Yellow

In-between soccer and football games on Saturday I went for a drive to check out some of the Fall color. I drove to Idaho Springs and took Hwy. 103 (Squaw Pass Rd.) past Mt. Evans and back home via the intentional long way. The weather was windy, and it was misty in some places. I could see some snow on some of the higher peaks. Here are some pictures.



The view from Juniper Pass.








Squaw Pass Rd.








On Sunday, I was a little more adventurous. I went to Blue Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The mountains had gotten fresh snow during the night. The road to the trailhead still had snow on it in places. This surprised me since I didn't get an early start. I guess it won't be long before they close this area for the season. Anyway, I made the hike up to Blue Lake in the snow. Three miles up & three miles back. It is a pretty easy hike. Blue Lake's elevation is probably 11,300 ft., but the elevation at the trailhead is probably around 10,500 ft. So the elevation gain in the 3 miles is minimum. The scenery was amazing, the temperature wasn't too bad, but the wind made it brutal at the lake. Here are the pics.
Brainard Lake. The pointy mtn. on the left is Mt. Toll. Blue Lake is located at the base of it. Mt. Audubon is on the right.

Me at Blue Lake. Mt. Toll is on the left. (There are no plans for water lillies on this lake.)





Me again at Blue Lake. Little Pawnee Peak is behind me.







Trees along the Peak to Peak Hwy. on the way home.

Book II

Happy Belated Birthday to my blog. I had meant to do this post yesterday, but I had a cold that was getting the best of me. I ended up crashing on the couch after work and forgot about it. I'm feeling better now. Anyway, my blog debuted a year ago yesterday with the post: Moved In, Hiking, etc. Not one of my more creative titles. I enjoy looking back on the old posts myself. I'm just amazed about all the places I've been this past year. I want to say thank you to everyone who has left comments. They are very much appreciated.

Can't say I did too much last weekend. I watched a lot of football (both kinds) and unpacked boxes. I did get out on Tuesday after work. I walked to Mt. Carbon in Bear Creek Lake Park. The top of this magnificent peak is about a 35-minute walk from my place. The elevation is a whopping 5,779 feet. Ok, maybe it's not whopping, but it is nice to have in the backyard. Here is a picture from it.













Bear Creek Lake from the side of Mt. Carbon. Mt. Morrison is on the left. Red Rocks is in front of Mt. Morrison. It would be visible if it weren't for the late day Sun.

I have added some pictures to my Picasa site. They are some extra pictures from my Mt. Elbert hike last month. There are a couple of shots of the rock shelter from 1981. You can't really tell what it is though. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pictures of the smelly pitters at Halfmoon Campground to include.

Women's soccer made the mainstream news today. Unfortunately, it was for negative reasons. The U.S. got thumped 4-0 by Brazil in the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup. Making it worse, the U.S. coach is being heavily criticized for making what is being called the worst move in coaching history, and they are talking all sports. It was the leadoff story on Behind The Lines and 1st & Ten on ESPN. It is not often that you see the demand for a coach to fired when the coach has 50+ wins and only one lose. At least soccer is getting coverage. Personally, I think the coach has had a deer in headlights look to him throughout the tournament. It was his first major tournament, and he seemed to crumble in the pressure. Lost in all of this though, was the fact that Brazil was by far the better team today, period. They deserved the win.

Anyway, I hope to get back in the mountains this weekend. It has been too long.

-M

The Year In Beers

A year ago today, I became a Colorado Resident. I had moved into my old apartment with the help of Pops & Chuck Wagon. At that time the beer bottle collection started with the help of Chuck Wagon.













I am afraid I have to tell you the beer bottle collection did not make it to my new apartment. The collection has found a lovely new home at the bottom of a recycling bin. As most of you know, I moved last weekend. It was a pain in the butt due to some stairs, my desk, and my couch. I got give a big shout out to Mark who helped me with this move. Thanks, I owe you man!!! By the way, I found the beer bottle opener.

Last, but not least, I want to say Happy Anniversary to the Crane’s! They shared their first wedding anniversary last Sunday.

Cheers,

-M

Hog Butcher For The World

Some of my readers may be wondering where I went last weekend. With all the places I could go in Colorado, I chose to leave the great state of Colorado and fly to Chicago. Say what? Yep, Chicago! The U.S. Men’s soccer team was playing Brazil there. That is pretty much the only reason that could get me there. I flew in Saturday morning, and then waited around for Jim & Stacy plus their friend Hunter to arrive. After a long train/bus ride to our hotel downtown, we got a little sight-seeing in before I needed a TV to watch my Bulldogs. Unfortunately they were the first of my sports teams to go down this past weekend. My dedication won’t waver despite these misfortunes.

My Bro in front of the Chicago Mirror Bean Sculpture in Millenium Park.

Group photo from underneath the mirror bean sculpture. The red in the photo is myself and my brother.

On Sunday, we played tourists in the morning and went to the Sears Tower. Home of the world’s largest antenna. The view from the 103rd floor was magnificent. We were able to pick out Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, and the park formerly known as new Comiskey Park.

One of the views of downtown from the Sears Tower.

The afternoon was dedicated to the soccer game. 43,000 people showed up to see Brazil beat the U.S. 4-2. The game was closer than the score. The U.S. could have easily come away with a result if it wasn’t for a couple costly mistakes and a couple of questionable calls. The U.S. actually scored three goals. Unfortunately one of them was in their own net. The game was competitive and a lot of fun to watch. I didn’t go in expecting a U.S. win, but they gave me hope that a result was possible until Brazil got a clinching Penalty Kick in injury time.

The teams walking onto the pitch at Soldier Field before the game.

Stacy, Hunter, myself, & Jim at Soldier field after the game.

Buckingham Fountain after dark. The Sear Tower is the tallest object in the picture. Our hotel is the Congress Hotel on the left.

On Monday, everybody went home. For me it was the longest commute of my life. I had to work on Monday after getting back from Chicago. It was a long day. The rest of this week has been dedicated to work and moving preparation. Not a fun week after a fun weekend.

-M

Why Should The Fire Die?

This past Saturday I went down to Pagosa Springs to see Nickel Creek on their Farwell (For Now) Tour. Nickel Creek is calling quits for now after the tour. Apparently they have lost the fire to produce new music together. They definitely have not lost it in the live arena. When looking at their tour schedule, I saw that they were only doing the festival circuit in Colorado. So naturally I chose to go to the show that was furthest away. Actually, it worked out best schedule wise for me. I don’t mind the drive; the scenery is too good. On a side note, there are a couple of locations along the way that were used in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The Four Corners Folk Festival was an interesting mix of old timers, hippies, and a combination of both. The show was great. It is too bad that Nickel Creek is going on an indefinite hiatus.

On Sunday, I went home, but I took a different way back. I went through Creede and Lake City. I had not been that way before and wanted to see what was there. Naturally, it was very scenic. However, it was different from the Colorado that I have seen so far. The mountains in this part of the San Juan’s seem to roll a little more. The Rio Grande River has carved a beautiful valley through the mountains. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t even come close to capturing what I saw. Here are some pictures anyway.

Looking toward the Rio Grande Pyramid (13,821 Ft.) and Brown Lakes on South Clear Creek.



Me at North Clear Creek Falls.










Lake Fork Gunnison River on Hwy. 149 north of Lake City.






While I didn’t rush home on Sunday, I did have an interest in getting home. College Football has started, and I was in the dark about the Georgia game on Saturday. I had taped it and was ready to watch it as soon as I got home. The Dawgs did great! There were a lot of questions about their defense going into the season, and they held Oklahoma State’s self proclaimed “most explosive offense in the world” to 14 points. We’ll see how the Dawgs do against the “Evil Genius” next week. After the Bulldog game, it was time to watch the soccer. I finished watching the Fulham game that I had taped Saturday morning. U.S. Nat. Team player Clint Dempsey had a goal and 2 assists has Fulham salvaged a tie. I then watched a Colorado Rapids game that I taped on Sunday. They got a draw on the road to keep pace for that final playoff spot. I had a nice fill of sports and scenery that day.

Monday was not as much fun. The good news was that I had the day off. The bad news was that I used it to start packing for my move and to try and solve some computer problems I’m having. Hey Pops, sorry about your Noles. Look on the bright side. At least it wasn’t against Appalachian State. The Noles did show signs of life in the second half. I didn’t think that was possible after that first half.

Until next time (which will be different),

-M