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Michigan Ditch Snowshoe
I woke up Saturday with the worst stiff neck I’ve ever had, and have been down all weekend with it. Luckily that didn’t stop Ann from heading up to Cameron Pass with Sean, Jason, and Sarada for some snowshoeing. And she took pictures for us! They hiked along the Michigan Ditch trail, and got pelted…
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Movie: Happy Endings (2005)
I was initially put off by the too-blatant attempts to be self-referential, more of the same stuff that didn’t work in The Opposite of Sex. If you can forgive the film for that, though, this one does manage to convey a fairly intense sense of capriciousness without being excessively implausible, as well as some humorous…
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Movie: Some Like It Hot (1959)
A deserved classic. For the situation comedy format it manages to not be entirely goofy, although suspension of disbelief is definitely a requirement. As a gender-bending film it has held up remarkably well with time, though the social commentary is dated much of it still works – a tribute to a well-written script. It’s the…
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Movie: Murderball (2005)
This documentary succeeds in all sorts of ways. It calmly debunks many misperceptions about quadriplegics and the sport of murderball (or quad rugby), then goes on to involve us in the lives of two teams leading up to the 2004 Paralymipics. The characters are tough and aggressive, and I think the filmmakers must have been…
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Retreat from the Ironclads
With promises of temperatures in the 60’s, we head up the South St. Vrain Canyon to try some climbing at the Ironclads. We make the hike in, and Sean learns how to set up a toprope and rappel. The warm temperatures, though, are overwhelmed by violent winds, which drive us off after a single, frozen-fingered,…
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South Boulder Creek Trail Ski
My dad, Sarah, Adrian, Ann, and I head for the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel, a railroad tunnel that goes under the continental divide at Rollins Pass, to scout for cross country ski and snowshoe opportunities. The mountains looks stormy, and the parking lot is cold and windy enough to convince Ann and Adrian…
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Devil & Empire Gulch Jeep Roads: Access Denied
Sean and I set off on the mountain bikes in high winds, hoping to find two jeep roads that appear on USGS quads to leave from a neighborhood near Lory State Park. These roads would offer access to the area west of the park and I think have great riding potential. Unfortunately both roads are…
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Winter Climbing at North Table Mountain, Golden
My cousin Doug, his fianceé Liz, and Sean joined Ann and me to spend this balmy last day of the year climbing outside Golden. Ann has a hand injury she sustained in the gym, and is laying off climbing for awhile. We were fortunate to have her company, though, and she took some great pictures.…
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Movie: Talk To Her (2002)
This Spanish film by Pedro Almodóvar incorporates an impressive array of art forms to tell a compelling human story. Dance, film, music, bull fighting, photography, and even interior design are used effectively in the tale of a friendship between a travel writer and the isolated nurse of a girl in a coma who is in…
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Unsanctioned West Ridge Mountain Bike Loop
I take off on a beautiful afternoon to do a little exploring on the mountain bike, leaving from home and taking the Poudre River bike trail and back roads to Lory State Park. There I spot another mountain biker, and take the trail he disappears on. When it forks, of course I take the uphill…