Bicycle Feathers

Rangers report

2012-01-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Colorado: The Highest State (Noel & Smith, 2011) this morning. In the afternoon I attended a combined potluck / meeting for volunteers at the refuge. I took pasta salad that I bought at the store.

The head ranger spoke near the end of the meeting . He reported there are 50 eagle roosts on the refuge; this is the most they've counted in three years. I was alarmed and saddened when he told us about a new poison that farmers and ranchers are using to kill rodents including prairie dogs. We all understand prairie dogs and other rodents are very destructive and need to be controlled, unfortunately this poison kills a lot of other animals too.

The poison (Rozol) is an anticoagulant that causes the animal to hemorrhage and bleed to death; it can take several days for the animal to die. Prairie dogs leave their burrow before dying. Their carcases attract other animals such as eagles, hawks, and coyotes who feed on the carcases and also die from the poison. Other animals have been killed when the poisoned bait, usually grain, was misapplied. The poison is water soluble and is dangerous to use near lakes and streams.

Some of Colorado's influential people

2012-01-27T22:08:00.003-07:00

It started snowing before I finished my second cup off coffee this morning. It was windy further north but it never got windy here. I decided today was a good day to stay home.

I continued reading about Colorado's history; two more chapters and I will have finished the book. I learned about some of the state's more influential people including: Judge Lindsey, Governor Shafroth, Josephine Roche, Emily Griffith, Robert Speer, John Otto, Enos Mills, and Charles Boettcher.

I was very surprised to learn Emily Griffith was shot to death in 1947, and the case was never solved. I was also surprised to learn that "Baby Doe", the 2nd Mrs. Tabor, froze to death in Leadville in 1935; she died a pauper.

By noon it had stopped snowing and the sun was out, so I went for a short walk; It was still a little cold.

Hide and seek

2012-01-26T21:03:00.002-07:00

Today I put the telephoto onto my camera and drove to South Platte Park to look for eagles. The area south of Mineral and north of C470 is good eagle country. The park has reported many eagle sightings on their Facebook page. I spent 2 hours tramping around Cooley, Redtail, and Eaglewatch lakes with no luck. All I saw were some ducks, a coyote, and some prairie dogs. That telephoto lens gets heavy after awhile.

Last month I counted 5 eagles at the refuge while working on trails, but I didn't have a camera with me then. I spent 2 hours hiking around the arsenal with the camera last week, but didn't see a thing. Maybe they know when I have a camera and are playing hard to get. I'm getting paranoid.

If Ben Franklin had gotten his way, would we still be able to eat turkey or woud the turkey be a protected bird?

The snow covered mountain in the distance is Mt. Evens; you can ride motorcycles to the top of it in the summer.

Selective with my photos

2012-01-25T19:27:00.001-07:00

I spent most of the day uploading photographs to Panoramio so they will show up on Google maps and Google earth. Each photo has to be titled and tagged, then located on the map. I was very selective about the photos I uploaded. My photos should be viewable on Google maps/earth in a few weeks; Google has to approve each photo before it is added to the map. Photos and Wiki articles don't show up on Google maps unless the the map user enables those options on the map.

I got the motorcycle out when I went to lunch, then took a short walk after lunch.

Plan for a day trip

2012-01-24T20:21:00.004-07:00

I am reading Colorado: The Highest State by Noel & Smith (2011). It's a history of Colorado. I didn't know the book was for 8-12 year olds until I started reading it. Oh well, that makes it easier for me to read. I learned about Bent's Fort near La Junta, while reading about trappers and fur traders. Bent's Fort, on the Santa Fe Trail, was the largest trading post in Colorado from 1833 until 1849, when it was burned after a cholera epidemic.

A visit to Bent's Fort will make a nice day trip on the motorcycle. A stop at the Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta will make a full day.

Did you know San Luis, in the San Luis Valley, is the oldest town in Colorado? It was founded in 1851.

Comma Conundrum

2012-01-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

A bear walks into a bar, eats lunch, shoots the waiter, and leaves. When asked why, the bear replied, "It's all about commas."

Spelling and punctuation have been life long problems for me. Computers have helped to ease the spelling problem. Now most of my spelling problems are with homonyms—right spelling, wrong word. Punctuation, particularly commas, continues to be a problem.

I rely on intuition as my punctuation guide; it gets it right most of the time. When intuition fails, it is usually the result of impatience—being in a hurry to get it finished, posted, emailed, or printed. I made corrections to yesterday's blog post several times after publishing it. I wouldn't have needed to make so many corrections had I waited a day, and proof read it again before posting it.

The picture doesn't have anything to do with the price of tea in Nantucket. I ate lunch at Qdoba's this afternoon; the umbrella was outside the restaurant.

Just write one sentence

2012-01-22T16:20:00.007-07:00

I am challenging myself to take at least one photograph, and write something in my blog every day. It doesn't need to be anything important, informative, or profound. What's important is to write something, and photograph something every day. I know of someone who does that very thing. I got started today by writing posts, with photos, for the past 4 days.

I don't know why this building makes me think of Hercule Poirot.

An early pour

2012-01-21T14:35:00.004-07:00

I've gained back the weight I lost over the summer - I'm back up to 220 Lb. I falter occasionally with my daily exercise and walking routine. I've set a daily alarm on my iPhone to remind me to take a walk and do my exercises.

On my walk this afternoon I became aware of the stamps embedded in some of the concrete sidewalks. I see these everyday but have never looked closely at them. All of the stamps have the name of the contracter that did the work and most have the year the sidewalk was poured. Most of the sidewalks in the neighborhood were laid down in the late sixties and early seventies. I was startled when I turned the corner and found this stamp:

Good golly! This sidewalk is older than I am.

Deceptive weather

2012-01-20T15:54:00.003-07:00

The weather was nice today, or so it seemed. I got the camera, telephoto, and motorcycle out and rode to the wildlife refuge. It wasn't windy when I left the apartment, but darn it was cold and windy when I got to the refuge. I was hoping to photograph some eagles, but all I found was this sign.

I stopped at the visitors center to say hello. The ranger said someone reported seeing a Bobcat earlier in the week. She wanted to get a picture of it but wasn't sure where it was, and no one else had seen it. It's not imposible for a Bobcat to be on the refuge, but it is doubtful. The arsenal isn't the kind of habitat Bobcats like, and it's too close to people, and there are a lot of coyotes on the refuge.

I'm twenty feet tall

2012-01-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm twenty feet tall! It could be a side effect of the Wellbutrin and Zoloft, but I mustn't discount the affect spending more time outdoors and getting more sun has had. I'm looking forward to summer weather. I'm already planning trips on the motorcycle for the summer.

Things have changed

2012-01-18T19:17:00.002-07:00

I've never needed a passport. I've never been outside of the lower 48 states. Things have changed. I want to tour around the U.S. and Canada on the motorcycle, and twice I've been invited to motorcycle into Mexico but declined both times.

This week I took the plunge and applied for a passport and wallet card. You only need a wallet card to travel to/from Canada and Mexico by land. There isn't any reason why I should be declined so I should receive them in 4 or 5 weeks.

What a difference a day makes

2012-01-11T15:06:00.003-07:00

I was going to do volunteer work at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge this morning. I help maintain the hiking trails and staff the Information Desk. I spend about 8 hours a week out there.

Lake Ladora, Rocky Mountain Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City Colorado.

I did trail maintenance yesterday under clear blue skies and 55F degree temperatures (12C). I spotted a Mink (possibly a river otter) scouting the edge of the frozen lake while I was bussy sweeping off the floating foot bridge on Ladora lake. I saw a wide variety of wildlife in the afternoon including: mule deer, white tail deer, american kestrel, bald eagles, red-tail hawks, magpies, coyotes, bison, prairie dogs, rabbets, and a mink.

It was a very different story today. I woke early to discover 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground. I left the apartment 40 minutes early. After 30 minutes in trafic on icy slick streets I wasn't even half way there. I don't use the cell phone in the car, but this time I answered it when it rang. It was the refuge calling to tell me not to come out today. I carefully maneuvered my way over to 8th Ave and started back. It took me another 45 minutes to get back to the apartment.

What a difference a day makes. That's typical Colorado weather.

View From The Refuge

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

Two week motorcycle trip in July

2011-12-27T20:24:00.005-07:00

Video with narration of the motorcycle trip I took in July through Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

Also available in HD on youtube.

Also see: Riding the scenic highways on the Road King

Two week trip on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle through Colorado, Wyoming and Montana in July 2011. Stops include: Guernsey, Gillette, Devils Tower, Cody, Beartooth, Red Lodge, Glacier National Park, Big Hole, Bannack, Virginia City, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Flaming Gorge, Million Dollar Highway, Red Mountain, Wolf Creek, Buena Vista, Denver.

The woman in the park

2011-12-26T21:14:00.004-07:00

Alamo Placita Park, Denver Colorado, December 26, 2011.

Today would have been Matthew Shepard's 35th birthday

2011-12-01T13:38:00.002-07:00

"Today Matthew Shepard would have turned 35 if hate hadn't ended his life so early. Thinking of his family, and the symbol of love and tolerance that he has become. A special thanks to his parents, specifically Judy Shepard, for all the work she has done to promote tolerance. Matthew Shepard won't be forgotten."
--Scott B.(Thank you Scott)

Matthews Story
The Matthew Shepard Foundation
History of crimes against LGBT people in the United States
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
The Trevor Project The Trevor Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
Human Rights Campaign
It Gets Better Project

In memory of those who lost their lives. Jamey Rodemeyer: 250 Balloons to Remember the Fallen...
by Davey Wavey (Note: Balloons used were biodegradable.)

Garden trellis

2011-11-30T22:16:00.004-07:00

5th & Washington, November 26, 2011, Nikon CoolPix P7000 doctored up with iPhoto

Vines on lamppost

2011-11-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

4th & Ogden, November 20, 2011, iPhone doctored up with iPhoto

Sunrise over Denver

2011-11-23T07:00:00.003-07:00

looking east from my apartment, November 23, 2011, Nikon CoolPix P7000.

All that remains

2011-11-19T13:17:00.001-07:00

6th & Ogden, November 18, 2011, iPhone

My first ATV ride

2011-11-08T21:58:00.001-07:00

I took the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) class today at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. We'll be using the ATV's when we do trail maintenance. Riding an ATV isn't as easy as it looks, they are very different than a motorcycle, and you have to use your body a lot more. You get a full body workout riding an ATV.

This video (00:48) is of my first time on an ATV. The camera his hanging from a strap around my neck. It's not very good video.

Does anyone really know what time it is?

2011-11-06T15:57:00.001-07:00

I was in Cranmer Park a couple weeks ago where I snapped this picture of the Sundial that's in the park. An idea came to me when I looked at the picture later at home. My idea was to go around the city and try to find as many different outside analog clocks and sundials I could and take a picture of them. So far I've collected 17 clocks and 2 sundials. I'm not interested in digital clocks or wall clocks; just outdoor analog clocks and sundials.

Cranmer Park, 4501 East 1st Ave., Denver Colorado.

The Market, 1449 Larimer Street, Denver Colorado.

The Last Sunday of October

2011-10-30T21:11:00.001-06:00

Spent Sunday afternoon riding around town. I stopped at a few parks and took pictures. I encountered the coyote again while walking around Crown Hill Park. I also saw a snapping turtle sunning itself.

Crown Hill Park, Sunday October 30, 2011.

Crown Hill Park, Sunday October 30, 2011.

Crown Hill Park, Sunday October 30, 2011.

Washington Park, Sunday October 30, 2011.

Saturday Color

2011-10-29T22:02:00.001-06:00

Took the camera along on my usual afternoon walk around the neighborhood. Took several pictures along East 7th Avenue.

Selected Park Photos

2011-10-23T22:03:00.002-06:00

Great Blue Heron, South Platte Park, Lakewood Colorado. August 22, 2011.

Lake Mary, Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, Denver Colorado. August 26, 2011.

Coyote (prairie wolf) with summer coat, Crown Hill Park, Wheat Ridge Colorado. September 9, 2011.

City Park, Denver Colorado. September 19, 2011.

South Valley Park, Ken Caryl Colorado. September 25, 2011.

Cheesman Park, Denver Colorado. October 23, 2011.

Cheesman Park, Denver Colorado. October 23, 2011.

Burlington Road Trip

2011-10-17T23:04:00.004-06:00

Four of us went on a road trip Sunday for a little bit of "Harley Therapy". We got onto I-70 and headed east to Burlington Colorado with a short gas stop in Limon. The day didn't warm up as much as expected so it was a little chilly but not unbearably so.

Burlington is the home of the Kit Carson County Carousel, a 1905 all wooden carousel with carved figures. The carousel was closed for the season but we were able to look through the windows.

After lunch we toured the Old Town Museum that features late 1800 and early 1900 life in Burlington. They've done a really good job with the museum; it's one of the best displays I've seen.

After the museum it was back on the motorcycles for the return trip to Denver. I arrived back at the apartment at 6PM. Round trip was 346 miles. It was a good ride and I enjoyed the day in Burlington.

We will never forget

2011-10-12T08:49:00.022-06:00

Matthew Shepard died 13 years ago today from injuries he suffered during a brutal hate crime five days earlier. We will never forget.

Matthews Story
The Matthew Shepard Foundation
History of crimes against LGBT people in the United States
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
The Trevor Project The Trevor Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
Human Rights Campaign
It Gets Better Project

In memory of those who lost their lives. Jamey Rodemeyer: 250 Balloons to Remember the Fallen...
by Davey Wavey (Note: Balloons used were biodegradable.)

Up on Cripple Creek

2011-10-02T21:27:00.002-06:00

Eight of us rode our motorcycles south to Cripple Creek Colorado Sunday to view the fall colors. The aspen weren't quite as brilliant as they were last year, probably do to the warm fall. There was a lot of traffic on the roads and we saw several accidents along the way.

Fall colors outside Victor Colorado.

Additional photos and write up can be found on the RMMC Dispatchers Blog.

Old building outside Cripple Creek Colorado

Standing on the Side of Love 2011

2011-09-25T13:40:00.000-06:00

Denver area Unitarian Universalists "Standing on the Side of Love" at the Colorado State Capitol. September 25, 2011.

My laundry wasn't finished until 10:15 so I was 45 minutes late. I didn't take any video this year.

No wonder I was so cold!

2011-09-16T16:09:00.003-06:00

From Motorcycle Tour July 10-22, 2011

No wonder I was so cold! I got rained on while riding over Red Mountain Pass in July; Todd managed to take a picture of me while I was changing my shirt. Oh, I also uploaded a bunch more pictures to "Riding the scenic highways on the Road King".

From Motorcycle Tour July 10-22, 2011

This game they call rugby is kind of interesting

2011-08-20T18:45:00.008-06:00

I received an email Thursday night from the RUSH rugby team asking if I could take pictures of their match Saturday morning. I was thrilled at the invitation. Saturday morning I took my two Canon Rebell DSLR cameras and put the 300mm telephoto onto one of them and headed out to Cook park. I think this is the first rugby match I've seen. It's looks similar to American football only I thought it was more interesting.

These are just some of the pictures I took.

The Colorado RUSH rugby team vs The Casper Cannibal rugby team in Cook Park Denver Colorado on Saturday August 20, 2011 at 10:00AM. The Casper Cannibal took the match 69 to 3.

Weekend ride over Independence Pass

2011-08-12T11:54:00.001-06:00

I and a couple of friends rode our motorcycles to Breckenridge Colorado for the weekend. The ride from Denver took longer than usual because of heavy traffic on I-70. We learned later there had been a fatal accident near Idaho Springs.

We arrived late afternoon Friday. After unloading our gear we took a break while we compiled a grocery list. There were only three of us but we bought enough food for six.

Saturday was a very laid-back day. None of us could muster enough energy to go riding. I suspect the big meal Friday evening and the higher altitude were contributing factors. We spent all of Saturday eating and napping but a couple of us did muster the energy to go for a swim in the pool.

Sunday was a big day. The three of us went on a 7 1/2 hour ride over Independence Pass. I've wanted to ride over Independence Pass since I got a motorcycle. We got off to a late start but it was a great ride. We made several stops along the way.

We took state highway 91 over Fremont Pass past the Climax molybdenum mine to the town of Leadville Colorado. We stopped in Leadville for a break and to people watch at their annual Boom Days celebration.

We took US-24 south several miles to reach state highway 82. US-24 runs parallel with the headwaters of the Arkansas River between Leadville and Buena Vista. Mount Elbert and Mount Massive can clearly be seen west of US-24. Standing at 14,440 feet, Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America.

We made a picture stop at the Twin Lakes Reservoir after turning west onto Colorado state highway 82. The Twin Lakes Reservoir is one of the reservoirs in a massive system that supplies water to eastern Colorado. The Twin Lakes area is very picturesque.

From Independence Pass

Colorado State Highway 82 isn't the highest paved road in the state but it is closed over Independence Pass during the winter. The road doesn't have guard rails along the switch backs and it is quite narrow in places. It isn't a difficult ride and is among the most scenic routes in Colorado. We stopped at the pass (12,095 feet) for pictures and to take a break.

From Independence Pass

Independence Pass is along the Continental Divide. Water east of the divide will flow east toward the Atlantic while water west of the divide will flow west toward the Pacific. Highway 82 parallels the Roaring Fork river west of the pass until it reaches Aspen Colorado. We stopped and had a picnic lunch beside the Roaring Fork river.

From Independence Pass

I'd never been to Aspen Colorado before. Now I can truthfully say I've been to Aspen. The city is aptly named; the Roaring Fork Valley is nearly carpeted with Aspen trees. It was amassing to notice the change of geology as we descended into the valley from the east; the color of the rock changes from a gray color to a flaming red color.

Highway 82 is four lane highway between Aspen and Glenwood Springs Colorado where it terminates. We stopped at Glenwood Springs for gas and to take a break. We took Interstate 70 east to Frisco Colorado where we turned off to Breckenridge.

This was a great weekend ride full of lots of beautiful scenery. It wasn't difficult and I finally rode the motorcycle over Independence Pass. It was 426 miles round trip.

View Independence Pass in a larger map

South of Franktown

2011-08-04T21:17:00.000-06:00

South of Franktown Colorado June 18, 2011.

Riding the scenic highways on the Road King

2011-07-27T15:38:00.016-06:00

I just returned from a two week motorcycle trip where I toured Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and made short excursions into Idaho and Utah. Six of us left Denver on Sunday July 10th. Mike, Jen, Dale and Sandy planned to return to Denver within a week while my friend Todd and I would continue touring for another week. As a group we planned to visit Devils Tower in Wyoming, ride the Beartooth Highway in Montana, and visit Red Lodge Montana. Todd and I planned to ride through Glacier National Park Montana after Red Lodge but hadn't made any other plans beyond that. (Here is a Google Map of our trip.)

Also available in HD on youtube.

We got off to a late start Sunday. Mike and Dale were both pulling trailers behind their bikes but there were some problems with Dale's trailer. After a few miles the trailer began to bounce all over the road and nearly threw Dale off the bike. We returned to Denver where Mike and Dale extended the trailers tongue. That solved the problem but we had lost two hours and wouldn't be able to make it to Gillette. We opted to ride as far as Guernsey Wyoming where we camped overnight west of Guernsey.

We rode to Gillette Wyoming on Monday and intended to continue on to Devils Tower but our plans changed when we encountered high wind, rain and hail. We decided to make camp in Gillette and try for Devils Tower on Tuesday. We camped at the Crazy Woman campground which use to be run by a friend of my mother.

We had a good ride to Devils Tower Tuesday. There was still a lot of wind but no rain or hail. Unfortunately Dale's motocycle broke down on the way back to Gillette. Mike, who use to be a Harley mechanic, was able to get the necessary parts and tools to affect repairs Wednesday morning. This ment camping for a second night in Gillette.

From Motorcycle Tour July 10-22, 2011

Wednesday we had a long ride north on I-90 past Sheridan to Ranchester Wyoming where we turned onto US14A. US14A took us over the Big Horn mountains and Medicine Wheel Pass then dropped down into Lovel; it rejoins primary US14 in Cody Wyoming. Jen's grandparents, who live in Cody, let us stay in their guest house. We spent Wednesday and Thursday nights in Cody.

Friday we rode north from Cody then turned west onto the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY-296). The Chief Joseph highway joins up with US212, the Beartooth Scenic Highway, just east of Cook City Montana. There were still some tall snow banks on top of the Beartooth and the road has a lot of tight switchbacks on it. Journalist Charles Kuralt, who did "On The Road With Charles Kuralt" for 25 years on CBS news, once called the Beartooth Highway the most scenic road in America. I won't argue with him but some of Colorado's highways give the Beartooth some stiff competition.

After descending the Beartooth on the north side US212 comes into Red Lodge Montana where we stopped for lunch. The Iron Horse motorcycle rally was just getting underway. The Iron Horse motorcycle rally is a much smaller and tamer version of the Sturgis motorcycle rally, held in August, in Sturgis South Dakota. After lunch we continued on to Laurel Montana where Mike and Jen had a motel room. After saying our goodbyes Todd and I met-up with my sister in Absarokee Montana where we spent the night.

We slept late on Saturday, had a leisurely breakfast and did a load of laundry. It was after 12 when we left my sisters and headed north on US89 toward Glacier passing through Big Timber, White Sulphur Springs and Great Falls Montana. We took a room at the Bella Vista motel in Choteau Montana Saturday evening.

We got an early start Sunday morning and made it to Glacier National Park by 10AM. US89 is really freaky between Choteau and Saint Mary. The road can be going along straight and narrow, then suddenly curve and plunge down and around a valley and hill, then back to the straight and narrow. Many of the tricky curves aren't marked; you discover them when you're suddenly into them! No sleeping on that road!

I'd never been to Glacier Park before and I was not disappointed. It is very beautiful. The road running through the park is called "Going To The Sun Road". The road was still snowed-in a week earlier and had only just been re-opened for the season. The road was in remarkably good condition and was not a difficult ride. The only tricky part was descending from Logan Pass on the west side. The road is quite narrow and isn't paved in some places and there was a lot of traffic but it wasn't difficult. US highway 2 doesn't go through the park but passes between Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest.

We stopped in Kallispell Montana, gassed up, ate lunch and washed the bugs off the motorcycles. We also stopped at the local Harley dealership so Todd could get a replacement bulb for his headlight.

We took US93 south from Kallispell. US93 skirts the west side of Flathead Lake. Flathead lake is a huge freshwater lake (about 191 square miles) and is quite beautiful. I would like to spend some time exploring the Flathead Lake area.

As we were entering Glacier we met-up with a couple of motorcyclists that had sped past us on US89. They told us about a road they had ridden the day before called Thompson Falls, so Todd and I left US93 and headed west on MT-200 to the town of Thompson Falls Montana. The road itself is actually called Prospect Creek Road (MT-471), it passes through the northern portion of Lolo National Forest. The trees there are very healthy. I didn't see any signs of Pine Beetle blight. I suspect the winters there are still cold enough to kill the pest. The trees there are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The road was an easy ride and took us into the state of Idaho. We took I90 east to Missoula Montana where we took a motel room. We came close to breaking the sound barrier coming down the east side of Lookout Pass.

Monday was a fairly easy day. We headed south out of Missoula on US93 to highway 43. MT43 goes into an area of Montana called "Big Hole". Big Hole is a large valley surrounded by mountains on all sides and was explored by Lewis & Clark. The valley is not suitable for farm land but it is great cattle and grass land. Big Hole is also where Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé engaged in battle against the 7th Infantry in August 1877.

Just east of Big Hole Pass is the ghost town of Bannack Montana (now a State Park). Bannack was a large gold camp in the 1860's with a population of about Ten Thousand during its heyday and at one time was the capital of the Montana Territory. We spent about an hour walking around the town. I did not see any ghosts, though I broke out in a sweat and the hair on the back of my neck stood up when I was in the school house. We took a motel room in Dillon Montana not far from Bannack.

Tuesday was a very long day. We headed east and south on US287 stopping at Nevada City and Virginia City Montana. They are only a few miles appart. They are both genuine gold camps of the old west era but now are just tourist traps. Nevada City had some cool looking old train cars and an old broken down steam engine. I didn't find Virginia City to be very interesting, well except for the cowboy.

We rode in strong winds for a couple of hours from Virginia City to reach West Yellowstone where we ate lunch and got gas before entering the park. At first it looked like we were going to get a break with the weather but the break didn't last. We got rained on before reaching Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park Wyoming. It stopped raining and the sun came out just long enough to watch the geyser erupt. We really got dumped on after leaving Old Faithful; there was even some small hail. At one point it got heavy enough we couldn't see the road and had to pull off for awhile. We almost didn't get to see the Grand Tetons because of the rain but nature gave us a break just long enough to snap a picture. We rode in rain for the rest of the day. It was nearly midnight when we pulled into Rock Springs Wyoming. The motel in Rock Springs was a real dive but the trailer park across the street provided some amusing entertainment the following morning.

Wednesday was a bit easier. It tried to rain on us Wednesday but we got lucky and were able to avoid the rain. We darted over to Green River Wyoming where we turned south on Wy-530. The highway travels down the western side of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. The Flaming Gorge has a lot of interesting geologic formations and a large lake. The northern portion of Flaming Gorge has a dry desert appearance but becomes mountainous in the southern half where it crosses into Utah. The lake cuts a deep channel into the mountain exposing flaming red rock. I'm sure this is where the Flaming Gorge name comes from. We encountered a group of about 14 motorcyclists on an organized motorcycle tour. They all spoke German. The road captain was the only one that spoke english. We ate lunch at the Lucerne boat marina and spent about an hour poking around the western side of the Gorge before moving on to Vernal Utah.

From Vernal it was a long fast ride on US40 back into Colorado. We turned south at the town of Dinosaur Colorado, passed through Rangely Colorado, and continued south to Grand Junction Colorado where we stayed overnight at Todd's sisters house.

I had a little trouble on CO-139 south of Rangely. There is a section of twisty road south of Rangely where it climes over Douglas Pass. The day was getting long and the sun was getting low on the horizon. As I started up the pass the sun was just on the horizon making it very hard to see the road. That was bad enough but the roadway was deteriorating and the road kept getting worse with each twist. Between the blinding sun, trashed out road, and hair pin turns I had to slow to a crawl. I finally made it over the pass where the road improved and straightened out and the sun was out of my eyes. It was still daylight when we rolled into Grand Junction.

Thursday was a challenge. Narrow twisty roads, no guard rails, rain, Highway Patrolmen, and short tempers made for a trying day.

We went south on US50 from Grand Junction to join the Million Dollar Highway (US550). The road passes over Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton Colorado. The pass is sometimes referred to as the "Oh Shit Pass" because the road on the north side of the pass is very narrow and twisty, and doesn't have any guard rails. If you run off the edge you go straight down because there's nothing there to stop you, and passing is nearly impossible. Red Mountain Pass is aptly named. The mountain tops are a rust red because of the iron oxide in the rock. We stopped a few times to take pictures including a stop at the Idarado gold mine (now closed). While at the mine I decided it was too warm to wear a coat so I took it off. This proved to be a mistake when we got into rain at Silverton. I didn't get as wet as I did on Tuesday but Todd still had a good time with my error in judgment. We stopped in Durango Colorado for lunch. The traffic in Durango was unbelievable. Where does all that traffic come from?

We traveled east on US160 and threw Pagosa Springs where the road climbs over Wolf Creek Pass before dropping into South Fork Colorado. I had the opportunity to meet Colorado State Trooper Fenwick as I was traversing Wolf Creek Pass. The speed limit varies up and down along that stretch of road; varying anywhere from 25 to 65mph. Trooper Fenwick seems like a nice fellow. He was very polite and professional. We even chatted about the Road King and the trip. He was amazed to learn we had traveled over 3000 miles. Unfortunately, he had also clocked me on radar doing 64mph in a 45mph zone so presented me with a speeding ticket. Oh well, that's his job, I guess it is a safety issue. I'm not going to challenge the ticket, I'll just pay it.

During the trip we found some gas pumps have trouble with the combined Debit/Credit cards. We encountered another one of those in Monta Vista Colorado. Tempers began to flare when the clerk had trouble activating the pump. We did get our gas and made a quick exit out of town north to Buena Vista Colorado.

At Buena Vista we stayed at the Cottonwood Hot Springs Inn & Spa west of town. The Inn features a number of pools fed by a natural hot spring. It was 11pm when we arrived, so I was more interested in bed than I was the health benefits of the hot spring.

The motel offers a late check out that we took advantage of. It was after 1pm Friday when we started the last leg of our trip north on US285 back to Denver Colorado. It was 3:45pm when I got back to the apartment.

Over the course of the trip I traveled 3,355 miles, was in five states, stayed overnight in ten different places, got sunburned, rained on, hailed on, nearly blowen off the road by wind, and received a speeding ticket. I also was at Devils Tower, Medicine Wheel Pass, rode the Beartooth Highway, Red Lodge, Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake, Lolo National Forest, Big Hole, Bannack, Nevada City, Virginia City, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Flaming Gorge, Douglas Pass, Red Mountain Pass and Wolf Creek Pass. I really had a good time. As soon as the bike has been serviced I'll be ready to go again.

A weekend camping in the mountains

2011-07-05T10:28:00.005-06:00

Every year the motorcycle club has a camping trip into the mountains during the July 4th holiday. The club calls the outing "The Golden Fleece Run". Usually members from other gay motocycle clubs ride to Colorado for the run. Other clubs have similar events: the Border Riders have an outing for Victoria Day, and the Satyrs have an outing over the Labor Day weekend. This year was the clubs 37th annual Golden Fleece Run.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. The 37th GFR was scaled back a bit from previous runs; we didn't have bike events, people events or a show. We still all had a great time. Many people commented they liked the simpler format. This is the first year we've allowed pets on the run. The pets were well behaved and there weren't any problems.

I'm so glad it's over

2011-07-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

I haven't felt this good in a long time. The last four years were like having someone sitting on my chest; on April 29th that went away. I did have a great deal of anxiety for a couple of weeks but that's gone away too. I almost never think about the office. I'm so glad it's over.

So far I haven't had any trouble filling my days. I am a little concerned about what I'll do when the weather turns bad again. I'll deal with that when the time comes. I'm planing to take a motorcycle trip with friends through Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Beartooth, Glacier and where ever ...

Meadowlarks and Hairspray

2011-06-30T17:59:00.000-06:00

I got my big telephoto lens out Friday afternoon and went to Bluff Lake Nature Center located on what use to be Stapelton airport. It was still 95F (35C) when I got there. I changed into walking shoes, grabbed a bottle of water, the camera and a hat and started off. I forgot that I was wearing non-prescription sunglasses and left my regular glasses at home; this made it hard to use manual focus. I also ment to bring along the small camera with standard lens but left it back on the bike.

It was really hot. Between the sun, the heat and lugging the telephoto around I wore out pretty quickly. I didn't have a whole lot of luck but still managed to get a couple of good shots.

The first bird I spotted was a bright orange Northern "Bullock's" Oriole. It was quite active and I was still a little too far away. The automatic focus doesn't work very well for distant or active subjects; manual focus works best for these situations, unfortunately I was wearing sunglasses and didn't have my regular glasses with me. The pictures of the Oriole didn't turn out very well but they're good enough to make an identification. This is 2 pictures spliced together into 1 picture (same bird).

Northern "Bullock's" Oriole, Bluff Lake Nature Center Denver, Co. June 24, 2011.

As I was hiking back up the hill I spotted a Western Meadowlark and was able to get a series of good photos. This bird wasn't singing it's regular song; this bird was going "pip, pip, pip, chortle, chortle, chortle". I've never heard a Meadowlark do that before. Later it flew into the tall grass where it finally sang the song I am most familiar with.

Western Meadowlark, Bluff Lake Nature Center Denver, Co. June 24, 2011.

Western Meadowlark, Bluff Lake Nature Center Denver, Co. June 24, 2011.

Last week a friend of mine had tickets to a play that he wasn't able to use so he gave them to me. On Saturday I called another friend and we saw a live performance of the musical "Hairspray" at the Arvada Center for the Arts. I don't think I've seen a live performance of a play or musical since high school. It was very entertaining.

Every rung goes higher, higher

2011-06-25T09:46:00.001-06:00

Sand Creek Park, Stapleton, Denver Co. June 24, 2011.

We are climbing Jacob's ladder
Every rung goes higher, higher
Sisters, brothers, all.

(I don't use the rest of the lyrics.)

Foxglove

2011-06-18T21:15:00.002-06:00

This is growing in a flower pot behind the apartment building. There are 2 white ones growing in pots in front of the building but they are starting to look a little tattered.

The apartment manger didn't know what the flower is called. I sent this picture to my sister. She wrote back and said its called "Foxglove"; it's also called "Digitalis". It's the plant they make the heart medication out of.

Tuesday in the park

2011-06-17T15:59:00.002-06:00

Tuesday morning I went back to South Platte Park. I spent a couple of hours there. I really like this park. They've done a lot of work to clean up and restore the river and its flora and fauna. There are two trails that run the entire length of the park. One trail is concrete and is for bicycles the other is gravel and is for hikers and joggers. This time I walked north. I kept a watch out for birds. I saw a blue heron but other birds chased it away before I could get a picture.

Bridge crossing the South Platte river Littleton Colorado

In the evening I went to City Park where I met up with Michael, Lewis and Laurin. We were there for the "Melodies of Pride" concert by the Mile High Freedom Band and Harmony Chorale (glbt).

Harmony Chorale City Park Denver Colorado.
The Mile High Freedom Band is hidden behind the Chorale.

Michael, Lewis and Laurin

I noticed the moon rising over the park lake after the concert. I had my little camera and said to myself "I know this isn't going to work but I'm going to try it anyway." The Nikon P7000 has a setting for taking pictures at dawn and dusk. I was able to get a rather nice photo of the moon rising over the lake.

Moon rise over Ferril Lake City Park Denver Colorado

Motorcycle ride down Clear Creek Canyon

2011-06-13T20:53:00.002-06:00

Just another of my silly motorcycle videos. Sunday I rode in the 5th annual Molly-Dharma motorcycle run to benefit the MaxFund no-kill animal shelter. Part of the route was down Clear Creek Canyon road (US-6) west of Golden. The road is a lot of fun to ride. You have to watch for fallen rock on the road. You can't see them in the video but there were rock climbers directly above the entrance of the second tunnel.

The human face of tragedy

2011-06-09T11:16:00.012-06:00

Tragedy can often seem very abstract when it strikes far from home. This is how it was for me when the most destructive tornado in 50 years swept through Joplin Missouri Sunday May 22, 2011 killing 141 people. That's difficult for me to get my head around. Missouri is 2 states away and I don't know anyone there. This deadly disaster seemed so remote and abstract until I learned about Will Norton. His life and death brought a human face to the tragic event in Joplin and made it real for me.

18 year old Will Norton was one of the 141 people who were killed on that day. Will and his father were returning home after Will's High School graduation commencement ceremony when the tornado struck. Will's father, who was badly injured, reported that the tornado literally sucked Will out the sunroof of the vehicle they were in. It would be five days before search & rescue workers found his body in a debris filled pond near by.

Will Norton did more living in his 18 years of life than I've done in 50 years. Here's to you Will Norton ! Rest In Peace.

KY3 News	Will Norton's Hummer

The Joplin Globe: JHS graduate Will Norton remembered as joyful, humble.

The Will Norton Story- Our Journey Through the May 22nd Joplin Tornado (by Sara Norton)

Will Norton's Celebration of Life Memorial Service

Also see:
http://www.youtube.com/Will
http://twitter.com/#!/WillNorton
http://www.youtube.com/user/williamdabeast
http://twitter.com/#!/Willdabeast
http://www.facebook.com/willdabeast
http://www.facebook.com/FindWillNorton

Walking the parks

2011-06-04T17:17:00.003-06:00

I'll be satisfied if I can get my weight below 200 lb. and keep it there; I'd like to loose about 8 pounds. I've been taking a walk every morning. It gets a little boring walking around the neighborhood every day and I'd rather not walk on concrete if I can walk on gravel or dirt. Once in awhile I'll take the motorcycle to one of the suburban nature preserves to go for a walk. I usually take a camera with me.

Last week I went to Crown Hill Park in Wheat Ridge. I walked on the dirt path that circles the outside perimeter of the park; I did have to walk on concrete some of the time. It took me 40 minutes to complete the circle; it's 2 miles around. There were 3 Pelicans on the lake but I didn't have my telephoto lens with me. I was able to snap this picture of a barn swallow at the end of my walk.

Sunday afternoon I rode out to Lakewood to walk around the Bear Creek Greenbelt. Bear Creek Greenbelt is only one park of a network of interconnected parks in Lakewood. You can start in Bear Creek Lake Regional Park in the west and walk, or bicycle, for about 8 miles ending up in Bear Creek Park in the east. Bear Creek Greenbelt is half way in between. I took quite a few pictures there.

Yesterday I rode down to South Platte Park in Littleton. The park is a nature preserve along the Platte River; it's about 2 1/2 miles from end-to-end. I spent more time exploring along the river than I did walking. I only snapped a couple of pictures while there. This is a great birding spot.

This morning I did my usual walk to Cheesman Park and back. They've been doing some cleanup and repair work on one of the mansions along 7th street. I noticed some interesting markings where they cut back some of the creeping vines along the fence.

I want to get out earlier in the day and take my big telephoto lens with me. I want to go back to Bear Creek and South Platte and do some birding. I also want to visit Barr Lake and Chatfield. I'd like to go back to Roxborough too.

How I wound up in Lake City Colorado

2011-05-15T22:00:00.006-06:00

Saturday a friend and I rode our motorcycles from Denver to Alamosa. We left Denver about 10 AM and arrived in Alamosa about 3 PM.

We took I-25 south through Colorado Springs and Pueblo. It wasn't as warm as had been forecasted and was rather cold; it started warming up when we got to Colorado Springs. I nearly had an accident just north of the Springs; I didn't see a car next to me as I started to pass and almost got hit.

We turned west onto US-160 at Walsenburg south of Pueblo. I took a picture of the Spanish Peaks just west of Walsenburg. We ran into a little bit of rain before dropping down into the San Luis Valley. It was very windy in the valley.

We checked into inexpensive motel in Alamosa. A friend of ours who lives in Alamosa had just graduated college and he invited us over for dinner to celebrate.

Sunday we took a longer more scenic route back to Denver. We left Alamosa at 9 AM and continued west on US-160 to South Fork where we turned onto CO-149. Colorado 149 passes through the Rio Grand National forest west of the San Luis Valley. This is some of the most beautiful country I've seen.

It's an easy ride until the road climes over Spring Creek Pass and Slumgullion Pass north west of Creede . Here the road has a few blind curves, and we encountered fallen rock on the road in a few places. We stopped for a break in the small town of Lake City before continuing on to Gunnison.

We ate lunch and got gas in Gunnison then headed east on US-50 and over Monarch Pass. There was snow on the side of the road at Monarch and there was loose gravel in some of the curves.

We turned north onto US-285 at Poncha Springs and stopped for gas in Johnson Village outside of Buena Vista. Continuing north on US-285 we passed through the South Park mountain basin and into the Pike National Forest.

We had good weather all day but ran into fog at Bailey. We couldn't see a hundred yards in front of us by the time we got to Aspen Park, and the fog was mixed with snow. I fixed my eyes on some tail lights ahead of me and hoped they stayed on the road. We got out of the fog as soon as we started down the mountain east of Aspen Park - from there it was an easy ride into Denver. Fog is only fun when you're in London.

I arrived back at the apartment at 5:30 PM. Round trip Denver to Denver was 602 miles.

Denver Cinco de Mayo parade 2011

2011-05-07T21:12:00.003-06:00

I went to the Cinco de Mayo parade at Civic Center park this morning. After the parade I toured through the booths at the festival and got lunch. I snapped a lot of pictures and video. The video isn't all cars.

Clyde has left the building

2011-05-05T10:48:00.002-06:00

I've been telling people for two years that I would probably take early retirement when I became eligible. I didn't quite make it that far. Last week I accelerated my retirement for medical reasons. I will use up all of my vacation and sick leave then I will officially be retired. April 29 was my last day with the college.

Listen!

I've had a growing dissatisfaction with my life and my work for several years. Without question the protracted chaos in the office has contributed to my increasing malaise. For many months I have been suffering from anxiety, an inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, loss of motivation, and depression.

Last week I had serious "panic attack". It wasn't the first panic attack I've had, only this one didn't go away. The following morning I decided it was in my best interest, and in the best interest of the college, that I move on sooner than planned.

While my departure is amicable, after 4 years as a work study and 24 years as an FTE, it is still a little bitter sweet. During my time there I've: pulled cable, wired jacks, spun tape, done cold starts of mainframes and minis, written code in Z80, PDP11 and 370 assembler, JCL, BASIC, FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL, Natural, SQL, C/C++, JAVA, UNIX shell, and HTML. My code has run scanners, built and manipulated image files, and created over 150,000 user accounts. I've managed firewalls, routers, IDS, network scanners, and written dozens of policies. I've accomplished a lot professionally but I'm used up and burned out. It's time for a new direction.

This may not have been the most practical decision, but it is the best decision for me. I have not had as much successes in the personal and social realms of my life. This is an opportunity for me to do some serious soul searching. I have to save my soul and re-invent myself. I want to invent someone who is mindful and compassionate at his very core and build a future from that. I'm not looking for another "job", I'm looking for meaning, passion and soul. Now, to create that future.

The Google Chrome: It Gets Better TV add on Glee

2011-05-04T08:19:00.004-06:00

Visit IT GETS BETTER PROJECT web site.
Visit The Trevor Project web site.
Visit Google Chrome web site.
Related post: Chris Colfer: It Gets Better (The Trevor Project)

a reason to ride

2011-04-30T21:12:00.003-06:00

You don't need a reason to ride; riding is it's own reason. Sometimes it's nice to have a destination and something to do when you get there.

Saturday Todd and I rode our motorcycles to Cheyenne Wyoming to see the SkilsUsa car show at the Laramie County Community College. We were hoping a couple of other riders would be able to join us, unfortunately they all had other obligations. We met-up at the Conoco at Colfax and Colorado Blvd then took US85 north to Cheyenne.

The trip was an adventure. We didn't have any mishaps along the way, but the temperature was only 38F when we left Denver and there was a strong wind out of the north west. We encountered a little bit of sleet as we crossed over Chalk Bluff south of Cheyenne. The temperature reached 49F latter in the day but the wind was ferocious. Like a newbie I didn't bring the right gear so my feet and legs got really cold.

We ran inside and got hot coffee as soon as we got to the car show. I walked around and snapped a few pictures after I got warmed up. We ate Hot Dogs for lunch at the car show.

The ride back wasn't nearly as bad. It had warmed up considerably and the wind was at our back. I had to make an emergency stop in Eaton to release some used coffee. Stop in at the A & W restaurant the next time you're in Eaton.

Back in Denver we stopped at the "Geez, Louise Coffee House" (4924 E Colfax) for coffee and to get warmed up. The coffee house is "family" (gay) owned and operated. It's a nice place: good coffee and good atmosphere; they also serve food.

I don't need a reason to ride. There is pleasure in mounting the Iron Steed and heading off to anywhere, but it is a whole lot more fun to go riding with good friends.

There but for the grace of Cosmos go I

2011-04-24T17:08:00.000-06:00

Just put one foot infront of the other.

Watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 1 last Sunday.

Started off to work only to discover it was raining hard. I went back inside to find my rain gear but couldn't find it, I spent a half hour looking for it, I finally found it in the closet where it was suppose to be.

Submitted a project plan at work Wednesday. I really had to scramble to put it together.

I went to the Dentist Thursday; I didn't have any cavities.

The Rally Boots I ordered 3 months ago finally arrived.

"The Kings Speech" DVD arrived; I plan to watch it tonight.

I downloaded and started listening to "How to Stay Motivated".

Remembered I had Dennis Waitley "Seeds of Greatness" on CDROM; I loaded it into my iTunes so I can listen on my iPod.

Discovered I had an audio book called "Happier" on my iPod that I haven't listened to; it's been there for 2 years and I haven't listened to it yet.

I went to men's group Saturday night. During check-in others admitted to struggling with loneliness and depression issues too.

I'm going to set the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier to give myself time to go for a walk in the morning before heading off to work. It will be good for my body, good for my energy and good for my spirit.

I remembered a video I made several years ago called "Hills and Valleys". I need to remember that I'm in a valley right now and there will be a new hill coming up soon.

I was reminded that "You must give to receive". I've decided that, for now, my mission will be to brighten someone elses' day.

This afternoon I encountered someone much less fortunate than myself, so I made a small donation -- There but for the grace of Cosmos go I.

A vision of beauty

2011-04-06T18:44:00.000-06:00

A vision of beauty walked through the Administration building on campus this afternoon while I was eating lunch - he was wearing sparkling Gold shoes. He disappeared down the hallway as quickly as he had appeared. I've never seen him in the building before. I would have given him a "You Are Beautiful" card if I had one.

This happened April 6th, the day after Davey Wavey posted his "Life is Too Short Not to Wear Gold High Tops!" video.

My new Air Horns

2011-03-19T20:43:00.002-06:00

These are my new 139db Retro Air Horns (short trumpets) from http://www.MetalArtsInc.com. They were very easy to install: just remove the 1/2" corn nut on the stock horn, take the stock horn off, unplug the wires, plug the wires into the Air Horn, set the Air Horn in place and put the corn nut back on. Done!

They took a little longer than normal to ship because of a delay in parts (the air compressor is built in Italy). I suspect the add campaign on Facebook might have had an impact too. But I have them now and they are installed and functioning.

Also see: MetalArts air horn installation video on YouTube.

Hill Top

2011-03-19T18:11:00.003-06:00

Todd and I rode our motorcycles out to Elizabeth Colorado Saturday morning. We rode south on Parker Road then turned onto Hill Top road. Hill Top road was a lot of fun. We met-up with Mark and had lunch at the Cosentinos Dinner in Elizabeth.

Mark is the new President of the Asian & Friends Denver non-profit . We learned a lot about the club and the kinds of problems clubs have in general.

Empanada Grill

2011-03-18T22:09:00.001-06:00


Darian, Todd	Clyde, Ken

We went to the Empanada Grill, 4301 W 44th Ave Denver, for our mystery dinner ride and ate Venezuelan food. It was very satisfying. It had snowed a little bit over night but it had all melted off by noon.

A video Valentine for my friends

2011-02-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Pleasure and Pain

2011-02-06T13:09:00.006-07:00

The burn on my leg is quite painful but it does appear to be getting better. I keep it clean and change the bandages twice a day. I took this picture Wednesday morning - don't click on this link if you are grossed out easily.

We had subzero temperatures for several days this week and have had a couple of good snow storms blow through. It snowed again last night and we are expecting more snow this evening.

I haven't been on facebook for a week now; I did logon long enough yesterday to post a meeting announcement on the clubs FB page but did not look at my wall or timeline. I read an interesting commentary in Advocate magazine where the commentator echoed some of my frustrations and irritations over politics and causes. While his frustrations stem from a different source I got a sense of validation from his article.

I had my regular meeting with Dr. Bob this week. We talked at length about loneliness and intimacy and my inability to feel any sense of connection to others. I honestly can not recall anyone with whom I've felt any deep or profound sense of connection. I'm not sure I would even be able to recognize it if I ever experienced it. I can't even imagine what It might be like. We also talked about my latest "Star Crush". I've had 3 star crushes over the past 40 years. I suspect there is a correlation between the star crushes and depressive episodes but Dr Bob is not convinced.

The most bizarre aspect of this star crush is that it gives me both pleasure and pain. The pleasure comes from my perception of his public persona. The pain comes from my dwelling on: what is not, what never was, and what never will be. Dr. Bob suggests there is nothing wrong with finding pleasure in this crush, but rather than dwelling on the pain, I might try seeing him as a role-model for a way of being.

Someone lost a Cotters-Key in the parking lot and I found it. It was stuck in my right rear tire. I can't remember the last time I had a flat tire. I called AAA and they were there within a half hour; it didn't cost me a cent.

Kickstands and burning pipes

2011-01-29T22:10:00.006-07:00

I felt better today than I have all week; my mood was a little brighter today too. I was out sick all day Wednesday and Thursday. I went to work Friday but still wasn't feeling well so I left at noon.

I got the motorcycle out this afternoon and made a loop around the park, went south on Broadway, ate lunch at Sonic, then west past White Fence Farms, north on Kipling, then US6 back into Denver.

The bikes kickstand and I are not best friends. When I put it down It will frequently pop right back up. This afternoon It folded up as I was dismounting. I scrambled to catch the bike as it fell but couldn't hold it and I burned by leg on the hot pipes in the process.

I've lost my temper a couple of times in last few weeks. It is a direct product of the depression and anxiety. I am simply not in any condition to hear or read other peoples politics or their latest good cause of the moment. I think I'll stay off of Facebook for awhile.

Chris Colfer won his first Golden Globe

2011-01-16T20:40:00.010-07:00

Chris Colfer won a Golden Globe! I am so happy for him! He was genuinely surprised. I just loved watching him walk up to the stage, unfortunately this video doesn't include that (but the one below it does).

beautifully done video montage
Chris Colfer: 'Screw that, kids' [Support Video Against Bullying]

I just love this guy!

Visit The Trevor Project web site.
Visit It Gets Better Project web site.
Related post: Chris Colfer: It Gets Better (The Trevor Project)

Bathtub Meditation

2010-12-31T18:03:00.002-07:00

Listen!

About 3 years ago I spent a cold winter afternoon surfing YouTube; I stumbled across the YouTube channel of a man in Hastings, East Sussex, UK that uses the moniker "AndyMooseMan". I subscribed to his channel because I like his beach vlog videos and the fact he isn't railing on about politics or conspiracy theories or religion; he just talks about what he's been doing and what's going on with him. He has also gotten into Blogging, Tweeting and Podcasting.

In early October Andy Tweeted that the Hastings Pier had burned down. A few weeks later he announced he and a few other people were compiling a music CD featuring local musicians and the proceeds would go to the "Save the Pier" fund. Having followed Andy's YouTube videos for 3 years, and being all for saving historical landmarks, I ordered one when they went on sale.

I have an Anglo-Saxon name. My ancestors migrated to the New World during the colonial period more than a hundred years before the American revolution. A member of the family tree that stayed behind later became the Bishop of Winchester and is buried in Winchester Cathedral - Hampshire. I understand he was a bit of a heretic.

For someone who has clergy in his ancestry I am not particularly religious. I find my spirituality in nature. I think the winter constellation Orion is the most beautiful constellation in the northern hemisphere, and there is nothing more spiritual and awesome than a ripping good thunderstorm. Still, over the past few years I have engaged in a peculiar approach/avoidance dance with the propositions of Unitarian Universalism (UU). I frequently listen UU sermons via podcast.

A few weeks ago I listened to a sermon by Rev. Mike Morran titled "The Space Between The Stars" [Listen (24m)]. My brief abstract cannot do his sermon justice. In the first half of the sermon he talks about the vastness of the universe and how we seem to vanish into the ever expanding emptiness of space; he concludes with the Monty Python Galaxy song. He is more poetic in the second half of the sermon. He contrasts our aloneness in the universe, to our being bound-up in the universe and to each other. The space that separates us is also the space that connects us. It is our relationships, chosen and accidental, that fill the space between us. He concludes with the proposition "there is a unity that makes us one and binds us forever together in spite of time and death and space between the stars."

After listening to the sermon I drew a hot bath and took my iPod with me. I noticed that AndyMooseMan had posted a couple of new podcasts.

Try to imagine this: I'm sitting in my bathtub with this sermon fresh in my mind, I have a dead relative buried in Winchester Cathedral, I'm listening to a podcast from the United Kingdom some 370 years after my ancestors came to the New World when I hear AndyMooseMan , who I met by accident on YouTube, announce he just mailed two "Not The End of The Pier" CD's to the United States - one to Wisconsin and one to Colorado.

I paused while I pondered the relevance of Mike's sermon and the sequence of events, over time and distance, that led to that moment in my bathtub.

How's that for the space between the stars?

first good snow

2010-12-31T09:51:00.002-07:00

Denver got its first good snow storm Thursday/Friday. We didn't get as much as New York got last week. We got 5" (12.7 cm) and it got down to 3F (-16C) overnight.

The system that produced this storm has pulled out of Colorado but is still dumping a lot of snow over Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota; it spawned a Tornado in Arkansas early this morning.

Sunday ride through Red Rocks park

2010-12-19T19:58:00.001-07:00

The weather in Denver was nice enough Sunday afternoon for some friends and I to get our motorcycles out and go for a short ride. We road out to Golden Colorado. After lunch we road through Denver Red Rocks park, south of Golden, and stopped at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Sally, TJ, Clyde, Todd

Red Rocks Amphitheater

2010-12-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Took these pictures on my walk last weekend.

I've got an interesting blog / audio boo coming up but I'm going to wait until the CD arrives before I post it.

I am officially a "gleek"

2010-12-09T19:40:00.004-07:00

I tried watching Glee a couple of times during the first season. It appeared to be another slap-stick comedy with not very good dialog so I tuned it out early on. I kept hearing others say how much they liked Glee. Not wanting to be left out I took another look. I just finished watching the last five episodes on-line.

I nearly had an accident when I saw this !

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I think Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) is to die for ! I just ordered season 1 on DVD. I guess that officially makes me a "gleek" (Glee fan).

Looking out my office window

2010-12-04T21:47:00.002-07:00

Looking out my office window Friday evening. This is the ferris wheel at the Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver Colorado. The park is about 2 blocks away. The camera is aimed through a double pain window that is very dirty and it is zoomed in all the way.

Seeing Lawrence Way

2010-12-03T21:02:00.003-07:00

I took a few minutes after lunch today to practice the art of seeing and sharpen my photographers eye. I walk past this arch every day but I'd never spotted the potential photograph until today.

When I look at this photograph my eye is immediately drawn to the sign, then it moves left to the globe and counter clockwise around the arch, across the walk to the cornstalks in the center, then it travels along the walkway into the distance.

The sign is very close to where the upper 1/3 horizontal and the right 1/3 vertical intersect - the arch fills most of the left 2/3 of the frame. The lettering of the sign stand out while the rest of the colors are subdued. My eye isn't distracted by the strong horizontal line of the overpass in the background.

I used a Nikon CoolPix P7000 in full auto with fill-flash, and held it over my head. There were people walking back and forth on the train platform and there were people walking past me on the sidewalk.

The placement of the sign, the arch, the walkway, and what's left out seem to invite me to explore Lawrence Way. For something so ordinary I'm very pleased with how well this photograph turned out.

Open spaces

2010-11-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday was too nice a day to spend indoors. With a chance of snow on Sunday and Monday it will be the last 55F (17C) day we'll have for awhile.

I needed to get out of the apartment so I got on the motorcycle and took a ride out to the Plains Conservation Center. It was easy to get to and looked like a good place to spot some hawks. I saw several large hawks and a lot of prairie dogs.

Over the past few years I have come to value our parks, trails, open-space and wildlife preserves more than I use too. I buy an annual State Parks pass each year as a way to help support the parks. Living in the big city for the last 30 years, the parks and open-space preserves provide a place to go for a few hours to get away from all the hustle and noise of the city.

For no particular reason

2010-11-19T07:23:00.003-07:00

For no particular reason I decided to go out and just take pictures last Saturday.

I let the camera do all of the work so I could pay more attention to basic composition.

I tried to make sure horizontal lines were horizontal and vertical lines were vertical.

I tried to be more aware of background and foreground clutter.

And, I tried be practice the use of the rule of thirds and natural framing.

I think the outing was a good exercise and I am pleased with the results. I want to practice making use of depth of field next; I might be able to use depth of field to eliminate some background clutter. I'll take a tripod with me next time too.

Your homework this week is to practice gratitude

2010-11-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

"Take time every day to notice the gifts that life has given you.

Give thanks, every day, for whatever is appropriate: good health, good friends, the beauty of the sky or a piece of music, democracy and freedom, healthy children, springtime, the extra change you found in the couch, whatever ...

Keep a small journal or list of these. Don't go to bed without writing them down!"

Rev. Mike Morran, Bright and Spirited Path: Love and Justice (Denver: FUSD, 2010).

Wednesday November 10, 2010

I am grateful that I woke up this morning.
I am grateful that I was able to talk to V & K this morning.
I am grateful that G. telephoned me this afternoon.
I am grateful I discovered what was wrong with my radio tonight.
I am grateful I have something to do tonight besides watch TV.

Thursday November 11, 2010

I am grateful for short meetings.
I am grateful for Cliff Bars.
I am grateful I actually had some meaningful useful work to do today.
I am grateful for the Blogger Template Designer.
I am grateful I have a warm dry place to sleep.

Friday November 12, 2010

I am grateful I saw the wild hawk this afternoon.
I am grateful to be invited to attend a wedding tomorrow.
I am grateful I saw Jupiter & a 1/4 moon together in the night sky tonight.
I am grateful for the comments I receive on my blog.
I am grateful I have wholesome food to eat.

Saturday November 13, 2010

I am grateful I was able to go outside and take pictures this morning.
I am grateful I was able to attend a wedding and reception today.
I am grateful for crunchy fall leaves on the ground.
I am grateful it didn't snow today.

Sunday November 14, 2010

I am grateful I was able to sleep in an extra hour this morning after a long night.

Monday November 15, 2010

I am grateful I was able to take the afternoon off.

Tuesday November 16, 2010

I am grateful that TN was able to find a better job.
I am grateful I was able to talk to SB this afternoon.
I am grateful my colleagues are open to switching to a different product.
I am grateful this is the last night of this class.

It's a wonderful life unscripted

2010-11-08T22:33:00.001-07:00

An unscripted video blog post.

It's the Great Pumpkin

2010-10-29T20:53:00.001-06:00

Halloween office party pictures taken with my cell phone (most of them didn't turn out).

The right thing

2010-10-26T15:53:00.007-06:00

Listen!

In my melancholy last night, I leafed through a book of quotations that was sitting on my nightstand and came across a quote attributed to "Mark Twain". It read:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Keep Calm And Carry On (Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2009).

No question about it, I have definitely played it safe in my adult life. That has given rise to an uninteresting sedentary lifestyle punctuated with dissatisfaction. It has also resulted in a degree of social isolation and an absence of intimate ties. I should find out what a bowline is so I can throw it off.

This morning I re-discovered a book of positive quotations lost on my bookshelf. The quotation for this morning read:

"Sometimes we waffle over what to do in a difficult situation simply because we're reluctant to do what we know we have to do. Maybe there's some sacrifice we don't really want to make. Maybe we're afraid we might alienate someone. Maybe we just don't want to put out the effort it's going to take.

So we procrastinate - asking for advice, weighing alternatives, hoping we'll find some way out of the situation. This is usually a futile exercise; we still have to do the right thing."
Linda Picone, The Daily Book of Positive Quotations (Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 2008), p. 326.

I’ve really let the apartment go again. Everything is covered with dust, junk piled everywhere, and dirty laundry on floor. I’ve lost all interest in work and spend most of my days waiting for 5 o’clock to come. I know what the right thing to do is but can’t muster the interest or energy to do it. I can’t retire so I need to keep my job. The right thing is to start producing at work, get off my fat ass, do the laundry, throw out the junk, and clean the apartment.

My life is a product of my own creation. It isn’t that bad; I’ve gotten some things right. It’s taken some time but I have advanced my career. I’ve gotten back into motorcycles, and photography, and met some good people in the motorcycle club and U.U. Those are some real positives.

The most positive changes have always come when I just close my eyes and jumped. What am I waiting for?

Closed on Sunday

2010-10-18T19:48:00.003-06:00

A friend and I went for a nice easy ride Saturday. We took US-85 north to the small town of Severance. There is a bar & grill there that is popular with recreational motorcyclists.

Listen!

I had Rocky Mountain Oysters for the first time at Bruce's bar in Severance Colorado. In case aren't familiar with Rocky Mountain Oysters they are Bull testicles, usually served breaded and deep-fried. I was not impressed; they weren't gross or anything, they just weren't very tasty or satisfying. They looked like Pop Corn shrimp but all I could tast was the deep-fried breading.

After feasting on Rocky Mountain Oysters in Severance, we stopped in Eaton on the way back to prowl through a junk shop there. A sign in the front window read "We buy junk and sell antiques" - I think they could have left out the second clause of that sentence.

It was a pleasant ride; about an hour and a half one way - 147 miles round trip.

I signed up for a class at the Unitarian Universalist church that I attend occasionally. It's rather odd, having been an anti-religion mad dog atheist for the last 40 years, but summer is over so it must be time to get all spiritual again.

I read an interesting article in the October issue of "Quest", in which Reverend Peter Morales asks: "What do we love so much that we are moved to tears? What gives us unspeakable joy? What gives us peace beyond understanding? What do we love so much that it calls us to action? What do we care about deeply that we willingly, enthusiastically, devote our lives to it?"

To be perfectly honest, I don't have answers for any of those questions.

This afternoon a friend and I stopped in at a tiny little Japanese restaurant for an early supper. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife who are probably both in their mid to late 60's. It's very small - two small booths and a couple of sit stools - but the food was fantastic! I had California rolls, Teriyaki chicken bowel, soup, and hot Gun Barrel tea. For me, a meal that good is rather rare. I will definitely go back again. I doubt I can pronounce the name - it is Yoisho, and it's at 7236 E Colfax (corner of Colfax and Quebec). Closed on Sunday's.

Busy Feathers

2010-10-11T19:48:00.000-06:00

Listen!

Recipient of the 2010 Top Hand Award

2010-10-11T12:03:00.000-06:00

I was awarded the Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club of Colorado "Top Hand" award for 2010 Saturday night for my work as the clubs Dispatcher (Webmaster).

Chris Colfer: It Gets Better (The Trevor Project)

2010-10-04T23:40:00.005-06:00

Visit The Trevor Project web site.
Visit It Gets Better Project web site.
Related post: Chris Colfer won his first Golden Globe
Related post: The Google Chrome: It Gets Better TV add on Glee

Fall has arrived. It's harvest time

2010-10-02T11:36:00.000-06:00

UU's Standing on the Side of Love

2010-09-29T08:25:00.000-06:00

First Unitarian Society of Denver, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church, The Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder Standing on the Side of Love, Denver Colorado, September 26, 2010, Colorado State Capital.

What a terrific and memorable week-end!

2010-09-27T19:59:00.003-06:00

Listen!

Denver Botanic Gardens

2010-09-26T20:32:00.007-06:00

I and 4 other guys went to the Denver Botanic Gardens Sunday evening.

I've lived here for 30 year but had never been to the Botanic Gardens before. One of the guys mentioned that the Gardens was having a free weekend, so we took advantage of it. I didn't know what I was missing! I had a great time! I think I'll look into getting a membership.

Aspen Run through Cripple Creek (updated)

2010-09-25T19:40:00.003-06:00

I and and some other guys rode our motorcycles through the Cripple Creek area to view the fall Aspen colors.

We took Interstate 25 south to Colorado Springs, then US-24 through Woodland Park before turning south on Colorado highway 67 just west of Woodland Park.

We could not have asked for better weather. Warm temperatures and clear blue sky's. The Aspen were in their prime and the fall colors were spectacular.

The road was packed with other sight seers. Every turn-out was full of cars and motorcycles and people taking pictures. We made a lot of pictures stops ourselves.

available in HD

The fall colors typically follow a north to south progression, beginning in the north and spreading to the south in response to shorter days. The color display begins in the higher elevations and works its way down to lower elevations and the planes. Northern Colorado typically starts to display fall colors in early September with southern Colorado and the lower elevations in late September or early October. Warm sunny days with cool crisp nights tend to yield more brillant colors.

Cripple Creek use to be an old gold miners camp dating back to the 1890's. It was incorporated in 1892 and is 1 of 3 legalized gambling towns in the state. The Cripple Creek area sits in an ancient Caldera formed by volcanos some 35 million years ago. Mud flows from those volcanos are what created the fossil beds south of Forissant Colorado. We ate lunch at one of the Casino's before continuing our ride past the Gold Mine and Victor.

The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine just south of town is the largest producer of gold in Colorado. It is an open-pit mine; the gold is extracted using a technique called a leach stack.

We turned north at Woodland Park on our way back and rode through Deckers and Pine Valley. The Hayman fire burn area appears to be recovering though fire damage is still plainly visible.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and a real treat.

The paradigm of abundance

2010-09-21T19:59:00.001-06:00

Listen!

Across the Divide on Colorado 105

2010-09-06T18:50:00.003-06:00

Not far from the Interstate highway, south of Denver, are the communities of Sedalia, Palmer Lake and Monument Colorado.

For this excursion, I rode south from Denver on US-85 (Santa Fe Drive) to reach Colorado Highway 105 at Sedalia.

View in High Def

Highway 105 runs north & south along the Colorado Front Range between Sedalia and Monument, and crosses over the Palmer Divide.

The Palmer Divide is a ridge that juts perpendicular from the Colorado Front Range and stretches eastward as far as Limon. It separates the Missouri River drainage basing (which includes the Platte River) from the Arkansas River drainage basin. The weather along the divide can be dramatically different from the weather in Denver and Colorado Springs; you can depart Denver under sunny skys only to encounter rain and snow over the Palmer Divide.

About 37 million years ago, a volcanic eruption covered the area with a resistant rock called rhyolite (rye-uh-lite), but flooding and erosion of the rock has given way to castle-shaped buttes, hillsides covered with large meadows of grass, scattered juniper trees, Pine and Scrub Oak.

Here you are apt to encounter Badgers, Black Bears, Bobcats, Coyotes, Chipmunks, Foxes, Mountain Lions, Mule Deer, Porcupines, and Skunks. You might also spot an Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Magpies, Red-tailed Hawks, Jays and Western Tanagers (they are kind of shy and they love the scrub oak).

After the Civil War, General William Palmer founded the City of Colorado Springs and the Denver Rio Grande Railroad. He purchased land north of Colorado Springs called Monument Farms & the Lake Property to supply water for the railroad. The lake property became the town of Palmer Lake.

During the Chautauqua movement, a popular adult education movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Palmer Lake was host to many Chautauqua gatherings. Recently the town has brought new life to the popular program through the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua Assembly held in Palmer Lake each August.

Collectively, the towns of Palmer Lake, Monument and Woodmoor are known as the Tri-Lakes area. The area also includes the communities of Larkspur and Glendale. The US Air Force Academy is directly south of Monument.

Highway 105 turns eastward and terminates when it merges with Highway 83 east of Monument.

Trip to Sandpoint Idaho (updated)

2010-09-03T20:43:00.009-06:00

In June 2001, I took my mother to Sandpoint Idaho to visit an old friend that use to live on the same block she did when they were children. These pictures were taken with my old Sony; the first digital camera I owned.

Sandpoint Idaho. June 29 & 30, 2001.

The cats were owned by a man and women who were also visiting; they were staying in an Air Stream travel trailer. He had stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-day.

Lake Pend Oreille is quite deep and during WW2 a large portion of it was restricted when it was used for Navel training during the war.

Sandpoint was all over the news in the 1990's while federal agents blockaded an extremist stronghold near there; the standoff ended badly.

Arnold Swartzenegger had a large home on the eastern end of the lake when we visited Sandpoint in 2001; I presume he still has it. The future Governor had obtained a section of the Berlin wall and had it placed near the entrance gate of his property. I saw it when I drove up to the gate the last day we were there. You can see the top of it from outside the gate. For some reason I forget I have a camera; I really wish I had taken a picture of it .

When life gives you Lemons, pucker-up and squeeze real hard

2010-08-26T22:57:00.011-06:00

Not long ago someone told me they watch my videos but they thought they were boring - "All we see is the road; you don't show any of the scenery." I think my videos are boring too. I've thought about not doing them any more but I have too much fun making them.

I bought a pair of new camera mounts for the motorcycle. They're real easy to put-on and talk-off. The mounts let me have a camera aimed off the side to record the passing scenery. Hopefully with this setup, and some better narration, I'll be able to make better videos.

I'm still a little upset about our ride back from the mountains a few days ago. One of the motorcyclists with us doesn't ride very often and is not a skilled rider. He's a great guy but I, and another rider that was with us, thought he put our lives in jeopardy a couple of times. Maybe he isn't aware how problematic and dangerous his lack of skill is. I have some good video of the ride and would like to find a way to use it, but I don't want to risk embarrassing him or hurting his feelings.

I had a bit of a let-down this week. A friend of mine called and asked if I wanted to go riding this weekend. Of course I said yes, but over the course of an hour he revised his plans several times. What started out as "Hey! You want to go riding this weekend?" turned into "I'm heading off to Los Vegas Saturday and won't be back for a month." During all the chaos he also canceled a trip we had planned for September. I don't think it was anything I said - I suspect he was exited about his vacation and might have had a couple of drinks. Never the less, I'm disappointed about canceling our trip in September, and I'm annoyed about being asked to go riding then getting revised off his schedule.

I've grown accustomed to let-downs. That might be why I'm so withdrawn and don't engage with people very often. It's my own fault. I expect too much of others. I'm always disappointed when I discover they are merely fallible mortal humans - just like me.

Dear Diary,

2010-08-16T10:15:00.004-06:00

I was upset with one of my motorcycle buddies last week. He doesn't ride very often and his skills aren't up to par. I felt he put our lives at risk on one of our rides. It took me several days to calm down.

I wrote a blog post about the weekend. It took me longer to write because I had to calm down and really work to keep it positive, as a result it reads like a news report.

I took some video of my ride through the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel; I added some narration then posted it to YouTube. Several hundred other people have also posted video of their trip through the tunnel; my video is just one of hundreds of videos of the tunnel.

I and a couple of other guys with the motorcycle club staffed an information booth about the club at Saturdays AIDS Walk event. Over eight thousand people attended the event and they estimate they raised nearly 400K dollars! I think it's really important for the club to be more visible, more open, and participate in more community activities.

My brother slipped and fell while hiking Sunday. He broke both the tibia and fibula directly above the ankle. He will need surgery and will have to have metal pins put in.

AIDS Walk Colorado 2010

taken with my Blackberry

ride through the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel

2010-08-12T07:33:00.000-06:00

watch in HD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwIdB15le7s&hd=1

lazy Sunday afternoon

2010-08-11T14:30:00.000-06:00

I and two other motorcyclists rode our bikes to Breckenridge over the weekend; one of the riders has access to a condominium there. The weekend was cut short by one day because the condo wasn’t available until Saturday afternoon. We rode up on Saturday and came back on Monday. We had an easy ride from Denver to Breckenridge Saturday though the traffic on I-70 was awful - it was slow-n-go in many places.

We dropped our gear off at the condo then went to Dillon for a late lunch. We took Swan Mountain road over to US-6. The road has a few fun little twists and curves but is not particularly challenging. Dillon’s annual Barbecue festival was that weekend so we didn’t have any trouble finding a place to eat but we did have a little difficulty finding a place to park the bikes.

The removable touring pack I ordered for the Road King arrived earlier in the week so this was the first time I’ve used it. It worked great! We picked up groceries on the way back to the condo. I was able to carry all of the groceries and a 6-pack of beer on my bike with room left over.

We were joined by a fourth Saturday night and had a late supper. The original plan was to ride to Leadville on Sunday for their annual Boom Days, take a ride around Turquoise lake, then loop around through Red Cliff and Vail, but by Sunday the sky had turned gray with intermittent rain and the tops of the mountains were hidden in clouds. We all felt lazy and not interested in doing anything Sunday so we just hung out at the condo.

We fixed breakfast burritos Monday morning, did laundry and cleaned & vacuumed the condo, before heading back to Denver.

"Ice Cream Truck"

2010-08-06T20:19:00.002-06:00

"Ice Cream Truck"
written and produced by Cazwell and Chris Bracco
Directed by: Marco Ovando
www.marcovando.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXXZpr8YlSI

Again, which right am I suppose to turn left at?

2010-07-28T23:32:00.002-06:00

The motorcycle club held the 25th annual Cruise Against AIDS run Sunday. This was the second year I attended. The weather was great this year; it was cold and rainy last year. There were a few more riders this year, I counted 18, which is better than last years eight. I've been told there have been as many as 60 riders in past years. I was a member of the planning committee this year but it came as quite a surprise when I was told I was going to be a Road Captain.

I’ve never Road Captained before so I wasn’t sure I could handle the job. Four of us had scouted the route a month earlier and I was tasked with making a map and writing the directions, so I knew the route. I’ve ridden number 2 behind Trail Boss for the past year and I had an occasion to ride with a different group a couple of times last year - not all Road Captains are the same. As Road Captains go, I don’t think I was terrible but I wasn’t great either.

The riders were divided into 3 groups. I led the second group comprised of myself and 6 other bikes. Trail Boss led the first group out, then I led my group out, and the third group followed us. Everything went well for the first 2 turns then I missed the third turn at 8th Avenue. I like to think my mental autopilot had taken over and was guiding me home, but more likely I simply wasn’t paying attention. I realized my mistake when we reached 6th. I had to do some quick thinking and take the left lane so we could loop back around to 8th.

Once I got us back on track everything went well until we got to Morrison. The stop light was red and there was a pedestrian waiting to cross. I started to go after the pedestrian had crossed but the light was still red! Fortunately everyone else saw the red light.

The rest of the ride seemed to go well. I didn’t go over the speed limit; I was under the speed limit much of time. I still found myself having to slow down, then slow down even more. I’ve heard this same lament from other Road Captains at other runs, so it must be normal.

I could have done better my first time being Road Captain but I did well enough. I don’t think I want to Road Captain on a regular basis.

also see: 25th Annual Cruise Against AIDS

My boots don't suck anymore

2010-07-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

Last week a friend of mine tactfully counseled me with "Your boots suck!", so this morning I got the new suckless boots.

Riding Pikes Peak Highway

2010-07-20T10:23:00.004-06:00

I and 2 other guys rode our motorcycles to the top of Pikes Peak last Saturday. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a very enjoyable ride. It's 19 miles from the gate to the top. It took us 47 minutes to reach the summit; I think we could have done it in 40 minutes but we got behind some slow traffic.

Watch in High Def.

The summit of Pikes Peak is at 14,115 feet. It is one of Colorado's 54 mountain peaks that are 14,000 feet or higher and it is the eastern most fourteener in the United States. The Pikes Peak highway is paved part of the way but there are still 2 sections of gravel road.

I took this video with a GoPro HD mounted on the front of my windscreen. The video covers the entire route from the toll gate to the top of the summit but the speed of the video has been increased 480% to compress 47 minutes into 10 minutes. I might post a shorter edited version later.

I blame Voldemort

2010-07-15T18:54:00.003-06:00

I’ve recovered from my first camping trip; I still need to open-up, clean-up and air-out some of my gear. I captioned and posted pictures on Monday. Tuesday I wrote an article for the clubs blog about the event. Wednesday I finally wrote a more personal post about my experience.

I didn’t remember I had a video camera until the trip was over and we were getting ready to start back. I shot some video of the ride back but was really disappointed how it turned out; the camera’s automatic exposure didn’t do very well and the video was too dark.

The bike got covered with red dirt and mud during the trip so Thursday I washed the bike. I didn’t do a very thorough job; the spokes are still dirty and there is still dirt in some of the tight spaces. I could have done a better job had my big belly not gotten in the way. Oh well, it’s only going to get dirty again anyway.

Friday I needed a vacation from my vacation so I bought a box of cookies and started watching Harry Potter movies on DVD. I get the wide screen DVD’s because I like to see the movie the way it was filmed - I don’t like pan-and-scan. I told myself I would only eat six of the cookies a day. I ate the first six cookies then told myself another six wouldn’t hurt. By the end of the first movie I had polished off the entire box - 45 cookies! That’s 3,000 Calories! I blame Voldemort.

It was back on the motorcycle Saturday. I and a couple of friends rode around Denver putting up posters for the 25th Annual Cruise Against AIDS to be on Sunday July 25th. We started the day by attending a pancake breakfast to benefit the Colorado Anti-Violence Program. They had a huge turn-out! I think they were a little overwhelmed by the number of people that showed up. From there it was off to hang posters. We went into some real dive bars. I don’t find it at all flattering that drunks like my motorcycle. Why would anyone spend their Saturday sitting in a dingy bar getting plastered at 11 O’clock in the morning?

I had a craving for Burritos Sunday night so I went to the store and got the fixings, made Burritos and watched TV. PBS aired an all new “Pairot” staring David Suchet. There are two more new episodes airing the next two weeks. I really like David Suchet.

I was back in the office Monday morning. I didn’t think about work at all during my 2 weeks off and I made it clear I would not be checking email or answer the phone. I spent most of the morning reading email - I was able to delete most of it. It was back to the same old routine; I just don’t know how they got along without me. Monday afternoon someone in another department was let go and I had the task of disabling their access and grabbing their hard-drive. That can be an unpleasant chore so I usually try to dispatch a junior to do it.

Three of us plan to ride our motorcycles to the top of Pikes Peak this Saturday. A couple of us will stay over night in Colorado Springs and attend the Gay Pride festival Sunday. Next weekend is Cruise Against AIDS, the week after that is Mount Evans and Trail Ridge Road, and the week after that is a weekend in Breckenridge and Leadville. We have to cover the miles while we can - summer is short after all.

Bicyclefeathers goes camping

2010-07-07T21:12:00.003-06:00

I went camping last weekend. It was a whole new experience for me. Camping isn't something I would consider doing myself, I'm not the rugged outdoors type, but I wanted to hang out with the guys, go where the guys went and do what the guys did, so camping I went.

I bought a 2-man quarter dome tent, a self inflating mattress, a +40 degree down filled sleeping bag, and an LED lantern. I didn't need to consider food, cooking utensils or latrine gear. I also took clothes, rain gear and my camera. I might have been able to pack everything onto the bike but a friend offered to haul my gear in his truck.

I and five other guys rode our motorcycles to the camp site. We went over Berthoud pass, stopped in Winter Park for a few minutes, then rode on to Walden where we ate at the Moose Creek Cafe. From there it was another 90 minute ride to the camp site. The dirt road into the site is challenging enough when it's dry but it was raining by the time we turned off the highway.

The rain stopped long enough for us to set up our tents. I didn't have any leaks in my tent and was able to keep dry though some of my gear had gotten wet. The first night was a little challenging and I didn't sleep very well. I forgot to close the valve on the self-inflating mattress which promptly deflated when I crawled into my sleeping bag. I also managed to foul the zipper on the sleeping bag and it took some effort to straightened out. The next two nights were problem free and I slept reasonably well. I did find the small tent difficult to get in and out of.

I wasn't looking forward to using the out-house. My past experience with privy's hasn't been pleasant, fortunately these privy's were properly ventilated and well maintained, but I still wouldn't want to return to the nostalgic days of yesteryear.

I passed up an opportunity to go 4-wheeling the next day, after day one I wanted some down time, now I regret not going. I hung around the camp, helped take out the kitchen trash, dried my gear, went for a short walk, and snapped some pictures. There were also people games and bike games in the afternoon.

The club brought a full kitchen up to the camp so there was no shortage of food, and there was live entertainment every night. Latter in the evening we had a camp fire where we all sat and talked - we did not sing camp songs. The rain cut down the enjoyment of the fire the first night but the next two nights were very pleasant. I didn't stay up as late as some of younger guys did - I'm such an old fart. I wish I was better at making conversation.

Camping probably isn't my thing - not that I actually have a thing. I enjoyed the ride there and back, and I enjoyed hanging with the guys. I doubt I'll make camping a regular part of my life, but since it is only once a year, I'll probably do it again - with a bigger tent.

Also see: Jason Went Spying.

35th Annual Denver Gay Pride Parade

2010-06-20T18:47:00.004-06:00

I rode with the Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club of Colorado, as part of the Unity Motorcycle Group, leading off the 35th Annual Denver Gay Pride Parade.

The video isn't all motorcycles, it includes a performance by the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps of Salt Lake City (http://rotcslc.com/), and concludes with a slide show. I stayed for the first hour of the parade so didn't photograph/video the whole parade.

How I wound up at the D-Note

2010-06-17T23:59:00.000-06:00

Last Friday we had some really big storms build up over the mountains that moved east over the planes; they dropped heavy rain and hail from about 3:30 PM until about 11:00 PM, and several tornados were sighted. It rained most of Saturday and Sunday too. It was wet enough Sunday morning that I and my motocycle buddies decided not to go on the Molly-Dharma benefit run. The bad weather had cleared out by Monday morning, but the weekend was ruined.

Four of us got together and went for ride Wednesday evening. Camron, Cathi, Todd and myself rode up Bear Creek Canyon Road (C74) to Evergreen then over to Conifer. From Conifer it was a short hop on 285 to South Turkey Creek road and Tiny Town. Back in Denver we took Wadsworth Blvd all the way to Arvada to have dinner at "Gunther Toody's" but they had just closed when we arrived. We ended up eating at an interesting place called the "D-Note" in old town Arvada.

I didn't enjoy the ride up Bear Creek because the sun was low over the mountains and shining in my eyes, and it cast long shadows that I couldn't see into. Those dark shadows were hiding twisty mountain roads! It made for a difficult ride. I wore my helmet camera but forgot to turn it on; I remembered to turn it on when we stopped for a break at Conifer.

We are all looking forward to riding our motorcycles at the head of the Denver Gay Pride Parade Sunday morning. I'm going to try and mount one of the Go Pro cameras on the Road King; I probably won't wear a helmet in the parade so won't use the helmet camera.

Todd, Cathi, Camron.

Night ride and evil road spirits

2010-06-06T22:55:00.003-06:00

I and a couple of friends, Todd and Camron, went for a long motorcycle ride Friday night. We rode north to Fort Morgan and ate at a fast food restaurant. We hung out for over an hour at the fast food joint and the local park. We decided to extend our trip by continuing north on C52 out of Fort Morgan then taking C14 west to US85.

Twilight was fading to night as we rode north out of Fort Morgan. There was something about the twilight, the smell of the grass and the asphalt in the headlight that triggered a dormant memory in me. I use to go deer hunting with my Dad when I was a teenager. We would spend most of the day in a pickup truck pounding around the country side where there were no roads. Once we didn't bag our game until sunset so it was dark by the time the game was dressed out and loaded into the truck. We bounced our way over hills and through ravines, in the dark, back to the highway for an hour drive back to town. Having to negotiate a few turns in the road brought me back to the present moment.

It was 10PM when we pulled into Greeley and took a break at a local dive bar. While there weren't any unpleasantries I can't say it's a place I would visit again. When I sat down, one of the local crack heads asked me if I was a Cop - I pretended not to hear him. It was after 11PM when we started back to Denver.

It was 12:30AM when I got back to the apartment. I can't remember the last time I was out so late. The windshield collected a lot of bugs on it (and so did I). Round trip was 230 miles.

Four of us: Todd, Camron, Cathi and myself rode the twisty canyon roads on Sunday. We went west up Golden Gate Canyon road (C46) then north through Nederland and down into Boulder on Boulder Canyon drive (C119). Both roads are challenging but Golden Gate Canyon thoroughly tested my skills. We ate lunch in Boulder. We stopped at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Dacono before heading back into Denver. Round trip was 119 miles.

Todd, Clyde, Camron, Cathi

I was presented with a Guardian Bell to hang on my new motorcycle today. Legend says the bell will keep you safe from the Evil Road Spirits that live in the road. The Evil Road Spirits get trapped inside the bell and driven insane. Tradition says you can not buy a Guardian Bell for yourself, someone has to give it to you, so I consider it quite an honor to be given one by my friends. Thank you Cathi, Todd and Camron.

Camron, Todd, Clyde

Breaking in the Road King

2010-06-04T11:31:00.000-06:00

Me posing with my new Harley-Davidson Road King
Rockey Mountain Harley-Davidson, Littleton Colorado June 2, 2010.
(Cathi took the picture with her iPhone)

Thursday evening Cathi, Camron, Todd and myself took a fast ride out to Watkins Colorado to test out my new wheels. We stopped at the gas station there to have some Ice Tea and visit before heading back into Denver. We stopped just outside Watkins to take group pictures (one of the few times I didn't have a camera and tripod). I opened up the new Road King on the way back and shifted it into 6th gear.

Camron, Clyde (me), Todd.
Watkins Colorado June 3, 2010.
(Cathi took the picture with her iPhone)

Todd cooked a pork roast with vegetables and we cut fresh garden greens for salad; this was all followed by home made brownies and ice cream. After dinner I watched while Todd and Camron put a new High Tech bulb into Todds head light.

We are planning to ride to Fort Morgan for Root Beer floats Friday evening.

I bought a Harley!

2010-06-02T19:22:00.004-06:00

I went shopping Harley's today. I already knew what I wanted but it was a good thing I had a friend come with me. The first dealership we visited had a Flame Blue Peal Road King fully equipped with ABS, cruise control, heated grips, security system and detachable sissy bar/luggage rack. Of course my response was "I'll take that one. Who do I make the check out to?" Fortunately my friend insisted on, not only getting a quote in writing, but also visiting another dealership.

The truth is I don't really need ABS or the heated grips and they weren't going to give me the full book value for my Suzuki so I reluctantly went with my friend to another dealership.

I worked with Dave at Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Littleton Colorado. He had several different Road Kings on the floor. I picked out a two tone Flame Blue Pearl/Brilliant Silver Pearl with cruise control but without the ABS, heated grips, security system and detachable sissy bar/luggage rack; I then added the detachable sissy bar (without luggage rack). When we inked the deal, not only was the retail price less than the other dealer, but Rocky Mountain gave me full book value for the Suzuki and they installed the mounting hardware for the sissy bar for free.

The Road King is air-cooled, 1584cc with 92.6 foot pounds of Torque (@ 3500rpm) - more than double of the Suzuki I traded. It holds six gallons of gas and weights in at 812 lbs. The bags are much larger than the bags I put on the Suzuki and these actually lock. The bike comes stock with passing lights, engine guard, 2-up seat, lockable removable hard bags and chrome bag protectors (that's the chrome peace infront of the bags). Everything else is extra.

The key is used to lock and unlock the ignition but once the ignition is unlocked the key can be removed. That's what the "security system" is about - the security system adds an electronic key fob that disables the ignition if the key fob is more than 3 feet away from the bike; I'll have that added after I've paid for the license plate and all the checks have cleared.

I'm ready to ride! Too bad I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Ride to Deer Creek Canyon Park

2010-05-31T20:43:00.001-06:00

This weekend was Memorial Day weekend so we had a 3 day weekend.

Saturday I and a couple of others rode around and visited several of the motorcycle dealerships in the city. I looked at motorcycles while they talked to the dealer about sponsoring the Cruise Against AIDS motorcycle run event in July.

From Deer Creek Canyon Park

At one dealer I was able to test ride a Harley Soft Tail Deluxe. It was the first time I'd ridden on a Harley. It had more than twice the horse power and torque than my Suzuki. Its shifting was much easier and smoother than mine too but it didn't fit me very well; my legs felt cramped and I didn't like the seat.

All I did Sunday was watch Television.

From Deer Creek Canyon Park

Monday I rode the motorcycle to Deer Creek Canyon Open Space park south west of Denver. I didn't do too much hiking because I forgot to bring a hat and only had my riding boots. I still snapped a few pictures. I continued west on Deer Creek Canyon road after leaving the park. It's a fun twisty road, a little narrow, but in good condition.

From Deer Creek Canyon Park

I left the apartment at 1:15 and got back at 4:30. Round trip was 64 miles.

Tomorrow is another work day.

Trivia and other essentials

2010-05-24T19:25:00.001-06:00

I haven't spent much time on poetry the last couple of weeks; haven't done much introspection either.

Another big re-org at work. I should write a poem about chaos.

The bird in the tree calling day after day is driving me nuts. I wish it would move on. I wonder what happened to that slingshot I use to have.

Saturday May 15: I and several others went to help a friend move but it turned into high drama. After the moving party I and another guy drove around putting up posters for an event the motorcycle club is having in July. I don't remember what else I did that day. Someone commented on my Mt. Evans video.

Sunday May 16: went to First Unitarian Society of Denver; attended meeting after coffee hour. Went for a ride around east end of old Stapelton Airport and west into downtown on Martin Luther king Avenue (about an hour). Watched TV.

Friday May 21: Took the day off (I have too much leave time; use it or loose it). Straightened up apartment, cleaned bathroom, got rid of some junk, emptied trash. Ran into some people from work while having lunch. Watched Inspecter Lewis DVD.

Saturday May 22: Thought of going on Iron Pigs Poker run but too windy and no one else I know went. Went to store: got sticky buns, coffee, creamer, and Cliff bars. Went to mens group; we didn't talk about anything of any significance. Warm (80F) and windy all day; at 7:30PM the wind got real strong and the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes.

Sunday May 23: Cleaned other bathroom, vacuumed and shampooed carpet. Ordered a smaller (lower) desk for the computer; the one I have is too tall. Watched The Simpsons, Family Guy and an Agatha Christie mystery on TV. Not as windy as yesterday.

Monday May 24: Took the day off. moved recliner to vacuum and shampoo under it; real bad spot where my feet touch the floor. Cleaned off old parking permit and put new one on. Cleaned bugs off motorcycle windscreen. Met with Dr. Bob. Got smokes, got refills for my good pen, got replacement bulb for big floor lamp. Ate a small pizza at Angelo's Pizza. Goofed off the rest of the day. Someone commented on my Existential video. Very, very windy (gust as high as 45).

I have to go back to work Tuesday.

My farts smell like coffee.

How I wound up in North Platte NE.

2010-05-09T11:51:00.000-06:00

I and another guy rode our motorcycles to North Platte Nebraska and back Saturday. It was a little cool when we set out, at 8:15AM, for Sterling where we met-up with two more riders from Scottsbluff. On the way we made a quick stop so I could tighten the bolt on my throttle lock.

We spent more time in Sterling than we planned but we had a nice visit with Mom & Pop from Julesburg; they showed us their wiener dogs. It was Noon when the four of us headed out of Sterling for North Platte. Our group was comprised of 2 Cruisers and 2 Sports bikes (Harley, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki).

From North Platte

We had a side wind the whole route (I-76 & I-80) but it wasn't too bad; we could still smell the feed-lots we past. (Imagen a sheep dog that got all wet with sour milk then multiply that stench by 1,000 - a pleasant flowery smell it is not.)

We stopped in Sutherland Nebraska for gas and a short break. While we were there a pickup truck pulled up to the pump; the driver jammed their gas cap into the pump handle and went inside; a minute latter the tank overflowed and pumped several gallons of gas onto the ground before someone ran over and turned the pump off.

Twenty minutes later we were in North Platte Nebraska. We found a Burger King and ate Cheese burgers and French Fries for lunch. We circled through Cody park and spent a few minutes riding around North Platte. I was hoping to find a place where we could park the bikes and get a picture of the us, the bikes and the big train yard that's in North Platte, but we couldn't find a good photo spot.

We started back to Denver at 3:30PM; by then the wind had changed direction and was stronger. Because of the wind we didn't get as good of gas mileage and had to make an extra gas stop. We arrived back in Denver at 7:45PM. Total round trip mileage was 539 miles.

I didn't shoot any video or take very many pictures. I should find an easier way of including myself in some of the pictures.