Day 12 - 1/31/10 - Vail

Speed, it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure. ~ Aldous Huxley

Today I took a slight detour in the agenda. A good friend of mine, Bruce and his son Josh were in Vail with Bruce's friend Jon and his daughter Rebecca. They were skiing the Vail mountain for a few days, but planned a snowmobile trip in the high mountains tucked in behind Vail. Let me first thank Bruce for the invitation and let me next say that this was an amazing day. You will want to see these videos below. It was tough leaving the Boston gang, but they were battling sore bodies, tired minds and the thought of taking a day off from the mountain. More on that later. So I headed out of Steamboat this morning and started a 95 mile trek to Vail. It's not a long distance, but it's through some winding valleys and desolate land. It makes for a longer drive, but driving through this unknown land (to me) is all part of my adventure.

When asked what this day meant to Bruce he replied, "There nothing I'd rather be doing in the world" He could not have been more precise in terms of where I stood as well.

I met the group at a hotel in Vail village. Nice place. There was a lot of activity going on in Vail that weekend that made headlines. It was Vail Gay Week and outside of there being a lot of gay men in the village, they also were handing out some souvenirs. Bruce (on left) and Jon are pictured above sporting some of the goods. Apparently this group will move around from mountain to mountain and show their pride.

A van picked us up at the hotel and we started about a 35-40 minute uphill trek to get to the location of the snowmobiling lodge. Probably the most interesting landmark we drive by was an abandoned mining town. The town itself was situated on a cliff and the mining business owned the homes. There were dozens of homes. All were empty and have been for a long time. Apparently when the government found life threatening contamination in the mining town water supply, everyone in the town...in every single dwelling....was ordered to leave within 24 hours. No questions asked. The town has remained there, empty homes, an empty bowling alley, empty movie theater, etc. It made me think about what life would be like there in general. The driver also said at the time the mine was operational, workers traveled by foot down a thousand steps each and every day to get to the mine. And after a long days work, you guessed it, they climbed back up a thousand steps. That is a long day. I know mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and I have a lot of respect for the people who do it.

There is something about having that amount of power at your hands. The snowmobiles (sleds) topped off around 80mph and that is quick. We went through all the beginning tutorials (safety, how to start, etc) and I just wanted to go. These videos may not do it justice, but there was A LOT of speed, some hairpin turns and some of the most beautiful scenery I have viewed in my life. I'll try and show some of it all. These are in order so it can be like you were there with us! Sorry, but I have to include ten of these because there is not enough I could write to capture the moments. Most are short clips:

1) Here is part of our first climb, with tour guide Fred, to first mountain. We took a quick break to see how everyone was adjusting. Look toward back left of video as Josh takes a "relief" walk off trail. He immediately sinks to waist level in the snow. Jon, offers a helping hand (sort of) after http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB5PDNXg_1A

2) This video is at the top of the first mountain. Could not tell you the elevation but I was feeling it. I look like hell to be honest but the first word out of my mouth (no volume) is "unbelievable". It was. The hut I walk into is an actual station where extreme hikers can stop and rest/sleep so they do not freeze in these high elevations/winds when they are on long treks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24jLcPQQlq0

3) Here is a video coming off first mountain where I hit a hairpin turn going a little too fast. Coming off the turn my speed did not give me the turning radius to stay on the trail. I ended up buried. Tour guide Fred helps me get it out. All part of the fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvvPQ4fH2eU

4) This video is the second mountain ascend. Not sure how fast I was going, but I was playing catch up (good excuse). People hike up to this area (or get dropped off via snowmobile) in order to ski down some of these fresh powder snow fields. Unbelievably inspiring views. Just look at the 53 second mark where I turn my head to get a view of the sun coming through the clouds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMmqoUGINw

5) This clip is the last 50 yards of the second mountain ascend. It's a climb with some pitch right to the very end. Kind of looks and feels like you are climbing into the clouds. Another reason I am including it is because behind me, in the distance, a person is walking toward a very steep ledge that drops off into an abyss of white. Tour guide Fred said if that person went 2-3 more steps toward the edge, they may have gone over if the ground beneath them snapped. It's pretty crazy and even Rebecca (in red) and I got into it along with tour guide Fred. Have a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT57rsrEwTo

6) If the previous clip was an ascend to the clouds, then this shot must be heaven. I sometimes do not filter danger and I just wanted to get the best shot of this unbelievable drop off that I could. I ask tour guide Fred how close I can get. The shot is one of astonishment; the drop off seems like it would not end. The last few seconds of the clip are, from left to right, Bruce, Josh, Jon and Rebecca. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61o5O-eK-V4

7) Here is a video in an open field where tour guide Fred was not happy with me. At about the 50 second mark of the video my entire body is off the sled with only my hands holding on. I hit a bump (Fred said it was an obvious jump) going about 60mph. Swear I did not see it (maybe!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkhU25O2WQo

8) Nearing the end of the day here is a clip of an open field where Fred let us go on our own and have some fun. Not sure if that is a smart call there Fred. Bruce has labeled me an inappropriate term, although on reflection he may have been right. This part was a lot of fun....80mph speeds, unmarked tracks, some jumps and a lot of fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzsVHqDmDo4

9) Here's a great clip. It's an Aspen tree tunnel and when I asked Bruce to explain that to the camera, he leaves his sled, the sled leaves him (hilarious) but we all make it through this really cool area of the trail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juHaV0Rr5ek

10) What better way to end the day with a little fun. They had these mini kids snowmobiles and I asked them if I could take a ride on one. There short answer was "no" but they let me sit on one to close the day out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBPMJoHYj1o

I left Vail with a racing heart and my drive back to Steamboat was probably a little on the quick side. Going from snowmobile to car is not smart from a law standpoint, but I felt like I could have driven for hours. I did steer clear of the law and have done well in that department this whole trip. Thank God. Back in Steamboat the gang, fresh off 2-3 movies and very little fresh air for the day were waiting for my arrival. Not really, but I pretend they all care. It was a quiet night to accompany my not-so-quiet day. A good dinner out and the relaxation following was good. Tomorrow will be a great day! Good night from Steamboat.

Day 11 - 1/30/10 - Steamboat Mountain

"When it comes to skiing, there's a difference between what you think it's going to be like, what it's really like, and what you tell your friends it was like." ~Author Unknown

Today is Saturday January 30th and you can tell it is just going to be one of those days that you want to tell everyone about. It's the weekend, the weather is nice and we have a good day on the mountain ahead of us. Let's jump right into some video. Sorry, but today's videos will not have the music mixed in; I'll try and get that done in the next couple posts. Things started off a little on the crazy side. Just the way I like it. I was going to use a quote on courage today to lead into these next three videos, but I will explain instead. We decided to be brave and go down a double black diamond (extreme terrain) trail called No Name. No Name is part of the Steamboat Mountain called Morningside. In order to get to No Name you have to hike about a quarter of a mile up a trail. With some varying levels of ability amongst our group, as well as varying levels of craziness, we did not put too much thought into this move. It is hard to tell by the video, but this area was VERY steep. Try and focus on the trees in the videos and you may get a little perspective. They are nearly parallel to the land/slope, instead of perpendicular to land like most trees. So this video, of KC M., ended up being a popular way amongst us all (including me) in how to approach getting down No Name http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSstu5oHbKw&feature=related. It simply had to be done. This area was no joke and were there more snowfall in this area, our groups' "slide on your ass" technique would have very likely caused an avalanche!! Better safe than sorry and the good news is we all made it. Here's a shot of Tim H. getting into a groove in the No Name area. It's as if the angle of my video is staring straight up the mountain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbn6FNuEqXU&feature=related. And finally, here's a shot of my final descent down No Name. I end up in a very cool wide open area with lots of fresh snow. It was so fresh that if you took a break and fell in it, as Jon P. demonstrates at the end, it's hard to get up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sVws8IvLDw

This last video is of me trying to video as much of the group as I can. This area is where No Name ends (and flattens out) into and area called Big Meadow. This was great wide open terrain that had fresh tracks and spread out trees that we could all handle. In the video most every one's description (jacket colors) are the same from the previous Day 10 blog. I also have to add that Chris C., in his first day on the mountain, was too far ahead of us to make the video. Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4vz2CNypqU

Steve P. decided to travel to Winter Park to visit a friend and do some back country skiing. This is the reason you did not see his moves in the videos. Back country skiing is the pursuit of fresh fallen snow in an inhabitable area. Most mountains here in Colorado have it, you just have to know the area well enough to 1) find it, and 2) be smart enough to not get lost in it. Steve is smart and he has a new pair of skis that will make his journey more bearable. The skis have both downhill and tele-marking (like cross country) capability via a binding that can lock and unlock to give you both. Pretty cool and Steve had a good day.

We had a nice evening sunset on our hands (see picture above, taken from our condo deck) and Steve did make it back for the evening plan. That plan was to spend some time in the town center i.e. travel off the mountain about 3 miles to all the restaurants, shops, bars. We went to a place named 8th Street Steakhouse. We we're all looking forward to a nice prepared steak dinner. We had most of it right....except we would be the ones preparing the steak! Interesting concept. Basically, you pick your cut out of a temp controlled display case. They have everything from Filet to NY Strip to Bone-In Ribeye. They also have Buffalo which the in house cook/consultant said was tender but a bit sweeter than beef. Sorry to the Vegetarians here. Anyway you pick your cut, in-house cook/consultant tells you how to cook it to your liking (basically he tells you the time per side) and you bring it over to a huge grill that everyone in the place is flipping steaks and sauteing vegetables on. I'll say this. For not expecting we had to cook our meal, everything turned out great and I have to admit it did make it taste that much better. We also came to the conclusion that one of these restaurant concepts may not work too well in Boston. Too many steak places there that do it for you and likely do it better.

Our last spot was a place called the Boathouse. This place had a live band, but all in all it was uneventful and no good story came out of it. We made our way home and Saturday night in Steamboat Springs CO came to an end. On many levels, this was a memorable day that will lead to an uneventful tomorrow.

Day 10 - 1/29/10 - Steamboat Mountain

"The faster you ski, the less time you are in danger" - Author Unknown

Today (Friday) is a great day. Our group is ready for what challenges the mountain brings. Any sluggishness from the night before is shaken off and adrenaline will soon take over. We wake to some good breakfast preparations by Pat. The guy can cook a scrambled egg with the best of them. He also had coffee brewing. Though I heard he can piece together a Macchiato and/or Latte with grace, my purchase at the grocery store was the formidable Starbucks rival Maxwell House. Even though I do not drink it, the guys appreciated Pat's unselfishness.

If you remember from an earlier blog the Richio's are NEVER late so even though the group of guys will tell you I held up the morning departure process it's just not true. Maybe. Anyway we did get out of the condo around 9am (mountain opens at 8:30am). Oh, here is another key thing to shoot for when you go on a ski trip. Get the "ski in, ski out" option. This option implies that your condo is on a trail that leads directly to a lift instead of leaving a condo and having to walk far or deal with s shuttle/van/bus. It can save hours. The convenience factor, especially after the last run of the day, is significant. So we were on the gondola a little after 9am and our morning runs, though a little rusty for the camera, we're nice to take. Get the legs loose and establish some sort of a rhythm. By afternoon, the camera came out and took some of the following clips:

1) Early afternoon run. In this clip, with jacket color in parentheses, are Tim(black), KC (blue/white mix), Pat(green) and Jon(brown...or "burnt orange" as he would prefer). They show up in the video in that order. Steve was missing because he had some phone call business to take care of in the condo. Pat gets close at the end http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRPIubf00j8

2) Lift. Trying to say hi to the gang. Sound is a little blurred because camera is in a waterproof casing unit. You can vaguely make out the lift behind us (occupied by Jon, KC and Tim) waving....and making some sort of Indian call noise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYnVdzMe-1g

3) Back country trail. I take a digger. There is no shame in this as soon as I realized there was a rock that I thankfully cleared. Tim and Jon are up top. I've also learned how to work some audio into the video. This will be nice for future videos, if I do it correctly that is. Here you go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcLAayKbn0

So there it is. Day 1 on the trails is in the archives. We return to the condo to meet and greet our 7th member of the trip, Chris C. He flew in today. I do not have footage of his arrival as he got into the condo while we were skiing. Sorry Rino.

With all 7 guys finally together we turn our attention to the "apres ski" part of the day. Apres ski, by the way means "after skiing" and it is a popular phrase in France. Also has gained attention as yet another theme of our trip. Here's my take on it. It has become a popular phrase here in the US. Why, I am not sure, but it has. To me, although it is inclusive of the cold drink that I desire after I get off the mountain, it also refers to those whose interest in snow sports is mainly confined to image. I suppose it is all part of the scene at any mountain, but the phrase "apres ski" seems to lend more to the image piece than the "give me a beer, my body is in pain" part of the day. By the way, there are not too many better ways to enjoy a cold drink (even in cold weather) than after a good day on the mountain. Anyway, the "after skiing" location for us was called Slopeside Grill. I included a picture of it above. Nice place; literally right off the mountain trail and close to our condo. I think we did a good job supporting the Colorado economy by selecting Coors Light and Fat Tire (a CO brewed beer) as our first few beers of choice. We made some friends. It seems that people are interested in our accents at first. They hear something from our group and say "Are you guys from Boston?" Now, lets break this down. Pat's from Minnesota, Tim from NY, Chris from Connecticut, KC from Ohio, Jon and Steve from Mass and I'm from Maine. All in all we do not represent a Boston accent too well which makes the conversation about this topic funny. Although we all like to hold onto our roots, we have all been in the Boston area for 10+ years and I think people may be onto something. In this particular instance there were two girls who picked out our accents. One girl had gone to schools in NY and Mass (Holy Cross) and I think they appreciated our company. Her boyfriend and other friends, who were in attendance, did not. Not our fault as we constantly reminded her that she was holding her boyfriends now warmer drinks. Pretty comical. Slopeside was fun, tiredness set in and a return to the condo quickly happened. Not before we met a New England family whose son was sporting a Tom Brady jersey. The boy wanted to be on tv so with his parents approval we gave him the next best thing....a spot on the blog. Sorry it is dark. Try and focus on when he is asked "Is Tom Brady the best Quarterback?" His reaction is comical....especially to his Dad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EbWBTaGcLs

Good night from Steamboat.

Day 9 - 1/28/10 - Steamboat Springs

"We've arrived, and to prove it we're here" - Proverb

THE ARRIVAL(S)

1pm - Pat C., Jon P., Steve P. and KC M. arrive - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXh3nCrG3zU

5pm - Tim H. arrives - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6_CIARDCk0

There is something about travelling with your guy friends that is....well sacred. And no, I am not talking about trips to Las Vegas or a day trip to play golf. Both of those are fun as well, but the adventure of a trip to the mountains, a cruise or a trip to the Caribbean (amongst others) are the ones I speak of. They are 4-5 day getaways, typically from Thursday to a Monday or Tuesday and you get the weekend in so that you are not taking too much time away from work. A "getaway" pass from the wife or significant other is mandatory and checking in with them every day you are gone is also mandatory. If you are lucky, this all boys getaway can happen once or twice a year. And unlike Las Vegas, the group sticks together and you remember most of it. Not all of it of course. These sacred getaways are fun, often unhealthy and memories are created and cherished. Themes develop and become the backbone of each and every day of the trip. Mostly for humor. For future trips, past themes are remembered and referred to so that the sacredness of the trip is never forgotten. I'm assuming the same would apply for all girls trips, though I have not been on one of those. And this is not to discount the beautiful memories of family trips and romantic getaways because those work in a very similar manner. Everyone loves to getaway and recharge the battery from routine life and doing it with special people in your life creates great memories.

This first day with the gang from Boston was a settling in day. Who was sleeping in what rooms, who was hungry, thirsty and/or tired from a day of travel, and finally, what did Nick know about the mountain and town of Steamboat Springs. Luckily I had done enough since my arrival to give them the low down. They are a needy group of guys. Just kidding. After bedrooms were sorted out and people settled in, catching up and general discussion were next on the agenda. Some themes have already developed, like how skiing in the French Alps would be amazing. Of course it would....in any of the Alps (Swiss, Italian, Austrian). Have you ever flown over the Alps? It's some amazing views from a plane. Another theme cannot be discussed in my blog, but is has to do with Men's Health. What I can discuss however is that Men's Health is a popular topic of discussion with this group. See our ensemble here are all in our 30's and medical issues are starting to knock on the door. Most are not serious so why not compare notes and see who's dealing with what? Whatever the storyline is, we have a good group of guys that are all comfortable around each other. And with seven guys to fit in three bedrooms, if we are not comfortable, this weekend will get us there!

After some downtime in the condo we made our way to a popular night spot on the mountain called Tugboat. It is pictured above. We had several recommendations from friends of ours and all seemed to include the Tugboat as a Steamboat landmark. Tugboat was a good tavern atmosphere with some tv's and a waitress named Kim. I think she liked us, but that is always a point of contention as the night carries on! The food was good. Lots of healthy choices with a bacon bleu cheese burger, another cheeseburger, some jalapeno poppers, some chili con queso, lots of french fries and a couple orders of baby back ribs. What a way to break in a weekend of healthy eating!

After Tugboat the group made a decision to head back to the condo and rest up in anticipation for their first day on the mountain. I supported this, but let's just say even though we made it home at a reasonable hour, eagerness was energy and the night did not end so quickly. All in good fun for the first night in Steamboat. Good night and see you tomorrow. I expect there to be some great videos of our skiing adventures in the next days to come.

Day 8 - 1/27/10 - Steamboat Springs

Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Day 8 (Wednesday) in Steamboat was a day of anticipation and preparation. The gang from Boston will arrive tomorrow. After my great day on the mountain yesterday I am relaxing in the condo, catching up on a few emails and phone calls to say hi. In the evening I went grocery shopping in downtown Steamboat (off the mountain) to get breakfast items, snacks and of course some refreshments for the gang. When I was walking around I also noticed a night time ski area. I posted the picture I took of it above. The ski area sat right on the edge of town, just minutes away from all the restaurants, shopping and bars. It was a view that made this town even more of a perfect ski town.

There was also something different of the way I was feeling today. It's hard to explain, but for the past week I have felt that my journeys have given me a sense of distance from my life back in Boston. It was actually a central theme that Colm and I discussed when he was with me. That theme being that when you travel across country and spend so much time in a car going from place to place, you generally feel like you've been gone longer than you have. To put some numbers to this theme, by Day 3 of Colm and my travelling, we both felt like we had been away from Boston for two weeks. Even with time passed and people missed (a lot) we felt distant in such a short amount of time. Anyway, to my point. With this anticipation of the Boston guys here in Steamboat, I have felt close to home in a way. It makes perfect sense, but it is a very different feeling than what I have been feeling as I traveled across country. It's a welcome feeling of course, but just different. Based on this, I can already say that if you want to open yourself to feelings that you have not had before, take your time to travel across country, hit a ski mountain you have never visited before and meet people (be outgoing) you have never met before. There are multiple other ways to do so, but these three ways open you.

I'm expecting a great day tomorrow. I feel like I have lost today. Tomorrow will be a great day.

Day 7 - 1/26/10 - Steamboat Mountain

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” - Charles Lindbergh

Did I even sleep last night? Was Christmas last night? The answers to those questions, in order, are yes (although it was hard getting to sleep) and no...though I sprung out of bed as if it was. It's a bit comical, but understand that part of my journey is to experience the #1 item in the 2007 film The Bucket List. Anyone remember? It was "Witness something truly majestic" Now this thought is open to what everyone would interpret as "majestic". What does majestic mean to you? I think it is part circumstantial. Majestic is defined as having or showing lofty dignity or nobility. Or a more appropriate definition, of the root word majesty (derived from the Latin word Maiestas), is greatness. My point. If I am going on a trip to the Carribean, then the vast ocean that surrrounds the islands would be majestic in part. Think about it. The ocean covers more than 70% of the earths surface. Surely there is majesty there even if it is covered by water. I grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and I have come to a point in my life where anything I see up there is majestic. It's a beautiful place and even though I know everyone reading this has a special place in their lives, go visit there and you will not be disappointed. To further my point and make it more relevant; my majesty in this grand journey is to be on top of a mountain, in the US, that gives me the greatest feeling in the world. It's the ultimate search for one of the most beautiful places that I have seen. P.S. I know I have seen some already, both in places and people.

If you could not tell, my selected quote relates to snowboarding (or skiing). In more specific terms, I do not do it enough and although I struggle to describe the feeling in words, it sometimes gives me the feeling that I am flying. Quite simply, it is an amazing feeling. And as amazing as the feeling is, it is still important to be safe. In preparation for this adventure I ensured that I had safe equipment. See here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZa65xIjRo

Although I was by myself on the mountain, I had a great day. Here are two videos. The first is my best run of the day. It's the backside of Steamboat called Morningside. Good tree skiing and although Steamboat has seen a significant decline in snowfall this season, you cannot tell from this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnJV5z_iVg0. The second is toward the end of the day when the snow picked up. Keep in mind this was a Tuesday and there was no one on the mountain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDrMwA_Ksdk. You may not be able to tell, but it was snowing hard and it was cold.

My day ended up with a much needed hot tub (condo has one) and rest. In a day and a half the boys from Boston will be arriving and I need rest for that. Good night and hope everyone is well.

Day 6 - 1/25/10 - Steamboat Springs CO

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” –Freya Stark

After five days of travelling in a car my arrival to Steamboat yesterday was welcomed. Last night I relaxed in the condo. I missed the Jets lose (too bad Singlak) to the Colts, but I was able to watch the Vikings lose to the Saints (sorry Cav). Not much to my last night besides dinner and uploading my videos from the days journey. Waking the next morning was a strange, but euphoric feeling. It was different to be alone and have no one's voice around me. My quote for the day tells it all. This day brought some welcome sites. The mountain side condo I am in is courtesy of my good friend Pat Cavanaugh's (mentioned above as "Cav") family. They are from Minnesota and again sorry for the Vikings loss. I can't thank them enough for this opportunity....as well as many, many others over the past 15 years. Here is the condo (Storm Meadows) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuS23HwdEo and thank you again to the Cavanaugh's.

Steamboat Springs is a town with a great environment. It has good terrain on the mountain, lots of restaurants/bars and a great downtown area. This first day I will spend exploring the area and getting used to my surroundings here. I walked the mountain village area, took the picture (above) of the mountain and looked into ski rental rates for the arrival of the Boston boys later this week. Later that day, feeling a little out of shape from the cross country journey, I found a gym close to the condo and the mountain. I convinced the folks inside to let me work out even though I was not a "member" of the condo association that runs the facility. If you extend kindness and a humble approach, it will return back to you in time. Not all the time, but it feels good to know that it does happen. Here are a few words after my work out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6cocQ8lpt0. I felt great after. Rejuvenated, energetic and ready to take on the mountain the next day. I know some people thrive off it and some don't, but working out is a part of everyday life for me. Part of it is the fact that I have had three knee surgeries and keeping "the wheels" strong is important. Another part is that I have had some heart issues over the past five years and I want to do everything I can to keep the clock ticking. Generally, it just keeps me in a great state of mind and gives me the natural energy (caffeine and I do not get along) I need for what I do. And while I am perfectly capable of laziness and putting back a 2,000 calorie meal, I respect the balance of health and letting yourself go. For me, balance (eating included) is easy to find during the week and a little more difficult on the weekend.

The night brought a few visits to some mountainside bars and some conversation with friendly bartenders/waitresses. People are very nice out here. All was short-lived as my nights rest was occupying my mind. For tomorrow would be the first day of my trip's main purpose. Tomorrow would be my first day on the mountain; the first day of the trip that I stand on top of mother natures majesty and have the world at my feet. Who would not enjoy that!?

Day 5 - 1/24/10 - Denver to Steamboat Springs

"Where is the “good” in goodbye?" - Unknown

Today started off on a somber note. See, one of the greatest feelings about travelling is its ability to make you lose track of time and "a plan". I know lots of peoples travels do have a plan, but when you are in a car for 2,500 miles and delirium sets in, you lose track of a lot of things. The point I am making is that today was the day Colm had to go back to "a plan" or his normal routine life back in Boston. Today is the day I drop Colm off at the Denver airport. Adios Colm. It has been memorable http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgkZzmLrGJI

Part of me wants to stop writing because instead of writing about the adventures of two people travelling this sort of turns into an autobiography and I am not keen on that. I'll try and steer clear of too many deep thoughts and focus on the trip itself. I do suspect the blogs will become shorter from here on out so maybe that is good news to you busy people.

My trek from the Denver airport to Steamboat Springs was interesting. Steamboat is about 156 miles Northwest of Denver. If you look at a map of Colorado Steamboat is really in the middle of nowhere. But it just so happens that Steamboat is home to more U.S. Olympians than any other town in the United States. Pretty cool. When you leave Denver travelling west on I-70 you pretty much hit an ascend within ten minutes. It's quite a climb. I-70 winds you through some great scenery, tunnels that are cut into mountains and some descends that are scary. The 18 wheelers that go through here have their hazard lights on as they climb at very slow speeds and descend cautiously. Lots of runaway truck ramps on I-70. When you hit Silverthorne, CO you then connect with Route 9. Route 9 leads to Route 40 and both are long single lane roads that take you through the back country of Colorado. Here is a view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow8Xp7JGwSw. Not the dominant Rockies of Colorado, but some great back country. Some of the ranches along the way are impressive. And that song not only is a crowd pleaser at weddings (when 20 guys sing it in unison), but it fit this occasion perfectly. Music defines journeys like this.

Up until now I had not seen the likes of too much snowfall. Well that changed fast. Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEdqewHYulU. This clip was along route 40, about 15 miles outside of Steamboat. Visibility was thin and I probably should not have recorded any of this part of the trip. As a matter of fact there are other videos where I drop the camera because of near white out conditions. Great for the mountains and skiing scene, but not good for driving. Some praise was in order for my Audi. Side note. I had to pass a plow somewhere before that video. Single lane highway, low visibility, not too smart, but it had to be done.

At about 4pm Sunday January 24th I arrived in Steamboat. Here is my arrival, but beware I chose an adrenaline enriched song. Not that I needed additional adrenaline for my first view of the mountain (you can see it off in the distance) but it just fit for me. Drown out the volume, sorry about the wind noise, do what you have to do, but just know there is an unrivaled feeling for arriving at any ski mountain. I remember the same exact feeling when I was young making the trek to Sugarloaf (Maine) with the Cape Elizabeth crew. Here it is and good night from Steamboat Springs Colorado! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrAgGxnfrXo

Day 4 - 1/23/10 - Omaha to Denver

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

Don't read into that quote too much Colm. Even after 4 days of travelling with you, I do not hate you. I'm sure you care. Truth is, Colm and I have become close friends by looking out for Colm's older brother (and my close friend) Liam. Here's a short story. Colm was a freshman at Babson College the year after Liam and I graduated from there. He was being "interviewed" by the soccer team and two things were factored in. One, he did not know Liam and I were in attendance on campus. Two, he really did not know who was there because it was dark. Don't ask. During the interview, the players asked Colm "who is your favorite Babson alumni?" Now, one would think that his recently graduated, model citizen and I'm-gonna-follow-in-your-footsteps older brother Liam would be his selection, right? His reply, hold your breath, was "Nick Richio". I was floored. This is a true story. After Colm realized we were there, I think Liam had a few choice words for his younger brother. Clearly the best part is that Colm did not know we were there. So he really spoke the truth. Sorry Liam. Younger brothers never look up to their older brothers after 14 years old. I'm joking.

Ok. So Day 4 started off in style. A very good breakfast cooked by Megan. I am going to spare Megan and her roomates by not posting the video of the breakfast. No one wanted to be on camera that morning! The breakfast was french toast, scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns. I even squeezed in some holiday M&M's. They were mint flavored and quite good. I had to really because they still had Christmas themes in the house. And I say, why not? Keep them up and treat every day like it is Christmas. What a great meal and a HUGE thank you (again) to Megan and her Omaha friends for putting us up...and putting up with us.

On the road we drove, and drove, and drove through the very wide state of Nebraska. Here is a clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKz3Hi6Jkug. Couple things. First, pay no attention to my shirt. It is an old reversible jersey that I think my father used in his gym classes...when he taught gym classes 30 years ago!! Funny albeit a bit embarrassing for me to be sporting it. I was comfortable in it and that's what matters. To be honest, I packed some tshirts that very well should be thrown out, but that have some meaningful piece of my youth and upbringing. There have been others in my previously posted videos. Second, sorry again for the lack of audio. You can hear it, but it is faint. The jist is that Nebraska is flat, has lots of cornfields and huge aluminum irrigation systems everywhere you look. Lincoln, home of the University of Nebraska, looks like they dropped a town right in the middle of a corn field. In the good words of Anchorman Ron Burgundy, neato gang.

Beside my story to begin this post, here is second place winner for humor. Colm took over the wheel for the first time all trip and he had not driven a manual transmission for 2 years! It was part entertaining and part nerve racking. Here is a clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44I1xM674y8. Notice how he blows by an 18 wheeler in the beginning of the video. He apparently worked out the rust and I would agree with that statement whole heartedly...until our next story happened. After 2,000 miles and about 30-40 state troopers successfully passed, the one time we get pulled over, Mr "I can't downshift" was at the wheel. We we're in Colorado, I was post nap in the passenger seat and Colm was in panic mode. My reaction was swift, "Pop it in neutral, foot off the clutch and gas, just apply the brake" I was born to be a Formula 1 driver. Colm obliged and thus prevented the cop from seeing him try and downshift. That could have been a disaster. Anyway, we were pulled over for a missing headlight. I blame the small planet size pothole in Iowa. Looking back, I wish I had video of that whole episode.

After the cop incident we were smooth sailing toward the Rockies. Sad part is we did not see the Rockies becasue it became dark. Good part is we got to see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_rN6UKVyV8. Everyone should see a Colorado sunset in their lifetime. An Oregon sunset is pretty amazing as well. Truthfully, any sunset can be amazing, but ones with the sun setting behind a mountain or over the water take the prize. We made it to Denver and in the interest of wrapping up this blog (I'm doing this for you, I could write all day) I will bullet point our night there:

• Got to hotel in downtown Denver and was tired. Needed a lift so we tried to motivate ourselves. Here's what we did http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-UZCJLSO_Q This catchy song is "Shake It" by Metro Station. Though it was not planned out, we clearly went with the twist dance theme.
• Bullet point #1 worked so we went out for dinner. It was Colm's last night so we did the Denver Chophouse. Some steaks, drinks, baked potatoes and very deliciously warm cornbread. They had the good meal thing figured out there. Thank you Denver Chophouse.
• Bullet point #2 weighed us down, but we walked around for a bit and ended up meeting a friend of Colm's (Sarah) that he used to work with. She was with her friends and we ended up at a trendy spot in Denver called Suite 200. I'm old and did not have fun, but Colm did and that is what is important. I'm just kidding (not about me being old) I did have a great time and it was nice to meet Sarah and her friends. Latin, 24-7.
• Bullet point #3 involved those strong mixed drinks of the Midwest (and now West) so details for additional bullet points are not possible!

We had a great night in Denver and if there is one thought I will leave you with, it is this. Denver is a great city and you should visit if you have not been there. Sports biases aside, I always think Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston are my top five. Denver is now in the mix and with it being so close to the Rockies, it has an advantage. Speaking of the Rockies, my next blog (tomorrow) will take me into them. Take care and hope everyone is well.

Day 3 - 1/22/10 - St Louis to Omaha

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

Before we left St. Louis a couple mandatory stops were required. Busch Stadium, Anheiser Busch Inc (we’ll keep it to the REAL name) and Gateway Arch. Busch Stadium made me think of the historic Red Sox sweep of the St Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. Of course the place was empty when we drove by, but I was trying to imagine the scene there when they took the title for the first time in 86 years. Here is Busch Stadium http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDtMD1m7UhM. Anheiser Busch was next and that was impressive. We went into the gift shop and they covered everything from company history, to beer brand history, to commercials (spuds mckenzie, bud bowls, Budweiser lizards, etc), to Clydesdales and more. Next was Gateway Arch. Here is a short clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wdwRAhHh2E. It is an impressive piece of engineering and a grand symbol of our countries “Gateway” to east and west. We made our way through Kansas City (no sign of Matt Cassel) and started what seemed like a very long trek to Omaha Nebraska, our next stop. We traveled through the rest of Missouri, into Iowa and arrived in Omaha around 7pm. It is worthy to note that my car (97 Audi with a 155k pre-trip miles on it) hit a pothole in Iowa the size of a small planet and still made it through it. Thank god. So at this point Colm and I have discussed many things. To mention just a few is difficult when you spend so many hours with one person in a car. We talked about normal things (family, friends, work, girls) and random things (agriculture in the US, social differences from state to state in the US, the fact that Nebraska has no major pro sports team and therefore their college football team is life there). The random topics are what make trips memorable. The normal things are nothing new, but you do elaborate quite a bit more. And that we did. With family, we both consider ourselves good sons. We are both the youngest so that makes it easy! Colm’s father (Bob Kennedy) has recently passed and that is difficult. We did not talk about it that much, but I know it is there….a lot. Just to show my respect for this, at the start of the trip, I took a cut out of his father’s obituary that I had kept from the newspaper. I placed it in the car, clipped by a travel angel to ensure that our journeys were being watched over and protected. We also talked at length about girls. I’m sure sharing would be great for all of you and the blog, but you know I can’t elaborate on this one! Let’s just say that Colm and I have had similar paths (sort of) and our futures will be sorted out by time.

Omaha is not a big city in terms of tall buildings, but it is spread out. We showed up at Colm’s friends (Megan) home and true to form we had a beer in hand within 2 minutes of arrival. Megan laid down the law and gave us ten minutes to get ready for dinner at a Japanese steakhouse with her great group of friends Marissa, Brandi and Dennis. I think this video can sum up the dinner…it’s a little dark, but you can make out the fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALoRbwXnOo. BTW what you just saw was shrimp being tossed in air from chef to customers’ mouths. Please note the two girls before Colm and me. First was Marissa. She caught the first one, celebrated, and then did not realize the second shrimp was on its way. It hits her in the face. Second was Megan. She caught the first one as well and then the second one may have gotten lost it the lights. Like a baseball. It ended up nearly travelling down the front of her shirt! Watch it again. It was hilarious and everyone played well! P.S. I did catch four out of five, but who was counting? We then bar hopped and Megan’s friend Jody joined us for the fun. Nice to meet all her friends and hopefully I spelled their names correctly. Although I do not care to mention this part, I will. Basically the night ended up in a bar in Omaha with me falling asleep standing up. I would like to think it was because driving so far was catching up to me, but I will also say that I watched the Omaha bar tenders mix the vodka sodas I was consuming. I think they were either trying to get rid of vodka inventory or they just simply mix a strong drink in the Midwest! Either way they get the overkill award for the trip. Good work Omaha!

Day 2 – 1/21/10 - Columbus to St Louis

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” –Samuel Johnson

I think it is appropriate to start off Day 2 by saying thank you to Colm’s friend Vicky for putting us up at her home. Let me take a minute to reflect and say I have a lot of respect for someone I met only 12 hours ago. Vicky is a Stage 4 breast cancer survivor. She plays it off as no big deal. She obviously has a big heart and carries a most humble approach to life. Something to note for the too many times where I feel like my life is a pain. I know some of you reading this have your own trials and tribulations. For all of my close family and friends who are going through your own personal battles, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Thanks Vicky for providing such a great perspective to Colm over the years...and me for this short time. I have no confusion now as to why Colm has known you for 7 years, but never met you until yesterday. And though I did not know it at the time, you are a reason I am travelling.

Our last pit stop in Columbus was to see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhQSic4zm1w. That's right, "The Buckeye Brew Thru", was a beer drive thru. They even had Colt 45 in the coolers! Dad, you will happy to know they carried your Frito Lay product in the drive thru. I will now be on a mission to see why Massachusetts does not have one. We left Columbus and drove through Indiana. We wanted to drive through French Lick (home of Larry Bird) but it was too far out of the way. We also wanted to stop and tour through the city of Indianapolis, but it was raining. Sorry Mom, but I could not see the sites you mentioned from all your Indy work travels with Anthem. We did drive by Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Peyton Manning, and Colm and I both had shooting pains in our stomachs. After Indiana comes Illinois and I know we had to physically drive through Illinois, but I do not remember anything about it. Oh well, I am gonna go with it is flat…like most of Indiana. We made our way to St. Louis. Priceline put us in a nice hotel, but interestingly enough the city was very quiet for a Thursday night. Hotel seemed empty. They said the atmosphere picks up when the St Louis Blues (NHL) play. Their arena was next door to us. We tried a few bars and ended up at Bar Louie in St. Louis. It was festive. $2 Stella drafts will do this. And this is what I learned. Stella is a key product of InBev. InBev was created in 2004 from the merger of the Belgian company Interbrew and the Brazilian company AmBev. On July 13, 2008, InBev agreed to buy Anheiser-Busch for a total value of $52 billion, which would create a new company to be named Anheuser-Busch InBev. Good news is the Company kept the Anheiser Busch name. Bad news is that our great American beer company was bought by a foreign company. Funny how they were pushing $2 Stella’s in St Louis?? Don’t say my blog never taught you something! And guess what? If there is one city in our country who should be pissed off about this, it is St. Louis. I was told by a waitress never to make mention of it in St Louis. We met waitress Lauren at Bar Louie and I think she had a crush on Colm. Here she is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsO-ehN8sWE.

Good night from St. Louis.