Telluride and Colorado in the Fall

Left Mesa Verde on Saturday and drove towards Telluride to find a place to camp. We were running out of daylight so Ambereen told me to turn on the next National Park Access Road. We made the turn and drove 25 minutes into the park, past a herd of cattle and up to 10,000 feet before finding a clearing suitable for camping. I set up camp and she started the fire (in an established fire pit, of course!). It got dark quickly so we settled in and grabbed dinner and finished a bottle of wine. The fire was starting to die down when we heard a pack of coyotes celebrating a kill nearby. Kind of creepy when you can't see your hand in front of your face. I wonder what they caught? Checked out the night sky once again (hard to describe the thousands of stars and the Milky Way that you can't see in the city) then got some shut eye. Walked around camp in the morning then as I was packing up she heard the call of a make elk in rut. I missed it and he never made another sound. Must have been the right call? Packed up the car and hit the road. We were headed to Durango to drive around and have brunch. The San Juan Mountain Range is the most beautiful in all of Colorado (IMHO) and the leaves were turning so it was showtime. telluride was spectacular and we drove through town to head up a 4x4 trail taking us to an overlook. There was a house / structure at the top of the trail which was an old hydroelectric facility with caretakers still living there. It would give me the creeps living on the edge of that cliff. Unreal views though. Wow....
Had a great brunch (salmon eggs benedict with kick ass home fries and the drink special was a John Daly!) then headed to Placerville, Ridgway, Montrose, Delta, Hotchkiss, Glenwood Springs and back to Denver via I-70. That's a long ass drive for those of you unfamiliar with the territory. But the views were spectacular with the fall colors, especially through Telluride up to Glenwood Springs. Vail was pretty too, but it was nothing compared to the drive up 550.
Check out all the pics at - http://picasaweb.google.com/osuzigman/ColoradoFall2008#

Mesa Verde

Made it to Mesa Verde last Thursday and toured Cliff Palace. We then grabbed dinner at Metate ($19.06 for a three course meal to celebrate the 100 year anniversary) and set up camp at the campground (in the dark). The stars were spectacular. So many to see that we couldn't even figure out the guide. That and the bottle of wine we had ;)
Got up early on Friday and headed to the Visitor's Center to buy tickets to tour Long House and Balcony House. Headed to Balcony House first to catch the 9 am tour. After the tour we hiked the Petroglyph Trail then toured Spruce Tree House. That took us to lunch then we had to drive to Wetherill Mesa to take the Long House tour. This park is a World Heritage park - so far I think I've been to two in the US. Mesa Verde has been hit by a few fires in the past several years and over 50% of the park has been damaged, Due to the high alpine environment they estimate it will take 100-300 years for the park to recover fully. It's a very cool place and well worth the trip. Check out the photos here - http://picasaweb.google.com/osuzigman/MesaVerde2008#

Pagosa Springs

Spent two days at Pagosa Springs last Wednesday & Thursday. The hot springs are the best I've been to so far (although for beauty Conundrum wins hands down) although you must be careful. I got into the Burg when it was 116 degrees. That's freakin' hot! Played golf at the only course in town and got a birdie on the #1 handicap hole. The rest will be left in my memory and I hope it fades quickly.
Headed to Mesa Verde on Friday for a couple of days.

CU Boulder vs West Virginia

What a game! I worked the gate on the field at the Northeast corner and got THISCLOSE to Erin Andrews (she wants me - I could tell) and got to watch pretty much the entire game. What a show it was. The Buffs pulled ahead 14 - 0 with two quick scores then fell asleep. The game ended up going to OT where WVU's field goal attempt bounced off the post right in front of me. It was so close it sounded like a bell ringing. The Buffs took over and kicked a field goal on 3rd down to win it. It was mayhem - I pushed the gate back to let the fans rush the field and got the hell out of the way. The gate was also where the players and Ralphie entered. Ralphie is the mascot - a female bison who runs across the field with the players at the beginning of the game. I can't believe they can get away with that one - two handlers were being pulled on their stomachs across the field trying to hang on.

Fossil Trace golf

Well, since nobody wanted to play hooky to see the Rockies at 1 pm today I decided to play 9 at Fossil Trace. 9 holes w/ cart for $25! It's gorgeous outside and I can't wait to T it up. 3:40 T time. And get away from the news on TV and the radio. I heard an interview on NPR this morning with a financial expert who described the AIG bailout in such detail that I was shocked as to what could have happened had the government not stepped in. All the greed from the subprime industry is going to play havoc with our economy for a while. Am I happy I sold my house when I did..........whew.
The pic is a dinosaur footprint located next to the #11 green. Hence the name Fossil Trace.

Future Weapons cannon challenge game

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/future-weapons/games/cannon/cannon.html

I got 27,900 1st try. Have at it!! (116,000 on second try ;)

Just heard from my sister that they lost power last Sunday. And still don't have it back. And it could be until Sunday before they do!!! They live in S Delaware County. Had no idea it was that bad. Wish I could do something to help.......

Move Ray & Kerry & Santana

Moved Ray & Kerry to new digs in Highlands Ranch. We've agreed that if any of us fail to hire professional movers next time we're entitled to a free bitch slap.

Went to the Santana concert at Fiddlers that evening after watching the first half of the USC scrimmage. Great show.

G. Love & Special Sauce - John Butler Trio and Tristan Prettyman

G. Love & Special Sauce - John Butler Trio
Friday, September 12, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 5:30PM
With John Butler Trio and Tristan Prettyman
$39.50 RES, $36.50 GA - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges AEG Live is thrilled to announce G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE with special guests JOHN BUTLER TRIO and Tristan Prettyman performing live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Friday, September 12, 2008.

G. Love & Special Sauce are a trio from Philadelphia, PA. Their laid-back, sloppy blues sound is quite unique, as it encompasses the sound/production of classic R&B and recent rap artists (the Beastie Boys, in particular). The group -- G. Love (born Garrett Dutton) on guitar/vocals/harmonica, Jeff Clemens on drums, and Jim Prescott on upright bass. Ever the road band they are known for their extensive touring. By 2004 and the Hustle LP, G. Love had eased up a little on the kitchen sink approach, offering instead a cohesive, dry groove reminiscent of his earliest efforts. Hustle was also the first G. Love release under Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records banner. It made sense; the two had been pals at least since Philadelphonic, which Johnson had guested on. His move off Sony spawned the Best of G. Love and Special Sauce, but G. wasn't done. Special Sauce did a series of shows in 2004 with Johnson and fellow Brushfire artist Donovon Frankenreiter, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP before 2006's Lemonade. The tour chronicle/live album A Year and a Night with G. Love and Special Sauce appeared in 2007. ~ SOURCE: All Music Guide

GREAT SHOW - and my last for the season at Red Rocks......good times. They took me out for a few drinks afterwords. My co-workers, not the band ;)

Foo Fighters at Red Rocks

Foo Fighters
Monday, September 08, 2008 — 7:30PM - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 — 7:30PM
doors open at 6:00PM
JULY FOO FIGHTERS SHOWS WERE POSTPONED TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th & TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9th - DUE TO ILLNESS.

AEG Live is thrilled to announce the FOO FIGHTERS performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Monday, July 14th, 2008 and a second show on July 15th. Special Guest Supergrass will open the show.

The FOO FIGHTERS are:
*Dave Grohl (guitar/vocal)
*Taylor Hawkins (drums)
*Nate Mendel (bass)
*Chris Shiflett (guitar)

Having commemorated their tenth anniversary with a year-plus run commencing with a double studio album hailed by the New York Times as "an unexpected magnum opus," a sold out arena tour built on that first disc's rock foundation followed by a toned down and intimate theater trek that highlighted the softer side showcased on that record's second half and capped off by a headlining gig at London's Hyde Park for a crowd of 85,000, the question looms larger than any in the Foo Fighters' career to date: What do they do for an encore?

GREAT shows - I'm now a huge Foo Fighters fan - anyone have their music??

One more show at Red Rocks for me this season.

Tiny made it back after his head injury at NIN - 6 staples in his scalp - ouch....

You are from Colorado if:

A winter statistic: 98.0% of Americans scream before going in the ditch on a slippery road. The other 2.0% are from Colorado and they say, 'Hold my soda and watch this.'

You will eat ice cream in the winter.
It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be canceled.

You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.

You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.

'Humid,' is over 25.0%.

Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.

You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.

You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.

You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.

You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your c oat.

You know what the Continental Divide is.

You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal.

You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, and as an adult.

You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.

You always know the elevation of where you are.

You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow.

**You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High**

Every movie theater has military and student discounts.

Everybody wears jeans to church.

You actually know that 'South Park,' is a real place not just a show on TV.

You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder.

You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradoan when they call it Elitches, not Six Flags.

A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.

Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.

When people back East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.

You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky,' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

OSU vs OU, party and Poison / Dokken

Saturday was a whirlwind. Cathy & I went to Croc's at 9 am and met Sharon, Hillary and Gayle to watch the Buckeyes dismantle OU. Hmm. Not quite what happened. We need to play a lot better to not be embarrased this Saturday. The party was at Jon & Catherine's house then I had free passes to see Poison & Dokken at Fiddlers Green. Dokken was one of my favorite bands back in 1984 so I went just for the hell of it. Those guys looked like they had their AARP cards. And how the hell do they still have so much hair???

Spent Sunday in Boulder - cool town and will be back there in two weeks for the CU / WVA game.

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) at Red Rocks

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Friday, September 05, 2008 — 7:00PM - Saturday, September 06, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 6:00PM
With Talib Kweli and FLYING LOTUS on 9/5 and Ghostland Observatory and Bassnectar on 9/6
$36.00 GA advance, $40.00 GA day of show - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges
Live Nation proudly presents STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday September 5 and Saturday September 6. Special Guest Talib Kweli and a special guest TBA will open the Friday show. Special Guest Ghostland Observatory will open Saturday’s show plus a special “in the round” set by Bassnectar.

Dubbed “…one of the country's most intriguing, innovative outfits around” by XLR8R Magazine, STS9 steps out this summer armed with their brand-new, highly anticipated studio album, peaceblaster. To be released in summer 2008 on their own label 1320 Records (www.1320records.com), the new album will feature never-before heard tracks that artfully mirror the intensity of STS9’s live shows, while preserving the musical intricacies of past studio albums that critics and fans have touted. peaceblaster comes nearly three years after their acclaimed 2005 releases, Artifact & Artifact: Perspectives, both of which were named in iTunes list of top albums of the year.

The excitement of STS9’s sixth annual return to Red Rocks doesn’t stop in Morrison. The band is also performing an intimate show at the Boulder Theater on September 4th that is on-sale now exclusively at (www.sts9store.com) as a three day pass for the entire weekend. The band is also planning on hosting after-parties at the Gothic Theatre each night with a number of incredible acts that will be announced soon.

It was rave music. I was happy when it ended.

3 Doors Down - Hinder - Finger Eleven at Red Rocks

3 Doors Down are putting up massive radio numbers with “Its Not My Time”, the first single from their self-titled album in stores now. Their much anticipated fourth studio album has spawned rock’s biggest radio hit of the year so far. 3 Doors Down have become a signature presence in Rock through hard work and passionate songwriting that speaks directly to their audience. Lead singer Brad Arnold cites this effort as perhaps the most communal band effort. “3 Doors Down has always been about every band member giving everything we’ve got,” says the singer/songwriter. “On this album we really wanted to make every song count. We owe it to our fans who have been there to support us from day one.”

Braced by front-man Brad Arnold’s enduring vocal power, 3 Doors Down has put together an amazing streak of powerful albums and chart-topping singles, including their 6 million selling 2000 breakthrough effort, The Better Life, and epic mega-hit signature songs such as the #1 “Kryptonite,” and “When I’m Gone,” from 2003’s 4 million selling epic Away From The Sun.

Good 'ol fashioned rock and roll show. Loud as hell and lots of chicks. Overstaffed again so I sat in the front and listened to the entire concert - and got paid! Only a few more shows left this season. Gotta get 'em while I can.

Best show of the season - NIN

Best stage setup - best light show - best sound by far...

Nine Inch Nails, also known by the acronym NIN, was formed in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1988 by Trent Reznor, the only constant member of the band. He is generally credited for popularizing the genre known as “industrial rock”.

NIN will be touring in support of their latest release, the slip, and as a thank you to their fans for their continued support, they are giving it away one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

Nine Inch Nails 2008 touring lineup has been completed. Returning member Robin Finck and new addition Rich Fownes will join Trent Reznor, Alessandro Cortini and Josh Freese for a world tour beginning July in North America.

Finck has served in numerous touring configurations of NIN, from tours supporting The Downward Spiral (1994-1997) to The Fragile (2000-2001). More recently, he played in Guns N Roses. Fownes has been performing with UNKLE, and has been a member of With Scissors and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. The upcoming tour will feature the live debut of material from the recently released Ghosts I-IV alongside songs spanning the entire NIN catalogue.

Cool pic of me on the way up to Windom Peak last weekend. The other one is at the Botanic Gardens for the Bruce Hornsby show a few weeks ago.
Working the Nine Inch Nails show at Red Rocks tonite - that should be pretty wild. 3 Doors Down tomorrow.
Went to a going away party for Cathy's friend Laura on Sunday and learned she was freaking out about getting packed. I told her I would help out on Monday. Little did I know how unprepared she was! Chicks ;) Had to unload the last half of the 28' UHaul and get everything loaded up. Finally had enough so Cathy got a 12 pack of Sam Adams and we sat in the park for a few hours and enjoyed the rest of the day.