A New Place to Shower

Today I got a membership at 24 Hour Fitness. This seems to be a far better setup than the Denver Parks and Rec pass, as it's 24 hours, and it's usable anywhere in the country. It may serve to help motivate me to actually travel in this BattleWagon, and not simply live in, as my good friend put it, "an apartment... on wheels".

I'm parked in Lakewood tonight, and I'm watching the security truck help a parking lot guy get his keys out of the car he locked them in. Been there. Thank God for security peeps.

Monkey sent me this pic of my name etched in a table at the Bucksnort. We went up there when I first started this project. Time flies when you're having fun.

Aftermath of the Highway Cleanup

Today, I went with other members of the Denver Climber's Coalition up Clear Creek Canyon, west of Golden, for a highway cleanup. Other than about a million cigarette butts, we found a snake, some glasses, an oar, a cinder block, and a bunch of Budweiser & Clamato cans. Gross...

The team effort was amazing.  I would love to see something like this happen near my hometown. We have such a beautiful canyon east of Salida, and I feel like it could use an Adopt-A-Highway.

Also, I discovered today that my friend Ryan, apparently, needs to do some more backpacking. When I say it into the camera, you can hear him fire back with a disdainful "what?" Awesome.

Video?

This is a test...

Morning

Sometimes I love mornings. I love the promise they bring in a new day, free of all the drama and angst of the previous day (or days). Sometimes, though, when I know the day will hold at least 8 hours of hard work and mental skill, I am hesitant to wake up, instead wishing to lay in bed perpetually and dream of the good mornings.

Today was a little rough. It's Friday, and the end of the week almost inevitably means a rough morning. Who knows what the day will hold for me.

I wrote a lengthy blog yesterday about a guy I know (seen three times in Denver) who has a girlfriend and the most adorable little girl. The first time I saw him on the O bus down Broadway, he was with his family. Everyone on the bus loved the little girl, not more than 3 years old. You could tell this guy loved her the most.

Weeks later, I see this same guy crossing 13th street. This time, he's solo, and he just looks defeated and crushed. I was driving by, so I didn't get a chance to stop or anything. Besides, that would have been a little weird.

Well, a couple weeks ago, I see him again. This time he and his girl are together on the corner of 13th and Downing. They look sad and embarassed. The sign they hold up says "laid off. Daughter needs food." I don't know why, but I kept driving, and when I finally turned around, it was too late. They were gone already.

This isn't quite as eloquent as the first draft I threw away, but it's a report on fact, and I think it's a story that needed to be told.

Morning

Considering how much I love the rain and the gloom, it is a pleasant refreshment to see the sun coming up this morning. I hope it doesn't bring the heat with it, though.

The BW held up great through all this rain. The roof didn't leak at all. I was dry and happy inside listening to the radio and reading books. I'm looking forward to the next storm already.

Bankruptcy

I can't believe GM declared bankruptcy. I guess the next BattleWagon will be a Ford.

My Nightstand

Sure, to the untrained eye, this may look like a plastic container containing a couple of coffee mugs and some miscelaneous eating utensils. However, this, when stacked upon two other containers and sandwiched between my bed and the back of the driver's seat, becomes the nighttime resting place for my phone, watch, and various objects I may have in my pockets before bed.

Fascinating how much creativity comes from necessity.