President Elect - Barack Obama!!

Well, we now know who our 44th President will be. Barack Obama! The first African American President of the United States of America is a Democrat. With a landslide victory that turned multiple states from Red to Blue, we now know who will lead us for at least the next four years, if not eight.

I'm excited. Wish he could start right now and Bush could just go back to his ranch and stop causing problems. Who knows what stupid things we have in store for us from the White House between now and January 20, 2009. Hopefully he can keep them to a minimum and give Obama less to clean up than he already has facing him.

I wanted to visit my friend Mark in D.C. for the inauguration ceremony in January, however financial circumstances (which I am sure are hitting everyone) may not let me partake. We'll see what magic I can make between now and then. Most likely it will just be a flight in, party with the Seavey's and then out. I don't see me being able to attend the ceremony or balls afterward unless I fall into a good chunk of change soon. If you don't believe me, check out the prices HERE. Crazy!!

If you missed Obama's acceptance speech on Tuesday evening, it's a must see HERE.

VOTE!!!

Have you voted already?
Yes?
Good!

No?
Please make sure you are at the polls tomorrow. I am not writing this to sway you one way or another. Vote for the candidate you feel will best serve our country. Think about how you want the next four years to be. Don't think about the past four, that is behind us. Choose someone who will give us the best four years and thus make the years after that as productive as possible for the environment, business, families, individuals and the world.

This election is extremely important to all of us. You can't afford to not vote. I feel this one will be closer than most people think and your voice counts. So get out and make your voice be heard. If you don't, (this may sound harsh, but I believe it) then you have nothing to complain about over the next four years when it comes to how our government works.

VOTE!

Happy Voting Everyone!

Going Green

It's the Colorado way!
We went to a Halloween party Saturday night. We were "Going Green". Even had solar panels on our backs. There were some great costumes there: a couch, the standard slutty girl cop, a priest and pregnant nun, a pink flamingo, Sarah Palin and even an over sized box of Franzia including a tap on the front that you could actually drink the wine from!

You can see photos of our costumes as well as some pumpkins we carved with the Arce's last week HERE.

First Turns!!

We headed up to Arapahoe Basin on Saturday morning and met up with Erich and Julia for a few runs to start the season. Only one trail is open with an 18" base. So the lines are long and the crazies are all over the place. We took two runs and then headed in for a Bloody Mary. The snow was OK, considering the time of year, but the crowds made it hard to link your turns. Can't wait for more of the natural stuff and more trails to open.

We finished off the day with a soak in the hot tub at the Keystone condo and then watched the Sox beat the Rays in Game 6 of the ALCS. Too bad they did not show up for Game 7. Oh well, there is always next year ...

See photos from our first day of skiing HERE

You can feel it in the air!

Ski season is on its way! With temps in the 30's at night and low 50's during the day the past few days in Denver, you can feel winter coming on. Although the forcast is for 70's be the end of the week. Anyways, Arapahoe Basin opens tomorrow with an 18" base, ribbon of death. One trail just barely covered with man made snow. They will be the first to open for the '08-'09 season in the U.S. I won't be there, but I am sure a bunch of crazy people will be. That's the best time to get hurt and be out for the rest of the season. Between the idiots who think they can race down the narrow trail like it's mid February and the beginers who don't even know how to turn yet, your likely to run into someone or have someone run into you. No thanks!

But I'll be there soon! Got my pass already and starting to do lunges after runs. Need to get the burn out of the legs before those first killer Tele turns of the season. Looking forward to it.

Read more about opening day here: Summit Daily News

Free your heels and your mind will follow!

Steamboat Weekend

This post now seems a bit on the old side, but I wanted to share photos of our weekend in Steamboat Springs. A busy week at work has prevented me from posting earlier.

Last Friday evening, Melissa and I headed up to Steamboat after work. It's about a four hour drive from Denver. We took U.S. 40 over Berthold Pass, through Winter Park, Granby, Kremling and over Rabbit Ears Pass. The Aspens were just starting to turn in Denver, but are in full color up in the mountains.

We got to the Tap House on Main Street in Steamboat just in time for the second inning of Game Two of the ALDS between the Red Sox and the Angels. We had some good food and drink while enjoying a Red Sox win!

We got to the tiny town of Columbine late-night and found our cabin in the dark. We woke up to a lost cow mooing for his friends. The entire area is Open Range, so the cows basically have taken over and go wherever they want. Upon stepping outside, we were blinded by the gold Aspens that surrounded the cabin. Anyone looking for a fun weekend in the mountains north of Steamboat and just South of the Wyoming border, should check out the Columbine Cabins. Our cabin was one room with a wood stove for heat and kerosene lanterns for light. There are group bathrooms in the center area of the cabins and a outhouse for our cabins use. Very rustic and quaint. Most of these cabins are over 100 years old.

Saturday morning we hiked Hans Peak. The trailhead is located just across the road from the cabins. Great little hike. We got caught in some snow and wind at the top, but the views were spectacular. Rained most of the weekend off and on, so our photos were not as good as if the sky had been blue, but the fall colors made up for it. Not quite like New England fall colors, but still beautiful in their own right.

We added to our Colorado brewery checklist with the Mahogany Brewery in Steamboat. We enjoyed a great dinner and a few pints of their hand-crafted beers. Then we were off to the Strawberry Park Hot Springs for an evening soak. A must for any visit to the Steamboat area!

We wanted to try out some fly fishing in the area, it is well know for many amazing fishing spots, but due to the rain and cold we headed out for an excellent breakfast ( Winona's ) Sunday morning and then back to Denver to catch the Sox game. If yo have a chance to visit Steamboat, any time of the year, you should. A historic town with a ton to do.

Check out our photos:
Jason's Photos
Melissa's Photos

A great must read!

Hilarious!

The Wounded-Courier: Leaked Memo of McCain Camp's Future Hail Mary