30 Dees

This past Saturday was the 30th running of a little known "race" up thirteen of the steepest hills in Pittsburgh.  The reason I put the word race in quotations is because the Dirty Dozen is only a race for about ten people and a day of survival for the rest.  This year was my third running and, in true DD fashion, there were cold temperatures, lots of windy spots, and snow.  Fortunately for me, because of road construction one of the hills was not on the route so we were down to only twelve hills, but that was still going to be about eleven more than I actually wanted to do.  

Like all good DD mornings I was a basket of nerves.  The day itself was going to be no different than the previous two years except I was on a new bike with different gearing, I was well under prepared physically, and the road conditions due to the weather were a general unknown (when a significant portion of steep riding is on slippery or icy roads, things can go seriously wrong).

The long and short of the day was this:  It snowed on and off almost the whole day and the temperatures hovered in the mid thirties (so it wasn't cold enough for the snow to stick).  Riding as hard as you can to get up a hill makes you hot and sweaty.  Standing on top of a hill when you're hot and sweaty makes you very cold.  Slippery roads lead to lots of falls and wrecking (fortunately not for me).  

I learned a few things on this ride.  The first thing I learned was that I need to be in better shape if I plan to ride my current bike up these hills again next year.  The second thing I learned was that riding up really steep hills wears down your arms almost as much as your legs.  The third thing I learned was that mustaches are not as warm as beards.  The last thing I learned, and possibly the most important, is that if you're going to fall over in a slippery corner, make sure Jerry isn't there to see it because he'll yell at you loudly to go back to the bottom and ride the hill again.  After all, those are the rules.

Train Wrecks

So I'm just under two weeks from my third installment of the DD and suffice it to so say, I'm a touch worried.  I'm worried about my bike, I'm worried about the weather, but most importantly, I'm worried about how out of shape I currently am.  This is supposed to be the year I get the dot next to my name in Chew's big book of DD's, but that only happens if I finish.  

See, earlier this year, before I went on my little junket to Florida, I was riding the hell out of my bikes.  I had spent the winter on my trainer trying to get in shape and had been logging solid miles for several months.  Some of my friends even thought I was too skinny; which was a compliment for me.  Then, after a week on the beach drinking margaritas and rolling a cruiser around the islands, I returned to reality and got both fat and lazy.  Yeah that's right, both (but at least my neck is still tight).

Now, I'm doing all I can to eek out some semblance of a training program in the last week and a few days before I embark on suffer-fest 2012.  With any luck I'll make it through this year's event without any significant issues but at this point I'm only 62% optimistic of that occurring.  Fortunately for me, this year there will only be twelve hills on the course as one of them is under construction.  This is beneficial in that I won't have as much pain inflicted upon me, but it might also mean that I don't get my dot.  After all, if it's not the full course, I didn't really do it.  That would be the most painful part of all...

The Greatest Place on Earth

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I spent last weekend in the 'burgh.  While it was a really great weekend filled with lots of activities, there was only one thing I was looking forward to doing while there.  I have been in the market for some new furniture lately so I figured while I was in a city of significant size, I would visit IKEA.  

For those of you not familiar with IKEA, first I'd like to say I'm sorry because you don't know what you're missing.  I'll describe it like this; imagine that some Swedish folks got inside your head and created furniture and living utensils that were exactly what you would design if you had a stitch of creativity.  Granted, they don't have EVERYTHING you could imagine but it's fairly close.  Most of it  comes flat packed with an instruction book that contains an adorable cartoon man to guide you through the assembly of your chosen piece of furniture.  

Anyway, so last weekend, even though I has mere minutes away from IKEA I was thwarted in my efforts to get there.  That's a story in itself but the bottom line is that I didn't get to go.  Instead, I decided to drive to Baltimore this past weekend and check out that IKEA.  While most people think that the SC is a hip an metropolitan town, it's really not.  Therefore it does not qualify for the type of location that would host an IKEA.  Thus, I drove to Baltimore and visited some friends and family along the way.  

The upside to the trip (besides having my parents treat me to sushi); I was able to pick out some sweet new pieces for my house.  The downside, I'm going to have to drive back to Baltimore to get it.  I realize that seems like a gigantic hassle just for a few bits of pressed wood that I have to assemble myself, but let's face it, those Swedes really have this whole home furnishings thing figured out. 

A Practice in Lists

So this post is a day late from my normal schedule because I was traveling this weekend.  I spent a few days down in the 'burgh with Jerry and Bunny just to unplug for a few days and enjoy some time away from the SC.  We rode bikes and talked about future plans for travel and did some sightseeing around the city (even though I've seen most of the sights already).  

One thing we discussed was the upcoming DD.  This came up because I've been a bit less than aggressive in my training for this little event.  In particular, before this weekend I hadn't been on a bike in about three weeks; since my wreck.  Because of this, I jotted down a few things that I need to make sure I take care of between now and then.  In no particular order here is my list:

1)     Ride - (although this seems obvious, I need to write it down just so I don't forget)

2)     Get my bike ready - (why you might ask?  See the reason above)

3)     Shave off about 10 lbs - (some might dispute the need for this but I think it will help)

4)     Trim my beard - (this may help with number 3)

5)     Prepare to suffer - (this isn't so much for the ride as it is for the entire trip)

While this isn't an all inclusive list, it's a start.  I have a few weeks yet to work at this so I'll try to balance this list with the growing list of house projects that has been accumulating.  Sometimes it's not getting the list completed as much as it's getting a few items removed from the list.  Ideally it will be items one and three from above, but I'd be okay with completing any of this little "to-do."

Add One

So this past weekend I made a short trip down the road to Scranton to see some old friends who were visiting from Atlanta.  The reason for this outing was that Sean's parents decided to throw he and his wife Lucy a baby shower.  You see, in order to have a baby shower one needs to have a baby.   If you're paying attention, that would mean that Sean and Lucy are expecting a child; their first one; in about a month.  

This was not your typical baby shower as Sean's parents invited both men and women to this event.  It also was not your typical baby shower because while there were fancy finger foods and spritzers, there was also bonfires, clay bird shooting, and beer drinking; not necessarily in that order.  It was actually one of the best baby showers I have ever been to.  In full disclosure though, I think it was the only baby shower I have ever been to as well.  

While at this baby shower having all this fun, I got to thinking.  The groundbreaking thought that I had was that maybe I should have a baby.  Okay, let's not get carried away.  I'm not planning to, nor am I in any position to have a baby, so relax.  That's not going to happen.  

Instead, I was thinking that maybe I should get a dog.  Dogs are kind of like children, except they can't take care of themselves so if I were to get a dog it would always need me to take care of it.  Yeah that's right, I'm considering getting a built in need factory.  I realize it sounds a bit crazy and for those of you that know me it quite possibly is insanely nuts, but you never know, maybe it will be good for me.

The Joys of Travel

So last week I was off with Jerry, Bunny, and others on a little vacation away.  We winged it down to Key West to stay at Shady Bill's condo right on the beach.  Like most vacations, it had it's ups and downs.  In particular, the traveling back from the trip was quite possibly the least enjoyable.  I booked my flights later so I was traveling solo on the return leg back to Pittsburgh.  So after one delayed flight and one cancelled flight I changed airlines.  

This was followed by an early arrival at a connecting airport and the anticipated early arrival back to Pittsburgh.  This was followed by about a three hour delay in the airport and about an hour and a half sitting on the tarmac waiting to depart.  

This final hiatus from departure led to a flight through a thunderstorm (which was both nerve wracking and fascinating all at the same time).  After arriving about three hours after I was originally expected to land, I was greeted by an hour and a half bus ride to downtown Pittsburgh where I met Jerry for a ride back to his house.  

The last leg of the trip was my drive back to the SC.  It was a lot of travels and I'm basically crushed.  I'll be sure to provide my assessment of the trip later, but for now, as you may expect, the traveling was not the highlight.  

Step by Step

So this weekend I decided to drop in on my friends Jerry and Bunny in their fair city of the 'burgh.  I'm not entirely sure why, but for some reason Bunny wanted to run a 5K in a ridiculously thick heat.  I'm not saying it was humid, but at one point I actually had to borrow a knife in order to cut through it.

I'm not a runner and have no intentions to run (unless I'm being chased) so I guess I don't entirely understand the mentality.  If it's anything like racing bicycles, then I suppose there is some degree of sense to it all, except it seems to be a lot more work.  Of course my personal feelings about running don't really matter because Bunny crushed the course and ran her fastest mile splits in the entire storied history of her running career.  

I guess it just goes to show that once again, I have a lesser degree of motivation than a lot of people; even those named after a small, furry, and big eared animal. Either way Bunny, you kicked some tail (pun intended...). 

The Chase

Racing bikes is not easy; by any stretch.  

When you get shelled out the back of an 80 person field after the third corner; nothing good happens.  Quite frankly it demoralizing.  It's like expending every bit of energy you have just to hang on, only to get flagged out because you're either "Going to get lapped" or "Not in contention" for the win.  Either way you cut it; it sucks.  

Fortunately Jerry and Caroline are gracious hosts and let Colin and myself stay at their home.  Of course after getting destroyed during the sanctioned event you have to make sure not to take things easy because you just get clipped on the ride home.  Even when you don't know where you are or how to get where you want to be.  It's easy to get lost in the Burgh' and sometimes you get your finger crushed trying to find your way out.  

You just have to be careful I guess.

Hang on Tight

If Saturday night marked an end then Sunday morning had to bring along a beginning. We’ve officially turned over a new calendar year and my 2012 has already been highly eventful. To close out 2011 and officially start two aught one two, I managed to drive 1,600 miles in three days, attend a funeral, and experience what it’s like to be in one of the shows about driving in a blizzard. You know the ones where a string of cars are driving real slow with their hazards on and some jag-off rips past them all going way too fast only to end up in a ditch? Yeah, that kind except in this case I was NOT the idiot driver but there were plenty of them in ditches. I’m not sure if this is a sign of things to come but if it is, 2012 is going to be one hell of a ride.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Ho Cubed

So according to the calendar on the wall, today is Christmas. That’s right, the day when all us good Christians gather for a day filled with prayer and reflection on the year and to celebrate a birthday. For me, that loosely translates to eating and drinking entirely too much over a multi-day period spent with family and friends.

Several years ago my family (read: me) decided that exchanging gifts was more trouble than it’s worth. There are too many people in the family now so the gift exchange portion of the day would just take way too long and trying to coordinate everyone’s schedule is just too daunting. Personally, I prefer it this way because let’s be honest, I have just about everything I need and if I don’t I’ll most likely buy it for myself when I realize that I might actually need it.

As I wait for the rest of the family to arrive at my parents’ house I’ll soak in the remaining bits of quiet while I can. Soon a whirlwind of chaos and mayhem will ensue and the children will turn the living room into a snowstorm of wrapping paper with little effort. It will be good to see everyone and catch up on the past year and who knows, maybe this time when a jolly man dressed as Santa appears at the door unexpectedly, someone in the house will actually know who it is.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

DD Part Two

So as many of you know this past Thursday was Thanksgiving for we folks in the U.S. and, like any good person, I decided to travel. For the second year in a row I headed to Pittsburgh to spend the big day and subsequent weekend with the freshly minted Mr. and Mrs. Babik. The highlight of the trip, however, was going to be my second dance with the Dirty Dozen; riding bikes up thirteen of the steepest hills in the city. I wasn’t sure how the ride would go since I haven’t been training but the weather was going to be ideal and I figured I could struggle through it. After all, I would be starting with a belly full of Turkey.

A lot happened over the weekend so instead of going into specific detail I figure it will be easier to just make a list so here goes:

• Jared and Caroline host an amazing Thanksgiving feast
• Jared has more beer left over from his wedding than any one person should
• Pittsburgh has some fun mountain bike trails right in the city
• Steve K. is awful at NHL 95 but for some reason is really good at the Sweet Valley High board game
• There's free parking closer to the Pen’s games than most people realize, but watch out for the nacho cheese
• Caroline makes an amazing breakfast and is great at motivating cyclists so they don’t quit
• Steevo can ride the wheels off a bike; any bike
• Jared can get true hill points when he tries
• Riding roads and trails for four days straight takes a lot out of you
• Driving the turnpike the Sunday after Thanksgiving is a bad idea

As you can see it was a full couple of days and that is just a partial list. I survived another Dirty Dozen and completed all the hills. I felt better than I thought and rode stronger than I expected. Steevo won his 8th straight DD and a record crowd of over 300 cyclists showed up to start the 29th installment of this little tour of Pittsburgh (but the amount of finishers is unknown). Of course the show on WQED and the 60 degree weather probably helped but who’s counting? I’ve already decided that I’ll be back to do it again next year because the whole trip was a lot more fun than I expected but more importantly, I’ll get a dot next to my name for (hopefully) finishing my third DD.

Together

This past weekend was one that I have been looking forward to for quite a while. I was traveling to Pittsburgh to witness the union of Jared and Caroline. I met Jared about five years ago through some mutual friends and I’ve known Caroline for about three years when she and Jared made one of his annual trips to the SC. Over the years I’ve become good friends with both of them and early on it was clear that they would wind up getting married.

Saturday morning Spring, Brian, and I headed out on our way to the big city. Jared and Caroline had an evening ceremony scheduled so we had time to get into town, have some lunch, get all gussied up, and head to the big event. Following the nuptials was a great celebration that included lots of dancing, lots of cookies, and French fries; lots of delicious French fries with assorted toppings. Nothing rounds out a long night of merriment than deep fried potato sticks smothered in cheese and bacon bits. Well, nothing except maybe watching the bride run barefoot down the streets of Pittsburgh while the groom carried her shoes.

Bike-ation

As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend was spent road tripping and riding bikes. Wormy Worm, J-WAG, my self, and the Seb Rocket caravanned down to the Shenandoah Valley Bike Coalition’s annual mountain bike festival. I’ve been down to the area to help out with bike races but had never ridden there. This was going to be a much deserved and full-scale suffer-fest of epic proportions. I just wasn’t aware of how much suffering would occur.

We all took off work on Friday for the trip and, after a brief stop in Harrisonburg for some supplies and to visit some bike shops; we rolled into the Stokesville campground at about three o’clock in the afternoon. This left just enough time to get geared up and head off to the downhill race. It was a short bike ride and a mild (by Shenandoah standards) singletrack climb to the start of the race and then about five minutes to bomb down some fast and swoopy singletrack. I wasn’t trying to compete in this race but I did want to recon the trails. This would be my first taste of what to expect. It was challenging, but I attributed my lack of skills to the fact that I’ve been off the bike for a while and needed to get my bearings back.

Saturday started early as we had a big day planned. Since Dr. Worm lived in the area for a while he knew the trails and would act as our guide. The three of us started out with a larger group and I quickly realized how my day was going to end up. My account of the ride goes something like this:

Step One - ride (or attempt to ride) straight up a mountain for about two and a half hours while getting punched in the face by steep section after steep section.

Step Two - spend about ten minutes riding an amazingly flowy and smooth ribbon of singletrack down the backside of the mountain you just rode up.

Step Three – slum back to the campground and cool off in the river before relaxing and enjoying the sunshine and amazing fall weather.

Sunday began with some sore legs and slow movements but we broke camp early and began heading back north. We stopped off to ride some trails near the local ski resort that Jerome had worked on. This ride was similar to the previous day except it wasn’t as big and I was almost completely crushed by the time it ended. Fortunately this was only about two hours which was about all I could handle.

All in all, it was a great weekend with great people and amazing trails that humbled me as a mountain bike rider. It will definitely be something I put on my calendar for future years as it’s a really chill event. The only downside was taking a digger in the mud to end my Sunday ride and provide a little extra clean-up of myself, my gear, and my bike.

Memories

Once upon a time, I had a life that involved hanging out with friends, going on bike rides, road-tripping, and other pursuits that kept me feeling young and made for great stories. I would fill my weekends with activities that would test my physical and mental limits. I would secretly look forward to Monday and going to the office so I could rest up and begin anticipating the next weekend’s events.

Now, my time is still filled with activity but it seems to only focus on my house. I’ve taken on an ambitious schedule of tasks this summer that kept me from enjoying the bike rides and road-trips and other radical endeavors. I work on most of these projects solo and exhaust myself in other ways; and not necessarily the good kind.

When I first started this blog it was intended to be all about the amazing adventures I went on and the activities that tested my skills. Lately though, it seems to be about home improvements (or at least my escapades into home improvements). I think it’s time to get back to my roots and start being adventurous again.

Fortunately, I’ll get my first chance this coming weekend as I venture south to Stokesville and partake in a mountain bike festival. Even though the festival only lasts the weekend, it will be a much needed trip to relax and ride bikes. Hopefully this weekend will get me back on track to escapades that don’t involve going to the home stores.

Two for the Road

As promised, but with a short delay of several weeks, I finally managed to get away from the SC for a few days. On Friday morning I loaded up my car and made the “shorter than expected but still really long trip” to Atlanta to visit Sean and Lucy. This would be the first time seeing Sean and Lucy in just over a year, but it was also going to be my first foray back to Georgia since I left six years ago. The plan was to spend some quality time hanging out, enjoying the cozy north Georgia sunshine, and riding mountain bikes.

Upon my arrival at Sean and Lucy’s I was greeted with that often talked about Southern hospitality. That is to say neither one of them was home. Since I felt like I had been folded in half from sitting in the car for twelve hours I decided to relax under the magnolia tree in their front yard and wait for someone to show up. After a short wait, Sean rolled up on his motorcycle and he escorted me in for a beer in their courtyard while we got caught up on old times. About an hour later Lucy arrived and we decided to head out for some dinner.

Saturday morning came early but also included coffee and bagels. The plan was to ride mountain bikes on the Chicopee Trails, then head into Athens for some dinner and also to watch the Twilight Criterium. The Twilight Criterium is kind of major bicycle race that’s been held in downtown Athens for about thirty years and is crazy exciting to watch because it’s a short course and is wicked fast. That alone would have been more than enough excitement for one trip. Fortunately, there was more fun to be had.

Sunday morning Lucy and I headed out for breakfast while Sean stayed home to do school work (as he’s working on his MBA). The afternoon involved Sean and I heading to northern Georgia for some more mountain biking at Bull Mountain while Lucy went to work for a few hours. I had done plenty of road rides in north Georgia but never any trails so that was a treat to be had. After several hours of suffering on the red clay we made our way back to the house for some burgers and beers.

Unfortunately I had to get up crazy early today and drive back to the SC. Now, I’m extremely tired and a day late on my blog. I guess the bright side is that while I was in Atlanta Sean and Lucy not only got to spend time with me but they each got new boots. Of course, Lucy didn’t get to keep hers, but in this case that's a good thing.

Yinz Get Outta Here N’at

Since I’ve been living in the SC, there has always been one event that occurs every winter. Sometime in late January or early February we get a wicked crazy heat wave for about sixteen hours. While this warming trend really sucks for digging trenches on the slopes (at least in the days after), it’s kind of nice because it’s a minor blip on the radar of spring (not you; the season. It’s a lower case ess) that, for some reason, gets my subconscious thinking about the impending warmth. Of course this can only mean that the trails will soon be ready to open up and reveal their sweet sweet goodness once again.

For some reason, we didn’t get that warm spell this year. In fact, it’s been the exact opposite where the temperatures have been extremely low. Needless to say it’s been rather cold. While I’m not complaining, the chilly temperatures have kept this gilded lily (yeah that’s me) on his indoor trainer for any type of cycling experience. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, however this year it’s caused me to consider drastic measures.

Typically, I like to end my season of snowy goodness with a trip out west to enjoy some steeps, powder, and back country summits. This year, however, I’m considering the conclusion of my snowboarding season will be a trip down south, to ride a bike. That’s right; I’m trying to get an excursion together and visit some very good friends that have recently relocated to the Atlanta area. While I won’t hold their geographical location against them, I will allow Lucy to make at least one of the items that have been showcased here.

More than Enough

So as promised, this is my follow-up to last week’s post regarding that beloved little bike ride in Pittsburgh known as the Dirty Dozen. As I mentioned before, this is an event that occurs on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and takes riders up thirteen of the steepest hills Pittsburgh has to offer. Here’s how things went.

I guess I had a preconceived notion of what steep hills were. After all, I’ve been riding a bike for a little while and I’ve been on some intensely mountainous rides. However, nothing I have ever done before was able to prepare me for the hellish inclines that I encountered on Saturday. I think it’s fair to say that I was woefully unprepared for these hills.

Unless you’ve actually seen the hills that are on the DD course, you don’t physically have the ability to imagine how steep they actually are. Add to that the fact that you’ve got almost 200 people trying to ride up these vertical streets that are no wider than about a car length and you have all the makings for a cocktail of pain and anguish.

The bottom line is I survived, barely. I made it up every hill on my first try and didn’t go down once. My heart almost exploded out of my chest on more than one occasion, and on the final hill I was going so slow that I think it was just one long track stand. My arms hurt worse than my legs from pulling on the bars and walking hasn’t been that easy. I should also say that Jared almost won Canton Avenue, but lost to Steevo (who won the DD, again) by about a half a wheel length and Colin took fifth overall for the day. This could be one event that I don’t ever want to do again, but it surely was a lot of sadistic fun.

The New

This past weekend I spent a few days at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was the 2010 Local Conservation Summit being hosted by the Access Fund and NRAC. Since I’m a member of the board for our Local Climbing Organization (C3PA) I thought it would be a good idea for me to attend.

Friday morning Scott, Ieva, Anders and I made our way down to the New for what would be a fun filled weekend with lots of climbers that are very passionate about their craft. I knew I would be one of the less apt climbers in the group but that didn’t matter to me as this was more of a reason to spend a few days hanging out with Scott, Ieva, and Anders and less about the actual event. Also, I thought it would be good for me to show my face around this group of people that I didn’t really know (and didn’t know me).

The event officially started on Friday evening with some general socializing but the real action didn’t happen until Saturday morning with formal presentations and an actual agenda of work to perform. We spent two days talking about climbing specific issues and working through problems that generally affect all the Local Climbing Organizations in one form or another. We also managed to fit a little climbing into the weekend on some really fantastic rock. Overall, I’d say it was a worthwhile trip but once again, I over did it and now I’m trying to make up for a lack of sleep. I guess it’s a good thing the work week has started again.

The Wedding; Part II

So as I mentioned before I was out in Montana last weekend for a wedding. There were about seven of us from both the SC and Pittsburgh that went out and we were all staying together so it was like a mini vacation under the guise of a wedding. I arrived on Friday afternoon and met up with Jared who had just come off a four day bender in Vegas, while the rest of the crew would be touching down at BZN around eleven o’clock that night. The wedding wasn’t until Sunday so we would have plenty of time to hang out and get acclimated to the area before the big event; or at least that was the plan.

Saturday’s agenda included a cookout for all the out-of-town guests, which was just about everyone and our little east coast crew was in charge of bringing drinks. We started the morning with a shopping spree and got what we felt was a sufficient amount of beer, soda, water, and assorted juices for the crowd. We procured more than enough to put a hurting on the suspension of the mini-van the seven of us were traveling in (or at least planned to travel in). As we were getting ready to depart, the van decided it didn’t want to start. Fortunately Brian’s parents were there (since they live there) and we were able to make a vehicle swap that allowed all seven passengers and four coolers full of assorted drinks to safely find the venue.

The next morning (Sunday) we were “recruited” (and I use the term loosely) to set up all the chairs in the alpine meadow where the ceremony was to be held. I was given a general idea of what was to happen the night before but no real strategy was established so we were on our own to determine the best location and set for the seventy plus chairs that would (hopefully) accommodate the guests. Everything must have been satisfactory because nothing was changed when we returned later for the actual wedding.

At this point I’ll skip ahead because let’s face it; a wedding is a wedding is a wedding. It was a very touching ceremony with tears and laughs and a backdrop that couldn’t be beat. The reception followed which was great as well. That brings us to Monday when there was a plan for a nice little hike that turned into a full-on scramble to the top of the peaks. At this point I think it’s important to note that I was woefully ill prepared for any kind of hike as the only shoes I had with me were my Pumas. While these would have been the perfect footwear for going out on the town, they were not ideally suited for a seven mile hike through the high mountains of Montana.

Following the hike (and a short soak in the hot tub) we proceeded to make our way to a classic Montana steakhouse in one of the many sleepy little towns. At said establishment, we embarked on a full out voracious festival of meat, soup, salad, bread, potatoes, beer, coffees, and desserts. When it was all said and done we had eaten almost half a cow. We then sluggishly made our way back to the house for some additional soak time and beers. After all, it was a vacation.

Tuesday morning and I got into an argument at about four thirty. I was upset that I was seeing him and he just wanted me gone. We reached a mutual agreement and I was at the airport and on my way back to the SC. I somehow managed to drag myself into work on Wednesday, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, everyone had a grand time (or at least seemed to) except for our uninvited guest, Jared’s neck. I guess it goes without saying but congratulations Nate and Ali. Thanks for a great time in Montana.

Hitchin’ A Ride

So I missed my Sunday night posting by a few days but I’ve been out in Montana since last Friday for the wedding of two very good friends. While I’m currently way too tired to provide a complete write-up, I’ll at least provide you with at least a little bit of what happened. I won’t give you all the goods, I’ll give you a few.

The ceremony was in the Montana wilderness which provided a spectacular backdrop and stunning vistas. There’s something to be said for elk bugling during the exchanging of vows while enjoying the warm sun in an alpine meadow. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced and may not get to again. Of course, a few PBRs while telling people where to park didn’t hurt either. We ate big steaks, went on hikes, made new friends, and soaked in the hot tub under the wide-open expanse of the Montana sky. Hopefully I’ll get my act together and provide the rest of the goods, but sometimes things are best left out in the woods.