Aug 31, 2013

We began the day in Portsmouth, walking around, checking out the stores. It was a nice, quaint little town. It felt very New Hampshire, if that makes sense. We headed over to Smuttynose Brewing Co. in time for the first tour to begin. We didn't know you could make reservations, but we were able to get in anyway. Before the tour started they let us try a few beers. We had a great tour guide who was really funny. When referring to their hopping process he said, "Dry hopping: It's not as dirty as it sounds." It was a great first brewery tour for Joanna. One of the guys working there went to her high school too, so that was funny.

We got the full treatment, and saw some great little gems along the way including a sign saying, "Thing we need: New can opener. No lazy can openers or can't openers." The whole thing was just a fun tour. They had a lot of stuff aging in wine and bourbon barrels. Apparently they do a lot of barrel aging so I want to look into getting some of that or coming back. After a few more samples at the end, we headed out.

We went back to downtown Portsmouth to try out Portsmouth Brewery, Smuttynose's sister company. I like their logo. I also got a free beer ticket from Smuttynose so I had to use that. I tried the Bottle Rocket IPA and Murphy's Law Red. They were both pretty good. I felt like I got more beer than I really wanted/needed though. I had to work to finish them.

I thought of this while we were in the bar. I thought it was funny. You should too.

We headed up to Portland, Maine which is really close to Porstmouth, and went to Shipyard Brewing. Their tour is pretty basic: You watch a video, take a look over the railing at the brewing operation, and then come back to drink beer. They have fantastic beer. There really isn't anything they have that I don't like. I did learn that they contract brew for Sea Dog and a few other places. The Export and Chamberlain Pale Ale are probably my favorites they make. Their fruit beers are really good as well. They had a whiskey aged beer that was just way too boozy for me. Sometimes it goes too far. That was about it for our night. We headed back to NH to find a place to park and sleep for the night.

Aug 30, 2013

A little later than planned we got our start heading north toward Maine. There is always traffic, but we hit some crazy traffic jam on 95 near Stamford, Connecticut. I go crazy in traffic so I decided we should get off in Stamford and see if we could find a brewery. As it turns out there was one a half mile from the highway. And they were awesome.

Half Full Brewing is a little hidden spot near the highway. You enter and descend a metal staircase directly to the bar, where they offer cheap pours of their beers and you get to keep the tasting glass. I made friends with the bartender and one of the brewers, talking about local beer and distribution. I got to try way more beer than I paid for. It was all quite good except for one pale ale. That's not a bad ratio. Especially because the newest pale ale they had just tapped was one of the best I've ever had. It was fantastic. And it was cheap so I got a growler of it for $7. That's correct.

After spending an hour or so there we decided to brave the traffic once again, so I packed up my growler and we got back on the road. The traffic subsided after we got out of the Stamford area and we had pretty smooth sailing up through Massachusetts. Because of our delay it was pretty late so we decided to find a Wal*Mart and stop there to finish our drive in the morning.

Aug 29, 2013

Chuck, Kate, and I decided to go up to Philly for a day of beer. So different from most other days, right? We first went to Yards and were actually able to try new beers for the most part. The Cape of Good Hope's new recipe was amazing. We also had the Pynk, a tart fruit beer with raspberries that is absolutely lovely. I could drink a lot of that. It's like liquid candy. Even the Cicada Belgian was pretty good.

We next went to the Abbaye for lunch. I got the summer veggie burger. It was, of course, delicious. I'm glad I decided to go for it. It has a lot of the same flavor as the best burger they used to have. Guacamole and onion is the best additions to it.

On our way back, we stopped at the new Flying Fish Brewery. It's a great renovation with a beautiful taproom. By law, we had to get a "tour," which consisted of an employee showing a TV monitor of the brewery room, pointing out the tanks, and then saying we could drink. They don't do free tasting or really anything cheap anymore so we each just got a beer. I had the Abbey Dubbel, and it was very good. We wandered around the taproom and the gift shop a bit while we drank our small glasses of beer and then we left.

On our way back we stopped at PB's for some cheap beers. I had a couple All Day IPAs. When we got back home Alex came over so I could do her headshots for a publication at work. We had some fun with it, but I believe I got some really good ones.

I spent a little time editing Alex's photos and then chilled out for the night. And had some peanut butter. Hurrah.

Aug 28, 2013

I met Ryan at the gym in the afternoon for some circuits and treadmill action. Later I went to the Oar House with Chuck and Alex for a couple of drinks. Big day for me. Jamie met us there and had a beer before we headed over to the Levoy to see Tracy Morgan. We had good seats, but there was water dripping from the ceiling. The general attitude of the guy we talked to was, "Well, we can give you a refund and you can leave or stay and get dripped on." And obviously I said, "Well, no." But I guess someone went up and stopped the leak because it subsided for most of the show.

The opener was pretty funny and then Tracy was hilarious. It was so awkward because that's how he does stand-up. Definitely something you wouldn't want to be with your mom for. He called out some girl up in the balcony that kept calling out. He reacted so well to it. After the show I went over to the bar and met Kate and Matt. The promoter guy for the Levoy was over there and I guess he recognized me from the wet seats incident so he went back to the theater and brought me back a poster signed by Tracy Morgan. He thanked me for being cool about the whole thing because the girls in front of us were bitchy and demanding they get something for their trouble so he decided to give it to me instead! Those girls were on their phones the whole show anyway. Not sure why they came. But 'twas a fun night!

Aug 27, 2013

In the morning I went to have a walk at the park and play disc golf with Ryan. It was a really nice and warm day. I had to drop my car off to get checked out at the Honda dealership around the corner from the park so I rode my bike back to the park to play a few holes on my own. When I was there I saw my car pull in. I figured they were doing the test drive, but then the guy parked and sat there for a bit so I walked over to him and opened the door. I didn't know the guy so he was confused. I told him it was my car and asked what he was doing. He put his phone away and said he was just doing a test drive. When I asked him why he was parked and texting he got awkward so I shut the door and he left. I biked back to the dealership and told the manager about it, especially since it was already an hour later than I was supposed to be there. I got the checkup for free, which is nice since nothing was done anyway.

I picked up Jenny later and went over to Menantico for a walk. Her dad told her about a path that leads to the "blue hole," a clear body of water that reflects and looks blue. We parked at a nondescript area and cut into the woods to find a large path. We followed it a mile or two and came upon the water. It exists! We walked all around the edge of it and then decided we wanted to go for a swim. We changed and hopped in to the nice water and swam around for a while. We swam at least halfway across the whole thing before we decided to turn back. I want to come out here more often to swim for exercise. I hope it's often just as empty. I'm glad we got to go.

Aug 26, 2013

Not too much to say about the day. I didn't do much until late afternoon when I went out to play a round of disc golf by myself and then went to run at Silver Run. Later we got together to crack open the growler of Hopvine IPA I got from Schooner Exact. Good times were had by all. Glad I picked that up, but I wish they were closer!

Aug 25, 2013

I spent most of the morning into the afternoon working on my website. I changed some of the layout and added some buttons. Mostly I wanted to update the sections for weddings, portraits, and products so I could properly represent what I do when I send potential clients to my site. I added some more art and sports photos as well. I like it much better now.

I needed to get out of the house for a bit so I met Ryan for a game of disc golf later. We had a good game and chat and then I retired home for dinner. Later I went up to PB's for some beers. I got the All Day IPA by Founders, which is one of my favorite session IPAs. They are very easy to drink.

Aug 24, 2013

In the earlier part of the day I met Scott at the park for a round of disc golf. I'm sure it was lovely. Later was Kate's graduation party so Chuck and I showed up and helped stock the fridge. We couldn't fit more than half of ours in there. I met Kate's boyfriend Jon finally and we got along quite well. That was a relief. The night was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people I didn't know, but there was fire, food, beer, and people I do know. We spent a lot of time outside drinking and laughing, telling stories, and drinking some more. Once the crowd died down we took the party inside for a bit until it was clearly time for everyone to be leaving. It was really nice having a night with a group of friends.

Aug 23, 2013

In the morning I went to the Williamstown Farmer's Market with my grandmom. We had a coupon that you could redeem for a $20 gift card toward anything in the place. Seemed like a strange deal, but there was no catch. It worked. I got some fruits, veggies, and nuts. Worth the trip. After we got home I wanted to go for a run, so I headed over to Parvin and took one lap around the lake. After I got home and showered, the sun was going down and it looked amazing outside.

Sarah and Aiden were over so I took Aiden out with me while I shot some photos. I turned around in time to notice the rainbow that had formed and we got some shots of that too. We hung out for the next couple hours talking and having Aiden ask me to pick him up and play. That lasted for a while until he got tired enough that they had to head home. It was a nice night.

Aug 22, 2013

I played an afternoon game of disc golf with Ryan so as to not waste the whole nice day inside. I went to Legacy Photographics later for my photo training session with some other people. It seems like it could be a cool job, if a bit repetitive. We practiced shooting seated subjects like we would be doing at a school portrait shoot. We went through this process much longer than was necessary. At least for me. The session was scheduled to be done at 9 and they were running over so I had to excuse myself because I had plans. Unfortunately I got to the Barbary as The Dangerous Summer were starting their last song. I have absolutely no luck seeing them. One day. It was a beautiful night out at least and I had a nice walk around that neighborhood.

Aug 21, 2013

I met Ryan at the gym in the afternoon for a quick workout and then headed to the course for a round of disc golf by myself. It was a nice day and I got through most of the course before calling it a day. Later I met Chuck at the Oar House for a beer before we went to Quizzo. A full day of activities in only three sentences. I'm either succinct or boring.

Aug 20, 2013

I woke up in the morning and just decided that I was going to ride my bike to Ocean City and back. It was an absolutely perfectly gorgeous day and I was not about to stay inside. I put some air in my tires, got myself ready, and headed out. The clouds were so nice, and it was warm, but it felt good. The ride there felt great. I was moving pretty quickly, and I felt like I could keep going. Biking past the grassy inlets was a beautiful sight. These things make me smile.

After crossing the treacherous bridge into Ocean City I made it to the beach. I parked my bike, ate my banana, and had a walk down to the water. The beach was crazy crowded. I always forget how popular it is. Once I'd seen enough shoreline littered with people I headed back, filled up my water bag and was on my way back. I stopped to shoot a picture at the sunflower patch that I always want to shoot but never remember to.

The ride home felt slower, probably because a bike seat gets uncomfortable after a while. I stopped for a rest about halfway home and had my Clif bar under the shade of a big tree. I was listening to a podcast about extreme athletes so that helped a little. I was so happy to make it home and not have to sit on my bike seat anymore. I did a total of 55.66 miles in just over 4 hours. I was happy with that. I don't have any time to beat or anything, but the distance seems good. I still want to do a city to shore ride one day. Once I got home I fell exhausted into my chair where I remained, watching TV, for the rest of the night except for a quick trip to Shop Rite for food.

Aug 19, 2013

After packing up our campsite we all headed to Camelback and checked in early for our "Treetop Adventure" course. This the same one Ryan and I did a couple of years ago and we had been waiting for another good deal so we could do it again. They have added a rule that you can't bring cameras or phones, so I had to steal this photo from the interwebs. I could have gone and gotten one of my own pictures from last time, I suppose, but here we are.

The course was a lot of fun. We tried to stay in front, but there was a group of people ahead of us that just took forever with every single obstacle. It was horribly annoying and really put a damper on some of the fun of the course. That said, we did have a really good time doing the obstacles and zip lines. I really like how challenging some of the obstacles are as far as problem solving. We managed to get by the big group on the last set of obstacles, but it was the shortest set that led to the final zip line back to the beginning. We finished with one last challenge: getting down the ladders while clipping in and out as we descended.

Joanna had to head back home after that so Ryan, Erika, and I went to Chili's to get some food before heading back home ourselves.

Aug 18, 2013

Ryan, Erika, and I drove up to PA and met Joanna at American Legion DGC. There was some kind of fair going on and we had to look around to find the first tee. The course was not bad. There were some fun holes, but it was just a course built with the available land and resources. Some of the first holes were better than the back half. It was just fun playing with a group of friends again. Even Erika was playing pretty well. We got a little turned around toward the end, but we all had a good time.

We got some tasty lunch at Panera Bread after the game and then headed to our campsite. Once we had our tents up and gathered some firewood for later we went for a short walk on the Shades of Death trail. It was a nice little trail that followed a stream. It was a little rocky and muddy at times, but pretty all over. So much happened besides just walking though. We found a cell phone, got in touch with its owner and returned it, we found a dog by itself on the trail, so we waited with it until its owner came back, and I crawled out from behind a rock on all fours, scaring the shit out of Ryan and Erika, who had been farther back on the trail. I skinned up my hand a bit, but it was worth it.

Ryan and Erika took back to camp, but Joanna and I wanted to play Hickory Run DGC so we headed over to the other entrance to go there. It's much easier when you're camping at the same park that has a course. I feel like I know this course very well by now though I think I've only played it twice. It was pretty fun, but a lot of the back just feels repetitive and boring. Joanna managed to get her Eagle stuck directly into the side of a fallen tree. It was pretty impressive.

When we came back to camp we bought some firewood and got our campfire going. The fire would prove to be a very difficult one that we had to tend to almost constantly. The brief moments we were able to sit next to it were nice though. It was a really nice evening. We retired to our tents, still talking through the thin fabric, mostly about farting. Camping is great.

Aug 17, 2013

I went to the park in the morning for a run and some disc golf. I mixed it up between running with discs and playing the course and then running the baskets and doing exercises at each one.

Later I went up to my friend Jess's house for her going away party. I hadn't seen her since Cirque and she is off to Dickinson College this week. It was a small gathering with about 4 other girls. We had snacks and stood around talking for a while before we got to the real fun: Apple to Apples. We had a good amount of people to play and there were a lot of funny moments. After the game we played with the cats for a while and talked some more. I made a reference to Edible Arrangements in a sexual way, and now none of us will ever be able to think of that the same again. I'm looking at you, Soo Jin.

Aug 16, 2013

I went out in the morning for a round of disc golf by myself at the park and had a nice time. I went to Saigon with my mom for lunch. We had a good talk and I told her about some of my plans for the coming months with work and personal life. It's good talking to her and getting some kind of catharsis or therapy maybe. Whatever it is, it's good. We went over to the mall after eating and looked at possible upgrades or plan changes for our cell service. We didn't come up with anything.

I came home and hung around for a while before I felt like I was spending too much time inside and decided to go out for a late evening run at Silver Run. I did a few circuits of different trails. The sunset looked nice so I went over to Union Lake to watch the sunset. It looks so nice.

Later it seems I consumed a couple of Shipyard Pumpkin Ales. I understand why this is their best selling beer. It's really flavorful and light. It doesn't have an exaggerated flavor that some pumpkin beers do.

Aug 15, 2013

I went up to Bridgeport, PA in the morning to have my interview with Legacy Photographics, even though they kind of already told me that I had the job. I had to take a test, which I thought was humorous. It was about camera settings, ISO, aperture, and things of that nature. I asked how I did and they said I put way more detail than they needed. They just wanted to make sure I had a basic idea of what a camera is and which way to point it. The interview went really well, and I felt comfortable talking to all of them. I left knowing I had the job so that felt nice.

I celebrated by going to Sedgley and playing a round of disc golf. I met a guy at the first tee and we played together so that was nice. I headed into the city and picked up some tickets for upcoming shows sans surcharge before crossing back over the bridge and meeting Jeff at his house to hang with him and Simon. We took a walk with the baby and got some food to bring to the park, where we sat and ate while we talked about business plans. Simon contributed by throwing his bottle on the ground.

I went to the Apple Store next to see if I could exchange my iPod since it just doesn't work anymore. I was able to use advice I got from a former Apple employee to do so. The saleswoman took my old one and brought me a new one that was actually bigger (160GB) and then she told me to have a good night and left. I slowly left the store, unsure if they were billing me later or something. By the time I'd gotten to my car I'd all but confirmed with my friend from Apple that I had stolen it. Or something like it. I guess she forgot that she had to ring me up? Oh well, free iPod!

Chuck came over later in the night to try some of the beers I'd brought home. We finished up the Vanilla Imperial Stout from Schafly and then had the Epic Cap'n Cromley's Pale Ale and some Cape of Good Hope. It was a good night.

Aug 14, 2013

It was a nice day for some disc golf so I went out and played early in the afternoon. I wasn't ready to not outside so later in the day I went for a long bike ride. I ended up going 17 miles around this general area as the sun was going down. Riding into the sun is both nice and annoying. You get a nice view, but you can't see it because it's so damn bright. After I got back and showered it was about time to head to Quizzo. And then we did that.

Aug 13, 2013

I went for an unusual daytime run around the neighborhood and down the river trail today. I go down the trail and loop back around up Sharp Street to get back. After the sun got lower I packed up my rucksack and biked to the course for a round by myself and then headed over to the gym for a quick workout. Ryan asked me if I'd like to take a walk at this point so I headed home and met him there for a walk around my neighborhood. Nice day of being outside a lot.

Aug 12,2013

I spent the morning taking care of some paperwork that I needed to fill out to get my substitute certificate for this year. It has been five years since I got the last one. That's crazy. Not so much growth going on here. I went to the Board of Ed to drop off my stuff and then ran some errands around town.

Later I went to my mom's where we worked on my spreadsheet of expenses and income for my business so I could be ready to file my taxes. It was a bit complicated, but I got everything worked out so I could enter my finances. After that we went through pictures from the trip, which took a long time of course since I take a lot of shots all the time.

Aug 11, 2013

I met Ryan and Erika at the gym for some circuits in the morning followed by a walk at the park with Ryan. It was another beautiful day so I wanted to stay outside. I went for a bike ride later and took the longest circuitous route that was easy enough to do before it got dark. I rode down through the airport and had a beautiful sunset. Why would I want to come inside on a day like this?

Well, after it got dark I came inside and Chuck came over for some beers while we watched the long-awaited season premiere of Breaking Bad and wow, is it going to be an awesome season if it it keeps up like that. We opened up the Elevation Triple IPA from Renegade so Chuck could try some of the amazing flavor explosion while it was freshest. We also started the Vanilla Imperial Stout I got from Schlafly. A good night we had.

Aug 10, 2013

We had a good sleep on the futon-ish thing in Harry's living room so when I got up I felt ready to go for a run with him. We ran along the river a bit and through the town. We caught up on a bunch of things and talked about his ascent to full-fledged pilot. I'd like to go fly with him one day. Having a conversation while running really does test your ability. I definitely felt challenged, but I liked that. Once we finished our good run I got a shower, and then we bid Harry and Terry adieu and got back on the road for our final drive home.

We had a long drive ahead of us through the rest of Ohio and then Pennsylvania. When things start looking familiar, that's when it starts to feel like it's taking a long time. The traffic started getting heavier when we got back to NJ as the sun dropped behind us on our final drive eastward. It was dark when we got back to Joanna's house and unpacked the car. I, of course, had to repack my car for the rest of my drive home. After saying goodbye for a while I headed home, glad to be sleeping in my own bed again for a while.

Aug 9, 2013

After getting up and realizing that not only were we still alone at the campground, but also we couldn't get into the bathrooms (leaving us wondering why we bothered putting the money in the slot), we packed up and headed to the nearest grocery store to get cleaned up and use their bathrooms. We then continued our drive through Missouri. It was still quite a drive to St. Louis, and we hit traffic once we got close that didn't let up until we got off the highway.

I decided to visit Schlafly Brewery after Joanna read me their beer list. I got a flight of six of their beers, and even snuck a taste of another one from our curmudgeonly bartender. Not a lot of them stood out to me, but the Vanilla Imperial Stout was quite good, and I thought Chuck would enjoy it. Also, a new growler was $12 dollars, which I double checked with the bartender because that is lunacy. Especially for a high alcohol beer like that. And the bottle. But it was true, and I left with my handle of new beer.

We headed up the road to Square One Brewery where I got a flight of four beers. I really love the style of this little place, and the beer ain't half bad either! It's actually fantastic. The Single Hot Red was really good, and the All Oat Lager was deceptively light (pictured above) and amazingly delicious. Of course the Maple Stout, which I got a growler of last time I visited, was also on my taster and it was still super amazingly great. After I finished drinking my samples and getting a souvenir glass, we headed out into the drizzling rain to continue east.

The traffic was a bit heavy as we left the St. Louis area, crossing the river into Illinois, and powered along I-70. It was another long drive into the night as we crossed Indiana, through Indianapolis, and finally into Ohio. Crossing the state line felt like we had gotten closer, but it was still a very long way to Columbus. We finally got there quite late and were greeted by my friend Harry at his apartment door. We talked briefly as we set up our sleeping bags on the futon-esque mattress couch thing. It was better than a futon is what I'm trying to say. We were both very tired and headed off to sleepy town straight away.

Aug 8, 2013

We enjoyed our last bit of sleeping in for a while at Steve and Jamie's before packing up the rest of our stuff and getting back on the road. We went back into Denver so I could get my growler from Renegade and then to a vegan food truck Joanna had heard about to get some food to go. Unfortunately they didn't have what I was hoping for (even though it was on the menu) so I went without. Joanna got a meatball sandwich that was delicious and I wished I had gotten one. It was all driving after that.

The mountain views fade quickly in that rearview when you leave the Denver area, giving way to flat, flat land for as far as you can see. There is a whole different beauty to the open landscape of eastern Colorado and the entirety of Kansas. That said, it gets pretty monotonous to drive through. Wind farms are a nice respite from nothing at all. We stopped in Salina at a disc golf course that looked pretty promising. After playing two holes and getting attacked without pause by mosquitoes we ran back to the car and left without looking back. It was bad.

Our all-day drive had us hungry for something awesome so we found Cafe Gratitude in Kansas City, KS. We called our order in ahead so we'd make sure we could get it before they closed. After making some adjustments because they ran out of our first choices, we placed our order and excitedly raced to the restaurant. It was a cool little place, but we placed our orders to go so we sat in the car watching Breaking Bad as we savored the amazing bowls of quinoa, greens, and fresh veggies on our laps. The food was amazing. I want it all the time.

We continued our drive into Missouri after eating, looking around for campgrounds. Quite a while outside of the city we came upon an area with campgrounds that were closed for the night or just not accepting tent campers. We took a chance on this one place way off the beaten path and found the place, seemingly deserted but with a late arrival slot and our choice of any spot we wanted. We put up that tent and were inside and comfortable as fast as we possibly could have been.

Aug 7, 2013

Since it was our last full day in the Denver area we had to go over to Big Daddy bagels for breakfast and get a bagel sandwich with hummus. That filled us up for a while and we headed down to Camenisch Park to play Badlands DGC. It was not at all what it sounds like, but it was a really nice course with open fairways and lots of rolling hills. We were lost at first, but we found a map online and that set us straight. Toward the middle there is a tee from a bridge in the middle of the pond, or you can shoot from the bank on the other side all the way across.  I went all the way and I nailed it.

The end of the course criss-crosses along the rolling grass hills of the park, but a city worker came and turned on the sprinklers right in the middle of where we were playing. In the middle of the day. I have no idea why. We only skipped one basket, but it was still kind of annoying. We were able to help out a guy by giving him the map since he wanted to join us just as we were finishing up. Then we did handstands at the basket.

Continuing the beer tour of Denver, we looked into some of the breweries suggested by my bartender yesterday, including the sparkling gem, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project. They specialize in sour, Flemish, barrel-aged, and brett beers. Basically, it's heaven. I chose four beers to do tasting of. The Vieille Artisanal Saison was really tasty and light, but the Surette Provision Saison was a little more of the sour taste I was hoping for. They were both very good. The St. Bretta (Summer) was not for me at all. It was crafted completely with brettanomyces for a big bretty taste, and it turns out that is not my thing. I appreciated the craft, but not the taste.

The final beer I tasted was called the Musty Cedar Box. This may well be the best beer I have ever had. No exaggeration at all. It is a bourbon barrel-aged sour and the flavor is huge. It is absolutely exactly what  I want in a sour. I'm pretty sure I was making a great face while I drank this because Joanna commented on it. I had to order a full glass of this one. I savored every last drop and did not want it to end. I knew I couldn't get a growler or a bottle of it so I just hope I'll be able to visit again.

How could anything top that last place? In short, it couldn't, but you have to go on somehow. We went to Black Shirt Brewing as the sun set behind the city and the sky looked amazing. Unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot from anywhere that wasn't the highway. The whole time I was in this brewery I kept wishing we had found a spot to shoot it. Inside the place, however, we had a super friendly bartender who guided me through the flight. The beer list was set up like a track listing, though I'm not sure of the significance. The BSB Bitter (Track 1) was fantastic. Quite a contrast from what I had been drinking previously and definitely something I'd seek out. The Red IPA may have been my favorite, however. I almost got a growler of it, but I decided I should conserve fundage.

After leaving BSB, we went to the museum steps where I could see the skyline. When I got there it was completely dark, and the view wasn't as great as the website suggested it would be. I was disappointed with the view and my contact had someone gotten stuck in my eye so I abandoned the idea of shooting and went back to the car to fix it. Our final stop for the evening was Denver Beer Company. I really like their vibe. It feels very much like California for some reason.

I tried a handful of beers here including the Kaffir Lime Wheat, which was refreshing and interested, as well as the Scotch on Scotch, which was far too boozy for my liking. I couldn't finish that one. It has been said that trying a lot of beers in a row is not a very good way to judge them as your palate get overwhelmed and it's harder to discern flavors after a while. I'm sure this is true, but the Maya Nut Brown was a fantastic beer nonetheless, and it was unfortunate that I couldn't get a full pint of it at this point. And so concluded our beer tour of Denver. We headed back to Steve's for one last night hanging out a bit and sleeping in the spare room.

Aug 6, 2013

We looked up biking trails all around the Superior/Lafayette/Louisville area, finding references to a lot of trails, but only one stood out as a good long distance path. Conveniently, there was a trailhead half a mile from Steve's place. The three of us biked down there and picked up a map before opening the gate and heading onto the crushed stone path that led into the wide open plains of Colorado that butt up against the moutains. It was a gorgeous day with puffy white clouds against a blue sky, warm air, and amazing scenery. The ride took us on a loop through the three towns, keeping mostly to the same kind of path and off the roads until the end. It was tiring but a ton of fun. We were both happy that Steve could join us.

When we got back Joanna and I headed over to Native Foods for lunch and then to REI so I could return my trekking poles. After being out for a while we picked up Indian food and beer to bring home for the night. The food was amazing and we spent a couple of hours watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report while stuffing our faces and drinking Red Hook's sampler pack. Another succesful night.

Aug 5, 2013

We woke up in Laura's living room and packed up our things before heading out in the chilly morning of Vail. We still had a bit of a drive to Denver. Going over the Vail Pass was much nicer without snow and ice. It was a longer ride than I remember. When we got into town I tried to plan out a route for hitting several breweries downtown. I wanted to try some new places, but it's always difficult to figure out where to go based on subjective reviews. I usually just go by the tap list and how good it sounds.

I wanted to try new places, but I remembered really liking Wynkoop last year so I dropped in there first. They had a new selection and changed the way they do flights, so I picked out a few to try. The Orchard Wheat was very good, as was the Thrills and Spills pale lager, which was my favorite. The chile beer wasn't nearly as good as I remembered unfortunately. We next headed over to Pint's Pub, which is a proper British pub, and it really has dark ambience that seems very English. They don't do flights, but the gentleman bartender offered me samples and I got a pint of course. Everything was good but not great. The best part was the conversation with our bartender about the climate and living in Denver. Very encouraging.

Our next stop was Renegade Brewing, a small operation with an opened garage bar. The bartender was great, and she gave me suggestions on what to try. The 5:00 Afternoon Ale was a great, fresh beer that would be a good happy hour beer. The [Redacted] IPA was a great, lightly hopped beer. Finally the Elevation Triple IPA was an immediate, eye-popping explosion of flavor. The hop flavor was full and forward, and it finished smooth and full. I was sold on the spot on getting a growler to take home.

Our final stop for the day was Strange Brewing. They have a small little pub with seats and a water jug with paper cups. I got a big flight of their beers and got started. There were a lot that I found average, but several others that really stood out. The 1000 Barrel Imperial IPA was great, but the Strange Pale Ale was amazing. It had that "sticky" taste to it that I can only describe by comparing it to weed. It's a great hop flavor and super aromatic. This is one that I want a candle scent made with. Unfortunately, the Grapefruit IPA (an idea that I always thought I'd like to try if I ever start brewing) wasn't that great.

We picked up some food on our way out of the city and headed up to Steve and Jamie's place for the night. Steve and I got a Bridgeport Brewing sampler pack, but I wasn't feeling like drinking much more so I only had one. We ate on the couch, watched The Daily Show and Colbert, and played some video games, laughing all night and having a good time.

Aug 4, 2013

After packing up camp we headed back through downtown Moab and up to Arches. This marks my fifth visit to the park; one for each trip I've taken west of the Mississippi. We made our usual stop at the visitor center for water and bathrooms, and then we went to the parking lot for Delicate Arch. After contacting a park ranger about a dog locked inside a truck in the hot ass desert heat and finding that they couldn't do anything because there was some water in there, we began our hike with suspision about each person we passed, wondering if they owned the truck.



We hiked the relatively short but steep trail up to Delicate Arch. There were a lot of people up there, and as always, a group of people kept walking up to the arch making it hard to take photos. After a while they finally got enough shots and moved away. We took some feet shots and sat on the edge to have a snack, which intrigued the little chipmunk that lives nearby. We had some fun with him for a while and then headed down. It was hot.

Next stop was Double O Arch and the Devil's Garden trail. This is another tradition as I've hiked this trail to Double O every time I've visited the park. It's one of my favorite hikes anywhere and I'm never disappointed with it. We tried to get some good foot shots on the fins. I'm still not sure how I feel about them. We hiked to the arch and, with certainty, on top of the arch. It's slightly less exhilerating than it was before, but it's still an amazing viewpoint. We opted to not take the desert trail back because it's just long, hot, and exposed. The only good part about it is the big fins we can climb along the way. Next time.

We came back to Moab, where we hopped in the showers at our favorite local campground. I went over to Moab Brewery for a bite to eat and a beer sampler while Joanna finished her shower. I really enjoyed the Rocket Bike American Lager, Scorpion Pale Ale, and Johnny's American IPA. After she finished her shower we got back on the road headed out of Utah.

A nice road it is and quite empty.We headed north and got back on I-70 to Grand Junction. We stopped there so Joanna could find some food, and I went to Kannah Creek Brewery to do a quick sampling. I was given four samples for free, so that was pretty nice.Their Standing Wave Pale Ale was really great. I wish I had some time to spend there, but we had to be going.

We got into the Vail area a couple of hours before Laura was done work, so we found a shopping village nearby where I could get something to eat and watch some shows to relax for a bit. It was nice unwinding time before going to Laura's when she got home. We met her roommate and her dog and stayed up for a while talking about races and living in the area. It was nice getting sleep on a couch.