ms. JODY STACK

Beaver Brooke Just Before The Storm

2011-05-18T18:23:00.000-06:00

Relishing some mountain air between the thunderstorms... and then the heavens opened with lightning and hail just after Tobs and I made it back to the trailhead. Yikes!

Brian Knows the Key to My Heart!

2011-05-18T18:15:00.000-06:00

Brian Turns Thirty

2011-05-18T18:14:00.000-06:00

Our friends Bryn and James. Bryn made us a top notch brunch to kick off celebrating Brian's birthday!

Spring Break 2011 - Santa Fe, NM

2011-04-04T22:04:00.001-06:00

Mom, Dad, Brian and I road tripped to Santa Fe, NM for Spring Break this year and camped out at the Santa Fe KOA Kampground. This campground is the same one that Brian and I stayed at for a friend's wedding a few years back, so it was fun to experience a repeat visit but with new adventures.

Passing by Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs

Bishop's Castle - Southwest of Pueblo, CO. The first scheduled stop of the vacation, and totally worth visiting! Walking through a hand built castle is pretty darn cool!

This bug sculpture was one of my favorite features of the castle. So unique!

He was a little over the top with government propaganda.

The main great room was absolutely beautiful with all the windows, stained glass, wrought iron, wood paneling, and masonry. 100% hand crafted! Incredible. I love this poem below, random, but beautiful.

Every home should have a moat and a fire breathing dragon, right?

Camel Rock, go figure.

Yes, I'm knitting...problem??

Checking out the scenic overlook on our way to Los Alamos.

The Long House Cliff Dwelling

Watching guys molding/blowing glass into sculptures at the Jackalope Mart

Downtown Santa Fe

Our last night in Santa Fe, we made yummy salads with s'mores for dessert! I love fires and s'mores!

The Kickers in March

2011-04-04T14:38:00.000-06:00

Brian is playing outdoor soccer for a men's semi-pro team called the Kickers. He splits his time playing keeper with a friend James, who also plays on a couple other soccer teams with us.

Winter Hiking with Jen

2011-04-04T14:34:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe it was so warm in January. But, I'm not complaining, cause last year Brian and I were drowning under 4 feet of snow in Leadville! Jen and I enjoyed hiking in the White Ranch Park just north of Golden.

Pretty Flowers from the Hubby!

2011-04-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

Steamboat Springs Family Visit

2011-04-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

December 11, Brian and I drove up to Steamboat Springs to visit his sister Alicia and her family. That first night we joined Alicia and Ted for their work Christmas Party hosted at one of the restaurants slopeside. We had the pleasure of enjoying Steamboat's nightscape via a gondola ride to and from the party. It was a great time, and enjoyed meeting some of their work colleagues! The following morning, we all set out with a very excited Maggie and Quinn to hunt down the family's Christmas Tree.

The kids also got to have their own "room tree", but the deal was they had to carry it back to the truck, thus keeping the size manageable. Smart parents!

Uncle Brian, Quinn, Alicia, and Ted sawing down the family tree! Meanwhile Mags was enjoying watching from her little perch in the snow.

Thanksgiving with a side of Turkey Trotting

2011-04-04T14:06:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving 2010, Mom, Dad, and Jamie joined us for Thanksgiving Dinner at our place in Golden. That morning we all, plus Jen and Jacob, participated in Broomfield's Turkey Trot. Brian and I ran the 10k, and everyone else walked the 5K. Thankfully it was a sunny day, brisk, but perfect running weather. I'm so proud of everyone for participating!!

Brian and I made a squash apple soup for the main dish, along with turkey, broccoli, and fresh baked bread. Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't be complete without pumpkin pie, so fret not Brian made some of those too!! We had a wonderful time, and even enjoyed watching a little football.

7th Wedding Anniversary Weekend 10.25.2010

2011-04-04T13:45:00.001-06:00

Celebrating an October anniversary in the mountains is so awesome! We found a great price on a cabin right on the creek just outside of Estes Park, CO. Some of the amenities included a private hot tub, indoor jacuzzi tub, fireplace, kitchen, and cable tv. It was SOOOOO nice!! The drive between Golden and Estes during this time of year was stunning!

Looking toward Rocky Mountain National Park, just west of Estes Park. Everyone needs to visit this park at least once in their adult life. Absolutely incredible!

The jacuzzi tub and fireplace, odd proximity, but very relaxing!

This celebrates 7 years of marriage, and 13 years as a couple!!

Our first morning we woke up to a bizarre scratching and clucking noise, and then Brian realized it was a group of turkeys. So, we hopped out of bed an quietly crept into the hot tub and watched about 20 something turkeys scavenging for their breakfast. So cool! Check out the video below, sorry about the shakiness.

Two more turkeys appeared right near us. Brian considered jumping out and tackling them since he didn't have much luck in the last Turkey hunting season :0

We brought our mountain bikes with us so we could ride in and check out downtown Estes.

Good times were had!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-04-04T13:16:00.000-06:00

October Snow

2011-04-04T13:12:00.000-06:00

Mt. Princeton in October. Another breathtaking image of where we called home for many years.

King Tut Exhibit - Denver Art Museum Date

2011-04-04T13:05:00.001-06:00

For extra credit for one of Brian's Humanities classes, we attended the

Tutankhamun: The Golden King & the Great Pharaohs

art exhibition at the Denver Art Museum. Afterwords we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Wynkoop Brewing Company in downtown where we watched the sunset over the foothills! Esta Fabuloso!!

Drake/ Walter Wedding at Brooks Lake Lodge in Wyoming

2011-04-04T12:56:00.002-06:00

Jamie was invited to Sarah Drake's Wedding August of 2010. She invited Brian and I to go with her and have a fun weekend of camping, dancing, eating, and laughing at the Brooks Lake Lodge in Wyoming. A couple highlights of the trip included: ridiculously high winds while driving, Jamie "breaking" the shifter in the Durango, hoping to not be eaten by bears while camping, filling up on botched-up Jelly Beans during the wedding, horseback riding, and seeing wonderful old friends!!

Our view from the campground near Brooks Lake Lodge

The morning of the wedding Jamie, Brian and I got to go on a private guided horseback ride through the surrounding National Forests. This wrangler was trying to chill me out, after I just told him I was still a little nervous around horses. He did a good job making me laugh!

Jamie, ready to go like it was nothing!

A breathtaking ride, and all we had to hope for was that we wouldn't encounter any bears along the way. Our wrangler explained that some of the guides carried guns and some like herself carried bear spray. Hmmm... that's something I think I would have preferred to maybe not know about.

An overview of the Lodge. A pretty sweet place for a wedding!

Ceremony overlooking the lake. I loved the bails of hay and hanging wildflowers! Very classy western.

Jim Walter, the groom. Sarah and Jim met in STL, he was friends with Sarah's brother Brent. They live in Jackson and yes he participates in the rodeo, team roping I think.

Sarah and her brother Brent. Their sister Susanna wasn't able to attend because of her soon to be birth of her son, Drake.

Sarah and Jamie, childhood best friends!

We all enjoyed some dancing and taking goofy pictures for their guest book.

Instead of wedding cake, Sarah and Jim sliced into a yummy home baked pie.

Jamie couldn't remember visiting the Teton Mtns, so we took the long way back to Denver, via Jackson Hole, WY. This is a rather spotty panorama of the Tetons from the east side. It was such a cool sight, especially having the horses in the foreground! We ate lunch in Jackson and headed home.

Leadville Trail 100 Race - Brian in 2010 - 10h.50m.54s

2011-04-04T11:00:00.001-06:00

The Leadville Trail 100 - A 100 mile mountain bike race at 10,200 feet above sea level. As soon as Brian received his acceptance he trained his butt off running and lifting all summer. You may have noticed I didn't say "running, lifting, and biking", well that's because we didn't actually get Brian's mountain bike until about 3 weeks before the race. Brian purchased a 29er LENZ from a friend of a friend who happens to live in Salt Lake City, UT. So...we took a little road trip, stayed with Brian's brother Jeff in Park City, and the following day picked up his bike and drove back home to BV.

Here's a little description of the race for those unfamiliar.

excerpt from leadvilletrail100.com:

It’s an uphill battle. Even downhill

Determination. Guts. Insanity. If you don’t have them, stop reading now. Leadville events aren’t for everyone. They’re for only the toughest athletes looking to challenge themselves — and impress the world. Set 13,000 feet up in the treacherous Colorado Rocky terrain, the strong may survive, but only a few will leave with their pride.

Race Description

This is it. The race of all races. 100 miles across the high-altitude, extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. Created for only the most determined athletes. Starting at 9,000 feet and climbing to 13,000 feet, you’ll be challenged to catch your breath — while the views try to take it away.

Making his place at the starting line, getting ready for 100 miles of mountain adventures and competitor uncertainty.

The group of 1600 plus people heading down 6th St, just passed our old rental house. Our buddy Zak was still living there, so he let us hang out on his front porch.

We set up camp at the Pipeline Aid Station, which was about 25 miles in to the course. This was a perfect location to watch the variety of riders roll on by after their first 25 miles, and then again see them hammering by after 75 miles! I have so much admiration for them!

Waiting for Brian to make his first pass by through Pipeline. Mom and Dad spent the day with me, cheering Brian and the other participants on. It was SO great to have them there with me! My friend Rachel was only a few tents down with the CTS crowd, so we too got to catch up, and discuss Lance and Levi.

Switching out water bottles and adding new GUs to his food supply. He felt like he was on par with his goals! Dad was ready with a banana and water, while Mom was capturing the moments with our camera. Thank you!!

Taking in some chia water to help reduce the lactic acid build up while he's hammering through miles and miles of rocky trails.

And he's off, we'll see him again after 50 more miles!! He's such a stud!

Levi Leiphemer cruising by, the leader of the pack, one of Lance Armstrong's teammates for those of you who don't know. Levi just rode the Tour de France previous to this race, although it's totally different road surface, endurance-wise he was rather prepared. Lance was supposed to ride this year also, but apparently one of his injuries prevented him.

Brian made it back through Pipeline a little behind the time he was hoping for. But, he had a flat tire along the way and needed to stop and take in a little more food around the Columbine climb. He was doing great though, smiling like a champ!

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!

Brian finished in 10 hours, 50 minutes, and 54 seconds. I'm not sure where my photos of him finishing went to, but he rode up the hill to Harrison with strength, humility, and excitement!

The following morning we picked up his personalized LT100 sweat shirt with name and time stamped on, as well as a t-shirt, tubes, tires, and other goodies.

Oh, this is Ryan (the one in the back right with glasses, hat, and white t-shirt), he's one of the former Bachelor competitors who lives in Vail. My friend Rachel was kind of obsessed, so this photo was for her.

We're eagerly waiting for Brian's name to be called from the stage by Ken, the coordinator and creator of the LT100 events. If you finish under 12 hours, you receive a novelty LT100 belt buckle. Receiving one of these was Brian's ultimate goal...which he did with time to spare!!

Yessir! There it is, the prized gold and silver belt buckle! Congratulations Brian!! I can't even imagine how to portray Brian's experience, so ask him about it, and prepare to be amazed! I'd say his expression is a good indicator!

Mom and Dad purchased the Race Across the Sky video of the 2010 LT100 race, so let us know if you want to borrow it. You'll be totally floored at how awesome and challenging this event is.

Mt. Columbia - August 2010

2011-03-04T13:33:00.002-07:00

Mt. Columbia is ranked as the 35th highest peak in Colorado, also part of the Collegiate Peaks group in the Sawatch Range at 14,073'. This was our LAST fourteener in the immediate area, and thankfully we were house-sitting for friends directly below Columbia, allowing for quick access. Instead of hiking the peak, the standard route via the North Cottonwood Trail, we opted to try the 3 Elk Trail located less than 10 minutes from our doorstep.

In the car for our early morning start, some of us looking a little more tired than others!

We ended up doing quite a bit of bushwacking when we left the 3 Elk Trail, but as a result discovered some pristine areas. This was an abnormal summer for us, we only hiked two fourteeners, but we're psyched to have done those!

Truckin a long... this route was really exposed for several miles, as we saw a storm stewing we opted for a short cut on the way down... yikes!

awe! So awesome! truly!

We were pumped, another one donzo!

Toby, happy and wiggly as always!

This is the view of the Horn Fork Basin, you can see Bear Lake just off center looking toward Birthday Peak (center), Mt. Harvard (far right), and Mt. Yale (far left). We've hiked up that basin on Search & Rescue calls a bizillion times, but love it every time!

Looking east back to Buena Vista and the Arkansas Valley. The green ridge to the left is the route we hiked up.

When we stopped for a break on the way down, these two little grasshoppers jumped right in front of me onto this plant. I zoomed in for a closer look and whoops...I felt like I was intruding.

The beginning and the end ( same access to the Harvard Lakes)

La Plata Peak- July 2010

2011-03-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

La Plata Peak stands 14,336' tall and is the fifth highest fourteener in Colorado. For those of you non Spanish speaking folks, "la plata" means silver. The summit is similar to Uncompahgre in the fact that it has a rounded peak, which makes it very easy to pick out from the Arkansas valley floor. We hiked the standard Northwest Trail from HWY 82, for a round trip of 10 miles in length, and bagged that baby in about 5.5 hours hiking time! An absolutely beautiful hike!

You cross a bridge after about the first 3/4 of a mile in, don't blow by too fast cause there are some really sweet mineral formations.

Tobs and I feeling great for the start of this trip.

Just pausing for a little snack and photo op. The morning sun always cast some dramatic shadows along the mountains, it's pretty amazing!

Brian, feeling good about bagging another fourteener, while enjoying a breathtaking view!

Looking West from the summit of La Plata Peak

Looking Northeast toward Ellingwood Ridge

A Fisherman's Feast

2011-02-05T13:03:00.002-07:00

A lone cowboy wondered up to the Harvard Lakes one beautiful summer day with his trusty old lab by his side. It only took a few flicks of the wrist before he hooked his first brooke trout. At that point those fish were in trouble, for that cowboy had mastered the art of stealthy fly fishing and was on a roll. He threw in the hat after he caught six beautiful trout and proudly walked home to prepare his celebration dinner feast.

Portland Visit...Full of Surprises!

2010-10-21T22:23:00.008-06:00

So, little did we know, but Dad and Jamie began a month long motorcycle trip leaving Missouri to Oklahoma to see Gary Uren, checked out the Grand Canyon, and then made it to California to see Aunt Connie and Uncle Ted and Ariel, Scott, and Tyler as they welcomed in their new daughter Ella Kristine. They then drove up to Portland and surprised all of us showing up on Julie's doorstep! It was a great surprise! The next day we went downtown to see the Rose Festival events including battleships, coast guard boats, and tug boats.

Parade of Roses at the Port downtown

At the water park, where Joshua splashed around with the other kids. Dee Dee stopped by to say hello, their condo was very close to the park.

Rose Garden visit number 2 with Dad and Jamie.

The Keen Kab spotted outside their headquarters (we learned later). There is a Trailhead sticker on the bottom right back bumper!

At the Children's Museum

Mark...my shop Keen rep gave, Julie, Joshua, and I the grand tour of Keen headquarters including a sneak peek of next year's line up. We were treated to lunch at the park, as part of their company wide sales meetings activities.

Mark chauffeured me in the Keen Kab back to headquarters where I then took a taxi to the airport back to Colorado. It was a sweet ride, especially since it is the same cab featured in several films including the Superman movie!

Portland Visit - Rose Garden

2010-10-21T22:04:00.004-06:00

First trip to the Portland Rose Garden with Jen, Julie, and Joshua. It was a rainy day, but made photographing the area spectacular! I could spend days at this garden!

View toward the city of Portland, Oregon.

Crimson, burgundy, and buttery yellow

Yellow with pink tips

Fuchsia

Peach& Terra Cotta

We definitely stopped to smell the roses!

Outdoor amphitheater in the Rose Garden, very cool! Very Shakespearean.

Speaking of Shakespeare...

Walking up to the Japanese Gardens. We decided we'd need more time to enjoy the gardens, so we went to lunch downtown, after we walked around the entrance area.

Tall, tall, TALL trees! Sooooo cool!

Portland Visit June 2010

2010-10-21T21:58:00.002-06:00

Joshua + paper shreds = a whirlwind of fun and lots of patience from momma.

Full Gentlemen's Loop Ride

2010-10-21T21:54:00.000-06:00

Friend's Wedding - May 2010

2010-10-21T21:42:00.002-06:00

Kenneth, Aspen, and Anastasia Sword enjoying a bbq picnic pre-wedding lunch with Brian and I.

Jody decided Ana needed a little sun protection, and since mom and dad didn't bring a hat or shades for her, sunscreen it was. Jody had a little fun with it making a cute baby mohawk!

Ana reminds me of a little "Who" from Dr. Suess' town of Whoville in the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" story.

Beautiful lilies on the wedding cake. Sean from Provin' Grounds Coffee Shop, where Brian worked part time baking, made the cake for Teresa.

Snow...still

2010-10-21T21:33:00.002-06:00

Mt. Princeton from 3 Elk

Late snow still on Mt. Columbia

Doing the Roller Derby Thing

2010-10-21T21:25:00.002-06:00

I tried out for the Denver Roller Dolls during their mid-season try-outs along with 55 other women. To my surprise, 14 women and myself were selected to attend the Roller Doll Academy as "Babydolls". I attended some practices, but decided I was not ready to give up other things, like playing indoor soccer and going dancing, to solely participate in roller derby. It was fun while it lasted!

Early Season Mountain Biking 2010

2010-10-21T21:08:00.004-06:00

Reaching Kiosk #2 on the Barbara Whipple Trail on our way up to the Broken Boyfriend Trail.

Finishing the ride with a beautiful sunset!

Brian racking in another training ride for his upcoming Leadville Trail 100 MTB Ride August 14.

Breckenridge Snow Sculpture Festival - January 2010

2010-10-21T20:34:00.005-06:00

Polar Bear at The North Pole

It was a chilly day walking around the sculpture festival, but thankfully the sun was out.

Mexico Record Family Trip - October 2009

2010-01-25T16:46:00.011-07:00

Most of the Record Family was able to get together in October of 2009 for a vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We stayed at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort just outside of town. This is a picture of the famous Land's End Arch on the Southern tip of Cabo San Lucas.

Here's glimpses of the resort, it is located on the Pacific side, and unfortunately we weren't allowed to swim in the ocean here because of the tides being so turbulent.

Enjoying the Sky Pool...we spent several days just soaking up the Mexico sunshine laying poolside, overlooking the resort and the Pacific Ocean.

The Sky Pool was a popular place to watch the sunset, Jamie and Stephen would agree.

One of our nights in town we went to Mariscos for a delicious seafood dinner!

While waiting for our shuttle back to the resort, we checked out the Pueblo Bonito Rosa's swimming pools, and found King Titan....thus Brian's pose!

Jen, Jacob, Jamie, Stephen, Brian and I all went on a half day Kayak adventure across the harbor out to the Land's End Arch. Along the way to Lover's and Divorce Beaches we saw several Pelicans and scuba divers.

Jen & Jacob, Jamie & Stephen opted to go tandem kayaking...Brian and I went solo...we've done the tandem thing before and it's just not as fun. It's a good way to test your relationship communication skills, and like I said we've been there done that, solo is the way to go! :)

We also saw several sea lions laying out and swimming around!

Jamie and Stephen taking a break watching the sea lions. The Arch is to their right.

Brian and Dad rented some Harleys for a day trip over to Cabo San Juan up North through the mountains and then East to some little surfing towns and then looping back down around to Cabo San Lucas. Jamie, Stephen, and Jacob went scuba diving meanwhile, and Mom, Jen, and I enjoyed a relaxing day of poolside sun bathing and girl time!

Brian and Dad's Motorcycle Trip ocean view.

Into the mountains.

Harley Men giving a thumbs up.

Dad was born to ride I think...looks so natural!

A little Mexican lunch, I think this was just before Brian ran out of petrol...you should ask him!

Great photo of the live music serenading Dad and Brian during lunch.

Because we willingly sat through a timeshare spiel...let's not talk about this, we were given a free Sunset Dinner Cruise. The Cruise left the main harbor in the heart of Cabo and toured out to the Land's End Arch and then out past our Sunset Beach Resort, and eventually back to the harbor.

The sunset was absolutely beautiful!

Topside was live music and an open bar.

We took this opportunity to get some family photos. Early in the week we were too busy being lazy by the pool sunbathing to get many photos!

Momacita and Me!

Jacob with Jenni in the background

Jamie, Momma Jane, Dad John, Me, and Jenni, and unfortunately missing Julie

Brian and Me his wifey

Jen and Jacob

Dad and myself pretending like we know how to dance...we did pretty well considering we were tipping back and forth and side to side on the boat.

Then we decided to enjoy our most excellent dinner down in the dining room, and leave the rest of the evening to the real dancing professionals.

Jamie enjoying her last day at the resort soaking in the last few rays of the day!

Jamie, Dad, Mom, and I hanging out at the pool on our last day. Brian was out running...a marathon I think up a restricted mountain battling Mexican dogs and security men...just kidding, but he did go for a long run in some questionable territory along the beach :)

I could have stayed a few more weeks in Mexico, it was very relaxing and perfect temperatures! Of course we only had about 1.5 months of summer in Leadville, so you can't really blame me for wanting to stay longer!

Our last evening in Mexico, the sunset set the sky on fire, it was breathtaking!

Mom and Dad, I love this picture!

Goodbye Cabo

Mt. Pisgah, North Carolina - October 2009

2010-01-25T15:54:00.002-07:00

In October I went to visit my best friend Sarah and her husband Jonathon for a couple weeks in Greenville, SC. We took an overnight trip up to Asheville, NC to play tourists since it's one of those towns that several people have told me I would enjoy living in...so, we cruised around, found THE local bike shop, and had lunch at a recommended Brew Pub. Asheville, NC is home to the Biltmore Estate, a historic mansion and huge estate, owned by the Vanderbilt Family. Tours cost around $55 per person and their are optional wine tasting tours, lodging romance packages, and regularly hosts special events and weddings. This is on my list of places to tour someday.

On this trip we had planned to hike Mt. Mitchel the highest point east of the Mississippi River, but we were referred to hike Mt. Pisgah instead in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Pisgah National Forest. So, trusting our referrer, we proceeded to hike Mt. Pisgah.

This was a very cool gnarly tree along the hike up, which was only about 2.5 miles, if I remember correctly.
The trail was very well maintained with well placed stones for steps...although being so moist they were a bit slippery!

To our disappointment the top of Mt. Pisgah was completely socked in with clouds. Here's Jonathon standing in front of the observation deck.

We were just about out of the clouds and starting to get a view, so picture time of course! The happily almost one year married couple!

Looking west across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fall colors were just starting to show.

Early Fall & September Storms!

2009-09-23T08:48:00.004-06:00

During August & September we've had tons and tons of rain storms, and as you can guess later into September as the temps started cooling we started seeing snow in the high mountains. This is a photo taken driving along Freemont Pass on my way back to Leadville from Summit County the first weekend in September.

Brian's first Elk Hunting season was Sept. 14 through Sept. 20. He was in an area just southwest of Leadville, near Granite and Twin Lakes, and had some great opportunities to get one. There was a lot of activity, and Brian learned a ton. He was out before dawn, usually around 5:00am. He plans to buy an over the counter tag and maybe do some more hunting with Jacob, in the next several weeks. Hopefully between the two of them they'll get one. Here's some pics of the Aspen's changing color to that beautiful gold.

Ok, this is after my co-worker's Baby Shower, just after we got home thought we'd take some updated photos. I wish I had another one of us on a mountain top, but we've been busy in town.

Look at how much snow Mt. Elbert has already! This was taken Sept. 22, SO beautiful. Brian is ready to go skiing, like right now!

Here's the snow we got in town from the early week's storm.

We just added heavy plastic sheeting to the chicken's run, to protect them from snow & wind. We also replaced the heating light bulb with a green one...we'll see how that works, it looks like they're watching TV. OH! and also we've been getting about 3 eggs a day now, since the last week of August! So cool, they are a really pretty brown color, still on the small side, but very tasty!

Brian found this partial fencing at the dump, so we could enclose an area for the chickens to roam around in and eat bugs and green grass. Besides the chicken food we buy, we also give them scrap lettuce, kale, pac choy, and whatever other greens are wilting from our veggie share. We think they're pretty happy chickens!

Our deck is a little disheveled currently as we're using chairs to block off when the chickens roam in the yard.

Ski season is just around the corner!

Boom Days & Building the Chicken Coop

2009-09-23T08:04:00.006-06:00

Boom Days 2009 - Leadville, Colorado

Bobby Lewis, former Camp Director of Adventure Unlimited Ranches, and now School Director of the Link School in Buena Vista, begins the third leg of the Triple Crown Burro Race. He won the first two legs, one in Fairplay, and the second in Buena Vista during Gold Rush Days. The Leadville leg is a 22 mile course beginning and ending in the middle of town, and heading up Mosquito Pass and then back down and around toward California Gulch. If he wins this leg, he is named the Triple Crown Winner, of which no one has won in years.

The ladies Triple Crown Burro Race, also had a women in the same runnings for the Triple Crown, as she also won the Fairplay and B.V. races. Her name is Karen, who is from Salida, who's husband was a main organizer for the Salida Omnium Bike Race. We got to know them a bit since Brian raced with their teammates and also spent time volunteering. This woman below, however is NOT Karen, this poor women's burro was being a stubborn ass! :)

While we waited for the burro race we walked around town, got some Kettle Corn of course, and checked out some of the mining competition performances. This was a drilling competition with steel drill pieces and pure muscle to see which team in 10 minutes could hammer out the deepest hole. This was a set of brothers who have been doing this together for years.

Here's Bobby at the finish with Dave Bailey behind the camera, Natalie standing behind Wetstone or Welstone, and Cody and Jessie. Bobby did WIN the Triple Crown!! He and Natalie actually drove in from Montana all night and arrived in the morning as he decided last minute to cut their trip short to come back and take a shot at winning the Triple Crown. He did an excellent job!

And the Burro Racing wouldn't be complete if old Curtis Emrie wasn't there. Yup, he's still racing. Although just after he finished, he went to adjust his burro's harness and it head butted him. "Ouch!" I guess it's probably not the first time, he just got a little unedged but was fine.

After the morning of Boom Days it was time to build the chicken coop! Toby couldn't wait!

Brian's brilliant design coming to fruition. All we had to buy for this project was chicken wire, we got palletes from local shops and had the dog house on our property.

Toby checking out the new chicken run, while Brian was installing the heat lamp in their little house.

Chickens scoping out their new pad.

The white ones are the Light Brahmas which as you see below have feathers down their feet to keep them warmer in cooler temps. The also don't have much of a crown or waddle (the thing under their chins) which is also a benefit in cooler temps.

Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Bross 4 14ers in 5 hours!

2009-08-31T10:28:00.004-06:00

Mt. Democrat- 14,148', Mt. Lincoln-14,286', Mt. Cameron- 14,238', Mt. Bross- 14,172'

On the hike up to Mt. Democrat, Toby and I posing gracefully for a pic!

On top of Mt. Democrat, one down three to go.

View of Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross from Mt. Democrat.

Summited Mt. Cameron and almost to the summit of Mt. Lincoln! It did snow on us a bit hiking up Mt. Cameron...nothing too bad, this is why we always carry gloves, hat, and extra warm layers!

Hiking over to Mt. Bross from Mt. Lincoln, skirting along the northeast side of Mt. Cameron. Mt. Bross is the high point on the very left. The sky cleared up beautifully after the short snow storm for the rest of our hike!

Pretty waterfall at the base of Mt. Bross. Which was not a fun Mt. to hike down. It was very very loose gravelly rock, which I did fall on my rear once, so I recommend skooting low on your feet/tush for parts.

Toby enjoying the snow beneath the waterfall...his little legs and paws were worn out!

Mt. Sherman - 14,036' - July 2009

2009-08-31T10:13:00.005-06:00

The route up to Mt. Sherman from the Leadville side. Mt. Sherman is in the Tenmile-Mosquito mountain range, 10 miles west of Fairplay and 8 miles south of Mt. Democrat (14,148') and Mt. Bross (14,172')

The summit of Mt. Sherman is toward the right side of the pic, although when you get to the top of this ridgeline you wind around to the northwest, so you can't quite see it in this photo. Brian is standing in front of the snowbank looking down toward the Fairplay side where the standard approach for hiking Sherman begins.

Getting closer, this is where we'll cross the snow fields near Toby...and then wind around to the northwest to the summit! It was soooo windy, we're talking like 50mph winds!!

This picture shows how windy it was, look at my hair flying about!
Leadville sits behind us, and you can see Mt. Massive to the left.

A shot looking toward Leadville with Mt Massive in the background, still lots of snow.

2009 Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race Start on 6th St.

2009-08-15T07:04:00.003-06:00

Saturday Morning, Aug 15, 2009 Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race

Roxanne's Recovery- Leadville 100 MTB

2009-08-06T11:15:00.003-06:00

Here's a spirited woman ready for her "Comeback Ride" in this years Leadville 100 MTB. Roxanne, principal partner in the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center and Cookhouse, who last year was hit by a car at speeds of 50-60mph while training for the LT 100. It was June 2008 when everything came to a halt. She was rushed to St. Anthony's in Frisco where the doctors were able to care for her. Watching this video makes one grateful for the simplicity of just being alive and well. Come to Leadville next weekend Aug. 15 and join me as we cheer Roxanne on in her "comeback ride"!

Chickens behind Bars...or the Basement

2009-08-05T14:21:00.007-06:00

I realize, holy cow, it's been awhile since I've added any trips. Since the last post we have hiked Mt. Sherman, Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, Cameron Peak, Mt. Bross, and Huron Peak. Brian has competed in the Salida Omnium consisting of three races: a time trial, a 60-mile road race, and lastly but his definite favorite, the criterium. I'll get photos up soon, since I know you've been waiting! :)

In the meantime enjoy the video/pics of our illegal chickens living in our basement until we can get them moved outside...hopefully soon!

Rhode Island Reds and Light Brahmas- three of each kind! And I think we thankfully only have one rooster.

Saturday June 27, 2009-Missouri Gulch Trip: Mt. Belford, Mt. Oxford, and Missouri Mountain

2009-07-05T11:19:00.011-06:00

Our plans for the weekend of June 27th and 28th originally consisted of bicycling in the MS150 road ride from Broomfield to Fort Collins, CO. However, in the process of organizing our team with friend Troy the registration had closed. I had already received Saturday off, making a four day weekend, so we decided to take advantage of this and enjoy a long backpacking/peak bagging weekend in the Missouri Gulch area west of the Clear Creek Reservoir near historic towns Vicksburg and Winfield. Our hike started from the Missouri Gulch Trailhead where below we are all pictured excited for our weekend!

Toby hikes in his own food/treats and usually helps pack out trash.

Brian registering us in at the trailhead just after crossing the bridge across Clear Creek. I ended up working about 6 hours anyway, trying to finish the newsletter so it was ready to send out on July 1, so we didn't start hiking until 5:00 pm.

I decided to try-out some trekking poles this weekend, to see what all the hub-bub was about, and to educate myself in order to sell them better to our customers. They were great on the backpack in and out, but I didn't like them so much when climbing the peaks. "To each there own!"

We reached these cabin remains after an hour of hiking, and from what we had heard from our friend, Spencer, there were some good camping spots further up the trail where it began to level out at the basin. Thankfully this time of the year we have light until almost 9:00 pm so we didn't have to set up camp in the dark.

Another half hour past the cabin, we found some great camping spots, nestled amongst trees with no one insight. Just us, the deer, chirping birds, and the well-fed marmots!

Our night one camp spot. We used the trekking poles to set-up our tent vestibule as an awning. It was fantastic!

Pretty blue wildflowers that speckled the meadow.

HELLO! Happy to be outside enjoying a break from work!

Our view from the tent just as the sun was beginning to set and the clouds were changing color.

Brian and Toby enjoying the cool evening while waiting a couple minutes for our JetBoil to boil water for our Veggie Lasagna dinner and hot tea.

Brian's squishy bowl with Irish Breakfast Tea...Yum!

The nearby stream, snowmelt-runoff, where we filtered water.

These are the beautiful wildflowers lining the stream beneath the willows. So vibrant!

The sun setting on Mt. Belford above, and below the clouds fiery orange to the west of us. It was such a relaxing evening as we drifted off to sleep to the last chirping birds and faint sounds of the rushing stream.

Sunday June 28, 2009- Mt. Belford & Mt. Oxford

2009-07-05T09:03:00.009-06:00

JetBoil Personal Cooking System

SUNDAY morning after a quick oatmeal breakfast and hot tea, thanks to our borrowed shop JetBoil, we headed up the trail with one stream crossing from the melting couloirs on the Northwest facing slope. The trail switchbacks steeply up the Northwest ridge of Mt. Belford, as you can see drawn in below, where it was rather windy and cool until finally reaching the warmth of the morning sun.

This picture is from the previous evening as the sun was setting. It consists of short switchbacks, but really clear-cut and well-maintained. Props to the trail crews!

Here's some carefully positioned steps on the Mt. Belford Trail...very posh.

The last hike to the top, easy snow crossing, you can see the summit of Mt. Belford at the top of the picture-knob like. Toby tried to roll around in the snow like he usually does, but it was too hard still as it was only about 8:20 am.

Brian signing us in at the summit of Mt. Belford at 14,197'. We were on the summit long enough for Brian to sign us in and snap a quick photo. It was 1.2 miles across the southeast ridge over to Mt. Oxford with almost a 700' drop/rise in elevation mid-saddle, so we needed to keep houghing it.

After hiking down the South side summit of Mt. Belford this was our view toward Mt. Oxford and the ridge we'd have to hike to get there. There was only one group of three guys ahead of us and a few small groups or individuals behind us.

Brian pausing to wait for Tobers and I as we scrambled down the rocky ridge on the first half of the saddle.

Mt. Oxford Geological Survey Marker- 14,153'

Toby and I walked across the summit to what looked like a higher point on Mt. Oxford, at least Brian thought, but it was not. I think he was just trying to keep me busy while we waited for him to finish snacking.

It took us about an hour to hike the ridge and summit Mt. Oxford, and we were hauling pretty fast. We crossed paths with the group ahead of us as they were coming down and they said," you guys must have someplace to be...we've been watching you haul up the mountain!" We kind of laughed and we're thinking already that we should have had an earlier morning start, so we were trying to make up time as to not get caught in a storm.

As we were sitting here on the summit of Mt. Oxford, for only about 10 minutes refueling, signing in, and snapping a few photos...we noticed the clouds beginning to accumulate West of us. So, we booked it back down & up the ridge back to the summit of Mt. Belford and back down the steep switchbacks to the comforts of camp.

It rained after we'd been in camp for about 30 minutes or so, so we took advantage of it and took a nice long nap. We then enjoyed an afternoon of sunbathing, card playing, more naps, and a nice freeze-dried chili mac dinner.

Monday-June 29, 2009- Missouri Mountain

2009-07-05T08:12:00.009-06:00

Monday morning after another round of oatmeal and hot tea we set off for Missouri Mountain. Shortly after the trail junction for Mt. Belford Trail and Elkhead Pass Trail we encountered our first stream crossing. The wide rushing body of water was at first intimidating, but we threw on our gaiters and slowly crossed being weary of icy rocks. We were pretty stoked when our feet stayed dry thanks to our waterproof shoes and gaiters...it's nice when your gear actually works properly! We had one more similar sized stream crossing in the next mile, and then a few smaller ones as we neared the base of Missouri Mountain.

There are several snow fields/couloir crossings on the hike up, where we encountered sufficient kick steps, but they were icy and an ice axe would have been nice. Once we reached the saddle and began to ascend the ridge south to the peak, we had to navigate through some technical hard snow patches, where an ice axe would have been useful. Upon reaching the 14,067 foot summit, we had such majestic views full of slightly snow capped peaks, green mountain sides, and several mountain lakes. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Brian and Tobers, as we near the summit. There were only two other guys hiking Missouri that day, and instead of hiking the standard route like we did, they climbed with ice axes up the couloir beneath the summit. They reached the summit about 20-30 min before us and then one snowboarded and the other kick-stepped/glissaded down the same couloir they hiked up. You can see them to the left of Brian...very very tiny people.

Missouri Mountain Geological Survey Marker- 14,067'

The survey marker was on that square rock sitting in front of us, seemed strange, and not very long-lasting..hmm? It was an absolutely bluebird day with few puffy white clouds, so we ended up staying on the summit for about an hour, which is much longer than we normally do but it was hard to resist.

View down from the summit into the Missouri Basin (Northward), you can see Ben kick-stepping down at the very bottom middle above the rocks.

Here's Toby and I crossing one of the hard snow fields along the ridge on our descent. This is where I would have liked to have had an ice axe.

Brian, crossing the upper snowfield heading down the mountain. Thankfully at this time of the day it still wasn't warm enough for us to posthole through the snow! We had a quick hike back our base camp, Brian got water for our lunch while I cleaned up and organized our gear to pack up after lunch. Toby was pretty spent and crashed in the car as soon as we got there, I actually had to lift him out of the car when we got home. That was one tired pup, actually we were all REALLY exhausted, but that didn't stop us from seeing the Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen movie over in Dillon. We are SO GRATEFUL for being able to live here in the mountains and experience such memorable adventures!

June 2009-Hiking Beneath the Buffalo-Buena Vista, CO

2009-06-24T09:59:00.007-06:00

We decided to hike to the Buffalo Meadows beneath the Buffalo Peaks Northeast of Buena Vista after hearing so often how beautiful it is. You access this area via the Fourmile Recreation Area off CR 371 and 375, I highly recommend a high-clearance vehicle. This is the view of Mt. Princeton from the Fourmile Trailhead, where we hiked along the Tumble Creek Trail North to the Buffalo Meadows.

The Fourmile Creek paralleling the trail was extremely full and overflowing in several locations. There were several Beaver dams and waterfalls up and down the creek, we never saw the Beavers, but we did see results of their recent escapades.

Buffalo Peaks

Taking a quick break to get re-energized and take a photo op.

It was such a beautiful, mellow hike, with several wildflowers starting to peek out, and greening Aspen trees. A great trail for when the flatlanders visit!

It did however, begin to snow on us shortly after reaching the Buffalo Meadows. This is another reason to always bring rain gear, gaiters would have been nice too! It was still pretty brown and blan in the Meadows, so we've decided to come back later in the summer when more of the wildflowers have bloomed.

Zak's Birthday/ Backyard Evenings!

2009-06-24T09:37:00.005-06:00

Brian got all crafty for Zak's Birthday, and those of you who know the Slutalope, know quite well he and old Jack are good buddies...SO, Brian made a Whiskey Cake for his birthday, not only in the made from scratch cake, but also in the frosting! He thoroughly enjoyed getting buzzed from eating his cake, shots aside!

Enjoying our dirt-bag backyard...trying to make it as least white trashy as possible! Rounds of Horse shoes and barbecuing definitely help.

A little air guitar from the Slutalope

Tobers watching all the yard madness...dreaming of plush grass to roll around in.

Turkey Hunting-Spring 2009

2009-05-27T15:35:00.003-06:00

So, as some of you know, Brian has been exercising his hunting heritage and completed his Hunter's Safety Course during the Winter in preparation for Elk Hunting in the Fall. Well, he has expanded on this desire for providing food via self-propelled activities to include Turkey Hunting. So, here's Hunter Brian is his get-up...hard to see right! :)

These are the turkey tracks Brian found while scouting, never did have a chance to shoot one though, they were no where to be found. Apparently Turkey hunting here, compared to Hunter, NY where Zak has hunted a lot, is much more challenging.

2009 Memorial Day Weekend-Arches National Park, UT

2009-05-27T14:02:00.004-06:00

Over Memorial Day weekend Brian and I spontaneously packed up everything we could possibly need, in a whirlwind manner, including camping gear, road bikes, hiking stuff, Toby food, etc and headed Northwest on HWY 24 toward I-70. It was a STORMY week, so we just had to get out of the house and see what came across our path. We drove back roads through Avon, Beaver Creek, Edwards, and Eagle and then jumped on I-70 and headed west. Upon driving through Glenwood Canyon toward Glenwood Springs we pulled off at a rest area for Hanging Lake Trailhead because while driving we noticed a bike path paralleling the river. The clouds had been clearing up a bit just enough for the sun to peek out for about 2 hours, providing us with a perfect window to go for a ride along the high flowing - intimidating river! It was AWESOME!

This view is looking North from the Hanging Lake Trailhead parking lot.

Our fabulous, but low-riding, Volvo fully decked out for a spontaneous adventure-filled weekend! Looking back South toward HWY and river.

After stopping in Glenwood Springs for dinner we headed out West in an awful thunderstorm. Yes, there was some hydro-planning activity, but all was well. We drove until we reached Fruita, CO just past Grand Junction and parked in the Welcome Center/Rest Area to catch a few ZZZs in the back of the car. The three of us fit snuggly in the back on our thermarests and sleeping bags! The next morning up just after sunrise, we decided to head toward MOAB, UT and get some breakfast. It was a rather long wait for breakfast...but we ate at the Eckletica Restaurant, yummy quiches, fresh squeezed OJ, and patio seating! Then we headed to Arches National Park. We ending up buying an annual pass, which covers several of the nearby Parks for only $15 then the entrance fee, since we knew we'd be back!

Arches National Park, UT

Gossip..ladies? something, I'll look it up and edit!

Balancing Rock

Toby spreading the love!

Pine Tree Arch? I think. We hiked out to the Landscape Arch, and several others I'll add, but I'm going to go ride real quick and I'll edit this later... something like a 5 or 6 mile desert hike! Beautfiul...need to pack MORE water, and MORE food though next time!

Pretty Cactus Flower!

Toby enjoying the sunny weather...as soon as we left Arches and headed back to I-70 it started thunderstorming again! We're thankful for having a few windows of sun so we could enjoy our weekend!

MTB Excursion: Lost Canyon Road to Twin Lakes Loop

2009-05-23T17:33:00.009-06:00

Brian and I decided to try and find a dry trail we could mountain bike on, and thanks to our friend/co-workers guidebook (Arkansas Valley Mountain Biking-by Mark Wolff) we were able to find a fantastic loop with beautiful scenery. This loop is just West of Granite, you actually turn West onto Lost Canyon Road from HWY 24, right by the convenient store/gas station in Granite. Then you drive until you see this sign 398-B and park in the triangular cutoff between the two dirt roads.

Then head West up the road, a nice warm-up climb and make sure you stay on the main road to the left.

This will be a beautiful ride in the Fall when the Aspen leaves are changing color!

As you wind around past the campsites and start heading North again keep your eye out for the CDT and CO Trail sign. This is where you turn right to get on the singletrack part of the ride!

There are several fallen trees to watch out for on the trail, so stay alert! You might also startle a turkey or two as you ride by, so don't be alarmed when you hear their flustered flapping wings.

Self-portrait taken about half way through, the East mountains toward Buffalo Peaks is behind me.

Here's Brian catching up after investigating a problem with his chain. The singletrack was fantastic, besides a few fallen trees, it was a very distinct groomed-like trail.

Our view to the Southeast toward Buena Vista and the distant Sangre de Cristos.

There were a few patches of snow along the trail we had to walk through, but overall the trail was really dry and ready for summer hikers and cyclists!

At one clearing in the trees we realized we could see our car way down below.

Below is one of the larger creek crossings, there were about three or four total, but for this one we definitely had to get off the bike to walk across.

We realized we were getting closer to Twin Lakes as we pedaled up a ridge and came upon this view and studied how the trail sketchily wound back down the North side of the ridge.

We could just start to see the lake through the dense trees, but had to focus on the steepening trail and watch for our abrupt right turn ahead.

Brian, waited for me to take a picture of this turn, so I could include it in my trip report for my work blog-The Trailhead Register. He's a patient and photogenic spouse!

A view of the new trail heading Eastbound beginning to loop back along the South end of the lake. There was a cool breeze wafting from the lake which made it a bit cool riding beneath the shady pines.

Looking West toward Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive we watched the storm rolling in toward Leadville.

The Columbines were blooming with several different shades of lavender! Pretty cool to see them this early in the year!

A not-so-fantastic panorama stitch job of the lake. But you get the idea.

The trailhead we rode out at the end of the lake and then proceeded along county dirt roads back to the car at 398-B. We highly recommend this trail to intermediate riders! Can't wait to hike it next year when we hike the CO Trail!

Oh, and this is a random picture from March I felt like throwing in of when Jenni and I got our hair done during one of our Girl's Weekends! Cheese!

Leadville in May 2009

2009-05-23T15:06:00.005-06:00

For one of Brian's last Geology Labs he was required to develop and complete a geology based field trip, accomplishing specific criteria, which led him to cruise around Leadville's Mineral Belt trail pre-Spring snow melt.

Here's a view from the Mineral Belt Trail, looking West toward town. This building is the waste water treatment plant currently in use because of the richly mineralized soil contaminates leaching into the water.

Mt. Elbert from the Mineral Belt Trail

Shadow of Brian on his cruiser-self portrait

The Stack/Slutzky household enjoying our back yard with a game of horse shoes.

A little air guitar solo from Zak!

Toby trying to understand why he can't go fetch the horse shoes after we toss them across the yard.

Tending to the stereotypical wifely duties, I meanwhile was running back and forth between the grill and the oven cooking organic burgers and oven-baked sweet potato fries!

Zak's birthday was May 2, so Brian made a cake in the shape of a Jack Daniel's Whiskey bottle, which if you know Zak, YOU KNOW how much he likes Jack! Zak was pretty pleased!

April Mischief-Bowling, video games, and chickens..Shh!

2009-05-23T14:23:00.004-06:00

We finally got a chance to go BOWLING at the local Leadville Lanes! It is super cheap to bowl in Leadville, less than $4 per game, and only $2 for shoe rentals! The grill has pretty tasty cheesy fries and chicken tenders, not to mention a few cold beverage options to wash down the greasy food. This thankfully, for all of our waistlines, did not become a regular activity.

Brian and Zak testing their gaming skills on AREA 51. Zak having completed his Cop training about a year prior did, sorry Brian, have better zombie killing accuracy. :)

AND, then there were CHICKENS...before the egg, at least in our house. Here's one of the Rhode Island Reds, or as we like to call the gingers. SHH!

Sleepy time...they all at first huddled together when they slept with their beaks to the ground. There is a heat lamp on them to keep them warm, very important for baby chicks! In addition to the Rhode Island Reds, which there are three of them, we also purchased three Light Brahmas. Both breeds are supposed to great egg layers with the Brahmas being a little more welcoming of the cooler temps. We'll see? This is our first adventure in Chicken Farming!

Brian and Zak named the chickens, this little guy is McNugget, as he or she hopefully, is the smallest one in the group.

Zak bonding with one of the chicks, he's pretty good at that!

Backcountry Skiing near Mosquito Pass

2009-05-23T13:12:00.007-06:00

During this 2009 Spring Brian, while taking his regular online classes, took Avalanche Safety Level I and II Classes from Colorado Mountain College (CMC). During our years on the WSCMRT Rescue Team at Western State College, we did have training in avalanche behavior and rescue, and completed an AVY I course. Our AVY I instructor, and fellow teammate, for some reason ended up not being able to officially teach this class or something of the like, so we ended up not getting "certificates". When Brian took the classes from CMC he was well prepared and ahead of most of the class! Several of the instructors for the AVY classes were from Crested Butte Mtn. Guides, which gave Brian confidence knowing the elite qualities that CBMG requires will be carried through to his experience!

During his second class, Brian took me up to one the of areas he had gone with his AVY II class a couple days prior, where he shared with me some of the advanced skills and knowledge he had learned. To practice and compare with conditions earlier, Brian built another pit to evaluate the snowpack. This picture is from the hike up looking West back toward Leadville.

Thanks to our Pro Deals from working at The Trailhead, we were fortunate to purchase some quality backcountry equipment at killer prices. Having quality gear really makes a difference! Here's an Avalung Black Diamond (BD) pack, probe, shovel, and ski pole along with a foldable measuring stick.

Here's Brian's BD Verdict Telemark Skis with Glidelight Skins on hanging out while he sets up to dig his snow pit.

Measuring the appropriate length and width before digging using his avalanche probe.

And, the digging begins. I was rather cold at this point, and yes I realize digging would have warmed me up, however I wanted to watch the newly trained grasshopper practice his skills.

It's highly important to have as straight and smooth walls in your pit as possible. You see Brian carefully cutting down the back side of the wall. Building/evaluating a pit is not a quick task, it is something that you need to allow no less than an hour to complete for accurate results.

Our ski down was not something to talk much about, it was crusty snow making it rather difficult to smoothly cut back and forth upon our descent. Plus, I caught a tree with my board and ended up face planting down hill in about 4 feet of snow. Let's just say I was rather glad to get down and back to the car, as evident on the smile on my face, where I could get WARM. Overall it was a great backcountry trip!

Christmas 2008-The Whole Record Family Together!

2009-05-23T12:36:00.005-06:00

The Record Family, spouses and significant others all joined for a few days of Holiday Togetherness at Jen & Jacob's house in Golden, CO! We spent a lot of time playing and watching Joshua, the first and currently only grandchild, son of Julie (Record) and Chris Holser. Here's Grandma Jane reading a story to Joshua by the fire.

Dad, Jamie, and Julie watch Grandma Jane and Joshua reading together, while Toby seeks some attention from Dad.

I wasn't as on the picture taking as Julie and Jamie were, so my picture sequences have a lot of gaps. For one of our activities we went to the Foothills Fire Station where Jen and Jacob are both volunteer firefighters and have put it over a decade of service. The Dept. had just received a new, BIG truck, so we all ventured down to check it out. Jamie and Joshua got to try on a fire helmet, I think they both look pretty good in them.

Here's the Holser Family, Chris, Joshua, and our sister Julie.

Brother-in-law Jacob, showing Brian, and Jamie's friend Stephen the in and outs of the new truck.

Ms. Jamie with her fire helmet on, shield ready, with little nephew Joshua and sister Jen looking on.

Toward the end of the Holiday, after Chris, Julie, and Joshua head back to Oregon, Mom, Dad, Jamie, and Stephen all came to help us finish moving out of our old house and into our new place in Leadville. WE are SO GRATEFUL for this help, as we had a bit more left than we realized. They all stayed the night in Leadville and we all went for a classic breakfast at the Golden Burro. After breakfast we headed toward Denver, and near Idaho Springs met Jen and Jacob at the local shooting range for some shooting fun!

Brian shooting a rifle, not a bad shot!

Jamie was a firecracker with her shooting, she was hot and on target! She has gone before with Jen and Jacob so she did have a little advantage. :)

Jen all bundled up patiently waiting and watching the rest of us firing 22 cal. rifles, hand guns, and a 47 hand gun, which she has the opportunity to do whenever with her hubby!

Dad firing a rifle, and Stephen shooting one of the hand guns. We had paper targets for the 47 cal. guns and little ceramic (?) animal silhoutte targets sitting on the ground for the 22 cal. guns. Mom and Dad used to own rifles way back in the day, so they too had a pretty good shot!

Jenni and Jamie huddling together trying to stay warm! Funny I used to own Jen's hat, which she's borrowing from Jamie, who is wearing my down vest...hmm. :)

Brian and I happy after shooting little ceramic animals! I, only to brag a little, had pretty sweet aim as well, it must be a family thing!

Here' my proof that I was shooting too, I loved the lever action rifle, I felt so cowgirlish just needed my boots and my hat!

Well..it's been awhile again..So here's a quick summary of Winter08/09!

2009-05-23T10:18:00.008-06:00

From August to December of 2008 we lived at our co-workers rental house on a plateau west of Buena Vista facing the magnificent Mt. Princeton, Mt. Yale, Mt. Columbia, Mt. Harvard, and all of their lowly adjacent peaks. Winter was decent as far as snowfall accumulation goes, not at all like 07/08 Winter, but there was certainly enough that we could XC ski around our yard and down the street! So, here's Brian and Toby getting back from a little expedition.

Here's me enticing Toby after my arrival back from our Yard XC Ski Expedition!

At the end of December 2008 we made the decision to move to Leadville, CO about 30 minutes North of Buena Vista, where we could be closer to downhill skiing opportunities and live near one of our close friends, Zak. Brian was able to continue taking online classes during the Winter/Spring and I began working remote for my job full-time at home! In our new home, during January, we had a backyard visit from a little fox!

Zak, for his 2008/2009 Winter job was a Snowcat Skiing Guide for the Chicago Ridge, which operated in coordination with Ski Cooper, where Zak was also a Ski Patroller. We decided to ski at Cooper before they opened for the season, so here's Brian and I posing at the top of our ascent about to take off our skins and ski down toward the triple chair.

Zak along the way was pointing out cool features about the snow, things he learned from his AVY 2 class, and here he is waiting for us to semi-gracefully remove our skins and ski down.

The three of us Brian, Zak, and I tried often, and suceeded a handful of times to XC Ski on the Mineral Belt Trail, which is an 11.6 mile paved bike/running trail within and around the town of Leadville ,which during the winter months they groom for XC skiing.

It was rather hard to breathe most of the time, not only because we were skiing at above 10,200 feet, but as you might guess we were laughing most of the time!

Brian, Toby, and I XC skiied toward the 10th Mtn Division Hut, and I say toward because we started late in the afternoon and didn't have time to reach it all the way. We did however stop at a nice big open area and practice our beacon searching skills! Practice makes perfect!

Here I am, heading back to the trailhead, it was getting dark pretty quick.

Brian and Toby -10th Mtn Hut Trail Hike

For another skiing adventure, which we wore our Tele gear this time for better control after flailing a bit on the 10th Mtn Hut Hike, we headed up toward the Belvedere Hut north of Leadville toward Copper Mtn.

Toby didn't have such a good time on this trip, as he was running so close behind Brian that he sliced his foot on Brian's ski. But thanks to his professionally trained Wilderness First Aid parents, we were equipped to treat him on the trail with a little puppy bandage!

Heath/Powell Wedding-Daufuskie Island our Arrival Walk on the Beach

2009-03-04T11:40:00.004-07:00

Sarah Heath and Jonathon Powell, the Bride and Groom, ready to be married and continue a life of love, adventure, and happiness! This is the morning after we arrived Sarah, Jonathon, Lauren, and Casey took Brian and I for a golf cart cruise around the resort including a lovely walk on the beach.

Brian and I, very very excited to be at Daufuskie Island for Sarah and Jonathon's Wedding!

Brian and Jonathon getting a little man to man chat in while Casey & Lauren search for sand dollars for Lauren's future sand dollar tree, while Sarah and I catch up and talk about the exciting upcoming events!

Casey and one of the many horseshoe crabs we found dried up along the beach.

Ladies Spa Day at Daufuskie!

2009-03-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Ladies Spa Day! (although Uncle Casey had a few services also) Sarah's Aunts treated us to a service at the Daufuskie Island Spa & catered luncheon for our Bridesmaid gifts! Here are some of us getting ready for our treatments: massages, wraps, manicures/pedis, etc.!
Back row: Casey, "The Bride" Sarah, Momma Jane, Lauren, Rachel, front row: Renee, and Jody. Most of the Bridesmaids-missing cousin Ashley & Jr. Bridesmaid A.G.-Sarah's soon to be sister-in-law

Sarah's soon to be sister-in-law and mother-in-law and the Bride enjoying a tasty bite at our catered Bridesmaid Spa Extraordinaire! Yummy fresh fruit & cheese crudite, Ham Salad Sandwiches, champagne, mimosas, and of course something chocolaty!

The Bride getting a spa pedicure while enjoying a Mimosa!

Ms. Rachel and Sarah excited for the celebration!

Jane and Renee relaxed after receiving their spa treatments

Rachel, Sarah's cousin's girl's-the flower girls, who are already sporting low rise jeans :) Jane and Kara Morgan-who came to visit us first upon arriving on the island!

Lauren, Sarah, and cousin Heather waiting for our shuttle to deilver us back to our villas.

Heath/Powell Wedding Rehearsal

2009-03-04T10:37:00.007-07:00

The Heath/Powell Wedding Rehearsal-October 31, 2008!
The Pastor, groomsmen Philip and Stephen waiting to get the show on the road.

Zach, the Bride & Groom, Sarah & Jonathon excitedly awaiting to practice for tomorrow's Wedding festivities!

Donald and Jane listening intently.

Bridesmaids minus me-Renee, Ashley, Casey, Lauren, Sarah, Rachel and Heather in the background, what beautiful ladies!

The walk down the isle-AG leading the ladies.

Renee with Ashley sporting her catwalk swagger!

The fellas waiting for the rest of the bridesmaid entourage.

Being Halloween and all, Avery dressed up for the occasion!

Cute little flower girls!

Sarah & Donald

Donald practicing "giving" Sarah away

Donald & Jane excited for the evenings activities!

Jonathon and Sarah are ready an evening of pre-wedding celebrating!