Denver B-Cycle

Denver’s bike sharing program, Denver B-Cycle, came out of its winter hibernation on March 14th. In a creative effort to distribute the bikes across its system, as well as earn a ton of exposure, it invited its annual member to be part of the of St Patrick’s Parade. A friend, Andy, did a much better than I capturing images of the day, so see his blog for more pictures.

Pictured below is 250 bikes awaiting distribution


Riders en route to the staging area


We were the only bikes in the staging area, but there was no shortage of trucks. Note the license plate and the owner diligently waxing the vehicle.


Two days later, in a moment of self-identified bike nerdiness I walked the two blocks to the bike station nearest my apartment, all the while witnessing a beautiful sunrise…


…only to find an empty station!

Ho hum. I walked another four blocks to the next station and still only had a 17 minute commute door to door.

Dave

My dear friend Dave passed away two years ago today. I cannot even recall, but I was likely 12, and had no idea that a pre-pubescent kid and a mid-20’s quadraplegic could form such a bond.

Pictured below is us playing backgammon. If you look closely you will see two of my tiles on the point, meaning I was at a disadvantage and Dave was savoring the poolside setting, the warmth of a Virginia in July and most importantly the situation my brash and aggressive style had put me in.

Well, I played tonight, and like in days past rolled with my left hand for Dave and tried to emulate his more conservative style of play. This time it ended in my favor, but I would take a lifetime of losses just to have one last game with him.

South Park Saloon

Alma, CO, located at 10,500 feet and home to approximately 200 people, would not be considered a hotbed of culinary creativity. Yet, for people who spent several hours slogging up Quandary Peak in high winds and low temperatures, its offerings are not to be passed up.
Within the shadows of numerous high peaks, the South Park Saloon offers up American and Mexican food, as well as pizza. A surprising cultural polyglot for a space that identifies more as a bar than an eatery.
Depleted of electrolytes, we (Alan and I) started with chips and salsa, knowing that it would get to the table within seconds and deliver a much  needed shot of sodium. The multi-colored chips were coated in coarse salt and pepper and paired with a chunky salsa. Chunky to the point that you wondered if the tomatoes were sliced not with knives, but via a series of karate chops.

We had hit that point where any food was bound to be excellent. Tostitos with Pace salsa could have landed in front of us and we would have sworn  it was the rapture. Knowing that, this was still a solid effort, and obviously not something that had just been dropped off by Sysco.
Next up was the pizza, which considering it was baked at 10,500 feet, was impressive. It was far greasier than any pizza I have recently consumed, but with a solid hiking effort behind us, it was put down guilt-free.

In summary, should you find yourself in need of sustenance after having climbed Lincoln, Democrat, Cameron, Bross or Quandary, or have spent the morning at the Bemrose Ski Circus, stop in as it is better than the offerings in Fairplay.

Sweet Action is Always Good

Sweet Action Ice Cream is a delectable ice cream parlor located at 52 Broadway. Plenty has been written at the local and national level about this place, singing high praise for its variety and quality. I am not a member of the “ice cream-gentsia” but am happy to add my voices to the chorus of praise.

This weekend is their two year anniversary and features an oreo-centric menu, so I queued up for a coffee/oreo combination.Coffee dominated with the occasional oreo crunch, and as a frozen yogurt eater, the creamy texture of real ice cream was sublime. The smoked porter was not as smoky or porterish as I hoped, but the Stranahans Whiskey Brickle has the potential to lead me down the path to morbid obesity. It is dessert whiskey!

Sweet Action also offers vegan friendly options. I know, I know, vegan ice cream…what is this world coming to? It too is delicious and just as creative in flavors, as evidenced by this chocolate on chocolate “single scoop”. Disembodied hand not included.

I have been three times in their two year existence. In an effort to show more compassion to myself, this number shall be increased. I still need to try the homemade ice cream sandwiches and continue to enjoy the whimsical ice cream themed artwork.

Quandary

Alan and I climbed Quandary Peak (14,265 ft) today. This represents the first 14er I have climbed in calendar winter. This represents departure from the norm and shows the strength of the mountains’ siren song, as I am one to avoid subzero temperatures and high winds.

Breckenridge is at 9,600 feet, our trailhead was another 1,400 feet higher, thus even colder. Put two 6 foot men in a truck, tell them the weather outside is below zero, without considering wind chill, and then sit back and watch what amounts to a confined space yoga class as they don a variety of gear. I was excited!

It was calm to start. It was like a backdrop to winter tourism in Colorado. A fresh layer of powder,the trees lightly dusted, sunshine peeking over the high ridge to our east and “snow” quiet. I love the silence that accompanies snow, when all sounds are muted or muffled and for a short period the rough edges of the world are softened.

We could see wind driven snow, but had largely been protected from it as we were below the mountains eastern flank. This changed at 12,000 feet, where balaclavas and ski goggles went on. Walking in these conditions is an isolated experience. Your field of vision is narrowed since your head is lowered to avoid wind. And the wind and balaclava conspire to make hearing one another a challenge. It becomes an exercise in watching your feet move forward.

It had been since August that I was above treeline. The thin air and steep slope work to slow you down, but the reward of infinite views push you on. The singular focus on movement through the steep alpine environment was a welcome relief from the mental chatter and overall confusion about life I have been feeling otherwise.

Banff Festival of Mountain Films

The Banff Festival of Mountain Films just came through Denver. Genevieve and I went to these many years in a row, actually starting in Washington DC. To say it changed the trajectory of our life would be accurate. See here, as this idea was spawned by a film we saw as part of the festival.

I have not been in a few years, but an invite arose so I met some friends for an evening of beers and movies.The opening sequence is designed to generate excitement. The Paramount Theater sold out, with 1,800 people in attendance. You could tell the makeup of the crowd by the reaction to various clips. Skiing gets a good response, mountaineering is cheered and climbers throwing dynamic moves from their high perches is welcomed with a cacophony.

I thought the two best films were the first two shown, with the remainder of interest, but not nearly as eye catching.

The first film was Lifecycles. Sponsored by Shimano, it showed plenty of bike manufacturing and the obligatory shots of riding fast through the forest. What I liked though was the riding on the plains of Saskatchewan. The tricks being thrown are impressive, but not nearly as much as the wide open landscape. 

The lack of visual clutter reeks of infinite possibility and the opportunity for stillness. I know this is over-romanticized and I would be stir crazy after day 3 in Saskatchewan, but I can fantasize about the simple life I would surely carve out for myself!

The other film was Still Motion, which was created using still photos from motion triggered cameras. Being a sucker for wildlife and having help collect similar images in the past, this movie could do no wrong.

Ba Le Sandwich

Located in a rundown strip mall at 1044 South Federal Boulevard, Ba Le Sandwich looks no different than any of the other countless ethnic eateries littering Federal Boulevard. Yet, it stands out for its banh mi, a sandwich on a baguette made of wheat and rice flour, of Vietnamese origin.

The baguettes are baked in-house, hence the french bakery mentioned in the sign, and are perfect. A crunchy exterior and a light and chewy crumb awaiting. They are loaded with cucumber,onion, cilantro and a shaved meat of your choice. Beef, chicken and pork are all represented in multiple fashions. The BBQ pork has a tangy flavor that slowly morphed into heat, leaving me to wipe my lips repeatedly as the long slow burn set in.

A majority of the sandwiches cost ~$3.00, which given the flavor and being on a fresh baked baguette is mind boggling.

In addition to sandwiches, sweet sticky rice, in a startling array of colors, and other sweets are available. As are meats. Note that MSG is the 4th ingredient of the headcheese roll. It was a tempting purchase as it would be a like an umami express in terms of savory flavor, but heart health triumphed over pig snout laid across crackers.

With sandwich in hand, and a day off from work, it was off to Mt Morrison to meet Alan for a midday climb. The weather here has been near 60* all week, so it was a little surprising to find a bit of rain and a few snowflakes falling. This passed quickly, leaving us with cloud cover for a 33 minute ascent of 1,300 vertical feet.

I have climbed Mt Morrison numerous times, but never tire of it. The rhythmic movement combined with the steep grade pushes out all but the immediate concerns. Where is my next step? Will this rock shift? Can I pick up the pace? Should I slow down? For someone whose mind hops about like a well rested rabbit this is a welcome respite. I have tried meditation and will likely do so again, but this sort of effort, although punishing at times, puts me into the moment more consistently.