Stream of Consciousness

Stream of Consciousness from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Fishing from the Guide's point of view.

TRG's Generations

"Generations," a film on climate change coming fall 2009. from Teton Gravity Research on Vimeo.

via TGR
Within the span of a lifetime, one can observe the planet's changing climate. Mountain guides, skiers, snowboarders, farmers and climatologists across the world are all seeing change. Ski areas in the Northeast United States are feeling the effects of less snow. California farmlands are experiencing water shortages and the glaciers in Europe are receding at alarming rates. Skiing, which started as a mode of transportation, has become ingrained within mountain cultures everywhere.

AK-03 Columbia Glacier from Cliff from Extreme Ice Survey on Vimeo.

Big Mountain Master Jeremy Jones, "Deeper" trailer

Deeper from Anavak on Vimeo.

Train derails in Coal Creek Canyon

via Denver Post
Updated: 12/10/2009 01:09:52 PM MST
As many as nine train cars derailed on a bridge over Colorado 72 at the entrance to Coal Creek Canyon in Jefferson County this morning, sending a tanker car down to the highway below and leaving a second car dangling from the bridge.
Jefferson County Sheriff's department spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said the accident has likely resulted in a hazardous materials spill. She said no injuries have been reported.
Although about 15 emergency response vehicles are waiting at the intersection of Colorado highways 72 and 93, southwest of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, only Union Pacific officals have been allowed to go to the accident site, Kelley said.
Colorado 72 remains closed.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13969065#ixzz0ZJoUhW4m

Updated: 12/10/2009 03:00:52 PM MST

About a dozen train cars derailed on a bridge over Colorado 72 at the entrance to Coal Creek Canyon in Jefferson County this morning, sending a "grain car" down to the highway below and leaving a second car dangling from the bridge.

Colorado Department of Transportation workers at a road maintenance facility near the crash site said they hears a loud crashing sound at about 11:39 a.m. and looked out to see cars tumbling off the track and rolling down the embankment toward them.

"It was unreal," said one worker, who refused to give his name.

The workers said the freight train was being pulled by four Union Pacific engines along track that makes a wide curve around the CDOT maintenance facility before it crosses Colorado 72 and begins its climb up the canyon. One derailed car tumbled toward the maintenance area but stopped short of hitting any structure there.

The engines stopped about 200 yards uphill from crash.

The workers said they rushed to the highway to make sure that the tanker that plummeted off the bridge had not crushed automobiles.

Jefferson County Sheriff's department spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said no injuries have been reported.

Colorado 72 remains closed and the bridge over the busy highway suffered damage in the derailment.

"It looks as though there is some damage to the bridge," Kelley said.

Among the dozen or so cars on the freight train was a gasoline tanker, Kelley said."There was one gasoline tanker and it was empty, thank God," Kelley said. "It would have been an entirely different situation" had gas spilled.Blue Mountain Estates, a subdivision of about 200 homes, has been cut off by the train derailment.Residents there received a reverse 911 call about the train derailment.Cranes on flat bed trucks have been arriving at the scene to clear the highway as soon as possible, perhaps by 6:30 p.m.Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13969065#ixzz0ZKEaamMQ

via reflector.com

Train derails west of Denver, car falls 25 feet
The Associated Press

Thursday, December 10, 2009
GOLDEN, Colo. — A freight train derailed near the foothills west of Denver Thursday, sending an empty grain car plunging about 25 feet to the roadway below.
The car didn't hit any vehicles on Colorado 72, a small highway that connects mountain communities to the Denver suburbs, and no injuries were reported.
The 94-car Union Pacific train was crossing a bridge over the highway at the entrance to Coal Creek Canyon when eight empty cars derailed, said railroad spokesman Mark Davis.
Colorado 72 reopened Thursday evening.
The tracks above it carry both freight trains and a soon-to-be reopened passenger train that takes skiers from Denver to the mountains.
It's not yet known why the train derailed.
The accident happened one day after a coal train derailed in Colorado Springs.

A picture of the Frieghtline and bridge where the derailment happened in the summer months. by Daviad Langdon

Firewood Frenzy

Unloading the last truckload of firewood.
This wood was cut by Boulder Country (fire & beetle mitigation) and made available to the community. The lumber is less than a year old as it fell in the summer months. It is sappy, extremely heavy and takes forever to cut into pieces. This wood will season for burning two years from now. Saturday morning there were 6 pickups waiting to cut and haul it away.


Brown Dog goofing off in the Willows.

This American Robin seems perfectly content in the snowy foothills of Boulder, November 15, 2009

Dudley at full tilt.

Charter for Compassion

“Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential for human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity.”

http://charterforcompassion.org/

Colorado Snow Report,.. Game On!

This morning's view of the Sleds(yahoo) and the Prius(doh).
Front range snow storms leave roughly 30 inches of POW in Coal Creek Canyon. More expected today.

ACL Fest 2009

* Banner image is at the ACL during the headlining Pearl Jam show when singer Perry Farrell joined them for a Jane's Addiction tune, Mountain Song.

Day 1Austin City Limits. Park grounds were like a golf course fairway.

Bassnectar

Brett Dennen

Ben Harper

Pearl Jam with special guest Ben Harper.

B52's

Mos Def

Eddie Vedder and his "hookem" touring stool.

A Muddy confrontation.

Nell's Flintstone feet.

A Caveman.

Smitty Market Lockhart, Texas.

Old Smitty Market

Kreuz Market, Lockhart Texas.

The Calm before the Storm.

This image was taken one year ago at my sister Morgan's Wedding in Parker, Colorado.

Yes, that is "dressed up" for me. The different in style between myself and my little bro is obvious. He's a real fancy pants, and despite my visions of a thick pelt of a mountain beard blasting from my face, he can grow the better beard!
... then again so can my sister! haa! Heyo!

Congratulation Mo and Mike, One year!


Note: Off to the ACL, in Austin tomorrow, I'm packing my bags!

Coal Creek Canyon: First Flakes of Ski Season!

Dudley's first day in the snow sports an ice-beard.
The Canyon got about three inches today. The first real accumulations of the season! Dudley acted like he too has been waiting all summer for this.
Waxing Iron On!

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Saw Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Denver’s Buell Theatre last weekend. Nell surprised me with a couple tickets a few weeks ago, I was stoked to go. We had great seats, the sound quality in that place is amazing. Hand clapping, feet stomping and applause rumbled the venue at last night's performance. The energy level was like none I've experienced there in the past at the Buell. It is amazing how much sound and energy can come from two people. Masters of their instruments, they had the crowd clapping, shouting and energized all night. Their music created an energy level that fueled a frenzy of people dancing.This trumped the theater usher's crowd control, and the assigned seating, as people spilled out into the aisles to dance and party shortly after the show started. Even the duo noted the poor choice of venue on this trip to Denver and promised a return next year. Rod apologized, “people come to our shows to move and dance”, Rodrigo noted. But like any true talent, they made it work. I hardly noticed the assigned seating.
I was particularly amazed by the amount of music and sounds that Gabriela can create with her instruments, both the guitar and djembe. She seems so tiny on the big stage, yet she thundered the rhythms that hypnotized the audience. She left a lasting impression, I was humming their tunes well into the next morning. Thanks Nell, what a show! :-)


Denver's Buell Theatre.

From the Web: The Camper Bike

The Camper Bike, by kevincyr
These are about the coolest pieces of functional sculpture I've ever seen. They really inspire me, my mind spins with thoughts of adventure and travel with my Camper Bike.


The artist's conception of a night out with the Camper.
Oh man, I want one of these babies. You'd have to be a moose to haul this camper bike over a mountain pass... But it'd be worth it. Maybe if the bike were a tandem, it'd be easier to haul at altitude.


Blueprint drawing of the Bike Camper.

Another Bike Camper. This one looks a bit bigger and more luxurious.
Awesome Sculpture, so many fun thoughts!

Also Check out kevincyr's project "The Camper Kart".

My Worst Nightmare.

Every backcountry skier's worst nightmare.
He forgot to do his "skier cuts" (hard jump turns a few feet from the top of the slope) to check the snow pack...almost cost him big.

Try holding your breath during the blue-screen between 1:48 - 6:10.
Yeah, impossible. I need to get an Avalung this year, no excuses.

From Chappy's vimeo post:
"This was a decent sized avalanche. 1,500 feet the dude fell in a little over 10 seconds. The crown was about 1 - 1.5m. The chute that he got sucked through to the skier's right was flanked on either side by cliff bands that were about 30m tall. He luckily didn't break any bones and obviously didn't hit anything on the run out.

Camaping Colorado: Lower Mt. Elbert

Fly Fishing for Greenback Cutthroat in RMNP

The Guys from Front Range Anglers pull a page from my play book on this trip, by hiking in a day and fishing the more remote lakes in the park. Knowing that a little more work over the passes pays off with greenback pigs every_other_cast! Be sure to catch their write up.

Home Grown: Canyon Mule Deer

A Couple of jokers eating the raspberries out back.
The older buck(antlers in the background) is Gary(What I call him). I meet him the first year I moved in.(almost 5 years now!) He is a smart fellow and takes advantage of the the quite valleys and berry rich residences in the neighborhood. I see him a few times a year. This time is a welcome sign of fall.

Note: Last spring I saw a young buck hobbling around on a broken leg, a compound fracture. He wore his despair and desperation on his face with his head drooped and eyes focused on the ground. I remember he barely acknowledge my presents. The leg, broken below the elbow remained attached making it excruciating to even limp obviously. Never the less he managed to make it into the trees out of site. I wanted to kill that deer and put an end to his suffering. I don't think I could kill Gary.

Dudley Brown's new LED tag.

Sit Dudley, sit. Good Dog.


He also scored a sweet camo jacket.


Ok, so I went a little crazy at the Bass shop this weekend, he also got a new duck training dummy(his first one.).

From the Web: The Longest Way 1.0

Try this: Hit pause randomly.

From The Web: Fourcast movie trailer.

Backcountry Sleddin trailer.
Start the Stoke for the 2009/2010 season! Snow is right around the corner.

“Backcountry snowmobiling is basically like having every snowsport and motorsport combined in one.

Favorite 2 seconds -> 1:43-1:45

A Stacked Toyota Prius.

Brown Dog and the Prius.
Flip the Flap to find 150 lbs of seasoned apple wood for smoking pork ribs.

I wonder how many people have hauled wood with their Toyota Prius. The truck still has the camper on it and I needed to pick up some flavoring wood for last weekends meat feast. Figured WTH.

It did fine!
In Fact: I didn't notice and change in MPG.

There needs to be a Prius Light Truck.
haa!