Life in Colorado

Summer Summary

2009-08-18T07:39:00.004-06:00

My oh my, has this Summer flown by. Obviously the wedding went well, and some of you know that already. Before the wedding, I had a great time rock climbing with Brett, Tony, and Joe, and Andrew joined us later as we watched Warren Miller flicks, ate pizza, and drank beer. After the wedding, we made our way to Kauai Island in Hawaii, which was an excellent time. I did manage to get sunburned really bad, but that's bound to happen. We had all sorts of fun eating Lappert's ice cream everyday and doing things like deep sea fishing, riding in a helicopter, hiking, snorkeling, eating fresh pineapple and apple bananas, taking a sunset cruise down the Na'Pali coast, and dining out at some really nice restaurants. It truly was a wonderful trip, and a great relief from the stress from all the wedding planning.

After Hawaii, it was back to reality. Allison started her Summer semester, which involved anatomy, which meant that she spent more time at school than home, but I knew I was marrying a hard worker. School just finished, and she's still waiting on her anatomy grade and fearing the worse, but I'm sure she did fine. She was able to come out with us a few times this Summer, which was pretty cool. So far, we've hiked La Plata Peak and Missouri Mountain, both of which are 14ers. We also did a backpacking trip through the Lost Creek Wilderness with our friend Peter. We just hiked in, setup camp, camped out, and hiked out. It was a good time. Brett and I tried climbing later that weekend, but got a little wet, and luckily didn't make it onto the rocks, or we would have been climbing in a storm, so we went bouldering in Boulder instead.

Al and I also added a kayak to the family this Summer, so we now have two. This means that I have someone to paddle with me! Yes! We went to Dillon Reservoir once, which was really cool, and I also got to go with Brett a couple weeks ago, which I'll discuss soon in further detail.

It's also been a very eventful Summer in terms of weddings and family visits. The son of my dad's good friend Gary got married in July, and my parents came out for that, which was really fun. Luckily, Allison had a slow weekend that allowed her to spend some time with us. Not long after that, a friend of mine from Miami University got married in Keystone. Brett found a 2 bedroom condo for us all in Frisco, so he and I headed up Friday night. We got to join them at the rehearsal BBQ and it was a great time. Lots of meat. Allison couldn't make it up until Saturday night though because she had finals the following week, so Brett and I got to hang out. We had a great time, and then we went kayaking the next day. It was a lot of fun although, we had to paddle into some intense wind at one point. The wedding was really cool, and we had to ride 2 ski gondolas to get to it. It was a beautiful place, and the reception was super fun.

So as I write this, Allison's mom, sister, and grandmother are still here in town, although they're leaving today. They came in for the weekend, and we all had a great time together. Her grandma got to see where we got married and had the reception, and she really seemed to enjoy getting away from lights of suburban Chicago. Jenna had fun playing Wii Bowling with me, and Allison's mom seemed happy to see Allison and her sister, Kathy, who lives out here. It seemed like there was an abundance of good meals this weekend, which makes me very happy:)

Anyhow that's pretty much our summer in a nutshell. It's felt super busy, and it has been, but it's also been nice to be done with wedding planning. Now that Allison is done with her anatomy labs and courses, it might get easier to see each other, but I'm not sure. Either way, it's nice when we're together, and that's all that matters. OK, well I gots to go. Take care all, and I hope you're doing well!

2 weeks left!

2009-05-02T20:22:00.002-06:00

In two weeks, Allison and I are going to be married! How exciting! I can't believe it's finally here!

Colorado Wildlife

2009-01-30T06:57:00.002-07:00

This photo was taken near Carter Lake, about 20 miles north of Boulder. One of KBCO's sound engineers has a neighbor who put up a trail cam near the carcass of a half buried deer. This is what came back to finish it off. Check near the top of the picture on you can see a deer looking on.

Photo courtesy of DJ Keefer at KBCO.com.

Almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else...

2009-01-30T06:53:00.002-07:00

Guess what the most popular place is.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2009-01-29-where-we-live_N.htm

Aaaaah Denver, CO... How I love thee!

We saw a moose!

2009-01-20T09:08:00.003-07:00

You know you're living in the coolest place on Earth when there's a risk of hitting a moose on your drive home. Allison and I saw a moose near Ward, Colorado after having dinner in Estes Park on Saturday night. We saw a big black spot moving on a hill adjacent to the highway, and I thought it was a bear. That's when I saw it had antlers. It's the first bull moose I've seen ever, the first American moose I've seen, and it was Al's first moose all together. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Ryan

4 months to go!

2009-01-16T07:27:00.004-07:00

So, 4 months from today, I'll be married. It's kinda crazy to think about. I don't mean crazy like "What the heck am I doing?", but more like "Wow, where did the last 5 months go?". Anyhow, I couldn't be happier with Allison. She continues to amaze me. For Christmas, she made me the coolest collage of pictures of me fly fishing. It was THE perfect gift. What better to get the narcissist than a framed collage of pictures of himself! The best part was that she totally surprised me with it. She also made me an awesome dinner, which is the first time she really cooked something. It was also amazing. Don't get me wrong, she's baked cookies and made us pizza before, but this was straight up housewifing. It was awesome! Anyhow, it was a great holiday, and my family had a great time with her, since she flew in to see us on Christmas day. My niece and nephews loved her as well. Long story short, I couldn't be happier. We've been spending some time up in the mountains now skiing, and it's been good. I think I've been about 6 times thus far, which is pretty good. Allison is getting pretty good at riding, while I've been focusing on skiing up until now. That's going to change real soon though. For Christmas, I got a snowboard, bindings, and boots. The boots just arrived, so I can now begin my lessons. Having unlimited lessons at Breckenridge helps a lot! It's supposed to be warm this weekend, but hopefully I can still get some good riding in. I'm still having a blast here in Colorado, and that partly explains the lack of postings. Sorry about that:) Last but not least, the new townhome is sweet. I love the floorplan, the area, and the decore. It's just a great place. To go along with my new house, I bought a Subaru Outback. It's not new, but it's close enough. Once I get some all terrain tires, I think I'll be an official Coloradan. Hope you're all doing well!

Ryan

My sentiments exactly...

2008-10-29T15:07:00.002-06:00

Brett and I had a tough time summiting our 10th and final 14er of 2008. You can read about it here:

Brett's Blog

Cool pics here:
Dinkin' Flickr

Cheers!
Ryan

July 19th, 2008

2008-07-21T10:18:00.007-06:00

After hiking halfway up Mt. Meeker (13,911ft), we stopped on a rocky ridge and decided to take in the scenery. As we relaxed, I told Allison that we were at a special place because this spot overlooks the stone church that we both love so much. When I turned to her and asked if she'd really want to get married there, she said, "Well, it'd be cool". Then I kinda asked her jokingly, well who would you marry? She looked at me like I was a little nuts, and she responded "I don't know... you?". So that's when I pulled out the ring, and I asked her to marry me. I don't think she could have been more surprised. She kept saying "Are you serious?" over and over again. After realizing I was serious and calming down a bit, she said yes. Her response wasn't the quickest, but I definitely realize that I had a heck of a lot more time to think about this than she did. The first picture below was taken from where I proposed, the second, third, and fourth are of her ring, and the last one is of the church where we hope to get married.

June Recap

2008-06-30T09:28:00.006-06:00

Wow! The end of May and June flew by, so I thought I'd try to jam in a post before July gets here. Spring was awesome, and it's so great to have warm weather and relatively snow free mountains to play in. Allison started PT school at the end of May, so we jammed in a few activities before her life got crazy. We flew into Chicago, and I met her family and friends the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. It was so much fun meeting them and being in the Midwest again. We ran 5 miles one morning! I've never done anything like that. The best part was that we ran that in like 42 minutes. I'm no super athlete, but you really notice the abundance of oxygen:)

The weekend after that, I flew to Maryland and got to visit my sister's family and my parents. It was a great weekend, and it went by really fast. The kids are growing up so fast, and it's so hard to say goodbye to them.

After returning to Denver, Allison and I spent the first weekend in June hiking around Mt. Evans and having fun.

The second weekend, Brett and I climbed Mt. Sherman. The first successful summit of a 14er since my knee surgery. I've got some pictures I'll put at the bottom of this post.

The third weekend, we climbed Mt. Quandary for summit number 8. These were both great 14ers and the camping before hand was also loads of fun. My absolute favorite part though was getting to glissade. A glissade is when you slide down the snow using your ice axe as a rudder. It's a heck of a lot easier than hiking:) The glissade on Mt. Sherman was fairly short, but the Quandary glissade was probably closer to 2,000 feet of elevation loss, which means big fun.

The following weekend, I went hiking with my friend Andrew and his friend Libby. We went to the Mt. Evans area and hiked to a place called Hell's Hole. It was a good hike, which I followed up with some swimming at the pool. The next day, I rode my bike to downtown Denver and took the train home, which turned out to be a good workout. I then continued a new ritual for Andrew and I: Sunday tennis. I'm just loving being active again, and I'm doing as much as I can to make up for the time I lost.

Last Wednesday was Allison's birthday, which was loads of fun. We went to Stampede for ladies' night with a bunch of her fellow PT school students. It was a blast, but it was shorter for me because I had to work the next day. We had our celebration Friday night, which went so well. I grilled her red snapper and veggie kebabs, we drank Asti, and then we had homemade strawberry sherbet for dessert. She also opened her gift, and we just had a great time. Saturday, we checked out garage sales because she still needs a bike for school, she made me my favorite cookies, and we helped shovel dirt for her uncle. It was such a good weekend!

Life is good!
Ryan

Pictures and videos:
Mt. Sherman - http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157605495965263, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqampnYyu5w
Mt. Quandary - http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157605620751055

First visitor from Columbus

2008-05-05T08:16:00.002-06:00

So two weekends ago, Janan became my first official visitor from Columbus. Technically, my friend Brad was my first visitor, since he helped me move out here, but I didn't really know how to host visitors yet, so I'm not counting that.

Friday during the day, we headed up to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, and just hung out. Unfortunately, I had an appointment with my knee doctor, which delayed us getting there a little more than I had anticipated. I had wanted to make it to Garden of the Gods, but we didn't have time. Friday night, we went and saw the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse game, which was basically anarchy with sticks, pads, and a tiny ball. Believe it or not, there's more fighting than in hockey. We had a blast though, and Janan got to meet most of the people I spend my time with.

Saturday, Brett joined us for some sightseeing and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. We got to see some really cool birds, elk, sheep, deer, and of course, the lovely mountains. It was snowy where we hiked, but super warm, which was weird for Janan. I remember feeling the same way last year when Brett and I did our first hike as Colorado residents. It was a fun day, and that night, Brett and Andrew joined Janan and I in watching the Avalanche defeat the Minnesota Wild in the NHL playoffs. The game ended early enough for us to finish watching an OnDemand Warren Miller ski movie, which we were watching during the intermissions. It wasn't as crazy as Friday night, but we had fun.

Sunday morning, I ran Janan to the airport, and I think she enjoyed herself.

10K for the Cubbies!

2008-05-05T08:10:00.002-06:00

I'm just now catching up on some blogging, but I have to say how awesome it was to see the Cubs win their 10,000th game. The game was on April 23, 2008, and I was joined by Brett, Allison, and Allison's friend Betsy. Unfortunately, Betsy was rooting for the Rockies. It was a tight game, and towards the end, I wasn't sure if the Cubbies would be able to pull it off. The rockies pulled ahead, but Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer, which put the cubs up by one. Shortly thereafter, the Rockies scored another run, which sent the game into extra innings. In the end, the Cubs managed to get a run in, hold the Rocks, and pull off the W. I had no idea I was going to be seeing history when I bought those tickets. The Cubs are the second team to ever get 10,000 with the first being the Giants.

Grande Weekend

2008-05-04T21:53:00.002-06:00

My knee has been a pain in my side (actually my leg) for the last 2 years. You may recall such fascinating blog entries as "Bury My Skis at Wounded Knee" or "Knee Update". Well, as of this weekend, things have definitely taken a turn for the better. Saturday, I was able to join Brett, Tony, and Shelly for a fun filled day of skiing at Loveland Basin. It was awesome!!! The knee held up, and I got to ski on the last weekend of the season. I was not expecting this at all, and was totally thrilled to get to do this. I also got a great lesson from Brett, and I didn't do half bad, so I'm looking forward to next season. It gets better though. Today, I was able to go rock climbing in Boulder canyon with Brett, Tony, Shelly, and a friend from Miami. M'Linda is her name, and she, Brett, Tony, and I were in the Outdoor Adventure Club at Miami University. She lives in Telluride and was up to the front range for the weekend with her boyfriend Jon, so they took us climbing. It was a blast. I haven't been climbing in a year, so it felt great to get out on some rocks. I also came home to find homemade cookies and pizza in my apartment courtesy of Allison. What an awesome surpise! That just about wraps up the best weekend in a long time. Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

One year ago today...

2008-04-30T21:42:00.005-06:00

Hey everybody!

It was exactly one year ago today that I arrived in Colorado after leaving Columbus. It's so hard to believe it's actually been a year! My life has taken so many turns, but I never could have even imagined the fulfillment that living here has brought to me. So here are some of the events that have happened in a year's time:

1. I got a new ACL! - So my knee was never right after April of 2006, but now I'm back in action. I also graduated from physical therapy today, so I'm ready to kick some butt!

2. 6 14ers! - I hiked up 6 of the highest mountains in the lower 48, which was pretty cool. There's still a lot more to do, but I'm ready!

3. I got involved at church. - I joined the young adult group at my church not knowing what it would be like, since I've never done anything like that. I can't believe the impact that has had on my life. I've made some great friends, and I'm a lot closer to God.

4. I live 45 minutes from my best friend! - Brett's a great friend. He's the kind of person that's always ready for an adventure, but he is also there for you when you need to talk to someone. My knee kinda screwed up our Winter plans, but we've seen a lot of this place together (when I don't have pepper spray in my eyes), and I'm sure that will continue. Cheers buddy!

5. Last, but definitely not least, I met Allison. - I never knew someone so wonderful could exist on this planet. She's taught me so much in so little time, and I'm so lucky to have met her. I'm so much more at peace now, and I think attribute a lot of that to her. Seriously, my road rage has decreased like 95%, and the drivers here are really bad! Anyhow, we both arrived in Colorado a few blocks and months apart, and when I saw her a few times, I prayed that God would help me get to know her better, and He did. One night a friend was too sick to drive home (actually ill, not intoxicated), and I said I'd drive him home in his truck, but that I'd need someone to follow and take me back to my car. It turns out, Allison was one of two people present, and the only one who volunteered. Well, my prayers were answered, and I got her number that night. At the time we didn't realize how close we lived to each other, and we were both surprised to find that out. Before that, she had given me some cookies that she forgot to give to the elderly on one of our young adult group's service nights, and she had been on my mind ever since then. After that, I really wanted to thank her for the cookies, but didn't know who she was or anything. I prayed for a way to thank her, and sure enough she showed up and sat next to me at church on Sunday the next week! I was starting to wonder if I was imagining all this, but when I went home for Thanksgiving it got even clearer. Everywhere I went, I kept hearing "Allison". For example, the flight attendant's name was Allison, my dad told me all the neighbor's were home except for Allison, and I was also told how my cousin Allison was home from school. After all that, how could I stop thinking about her? Of course it was also funny that I had just had knee surgery, and she was taking classes to get into school for physical therapy. She ended up doing a lot of observation hours at my clinic too, so it really feels like our lives are supposed to be intersecting. It's crazy to think that had I googled another church or apartment complex, we probably would never have met, but I'm so thankful we did, and I know that some things happen because they're supposed to.

That's all I got for now. It's bedtime, but I just had to put this out here on the anniversary of my arrival. Hope all is well,

Ryan

Ice Skating, Zimbabwe, Tripp, the Nuggets, and Steamboat!!!

2008-03-27T16:58:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, I took Allison ice skating at the rink near my apartment. Considering I hadn't been ice skating in years, and since I'm recovering from knee surgery, it was a milestone of sorts. Other than that, I've been keeping busy.

A few weeks ago, Allison and I went to Boulder to see the the Motet in concert, which was cool, but we all ended up enjoying the opening act more. It was a band called Pachedu and they played Zimbabwean (or as Brett says, Zimbabwegian) music. It sounded a lot like Paul Simon music, but it just gave off this happy vibe. I'd recommend checking it out if you're looking for some world music.

A week ago today, Tripp arrived in town and was passing through from Cincinnati to California. I headed up to Boulder for some good food and some reminiscing and had a great time.

Tonight, I'm heading to see the Nuggets play the Mavericks. This is my third Nuggets game this year. Tony (who just moved here from Houston and went to Miami U. with us), Brett, and I saw them earlier this year and had some pretty poor seats, but they won, so we were happy even though Melo was out with a sprained ankle. The last time, I got to sit in my friend Kristin's skybox, which was way cool. Turns out this might be a recurring thing, so I'm off to the skybox again tonight! I love it here!

Tomorrow, Allison, Brett, Tony, Tony's fiance Shelly, and I are heading up to Steamboat Springs for the weekend. I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with Allison, tubing down a mountain (not quite ready for skiing yet), snowshoeing, and some hot spring action. Steamboat broke their annual snowfall record this year, so it should be an awesome time.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T13:26:00.003-07:00

Earlier this week, I caught some crazy mega-virus that has caused me to miss work and lose my voice. So Valentine's Day rolled around, and nothing was going according to plan, but when I got to my Jeep after work, on my windshield was a card and a giant, solid, chocolate fish in a box that said "You're a keeper". That made me feel pretty darn good. I had planned to make dinner for Valentine's Day, but I figured I shouldn't be handling another person's food while I'm sick, so I'm just hoping to get back to normal pretty soon, since we had to reschedule. I did end up taking her out for ice cream though, and on the way I kept pulling out gifts. It started with a card and a bag of candy, followed by a rose, followed by a personalized lab coat for her upcoming PT classes. I think I did ok for my first Valentine's Day in about 7 years, and the best part is that I still have dinner to look forward to. Good times!

It's a wonder I turned out ok...

2008-01-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

So my hilarious uncle sent my parents this picture with the caption, "It's a wonder this one turned out ok with a couple of druggie parents." My dad scanned the picture and sent it to me, and I must say that this explains why I'm such a freak...

Do they make a low sodium Grand Cherokee?

2008-01-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

So there is at least one elk in Rocky Mountain National Park that just loves licking the salt off of cars in the wintertime. I know this because I saw him doing it, and because when I got back to my car, it was covered in tongue marks. Yesterday, I took the peak to peak highway up to Estes Park and then did a little Winter hiking. It was cold, but serene and beautiful. Here's the pictures of the Jeep:

Old pictures

2008-01-11T07:15:00.001-07:00

So Brett sent me some links to some photo sets from some of our past trips, and I thought I'd post them in case anyone wanted to see.

Blackwater Falls, Spruce Knob summit, and hiking pics - West Virginia, Spring 2004
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/blackwaterfallsstatepark
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/spruceknob/
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/memorialday/

White Water Rafting - Colorado, Summer 2007
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/whitewaterrafting/

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Tennessee, Spring 2006
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157603691244833/

Olympic National Park - Washington, Summer 2005
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/olympicnationalpark/

The Maroon Bells - Colorado, Summer 2007
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/tags/maroonbells/

Huron Peak/Aspen - Colorado, Summer 2007
http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157603340860082/

Enjoy!
Ryan

Last weekend

2008-01-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was one of the best I've had in a long time! I really haven't been out and about all that much, since I twisted my knee, and with Brett skiing most weekends now, I had grown accustomed to just hanging out around the apartment.

So last week, Brett had told me that Spring Creek, one of the best local bluegrass bands around, was playing at the Fox Theater in Boulder on Friday night, so I asked a lady friend if she wanted to go to dinner and then go to the concert with Brett and I. She said yes... that's right... yes. So we got seafood at Landry's, and then we drove up to Boulder. The tickets were only $5, and for that, we got to see the Billy Pilgrims, The Boulder Acoustic Society, and Spring Creek. I really can't even begin to explain how talented these musicians are, and to only pay $5 to see them all is ridiculous. So I had a great time, and so did my friend, which was cool because she'd never heard live bluegrass before, and I wasn't sure how that was going to go.

Because Brett was heading to Winter Park on Saturday, and since it was sunny and 50 degrees out when I went to ride the exercise bike at 10AM, I decided it would be a good day to go play outside. I asked the same girl if she wanted to go to the Garden of the Gods (http://gardenofgods.com) down in Colorado Springs, and again she said yes. We got there around 1:30 and walked around on the trails for a few hours. It's an incredible place where giant slabs of sandstone stick vertically out of the ground. It's neat to walk around because they have names for all the rock formations like the Siamese Twins and the Kissing Camels, which is actually cool because it actually looks like the silhouette of two camels kissing. It got a little windy, but it was so much fun to get outside, walk around with her, and show her someplace she's never been. After we got back, I convinced her to join me for dinner at Qdoba with a buy one, get one free coupon. Then I dropped her off and went home to watch the Steelers lose... I really need to stop backing the teams I want to win!

So after church on Sunday, I was bored, and although it was only about 40 degrees, I just felt like doing something outside again. My friend had left her wallet in my car, so when I dropped it off, I asked her if she would want to shoot some baskets later (my knee is much, much better now). I felt like such a pest asking her to hang out again, but we were both bored, so why not? We walked to a nearby court, where she proceeded to beat me in 4 games of horse. I'd like to blame my knee or say that my hands were cold or say that I played awful, but she just shot really well and whooped me plain and simple. Hopefully, I'll get a rematch sometime!

Another championship loss for OSU

2008-01-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well it's sad to say this, but I'm getting used to Ohio State losing title games. Maybe part of me should be happy that they even get there in the first place, but I'm not. I probably shouldn't get too upset though... I mean next year's team should be pretty great too, so cheer up Columbus!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to say thank you to all those that helped me get around Columbus, provided me with lodging, and came out to have a good time. I had so much fun seeing everyone, and I am very grateful to have such good friends. If you ever come visit me, I hope I can make you all feel as welcome as I did this past weekend.

Happy New Year!
Ryan

New knee, etc.

2007-12-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Happy Holidays! I've got the day off, so I figured I'd do a brain dump. Life is good! It's been 4 weeks or so since I had my knee surgery, and I'm walking around again. I've been doing physical therapy everyday to regain the muscle I lost from being on crutches for 2 months. I'm right on schedule for my recovery, so I can't complain. The pain has started to subside too. The only pain for the last few weeks would occur at night, which apparently was my knee healing. Otherwise, life has been much busier. I've made some friends, so I've been to a comedy club, the parade of lights, bar trivia nights, etc. It's nice to have the whole hermit thing behind me. This Christmas, I'll be heading to Maryland to celebrate at my sister's house with the family. The good news is that on my way back, I'll be stopping in Columbus. I'll be in town from Thursday night until Sunday morning, and I can't wait to see everyone. That's all I got for now.

First Snow in Denver

2007-10-21T20:10:00.000-06:00

Last night and today marked the first snow I've seen in the city of Denver. The mountains have had caps for awhile now, but I didn't think snow could accumulate until the ground cooled off. I was wrong. It seems that Colorado can receive accumulations of snow despite the fact that the previous day was warm. Consider the following... Yesterday, I was watching a football game in Boulder in 70 degree weather. This morning, I woke up to 4 inches of snow outside. In the next few days, the snow will be gone. This is all new to me, but this is how it works out here. I've heard this from every person I know who lives here, but it's different to witness it first hand. So here's my pics:

Go Rockies!

2007-10-21T20:08:00.001-06:00

People give me crap out here for being a Cubs fan at times, but then I ask them how many Rockies games they went to this year, and they usually reply with a zero. Since, I went out to support the Rockies 2 times this year (I don't count the time they played the Cubbies), I usually get these people to shut their yaps. I just wanted to salute the Rockies and their astounding 21 wins out of the last 22 games. Way to go, and good luck in the World Series.

Knee Update

2007-10-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

Well, it's official... I'm going under the knife. As the religious followers of this blog know, my ACL and medial meniscus are both torn. The ACL is completely torn, but the meniscus is just a partial tear. So two weeks and two days from now, they're going to go into my knee and repair the meniscus and replace my ACL with a piece of my patellar tendon. A full recovery will take 6 months. This has really cut into my social life, but I'm really glad that I'm getting this fixed. My dad is going to fly out here for the week and keep me in line, which I really appreciate. Wish me luck! Oh, and I found out that my doctor is the team doctor for a little football team out here called the Denver Broncos. YES!

I can't believe that CU beat OU

2007-10-01T16:40:00.001-06:00

I always like to see a good upset, but I was shocked that CU came back to beat the Sooners. Having to crutch a quarter of a mile to the stadium and back was totally worth it. It was also nice to see that several other top ranked teams were beat, which put OSU up to #4 in the rankings. Way to go CU!

Smoothies and the importance of fruit

2007-09-30T09:16:00.001-06:00

So my diet isn't so bad, and since I moved to the great state of Colorado, I've stopped eating fast food. I still eat out at restaurants on occasion, but for the most parts I avoid greasy food. I take a vitamin every day, and I make sure I get all of my calcium and not too much fat etc. Recently, I offered to record the show "The Truth about Food" for one of my coworkers. I ended up having to watch it to burn it to a DVD, but I actually learned how important fruits and vegetables are to the human diet. We've been evolving or adapting over thousands of years, and long before we knew how to barbecue, we foraged for fruits and vegetables. So I figured I'd give fruit a shot. Here's what I discovered:

Good Smoothie:
1 banana
2 chunks of pineapple
1 handful of white seedless grapes
a few blueberries
a few blackberries
a splash of OJ

Blend that together, and it won't be impossible to eat the fruit you should be eating. And most of that fruit can be kept in the fridge or freezer. I for one keep the blueberries frozen. I really don't care how much fruit you eat, I just wanted to remember the recipe.

Bury my skis at wounded knee

2007-09-28T07:46:00.000-06:00

I was so excited for ski season this year. I had my skis, helmet, goggles, new ski pants, and a great ski pass. I was ready to go. All I needed were some lessons and some snow. Well, that was until the night of Tuesday, Sepetember 18th. It was our young adult group's flag football night, and I was excited. I hadn't played flag football in a couple years, and I had missed out on ultimate frisbee the previous Sunday because I was salmon fishing. This was going to be awesome. I started out playing quarterback for our team, but people were having difficulty catching, so I switched to a receiver. I was wide open, but our quarterback threw an interception trying to throw to another guy who was pretty well covered. The quarterback did a good job of grabbing the guys flag though, so we were good. So the other team is on offense. It's first down. They throw up a pass, and I knocked it down. I thought to myself, "I should have intercepted that". So on second down, I did just that. I took the ball and I started running. I made it about 15 feet, and as I attempted to juice it around a guy, I heard an awful noise come from my right knee. That's when I went down and felt the pain. I had twisted my knee again, and it was almost identitical to the time I had twisted it playing tennis with my father in Florida. The pain just wouldn't stop, and then the endorphins started rushing through my body. I think it was the endorphins made me woozy because soon, I started feeling like I was going to pass out, so I just laid down. The nice people at the group grabbed me some ice for my knee and some gatorade and a granola bar to give me some energy. Pretty soon, I was feeling better, but my knee was in pretty bad shape.

The next day, I called my sister, and she said I should see an orthopedic surgeon, so I called around to a few places in my plan. Most of them were booked, but one place said they could get me an appointment with a Physician's Assistant, that's what my sister is, the following day, which sounded fine to me.

So Thursday the 20th, I made my way to the Steadman Hawkins clinic, which I later found out is pretty much the best place you can go for knee injuries in Denver if not the United States. I met with the PA, he took some XRays, and then he said that my bones looked good, but he though we should schedule an MRI. He also gave me crutches and a knee brace that won't let my knee bend past 45 degrees. So I setup an appointment for an MRI on Tuesday, and then I headed over to start physical therapy. I was a little surprised that they would do this without knowing what the problem is, but these guys really know what they're doing. By doing therapy early and through knee repairs, recovery time is significantly decreased. Who knew? They mainly worked on my range of motion, and they put the world's most expensive ice pack on my knee, which was awesome. It's actually a machine that fills up a sleeve with cold water, so you have the cold and pressure, which works wonders.

So Tuesday I went in and got my MRI, and yesterday, I received the results. So the PA informed me that my ACL is torn, I have a small tear in my Medial Meniscus, there is a lot of bone bruising, and I should stay on the crutches. I have to schedule a follow up meeting, but I'm probably headed for surgery. So much for ski season! I'm pretty sure that I tore my ACL playing tennis in Florida in April of 2006, which is why I injured my knee so easily this time. I guess the good news is that I'll have some really qualified people performing the surgery and helping me recover. Here's a picture of what's wrong with my knee:

Please send gifts and donations to the Ryan Kane Knee Memorial Surgery Assistance Fund (RKKMSAF).

Salmon Fishing in Almont, CO

2007-09-28T07:35:00.001-06:00

About two weeks ago, I was salmon fishing near a little town called Almont, CO, which is in western Colorado. My dad's friend Gary from Vietnam invited me to join he and his family for this annual salmon extravaganza. He told me we were guaranteed to catch a lot of fish, but I had no idea until I got there. Every year, some land-locked version of the Sockeye Salmon called Kokone, head back up to the Roaring Judy fish hatchery. The fish are four years old, and after spawning, they'll die. This makes for some good fishing. We left on Friday, 9/14 at around 9:45AM. We took 285 through South Park, and stopped below the Taylor Reservoir to observe the huge trout that sit below the dam. We're talking 20 pounders. The fish love the oxygen rich water created by the flow going through the dam, and nobody is allowed on the land near the dam, so the fish never get caught and just keep growing. It is truly spectacular. Along the way, we'd check out the aspen leaves, which were starting to change, and I got to see more of the west slope than I'd seen before. The west side of the Rocky Mountains is much more moist than the east side, so it has a different look to it. All in all, it was a great weekend, and I probably caught close to 50 fish on Friday and Saturday. It was one of my favorite weekends here in Colorado, and I'm definitely going back next year. Here's some pictures:

What I've been doing...

2007-09-28T07:24:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been awhile, since I've last posted, but I've been busier lately. I've started attending a young adult group at my church every Tuesday night, and that's great because they're really nice people, and it gives me something to do. I also started playing in an ultimate frisbee league on Sunday mornings, which is another great bunch of people. Along with that, I've also been going to CU football home games, which has taken up a few Saturdays. Unfortunately, last weekend Miami University, my alma mater, got spanked 42-0 playing (I'm using that word loosely) CU. I also saw Superbad a couple weeks ago, which is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. Oh, and I should mention that two weeks ago, I went salmon fishing near Gunnison in Almont, CO, which is on the west side of the state. I'll write more about that in another post, as well as some not so good news. Stay tuned....

Light Rail Drinking Policy

2007-09-11T09:06:00.000-06:00

Food and drink are not allowed on the RTD Light Rail system, so that they don't create mess. So today, when some a-hole sitting across from me on the train spilled his French roast all over, I was not happy. It got the straps of my backpack and a few spots on my pants, so people are calling me "Seattle's Best" now. Thanks a lot buddy for not obeying the no drinks on the train policy. If he wasn't violating a rule, I wouldn't be so upset, but you're not supposed to drink stuff on the train for this very reason. So I will remain as bitter as the coffee he spilled on me. Thanks a lot dumb ass!

Skiing

2007-09-01T23:31:00.001-06:00

I'm pumped for ski season to get here. Mind you, I know nothing about skiing at the moment, but that will all change soon enough. I've got my skis. I've got my boots. I'll soon receive my goggles and helmet. There's only two things missing: snow and my ski pass. So the prices for ski passes are set to rise on Tuesday 9/4. This means that by Monday I have to decide between the Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus and the Five Mountain Pass. Here's the breakdown:

Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus:
Unlimited skiing at Copper Mountain, Winter Park, Mary Jane
6 unrestricted days at Steamboat Springs
Free skiing at Steamboat Springs after 12PM on Fridays

Five Mountain Pass:
Unlimited skiing at Keystone, A-Basin, Breckenridge
10 restricted days split between Vail and Beaver Creek

I've been told so many different things about both passes, that I no longer know what to believe. Here's what I'll use to base my decision:

Where do the locals go?
Winner: Copper Mountain
- I would like to know where the most locals go because then, I can wear my "Don't hassle me, I'm local" T-Shirt. All kidding aside, I would like to trust that the people who live here would know the best place for your practical skiing.

What's the fastest place to get to?
Winner: Copper Mountain
Runers Up: A-Basin and Keystone
- Getting there is half the battle. Although Keystone and A-Basin are closer in mileage, Loveland Pass can close and change that. Also, Copper Mountain is right off the interstate, so you get there just as quickly, if not faster.

Which place has the best snow?
Winner: Steamboat Springs
Runner up: Vail
- Everybody says Steamboat has the best snow. It's farther away, but it's great snow.

Where do all the a-holes ski?
Loser: Vail and Breckenridge
- I've heard that some of the skiers at Vail and Breckenridge can be a little on the stuck up side.

What else is there to take into consideration? Parking costs maybe? Well, since it costs $20 to park at Vail, that's a lot of money over 10 days of skiing. Even if Brett and I carpooled and split parking, thats $100 bucks. That could buy me 10 hot chocolates at the resorts. What about the skiing restrictions at Vail? I guess even though I would get 4 less days at Steamboat, at least there's no parking fees and I can go whenever I want. So I guess you could say I'm leaning towards the Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus. It costs a bit more, but I think I'll enjoy my first season a bit more. Writing this actually helped me realize how much better the RM Pass sounds. Anyhow, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow marks my first concert at Red Rocks: Yonder Mountain String Band. I could use some bluegrass:)

I said it sucks... to be... a CSU Ram!

2007-09-01T23:24:00.000-06:00

Twice in a row the CU vs. CSU game has been very close and has displayed some of the closest matched teams I've been able to see play football. Although this game wasn't quite as good as the game I got to see 4 years ago with Tripp, it was still pretty cool. Being at Invesco field was pretty cool, but I prefer Folsom Field. Anayhow, here's the breakdown of things I liked and didn't like to see today:

Pros:
CU beat CSU in overtime.
OSU beat Youngstown State
Michigan fell victim to one of the biggest upsets in the history of college football
Miami University beat Ball State

Cons:
The Irish got whooped
The Illini still suck

Mis padres...

2007-08-31T15:40:00.001-06:00

Last weekend marked my first visitors, my parents. I was so happy to see them. I picked them up at the airport Thursday night, which is where the adventure begins. From there, we headed to my apartment to drop off the luggage, and then we headed to Bighorn Brewing Co. for an appetizer and some beer. I got my dad to drink Buttface with me, and my mom tried the Light homebrew, which she enjoyed. I don't think my dad was ready for Buttface, but then again, my mom and I are the beer drinkers in the family. After that, we went back to my apartment and crashed to prepare for Friday.

I had Friday off because I've been working 9 hour shifts, and it was so sweet! Anyhow, we headed up to Boulder to meet Brett for lunch at Snarf's. We were early, so we went up to the Flat Irons, and while we hiked, I explained how this geological formation occurred. It was my way of saying, "Mountains meet my parents, mom and dad, meet the mountains". After that, we headed down to Snarf's. What a great place to get sandwiches! We had a good meal, socialized a bit, and then headed up to Estes Park for some scenery. We took the Peak to Peak Highway and stopped at the St. Catherine of Sienna church, which is strategically placed right in front of Mt. Meeker. Once I meet my wife, this is where we will tie the knot (she and her parents don't have a choice in the matter). My mom loved the church and said it was the neatest thing she'd seen yet. From there, we went up to Estes Park and started up Trail Ridge Road. The weather was especially perfect, which is rare, since it normally rains when it's after noon in the mountains. Apparently, my mom is afraid of being inside a vehicle at more than 9,000 feet above sea level because it was right about there that she started asking me to turn around. Like a good son, I ignored her and kept driving. Soon we were above the timberline and driving on roads that thousands of people drive on every Summer, but apparently my mother felt like we could pull a "Thelma and Louise" at any moment. We made it to the top, my dad and I got out, we had our picture taken, and then we high-tailed it back down into mom's comfort zone. Since mom took one for the team, dad and I followed her around for awhile as she looked at shops in town. We ate dinner at the Wapiti Pub, drank some beers, and listened to some live country guy named Ronnie Furr. They were having a great time and didn't realize it was because they were drinking beer at 7,500 ft above sea level (less O2 gets you a better buzz). After that, we got ice cream and drove back into the park to see if the stars would come out, but the moon was too bright. We headed back to Denver.

For Saturday, I had originally planned on taking them up Mount Evans, but after the Trail Ridge Road incident, I figured it was best if I skip that. It's a shame too because the view from Mt. Evans is spectacular and is only open Memorial Day to Labor Day! So Mt. Evans was out, but we went to Red Rocks and Vail, which were both really neat places. We took the scenic route over Loveland Pass to Vail, which only worked out because mom was asleep over the steep parts. Vail was ritzy, but cool. We enjoyed lunch at the Red Lion and followed it up with ice cream from Marble Slab. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for better conditions. After returning from Vail, we met my dad's army buddy Gary and his family for dinner. We went to Isla Morada, which is located at the local Bass Pro Shop. It sounds fake, but I assure you it's real, and my meal was incredible. After dinner we headed back to Gary's house where he and my father reminisced and told stories about Vietnam. I have a strong admiration for my father, but I think I admire him the most when he tells those stories about the war. They're not about killing and bloodshed, but about people, relationships, and the feelings of war (fear and adrenaline). I would relate the friendships my father made in Vietnam to the friendships I made in college, only my bonds probably aren't quite as strong as those forged in war. After several stories and some awesome homemade pies, we went back to the apartment.

Sunday was low key, and was supposed to be. We went to church, had lunch with my mom's friend Mary, and then we helped mom out as she arranged my apartment. She is an interior decorator, and she is VERY, VERY good at what she does. I have complete faith in her, and rarely contest anything she suggests. I'm not a mama's boy, she's just that good. After decorating, we had a small dinner and just enjoyed each other's company.

Early Monday morning, I dropped my parents off at the airport. It was sad to say goodbye to them, since I know I won't see them again until Thanksgiving, but that's the choice I made by moving out here, and I'll live. Most the time, living here feels great, but sometimes you can't help, but miss people.

Long's Peak

2007-08-19T08:42:00.000-06:00

Longs Peak was the last 14er Brett and I plan on doing this summer, although, I bet there's a few we could reach in September if we really wanted. We do plan on snowshoeing one of the easier ones in October. Anyhow, this was a class 3 (of a 1 - 5 system), which means it involved some technical climbing. My hands were a little worn after getting down. The whole route was 15 miles round trip, which is a lot of miles on flat land let alone going up and down a mountain. There were four main parts to the ascent: The hike to the boulder field, navigating the boulder field, navigating the angled rock, and the homestretch.

The hike up to the boulder field was pretty easy because it's very gradual. The boulder field was a bit more difficult, and you can see it below in the foreground and to the right of the snow. It gradually works it's way up to what's called the keyhole. That's the part on the right horizon where someone could walk under the rock. Once you pass the keyhole, you hike along angled rock and just try to follow the bullseyes that have been painted on the mountain.

The next part of the ascent goes along slanted rock, which could get you hurt if you do something stupid. This is what it looks like coming down:

After the slanted rock, comes the home stretch, which is an upward climb that is moderately steep. I never felt like I was going to fall or that I was in danger of any sort. Pictures make it look a lot steeper than it actually is.

After the homestretch, you get to have your picture taken at one of the stores on the top. Just kidding, there's nothing on the top, but more exhausted people just like yourself.

By the end of the day yesterday, we had reached strange physical plateaus:

Muscle exhaustion: Our muscles were exhausted, but you just keep going because you know you have to.

Energy: I'm assuming the calorie burn yesterday was probably around 7,000 (3,500 is one pound), and since I only supplied my body with about 1,000 or so calories during the excursion, my body had to find more energy. I'm sure it started using what I had in my system, but then moved on to fat reserves, but it didn't find much so that contributed to the muscle exhaustion too.

Hunger: After about 7:30AM, I had no appetite yesterday. After Pike's Peak a month or so ago, I was starving. I think once your brain tells your body to start using your fat reserves, it tells your stomach, hey you don't need you to worry about feeling hungry at the moment. In other words, I think my bran supressed my appetite. I'm not sure if this is true, but even once I got home last night, I did not feel like eating, but I ate what I could.

Sleep: We woke up at 2:15AM to do this 14er, and I drove back to Denver and never got drowsy at 5PM. I think I had reached a point where your body ignores what your brain is telling it to do for so long, that it gets easier to ignore it.

Just like what Brett said on his blog for this last part:

Back in May when I looked at Long's Peak, I honestly would never have guessed I would summit it 3 months later.

See all photos from this hike at http://flickr.com/photos/brett_burch/sets/72157601541063519/.

Perseid Meteor Shower

2007-08-12T22:37:00.000-06:00

Friday night, Brett and I went to see the Rockies play the Cubs. Cubs win, Cubs win!!! I was very happy to see the Cubs secure a nice W. It was a pretty good time.

Saturday night, we headed up to Rocky Mountain Nationl Park to watch the Perseid meteor shower. The light pollution was very low where we went because, we were pretty much right next to the continental divide. We saw a total of 66 meteorites, which was pretty awesome. It got really cold though, and although I was wearing my down jacket, it got chilly enough that we had to call it a night. Here is where we watched the shower (you can see the rocks we climbed, but there wasn't snow like in the image):

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.413986,-105.723978&spn=0.00292,0.005525&t=h&z=18&om=1

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=40.414056~-105.723656&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&encType=1

Torrey's Peak/Keystone Bluegrass/Miami Alumni Picnic

2007-08-05T21:46:00.000-06:00

This was another cool weekend. Yesterday, one of my co-workers, Joe, Brett, and I went and hiked Torrey's Peak, which sits less than a half mile from Gray's Peak, which Brett and I had already hiked. That brings our 14er tally up to 5. It was pretty cloudy at the top, so there wasn't a whole lot to see. On our way down, Joe asked if we'd mind hiking Gray's Peak again, so we ended up doing two 14ers in one day. That was pretty cool. Afterwards, we all headed over to a popular ski resort called Keystone for a free Bluegrass festival. There were also 30 different breweries there to sample! We were driving home that night though, so we didn't do the sampling, but we did grab a couple from the beer garden. Joe's wife Mandy and his daughter Lilly met us at the festival, and after a few shows, the left. Brett and I headed to Breckenridge, grabbed dinner, gawked at some females, did an O-H (I-O) to some guy in a OSU sweatshirt, and then headed back to Denver. We decided to go relieve some of the aches from hiking in the apartment complex hot tub. The hot tub heater was broken for a few weeks, so I was really praying that it was working once again, and it was. The temp was 105F, and it was hot, but it felt pretty nice. After a soak and a swim, Brett headed back to Boulder, and I passed out.

This morning, I went to early church, so that I could attend the Miami Alumni picnic to send off the incoming freshman class. We got to meet some nice people including a guy who went to New Zealand with one of my housemates Tripp. He lives in Boulder, and seemed pretty cool, so it was nice to make a new acquaintance. It was pretty cool to talk to some people who have shared the same places and experiences as myself. It made me miss Miami, but I watched Old School and felt better... JK:)

White Water Rafting

2007-08-05T21:41:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, Brett's sister Alyssa, he, and I went whitewater rafting on the Clear Creek near Idaho Springs. It was a ton of fun. The previous night, it rained, so the flow of the creek doubled up to 300 cubic feet per second. That's a lot of water! The rapids were class 3 and 4, so it was a crazy good time. I did have a wonderful opportunity to use my wetsuit. That can be seen in pictures 21 - 31 here:

http://www.rapidimagephoto.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?pagenum=21&action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&id=2140202&eventid=28207

Afterwards we went up to Mt. Evans, but it was too cloudy, so we just went back to Boulder, ate dinner at Illegal Pete's, and saw Hurtin Kurtis again at the Lazy Dog.

Bluegrass Weekend

2007-07-26T19:57:00.000-06:00

Last Friday, after sucking down a few Sawtooth Ales ($2 a pint!!!) at the Groggy Dog in Nederland (quite possibly my future home), Brett and I headed to the dirt road town of Gold Hill. This place was awesome! It is home to the Gold Hill Inn where Spring Creek was playing that night. They were a really good band, and we got a chance to say hello and shake hands with them all. It was pretty cool. We had a couple more drinks, talked to some nice ladies from Denver, and then headed out. Upon reaching Brett's apartment, we drove separately to the nearest Waffle House, which was probably 20 miles away in the direction of my apartment. I finished off an All-Star breakfast in about 5 minutes. We paid and went our separate ways, only to rejoin the following night downtown near the Filmore. We saw The Wayword Sons at a bar called Dulcinea's. We got to meet the lead guitarist/singer, and they put on another good show. We were there with Brett's coworker Patrick, his wife Natalie, and his friend Dav-o. Around 1:30AM, we piled into Patrick's car, and they dropped me at the train stop. I rode home, and listened to the new Modest Mouse and Travis albums. It was a different sort of weekend, but it was good. This weekend, it's whitewater rafting!

Pike's Peak + Beef Coma = Fun

2007-07-15T20:07:00.000-06:00

Gayle posted a good question under the comments of my last post asking: What is a fourteener? A fourteener is a mountain with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet.

Yesterday, Brett and I made a 5.5 mile hike up Pike's Peak near Colorado Springs. This was by far the most strenuous fourteener we've done yet, since it was 11 miles round trip and 4,500 feet of elevation gain on the trip up. Nothing too eventful happened, except for one thing. When we got to the top, there's a large parking area, since there's also a road to the top of Pike's Peak. Some jerk had a bumper sticker on his SUV that said OHOWIHATE Ohio State, which really made me mad. I cut his brake lines, so I hope he had a good time making the descent from the top of Pike's Peak:)

After making it back to my apartment, we were in the mood for a pretty good meal, so we headed to Black Angus. I ordered a 16oz cut of prime rib, and ate the whole thing along with a salad, roasted veggies, and garlic mashed potatoes. Following that, we watched Beerfest. After Brett went home, I slipped into a beef coma, and slept for 10 hours.

3 Fourteeners down!

2007-07-13T18:12:00.000-06:00

So since I've last posted, I've done 2 more Fourteeners: Mt. Bierstadt and Grays Peak. They were both really fun, and I keep getting better at handling the elevation. I made it up Mt. Bierstadt (3000ft up over 3.5 miles) in about 2 hours, which wasn't bad for what they call a "flatlander". Then last weekend I made it up Grays peak (3000ft up over 3.5 miles) in about 1.5 hours, and I didn't stop the whole way up. My goal was to never get passed going up, and it worked. My heart rate would get pretty high at times, but I'd just decrease my pace to a slow walk, drink some water, eat some Gu, and get back to it. So right now I've done 3/53 fourteeners, and hopefully tomorrow, I'll have 49 left. We're planning on hiking Pike's Peak tomorrow down in Colorado Springs, and then heading to the garden of the gods. If you google it, you'll see the garden is amazing.

After Gray's Peak last week, Brett and I headed to Virgilio's Pizza in Lakewood. It seriously ruled. It was just excellent Pizza made well with fresh, homemade ingredients. After that, we hung out at my apartment until the Rockies game. We headed downtown and went to Fado until the rain cleared up, and then we watched the Rockies beat the Phillies. I love it here!

I bought a road bike!

2007-06-24T22:08:00.000-06:00

Thursday night, I bought myself a nice road bike, so I can get some easy exercise in during the week. I have already put somewhere around 30 or 40 miles on the bike, and I just love it. I'm a complete novice when it comes to cycling, but riding a bike feels like being a kid again, only this time, I can go wherever I want. The bike is a Specialized Allez Elite Triple, and here's a picture:

Here's what I've been up to...

2007-06-15T15:17:00.000-06:00

Well, about 3 weeks ago on Memorial Day weekend, I moved into my apartment, which was pretty uneventful. Rather than spend the weekend unpacking, Brett and I decided to spend the weekend up in Estes Park again. We did some camping and hiking Saturday night through Monday morning. One of the hikes went up to Mills Lake where they took the picture for the Colorado state quarter. I had one of those quarters for about 6 months before I moved here, so I recognized it right away (it later fell victim to being used as Light Rail fare). The scenery at Mills Lake was spectacular, but unfortunately, we forgot our cameras, so I don't have any pictures. After hiking Sunday, we drove up to Trail Ridge Road, which crosses the continental divide and is the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. We took a hike near the top, and made it up to 12,300ft elevation. It was awesome! On Memorial Day, we headed down to try to go to the top of Mt. Evans, but the road was closed, so we made our way over to the Guanella Pass, which was also closed. Despite being closed, we took the road for a few miles, and I got to see my first bighorn sheep. Again, it would have been nice to have a camera, but maybe next time.

The next weekend was dedicated entirely to fly fishing. The first weekend in June was free fishing weekend, so Brett and I fished the S. Boulder Creek on Saturday and the S. Platte River on Sunday. We both got skunked on Saturday because the water was flowing way too fast, but Sunday Brett caught two rainbow trout, while I caught none (the score: 0 - 2). I was glad he caught something though because it was his first time fly fishing, and everybody deserves to catch something their first time. So I was outfished that weekend, but the scenery in both locations made the trip completely worthwhile.

Last weekend, we continued the tradition of spending every other weekend in Estes Park. This time, it was more focused on the Rocky Mountain Brewfest, which brought 15 different microbreweries to Estes Park for Saturday. We did some fishing Saturday morning before the festival started, and I was able to catch a nice rainbow on my second cast (the score: 1- 2). After that, we went and sampled lots of beer. There was everything from vanilla porter to rasberry ale to chili beer to espresso stout. It was awesome!!! We made some new friends at the festival, which was pretty cool. One of the guys went to college at Bradley, which is in my home town. I was overly excited about that. They seemed like cool people, and later we had a campfire at one of their grandparent's houses in the mountains (who also went to Bradley). Sunday morning, Brett and I managed to get up at a reasonable time and head up to Sprague Lake in RMNP to do some more fishing. It took awhile, but I finally caught a nice brooke trout on an ant (the score: 2-2). The lake was overcrowded and hard to fly fish, so we made our way down to a stream in a valley near the Moraine Park campground. We didn't catch anything there, so we went on a hike and then headed back to civilization.

I'm very excited about today. Brett and I are going over near Aspen to climb our first 14er (that's a 14,000ft elevation mountain). We took a class on Wednesday at REI that told us all we needed to know, so on a whim, we decided to attempt one this weekend. It's name is Mt. Huron, and it's not supposed be too strenous. It's a 5 mile hike round trip, but you spend the entire trip to the top doing some pretty good uphill, not to mention the fact that there is no oxygen. It's a bit of a drive, but I'm looking forward to setting a new elevation record on my altimeter. After work, I'm heading home, and then to REI to pick up my new snowshoes. I'm so excited. I also bought a new laptop from Dell today, so my sporatic blogging will come to an end once I receive it. I'm definitely taking my camera this time, so I should be able to post some pictures the next time I blog.

Catch you later,
Ryan

I'm still alive...

2007-06-01T13:17:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not posting in awhile, but I just moved into my new apartment, and I don't have internet. Stay tuned...

Another great weekend

2007-05-21T20:53:00.000-06:00

So this weekend, I headed up to Boulder to avoid the Inn-town Suites. It's not that the Inn-town Suites are bad, it's just not ideal. Friday night, Brett and I overstuffed ourselves at the Himalayan/Indian Buffet and then tried to sample some different brews at the Mountain Sun Brewery. Unfortunately, we picked a couple bad beers in our sampler, but it ended up working out because we ate so much that it was nearly impossible to drink beer. The brewery was pretty cool though, and would be a cool place to go with visitors (hint hint). Saturday morning, we went and got our Jeeps inspected, so that we can get Colorado plates and licenses. After a guy with no teeth, who I know had a great time in the 60s, finished our inspections, we headed off to lunch and then headed over to summit Bear Peak. Bear Peak is about 8,600ft above sea level, and on one side you have a view of Boulder and the plains, and on the other, you have the continental divide. The trail head was about 6,100ft above sea level, and the trail was only about 3.5 miles long, so we did quite a bit of uphill, but the view was really worth it (pictures to come). Saturday night, we headed to the Lazy Dog and watched a Grateful Dead cover band Hurtin Kurtis, which was pretty fun. Sunday night I headed over to my dad's friend Gary's house to meet up with him and his family. I had met them the first time I came to Colorado 11 years ago on a trip that probably led to me living here today. It was a lot of fun, and they really made me feel welcome. After they took me out to dinner, we went back to their home and played basketball in the driveway for about an hour before going inside and having homemade pie. Before I left, they marked out some good places to go fly fishing on a map of Colorado and a map of Wyoming, which I plan to use as soon as I get a fishing license. This weekend, I get to move into my apartment and have all of my stuff again! I'm so excited. Hopefully, I can get moved in rather quickly, so that I can use the holiday weekend to get out to the national park or something.

Pelicans in Colorado?

2007-05-17T22:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, as I was heading home from the post office, I noticed three large birds flying high above my Jeep. At first I thought they were pelicans, and then I remembered I was in Colorado, but then I looked again. The really were pelicans, and although I sound crazy, I'm certain of it. I've spent enough time in Florida to recognize them and they're pretty hard to mistake for another bird. I've never seen a pelican anywhere this far form the ocean, so who knows what they were doing here.

Apparently, I'm not crazy after all: http://www.windsortribune.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2665 (Windsor is near Fort Collins, CO)

After last weekend, I realized I needed to waterproof my boots, so I headed down to REI in Englewood tonight. It was a very cool area with lots of shopping and places to eat. It reminded me a lot of Polaris in Columbus. When I first walked into REI, a couple was walking in front of me, and the man was wearing an OSU shirt. I told them that I just moved here from Columbus, and they said they were from Cleveland and Cincinnati originally. The man said the woman's son was going to OSU, and as I walked away, she yelled, "O-H"! I followed up with a nice "I-O"! It was almost like being in Columbus.

An Action Packed Weekend

2007-05-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

Friday Night: Brett and I went to the Rockies game, which cost us $4 a piece! Mind you, they were the worst seats in the house, but the beer tastes the same:) So the game went by rather quickly, and the weather couldn't have been nicer. After that we headed off to the Wynkoop Brewery where he had a local brew and watched some dude get arrested for public intoxication. After that craziness, we headed to Illegal Pete's for some midnight mexican food.

Saturday: I got up really early, so that I could get new tires put on my Jeep. I got some awesome all terrain tires, which I got to test out in Rocky Mountain National Park (more to come). After getting my tires, I headed over to the storage unit where I'm keeping all of my stuff until I get my apartment. I grabbed a few things, and then headed up to Boulder to pick up Brett. We got to RMNP around 3PM and found out that all of the campsites were full. After calling the ranger station, we found that the the Elk Meadow Lodge and Campground had vacancies and is located just outside the park. We got a site and setup my tent, so that it was pointing straight and Long's Peak, the highest point in the park (pictures to follow). After setting up camp, we got our packs ready and headed for the park. We drove to Bear Lake and set out on a 1.8 mile trail to Emerald Lake, which is surrounded by a cirque (Wikipedia), which is quite amazing. The snow was deep, and the scotch guard on my boots was non-existant, so it was a little strenous, but we made all the way up to 10,091 feet elevation, and that was a first for me.

Saturday Night: The night was clear, and the stars were unbelievable. After heading back to camp, we made dinner and then headed over to the Rocky Inn. There was some live entertainment, and every beer on draft, with the exception of PBR and Guinness, was locally brewed. We limited ourselves to a couple beers, so that we wouldn't be hurting the next day, and then left the Rocky. We both were in the mood for some good tunes, so we took a spin around Estes Park listening to Good Times, Bad Times until Brett put in some Herbie Hancock, which is probably best described as porn music. Don't believe me? Listen to Palm Grease here. When we got back to camp, it had gotten into the 40s, so we crawled into our sleeping bags and passed out.

Sunday: We got up and broke camp around about 9AM. We headed over to the Sheep Lakes, where the Bighorn Sheep head in the summertime. We saw no sheep, but we started hiking a trail to Ypsilon and Lawn Lake, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. After about a mile of hiking, we reached the split where one trail goes off to Ypsilon Lake, and the other goes to Lawn Lake. Lawn Lake was 5 miles away, while Ypsilon was only 3.5, but we figured Lawn might have a better view, since it was at 11,000 ft elevation. We kept hiking until we passed about 9,600 ft, at which point the snow started getting thick on the trail. We kept hiking hoping that the trees would start getting shorter, which would mean the snow might be more melted, but we had no luck. Once we were up to our balls in snow at about 10,400ft elevation, we could see storm clouds forming on the horizon. We decided to head back down to a clearer part of the trail and break for lunch, so that we could escape the piles of snow and the approaching storm. We were practically running down the mountain, while lightning was striking all around us. There was one strike that was what I classified as "scary close" (that's where the light and sound happen together). We got down to the Jeep just as it started pouring, and then we headed out. Estes Park was clogged up because of tourists, but we finally got through and took the scenic route back to Boulder. Once in Boulder, we celebrated with Abo's Pizza.

Living in Colorado feels like being on vacation.

Today, I accepted an offer on my house

2007-05-11T16:52:00.000-06:00

I'm very happy because this means I won't have to pay rent and a mortgage. Tonight, I'm off to Coors Field to see the Rockies play the Giants. Life is good:)

I Love the State of Colorado

2007-05-10T19:59:00.000-06:00

Working for the State of Colorado is awesome. Despite my somewhat lengthy commute, I only have to work 8 hours a day, and they're even going to allow me to work 9 hour days and take a day off every other week. A day off every other week means more time in the mountains, so yippee!

Public Transportation Rules

2007-05-09T18:31:00.000-06:00

So on my way to work this morning, I realized that public transportation is pretty sweet (at least it is in Denver). Denver's light rail system is so close to where I'm living temporarily, and it will be even closer to where I'll be living at the end of this month. The light rail runs straight into downtown, is quiet and clean, and is quite affordable. Once downtown, there's a free bus that takes me straight to the state office where I'm working. Using the light rail helps me avoid the stress of parking downtown and putting up with traffic, so I'm loving it. The only downside is that it can be pretty time consuming to use the light rail, but I do get to spend 30 minutes on a train that goes into the heart of Denver in view of the mountains, and that is pretty cool.

Tuesday Night Drinking Club

2007-05-08T23:11:00.000-06:00

Tonight was Tuesday night, so I felt the need to drive up to visit Brett in Boulder. We threw the frisbee near the Flat Irons for about 15 minutes before it got too cold. We then kicked off the second assembly of the Colorado chapter of the Tuesday Night Drinking Club. Tonight's meeting was held at the Walnut Street Brewery, where Dr. Cox from Scrubs was spotted one week prior. Hopefully next week, Brett will be able to make it down to Denver to reconvene for another assembly. I'm off to bed.

First Day at the State of Colorado

2007-05-07T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today was my first day, and it went pretty well. I started out with orientation at Compuware in the Denver Tech Center (DTC), which lasted till about 10:30 AM. After that, my account manager helped me park my car at the Light Rail stop closest to Compuware. He told me it was the Dry Creek stop, so that I could find my car when I rode the Light Rail out of downtown. So then I rode with him to the State of Colorado, which is my first client. Everyone seemed very nice, and I have already had an opportunity to teach them some of the things I know. Time really flew by, and before I knew it, I was on my way home. Once I got to the Dry Creek stop, I got off, but I realized, that my car was on the other side of I-25. I went to use the covered walkway, but it was closed, so I got pretty confused. I walked out onto a road that crosses underneath the interstate, and I took the long way around. When I got to the other side, I began to realize, this was not the stop where I left my car in the morning, so I kept walking. After walking about 2 miles, I finally reached the next Light Rail stop known as County Line. My feet were killing me, and I was pretty upset with my account manager for having told me the wrong stop. At least I got some good exercise:)

Back in Denver

2007-05-06T20:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought I had a direct flight back, but it turns out that I just got to stay on the plane as it stopped in St. Louis and Kansas City. No biggy though, I'm back in the mountains, so it's all good. I definitely want to say congratulations and thank you to Rick and Heather. Your wedding was very nice, and the reception was a blast! It was great seeing everyone, and I'm really going to miss you all. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I see you all again. Keep in touch please!

Tomorrow is my first day with Compuware. Wish me luck!

Back in Columbus

2007-05-04T18:55:00.000-06:00

Brad and I made it back to Columbus, and I'm ready to party at Rick's wedding. Also, check out the new flag!

My first week in Colorado

2007-05-03T20:47:00.000-06:00

After packing up the truck took longer than originally expected, my friend Brad and I set out from Columbus, OH at about 6:30 PM on April 29th heading towards our final destination of Denver, CO. We drove till about 3:30 AM and landed at the Travelodge in Columbia, MO. After about 5 hours of sleep, we set out once again and entered Kansas, all 424 miles of nothing, they call Kansas. The mileage we got was so awful, I don't even want to add up how much money I spent on gas. So we arrived in Denver shortly after 7:00 PM on April 30th, which was unfortunate because the office of the Inn-town Suites where I'm staying right now, closes at 7:00 PM. We saw the manager in the closed up office, and he was kind enough to let us check in late, so the crisis of having to shell out money for a single night hotel was averted. On May 1st, we unpacked the U-Haul into a storage unit that will hold everything until I get my aparment on May 26th. After unpacking, Brad and I headed up to Boulder to visit another one of our housemates from college, Brett. He also caught Rocky Mountain Fever and moved to Colorado. Once in Boulder, we ate dinner at the Lazy Dog restaurant, which was pretty fun, but not as fun as what was about to happen at the Walnut Street Brewery. During dinner, John C. McGinley Dr. Cox from Scrubs (you may know him as one of the Bobs from Office Space, the self proclaimed Michael Bolton fan) walked in with his new wife and sat down a table away from us. We were all star struck, but Brad was the only one brave enough to approach him in the middle of his chicken wings and say, "You're hilarious". Brad got the thumbs up from Dr. Cox, and we headed back to Denver. The following day we headed into downtown Denver and checked out where I'll be working. The human services office is right next to the capitol building, which is incredible. After tooling around the 16th Street Mall, we headed to the Real World house, Coors field, and the river front where there's an REI. Today, we played some tennis, and then drove out to the Red Rocks Ampitheatre. Wow! I had been there before, but I had forgotten how incredible it is to sit in the middle of the Red Rocks. After that, we still felt ambitious, so we drove over to Mt. Evans, the highest road in the U.S. I figured the road would be closed, since it's still really early to head up to 14,000 ft, which it was, but we still made it up to the frozen Echo Lake, which was surrounded by snow and views of snow capped peaks. It was another great day in Colorado. I guess I forgot to mention this, but the beer here is incredible. We've been to two breweries already, and both had great beer, plus there's Fat Tire:) Anyhow, tomorrow morning we head back to Columbus. Unfortunately, I'll be returning without Brad on Sunday.

Stay tuned,
Ryan