Fan Fair...y

So as we continue to swelter here in Music City I noticed Colorado is having quite a cool down with the temp coming in today at 62 this morning...geez I would kill for some cooler weather right now. We at least have a breeze though. Here is a pic from Thursday...it was packed out! Mom and Dad came down Friday and left this morning and brought my bike back to IN for me. My Uncle will be passing through Denver in July so he is kind enough to take it out for me this summer. The other pic here is of me and my production manager, Mike West. He is so great and has become a great friend over the past 5 years of working together. Today they surprised me with the crew from the Stadium and here at the river all coming together in front of the morning crowd to give me a little goodbye nod since this is my last year. They all think I'm going to come back next year but I really don't want to spend one of my two weeks working here. I'm ready to let it go and explore everything/anything else I can! It has been a great experience and I love everyone I have worked with over the past 7 years, but it is time to move on.

I have had a great week back here in Nashville catching up with friends etc. Camden, Tory and Michelle hosted me twice for dinner and drinks and that was so great. I can't wait for them to make it back out to CO. Looking forward to tagging along on some adventures with them and watching Cam grow! My good friend Laura, who is also moving to Denver soon, and I have been hanging out a bit with out other friend Jesse. It has been fun to catch up with him and learn about his adventures in Burma and excite Laura even more about moving out.

I'm staying positive about the job front and all but I haven't heard back from the MDA. They said the end of this week but I'm going to give them until Monday. Then I'll call and follow up on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed.

CMA Music Fest - Last Year

So I find my self back in Nashville this week for CMA Music Fest. Things are going smoothly so far and we start show days tomorrow. We have 170 artists coming through in 4 days and are running a double stage set up right on the Cumberland River. It is HOT and MUGGY. Ugh! I sure do miss the dry air in CO already! Coming back to Nashville, I'm so glad I moved on to Colorado. I really love it out there and while I love Nashville, the only thing I am really missing are my friends. But I am definitely making some good friends out in Denver and am having a blast meeting new people and having new adventures. Now I just gotta bust ass and get in shape at altitude so I can keep up with everyone!

Low and behold Bean Blossom, IN makes an appearance at Music Fest...who knew!?

Haha

Grand Junction and Climbing

Grand Junction was cool and I found a new mtn biking spot in Fruita. I went through the national Monument and grabbed these pics. it was cool to drive through!

Came home and continued the job search. The Muscular Dystrophy Association position seems to be still in the mix! I will hear for sure next week! Cross your fingers!

Today I met up with Mark and Daryl (Mark is one of the founders of Bands for Lands, a non-profit I am the Development Director for, and Daryl is a guy I met through a climbing site that is actually from Nashville.) Mark has lived and climbed out here for a while and wanted to check out this place called Avalon in Boulder Canyon. It was great! We climbed 4 routes and had to cross the raging creek on a traverse rope of sorts. (not sure the technical name for that)

I also ran into 4 guys form Indiana who all went to Purdue for college. So random and such a small world.

Anyway we climbed some 10B's and C's and one 11A that was so fun! Here are some pics! Mark was fun to climb with and I look forward to getting back out on the rock with him.

Tomorrow holds more climbing...this time in Clear Creek Canyon in Golden. Wahoo! Then I fly back to Nashville on Monday to start working on CMA Music Fest. I guess I'll give the mountains a breather! haha

Mesa Trail and More Skiing

Last Sunday I got out on the Mesa Trail in Boulder and had a blast as well hiking around back there. Michelle these wild flower pics are for you!

Hurry up!!

Monday was bad weather...rain all day.

Tuesday was great! I was helping Dave's friend Todd get to Grand Junction by Wed so we went to A Basin and went skiing on Tuesday! It was slushy and heavy and I couldn't ski very well on it. I fell and popped my shoulder out and in and it is still pretty sore. But i just went and got some advil and kept on going. It was fine. We did see these mountain goats though...that was cool! Eric! here are your Billy Goats!!
The guys have a condo up in the mtns where they stay overnight when they go skiing and so we were fortunate enough to get to stay there and met up with his other friend Dana. We hung out had a great dinner and then hit the hot tub! Ahh that felt awesome! The next day we were on to Grand Junction...

My 1st Backcountry Ski Trip!

So in the days since my last post I have been busy! Hiking on the mesa trail in Boulder, job searching, camping, job searching, skiing, job searching...get the picture! haha

Over Memorial Day weekend I had the best time in Rocky Mountain National Park with my friend Dave and his buddies. We camped out Friday night and then went back country skiing the next day after the wind died down a bit. OUr camp site was awesome and had a great view of the Diamond! We went to Happy Valley which was pretty mellow and doable for me. It is an old ski resort. Dave hooked me up with some skins and platforms for my skiis and off we went! I thought it was awesome! I'm not in tune with my skiing yet but it was still great to get out there and give it a whirl! After that Jud and Sarah cooked us all an amazing Mahi Mahi dinner over the fire and we headed back into town to meet up with one of Dave's friends from out of town. We had a blast and I was so cool to be skiing out there! Here are some pics!

South Table Mtn and Boulder Mtn Biking

TUESDAY: So Yesterday I went and met up with a good friend of a friend Mark, who Tory and Michelle introduced me to. He is a climber and adventurer and showed me some fun routes at Table Mountain. This is going to be my outdoor gym of sorts during the week. I loved it! So many routes and so quick and easy to get to and find. Here are some pics. We did 5 routes and they ranged form 8 to 10a. It felt good to get out here and it was another beautiful day!

WEDNESDAY: I spent most of today in Denver running some errands and job searching but in the afternoon I drove up to Boulder to have a late lunch and check out some things in town. I ate at one of my favorite places Mountain Sun and then met up with David for a short mountain bike ride. It was beautiful! I bit it two times along the trail..slippery sandy gravel and fast sometimes don't mix. oops....guess I'll be wearing pants to that second MDA interview I scored today to hide the scrapes up and down my legs...it's been fun to take advantage of not having a job right now!! Haha!

Dirty Half Mile

I've have had a great weekend! I acquired a new rope from the gear swap at wilderness exchange, met a climbing buddy, and went to two bouldering areas this weekend! Saturday I met up with a fellow climber from Nashville who jsut moved out here and we headed to Morrison to find the bouldering there. The insane Clown Posse was coming to Red Rocks so we couldn't go in and check out the theater but the bouldering area was near by so we go good views of the rocks...soo cool! The bouldering was ok...nothing like what i am used to and really shitty landing areas!

Today I decided to go check out another bouldering area in Clear Creek Canyon just west of Golden. (I love Golden!) Lots of people were out enjoying the weather on their bikes, kayaks and on the rock too! I was heading to one of the only bouldering spots in that area and I had a guide I printed online. I totally messed it up though... turned in to the pullout 1/2 a mile early so the gully that I was supposed to hike up was 1/2 a mile away. I should have known when it was so steep I was sliding the whole time...scary! I got stung by a bee too!

Ohh and I found the remains of billy the goat...yikes!

I hiked for about 2 hours and finally gave up and headed down the other side of the hill where it wasn't so steep and low and behold there was the trail I was looking for...1.2 mile up the road...
Ohh and I this huge dirt smudge on my face all day from the hike...no wonder everyone was looking at me funny! I need to look in the mirror every once in a while.

So I eventually drove back up later int he day after I rested a bit in town and watched some kayakers! The problems were too hard for me to send any of them anyway but I did some good exploring!!