Species....

Maps for Tears....

With all this time Ive been diving back into my other loves: mapping and mechanics. Plotter is running and humming, and so is the "Apocalypse", which is the new name for the dodge. Last night I sucked off the tracks I made from the trip down to Utah and my college exploration mission to Ft. Collins. Thats a lot of driving. And Im about to do it again.

Bottom right is my house. Top right is Ft. Collins. Left is Duck Creek and that little loop center right was my detour while the fuel gauge read "E" for enough.

If anybody is keen for some sick poster action or maybe some maps of some super sick locales, make an order, bc I need to buy a new brain for this thing, currently setback at $600.

Coming soon in Sept is a mega road trip to Bellingham and maybe a continuation to AK. And for all those people trying to get me on Facebook, you can all suck it. I almost caved in, but didnt.

Steers for Beers....

Driving around scared. Zambi hasnt shit in the truck yet, but shes close. Witnessing the Death Wobbles as driver or dog is a frighteningly miserable experience. But I found the culprit after all kinds of research on the lappy and then actually getting underneath and looking....it was the same damned trackbar that I replaced 6 months ago. Bitch. Luckily I now know how to replace these heavy pieces of shit. After this new one with its lifetime warranty dies, Im modding it up to the 2003 spec, so theres no more ball joint to prematurely wear out. Ugh.

Time to Do Shit....

Now that the rafting world has come to an end, I have time to fix MY world. Steering box on the dodge sucks, apply bandaid. So much dogshit, compost it. Water tank up on the mesa, move it. A little bit of beer left in the keg, drink it. Some sun out and about, soak it in. A half finished flagstone porch, think about doing it later. Pictures of the so far today:

Gear Testing....

Here!!

La Cueva....

Been hunting out this potential mine up in the sticks for a while now and finally made it up there yesterday. thought I saw cabins in the imagery, yet saw none in the flesh. Did find some sick old machinery though, and Zambi has been officially documented as insane and afraid of trees.


On my return there shall be a new search for those damn cabins. What they were mining is still a mystery, but we found tons of green sandstonish rocks, which might be either a coppery oxidization or a byproduct of some sort of chemical leaching process....

In other news, I found out that tires for my dually are super expensive and x6. Its cheaper for me to go to 4 and get rims and tires....so if you know any sweet hookups...lemmeknowyo

Wholly Shit....

Back and packed and ready for accion!!!



Lots have happened in the last month. In Reversish order:

Yesterday I was talking about how I was due for a guide swim. I got it in less than an hour after that in the Fangs, where I swam the 2-fer-1 last year.

Its whitewater hiking season, officially.

Guide Stick Madness, I bought TWO of em, and can already feel my shoulder getting better after 4 days off of aluminum. Ladybugs!!


I just had the worst chocolate shake ever, didnt know that was possible?

Spent about 3 weeks in Colorado, charging the river and having a metric ton of fun. Some of it was with Zambi, who grew up a bit and turned into a really good dog and less of a feral menace to society. Cracking a nail in half really mellows a dog out too.

FIBArk was tight as well!

Within those 3 weeks spent some time in Utah of all places, dirtbiking with friends!

Became one of the infamous Angl-Junc Flyfishing Guides because Ive been fishing so much in the last 5 years....0 times. Funny enough, while I was there I was thonly one to catch anything using my super secret patened technique..."cussing". Im all over the site, poised as the Hairy Guy.

Interested in Western Washington University as a host for my grad school needs. Everyday I find out more interesting reasons to move there.... like Whistler's close range.

Beer Fines....

When river carnage happens theres a fine to be paid in frosty beverages. I love relatively safe carnage, and the cleanup, but thats bc its usually not mine. Last year I had one flip that was semi on purpose as a learning experience for the rookies. Had an amazing highside event. This year the water was wasting away and we were thinking it was going to be a short Box season. Then the agriculture guys shut off the irrigation to cut their crop and and the river spiked, and its spiking still. Going up. Thurs it was 780 cfs. Today its 1700. Sickness. Back from tangent, in Souse Hole, I flipped, first of the year, with an 8-year old, who was loving it!!

Mistaken Takenings....

A week up on the Arkansas....and I forgot my camera and toothbrush there. Though I got to chat with Eric Jackson and run some sick river madness.....

ugh

No Adventures without Chupacabras....

Im teaching a mini fast paced guide school. Smacking in four runs a day on the Racecourse. Exhausted. John takes this opportunity to gather friends and colleges and go run the Razorblades above the Upper Box. A nice class 3-4 run in the middle of nowhere. Its important to note the location bc I end up having to go to the middle of nowhere to try and find these guys.

5:30. Dairy Queen in hand, Spana. I get a a call for John that starts: "Emergency, everyone is ok...". The DQ almost comes out of nose. So I send all the students back in the other car and proceed to drive north in the Purple and then back home for the next 5.5 hours. Their shuttle van was high-centered in the mud, off the road, in a ditch, 5 miles back from the nearest pavement, and a guy named JR has the keys and is apparently going to tow it out the next day. I got to bed at about 1:00 am.

On the water they almost missed the takeout by 200 feet, sending them into the Upper Box class 5-6 gnar.

Love it, wet.

Soon: Giant Apology Letter from the BLM

Hands Down....

Something. Pics from the garage and beyond....

Add some lights: 2 of 4


Mount GPS:


Watch trees grow:

Made Me Cry....

Wavewheel to Meat....

I get a day off and guess what? I go kayaking. Looking for something to peel my eyelids back, I head into Souse Hole, Rio Grande!

Meanwhile Im having trips up on the Arkansas, overnighters, cracked heels, keg beer, a big black muscle monster of a dog, grad school schist, and Im a new member of the Gear Army for Outside Magazine! Where I get to recieve super sick and sometimes not awesome outdoor gear and use the crap out of it and then post my reflections. I like. Next in line is a Sweet Strutter helmet, maybe in pink, who knows?

one=three=five=four=cosmic....

The carnage is happening. The river is up. Koko's first college bikini rafters showed up. I havent stopped working for about 2 weeks. I dont even have a chance to down a beer before I fall asleep. I finally got my second shower in a week and a half. And then I twisted my ankle stepping out of the bus and faceplanted the neighboring bus, just previous to another guide tripping on said rock and almost ripping the bus door off.



Taos Box Style....fast, racing private boaters to the only two spots on the river to have lunch. Not getting run over by the bus traffic. Telling ridiculous stories and laughing. walking in the water to fart my drysuit only to have the zipper open and filling the legs with water. Heels calloused and deeply cracked....but I cant figure out why it doesnt hurt yet? Kayaking wavewheel to meat only to have your eyelids pulled back behind your ears from the force of the water.


Nap time.

....

Back by popular demand!!! New Posts!!!!

uh yeah, Im apparently busy now and stuff. How lame.

Heres a pic:

Gearboat PLUS paddlers PLUS 8-30 packs of Miller Lite. This thing was a pig. I may expand later, but not now. I did however talk the owner into buying me a stern frame, working well.
and here and here

good Kelly Carnage here

Four seasons on the Gauley from Jason Rackley on Vimeo.

River:30....

Its time. This time we did a nice little trip on the upper Chama river, aka, Big Mama Chama. Supposed to be a scenic class II with a burly class IV near the end, and a hike out. We failed to see the IV, but had a great time searching for it. We all agreed this would be one of the best easy overnighters with plenty of campsites and lee bank shelves, scenery and canyon action. The only class IV we found was right at the begining: river-wide barbed wire fence near the gravel pit.

Zomg!! x 2....

Craft Fail, Cake Wrecks....

All about flundered crafting. Hilarious. I should put up ALL of my attempts this year....

Craft Fail!

via: Neatorama

And then Cakewrecks....says it all...lol

Does this:

Look like this?:
I really like the 6 digits vs the 3....

Dakar, and Whoa!!!!!

This is a story from ADVrider...and it WILL blow your mind.
Read everything from "Bugfnnuts" and be prepared to watch the days trickle away, and the productivity diminish.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209947

Top 9....

So far 2009 has sucked. I decided to alter my jaded opinion of the matter and see how funny these dumb happenings can be. You decide, or make your own additions:

9. Selling the 4Runner, some asshat offers me $750 (posted for $3600)

8. Upon modifying the kegerator for a stout with 40+ psi, I open the faucet for the first time, soaking my entire frontal crotch area.

7. I decide to sell the "Beaver", sad day

6. AutoCAD classes (2-4) get canceled due to lack of enrollment. Unfortunately no one can register for session 2 till we pass 1, which were still in when we get the news that its canceled. Pissed off.

5. Miss an appointment at CSU because the truck breaks a stabilizer bar and death wobbles all over the road upon meeting railroad tracks. Try and fix it, and fubar the steering on accident. Leave Nebraska 3 days late.

4. Find out I didnt get my dream job with the BLM because a retired asthmatic overweight vet whos never been on the river got the job with 10 preference point while I have a perfect resume and 0 points.

3. All six containers of milk I have bought since January have expired before I could use any of it.

2. My first day of rafting for the season: 40 degrees and snowing/raining, windy....

1. Apply for an extension to get my tax refund.