Monday, January 29th
Today is the day Catalina leaves.
It has been so fun adventuring with my partner! We shared laughs, frustrations, beautiful sights, cold nights, powder filled mountains, questionable roads, animal sightings, and way too many parking lots. I believe it is a testament to our love for each other to be able to not only to survive two weeks in a van with each other, but to be able to have such a great time doing it! We talked about how we would not want to do this trip with anyone else besides each other. I love that girl so much!
Alright, enough of that gushy emotional stuff. We got up early, packed and double checked everything, and got in the van. We stopped at HashTAG restaurant outside Denver for breakfast and headed to Denver International Airport. After some wrong turns, both inside and outside the airport, Cat got checked in and I walked her down to security. This would be goodbye for a week or so.
Well, I needed to clear my head. I headed to Eldora Mountain for a short day at the mountains. My hip was still swollen and mildly painful, but when in Rome. I wore my ridiculous snow onesie and enjoyed a pretty empty, but icy mountain. I was extra careful-no jumps, not fast- and just enjoyed the fresh air. It was an exceptionally warm day, which was a blessing since it allowed me to change out of my snow stuff outside my van!
Next stop: Castle Rock. I was planning on meeting up with my good friend from Westminster College, Logan Ray. It had been a few years since we have caught up. We met up for a couple of beers and food at Rockyard Brewing Company. Logan and I have both made some big moves and some big resets in our lives since we saw each other last. It is so nice when you can meet up with someone and instantly click up like no time has passed at all. Logan just moved to Colorado less than a month ago. We talked about mountains and the beautiful scenery out here. Logan mentioned that he wanted to learn how to snowboard or ski, but didn't have any gear. Instantly, I knew what I needed to do. I had two boards and two pairs of boots in my van. Logan is a proud owner of a snowboard and boots that are over a decade old. It was an easy decision for me: I already had a great board and boots, and rarely used the other board and boots. We said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I headed back to the lodge at Avon and called Catalina to make sure she got back to Portland safely. All is good.
Be Kind and Run Wild.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
End of #Vanlife / Lots of Beer
Friday, January 26th
In the morning we headed towards the edge of Boulder and were blessed with a fantastic view of the city from the Flat Irons. What a great way to start the day! Afterwards, we headed down to Denver! We had a great vegetarian breakfast at City O' City, just a few blocks down from my brother's old flat. We walked around the city a bit while we waited for the Public Library to open. We both had some computer things to do today, and didn't want to pay for coffee in order to use the internet. After we had enough of free wifi, we headed back out towards the mountains.
I told Catalina I wanted to head back to the mountains tomorrow to see how my hip/butt felt. It's been bothering me and I wanted to make sure everything was groovy before we had a full day on Sunday.
We stopped at Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado for great views, camp cooking, and of course to use the restroom facilities. Today's lunch was lavish. We had a packet of dehydrated "Cuban Coconut Rice and Black Beans" from Backpackers Pantry (so good!), a packet of shrimp ramen, and COFFEE! it was really nice to enjoy this last #vanlife meal with Catalina before we met up with my father and brothers tomorrow in Avon.
Next stop was Frisco! We found free overnight parking and headed to a local watering hole, Moose Jaw, for some cheap beer and reflections on our journey.
Saturday, January 27th
I woke up this morning colder than any other morning this trip, to the sound of snow plows. I started the car to get some heat and start the windshield de-condensation process. While this was happening, I found a nice snow bank to sneak behind to relieve myself of the cheap water beer consumed last night.
It was possible the lodge we were going to be staying at the next few days would allow us to check in early, so that was going to be the first stop. But first, BREAKFAST! Cat stayed sleeping in the back as I drove back through the mountain passes on the way to Christie Lodge in Avon. We stopped for a nice warm meal at Northside Kitchen just as the sun was peeking out and making the mountains glow.
Unfortunately, the room wasn't ready so we headed to Copper Mountain for a short day. I knew if I fell, I would irritate my injury again, but I wanted to see how comfortable I would be still riding down. I was fine. I would be alright tomorrow for a full day. That's a relief.
We stopped by the store on the way back to get essentials for the room while we waited for my father and brothers to arrive. As we all know, the essentials include beer, bread, chips, salsa, and guacamole.
It was so nice to get everything unloaded out of the van and into the room. It was amazing to actually see all of our belongings at once. After showers (last shower was Wednesday...), I organized while Cat did homework, and we both cracked upon a beer and relaxed.
The family came and hugs were exchanged and we headed out for dinner at a local mexican restaurant. Tomorrow was going to be a big day!
Sunday, January 28th
It was such a blessing to be able to wake up in a large, warm bed! We prepped some peanut butter sandwiches for the afternoon while cooking oatmeal for breakfast. Catalina, my brothers, and I loaded up the van and headed to Copper Mountain! We played on the backside of the mountain and ran into my buddy Alex again! It was a wonderful and uneventful day, until a had a lapse and fell straight down onto my butt, while doing nothing at all. Oh boy did that hurt! I told the squad that I was going to the bottom of the mountain for a beer. It is so frustrating to keep injuring the same area over and over again. We had a long lunch and headed back up the mountain for a few more runs.
Not a bad day!
Trying to heal up so I can Run Wild!
In the morning we headed towards the edge of Boulder and were blessed with a fantastic view of the city from the Flat Irons. What a great way to start the day! Afterwards, we headed down to Denver! We had a great vegetarian breakfast at City O' City, just a few blocks down from my brother's old flat. We walked around the city a bit while we waited for the Public Library to open. We both had some computer things to do today, and didn't want to pay for coffee in order to use the internet. After we had enough of free wifi, we headed back out towards the mountains.
I told Catalina I wanted to head back to the mountains tomorrow to see how my hip/butt felt. It's been bothering me and I wanted to make sure everything was groovy before we had a full day on Sunday.
We stopped at Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado for great views, camp cooking, and of course to use the restroom facilities. Today's lunch was lavish. We had a packet of dehydrated "Cuban Coconut Rice and Black Beans" from Backpackers Pantry (so good!), a packet of shrimp ramen, and COFFEE! it was really nice to enjoy this last #vanlife meal with Catalina before we met up with my father and brothers tomorrow in Avon.
Next stop was Frisco! We found free overnight parking and headed to a local watering hole, Moose Jaw, for some cheap beer and reflections on our journey.
Saturday, January 27th
I woke up this morning colder than any other morning this trip, to the sound of snow plows. I started the car to get some heat and start the windshield de-condensation process. While this was happening, I found a nice snow bank to sneak behind to relieve myself of the cheap water beer consumed last night.
It was possible the lodge we were going to be staying at the next few days would allow us to check in early, so that was going to be the first stop. But first, BREAKFAST! Cat stayed sleeping in the back as I drove back through the mountain passes on the way to Christie Lodge in Avon. We stopped for a nice warm meal at Northside Kitchen just as the sun was peeking out and making the mountains glow.
Unfortunately, the room wasn't ready so we headed to Copper Mountain for a short day. I knew if I fell, I would irritate my injury again, but I wanted to see how comfortable I would be still riding down. I was fine. I would be alright tomorrow for a full day. That's a relief.
We stopped by the store on the way back to get essentials for the room while we waited for my father and brothers to arrive. As we all know, the essentials include beer, bread, chips, salsa, and guacamole.
It was so nice to get everything unloaded out of the van and into the room. It was amazing to actually see all of our belongings at once. After showers (last shower was Wednesday...), I organized while Cat did homework, and we both cracked upon a beer and relaxed.
The family came and hugs were exchanged and we headed out for dinner at a local mexican restaurant. Tomorrow was going to be a big day!
Sunday, January 28th
It was such a blessing to be able to wake up in a large, warm bed! We prepped some peanut butter sandwiches for the afternoon while cooking oatmeal for breakfast. Catalina, my brothers, and I loaded up the van and headed to Copper Mountain! We played on the backside of the mountain and ran into my buddy Alex again! It was a wonderful and uneventful day, until a had a lapse and fell straight down onto my butt, while doing nothing at all. Oh boy did that hurt! I told the squad that I was going to the bottom of the mountain for a beer. It is so frustrating to keep injuring the same area over and over again. We had a long lunch and headed back up the mountain for a few more runs.
Not a bad day!
Trying to heal up so I can Run Wild!
Friday, January 26, 2018
Day 4 of Swollen Butt/ 3 inconveniences of #Vanlife
Thursday, January 25th
I woke up to a sore, swollen, and stiff butt/hip. Today was going to be another day of recovering, which meant no running or snowboarding. However, there would be lots of stretching and rubbing. After we got everything packed back into the van and said farewell to friends and modern luxuries such as heat, showers, and a real bed, we headed back onto the road. Next stop Boulder. Catalina has never been to Boulder so we parked the van in a parking garage on a slope (this would be discovered to be a poor decision when it came time for bed), and explored Pearl Street. We found a nice bar with a good happy hour and had a beer before finding a coffee shop to sit down and get some work done.
Catalina has been superhuman this trip! Whether it is feeding me food while I drive, finding great places to stop and eat, entertaining me with spanish music, laughing at me while I'm falling down a mountain of powder, or just knowing how I'm feeling. And, she is doing all this while staying on top of grad school homework. She's AWESOME!
We spent the rest of the day wandering around and just being grateful to have each other on this adventure. We climbed into the van on the sloped parking and had another night of no incidents, until I woke up with all my weight on my swollen hip, due to the slant.
This adventure has been great, but there are some major inconveniences of #vanlife that I'm listing below:
1. Waking up and having to use the restroom immediately. Not an issue in regular life--walk down the hall, turn on the light, enter restroom, take care of business, leave restroom, turn off light, go back to bed. This is what usually happens most mornings: wake up, "I really need to pee", realize the business you parked in front of is closed and no restrooms available, start the car and the defroster, move all the bags from the front seat into the back seat, wait for the car to defrost, frantically find the nearest open gas station, drive to gas station, enter restroom, take care of business, leave restroom, feel weird about not buying anything at gas station, figure out the plan for the day.
2. Lack of cleanliness. Whether it's going a few days without a shower, going a few meals without washing the camping stove pot (cinnamon flavored shrimp ramen is much better than shrimp flavored cinnamon oatmeal), or the dirty clothes bag being 3 feet from my head when I sleep. They are all reminders that I'm not living the most sanitary lifestyle and I probably smell worse than I imagine.
3. Being stuck in box. For those that don't already know, I tend to get pretty antsy and have to move around every so often. Driving hours on end during the winter doesn't help that feeling. In the summertime, taking long drives and road trips has never been a problem. I just pull over wherever and go for a run. It's not the hassle of layering up, packing nutrition, sharing my location, and hope I don't get lost or eaten by a bear.
Those are the 3 major inconveniences, but they in no way outweigh the joy and feeling of freedom of being on the road and making your own destinations.
Stay Free and Run Wild
I woke up to a sore, swollen, and stiff butt/hip. Today was going to be another day of recovering, which meant no running or snowboarding. However, there would be lots of stretching and rubbing. After we got everything packed back into the van and said farewell to friends and modern luxuries such as heat, showers, and a real bed, we headed back onto the road. Next stop Boulder. Catalina has never been to Boulder so we parked the van in a parking garage on a slope (this would be discovered to be a poor decision when it came time for bed), and explored Pearl Street. We found a nice bar with a good happy hour and had a beer before finding a coffee shop to sit down and get some work done.
Catalina has been superhuman this trip! Whether it is feeding me food while I drive, finding great places to stop and eat, entertaining me with spanish music, laughing at me while I'm falling down a mountain of powder, or just knowing how I'm feeling. And, she is doing all this while staying on top of grad school homework. She's AWESOME!
We spent the rest of the day wandering around and just being grateful to have each other on this adventure. We climbed into the van on the sloped parking and had another night of no incidents, until I woke up with all my weight on my swollen hip, due to the slant.
This adventure has been great, but there are some major inconveniences of #vanlife that I'm listing below:
1. Waking up and having to use the restroom immediately. Not an issue in regular life--walk down the hall, turn on the light, enter restroom, take care of business, leave restroom, turn off light, go back to bed. This is what usually happens most mornings: wake up, "I really need to pee", realize the business you parked in front of is closed and no restrooms available, start the car and the defroster, move all the bags from the front seat into the back seat, wait for the car to defrost, frantically find the nearest open gas station, drive to gas station, enter restroom, take care of business, leave restroom, feel weird about not buying anything at gas station, figure out the plan for the day.
2. Lack of cleanliness. Whether it's going a few days without a shower, going a few meals without washing the camping stove pot (cinnamon flavored shrimp ramen is much better than shrimp flavored cinnamon oatmeal), or the dirty clothes bag being 3 feet from my head when I sleep. They are all reminders that I'm not living the most sanitary lifestyle and I probably smell worse than I imagine.
3. Being stuck in box. For those that don't already know, I tend to get pretty antsy and have to move around every so often. Driving hours on end during the winter doesn't help that feeling. In the summertime, taking long drives and road trips has never been a problem. I just pull over wherever and go for a run. It's not the hassle of layering up, packing nutrition, sharing my location, and hope I don't get lost or eaten by a bear.
Those are the 3 major inconveniences, but they in no way outweigh the joy and feeling of freedom of being on the road and making your own destinations.
Stay Free and Run Wild
Thursday, January 25, 2018
A Baby Hiccup / Humpday
Tuesday January 23
Let's recover and not make the injury worse.
Woke up at the Travel Transit Center in Steamboat Springs next to a couple different vans and RVs that also illegally "camped" overnight. I am still finding it difficult to wake up to a bright outside world after sleeping in complete darkness. I was going to take the day off, due to the swelling in my hip/butt. However, my partner in adventure shouldn't have to be affected. I dropped Catalina off at the base of Steamboat, told her to have a great time, and headed down to take care of some cleaning and organizing that was long overdue. I knew we would have a washer and dryer at our disposal along with a dishwasher tonight and wanted to take advantage of all these amenities in the most practical fashion. I also wanted to make another duplicate of my keys, just in case. Catalina had a short day on the mountain and I had a productive day making phone calls to family and sorting out the van. After a day on the mountains, I knew Cat would need some revitalization. We went to a small local mexican restaurant, "Taco Cabo", in Steamboat Springs and sampled some beers at Storm Peak Brewery. We then picked up some beer and pizzas from Papa Murphy's when Alex and his friend crew met us that night at our airbnb right off the mountain.
It was so nice to have a bedroom, shower, fireplace, and all the space to lay around and walk! It is the small things that make the experience. It was a great night full of smiles, laughs, and beer.
Stay Fun and Run Wild!
Wednesday January 24th
How nice to wake up and not have to worry about ice crystals inside the van! Did I mention free underground parking? Yeah. I got the van a carwash and parked it in the free underground garage at "The Village at Steamboat Springs." I was trying my best to treat the new van as well as I possibly could. This guy has taken me 4,000 miles with no problems. I am thankful.
First thing I did when I woke up was to try and see how bad my hip was by running on the treadmill. I could not even maintain a 10 minute pace without the pain becoming too much. Just the bouncing motion was rough and had to slow down to about a 12 minute pace. I found the pain manageable, but too much for me to do more than a mile and a bit. Oh well. I was going to try to get back on the mountain today. I could tell I was sore and things were tight, but manageable. That was until my loving girlfriend got a bit overzealous in wanting to "dust me." Alex, Bradley, and I were all on snowboards and due to a limitation of going uphill, we cut through a few runs to get to our destination. The girls, Cat and Heather, on skis managed the uphill just fine. We were sitting at the aptly named "Rendezvous" Lodge waiting for them as they kindly waited for us. It was at this point I saw Catalina flying down the mountain at an impressive speed. She was headed right towards us. "She's going to try and dust me", I meagerly said to Alex and Bradley. I popped up on my board and tried to avoid the powder cloud. Unfortunately, I ended up right in Catalina's path and her brazen speed was too much for us to handle. She crashed right into me and I ended up landing on the swollen part of my body. Well that hurt.
I was done. My mission for the rest of the day was to get down to the base, numb the pain, and sleep it off. Not the most ideal start to being told you are running 100 miles in July!!!
The rest of the day I accomplished those goals. The rest of the group finished the mountain for the day and headed off to Strawberry Hot Springs. I heard it was beautiful, but I was content laying in bed and not moving.
Know Your Body and Run Wild!
Let's recover and not make the injury worse.
Woke up at the Travel Transit Center in Steamboat Springs next to a couple different vans and RVs that also illegally "camped" overnight. I am still finding it difficult to wake up to a bright outside world after sleeping in complete darkness. I was going to take the day off, due to the swelling in my hip/butt. However, my partner in adventure shouldn't have to be affected. I dropped Catalina off at the base of Steamboat, told her to have a great time, and headed down to take care of some cleaning and organizing that was long overdue. I knew we would have a washer and dryer at our disposal along with a dishwasher tonight and wanted to take advantage of all these amenities in the most practical fashion. I also wanted to make another duplicate of my keys, just in case. Catalina had a short day on the mountain and I had a productive day making phone calls to family and sorting out the van. After a day on the mountains, I knew Cat would need some revitalization. We went to a small local mexican restaurant, "Taco Cabo", in Steamboat Springs and sampled some beers at Storm Peak Brewery. We then picked up some beer and pizzas from Papa Murphy's when Alex and his friend crew met us that night at our airbnb right off the mountain.
It was so nice to have a bedroom, shower, fireplace, and all the space to lay around and walk! It is the small things that make the experience. It was a great night full of smiles, laughs, and beer.
Stay Fun and Run Wild!
Wednesday January 24th
How nice to wake up and not have to worry about ice crystals inside the van! Did I mention free underground parking? Yeah. I got the van a carwash and parked it in the free underground garage at "The Village at Steamboat Springs." I was trying my best to treat the new van as well as I possibly could. This guy has taken me 4,000 miles with no problems. I am thankful.
First thing I did when I woke up was to try and see how bad my hip was by running on the treadmill. I could not even maintain a 10 minute pace without the pain becoming too much. Just the bouncing motion was rough and had to slow down to about a 12 minute pace. I found the pain manageable, but too much for me to do more than a mile and a bit. Oh well. I was going to try to get back on the mountain today. I could tell I was sore and things were tight, but manageable. That was until my loving girlfriend got a bit overzealous in wanting to "dust me." Alex, Bradley, and I were all on snowboards and due to a limitation of going uphill, we cut through a few runs to get to our destination. The girls, Cat and Heather, on skis managed the uphill just fine. We were sitting at the aptly named "Rendezvous" Lodge waiting for them as they kindly waited for us. It was at this point I saw Catalina flying down the mountain at an impressive speed. She was headed right towards us. "She's going to try and dust me", I meagerly said to Alex and Bradley. I popped up on my board and tried to avoid the powder cloud. Unfortunately, I ended up right in Catalina's path and her brazen speed was too much for us to handle. She crashed right into me and I ended up landing on the swollen part of my body. Well that hurt.
I was done. My mission for the rest of the day was to get down to the base, numb the pain, and sleep it off. Not the most ideal start to being told you are running 100 miles in July!!!
The rest of the day I accomplished those goals. The rest of the group finished the mountain for the day and headed off to Strawberry Hot Springs. I heard it was beautiful, but I was content laying in bed and not moving.
Know Your Body and Run Wild!
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sometimes You Win, Sometimes the Tree Wins
Monday, January 22nd
Well after the generator fiasco, we woke up a bit chilly and in no mood to stove cook in the freezing snow. So, we decided to treat ourselves with a breakfast burrito and coffee at the Whole Foods half a mile away. It was nice sitting down to a warm meal in a warm building. Most of our time has been spent either driving the van, sleeping in the van, or on cold snow mountains. This was a nice change of pace. After the burritos were scarfed down, we headed to the base of Copper Mountain, just a short 15 minute drive away!
The process of getting dressed in the van for snowboarding has started to become an art form. However, living in the van for the past few weeks has reassured me that the world does in fact tend towards entropy. "Where are my goggles?" "Do you have any clean socks?" "Have you seen my keys?" These are a few of the things uttered by me to my travel partner this trip and I'm sure there will be more questions like this asked as our adventure continues.
Today was going to be a great day! Fresh powder, not too cold, not too sore. We get off the first lift and I see a little kicker at the top that I know I have to jump off. I do. "Yeah, today is going to be perfect!" This was the case for the next few runs...and then I got cocky.
I'm flying down the mountain and see a tree run that is calling my name. As soon as I duck into the trees I realize I am going far too fast. I couldn't turn fast enough and see a small tree that I'm about to have an informal meeting with. BANG! I make direct contact with it, hip and forearm first. I'm knocked down with my breath knocked out of me.
Shit! I can't catch my breathe. My forearm and hip hurt so much! I sit in the trees for a second and look around. I took out the tree! It was laying in the middle of the trail right behind me.
The following is my thought process during the next few minutes:
"Alright, I can breathe again. Great. My forearm hurts so bad. Is it broken? No, great! My hip/butt though? No? Great! My ribs alright? Cool. Am I really going to have ski patrol take me down? Let's strap back in and see if I can ride. Catalina is trying to find me, I should probably yell at her that I'm fine and that I just need a minute. I really need to get down this mountain before the adrenaline wears off. Yepp, starting to get a bit shaky. This could have ended horribly if my forearm wasn't protecting my ribs. Good thing I bought the extra insurance for Vermont 100. Yeah, I can ride down. This could've ended poorly. I'll be alright. I'm done for the day. Let's be thankful."
After making it down the mountain, I walked down to the van, assessed the damage again (just gnarly scratches and swelling), grabbed my computer to blog, and headed to the bar for $2 PBRs.
Today was not perfect, but I wasn't going to let one bad thing ruin the day. We stopped at Breckenridge brewery for a beer and ended up catching the end of the Djokovic/Chung tennis match then headed to Steamboat Springs for some happy hour Mexican food at Salt & Lime and bowling at Snow Bowl.
Catalina beat me every single game.
Be Careful and Run Wild (but not too wild)
Well after the generator fiasco, we woke up a bit chilly and in no mood to stove cook in the freezing snow. So, we decided to treat ourselves with a breakfast burrito and coffee at the Whole Foods half a mile away. It was nice sitting down to a warm meal in a warm building. Most of our time has been spent either driving the van, sleeping in the van, or on cold snow mountains. This was a nice change of pace. After the burritos were scarfed down, we headed to the base of Copper Mountain, just a short 15 minute drive away!
The process of getting dressed in the van for snowboarding has started to become an art form. However, living in the van for the past few weeks has reassured me that the world does in fact tend towards entropy. "Where are my goggles?" "Do you have any clean socks?" "Have you seen my keys?" These are a few of the things uttered by me to my travel partner this trip and I'm sure there will be more questions like this asked as our adventure continues.
Today was going to be a great day! Fresh powder, not too cold, not too sore. We get off the first lift and I see a little kicker at the top that I know I have to jump off. I do. "Yeah, today is going to be perfect!" This was the case for the next few runs...and then I got cocky.
I'm flying down the mountain and see a tree run that is calling my name. As soon as I duck into the trees I realize I am going far too fast. I couldn't turn fast enough and see a small tree that I'm about to have an informal meeting with. BANG! I make direct contact with it, hip and forearm first. I'm knocked down with my breath knocked out of me.
Shit! I can't catch my breathe. My forearm and hip hurt so much! I sit in the trees for a second and look around. I took out the tree! It was laying in the middle of the trail right behind me.
The following is my thought process during the next few minutes:
"Alright, I can breathe again. Great. My forearm hurts so bad. Is it broken? No, great! My hip/butt though? No? Great! My ribs alright? Cool. Am I really going to have ski patrol take me down? Let's strap back in and see if I can ride. Catalina is trying to find me, I should probably yell at her that I'm fine and that I just need a minute. I really need to get down this mountain before the adrenaline wears off. Yepp, starting to get a bit shaky. This could have ended horribly if my forearm wasn't protecting my ribs. Good thing I bought the extra insurance for Vermont 100. Yeah, I can ride down. This could've ended poorly. I'll be alright. I'm done for the day. Let's be thankful."
After making it down the mountain, I walked down to the van, assessed the damage again (just gnarly scratches and swelling), grabbed my computer to blog, and headed to the bar for $2 PBRs.
Today was not perfect, but I wasn't going to let one bad thing ruin the day. We stopped at Breckenridge brewery for a beer and ended up catching the end of the Djokovic/Chung tennis match then headed to Steamboat Springs for some happy hour Mexican food at Salt & Lime and bowling at Snow Bowl.
Catalina beat me every single game.
Be Careful and Run Wild (but not too wild)
Monday, January 22, 2018
Fresh Powder, Mexican Food, and One Cold Night
Saturday, January 20th
Waking up in an empty underground parking garage at 5:30am was a bizarre feeling. We decided to splurge and head to IHOP for all you can eat pancakes for $4.99 (this has been a blessing, thanks IHOP!). After witnessing some interesting interactions and eating my weight in pancakes (Cat only had 2.5, weak!), we headed up to Brighton to for some fresh powder from the storm that started the night before and was still continuing. We parked in a park and ride lot at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon around 8am. We thought that would be the smart decision and it ended up paying off. Less than 5 dollars a piece to have someone else drive us up a snowy mountain seemed like a no brainer. Due to traffic, since it was a weekend and the first storm of the year for Salt Lake, it took us almost 2 hours on the bus to reach Brighton. I grabbed my subpar board that I left at the repair shop a few days ago and we were ready to rock and roll and enjoy a wonderful powder day!
After our legs were toast, we headed to our next stop: Grand Junction, Colorado!
I have been in touch with my buddy Tony the last few months about meeting up somewhere on our travels. A little background on Tony; during my first trail ultra, Orcas Island 50k last year, he ended up by my side at a section called powerline. This was the hardest section of the course for me (and many others). It is a 2.5 mile climb at a 16 percent grade. My heart rate was way too high and I was entering a dark spot in my head, even contemplating quitting, when he showed up. He graciously decided to hike the section with me and was the moral boost I needed. After summiting Mount Constitution, we ran the downhills for a bit, saw some wildlife, and he took off to finish a few minutes in front of me. If it wasn't for him I don't know if I would still be pursuing the running thing.
Alright, enough background. We ended up meeting at a small authentic mexican restaurant and caught up with life, work, and running. Also, got to see his doggos! After some good hugs, we parted ways. He was headed back home to LA, and Cat and I and some more mountains to explore. But first, I needed to get a run and a shower. So we went to Planet Fitness, did the things, and got back on the road reenergized.
We made it to Gunnison, right outside Crested Butte, around 2:30am and set up for van sleeping at the visitor center in town. It was snowing, but we were at our destination. Tomorrow was going to be a great day!
Sunday, January 21st
Another night of sleep without being harassed, winning!
We woke up after only 5 hours of sleep and headed to the base of the mountain. We parked at the day parking lot, made some oatmeal, and took a wonderful 2 hour nap!
We were so refreshed after waking up and ready to take on another powder day! It was another beautiful day without incident...until I got a little too airborne on a tree run and got stuck on a branch. This tricky little nub coming off a tree got stuck between my boot and my binding. I was literally stuck upside down!!! It was a bit scary for about 20 seconds, until I realized I could use my arms to push up the rest of my body and get unstuck. It then became super comical as I caught up to Cat and told her of my woes. No more than 3 minutes later, we got stuck in powder past our knees. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The other highlight of the day was Catalina becoming much more confident jumping around on small hills. She is a jumpin' fool!
Once again, our legs were jell-o and we headed to our next stop: Copper Mountain!
But first, I had something important to take care of: Vermont 100 registration! Luckily, I registered and got accepted within minutes of registration opening. I was going to do the damn thing in July!
The drive was, for lack of a better word, crappy. We got stuck in a storm and had to go through three different mountain passes through the night, but we made it! Seriously, so thankful for snow tires. No slipping, no scares, just slow speeds.
We made it to the parking lot in Frisco, CO and shamelessly used their restroom and made shrimp ramen in the parking lot. It looked like tomorrow was going to be another wonderful powder day! We couldn't ask for much more! Except for a charged generator. CRAP! I made the mistake of not charging it enough earlier that day and now we were going to suffer because of it. No power=no electric blanket!
Cat and I both cocooned up in our individual negative degree rating sleeping bags and made it through the night. I woke up around 4am and checked the real feel temperature on my watch. IT WAS NEGATIVE 10 DEGREES! Hopefully, this will be the coldest we will have to deal with. I will not forget to charge the generator ever again!
Stay Warm and Run Wild!
Waking up in an empty underground parking garage at 5:30am was a bizarre feeling. We decided to splurge and head to IHOP for all you can eat pancakes for $4.99 (this has been a blessing, thanks IHOP!). After witnessing some interesting interactions and eating my weight in pancakes (Cat only had 2.5, weak!), we headed up to Brighton to for some fresh powder from the storm that started the night before and was still continuing. We parked in a park and ride lot at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon around 8am. We thought that would be the smart decision and it ended up paying off. Less than 5 dollars a piece to have someone else drive us up a snowy mountain seemed like a no brainer. Due to traffic, since it was a weekend and the first storm of the year for Salt Lake, it took us almost 2 hours on the bus to reach Brighton. I grabbed my subpar board that I left at the repair shop a few days ago and we were ready to rock and roll and enjoy a wonderful powder day!
After our legs were toast, we headed to our next stop: Grand Junction, Colorado!
I have been in touch with my buddy Tony the last few months about meeting up somewhere on our travels. A little background on Tony; during my first trail ultra, Orcas Island 50k last year, he ended up by my side at a section called powerline. This was the hardest section of the course for me (and many others). It is a 2.5 mile climb at a 16 percent grade. My heart rate was way too high and I was entering a dark spot in my head, even contemplating quitting, when he showed up. He graciously decided to hike the section with me and was the moral boost I needed. After summiting Mount Constitution, we ran the downhills for a bit, saw some wildlife, and he took off to finish a few minutes in front of me. If it wasn't for him I don't know if I would still be pursuing the running thing.
Alright, enough background. We ended up meeting at a small authentic mexican restaurant and caught up with life, work, and running. Also, got to see his doggos! After some good hugs, we parted ways. He was headed back home to LA, and Cat and I and some more mountains to explore. But first, I needed to get a run and a shower. So we went to Planet Fitness, did the things, and got back on the road reenergized.
We made it to Gunnison, right outside Crested Butte, around 2:30am and set up for van sleeping at the visitor center in town. It was snowing, but we were at our destination. Tomorrow was going to be a great day!
Sunday, January 21st
Another night of sleep without being harassed, winning!
We woke up after only 5 hours of sleep and headed to the base of the mountain. We parked at the day parking lot, made some oatmeal, and took a wonderful 2 hour nap!
We were so refreshed after waking up and ready to take on another powder day! It was another beautiful day without incident...until I got a little too airborne on a tree run and got stuck on a branch. This tricky little nub coming off a tree got stuck between my boot and my binding. I was literally stuck upside down!!! It was a bit scary for about 20 seconds, until I realized I could use my arms to push up the rest of my body and get unstuck. It then became super comical as I caught up to Cat and told her of my woes. No more than 3 minutes later, we got stuck in powder past our knees. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The other highlight of the day was Catalina becoming much more confident jumping around on small hills. She is a jumpin' fool!
Once again, our legs were jell-o and we headed to our next stop: Copper Mountain!
But first, I had something important to take care of: Vermont 100 registration! Luckily, I registered and got accepted within minutes of registration opening. I was going to do the damn thing in July!
The drive was, for lack of a better word, crappy. We got stuck in a storm and had to go through three different mountain passes through the night, but we made it! Seriously, so thankful for snow tires. No slipping, no scares, just slow speeds.
We made it to the parking lot in Frisco, CO and shamelessly used their restroom and made shrimp ramen in the parking lot. It looked like tomorrow was going to be another wonderful powder day! We couldn't ask for much more! Except for a charged generator. CRAP! I made the mistake of not charging it enough earlier that day and now we were going to suffer because of it. No power=no electric blanket!
Cat and I both cocooned up in our individual negative degree rating sleeping bags and made it through the night. I woke up around 4am and checked the real feel temperature on my watch. IT WAS NEGATIVE 10 DEGREES! Hopefully, this will be the coldest we will have to deal with. I will not forget to charge the generator ever again!
Stay Warm and Run Wild!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Montana, Beers, and Questionable Ethics
Wednesday January 17th
Cat arrived(!) and we drove straight to Big Sky, Montana minus a quick 90 minute nap in some hotel parking lot in some town somewhere. However, we did make it to Big Sky only 17 minutes after the lifts started! We had a great day of the best skiing at North America's largest ski resort! After we finished up, we headed to the REI in Bozeman so Cat could get a new pair of snow goggles and some toe warmers! We then headed to my friend Hope's house to see our room for the next couple of days. We are so thankful to have great, welcoming friends in our lives that provide for us!!! We met her parents (so lovely), and headed to Bridger Brewery for some beer and pizza and conversation and headed back for some much needed sleep after such a long day.
Thursday January 18th
After some toast, eggs, and coffee (Thanks Marie!), the three of us (Cat, Hope, and myself) loaded into the van for a full day at Big Sky! We are so lucky that Hope was able to show us the best spots and the best powder! Highlights included having moonlight basin basically to ourselves, Cat getting in her first real jump, zipping through the glades, and me crashing right into a wall of powder! I seriously cannot recommend Big Sky enough! Such a big mountain with such a varied amount of terrain for all levels!
After riding first chair to last chair and our legs feeling like jelly, we went back to Hope's to change real quick and her father joined us for some beers at MAP brewery and some great conversation. We then headed to Bozeman Hot Springs for some relaxation. There are a few different outdoor pools with different temperatures, live music, and extra hot pools, freezing pool, and saunas inside. Boy did my body feel good after!
Friday January 19th
We had a tough decision to make in the morning. It had snowed more than 8 inches up in the mountains around Bozeman, but there was a storm system coming into Salt Lake City by 5pm that day. So, if we wanted to make it to Salt Lake that day we would have to pass on the fresh powder. We decided safety first. We said our gracious goodbyes to our kind hosts and headed out back on the road.
Yellowstone was under a snowstorm and we ended up in the middle of it. It took us about 90 minutes to go our first 35 miles after passing Big Sky. Thank goodness for studded snow tires! After that it was clear sailing and uneventful. We made it to the planet fitness in Taylorsville, Utah and proceeded to cook some shrimp ramen in the parking lot. Yes, I am shameless. Afterwards, I got on the dreadmill for an hour while Cat did some grad school work. Next order of business was to figure out where to sleep that night while it stormed! In our experience, the best solutions to pressing problems are solved with a beer. We headed down Bayou Bar after unsuccessfully trying to get a seat at the tapless taproom at Epic Brewing. The beer did the trick and we found where we would be stealth sleeping for the night. Without being too specific, we parked in a very large underground parking garage in SLC.
Luckily, the night was uneventful and we were well rested for the next day's adventures!
Be Thankful and Run Wild!
Cat arrived(!) and we drove straight to Big Sky, Montana minus a quick 90 minute nap in some hotel parking lot in some town somewhere. However, we did make it to Big Sky only 17 minutes after the lifts started! We had a great day of the best skiing at North America's largest ski resort! After we finished up, we headed to the REI in Bozeman so Cat could get a new pair of snow goggles and some toe warmers! We then headed to my friend Hope's house to see our room for the next couple of days. We are so thankful to have great, welcoming friends in our lives that provide for us!!! We met her parents (so lovely), and headed to Bridger Brewery for some beer and pizza and conversation and headed back for some much needed sleep after such a long day.
Thursday January 18th
After some toast, eggs, and coffee (Thanks Marie!), the three of us (Cat, Hope, and myself) loaded into the van for a full day at Big Sky! We are so lucky that Hope was able to show us the best spots and the best powder! Highlights included having moonlight basin basically to ourselves, Cat getting in her first real jump, zipping through the glades, and me crashing right into a wall of powder! I seriously cannot recommend Big Sky enough! Such a big mountain with such a varied amount of terrain for all levels!
After riding first chair to last chair and our legs feeling like jelly, we went back to Hope's to change real quick and her father joined us for some beers at MAP brewery and some great conversation. We then headed to Bozeman Hot Springs for some relaxation. There are a few different outdoor pools with different temperatures, live music, and extra hot pools, freezing pool, and saunas inside. Boy did my body feel good after!
Friday January 19th
We had a tough decision to make in the morning. It had snowed more than 8 inches up in the mountains around Bozeman, but there was a storm system coming into Salt Lake City by 5pm that day. So, if we wanted to make it to Salt Lake that day we would have to pass on the fresh powder. We decided safety first. We said our gracious goodbyes to our kind hosts and headed out back on the road.
Yellowstone was under a snowstorm and we ended up in the middle of it. It took us about 90 minutes to go our first 35 miles after passing Big Sky. Thank goodness for studded snow tires! After that it was clear sailing and uneventful. We made it to the planet fitness in Taylorsville, Utah and proceeded to cook some shrimp ramen in the parking lot. Yes, I am shameless. Afterwards, I got on the dreadmill for an hour while Cat did some grad school work. Next order of business was to figure out where to sleep that night while it stormed! In our experience, the best solutions to pressing problems are solved with a beer. We headed down Bayou Bar after unsuccessfully trying to get a seat at the tapless taproom at Epic Brewing. The beer did the trick and we found where we would be stealth sleeping for the night. Without being too specific, we parked in a very large underground parking garage in SLC.
Luckily, the night was uneventful and we were well rested for the next day's adventures!
Be Thankful and Run Wild!
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