The end of DEN

The rebirth of the Denver 3-Day is done. The event was not without challenges but we made it through with good weather and happy walkers.

The route was gorgeous with mountain, lake, and river vistas and neighborhoods of spectacular mansions full of beautiful people. Excellent law enforcement support from Cherry Hills PD and others enhanced the whole experience.

It was great to see so many friends from the AZ walks. I'm sorry we lost Craig this year as he would have been a welcome addition to our team. He will be missed in AZ as well.

To Jim, my favorite power walker from OR, I'm sorry your couldn't finish but I'm glad your OK and I look forward to seeing you on a route sometime, somewhere.

And to Mr. and Mrs. August, you guys are amazing. I've never seen anyone fight or come back from red tagging so aggressively. You finished and that is a testament to your dedication.

Dan, it is always great to see a Motocrew member in sneakers and a coconut bra on the route. Congrats on finishing your first event from the other viewpoint. Nicely done.

That wraps up my Denver event. A few days hanging out in Colorado then on to the next leg of my great adventure. If the weather and lack of a job holds, I should be in Halifax, Nova Scotia in a few weeks then heading back west to attend the San Francisco 3-Day in October.

Day 2 is here

What, I hear you say, happened to Day 1? Well, we got busy. It is a small event with only 650 +/- walkers which is understandable given that this is the first year returning to Denver and a tough economy. Certainly hoping for a stronger showing in 2010.

BTW, who knew it got so damn cold in Denver? :-). Hot day yesterday on the route with beautiful skies. Very warm last night night when I climbed into the tent but 2:10am, not so much. OK, add some long underwear. 3:30am. Damn. Add more clothes. 4:00am. Shit. Nothing left to put on. 4:15am. Just give up and get up.

OK, I am passed that now. Great breaksfast, good people, happy walkers.

OK, Let's Go!

And away we go...

The bags are repacked and I am heading to bed. Up at 3am, heading for Opening Ceremonies at 3:30, first cars dropping off walkers at 4, Opening speeches at 6:30 and the walk is underway by 6:45am. Wish the walkers well and come out and cheer if you are in Denver!

Denver Crew Day 2009

I got tired of the "Tough Guys Wear Pink" shirt that has lasted me for 6 years and 20 events.

And so it begins...

The crew arrives in dribs and drabs, the hotel staff still seem confused and the walkers are already smiling and thanking the crew. It is 3-Day season for me. This is what it is all about.

The bike has the appropriate accoutrements, my boob helmet is at the ready and my pink shirts are hanging in the closet. Tomorrow morning we will meet for our training, my 21st such session, and get a chance to meet our route safety team. Some of the coolest guys from the AZ 3-Day are here in Denver but we are missing a few others. Chuck, get well, we need you to lead us in AZ in November.

Park and Fly

The bike is safely parked at the Harley dealer in Denver and they are actively siphoning my savings as they perform maintenance and add one helluva loud airhorn. ;-)

In a few hours I fly back to California to meet up with my family for the annual beach vacation which is, conveniently, 2 miles from my house. Then, the final meeting with my client on Tuesday and a short Southwest flight back to Denver. 3-Day season, here I come!

I am so looking forward to this event in Denver. We should have somewhere near 1,000 walkers and a full-sized Route Safety team which means I can hug the walkers 5.5x more frequently than I can in San Diego! How cool is that?

Wowowee

Today was a Wow day. Starting from Ely, NV I continued on The Loneliest Road in America, Hwy 50 to Utah.

Once I hit Utah, however the scenery changed significantly. This is the Wow part since my route took me through Red Canyon, skirting Bryce and other lovely areas. I made a big horseshoe around the canyons and actually said Wow out loud a few times. I don't think anyone heard me over the XM Stereo and my pipes. No worries, I know I said it.

Tomorrow I continue East but I am ahead of schedule, so I will start looking for alternate routes. Just to kill time, you understand. I don't want to, I have to.

En route to Denver

The end of day 2 of my completely indirect, scenic, meandering route to Denver. Tonight and tomorrow I am in South Lake Tahoe.

The trip by the numbers so far:

7,200 Elevation change

714 Mileage traveled

34 Temperature change

5 Skunk-induced breath-holds

1 State line crossed

0 Miles closer to Denver 3-Day

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated

As I pack the bike and saddle up to start my 2009 Komen for the Cure 3-Day season, I realize that I was a little remiss last year. One post saying the season is here and then... well... there was no then. Apparently I got a little busy. That does tend to happen when I am in the middle of traffic, but that is no excuse.

This year, I promise to be better. If not, I will delete this post and pretend I never committed to anything.

It is early morning already and I have not finished packing. I will do so, then grab a full night's sleep and ride out from Orange County, CA. Because of a funky work schedule, I cannot ride into Denver for my first 3-Day event this year with the rest of the nuts on two wheels who call themselves Route Safety (MotoCrew for us old dogs). Instead, I get to spend a leisurely 7 days riding around the west coast with the intent on ending in Denver a week from today. I will drop the bike with the Harley dealer and fly back to Orange County for an annual family vacation and a meeting with my one and only client on the 25th. Afterwards, I will fly back to Denver, pick up the bike, attach the pink bras, don the nipple helmet and put on my safety vest to enjoy MY first 3-Day in the Mile High City.

Looks for updates here and on FaceBook (if you are my friend) as I ride up to central Kaliforniam then to Lake Tahoe and on through the forests, hills, valleys and eventually mountains of Colorado. Should be a blast -- somewhere around 2,000 miles before hitting Denver. I have no idea of how I am coming home yet. Should be fun!