Day 2 of the Snowboarding Trip

As planned, we all woke up around six to get ready for a quick breakfast before driving to Wolf Creek. Some of us showered and some of us decided to shower after snowboarding. I chose the latter. It was quite chilly for poor ole moi, who is used to Arizona weather.

Breakfast from the inn was bare essentials. Cereals, bagels (rock hard as described by others), biscuits and gravy (lumpy and cold), fruits, juices, and waffles (high light). Unfortunately, waffle machine was sticking and I could not get one. Darn it to heck!!!! We all decided that the breakfast is not up to our delicate palate.

We drove up to Wolf Creek. It is quite scenic like aftershave commercials. When we got there, I had to go and rent a pair of shoes and a board. I got confused as ski and boarding rentals are at different places. Friendly rental people helped me get the right equipment quickly. While trying on the equipment, I fell down in the shop. I was rocking back and forth on the board. HOW EMBARASSING! It cost me twenty six dollars for each day. It is not so bad, I thought to myself. I met back up with Jim and Beth with my newly rented equipment. COOL.

Jim thought we should get a private lesson. I did not disagree as I was a little freaked out anyway. I mean I just fell down in the rental shop. It worked out to out six five dollars per person with Jim, Beth, and me. After paying for the lesson and lift tickets, we started for the beginners area, which was fenced, after making sure we were nice and light by going to the restroom first. I felt like I was a kindergartener in a fenced area, where I could not harm myself.

Our instructor's name was Travis. He told us some of the lingos first like toe edge, heel edge, regular or goofy footed, binding, etc. We got a short and quick lesson on just walking with the board, stopping, and getting on and off the lift while having only one foot strapped on. I know I did not feel ready when we went to the lift. I think we all fell down while getting off the lift the first time. Lift operators and Travis was quick to help us, novices, get out of other people's way.

Our first task was to stand up and just slide down strait on our heel side. Beth and I was able to get up on our heelside edge, but Jim was more comfortable with toeside edge. I slid down the hill first. It was not too bad. I took some video footage and pictures as I waited for the others. Beth and Jim took longer to get down as they were more careful. My way of saying, "Chickens!" Gabe and Mitch showed up out of nowhere. They watched us board for awhile before going back to more challeging courses.

I think we all still fell down off the lift second time. DARN IT ALL TO HECK! Travis taught me to traverse on heelside edge this time. He told me to look at the direction I want to go. I fell down a couple of times, but I got the hang of it. Once again, I took some footage of Jim and Beth and waited for the others.

Travis' time with us was soon over. I did not learn more than traversing on heelside, but I was getting off the lift without falling down. Travis told me to work with Jim on toeside as Travis taught Jim about toeside. We tipped Travis generously. I gave him a twenty dollar bill as I thought I tipped him for all of us, but Jim and Beth also gave him money. We should have talked through before tipping. Oh, well. Travis could probably use the money more than us?

We went to the lodge to get a bite to eat after splitting from Travis. It was quite busy. Although things were not cheap, they were not a complete rip off. I had a burger and it was quite tasty. I imagine much of that had to do with hunger. Mmm, burger!

I wanted to snowboard some more, but Jim and Beth decided to wait for the next day for more snowboarding. I decided to snowboard some more and meet up with Jim and Beth. For some reasons, it was much harder for me to stand up in the afternoon. I learned I cannot get from the right side. I snowboarded until three when I met back up with Jim and Beth.

We drove down the mountain to go back to the Inn. We stopped at Treasure Fall to take pictures of the frozen waterfall. We were tired and sore from falling. We kicked back until we got hungry, which was not too long after getting back. We consumed beer and other merriments along with pizza rolls and taquitos. For dessert, we had Jim's favorite satin chocolate pie. Mm, pie.

I fell a victim to fatigue and went in and out of dreamland while others laughed their a$$ off watching David Chappelle show on DVD.

Wolf Creek Ski Trip Video ...

As if we need another home video of people snow boarding, but I don't see why I should stop this flood of amateurish videos. So if you enjoy that kind of punishment, then you should check out my video. Click here.

Marathon training and brewing ...

Marathon Training
I have been training for about four weeks now. It has not been easy. In fact, it has been more difficult than any other marathon training I've done. I do not have the joy or the motivation from the previous trainings. I am dreading the long runs and I do not feel ready. I no longer care about the personal best time or qualifying for Boston someday. I realized how foolish I was thinking I can make it to Boston. I would still like to train for my very last marathon, SLC Marathon, and it is not a lip service this time.

Week 4: 19 miles, Total 51 miles
Week 3: 7 miles, Total 32 miles
Week 2: 13 miles, Total 25 miles
Week 1: 12 miles, Total 12 miles

Beer Brewing
I just brewed Marzen/Octoberfest yesterday. It could turn out to be Marzen or Octoberfest depending on how long I lager it. I have not decided it yet. I could split the batch and have a half of each. Everything went pretty smooth. I could've used a larger fermenter as there was still fermentable extract seeping out of the mash. I cannot wait to see how this beer will turn out.

Day 1 of the Snowboarding Trip

Jim and Beth, ex-roommates and good friends, invited me to go snowboarding at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado. It is near Pagosa Springs, CO. I did not know anything about Wolf Creek or Pagosa Springs except they are in southern Colorado. I thought it would be fun to hang out with friends, get out town, and learn a new sport.

Since I do not own any ski/snowboarding equipment, I had to borrow some. Lucky for me, I have friends with equipment ready to lend. I borrowed a jacket, two pairs of pants, and a pair of gloves from a couple of friends.

Jim and Beth arrived from Tucson last Thursday night as they told me. It was about nine at night. They came right after visiting Jim's favorite hot dog place in Tempe. I could smell the restuarant on their clothes. Jim always enjoys visiting his favorite spot whenever he is in Phoenix. I just cannot remember the name to save me.

We exchanged greetings. You know, how the heck are you and stuff. I asked him when we were departing. Jim said, "we are leaving two in the morning." "WHAT," came to my mind. Jim said, "I want to get there for a half day of snow boarding." Jim and Beth went to sleep soon after to get rested. I stayed up a little longer to finish packing.

Two o'clock came way too soon. I was tired, but excited to get on our way. It took Jim and Beth another half hour to get ready. We were all ready by two thirty. Yarn. Jim drove first. I meant to stay up, but it was in vain. I woke up when we arrived at Flagstaff for refueling. I bought snowballs for breakfast. Mm, snowballs.

Jim started driving again. We were headed toward Gallup, NM. I remember Jim bobbing his head like he was falling asleep. It scared the heck out of me. I asked Jim what was going on with bobbing of his head. Jim replied speedometer is too low so he had to lower his head. Next time I woke up, we were in New Mexico. I took over at Gallup and drove to Pagosa Springs, CO. The drive was uneventful. We listened to XM radio and a CD of a comedian, whose name I cannot recall. We stopped at Shiprock, NM for a quick bite. Jim called it Sh!trock. I thought the town must not impressed Jim too much. We arrived at Pagosa about eleven. I was relieved as my right foot was starting to hurt.

We checked in at Highland Lodge Inn where we would stay for next three nights. It is the smallest cabin I have ever been in. There were areas for one bedroom, one very small bathroom, a kitchenette, and a living area. I would say this is going to be very cramped. Did I forget to mention there would be two more joining us that afternoon. Mitch and Gabe was about two hours behind us since they were leaving from Tucson. Mitch is Beth's brother and Gabe is a close friend of Mitch. After unloading, we decided to go grocery shopping and wait for the laggards. We hit Taco Hell, I mean Taco Bell, before shopping. You know, shopping hungry leads to frivolous items. We bought pizza rolls, taquitos, chips, salsa, and chocolate pie. All the nutritious stuff.

We came back to the cabin and watched a snow boarding instructional DVD. It was a little daunting to soak it all in. Beth and I were overwhelmed and a little freaked by it all. The worst part was getting off the lift. There will be people getting off the lift right after us. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Mitch and Gabe finally made it to the cabin. It was about three. We decided to forgo boarding. It would not be worth the half day lift ticket. We were talking about snowboarding and how excited and freaked out we were. Mitch and Gabe made fun of us the first time boarders. I think Mitch and Gabe freaked out Beth even more with how they were planning to spear people falling off the lift. GREAT!

We kicked back until dinner time. Some of us slept, watched tv, and/or snacked. We decided to go into town and get some Mexican food at Tequila's. It was cold outside. (Note to self: It gets cold when the sun goes down.) I ordered burrito verde, which was mediocre at best. Beth ordered a spicy chicken dinner, and let us know about it by keep mentioning it is spicy. I guess it was spicy. Mm, SPICY!

We came back and watched season ending episodes of "Arrested Development." A couple of us were very keen on watching "A.D." Jim in the mean time tried to start a fire. He was not successful. Poor Jim. I took over. It was harder than I thought. I used many sheets of newpaper and gently blew into fireplace. It took what seems like a couple of days, but I managed to get a fire going. We all went to sleep after watching tv still excited about the next day.

I am back ...

For those who keep up with my blog, I just wanted to post and say that I made it back from Wolf Creek Ski Area, CO in one piece although I do not feel like one piece. I came back to Phoenix on Tuesday evening. I have a new found respect for those who can ski/snow board well. It is tiring. It took two days for me to get "ski legs." I will post more about my trip. It was grrrrrrrreat!


Random Shot
What is up with the weather in Phoenix? I hope we get some moisture soon.

Beer Update
I need to find sometime to brew Octoberfest. I am thinking this Monday would be an awesome day. Helles looks ready for a tasting. It was too sweet on Thursday last week. I think it was not done with conditioning. It still tasted darn good.

Movie Recommendation
If you enjoyed "Kill Bill," I mean if you really enjoyed it, then you should rent a title called "Lady Snowblood." It is a Japanese movie where Q borrowed some of the materials. You won't regret renting this.

I hope this is not the last entry ...

I am heading out to Wolf Creek Ski Area in CO tomorrow. I will be there with Jim, Beth, Beth's brother, and his girl friend. They planned to go there for snowboarding and asked me to go. Lucky, me! I never done any ski or snowboarding, and I am nervous to say the least. I am also filled with anticipation. I hope I come back alive.

I feel under prepared. I just know I did not pack some essential things. I will find out when I am there. I just hope it is not some expensive things. I did go through a ski packing list I found on-line. Stay tuned to see some snow pictures.

Beer Update
I finished packaging helles on Monday. It is extra clear and smells wonderful. It is like bragging about a child. One does not intend to boast but it just comes out. I will be brewing Octoberfest next week. Mm, Octoberfest.

Movie Recommendation
I am going to make a public service announcement. Please do not watch "Devil's Rejects." It is just not watchable. All characters talks like teenagers who just learned to incorporate cursing into their everyday language. It is not all to clear if we are to hate and fear them or laugh at/with them. The plot also is not very coherent. Who is the bad guy? Stay away from "Devil's Rejects."

Cameron sings ...

I made another video of Cameron, who is the eldest of Colby and Amy. He is singing our favorites. Enjoy. Click here for the video.

Super Bowl Party ...

Colby had his first HD Super Bowl party. It is good to own a HD TV!! Everyone brought apps to share, so there were plenty of food, which is really good for a bachelor like myself. It was good to see everyone. Little ones always make me laugh. Running around with their happy feet. You know, just like "Proud Mary!"

I was really looking forward to Josh's "Frito Pie." I was not disappointed. It consists of layers of beans, Fritos, chilli, cheese, and onions. As Josh explained, it is like a New Mexican favorite or something. Ice cream cakes were also delicious.

The big disappointment was the game itself. It was never all that exciting in my humble opinion. I think it was worse for me since I cared for neither Seattle nor Pittsburgh.

It is a good thing I won some money off the game. Thanks to Colby's matrix of scores, I won the first quarter score and the final score. I netted cool $12. May be I will get one of those toasted tacos. (Inside joke)

Photos From the Party

Cam wants to go outside. Poor dad.

Getting the cake ready for the birthday boy!

Cam is ready for his cake!

Blow out thirty three candles? That's too many!

Peek a boo!

Suzy, I think I want to kiss you!

"Auntie Pam, faster!"

Peanuts make me thirsty!

This game is so boring.

Cameron eating peanuts.

Emily walking around.

Random Shots ...

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to my loyal readers. I know there are at least two, perhaps three. I feel like I neglected those readers. I will try to write at least once a week.

I am keeping myself busy by subbing. It is not bad, but pay is paltry. (Side note: I used paltry in a sentence.) Is it abnormal to drive top down in the morning? I just don't like the idea of driving a convertible when the weather is not really chilly. I mean I did not buy a convertible to drive it as a coupe.

More Random Shot
I watched Angelina Jolie's interview tonight on Nightline. She is infinitely more interesting than most beautiful woman. Quite the humanitarian, I must say. It is quite evident the bad girl edge puts her over the top. That lucky Brad Pitt. I guess Jennifer Aniston just do not do it once you are acquainted with Angelina.


The above picture is the leading ladies pack during the PF Chang Marathon. I think F1 was the favorite.

I want to run another marathon, but I don't even want to think about training for one. Is it the age? Is it the rigor of training? I don't want to completely undertrain and have a miserable time running. Hmm. What should I do? I am going to keep my options open by training and registering late. My goal is to run Salt Lake City marathon in June. I think I will hang up my marathon shoes after this race as I find training too daunting. This would make six marathons in six states. Oddly, all ending in "ah" sound. Arizona, California, Pensylvania, Minnesota, Nevada, and Utah.

Training Log
Week 1: 12 mi Total: 12 mi

Movie Recommendation
I just watched "Sixteen Candles" again. It is a great movie with much sentimental values for moi. I like the way the director treats the teenage characters like a real human beings and not just funny caricatures. I think I read reviews detailing this sentiment and I definitely agree. If you never seen it, then you should check it out. If you seen it, then you should still check it out again. It is still great and maybe you will look at it differently.

Beer Update
I am definitely bottling my helles this weekend. I need to find some time to brew octoberfest while I still have viable southern German lager yeast in the fridge. Mm, octoberfest!!! March is another chance to enter my beers into a local contest. I am thinking saison and helles. More medals hopefully.