Friday, June 23, 2006
The stars and stripes proudly fly from the summit of Mount Elbert! The flag was the idea of my great-uncle Frank for the Mountain Donation Project. As you can see by the clouds, it was a windy and stormy day atop the highest peak in Colorado (and second highest in the lower 48 states--only Mount Whitney in California is higher). This was my fourth time up Elbert and I blazed up and down, covering the 8.9 miles and 4,400 ft. of gain in 4 hours 20 minutes (it's all on trail hiking). As it turns out, I spent 5 hours driving--so I was in the car more than I was on the mountain!
The day before, Jody joined me on a perilous hike of Pacific Peak. Bad weather kept opening and closing windows of opportunity; we finally decided to push for the summit and had perfect timing. Pacific was in the eye of the storm and we got up and down just before the thunderheads set their sites on the mountain. Brought up to the summit was a beautiful pacific ocean sand dollar Sheila and I found on the Pacific Northwest coast after our successful climb of Mount Rainier last August (I'll have the pictures up on the Mountain Project page soon!)
This weekend will be at least 2 more hikes, maybe a third on Monday before I leave for St. Lucia--whatever peak I do next will be number 10--woo-hoo double digits!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
For Father's Day this Sunday, I brought a picture of my dear ol' Dad up to Navajo Peak! Navajo is one of the more challenging hikes in my book as the final scramble to the summit is exposed and a little scary; it would be hard to blow it but if you did, it's good night Irene (to quote Tom Servo). Add to that, it was mighty windy on the summit ridge (as well as the picnic-table sized summit proper). Think of that full-cheeked cloud character from olde time maps, blowing down onto the corners of the known world and you'll have a good idea of what it was like.
Back to Dad. Through all my travails out here, he's always supported me and has been one of the few people who has never tried to talk me out of my dreams (even when it seemed like the logical thing to do). There comes times on the trail when the legs and the mind sag, times when it feels like going on is a futile effort. The first person I always think of when my own spirit wanes is my Dad. His quiet confidence and determination in life slowly take over that emptiness and somehow my feet keep moving. Without him, none of the crazy ambitions I have would even be a remote possibility. To know my father believes in his son gives me that extra support when things seem most grim and the absolute dedication I have to do this book right and to the best of my ability is a reflection of his work ethic. I love you Dad, thanks for everything--this isn't the last journey you'll help me through in this life. Sorry for the silly chef picture :)
The day before, Saturday, Jody joined me for the bike to Bison Peak. This wild peak is one of Colorado's truly hidden jewels! After a good climb through pine forests, the plains open up and reveal a huge amphitheater of wild shaped rock formations. They look like giant drippy castles, and the bizarre symmetry and placement puts Stonehenge to shame! It's a scrambler's delight--there will definitely be more pictures of this unearthly place later on this site!
Yesterday was another epic climb up to Clark Peak, a 12,994 Ft. peak in the remote Medicine Bow Mountains in northern Colorado. The drive might have been the most tiring part of the adventure, taking 3 hours from Boulder (a long way for a day hike). The neat thing about Clark is you can't see it until you are literally on top of it--high shoulders of mountain plateaus guard the elusive peak. Clark doesn't have many visitors, evidenced by the fact there are no trails to the top. I had to ascend a grassy, flower-festooned slope to ascend. It was an awesome feeling--on the top you could barely see any traces of mankind. Oh, and for the Colorado folks: you get a view of the northwest face of Longs Peak! Longs is prominent throughout the Front Range, but normally the east and south faces. I saw the distinctive summit block minus the normally-seen profile of Mount Meeker. Today was a "writing day", though all I've done is busy work until now! ALSO: thanks so much to all the people that have donated to the mountain project! You have been WAY more generous than I would have expected and believe me, your kindness will not be forgotten!
Friday, June 16, 2006
Man, I guess if you HAVE to get a flat tire, it might as well happen on a stormy day! My hike to Clark Peak was derailed by the discovery of a deflated rear tire late last night. Since one only has a small window of time to start hikes before afternoon storms, I had to scrap the trek and get my tire fixed.
But there is a silver lining! First off, it was a small puncture flat so the tire place (which I had never been to) fixed it for free! How cool was that?! Three cheers for Discount Tire of Boulder! Also, a rare 10 AM thunderstorm is bashing the Front Range now, meaning even if I had gotten up there, I'd be retreating from the storm.
So it's a writing day for me. Monday's rest day becomes Friday's hike! As for tomorrow, Bison Peak and Sunday I'll revisit Airplane Gully on Navajo Peak.
Is it me or a World War One flying ace atop Jasper? That cool mountain in the background is Mount Neva, for those who care!
This hike/climb is yet another hidden gem deep in the Indian Peaks wilderness. Jasper is one of the rare climbs in my book that requires honest-to-goodness bushwacking through dense pine forests--hooray for GPS! After leaving the trail (a nice symbolic gesture), I worked my way through the woods to a "secret" lake in a high basin. Because it is not named, I'm going to call it "Xanadu Lake" after my feline compatriot. Who knows, maybe the name will stick?
There's a plane wreck at the south side of this lake, a small orange airplane that has been dashed to pieces. It's always a little sobering seeing stuff like that but at the same time it reminds you one needs to have respect for these mountains. You climb past it on the way up the snowy slope to the summit (in the picture below, the rock at the top of the snowfield is a false summit).
Because of the realtively low elevation, the top has flowers and grass on it--a nice touch! On the way down, I got to experience the LASER GLISSADE! See, the snow on top was soft N' mushy, but underneath was ice--needless to say, I rocketed down the snow slopes ala Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Yee haw!
Again I beat the bad weather and had a great solo journey into the unknown! Next up: either Pacific or Crystal Peak (I'll be hiking them both and the winner makes it to the book!)
I actually had some company on this hike! Jody, fresh from her successful ascent of the Grand Teton in Wyoming, joined me for Mount Sniktau, the mighty mountain with the funny name. Of all the hikes in my book, this beauty is probably the least strenuous but definately one of the best! The hike itself starts above treeline at the crest of Loveland Pass and ascends a short mile and a half to the top. I must say, you get a lot of visual rewards for not a lot of effort--and somedays, that's exactly what you're looking for.
Sniktau is also a great winter hike/ski/snowboard, as you can drop right into Loveland Basin from the summit.
We had a fun day and it was great to hear about Jody's climb of the Grand Teton, one of America's mountaineering classics! Congrats to her! Due to the relatively short length, there wasn't much drama on Sniktau--which is always a good thing--though we did see a poor fellow tossin' his cookies as we descended. Poor dope; I've been there myself (well, not on THIS mountain) so I wish I could have given him a hug or something, but he probably would have just horked on me.
ALSO: Thanks to the folks who have contributed to the Donation Project! You can check out the donor list here and see some of the awesome folks who have helped lend a hand! Up tomorrow: Mount Jasper!
Today was a perfect summit day! I got up on time, got out the door and on the peak by 7:45. Though I felt obligated to be attempting the harder, more technical couloirs, the modest hike up to the top was perfectly enjoyable. 2 hours and 20 minutes to the top from St. Mary's Glacier--not too shabby! I talked with some nice folks on the summit who were also from Boulder. Who knows, maybe I can sucker them into coming on some future hikes? Heh!
I considered the James Peak-Bancroft traverse (in the bottom pic, James is on the right, Bancroft on the left), but without a helmet it wasn't the best idea (plus the extended route isn't in my book). However, I DID glissade down half of St. Mary's Glacier in shorts, just to see how much snow my pants can hold. It turns out to be quite a lot, as it wasn't fully melted until I exited the highway (keeping in mind it was 88 degrees today, which meant it was about 160 degrees in my car).
Good people, good weather, and a great mountain--you can't beat that! Also, I'm slowly getting addicted to Mango Electrico Gatorade. I'm not the only one, as it's sold out at the store across the street. Tomorrow is Mount Snikatu!
Trip Report Hike # 1: Guardians of the Flatirons
No, those aren't my modeling shots (thank God!) Those are the three summits of hike #1, the triple link of Green Mountain, Bear Peak, and South Boulder Peak! Situated right here in Boulder, this hike covered 11.6 miles and had a calf-wrenching 5,200 ft. of elevation gain (perhaps the most of any hike in my book!)
I went for the anti-alpine start, beginning the trek at 10:24 AM (Doh!) I didn't see many people on the trail--4 or 5 total. I must look like a bit of a spaz with all my gear, as I got lots of encouragement in a "you can do it, newbie" kind of way! People looked at me the way I look at birdwatchers, with a kind of awe and surpressed, tittering mockery. With my gear hanging all over me, my tripod and cameras, I do look like I'm trying to spot a yellow-thrusted bush warbling gnat crushing swallow (Sadly, I only saw a red fingered bush warbling grub pinching sparrow).
The hike itself was good but hot, despite the cloudy sky that moved in late afternoon (as you can see by the sequence of summit shots). Highlights included birds (see, I'm a birder!) zipping by my head on the summits, so close you could hear them zinging through the air! I had to give them a round of applause for their aeronautic prowess!
The pale shadows in the aptly named "Shadow Canyon" on the decent provided a spooky atmosphere to the rocky trail, as if legions of phantom mountain lions were watching my every move. I'm sure some non-phantom, flesh-and-blood lions saw me, but as usual I didn't see them. There are countless nooks in the rock piles with dark recesses, plaguing the imagination to query what devilish creature would inhabit such a fearful place. Thunder cracked over head and the birds grew silent. Distracted by the stillness, I slipped at one point and gave myself a nice flapper on my wrist (medically inclined folks would call this an avulsion). Oh yeah, did I mention that hulking over the trail is a huge rock feature known as the Devil's Thumb? Its stony presence looked primed to smite, thus its satanic moniker, I guess. You couldn't really call it "Jolly Green Giant Thumb" and expect it to inspire awe. Plus it's on South Boulder Peak, not Green Mountain!
Luckily, nothing ate/smote/possessed me and the sun returned for the long trudge back to the car under the watch of the flatirons. Total hike time was 6 hours and 36 minutes, though included in that time was my photography and GPS stuff. All in all a good hike, tomorrow I have the day off from hiking and Sunday it's James Peak--Monday is Navajo Peak!
But there is a silver lining! First off, it was a small puncture flat so the tire place (which I had never been to) fixed it for free! How cool was that?! Three cheers for Discount Tire of Boulder! Also, a rare 10 AM thunderstorm is bashing the Front Range now, meaning even if I had gotten up there, I'd be retreating from the storm.
So it's a writing day for me. Monday's rest day becomes Friday's hike! As for tomorrow, Bison Peak and Sunday I'll revisit Airplane Gully on Navajo Peak.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Is it me or a World War One flying ace atop Jasper? That cool mountain in the background is Mount Neva, for those who care!
This hike/climb is yet another hidden gem deep in the Indian Peaks wilderness. Jasper is one of the rare climbs in my book that requires honest-to-goodness bushwacking through dense pine forests--hooray for GPS! After leaving the trail (a nice symbolic gesture), I worked my way through the woods to a "secret" lake in a high basin. Because it is not named, I'm going to call it "Xanadu Lake" after my feline compatriot. Who knows, maybe the name will stick?
There's a plane wreck at the south side of this lake, a small orange airplane that has been dashed to pieces. It's always a little sobering seeing stuff like that but at the same time it reminds you one needs to have respect for these mountains. You climb past it on the way up the snowy slope to the summit (in the picture below, the rock at the top of the snowfield is a false summit).
Because of the realtively low elevation, the top has flowers and grass on it--a nice touch! On the way down, I got to experience the LASER GLISSADE! See, the snow on top was soft N' mushy, but underneath was ice--needless to say, I rocketed down the snow slopes ala Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Yee haw!
Again I beat the bad weather and had a great solo journey into the unknown! Next up: either Pacific or Crystal Peak (I'll be hiking them both and the winner makes it to the book!)
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
I actually had some company on this hike! Jody, fresh from her successful ascent of the Grand Teton in Wyoming, joined me for Mount Sniktau, the mighty mountain with the funny name. Of all the hikes in my book, this beauty is probably the least strenuous but definately one of the best! The hike itself starts above treeline at the crest of Loveland Pass and ascends a short mile and a half to the top. I must say, you get a lot of visual rewards for not a lot of effort--and somedays, that's exactly what you're looking for.
Sniktau is also a great winter hike/ski/snowboard, as you can drop right into Loveland Basin from the summit.
We had a fun day and it was great to hear about Jody's climb of the Grand Teton, one of America's mountaineering classics! Congrats to her! Due to the relatively short length, there wasn't much drama on Sniktau--which is always a good thing--though we did see a poor fellow tossin' his cookies as we descended. Poor dope; I've been there myself (well, not on THIS mountain) so I wish I could have given him a hug or something, but he probably would have just horked on me.
ALSO: Thanks to the folks who have contributed to the Donation Project! You can check out the donor list here and see some of the awesome folks who have helped lend a hand! Up tomorrow: Mount Jasper!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Today was a perfect summit day! I got up on time, got out the door and on the peak by 7:45. Though I felt obligated to be attempting the harder, more technical couloirs, the modest hike up to the top was perfectly enjoyable. 2 hours and 20 minutes to the top from St. Mary's Glacier--not too shabby! I talked with some nice folks on the summit who were also from Boulder. Who knows, maybe I can sucker them into coming on some future hikes? Heh!
I considered the James Peak-Bancroft traverse (in the bottom pic, James is on the right, Bancroft on the left), but without a helmet it wasn't the best idea (plus the extended route isn't in my book). However, I DID glissade down half of St. Mary's Glacier in shorts, just to see how much snow my pants can hold. It turns out to be quite a lot, as it wasn't fully melted until I exited the highway (keeping in mind it was 88 degrees today, which meant it was about 160 degrees in my car).
Good people, good weather, and a great mountain--you can't beat that! Also, I'm slowly getting addicted to Mango Electrico Gatorade. I'm not the only one, as it's sold out at the store across the street. Tomorrow is Mount Snikatu!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Trip Report Hike # 1: Guardians of the Flatirons
No, those aren't my modeling shots (thank God!) Those are the three summits of hike #1, the triple link of Green Mountain, Bear Peak, and South Boulder Peak! Situated right here in Boulder, this hike covered 11.6 miles and had a calf-wrenching 5,200 ft. of elevation gain (perhaps the most of any hike in my book!)
I went for the anti-alpine start, beginning the trek at 10:24 AM (Doh!) I didn't see many people on the trail--4 or 5 total. I must look like a bit of a spaz with all my gear, as I got lots of encouragement in a "you can do it, newbie" kind of way! People looked at me the way I look at birdwatchers, with a kind of awe and surpressed, tittering mockery. With my gear hanging all over me, my tripod and cameras, I do look like I'm trying to spot a yellow-thrusted bush warbling gnat crushing swallow (Sadly, I only saw a red fingered bush warbling grub pinching sparrow).
The hike itself was good but hot, despite the cloudy sky that moved in late afternoon (as you can see by the sequence of summit shots). Highlights included birds (see, I'm a birder!) zipping by my head on the summits, so close you could hear them zinging through the air! I had to give them a round of applause for their aeronautic prowess!
The pale shadows in the aptly named "Shadow Canyon" on the decent provided a spooky atmosphere to the rocky trail, as if legions of phantom mountain lions were watching my every move. I'm sure some non-phantom, flesh-and-blood lions saw me, but as usual I didn't see them. There are countless nooks in the rock piles with dark recesses, plaguing the imagination to query what devilish creature would inhabit such a fearful place. Thunder cracked over head and the birds grew silent. Distracted by the stillness, I slipped at one point and gave myself a nice flapper on my wrist (medically inclined folks would call this an avulsion). Oh yeah, did I mention that hulking over the trail is a huge rock feature known as the Devil's Thumb? Its stony presence looked primed to smite, thus its satanic moniker, I guess. You couldn't really call it "Jolly Green Giant Thumb" and expect it to inspire awe. Plus it's on South Boulder Peak, not Green Mountain!
Luckily, nothing ate/smote/possessed me and the sun returned for the long trudge back to the car under the watch of the flatirons. Total hike time was 6 hours and 36 minutes, though included in that time was my photography and GPS stuff. All in all a good hike, tomorrow I have the day off from hiking and Sunday it's James Peak--Monday is Navajo Peak!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Check out the list of mountains here!
See the Main Project page here!
See just a few of the cool items willing ot be hauled up here!
Ladies and gentlemen, here it is! Your exclusive chance to have the object/trinket/item of your choice carried to the top of a Colorado Mountain for a low, low price! Act now, offer expires September 2006! Act now!
Ok, here's the real story. For those of you who don't know, I'm writing a book this summer, a guidebook for the Colorado Mountains. The way it was going to work was I would do as many hikes as I could between my hours at the magazine and take about a month off in the summer to complete a bulk of the hikes. To make sure I had money while I did this, I worked tons of hours of overtime this fall/winter at the magazine to accrue pay to be used over the summer (along with all my vacation and sick days and any other paid time off). Sounds good so far, right?
Well, the bad news is that the magazine suddenly (to us) went out of business right before my very eyes and we received no severance. Worse, all those extra hours of work to fund my book are down the drain. I'll see nary a penny of all those weekends and late night work sessions. So, in order to ask for help without sounding desperate, I've decided to have a fund raiser! Which can actually be pretty fun--here's the deal.
For a small donation (ANYTHING helps), I'll take the object of your choice to the top of the summit of your choice amongst the peaks I'll be climbing this summer for my book! At the top, I'll snap a photo of the object and post it here, as well as sending a high quality photo to you! I'm game to carry ANYTHING up, though the heavier objects will require a bigger "sherpa fee". Yes, I'll carry a bowling ball if I have to, but that will require a generous donation! On a separate non-blog web page going up later today, I'll list the peaks as well as a big picture of just some of the items I'm willing to carry to the top. You can also send your own stuff to be hauled up if it's something you really want to see up high on a mountain.
And here's the bonus! Anyone who donates to the cause will get a mention in my book! That's right; your name will be in print for the entire world to see! Pretty cool, huh?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, especially with the price of gas these days. I want to do a great job on this first book and any support will be remembered. You can make payments via check or paypal ( acct. bruplex@yahoo.com ) If you have any particular requests, simply email me bruplex@yahoo.com or if you have any other questions. Thanks in advance! I'll have the official hike donation page up a little later in the day!
The incredible circumstances that resulted in my meeting Sheila could never be reproduced. While I've not been one to believe in fate, it was amazing how our lives began to entwine on this day three years ago on a sunny afternoon in the Denver Airport.
I would have never imagined such a beautiful, intelligent, strong, compassionate, witty, and thoughtful woman would have tolerated my company, let alone shared her life with me for a short time. I feel very fortunate to have met this wonderful soul, whose kind spirit and bold heart have made my life infinitely more meaningful. I wish more of you could have met her and seen in person all the wonderful things she has brought to my life.
Time has its way with all of us; I may not be seeing much of Sheila this summer. Despite all the craziness that Colorado has manifested, my days with her are filled with deep recollections, memories of the echo of crow wings in silent canyons, of standing on unreachable summits, of the overwhelming beauty of a winter climb, nights of laughter and love, days of thoughtful discourse, of cold lakes, warm hearts, and twilight walks.
I remember long ago, a conversation under the stars as day turned to night at Mystic Lake. How rich life seemed! How easily the words came as constellations drifted across the sky. Profound were those radiant eyes and with the morning, a whole new essence to life. Again, days were flush with meaning and anticipation. These rare things found; for a time, all the stars in the warm mysterious night were ours.
I was not present enough nor aware of the way it all faded, but I would not trade those days for anything. Three years ago was a very, very lucky day for me. While the road ahead is most uncertain, the enchanting spirit Sheila has shown will always give me a place to anchor in sad times and a memory that alters the landscape of these strange mountains so far from home.
I was going to post it (the big fund raiser post) tomorrow, but NOBODY is online Friday-Sunday. Line up Monday for your chance to hire me to lug something precious (or inane) up a mountain. With that on hiatus...
I present to you my awesome Bolder Boulder Homestar Photo. This is on the track near the finish line! The picture of me is fine enough, but check out Homestar! He's going crazy go nuts! Of all the tens of thousands of people who I saw in the race, a mere one recognized good ol' Homey and it was Stephen, who works for Hooked! Man! Maybe I should wear a Strong Bad shirt next time. I actually wanted to wear a Tom Servo shirt with the quote "Nobody gets me, I'm the wind baby!" Maybe next year!
Today (well, technically tomorrow--I'm posting this before sleepy time) I'm headed out to Evergreen to pick up my mapping software from National Geographic. They have better maps than my TOPO software so I'll be using them in my book. If I don't post on Saturday, happy anniversary to my parents on June 3rd! Hurray for all your years together (gosh how many is it now? 34 or 35? What year is it? IS this thing on?) Tradition says you should get each other coral or opal. Or Nascar tickets, whatever you prefer.
See the Main Project page here!
See just a few of the cool items willing ot be hauled up here!
Ladies and gentlemen, here it is! Your exclusive chance to have the object/trinket/item of your choice carried to the top of a Colorado Mountain for a low, low price! Act now, offer expires September 2006! Act now!
Ok, here's the real story. For those of you who don't know, I'm writing a book this summer, a guidebook for the Colorado Mountains. The way it was going to work was I would do as many hikes as I could between my hours at the magazine and take about a month off in the summer to complete a bulk of the hikes. To make sure I had money while I did this, I worked tons of hours of overtime this fall/winter at the magazine to accrue pay to be used over the summer (along with all my vacation and sick days and any other paid time off). Sounds good so far, right?
Well, the bad news is that the magazine suddenly (to us) went out of business right before my very eyes and we received no severance. Worse, all those extra hours of work to fund my book are down the drain. I'll see nary a penny of all those weekends and late night work sessions. So, in order to ask for help without sounding desperate, I've decided to have a fund raiser! Which can actually be pretty fun--here's the deal.
For a small donation (ANYTHING helps), I'll take the object of your choice to the top of the summit of your choice amongst the peaks I'll be climbing this summer for my book! At the top, I'll snap a photo of the object and post it here, as well as sending a high quality photo to you! I'm game to carry ANYTHING up, though the heavier objects will require a bigger "sherpa fee". Yes, I'll carry a bowling ball if I have to, but that will require a generous donation! On a separate non-blog web page going up later today, I'll list the peaks as well as a big picture of just some of the items I'm willing to carry to the top. You can also send your own stuff to be hauled up if it's something you really want to see up high on a mountain.
And here's the bonus! Anyone who donates to the cause will get a mention in my book! That's right; your name will be in print for the entire world to see! Pretty cool, huh?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, especially with the price of gas these days. I want to do a great job on this first book and any support will be remembered. You can make payments via check or paypal ( acct. bruplex@yahoo.com ) If you have any particular requests, simply email me bruplex@yahoo.com or if you have any other questions. Thanks in advance! I'll have the official hike donation page up a little later in the day!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The incredible circumstances that resulted in my meeting Sheila could never be reproduced. While I've not been one to believe in fate, it was amazing how our lives began to entwine on this day three years ago on a sunny afternoon in the Denver Airport. I would have never imagined such a beautiful, intelligent, strong, compassionate, witty, and thoughtful woman would have tolerated my company, let alone shared her life with me for a short time. I feel very fortunate to have met this wonderful soul, whose kind spirit and bold heart have made my life infinitely more meaningful. I wish more of you could have met her and seen in person all the wonderful things she has brought to my life.
Time has its way with all of us; I may not be seeing much of Sheila this summer. Despite all the craziness that Colorado has manifested, my days with her are filled with deep recollections, memories of the echo of crow wings in silent canyons, of standing on unreachable summits, of the overwhelming beauty of a winter climb, nights of laughter and love, days of thoughtful discourse, of cold lakes, warm hearts, and twilight walks.
I remember long ago, a conversation under the stars as day turned to night at Mystic Lake. How rich life seemed! How easily the words came as constellations drifted across the sky. Profound were those radiant eyes and with the morning, a whole new essence to life. Again, days were flush with meaning and anticipation. These rare things found; for a time, all the stars in the warm mysterious night were ours. I was not present enough nor aware of the way it all faded, but I would not trade those days for anything. Three years ago was a very, very lucky day for me. While the road ahead is most uncertain, the enchanting spirit Sheila has shown will always give me a place to anchor in sad times and a memory that alters the landscape of these strange mountains so far from home.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
I was going to post it (the big fund raiser post) tomorrow, but NOBODY is online Friday-Sunday. Line up Monday for your chance to hire me to lug something precious (or inane) up a mountain. With that on hiatus...I present to you my awesome Bolder Boulder Homestar Photo. This is on the track near the finish line! The picture of me is fine enough, but check out Homestar! He's going crazy go nuts! Of all the tens of thousands of people who I saw in the race, a mere one recognized good ol' Homey and it was Stephen, who works for Hooked! Man! Maybe I should wear a Strong Bad shirt next time. I actually wanted to wear a Tom Servo shirt with the quote "Nobody gets me, I'm the wind baby!" Maybe next year!
Today (well, technically tomorrow--I'm posting this before sleepy time) I'm headed out to Evergreen to pick up my mapping software from National Geographic. They have better maps than my TOPO software so I'll be using them in my book. If I don't post on Saturday, happy anniversary to my parents on June 3rd! Hurray for all your years together (gosh how many is it now? 34 or 35? What year is it? IS this thing on?) Tradition says you should get each other coral or opal. Or Nascar tickets, whatever you prefer.
