I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Song of the day - Dropkick Murphy's ~ I'm Shipping Up to Boston

I'm not really, but a good Monday tune.




Peace...

A little bit o' this...

Song of the day - Nirvana ~ Lithium

I've used Nirvana once before, but heard a piece on NPR this AM about Kurt and just had to share.


Here's a few of the highlights from the Pant's world (party time, excellent):

• I came home from Funderson and I's Aspen Adventure! and was stoked to tell Shamus about my bear tale, but he says "I got one better for you."  He sure did too, he saw a mountain lion!  A juvenile, it was walking below him on a trail as he was on the road.  He said at first it didn't even notice he was there and then just took off running.  So, what does any self-respecting, hairy mountain man do?  Run after it...to get one more peak of course.  Crazy cat, I tell you what.

• It was like Christmas this week, our local radio station KBUT was selling their excess CD's, premium $2 and others 4/ $1....holy hannah, I was in hog heaven.

• My friend, Beca and I had a mini Adventure this past weekend.  I planned out a loop and we started at about 7 am.  It was chilly and the fog was thick.  It stayed long enough that we even got above it:

Midway up Gunsight Pass looking out across the Slate River Valley

Like waves crashing up on shore, looking back towards the Butte

We ran some serious ups and then took a trail that takes off to the West about 3/4 of a mile from the top of the Pass.  I'd never been on this trail and the map said "faint trail."  It was quite faint, possibly nonexistent in places.  I know for my UK friends that's just a walk in the park, but we are spoiled rotten in Colorado : )  It had snowed and that didn't help matters.  So, our feet and the dogs were WET.  We continued to climb in elevation and knew the general direction we should be heading, so onward and upward.  We came to the bowl below Star Pass and the trail vanished like smoke through our bare hands.  So, we determined where the Pass was and just started up the hill(s).  As I am sloooooowwwwly making my way up the hill, my super great brat, Natty, knocked a rock the size of an anvil off the cliff above and slightly to the right of my path up.  Nice Natty, nice. 

The low spot in between the two ridges in the middle of the photo is Star Pass where we crossed.  

 I would have taken a photo at the top of the Pass, but after bush whacking up to the top we looked down at a wicked steep trail covered with 4-6 inches of snow.  We were frozen popsicles  and thought we best get a move on.  Move on we did, partially on my bum, but I have no shame.

Mt. Owen

Beca as we had just found a real trail, WHOOPA!

Hope that you all are having a wonderful week!

Peace...

We Are Free Now

Song of the day - Enya ~ We Are Free Now

A lovely song



Peace...

The Rain

As it's been raining off and on for a week and we woke up with snow on the peaks yesterday, I thought that this song was appropriate...

Song of the day - K-os ~ The Rain

Beauty



Peace...

Electric Feel

Funderson and I had an ADVENTURE! over the weekend and ran to Aspen over West Maroon Pass. You see as the crow flies, we are only about 12 miles away, but to drive in a normal, non-4WD car it takes you ~3 hours.  She had won a gift certificate last year at a race we did and it was about to expire.  We just couldn't have that.  So, we each packed a bag, slightly larger than a camel back and looked like hobos.

Her LF had to be up for a cross country meet in Leadville any way. So, we left at the arse crack of dawn to get up to Schofield Pass near where the trailhead is. We left at 6:50 AM from the trailhead and started on our way.

Aaaannnnd we're off, frost still on the flowers even.

A lovely Funderson and view

I don't remember why this face, but pay no attention because the flowers are still fabulous.  I took my gloves off because my hands got hot and then they were FREEZING, but I just said sooner or later they'll warm up when we get to the sunshine.  It chased us up the trail and we didn't actually get into the sun until we were at the top of the pass 2 hours after we started...DOH!

Funderson's enthusiasm at the top of the pass.

The brush was nearly as tall as we were in spots and we were mildly concerned about running smack dab into a bear.  Someone pointed out later that it was a moose that we should be more concerned with.

Down at Maroon Lake on the Aspen side with the Bell's in back of us.

So, we made it across and into Aspen, via the bus, in about 4 hours.  Now, we were in search of the all important BEER.  Funderson mentioned about 3/4 of the way down that a beer sounded darn good and that's all we could focus on.  I think we must've been looking in all of the wrong places, but we couldn't find a plain old bar????  We initially found cocktail-y places, wine and espresso, which just weren't right.  Finally, we walked up to the greeter at a place called "Junk" and said "Do you have beers?"  Classy gals, I know...  They did, hooray!  Funderson had her first EVER Red Stripe followed closely by the second sitting on the outdoor patio and a load of chips and guac, perfect.

We meandered our way through the town and found our humble abode to check in.  They did not have a hot tub, but did have a pool.  So, as we packed swimmers all the way from the Butte on our backs, we donned the suits and much to our surprise the pool was...HEATED.  One giant hot tub.  I can't even imagine the energy wastage of such a thing, but put it out of my mind and enjoyed a soak.

After our soak, we got gussied up and ready for our swank-a-bank dinner.  I did not get a photo of us, but we looked ab fab.  The only bummer was that we had to use our ziploc bags as "purses" as the hobo satchel would not allow for such frivolity.  Dinner was AMAZING: beet spring salad with goat cheese beignets, bison tartar, striped bass.  It is the beginning of Aspen's off-season, as well, and to our surprise we were the ONLY people in the place.  We figured that this helped us out in not getting kicked out for being dirty Butte girl hippies.

Snoop Dogg was playing at the Belly UP, a kick-arse music venue in Aspen.  We however did NOT have tickets, but walked by a big bus outside the Belly UP and gave a shout out to the D O double G.  We got back to the hotel and were asleep by 9:30, crazy cats I tell you what.  The walls were a wee bit thin and heard some conversations going on here and there, but woke up raring to go.

We caught the buses up to the trailhead with only one cuckoo magoo tour guide-ish bus driver to liven up the journey.

We started the return journey and not two miles in I heard a rustle in the bush to my left.  I told myself c'mon Jess it's just another chipmunk, you don't have to look at every one.  I DID look and it was NOT at chipmunk.  It was a bear cub.  As my eyes gazed higher, there was another, but I couldn't find the mom...cripes.  I turn to Funderson pointing up the hill saying in a whisper "bear."  She sees and our eyes were as big as saucers.  Again, no photos because we quietly high-tailed it out of there.  The mother was in fact there, I just couldn't see her right where I was standing.  No grumbling from her whatsoever though.  This is pretty amazing any time to see one, but the trail was already quite busy and to be there right at that moment made us both feel very lucky.  We also saw a porcupine, but weren't nearly as excited.  I did in fact try to pull out the camera, but was having a wardrobe malfunction and couldn't get the zipper on my pocket open.  There was NO WAY I was climbing into the bush after the buggar either...

We were quite worried about the rain, but only got sprinkled on a handful of times. 

The "pass" and in hindsight the bison tartar may not have been the best "fuel" the night before such an ADVENTURE!

A truly wonderful weekend!


Song of the day - MGMT ~ Electric Feel

LOVE this song

Alabama Pines

Song of the day - Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

Former Drive By Truckers member, this album is sort of bluesy, but this song in particular is a bit more country. Enjoy!



Peace...

Muddy Bottom Blues

Song of the day - Tab Benoit ~ Muddy Bottom Blues

This fellow played a free show on the mountain earlier this summer and was FANTASTIC. If you haven't checked him out, you should. Funderson and I had a wicked fun ADVENTURE! this weekend and I'll write later when time allows. Have a good week!




Peace...

Last Dance

Song of the day - The Ravonettes ~ Last Dance

Kind of poppy, but thought it was an appropriate song for fall somehow, as the HEAT was turned on at work yesterday!?!



Peace...

Honey where you been so long...

Well, I'm sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth for a time. I AM still here just busy, which who's not, but blogging got lost in the shuffle of craziness.
 Here's some of what I've been up to:

• Shamus is an electrician by day, but also is a ranch manager, which can at times utilize my skills mowing and weed eating, not so much cage fighting and nun-chucks.  This combined with working and running = busy bees.
• The USA Pro Cycling Challenge rolled through Crested Butte for Stage One of the race and I was lucky enough to be a course marshal.  Road racing is something I've never experienced and the crowds energy was just mind-blowing.  I was at one of the corners and they had given us colors of jerseys to watch for...please, it was just like a rainbow blur as they zoomed passed!  The only rogues on the course were one loose dog and a half naked guy wearing only a Rod Stewart t-shirt riding a bike, but with the Butte I wouldn't expect any less.   
• Ran a portion of the Monarch Crest Trail with my pal, Hurricane:

She is an ANIMAL and I look like an amazon woman next to her...

• This accompanies many other fun runs, as we must pack all the trails in that we can NOW before the vicious s- word comes back to haunt us!
• Finally, when time allows we have been able to do a bit of light reading:

Awe jeez, mum...

Song of the day - Davina and the Vagabonds ~ Ain't Misbehavin'

I believe this is actually just Davina and not the Vagabonds, but am digging her old timey voice and just had to let you all know that I haven't been misbehaving.

Peace...