the globe rover

Nairobi, Kenya

One of our adventures in Nairobi was to visit The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which was started by Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her husband. The trust houses orphaned elephants that are found all over Africa for various reasons including losing their mothers, falling down wells and other manholes, or due to attacks by other animals.

On the way into the center there was a monkey sitting on top of the entrance sign. We were lucky enough to see several groups of monkeys (two varieties) wandering around the grounds. That mad my day already!

The day we visited there were 21 orphans at the center that we saw in two groups (first group was 9 orphans from 3 to 13 months and the second group was 10 orphans from 8 to 22 months). They live at the center for three years before being reintroduced to the wild. The youngest elephant we saw was Olkej (three months). We also saw another elephant that was attacked by hyenas and lost it’s tail and part of it’s ear. They are all very playful and love getting their milk by bottle and then rolling around in the mud. The keepers sleep with the orphans (in the wild they are kept warm at night by all the adults surrounding them) and feed them every three hours with human baby formula milk (cows milk is too fatty).

We were also lucky enough (sad though) to see a baby black rhino that had been orphaned and was living at the center. The other residents of the center are a group of warthogs that roam around and splash through the mud when the elephants are done.

Great experience and neat to see the little elephants up close and in person - inspiring organization!

Nairobi, Kenya

We have been extremely busy for our first few days imersing ourselves in the local culture. Our experiences so far  have included church service at the local orphanage for aids kids (Nymboni) which was uplifting and thought provoking (picture five foreigners/mzungus with local kids on our laps throughout the service - it was great), a visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Centre where they rehabilitate orphaned elephants (and we were lucky enough to see different monkeys running around), a tour through Karen Blixens house and plantation and trips to local grocery stores and markets. It’s all been amazing and truly a unique experience. More details to come soon (with some photos)…

Denver, CO

stayed tuned for the adventure!

Denver, CO

Two unusual events happened last night. The first, I ate dinner at Chili’s - not a place that I normally eat at (nothing other than I’m not a fan of most chain restaurants). But yesterday was a special day as they were donating a portion of their proceeds from the day to St. Judes (for childhood cancer research). That’s my cause and I was happy to support it. Funny blond moment on the way - I accidentally went to Applebees (like I said, I don’t eat at “those” restaurants often). Needless to say, I got back to the pick-up area where they asked my name and looked at each other and said “you must have ordered from that ‘other’ restaurant”. They were not real happy but I told them my money was going to Chili’s for the cause. The best part of the dinner was that Chili’s was packed - that means more money for the kiddos!

My second big event yesterday was that last night was the first time I’ve slept in a house that I own :). Big day for me! Especially if you consider that the house is not finished and luckily has a toilet and sink albeit no hot water and no shower. It was an adventure though with no doors on the interior and listening to the different creaks throughout the night. It was nice though to think I’m finally not paying rent anymore.

Today is the last day of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I’d like to think that great strides were made although I saw very little evidence of the “awareness”. I wore my gold ribbon pin all month and only one person asked me what it was for. That was a little disappointing but it is a start. Hopefully, each day and each month will bring more awareness.

Here’s to all the little kiddos out there fighting their battles (and of course all the angels watching over them)…

Denver, CO

This past Friday I participated in the second annual Wash Park Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Society. It was a great event and I am so glad that I was able to participate.

First, a note to my family and friends (and you know who you are) - thank you, thank you, thank you! Thanks to the generosity of my family and friends (and in a quick week and a half time period) I was the top individual fund raiser. I literally was brought to tears every time I opened my “progress” page and saw the number of you who donated. Thank you again for supporting both the American Cancer Society and me. I am moved by your generosity and giving spirit.

A little about the event…

The walk is an overnight walk where teams of participants keep someone walking around the park all night from the opening ceremonies at 7 pm on Friday until the closing ceremonies at 8 am on Saturday. The opening began with a researcher speaking personally and professionally regarding the benefits of basic research and the impact on cancer. Then the survivors took a lap around the park which was very moving. Amazing to see so many survivors representing the dreadful “C” disease.

Throughout the night there were great events planned such as luminaries that were placed around the entire track in honor of survivors and in memory of angels; bands; dancers; movies; volleyball; backward lap; fancy hat lap; Miss Relay (for guys) lap collecting money in their handbags; and numerous other events that made the event enjoyable and entertaining. Every team had tents set up in the infield (some simple and some pretty decked out) - there were all kinds of fun stuff like baby pools and corn hole (the game) set up. There was also a DJ that played during the entire event - kudos to him for his energy!

The relay concluded with a Dove release in honor and in memory of all the victims of cancer. It was very special to see the doves fly and circle around the track commemorating so many amazing people.

I can’t wait to get involved in next year’s event and only hope that it will continue to grow!

Denver, CO

A big first and goal long time coming was accomplished yesterday - I purchased my first house! The process was quite an adventure but made so much more manageable thanks to my wonderful agent, Emily (thank you Emily - you are the best!).

I have a ton of work ahead - the house is both units in a duplex that needs complete renovation. The house is in my favorite neighborhood, Wash Park, and on a great block. I am looking forward to going over there today and opening the door to my new house with my own set of keys!

Renovations here I come!

Denver, CO

Weekend before last brought a new BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) for me which was the MS 150 (Great-West Life Bike MS), a 150 mile bike ride over two days. I signed up on a whim through the company I am consulting with (North Highland) and had no idea what I was getting into especially since I am new to road biking. But I managed to convince a couple of friends to join me on the adventure - thanks Jim and Kathy!

Honestly, I didn’t do so well with the training. I managed about four Saturday rides (20, 30, 40, and 60 miles respectively) and one or two short rides in between. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into with 73 miles on Saturday and 77 miles on Sunday through the foothills of Colorado.

The ride started in Westminster, CO and ended in Ft. Collins, CO taking roads other than the expressway. We started in suburbia and winded through some neighborhoods and ended up in the foothills with beautiful views of the mountains. It was truly a beautiful route (despite my pain).

Day One was long but manageable. After a long climb up horsetooth canyon, we coasted down and ended in Ft. Collins. We had a tent waiting for us with a Caribbean theme - jerk chicken, rice and beans, fruit, chips, mojitos, etc. It was a great way to end the day. But we made a short night of it managing to shower and come back into old town for dinner before going to bed early.

Day Two started at 4:15 am again in time to get to the start and get our bikes, some breakfast, air in the tires, and get on our way. For me, day two was extremely tough. I had not done any back to back riding which meant I had one sore rear. We started with an uphill climb (up horsetooth canyon). At about mile 15 I began to feel nauseous which lasted for the next 15 miles. Needless to say, I was much slower and thinking about how good the SAG wagon looked (for those of you that aren’t familiar - it’s the van that picks up those that are “saggin’” behind and need a ride). But I persevered and somehow managed to find my second wind. The next 30 miles were pretty good and I managed to make up some time and paced pretty well. There were six rest stops on day two - each one a welcome break. They were great and set up with plenty of food and drinks, and some even had bands.

The event is amazingly well organized and North Highland did a great job with our small team. Overall, this is one of the best sporting events I have ever participated in. It was much harder than I anticipated and I do not recommend doing it without proper training. But I am so glad that I did it and am glad to be helping such a worthy cause (National Multiple Sclerosis).

Mission accomplished until the next BHAG!

Denver, CO

My spring/summer adventure led me to sign up for the MS150 which is a 150 mile bike ride from Denver to Ft. Collins and return over two days. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking but I signed up, convinced a friend to sign up, bought a new bike, and started training.

I haven’t been on a stellar training program but I have managed to go from riding 15 miles to 60 miles in about a month. The long rides are new but are mostly enjoyable. On Saturday, JD and I rode out to Morrison on the trails from Wash Park (Cherry Creek to South Platte River to Bear Creek Trail). It was invigorating to know that I could ride that far and I actually felt pretty good after (save the sore rear from the saddle).

Fifteen more miles to add and then the ability to do it two days in a row. At least I know that I’m helping raise money for a good cause (and hopefully managing to get myself into a bit of summer shape).

One month and counting…

Denver, CO (not Costa Rica as it should be)

Recently a lot of what I have been reading and listening to has emphasized the lack of importance of stuff and material things. I am not a materialistic person but do find sentimental value in certain “things” that I own. But due to this recent enlightenment I have been trying to detach myself from these things as they do not make nor break the person that I am.

And ironically, I had a cold harsh lesson in this detachment this week. A friend and I were traveling to Costa Rica on Thursday night. We both have nice digital SLR cameras and debated for weeks on whether to take them given the high petty crime rate in certain parts of Costa Rica. But given that we both love photography and knew there would be great photo ops in CR, we decided to take them.

Leaving my house, I was contemplating how heavy my backpack was given all the equipment and personal items I had in it (two cameras, lenses, accessories, iPod, jewelry, etc. etc.). But I consider myself a keen traveler and know how to protect what I take. Except of course, in the “safety” of my own city.

Before heading to the airport, we had offered to take the friends to dinner that were driving us. So we stopped at a local in-town neighborhood for a quick dinner. After our meal, we went back to the car that was parked on the street just outside the restaurant to find the car window busted out and our backpacks gone. Immediately, the trip got delayed as my friend’s passport was in her backpack (thankfully, mine was with me). Her backpack didn’t have a lot in it and the thieves missed her camera in a separate bag sitting on the floorboard. But they got away with a jackpot in my backpack.

So started my lesson in irony and practical application of detachment from things. The cameras and equipment can all be replaced. The only things in there that bothered me were my journal (I didn’t have a blank one so I took the end of my NZ journal which documented the last and probably best week of the trip), my scuba logbook, and a ring my grandfather gave me when I was born. Needless to say, there were so many lessons in this one incident but I have managed to stay away from anger and apply the truth that it is just stuff and does not change me whether I have the stuff or not.

As I look around, I am thankful for the nice things that I have. But I also now realize more than ever that they are just things and they won’t come with us when we die. So I’ll appreciate them while I have them but when I don’t I won’t look back.

A man is a slave to anything he cannot part with that is less than himself.— George MacDonald

The fear of loss is a path to the dark side. … Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.— Yoda, Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

If you look carefully you will see that there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is attachment. What is an attachment? An emotional state of clinging caused by the belief that without some particular thing or some person you cannot be happy.— Anthony de Mello

 

 

Red Feather Lakes, CO

This weekend led me on a journey with three friends to embark on meditation and learn the basics of a practice that I have been curious about for a while. My curiosity was peaked last year when I spent five weeks in Southeast Asia through learning about meditation retreats and seeing monks and monasteries around the countries (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia). Thus, when a couple of friends started talking about trying to find a retreat as they were interested in learning meditation as well, I was very anxious and excited.

Our search for retreats led us all around Colorado and through places that focus on Buddhism, Yoga, and pure meditation. Timing was perfect when I was reading my National Geographic Traveler magazine and came across an article about “Wellness Destinations” and one of the four that was highlighted was the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Their intro program to meditation is called “Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human” and was exactly what we were looking for.

Not knowing what to expect, we set out with a combination of excitement and apprehension as all four of us (Meg, Lysa, Kathleen and I) were new to meditation and had never gotten closer than yoga. Needless to say, the weekend was not at all what we expected but was filled with discovery, pain, enlightenment, and joy.

The discomfort comes from “sitting on the cushion” (a meditation cushion set on a thin mat on a floor) in a position/posture that is unusual for most Americans (cross-legged with a straight back) for hours at a time. We were a bit surprised at the level of discomfort at times but realized it was mostly because we are used to sitting in chairs and slouching quite often. But the discomfort is also a part of the path to discovery and part of the path of meditation (there are reasons behind the posture which I won’t go into here for sake of brevity).

The second challenging aspect was the actual meditation. If you have never tried to sit quiet and clear your mind of all thoughts - I recommend you attempt it. And my guess is that it will serve to be challenging. We were fortunate to get ample explanation about techniques and methods for this type of meditation but actually putting it into practice is difficult. And after spending 3 1/2 hours Saturday morning and 2 1/2 more on Saturday afternoon alternating between sitting meditation and walking meditation (in a small circle inside our room with a meditation position for the hands and a slight gaze downward), we were exhausted and challenged. And it seems that most of the class was on the same page. However, our Saturday evening talk after dinner provided insight into the purpose of challenging us to “stay with it” and practice the meditation. As with most things, meditation comes with practice.

So clearly there were some discomforts and challenges through the weekend. But the best part was the enlightenment and discovery of a new path. Meditation provides many amazing things, the most important of which to me is presence. Through mindfulness, we are able to be present in whatever we are doing and still our thoughts to focus on where we are. This ability allows us to be gentle and fearless at the same time and through intelligence allows us to hear and see the world. One of the principles of Shambhala Training is that every person has basic goodness in us and it is only through our not being mindful of that and ignoring it that we find pain and suffering in our world. Meditation is a tool that allows us to find our basic goodness and return to living there. Thus, the practice of meditation allows us to be present and to hear and feel our world.

The weekend was filled with so many lessons that are so practical yet so challenging to practice in every day life. From learning to not judge others, to not reacting to other’s pain and anger, to learning how to listen to your own mind, to kindness, to openness, to listening and being present, and to basic goodness. We were fortunate to have both a great staff and great group in the class and only wish there would have been more time to get to know everyone.

As I have been learning lately through different tools, being present allows us to be more appreciative and feel the joy in our lives through everything that happens. This retreat was a great tool to help enforce the lesson of presence and is something that I hope to continue. As we discussed on the way home, it is much like eating healthy - it is something that isn’t always fun to do but the results and outcome are so worth the effort. Practicing meditation on a regular basis will be a challenge but it is something that I hope to add to my daily life in order to continue on this path of development and (hopefully) enlightenment.

I’ll finish with a great Zen quote that will serve as my reminder to focus on presence:

“Remain in the nowhere else. Be here.”

Denver, CO

I have recently become hooked on dictionary.com’s word of the day. I love getting my new word of the day and was stumped to get today’s word:

xen·o·pho·bi·a /ˌzɛnəˈfoʊbiə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

The reason I got stumped was a) I cannot imagine anyone being fearful of foreigners (we are all just people after all) and b) I did not know what the opposite of a xenophobic was so I set out to learn another word. I found it along with a great view of myself.

xen·o·phil·i·a /ˌzɛnəˈfɪliə, ˌzinə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[zen-uh-fil-ee-uh, zee-nuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.

So there you have it…my new favorite word! Here is to us xenophiles!

Brussels, Belgium

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks to God at the conclusion of the harvest season. (Wikipedia)

In honor of the special day, here are a few of the things I am thankful for:

• family (both immediate and extended)
• friends (both near and far)
• special people that have touched my life that are no longer on Earth
• kindness
• the power of faith
• learning
• the power of words (books and music)
• heroes (those people that make a positive difference in other people’s lives)
• love and connections

I arrived in Belgium Tuesday with no problems despite the French government strikes (including trains, buses, teachers, etc.). The last two days have been spent catching up with Chuck, Michael, David, and Greg and relaxing and preparing for our Thanksgiving meal.

Last night we drove to Ghent to meet a friend of a friend that I have met several times in London. Graeme is a friend and neighbor of Clive (past coworker and friend from the UK). Graeme is an opera singer and is rehearsing for a production in Antwerp and thus, suggested meeting in Ghent. The town is great — filled with character and streets lined with great shops and restaurants/cafes. We met at a little restaurant near the Opera house that had great ambiance and overlooked the river.

Our conversation was fun and energetic (as always with this crowd) and it was great to get to know Graeme a little better. I am amazed at his influence and experience in the Opera world and am fascinated to learn more as I ashamedly know very little about the Opera.

Today is our big day of preparing for the Thanksgiving meal. We were all cooking in the kitchen quite early today to ensure everything will be ready (save poor David who has been banned from the kitchen…). I am excited to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal including a very large and labored over turkey that was obtained by a friend of Chuck’s. Cooking a traditional meal is a great way to bring togetherness and joy in honor of this special day.

To all my family and friends that are back in the States, I wish you all a wonderful and special day and am sending hugs and good blessings from afar!

Enencourt Leage, France

Today was a typical dark, cold, and grey day in France and despite that, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. The Morels took me on another adventure to the beautiful town of Rouen, France. From Wikipedia:

Rouen (pronounced /ʀuɑ̃/ in French, sometimes also /ʀwɑ̃/) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th century to the 15th century. It was in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431. People from Rouen are called Rouennais.

The historic homes from the medieval times are gorgeous and make for a very majestic setting. The two cathedrals also add charm and history to the city as they stand tall above most buildings. Cathedral Notre-Dame is amazing and inspiring as you stand inside and look up at the creative columns built to hold the massive structure without adding too much weight. I stood there and thought of Ken Follett’s “Pillars of the Earth” thinking of the numbers of people that must have contributed to building this massive religious structure over many years.

Rouen is also well-known for the clock tower, Gros-Horloge or Great Clock, which sits in the center of town and provided time indicators for the local townspeople during the middle centuries (imagine going from not ever knowing the exact time save for the sun and then suddenly hearing the great chime of the clock strike every hour). The Great Clock is beautiful and sits in the middle of one of the most popular streets in Rouen.

Beyond being the capital of Normandy, Rouen is also the location where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. The tower, which was the scene of her trial, still stands today. As well, there is a church dedicated to her that was built in the middle of a great plaza. The building is interesting to say the least and is quite distracting from the beauty of the city centre.

For lunch we ate at a typical French restaurant, Brasserie Les Maraichers, in the city centre. The appearance and greeting led us to believe that it would be a great meal but we were all a bit disappointed. The wine we started with, the newly released Beaujolais Nouveau, was very light and refreshing. We all had the “menu” (meal which you pick a starter, main, and dessert) and I started with “shellfish in garlic sauce” which tuned out to be mussels, followed by squid bolognese which was wide egg noodles with chopped squid (a unique combination) for my main. The Morels thought their meals were decent at best and would not recommend the restaurant (we did keep reminding ourselves that the bread was very good which is a sign of a good restaurant typically, and the food was hot which was looking on the bright side of things). Dessert was the best course — I had raspberry and apple crumble with caramel ice cream. And thankfully, I was able to pace myself and not overeat at every course. The waiter did ask us how everyone’s meal was and Gudrun, being the honest person she is, told him the truth that it was very touristy (implying it was only okay and overpriced for the meal). Needless to say, he was not happy with us after that.

The trip to Rouen was wonderful and as always, the Froggies showed me another very special French town in the countryside. And they spoiled me again with a very different dinner of boiled potatoes and Mont d’Or cheese. It was lovely but I am going to have to leave France so I can start to reduce my eating again before I blow up and roll away!

Ciao for now…

Paris, France

My visit to London was incredibly short and somewhat dampened with not feeling great. But despite that, it was great to be back in the city and visit with friends.

First, a big thank you to the Magluilo’s for being such great hosts. I had a great time with Noelle and Mike over the weekend and enjoyed having such good friends to visit with. Noelle spoiled me and set quite a stellar precedence for future hosts to live up to (including breakfast in bed when I wasn’t feeling well…what a treat!).

The London visit on this go round included:

• ice skating at the Natural History Museum (picture small ice rink with way too many people on it including an 80s flashback skater with blue leather coat, cut off jean shorts including rips under butt checks, and bleach blond fluffy hair…”like, totally tubular”)
• dinner at Maroush, a Lebanese restaurant
• calling my doctor due to having some problems and being told by the on-call doctor to go to the emergency room (I am thankful that I didn’t follow those directions given that I’m in a foreign country and am feeling better now)
• strolling around Notting Hill and High Street Kensington to run a few errands including getting some of my very beloved Muji pens and some special product for Chuck to take to Brussels (what is it with these high maintenance boys ; )
• meeting Clive, Jo, Val, and Graeme for a drink at The International before Graeme’s performance in Carmen (very impressive to know opera stars!)
• meeting Dan, Jules, Candice, Emma and Jo (all people that I’ve met overseas in the last year that are all now living in London) for drinks at The International and then Spanish dinner at La Tasca
• venturing to the new Eurostar location at St. Pancras for my trip through the chunnel to Paris

The visit to London was great as expected albeit way too short. I wish I would have had more time to visit with more people and spend time at my favorite locations. But it was a great visit and I’m glad I got to see those that I did!

The journey to Paris this morning on Eurostar was uneventful as usual and provided a very welcomed nap. My French Mama, Gudrun, was kind enough to pick me up at Paris Nord station given that the trains are not working from the strike.

We drove from the city to Enencourt Leage and stopped at the club to see Michel (my French Papa) before heading to the house. I love their country house and always welcome a visit to my room there. Still not feeling well, I decided to take a nap and had a great 1 ½ hour nap in the cozy guest room with windows looking at the beautiful surroundings next to the river.

Our evening was spent catching up and enjoying a lovely meal. As always, it is great to see the Morels and I am very happy to reconnect again with my French family!

London, England

The sights and sounds of London Heathrow Airport are all too familiar and brought back floods of memories. Including standing in line for about an hour to get through customs. But that’s just what happens in London.

Whenever I return now to London, I am at first hit with an abundant sense of the differences. But then quickly those turn to memories of how things are done here. From getting pounds out of the ATM immediately at the airport, to buying a one day pass for the Tube (seeing that I forgot my Oyster pass which is a rechargeable pass), to figuring out my route on the Tube and then having service “interrupted” due to signal familiars. Life is much faster paced in London than in most places in the States. And yet, it is a welcomed change from the ordinary.

It’s great already to see familiar faces as I’m staying with friends from Denver that have been in London for five years (Noelle and Mike). Walking to their house through their village after my Tube journey reminds me of how great life is without a car. And little touches like the “Hello!” magazine in my room remind me of the quirks of the English lifestyle (they do love their celebrities). I’m happy to be back and looking forward to my visit.

And a note to my seat mate on the flight from Chicago to London: there is not that much room in economy and please try and be respectful of personal space for all your future seat mates. Your elbow and arm in my side all night long was not pleasant. Nor was your breath or your snoring. And one last thing, I didn’t enjoy your constant stares at what I was doing and directly at me throughout the seven hour journey. Perhaps you can be a little more subtle in the future. But I hope you enjoy your visit in London.

We are off to go ice skating and then out for Lebanese food. I do love the enourmous amount of great activities in London as well as the cultural diversity.

Happy Friday to everyone back in the States and around the world!

Chicago, IL

Sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to London and passing time catching up on shows I’ve missed over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a crazy 24 hours getting home from GA and ready to go overseas. But I’m excited to hit the air and travel back to Europe. This trip includes visits with friends in London, Paris, and then Brussels for Thanksgiving. More updates on my travels shortly…

Denver, CO

So although the Rox finally put a little something into the game, it was a disappointing loss at home. That being said, Saturday night out in Denver with the World Series and Halloween celebrations made for a very entertaining evening!

Ellen, Jim and I started the night at Jacksons with Kathy, Andrea and friends and then moved to the Ginn Room to meet up with Lou, Popo and friends. Seriously, it was great entertainment to see all the costumes and people out for a good time. Our last stop was Delaney’s (next door to the Celtic) which was by far the most entertaining part of the evening. Something about late night and lots of booze made for plenty of laughter. Hopefully, these pictures show a bit of the fun.

Here’s to another shot for the Rox and Happy Halloween!

Baton Rouge, LA

This past weekend I traveled with some friends to Baton Rouge, LA to attend the Auburn vs. LSU football game. We were hoping for a great football game and not only did we get that, but we also got a weekend of great fun.

First things first… LSU fans know how to throw a good party (including plenty of food and plenty of drink). They do it like champs. I’ve been to many schools for tailgating but I think that LSU takes the cake. It is a non-stop party even when the game starts at 8 p.m. at night (think many hours before and many hours after). And our favorite LSU fan, Nan, was kind enough to invite us to some quintessential LSU tailgates.

But let me back up. We started the weekend on Friday with drinks at an outdoor bar high above the ground overlooking the Mississippi River (including a beautiful sunset). That followed with an amazing Italian dinner downtown with all kinds of cajun/creole influenced Italian dishes. And the final phase of the night was Baton Rouge nightlife (Jubans and Happy Note) complete with purple drinks for one (Lou), high school reunions for one (Nan), swerving walks home for one (Jim), sidewalk faceplants for one (yours truly), and laughter at the rest for one (Ellen). It was good fun and good laughs. We spent parts of the evening with Nan’s family who were all gracious hosts and kind enough to indulge our fun.

So after a long night of Louisiana style fun, Saturday was filled with college football (after a slow start to the day). This was my first visit to Death Valley and it did impress. We tailgated for hours before the game, toured around, and then enjoyed a great match throughout the entire game. And all of that in the midst of tens of thousands of LSU fans who were all more than welcoming and fun spirited to those of us Auburn supporters (although I did get tired of the repeated question about why we have multiple mascots — and just for clarification for anyone reading — Auburn has one mascot, the Tigers and a battle cry, War Eagle). Seriously, it was a great place to be and despite our very close loss in the last second, it was a really fun game.

That left only some more eating and enjoying to do on Sunday including a walk around one of the lakes and brunch at a different and amazing Italian restaurant. Picture traditional Italian brunch specialties with a cajun/creole slant. Let’s just say, they know how to eat in Louisiana.

It was a really fun weekend spent with good friends - cheers to Ellen, Jim, Lou, Nan, and the Thompsons. And remember,

“better to be safe than sober” –Lou

Go (geaux) Tigers!

Georgetown, CO

Sunday was another day spent in the beautiful Colorado mountains this time enjoying the historic Georgetown Loop Railroad.

The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. Completed in 1884, this spectacular stretch of three-foot narrow gauge railroad was considered an engineering marvel for its time.

The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie two miles apart in a steep, narrow mountain canyon. To connect them, the railroad’s builders designed a “corkscrew” route that traveled twice the distance, slowly gaining more than 600 feet in elevation. It included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil’s Gate High Bridge. The Colorado & Southern Railway operated the line for passengers and freight from 1899 to 1938, when it was abandoned.

The weather forecast called for rain, snow, and cold weather. However, we had an amazingly beautiful day. Scott and I arrived early and were able to drive up toward Guanella Pass and take some pictures of the changing Aspen trees. Then we enjoyed the railroad with Lynette and Cathy - truly a great Coloradan adventure.

Midway through the train journey, we stopped for an optional tour at the Lebanon Silver Mine.

The tour takes you 500 feet into a mine tunnel bored in the 1870s. Your guide will point out rich veins of silver and tell you about early-day mining. The temperature inside the mine is a constant 44 degrees Fahrenheit, so bring a jacket. The tour also includes visits to the manager’s office, the miners’ change room and the tool shed.

Mark was our humorous tour guide that was sad it was his second to last tour of the season (Sunday, October 7th is the last day of the season for both the railroad and the mine). He had such interesting stories about the mines, the history of Georgetown, and the sport of single-, double-, and triple-jacking. I’ve yet to be able to find much of anything on the web about the sport but I’m bound and determined to go photograph one of their events. Needless to say, it was a great way to learn about more Colorado history and the riches that once were in Georgetown (picture streets made of silver - literally- when everyone had gold fever and found an alternative use for all of the silver they discovered).

We capped our trip off with a stop at the recommended Mother’s Saloon in downtown Georgetown. We knew we couldn’t go wrong when we walked in and we sat on kegs made into stools set right next to two big huge dogs. The staff (owner Tina and her husband) was great and friendly and the burgers were quite good.

This is a highly recommended tour for anyone coming to Colorado for a visit! And even for locals it is a fantastic way to spend your day.

Now there’s a shiny penny!

Vail, CO

Yesterday brought another adventure, trip to the mountains, and great festival. Vail Oktoberfest is an annual event held in beautiful Vail Village in which German beer is poured, Oom Pah bands sing and dance, and brats are consumed. Before I moved overseas, my crew of friends and I would attend an Oktoberfest in one of the mountain towns annually, so I thought best to continue this tradition upon my return to Denver.

This year was not disappointing although the rain, wind, hail and smaller than normal crowds would have indicated otherwise. Our crew of four (Lynette, Scott, Cathy, and I) was determined to have an adventure and enjoy yet another festival of fun. And the adventure started early as our 10 am departure and anticipation of a two hour journey became a three and a half hour tour of Leadville and Minturn due to the overturned gas truck that led us on a detour.

Alas, we did arrive in Vail just in time to catch the start of the rain and make a mad dash to find a bar that serves beer (that is why we drove to Vail after all!). And just in the nick of time as the hail started flying down just as we ducked into the bar. Quite a site to see all the vendors having to hold down their tents as the weather worsened. As usual though with mountain storms, we had barely finished our first beer (a lovely Pyramid Apricot Ale) by the time the storm had blown over.

Out to the streets we went to find and enjoy the Oktoberfest festivities. After a few stops with some of the local Vail celebrities (aka the statues), we found the main tent selling the mugs. And check out these jugs mugs! Typical German beer haus style mugs large enough to hold a litre.

So are you wondering what we did all day? Here’s the short list of our eleven hour fiesta fun:

• beer drinking (we all got a bicep workout curling the mugs to our mouths)
• dancing (save the terrible, terrible Chicken Dance that our poor friends Lynette and Scott insisted they dance to)
• visiting with local people and tourists alike (dirty old men, crazy women, muddy bikers, free drink pouring locals, etc.)
• eating brats (mmmmm)
• drinking jager bombs (who would have thought at a beer festival!)
• having some more fun with statues
• making friends (can you say dirty old men - where are your wives!!)
• and just plain good mountain festival fun

The day was crazy and fun and fantastic and a great event for anyone that wants a taste of German beer in a beautiful mountain setting. On a day filled with grey skies and thinning crowds, make sure you take the right companions for entertainment!

Prost to another Oktoberfest!

PS - our adventure continued even after we left Vail as our bathroom pitstop in Silver Plume turned into lyrical entertainment with Remember May at Grumpy’s Roadside Tavern!