Bolder Boulder

-Before the Race

-Joe and Ava

-They handed out a free beer per person upon finishing.

-The runners.

MOAB 09 - Canyonlands National Park

Hello. These are some strewn about pictures from Canyonlands this past weekend with Tim and Luke. Canyonlands is vast...and offered some breathtaking views looking over 1000 ft straight down...very cool. Enjoy.




-We got to Moab at 1230 on Thursday night and we took an off road trail to find a campsite....we woke up here.


-The rock we had a fire on thursday night when we got in.


-Green River overlook....about .2 miles from our campsite in Canyonlands where we stayed friday and saturday nights.







-We took White Rim Rd...an off road trail in canyonlands.


-Grand View Point Overlook





-Upheaval Dome




-Biking around Green River overlook




-Musselman Arch--on the White Rim Rd

Waterton Canyon

This afternoon Jason and I went down to Waterton Canyon to go fly fishing. The canyon just south of Chatfield reservoir and is also the beginning of the Colorado Trail (which I hope to do some hiking on this summer). We biked in about 5-6 miles and fished in brilliant 65 degree weather.


-The section we started fishing on.




-boss man


-The fishing gets better after this point because you are only allowed to keep 16 inchers and above.


-I bought some hip waders with felt bottoms that worked really well.

nope----didn't catch anything

well....I didn't....Jason did.

SNOWMANN

The Joy of History

Having majored in History in college I developed a great respect for its study. Researching lives, events, progressions,digressions and the like, is quite the endeavor. Trying to step into a place and time, which could be 300 years ago to 1 year ago, and look around from the inside is an astonishing thought in itself. Though I am not teaching, reading history has floored me evermore in recent years (I would suppose partially due to the leisure of it). Most recently I have been reading "Nothing Like It In The World", the story of the men who built the Transcontinental Railroad from 1863-1869. The progression of the story is phenomenal... from the details of the planning, the painstaking initial application, to the accomplishments along the way...all the while painting pictures of the passions, talents, and journeys of men who lived in essentially another world than us. The fascination that studying history can give a trip back to Iowa through, what used to be my arch nemesis, Nebraska, is gratifying. The Omaha (or Lincoln) to Julesburg route along the Platte River Valley has been traveled first by Buffalo and Natives, then Lewis and Clark, then Fur Traders, then been a section of the Oregon Trail, then used by the Mormon's with their handcarts, then Gold Seekers, then it became the route for the Transcontinental Railroad....no longer is it the dreaded boring wasteland I once knew. This movement west is in a sense how I was able to come to Denver....from Iowa....to ancestors from the Eastern US....to ancestors from places in the Netherlands I can only dream about. What a thought....and its even more amazing because its reality.

New Seeds of Contemplation

Mere living in the midst of other men does not guarantee that we live in communion with them or even in communication with them. Who has less to communicate than the mass-man? ...Each individual in the mass is insulated by thick layers of insensibility. He doesn't care, he doesn't hear, he doesn't think. He does not act, he is pushed. He does not talk, he produces conventional sounds when stimulated by the appropriate noises. He does not think, he secretes cliches....Mere living alone does not isolate a man, mere living together does not bring men into communion....to live in the midst of others, sharing nothing with them but common noise and the general distraction, isolates a man in the worst way, separates him from reality in a way that is almost painless. Here the sin is not in the conviction that one is not like other men, but in the belief that being like them is sufficient to cover every other sin. -Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Thomas Merton's writings strike me. They move me to wait for, and listen to, God. It is good to be kicked in the face by some deeper spirituality when things seem to be alright. The more I read, the further I realize my misunderstood acceptance of a "mass-man" reality.

Valentines Day Prom

On Saturday Meg and I went to Prom. No, Not actual prom...more of a mid twenties prom. It was actually a benefit for the Women's Bean Project a really cool non-profit in Denver that Meg's roommate works for. So, we went out to a fancy dinner at The Washington Park Grill and then took a bus to Boulder to the Millennium Hotel where the prom dance was held.

I have to admit I was very skeptical of the whole thing from the beginning, especially due to the fact I did not have a suit until I went to the Arc Thrift Store and picked one up on Thursday ($14 bucks..not so bad), but in the end I really had a good time. Here is a picture of Meg and me on the bus..

SOUTHWEST Road Trip

About a week and a half ago Luke and I decided to take a road trip to Phoenix. We Got back last night. This is how things go when one has an off season at work and the other has an off season of work. Here are the stories:

We headed south toward Phoenix on Wednesday morning and were almost lured into a bears den by some good smelling fruits.



Too Soon for a lame joke?....ok...well...Next we went down past Albuquerque to a giant Impact Crater off of I-40 headed west to Flagstaff. We Toured the Crater, affectionately known to locals "Meteor Crater", to the pleasure of the tour guides, who were already off for the day(though still getting money from the tourist willing to pay $15 for 25 min....aka us).







We descended into Phoenix around 730 and met up with Dusty at the Arizona Republic where he works as a sports page designer. We spent the next day hanging out in the sun and visiting Luke's granny (who is absolutely awesome...very blunt and outspoken...hilarious combo) We also walked around downtown Phoenix and checked out the Art District where Dusty lives (sorry I forgot my camera).



Friday morning set us back on the road to Yuma, AZ, to visit Joel and April DeWit. We stopped by their place, caught up with Joel for a while, sat at a pool for 20 min, then hit the road to San Diego. Just to let you know... Joel, April, and Berlin (14-16((not exactly sure)) month Old girl) are doing well, he is teaching PE and she is a nurse...but they seem ready to move somewhere else soon. Really good to see the Joeleo.

After Yuma we were nearly captured by Indians...


-I call this picture "yes...I realize that the joke is not funny"

San Diego...a sweet place to be...even if the weather is not as awesome as they usually have it.

We stayed with Sean and Ryan Coon in Pacific Beach which is surrounded by a bay and the Pacific. Friday night and Saturday were mostly spent either by the Beach playing catch football or in the hot tub at their apt, but we also managed to meet up with Dave and Ruth to grab a bite to eat (they were on a 30th aniversary vacation).









On Sunday Luke and Sean set up for Sean and Ryan's Church and afterwords we all helped break down...it made me feel like I was a regular there. At night Luke and I went over to Coronado to check out Hotel Del and the other cool stuff around there. We also went downtown and checked out the Midway Aircraft carrier.















We called an early night soon afterwords and took off early the next morning to Las Vegas.

Vegas is cool...but its also dirty. I suppose you could make a killer trip out of it and go to only the cool shows and such, but we didn't have the money for that. We merely walked around and gambled 5 dollars in penny slots at many of the gigantic hotels on the strip. I only spent 10 bucks in all because I won at a few of them. Since it was monday night the strip wasn't that crazy, but I think that might have added to the entertainment of walking around. I have to say that this was the number one place Ive ever been to for street dealers though. Every 5 seconds I got a "need some weed???...how about some Coke??"...maybe I just look like a cokehead/pothead (I hope not though). On the plus side...It is still very cool...such as staying at the Excalibur...a ridiculous building..almost as ridiculous as the rest of them...but not quite.


-Excalibur























Yesterday we took off for home...and made it back by 10. I almost forgot how beautiful the Utah landscape is. Its really breathtaking at times...and it kind of makes me want to tour some more national parks over in that area. We will see...

Well, I really must say.....A very good time in life to see some beautiful places, catch up with friends, and remember the joy of "Go West Young Man". (Here's to you Michael W.Smith!)

p.s. -if it looks like I am sucking my gut in for all the pictures...yup....you guessed it...I was.