now), we found a hotel and dried out before passing out. It'd been a long day, and we didn't make it out of the hotel 'till almost noon the next day. We were planning on touring around the city, but we met someone in the hotel lobby who dramatically changed our plans.

Nikola is a 63-year old, rally racer-turned-drag-racer-car-modification specialist. We started talking in the lobby and quickly hit it off with stories from our bike trip and his rally racing past. Turns out he and his son have been the numbers 1 and 2 rally drivers in the Republika Srpska over the past 4 years. Nikola's son, Nikica also rides bikes, so Nikola offered to take us to his house and introduce us to his son and his drag racing car.

Arriving at his flat, we were amazed as he fired up his Peugeot 205 MI 32, which he's modified by adding another engine! The front engine drives the front tires and the rear the rear. It's a one-of-a-kind vehicle that Greg was lucky enough to get test drive in. Joel and I laughed as we listened to Nikola and Greg screaming around Banja Luka. We talked with Nikica, who does freelance web design when he's not racing cars or bikes, who has posted the story of the car, along with some videos and pictures of the car on the net. After the test drive, Nikola offered to give us a tour of town in their 1 of 400 special addition unmarked Peugeot 405 T 16. It's a street legal version of the car that's won the Paris - Dakar road race a number of times, and it's really fast. We had to take him up on this offer, and we felt like VIPs as we were whisked around town at very high speed.

Greg = co-pilot.

Nikola's one-of-a-kind Peugeot 205 MI 32.

That afternoon we also visited the Motel Dragana, owned by one of Nikola's friends. There we participated in the Bosnian putt-putt golf championships and dined on the river. We were treated very well, and I've got to say that if you're ever in Banja Luka, this is the place to stay. After our late lunch, we headed back into town, but not before Nikola took us to one last place. You see, the best view of town is from the WWII monument high on the mountainside, but because it was Sunday, the road was closed. Well, Nikola carries a bit of weight in Banja Luka, and after telling the guard he was escorting "very important American journalists working on a big story," we were allowed to drive to the top of the mountain. As we arrived, a beautiful rainbow appeared over town, and Nikola spoke candidly with us about the recent war and his interpretations of the events of the mid 1990s. We were grateful of his willingness to share with us, and very appreciative of his open-minded approach to the story. He recognizes that everyone has a slightly different view of that difficult time and encouraged us to listen to his story, but also to do our own research. Although it's difficult to call one amazing day better than another at this point, we were truly humbled in Banja Luka by Nikola and Nikica's kindness and willingness to share their time with us. There's no doubt that we could have easily spent a week with them, sharing stories, riding bikes and learning from one another.

Special Report: Rainbow over Banja Luka.

Graphic depiction of the Nazis on WWII monument above Banja Luka.

So after Nikola dropped us back at the hotel, we had only a few hours before our overnight train left for Belgrade. Arriving at the train station we were faced with the common hurdle of, "there are no bikes allowed on this train." After numerous requests of the conductor and the help of many locals curious by the silly bicyclists, we wore him down and he relented with the caveat that we may only make it to Croatia where rules about baggage are "very strict." Breaking down the bikes and "stowing" them in a train car is an exercise to be avoided at all costs. It's difficult and time-consuming. However, we secured our gear just as the train pulled out of the station and after 8 semi-sleepless hours aboard the train, we arrived in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Here's some more free advice: visit Bosnia (by bike if possible). The people are amazing, friendly, and helpful at every turn (this is probably an understatement). We were welcomed nearly everywhere by people of different race, faith and economic background, all of whom shared their resources, but more importantly, their time and friendship. The country is physically stunning and offers far-reaching history that's relevant to us all.

Serbian Parliament

With Greg feeling a bit under the weather and not much time, Belgrade became an independent adventure for the three of us. While we spent some time together, we mostly freelanced, seeing what we thought to be the most important sights. Belgrade has an enormous fortress at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers, which has been the subject of many battles between many powerful peoples. It's the thing to see in the city that never sleeps, and provides a relaxing spot to spend an afternoon surrounded by trees and grass instead of buildings and concrete.

Belgrade fortress.

Beer on Skadarlija

The pedestrian streets are full of outdoor cafes and beautiful women are seemingly everywhere. We've heard the nightlife is among the best in Europe, but the one night we spent in town was relatively relaxed. We drank beer and ate Italian in Skadarlija, the hip, bohemian quarter of the city. And as we sat eating, I was surprised when someone covered my eyes from behind. Nikola and Maria had driven into town to celebrate Nikola's birthday, and they happened to run into us that night. After dinner we shared a few beers and a group of musicians played and sang to us at our table. Nikola and Maria danced before heading back to Banja Luka, a much shorter 3 hours by car (that's with Nikola behind the wheel, otherwise it's more like 4).

Beer in Belgrade with Nikola and Maria.

Nikola and Maria have a dance before hitting the road.

The next day I visited Josip Broz Tito's grave site and a few of the well-known government buildings before relaxing in the park.

St Mark's Orthodox Church in Belgrade. Construction started in the 1930s and it's still not finished.

Cafe along the old walls of the fortress in Belgrade, high above the Danube River.

That night we hopped another train to Sophia, and it proved to be the most interesting train yet. The trip started well. I was talking with the station supervisor and he helped us out by talking to the conductor, telling him the station master had allowed us to secure a compartment for our bikes and that we only had to pay 10 Euro to do so. So bikes aboard, we dozed off for a few hours. But then things got weird. At about 1am, the police came through checking passports. If we'd been at a border, this wouldn't have been strange. But because we were still in the middle of Serbia, it was odd. A couple of hours later at the border, the guards came through and checked our passports, asking us to open the compartment with our bikes. We couldn't do this as the conductor had locked it, so when they unlocked it and started snooping around we got a bit nervous. Then they started taking pictures in the ceiling with a digital camera, and no sooner did we hear loud, destructive sounds coming from the cabin did they start pulling carton after carton of cigarettes out of the space above the lights. At this point, I think we might be headed to jail. It's the middle of the night, no one speaks English, and the "authorities" have found what appears to be a cigarette smuggling operation in the cabin with nothing other than our bikes. No one is telling us anything and our bikes and bags have been ransacked. But nothing else happened. The train sat and sat, and the Bulgarian border guards finally entered, checking and stamping our passports. Then the train started moving again. It was surreal and we couldn't figure out what had happened. But when I got up to try and reorder the bikes, I noticed a group of people in plain sight of the conductor with more cases of cigarettes, and they were stashing them in the ceiling of the bathroom! No one ever told us what was actually happening, but best we could make they were testing the border patrols by hiding contraband throughout the train. In the end nothing else happened, aside from being overcharged by the Bulgarian conductors for the bikes. We got off the train in Sophia and rode on our way.

And that's where we are now, resting peacefully in John and Nancy Sasser's house just south of town. John is the director of Peace Corps operations here in Bulgaria and Greg is good friends with their son, with whom he worked in Colorado. We'll be here for a couple of days so I'll try and get a few more updates posted before we head out. and sorry this is so long - I hope the videos make up for the length.

route update
Because we've finally found some fast internet, I've posted a number of other videos from the trip here on youtube.

Other videos...
Crazy road in Montenegro (extended version)

High-country camping.

˝Jebeš zemlju koja Bosanca nema˝

2007-08-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Riding up to 1900 meters.

I`ll translate that soon... But now I`ll pick up where I left off with the last post, which was Zabljak. We left on a rainy morning a few days ago knowing we were probably riding into a damp, cold day. After all, we had to climb to 1900 meters before riding through a 10km stretch of ˝high country˝ in Durmitor National Park before really beginning to descend. So we went for it, and it was beautiful. The clouds stayed just above the road as asphalt turned to gravel and bare rock. The valley to our south was full of dried lakes and sheep herders moving their flocks up or down valley. The weather was cool and misty, but not bad for riding. That soon changed.

The road ahead was long, wet and cold.

Beginning our descent, we found the rain. It was windy and wet, and we decided after lunch to take the more-travelled of our two road options, which led down to a river, and hopefully warmer, drier riding. What we found was nothing short of the best road any of us had ever experienced. I´d guess we passed through more than 30 tunnels on our descent toward Bosnia. The road was steep and perched high above a cobalt-blue reservoir hundreds of feet below. The tunnels were rough, many of them not illuminated except by the occasional holes in the roof. About half of the tunnels had turns inside, which made riding them an exercise in faith because the light from our headlamps seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness of the tunnels.

Canyon from the dam along the sweet road.

After being told to get off the 220 meter high dam, we continued out of Montenegro and into Bosnia to a town called Foča, about 25km from the border. We were a bit unsure about what to expect being Americans in this town. It`s in the Serbian Republic section of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we`d heard differing opinions about people`s reactions to Americans based on our role in the mid-1990s war. What we found was a confirmation of the phrase, ˝Jebeš zemlju koja Bosanca nema,˝ which directly translated means, ˝Fuck the country that doesn`t have Bosnia in it.˝ It`s a reference to the days of Yugoslavia when the people were so proud of being associated with Bosnia because the people are so kind. We stopped at a bar in Foča to ask directions to a hotel, and although the kids spoke no English, they understood we needed somewhere to sleep. After recognizing the futility of verbally communicating directions, one kid motioned for us to wait while he got his car, escorting us all the way to the hotel. The attendants at the gas station talked with us for 10 minutes about our trip, and the woman at the hotel was exceptionally kind to us. A man burning tires in a junk yard yelled hello as we rode by, and half of the people driving on the roads shout some kind of encouraging remark as they pass us. And because of this overwhelming hospitality, we`ve decided to stay in Bosnia a bit longer than planned, taking a few more days to ride north to Banja Luka, the capital of the Serbian Republic.

The straw that broke the camel`s back; the spot from where heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, starting World War I.

Contrasts like this are everywhere. This is on the highway into town.

But that`s the future, and right now we`re in Sarajevo, home of the 1984 Winter Olympics and a devastating war - one who`s effects will linger forever. We left Foča on another cold, wet morning, and began climbing through the mountains that hosted the aforementioned Olympics. It was going to be an 80 km day, half of which was up hill (that was the nice part - it was dry).

The Holiday Inn, home to journalists and diplomats during the war.

The downhill was wet and cold, and arriving in Sarajevo, we barley noticed as we rode through Sniper Alley and past the Holiday Inn, the only hotel to remain open for the duration of the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted nearly 1400 days. We quickly found some great private accommodation and warmed up before heading into town for some traditional Bosnian dinner, which we followed with a couple 1-liter steins of beer at the Sarajevo Brewery.

First night in Sarajevo.

The past few days have been a mix of museums, restaurants, and time spent wandering around a city with an undeniable appreciation of life. The two dominant people groups here are the Muslims and Catholics, both of whom were the targets of the Serbian aggression (the Serbians are by and large of the Orthodox faith). In this cultural crossroads, mosques dot the skyline amid cathedrals, and people of both faiths daily interact as they eat, drink, work and travel together. This all happens below war-scarred buildings and above shell-pocked streets, sandwiched in between new cemeteries full of those killed during the conflict. As in Mostar, many buildings remain damaged but lived-in, a daily reminder for all who pass that hate is real, but hope is strong. In the streets the sounds of construction are constant. New buildings grower taller by the day, and many of the damaged ones are slowly repaired as holes are filled and walls rebuilt. This city is beautiful in as many was as I can define that word, and I will never forget my time here.

Pigeon Square, the typical shot from Sarajevo.

Our first day in town was laid-back as we recovered from a bit of beer the night before. I walked up to the Olympic stadium and took a few pictures, but basically just wandered around town. We ended the day watching the sun set as we ate dinner on a fortress wall above the city. It was nice to be dry and off the bikes.

Sun set the first night.

Over the last few days we`ve visited a museum with a war exhibit, as well as the tunnel museum, which is all about the 800m long tunnel below the airport runway that served as an escape from the city while it was surrounded during the siege.

Joel walking through the only remaining part of the tunnel at the tunnel museum.

Memorialized shell explosion. These are all over the city.

For our last night, we bought tickets to a UEFA Champions League qualification match (soccer) between Sarajevo and a team from Belgium. Although Sarajevo lost 1-0, they still gained entrance to the next round based on points (this is why I don`t like soccer), so the city went crazy. The match was exciting because of the energy and chanting, and someone even lit the flag of the other team on fire just behind us in the stands. The fire department arrived, but not after allowing the flag to be totally consumed did they stamp out the remaining ashes.

Our first European soccer match.

Building near the former Olympic village.

also check joels and gregs blogs, linked at the right side of the page.
route update

Free Advice

2007-08-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Dubrovnik city walls.

It's been a week, but a lot has happened. We left Mostar and rode south to Medugorje, a town that's become a pilgrimage location for many Catholics. In 1981, six teenagers claim to have seen the Virgin Mary on the hillside. Since that time, the town has exploded despite missing the Catholic Church's official recognition of the validity of the apparition. We enjoyed the afternoon at the church and the sight of the apparition, but soon headed on toward Croatia and Dubrovnik.

Joel's bike broke down about 5km into Croatia, and it took us nearly three hours to get it running again. However, it was getting dark and we didn't know what to expect on the road ahead. We decided to sleep in the bocce ball court where we repaired the bikes. The police didn't seem to mind when they drove by as we set up our beds, and we slept well.

No bed like a bocce ball pitch.

Managed to get a flat tire about 3 km from this sign.

We arrived in Dubrovnik the next day after a brutal climb through a part of Croatia that looked like Mexico (with landmines). I got a flat about 5km from a minefield, and as my bike started to fall sideways off the road, we all braced for catastrophe. Tragedy averted and tire repaired, we pressed on and up the toughest sustained climb we've done so far. That was followed by a few more big uphills, but eventually we found the sea and Dubrovnik. Our apartment was located up on the hill above the harbor and had great views of the Lepad Peninsula. After showers and a few beers, we were ready to head out.

View from our room in Dubrovnik - first night.

The streets of Dubrovnik are made of white marble.

Greg and I wandered into town that night not knowing what to expect. We barely made it into the town walls when we met four girls from Denver who just happened to know a bunch of our friends from college. That night we had drinks and enjoyed talking to someone else - anyone who spoke English as their first language and hadn't been on a bike with us for the previous month. Their apartment had air conditioning, so we stopped in for wine from big straws and spaghetti.

We agreed to meet again the following night for a walk around the city walls in Dubrovnik. The city is beautiful from inside, but from the walls surrounding town, it shines. As the sun set, we tried to soak it all in. it was amazing. We ate pizza before the girls had to catch a bus back to Sarajevo (they're working there for the summer) and after buying a few beers, we watched The Simpsons Movie at an outdoor theater in Dubrovnik's Old Town. The city is great, the girls were awesome (thanks again for everything, sorry we're not getting into Sarajevo sooner), and we left feeling pretty good.

Walking the walls with the girls (hope you don't mind me posting your pics).

Dubrovnik from the city wall walk.

Just a note. Don't buy bicycle inner tubes in Dubrovnik. They only have valves that don't work with normal pumps. It took us three hours of frustration to come to this conclusion. Come prepared, or don't bother. Obviously, we didn't make many kilometers that day, and we slept in a vineyard just about 500 meters from the border of Montenegro.

Old Town Dubrovnik from the ride south.

Not a bad place to sleep.

So after picking up the first stamp in our passports since leaving Czech, we rode into Montenegro and toward Kotor, a small town at the head of the deepest fjord in southern Europe. It is a beautiful area with a fortress that rises high above the water below. After spending the afternoon resting by the sea, we climbed about 2000 feet out of the valley to the best campsite we've had so far. it overlooked the Adriatic and a large inlet to the fjord, and we slept well in the cool air. It was probably the first time the nighttime low temp has been below 85F in three weeks.

Kotor fjord at sunset. This was basically the view from where we slept.

Climbing on, we survived our first 100km day of the trip. Everyone rode hard as we entered the mountainous country of Montenegro (Crna Gora; Black Mountain), but it's been kicking our asses. Making the riding harder are the friendliest people we've met so far. Almost everyone wants to know where we're from, where we started, where we're going, and if we need any help. yesterday, a well-meaning man gave us beer and brandy at noon just before a 3000 foot climb. Well intentioned, but we paid for it.

Montenegran high country.

We followed the 100km day with another 80km into Zabljak, where we now sit. today we saw the Tara Canyon (second deepest in the world behind the Grand Canyon) and I visited Black Lake, which is really two lakes because the water is so low. Southern Europe is currently experiencing the worst year on record for wildfires, and the air quality for much of our trip has done nothing to dispel that statement. Anyway, the water in town doesn't run from 11p - 6a daily. Unavoidable, I guess.

Standing in the Tara Canyon

So now for that free advice. After all, if you've made it this far, you deserve something, right? Buy land near Zabljak. Simple, I know. But let me make my case. Beautiful town in the tallest mountains in the country with a ski resort at the base. Twelve kilometers from the second deepest canyon in the world. In a National Park. Looks like Crested Butte did 30 years ago. Two and a half hours from the Adriatic Sea by car, and one and a half from a major airport (at the capital, Podgorica). Country gained independence 7 months ago, and is already on the Euro. It's basically fast-tracked for EU membership. That means you don't have to gamble with some Mickey Mouse currency that may or may not gain or lose value meteorically before being banished for the Euro in ten years anyway. Look it up, check it out, and let me know if you want to go in on something. This is the next Sun Valley.

Zabljak

route update

Island ˝Hopalong Cassady˝

2007-07-26T08:44:00.002-07:00

Our afternoon siestas sometimes get weird.

There's so much to cover since the last post... On 18 July we left Rovinj on the hottest day of the summer. The temp was over 40 centigrade, and because it took us a while to get rolling, we didn't leave town 'till almost 1pm. This was a bad idea. We struggled through the heat and rode across the Istrian Peninsula all afternoon. That evening we caught a ferry to the island of Cres, and slept just above the sea. The next day we had our first ˝siesta ride.˝ We broke at midday near the water to swim, eat and nap during the hot hours. it was great to relax for a few hours and it really broke up the day. that night we came across a burning car in the road before the fire department arrived and watched people on mopeds vainly try to put it out with hand-held fire extinguishers before the real firefighters showed. after passing the charred VW beetle, we camped in what amounted to a trailer park. not glam, but our options were limited.

Stretching on Cres.

the next morning we planned on taking the catamaran ferry back to the mainland, but they wouldn't let us with our bikes. instead, we had to wait an additional 7 hours (not bad - we spent it at the beach) and then take a slower ferry (5 hours longer) that arrived at 11pm in Zadar, in an industrial harbour. let me tell you about bad news. we ended up sleeping in the port 'cause it was too dark to do anything else, and the bugs ate me alive. I must have had 40 bites, and if I'd been alone, I would have gotten up and ridden the rest of the night - I was that mad. it was too hot to sleep in the sleeping bag, so we just laid there knowing we were bait. not good. I think that was probably the low point for me.

Catching up on writing, late ferry to Zadar.

however, it was all up from there. greg and I rode into Šibenik the next day and spent the afternoon eating and sleeping in a park in the town center. is was one of the most relaxing days we've had, and that night we stayed in a sobe, or room, in someone's house (for rent, of course). we caught a concert in town later and met daniel, a croatian who gave us a few pointers and bought us a number of beers. to make matters better, joel was arriving the next morning and we figured he'd be in early - around 9am.

Side-Splitting humor, in matching board shorts. Cool.

so the next morning, after struggling to climb out of bed, we met joel as planned at the train station in town. it worked out well, and it was great to see our friend and have the three of us together for the first time since prague last january. we caught up in the park shared a late-morning beer before riding off to Krka National Park for the afternoon. Joel wasn't ready for the heat and hills, however. not that anyone could be expected to be, though. it was oppressive, and he did well to ride hard. it was good that we only did 25 km that day, and that night we enjoyed some cheap beers at a nearby campsite.

Truckin'

Roman ruins at Split.

the next day we rode most of the way to split, and camped along the road in the desert. this was joel's first ˝squatting˝ experience, and I think it went well. no one bothered us, and we easily made it into split the next day. Split has some of the most extensive Roman ruins outside of Rome. We spent that afternoon in town, and caught a 5am ferry the next morning to the island of Hvar, the greenest and wettest Croatian island.

Hvar Island.

the ride was beautiful, and a welcome change from the crowds, cars and madness of the mainland. we rode through forests and under shade for some of the day, which we hadn't done in a long time. we rested during the afternoon under the shade of giant juniper trees near a church, and finished the day riding downhill to a ferry ride back to the mainland.

Port Town on Hvar Island. The moutains in the background are on the mainland.

that night as the darkness grew, we needed to find somewhere to camp. we knew we had a 6am train to catch, so we needed to be close to Ploče. We found a nice place near the sea, but also near someone's house. they walked by as we watched the sun set, but said nothing. then we were awakened at midnight by someone no more than 5m away (and below) from us talking in Croatian on a cell phone. it was a short conversation, and we couldn't tell if they knew we were there. so after the guy left, we debated whether or not to pack up and ride, thinking he may have just called the cops. we decided against leaving - here we'd make our stand. when I woke again, it was two hours later and the moon had set, leaving us in total darkness. no one bothered us, and we left the site as planned at 4:30 to catch our train after a 10km ride into town. more surprisingly, we actually made the train, and arrived in Mostar, Bosnia, this morning at about 8.

The ˝New-Old Bridge.˝ The tradition of jumping off the bridge has resumed since it's completion.

This rests at the foot of the ˝New-Old Bridge.˝

Although it could be another blog, I'll say a few things and try to keep it short. This town has been the most sobering experience of the trip, and it's up there with the top ˝real world˝ moments of my life. Town is divided east and west by a road known as the ˝former front line.˝ that would be the front line of the wars during the 1990s that we all saw on TV, mostly with shots from Sarajevo. But Mostar suffered extensively, and many buildings remain today gutted, fallen skeletons of the past. The entire east side of town (the Muslim side) was destroyed, and much of the west side (Catholic Croatains) as well. The two just went at it in this small mountain town, and most buildings are still scarred by numerous holes.

As simple as it looks. Only a skeleton.

One of many destroyed buildings in Mostar.

The population of the town decreased by 25% during the war, and has not regained it's former numbers. While the two ethnic groups are becoming recociled, physical wounds remain open and unhealed. Cemeteries in town are entirely filled with graves with 1993, 94, and 95 as dates of death. Many of the dead were not older than me. And there's nowhere in town where you can't see a bombed-out building.

This cemetery has graves entirely from the war. I could have picked any angle and found a bombed-out building in the background.

But it's getting better. The ˝New-Old Bridge˝ was finished in 2004. It was brutally destroyed during the war, along with nearly all of the mosques in town. Today, they too have been rebuilt, and both sides continue to practice necessary tolerance. It's been amazing to be here, and sobering. Sarajevo will surely be similar, but on a frighteningly larger scale.

Necessary self-portrait. I need a hair cut.

route update

We could be smugglers.

2007-07-17T05:17:00.000-07:00

We knew we were in the mountains when we came around a corner and saw this (notice Greg in action):

We left Ljubljana nearly a week ago and rode north toward the Julian Alps. The approach to Bled (the local resort town) reminded me a lot of driving into Ketchum, Idaho - you don't really go over a pass, per se, but after following a river up a gentle incline, you soon find yourself surrounded by mountains. We had a great ride out of the city and into the woods along the river, dodging rain showers that seemed to form like so many in the mountains during a Colorado summer.

Bled Lake. The church is actually on an island, and the castle overlooks the lake.

Arriving in Bled we soon recognized the futility of trying to find someone's garden in which to sleep. Because they deal with tourists all the time, no one was interested. Most people simply referred us to the sobe rooms, which are apartments that locals rent to visitors. As it got dark, and knowing we were in for a big ride the next day, we decided to just camp at a "campsite" near Bled Lake. We arrived to more than 200 designated "sites" with electricity and campers - not exactly roughing it. But we found a place near an electrical box between a couple of trees and set up our tarp. This was good, because not 15 minutes later it rained, and rained, and rained.

Bled Lake.

Škocjan Caves

The next morning we started early because we planned on riding over a mountain pass in the Julian Alps. the first section of the ride wasn't very difficult; it followed a river gently up valley. But after making the turn away from the water, it got steep and slow. Lunch at the top was amazing as we sat below ski lifts in the cool mountain breeze. It was a welcome relief from the cornfields of eastern Austria.

Nova Gorica (Slovenia) in the foreground, Gorizia (Italy) in the background.

That night we were riding along looking for somewhere to camp and an older couple invited us to sleep in their garden after sharing some of their homemade brandy. I should say we didn't exactly have a choice after consuming the drinks - they were strong, we were already weak, and therefore basically incapable of riding any further. Besides, we had another long day ahead of us as we traveled toward the Škocjan Caves.

Greg on the party train.

The caves were amazing, and our hour-and-a-half tour took us deep inside numerous caverns, crossing a bridge 50m above the river below, and finally exiting nearly a mile away from the entrance. We weren't allowed to take photos 'till the end, but it was nice to just enjoy the tour. That night we camped along a motorway, which turned out to be a good call. The constant drum of traffic lulled us to sleep, and no one bothered us that evening.

Vjeko's house

We woke early the next morning thinking it prudent to arrive at the local train station early, it being a Sunday and likely a reduced frequency day for the trains. We showed up at 9:03, 4 minutes after the first train of the day departed for Croatia. Because the next didn't leave for about 7 hours, we were a bit upset. If only we'd left a few minutes earlier... But we caught a break - the train was late. We got on, bikes and all, and bribed the conductor with beer money in place of our tickets. It was pretty ridiculous and we laughed through most of the experience, he not speaking any english and us no slovenian. But eventually we figured out what he wanted, and for 5 Euro, we were on our way. The "party train," as we came to call it, came with beer, vodka (too early at 10am), marijuana smoking conductors and awesome music. We no longer wondered why the train was late.

View from the church tower in old town Rovinj

Eventually we arrived in Croatia, and actually had to take our passports out of our bags. this was the first time since leaving Czech we actually had to show them. We could have been smuggling produce, drugs, exotic animals, or probably people through most of the borders so far. it's been laughable. but I digress... we rode about 25km downhill into Rovinj, the beachside resort town where Greg's family friend, Vjeko, lives during his holidays. his parents own an apartment-for-rent facility for tourists and have graciously taken us in as family, feeding us local Croatian cuisine and showing us around town. We spend our afternoons at the beach, swimming in the crystal-clear Adriatic Sea and taking naps in the shade during the heat of the day. this has been a welcome relief from the cooler-than-normal European summer we've experienced to this point.

Greg and I are working on our tans. Vjeko humiliates us, but then again, he is Croatian.

From here we head south along the Adriatic coast, hopping islands and stopping in historically and naturally important sites along the way. The Croatian coastline, including islands, is more than 6500km long, so we'll likely skip a lot of it in order to leave the country before Christmas.

Old town

Typical Croatian fish dinner

route update