Finally is the word of the day...

Finally it is... finally I sent out the T-Shirt my Mother requested from Steamboat which I purchased 2 months ago... finally I am cleaning our bathroom... cause I know someone else who isn't going to do it...(I'm taking a breather from cleaning it because I think I almost passed out from the Tilex fumes!) and most importantly this kid IS FINALLY OUT OF CREDIT CARD DEBT!!!! I made the payment today and today was a day I have been waiting for... for well about 8 years since I got my first credit card! I have worked hard over the last 6 months to actually put every extra bit of money I had into owning every toy and piece of gear I have!

I reached the point where I knew it was time to grow up and get rid of my controllable debt if I want to make bigger purchases in life. It is probably the best feeling I have had in a long time to know that those bastards no longer have a hold of me for a monthly payment. Now with that said... I know I wouldn't have been able to purchase some things that have come in very handy over the years in my travels and outdoor activities without having an I O U out there... but MAN it feels good not to have it anymore.

I also wanted to note that either no one has read my blog lately or you think I am capable of attacking this ride known as the Breckenridge 100. I thank you for believing in me if you have read it. The registration is supposed to open this weekend and I am going to sign up right away so hopefully it will be a go and then its time to just ride as much as I can. I'm not going to train specifically for it but I am going to put in as many miles and long hours in the saddle as I am able. It has been nice outside to ride but I know it's not worth getting full on yet cause we still have more snow to come in March. But I am going to try and start getting some weekends riding up in the mountains and hopefully out in Moab and Fruita. I'll be sure to keep you all updated... well those who read this thing anyway.

Alright back to surviving the fumes... I knew when I rolled outta bed this morning clapped my hands and said damn it's gunna be a good day... it would be... HA BS! Anyway enough of that get at you all later!

Have I lost my mind?

Well boys and girls Brandon has started contemplating a new challenge for this summer. For some crazy ass reason I want to ride the Breckenridge 100. What is that might you ask? Well last summer I did the Sunrise Century here in Boulder which is a 1 day 100 mile road bike ride with over 7,000 ft of elevation gain. So this year I want to convert over to the mountain bike. The Breckenridge 100 is a 1 day 100 mile mountain bike ride that consists of 3 loops out of Breckenridge which has dirt roads, pavement, and of course killer Colorado Singletrack and over 13,000 ft of elevation gain which surpasses 12,000ft in some areas and if I complete it all I will cross the Continental Divide 3 times. Not to much air to breathe up that high. Now whether or not I will be able to complete it all within the time allowed or if I can even complete it I don't know but I am sure as hell willing to try. The next step now is to see if I can even get registered which will open on March 1st supposedly and I will be checking regularly to try and get in before they cap the registration.

Other than that things have been kinda quiet around here. I didn't go up to the mountains this weekend because there wasn't to much new snow and it was nice around here and nice to stay in town and off of the I70 traffic disaster that happens every weekend. Plus I will be going to Winter Park hopefully 2 days this weekend for free since Wells Fargo is putting on an event and we do our banking at work with them so they give us 3 days of free passes and then I go to Vail and Steamboat the following weekend with Stef and Jenny who are coming out to visit.

I was able to get out on a good bike ride today for about 2.5 hours and it was pretty rough but I enjoyed every minute of the pain and suffering. I flew out to Lyons with a 30 mph tailwind which swirled around into a cross wind every once in a while. I had my bike pretty much on it's side a couple times trying to brace against the gusts. There were some pretty dark clouds over the mountains so I decided not to do much climbing up there today and instead head back towards Boulder and ride around there. This is where the hard part of the ride set in when that 30mph wind was smack in my freakin face! It was pretty much like climbing up the canyons with how much power I was having to put into the pedals. However it was a much needed work out and I felt pretty darn good for how hard I was working. I then completed the ride with a quick jaunt up to the NCAR Center which is a short but good climb on the south end of town before heading back to the apartment. As I was climbing I wondered what the hell I was thinking doing this at the end of my ride but then I thought about how much worse the pain and suffering is going to be if I get into the Breck 100 so I pounded it out and felt good when it was over.

Alright back to the office tomorrow for a wild week. I can't believe month end is approaching already. That's all from crazy town for now! Feel free to voice your opinions on how crazy I am for wanting to do the Breckenridge 100. I'll use them for motivation when I am hallucinating on some ridiculous climb and forget why I am out there! HA!

Breckenridge

Alright sorry the post is a little later than I wanted but I kept forgetting to take the picture off my phone at work where the cord is.... tonight I realized that I am a moron and could have moved the picture two days ago because my phone has email... yeah well that happens HA. The picture was from when James (a guy from work who I go riding with on occasion most memorably our trip to Crested Butte last year) and I went up to Breckenridge on Sunday and had an awesome sunny day to ride. His wife Carly was supposed to go with us as well however she was feeling a bit under the weather that morning when she woke up.

I got up at 5:30 and made the usual fresh blueberry pancakes and a big mug of coffee. I had to be at Jameson's place in Arvada (about 25 minutes south of here) at 7am and I was right on time. James informed me Carly wasn't coming so I knew I would be able to push him a bit harder than if Carly was around which was awesome for me! When we got to Breck we were greeted to sunny skies and light wind.

We took some good warm up runs and then I coaxed James into heading up to the Imperial Lift which is the highest lift in the United States. It takes you up somewhere around 12,800 ft and with a short hike you can get above 13,000ft. Here is a pick from the top of Breckenridge looking southwest. James is sitting down in the middle recovering from the short hike up and trying to cope with the wind.



We climbed to the top a couple of times and I hucked the cornice on the top both times onto a super soft landing of good snow and made my way down to a couple of good rock drops as well. James had a blast up there as well and was totally up for the challenge which was awesome to see. We ended the day about 3 runs later leaving around 3pm. Traffic was backed up as normal on the way home but we stopped in Idaho Springs for some Pizza and a Beer at Beaujo's...mmm delicious.

After a road bike ride on Saturday and snowboarding on Sunday it was a good weekend.

Glorious Sunshine!

Today was a great day in Boulder. I woke up this morning pretty early since I didn't sleep to well as I have been fighting a cold. It hasn't really set in and I like to think I might have caught it in time so I have been able to keep it under control but last night it was making me feel super light headed and it was hard to get back to sleep. Anywho I woke up to 40 degrees with the sun shining. I made some delicious fresh blueberry pancakes and brewed some of the best coffee there is (Danger Monkey). Then sat around for a bit and went and sweep out the car and cleaned up the inside.

After I was done with the car it was about 50 degrees with a light wind. I decided it was the perfect time to get outside on the road bike and cruise for a while. I went for about an hour and half bike ride and I sure wasn't the only one! Bikers were out all over the place which is one of the many reasons I love this town. The first part of the ride was awesome. I made my way north and east out of town and then headed south. As I got toward the south end of town it was WINDY AS HELL. The wind was screaming down from the mountains and made my quads scream even louder. I can't believe all the nastiness that came outta my lungs which hopefully was a bunch of that cold that has been at me the last couple of days. The cruise back north to the apt was peaceful and very enjoyable. It was good to get out on some of the bike routes I ride.

Now it's a peaceful evening at home and up to the mountains tomorrow hopefully with James from work and his wife Carly. Should be a good time and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

IDIOT!

Tim texted me at work on Monday that there were still tickets available to the Todd Snider show at the Boulder Theater which we both wanted to see. I asked him when the show was and he said Wednesday at 8pm. I said sweet lets do it. Todd Snider is a folk/country singer who tells funny stories along with his songs... most people know him from his song Beer Run. So Wednesday night comes around and we head down to the show at 7:30. We get in the box office to pick up our tickets and then look at all the upcoming shows they have on the wall. As we are looking at the wall Tim goes man its already the 13th and I said no it's the 6th. Turns out... the freakin show is on the 13th. WE WENT TO THE THEATER A WEEK EARLY! WHAT AN IDIOT! So anyway Tim felt pretty bad and also realized he has a calc exam next Wednesday which is probably from 7-9pm and he might miss part of the show. I guess Todd Snider has an opening act so hopefully he won't miss to much.

On another note the last day for our Senior Accountant was yesterday. Let the craziness begin. I have got some interesting work to figure out to get the month closed. I'm kinda excited about it and hopefully I do good work.

Circus Ride

Tim and I woke up at 5 am yesterday to head up to Vail with a buddy of his from class and Alexis who I have spoke of before. We thought we might be beating the crowds however turns out since Vail got 9 inches and the other I-70 resorts got some snow as well that even at 6 am when we got on the rode traffic was already backed up to get there. Going down I-70 after the Eisenhower Tunnel was a complete freakin ice skating rink. If you touched the brakes you would start sliding all over the place. There was one 3 car accident and we watched a jeep almost completely lose it in front of us even though he was driving like a complete maniac and askin for it.

It was then onto Vail pass which wasn't quite as bad but still quite scary driving down. I was already thinking about how bad the drive back was going to be since the Jetta is so light on the front end and doesn't get the best of traction going up the passes.

We got up on the mountain and conditions were FANTASTIC. It took us quite a while to get back to the back bowls however once we got there it was on. Tim and I were searching out any cornice and rock drop we could find. We found several 10 foot drops and launched of of them onto the soft snow. We had a great day and headed down at about 3pm. The snow was starting to come down so we decided we had better start headin back to Boulder. On the way down the wind chill was brutal pretty much freezing our faces. We all had frodt building on our noses.

We hit the road just before 4pm and started headin up Vail pass. This is when the circus began. Traffic was backed up do to another accident and traffic was stop and go. I was trying to just keep a steady pace and distance to keep the momentum going so I didnt' have to completely stop and try to get going up the pass again. The traffic didn't allow it though. I had told everyone they might have to get out and start pushing at sometime to get us going again and it happened. Not once... not twice... but three times everyone had to get out and get the Jetta rolling again. After the third time I decided hell with all of this we are putting the cables on the tires. Tim and I nearly froze our hands putting the cables on and several people asked if we needed any help which was cool. We got the cables on and it was a 20 mph trek up Vail pass with SUVS and AWD vehicles flyin past us. We made it up stickin in the right lane with the flashers on feelin like a semi.

Anywho once we got over Vail pass it was smooth sailing. We got backed up a bit at Eisenhower Tunnel but the roads were better and it wasn't to bad. All I can say is I am glad I bought those cables or it would have been a long ride of pushing for everyone else.

On a final note it was a good day at Vail and we all enjoyed ourselves and made it home safely.