2008 May

I spend the day at my friend Mike’s house, demolishing what’s left of one of the six buildings he lost to a recent tornado. We had to cut it up and pack it into a big dumpster.

Near East Albany, WY

A group of climbing friends and acquaintances enjoy a day of Vedauwoo adventure together at the Jurassic Park wall.

The day’s routes:

Lawyer on the Toilet 5.8 – my only lead, one or two good offwidth moves.

Get Up That Tree 5.8 – climb the scary chockstones.

Rowdy Joe Bad 11b – cranky slab on crimpers and small edges.

Flake-o-saurus 10c – proves to me that my jamming needs work! I manage not to vomit when I reach the top after many toprope falls.

Slot-a-saurus 5.9+ – really great offwidth to a finger crack with several bulges. A must-lead-next-time.

Near East Albany, WY

Too cold and windy in Vedauwoo for climbing, our band of hardy adventurers sets out on a scouting mission and winds up circling the high peaks of the area.

Something about outdoor time lapse photography really grabs me. Just going out my back door to capture this sunset made me feel more a part of my world, and looking at it does the same:

Near Pine, CO

My dad is excited to share his discovery of this pretty trailhead on the North Fork of the South Platte River. We hike south from the Jefferson County open space park into Pike National Forest through Ponderosa forests and old burn areas.

Pine Valley Ranch Loop Hike at EveryTrail

I could never attend too many performances of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This was my third, and as always I left hungry for more. The songs rut with the passions of life: nature, sex, alcohol, and love. All sandwiched in by fickle Fate. Duane Wolfe’s conducting felt a little too reserved to begin with, but it caught fire eventually. The solo singers added marvelous theatrics to their performances, which really enhances the humor of the work. Hearing the full choir and children’s choir belt out O Foruna is worth the price of admission by itself.

Similar in setting and theme to Come Early Morning, but a bit more extreme with rockin’ performances that keep these seriously messed up characters real. Enjoy watching the blind lead the naked to redemption.