migration

done not much sides doin taxes and chillin. supposed to head out tomorrow. plan is to go to glacier national park then calgary...we shall see how things go.

happenings in MT

dude...i have done a lot since i have been here, but it has all been pretty cool.

as usual i shall start at the beginning

tuesday
i get to town and get to sleep in a warm house on a comfy pull out couch

wednesday
patrick, lonnie and i head out to the base to pick up snowboard gear and we head out to showdown MT to go boardin...it was wicked.
granted i am a bit bumped, bruised and sore, but it was worth it. this was my first time boardin, and i did alright...definitely not going fast down the greens tho. my bum was sore for week, had a nice bruise on my left forearm (better than a bruised tailbone) and a couple of knots on my head. had a sweet time tho...boy did i sleep good.

thrusday
this was a day that we thought about going back out to showdown...but due to the soreness already...we didnt. ended up stayin round great falls and went to the lewis and clark interpretive center (which charged 5 to get in unless you had an america the beautiful card [which i did] in hand [which i didnt]). yeah, so i got charged 5 on top of what i already paid for the card. stinkin hum num hghahgals. i took it out and put in my hike bag in case i needed it in yellowstone (two days before [which i didnt need it]) and i never put it back in my wallet. well, i was steemed for a bit of the day, but got over it. that night we went to rachel's and she cooked for us. we had some pretty good antelope tacos. i liked.

friday
patrick, lonnie and i went spelunking. it was sweet, we got the head lights and drove out there. bout a mile hike to the hole, and 500 foot to a beautiful scenic latrine.
anyways...we climbed/slid to the dome room. never know what you will find down there.
we made it back.
went to dinner with ken at melaque and then went to the theater. met up with jeff a friend and coworker of patrick and saw wild hogs. good movie. after that we went and saw 300. excellent movie.

saturday
lonnie left this mornin. this was the day patrick went out and i stayed back and enjoyed the beautiful day. just kinda lounged today.

sunday
went to church at vineyard. pretty good church. seems like a wonderful family. went to fudds and then chilled. patrick went out, and went to applebees with nicole. came back and watched taladega nights = funny.

monday
learned how to ride a motorcycle...and rode it. it was stinkin cool. had a good teacher. tonight we went out and ate at ryan's sports bar...good food, and the waffle fries are stinkin good too. after eating with ken, becky, patrick, nicole, rachel, we all went over to pin and cue for bowling and played two games. 105 and 124. first one i got beat by a girl, and second one i came in second (almost first sept ken is a killer). after that ken, becky and rachel went home and patrick, nicole and i stayed and played a couple of games of pool. had a pretty good evening.

tuesday
didnt do much. helped a couple of friends take bikes in. makes me want one...well after riding it did even more. drove a standard truck once again, makes me miss truck and standard. tonight went to kinship with patrick at doug and billie's. had fun. like i said, it seems like a great family to be involved with.

wednesday
went to helena (stinkin early) with slight snow on the ground. sat at the dealership for awhile. bout 3.5 hours. went to helena state park, hiked a bit, drove, slept, drove, enjoyed scenery. hung out with ken and becky and had a pegogie...pretty stinkin good...this one was with potatoe and cheese. went to dq with them and ran into billie, doug, rachel, sarah, and the youth pastor and his wife. it was nice seeing them. like i said, nice family. felt like i had known them for a long time. brings a smile to my face.

hello montana

i get up and pack and head out, stinkin early in the morning. i didnt go learn to paraglide cause it was 50 just to learn, and no flight.

headed back to idaho falls, returned a power device for my car and got a lower wattage one and then i ate at a wonderful diner there just off of 15. GREAT! morning early bird special was pretty good and prompt.

so i set out to go to yellowstone.

i enter into montana and go to west yellowstone to see if the west entrance was open (cause it said closed in winter on the map) and it wasnt. basically everything opens up april 20th...so no old faithful, but i did get to ride my bike into the park and take some pics...i actually rode my bike from montana to wyoming and back.

afore i did the bike ride patrick called. it was sweet getting to talk to him...and seeing that yellowstone was closed (that and the fact that i was ready to see my good friend) i headed out as soon as i could and hauled it. nice drive. stopped and ate subway. i got their pastrami...i dont suggest it, unless you like fat, and little pastrami.

anyways, patrick and his brother lonnie are at kinship (bible study) so i get to great falls and patrick tells me where he lives, so i drive over to his place.

i knock and his roommate ken answers. i got to meet ken and becky and rachel while patrick was out. it was pretty cool getting to hang out with them and just chat. well, patrick shows and i get introduced to his brother and all is well, sept i havnt had a shower for 5 days or so, so i needed to get one.

back amongst civilization and friends.

a little edit

man...the beautiful scenery i have seen...

i forgot to mention the sweetness of hoback canyon in wyoming. just...sweet

and a quick little blurb...went to helena today to get my car checked up, and drove on 15 and it is b.e.a.utiful out there.

saw a nice little jaunt of a rock peninsula (somewhere round the craig area) overlooking the missouri...that i didnt get a picture of...it was absolutely cool.

hello idaho

yes, i have refrained from making some derogatory comments about the name.

well, with the unsuccessful finding of a camping spot, what better way to travel than at night, when you would be restlessly tossing and turning, only to get up at the crack of dawn anyways. aww, i was able to drive and still get a good amount of sleep...so here is the tale..

i left jackson when it was dark, and so i entered the teton range, pretty steep range...and i bet it was great to look at (if it would have been light out). so i drove through the night, a big portion of it anyways, to a nice parking lot of a walmart supercenter (open 24 hours) to sleep for a bit. without a handy access to a toilet, the side of the road at 3 in the morning is a great thing.

well i eventually woke up and yes i did purchase something from that walmart, so it was like paying rent or so (but i saw an rv and a 5th wheel there too...dont know if they paid rent or so), but then i headed out to craters of the moon national park outside of arco idaho.

gotta love free campsites.

well for those that dont know, craters of the moon is a volcanic lava field out in the middle of no-where. pretty cool to see some old lava flows and craters and stuff. just lounged there for the day, when i wasnt hiking. cooked ravioli, rode my bike a little, set up camp... and slept

my, them are some grand tetons

woke up at almost the crack of dawn, cleaned camp, and then headed out from dinosaur national park.

once again, a beautiful sunrise.

i drove during the morning the road to dino that i had driven at night. WOW during the day, course i couldnt see the stars that i did at that crossroads...

anyways, i got to see the dam, the treees, the flaming gorge!!! pretty sweet.

northern utah = cool


got to rock springs again, went to albertson's, got the usual by now loaf of bread, meat, and cheese. then set out for grand teton national park.

just as i get on the road, i notice a little red light on my dashboard. my SRS light is on, or the secondary restraint system light...short story, i end up driving anyways (by the way it is still on and i am currently in montana).

well i drove and drove and eventually got to jackson wyoming. pretty cool town, if you are a tourist. seems like there would be a bit to do if you liked that sort of thing. mrs twomey equated it to estes park...many similarities. anyway, there wasnt much to do on a sunday when most things close down...so much for the internet cafe.

i ate the great cuisine of a couple of sandwiches and then headed to grand teton national park. i didnt think much about it, but it was already past 4, and dino closed at 4.30...so i was hoping that grand teton didnt do the same...well i got there with 5 minutes to spare...it closes at 5.

she explained that the best chance for me to get a campsite would be at so and so, and so what do i do, i try and go out there...beautiful landscape...words do not give it justice (especially mine) but it doesnt hurt to try...right

the tetons are much unlike any mountain range i have ever seen before. these peaks are very sharp and pointy, unlike many of what i saw at RoMo. further more, (and i thought this was possibly the coolest aspect) was that these mountains seemed to jut out of nothing. the road into the park is in this plain area, and the mountains (if you are driving north) are on your left, the other side of jackson hole...and they are so cool...i'll have to get pics sometime.

anyway, i head north in search of the campsite, and i see this beautiful river with ducks, and the sunset...wow

mom called and it was cool talkin with her and watching this view.

well, i head to a couple different areas. i headed to the lake, in which most was closed, but by golly george, i got me some snow to keep my food cold. (some of the tricks you pick up along the way if you are living out of your car. and most gas stations will give you free ice [cup size will vary], snow was way better than ice)

...long story get to the north of the park, and says that ALL campsites are closed, and all the national forests are closed til the summer anyways. so i decide to try and see if there is a site open, or at least i can park my car and sleep in it...

nothing, and i decided that i dont have to waste 12 hrs sleeping (cause i am not in the backcountry and i do have a car) and so i decide to do a little driving and then spend the night in my car since i was going to do it anyways. well after using jackson's hole, i head out...but stopped and walked around jackson for a bit. (dont forget the meal of sandwiches)

dinosaur national monument

i arrive at dinosaur national monument somewhere between 10 and 11 at night, so as you can expect, it was pitch black, and while cruising the park roads trying to find the campsite, i finally find it. meanwhile i have to dodge rabbits and deer. i eventually get to the site, try and find the restroom, which is hard to do when it is completely black, and i settle on a bush...man it is good to be a guy. i sleep in my car this night cause i dont really want to put my tent up in the dark, and i was lazy.

well i get up to see a beautiful scene. there is a river down the way, but most noticeable, there is a mountain stickin up just beyond the river, which is a stones throw away. absolutely beautiful. well, i had thought about seeing a few things that day and then heading to grand teton national park to camp. well, the more i thought about it, and the more i decided to do, i was going to stay an extra night. this i didnt mind, camping was free, and the weather was great, i mean absolutely great, short wearin weather.

the lowdown on some of the stuff i did:
did the usual 1.5 mile hike almost everyone does to see fossils.

then i went and took a drive (most of which was on a 12 mile gravel road) to go view some pictograms (the real name i cannot remember, but it starts with a 'p') of native american rock art. sweet. climbed some of the cliffs they were on, then i went to go see a nice stinkin cliff over the river (at the advice of the ranger).

i then went back to the visitor's center, because my camera chip was full, and i still had some pics to be taking. she was nice enough to let me dld my pics to my computer (cause i had to be plugged into an electrical outlet for the computer).

next i went on the road for the self guided tour, blah, blah, blah, and then went back to camp and enjoy a nice hot MRE. (it was pretty good)


tonight i set up a tent and slept in my sleeping bag...mmmm, warm.

ok...second installment

...where i left off...

so i headed into estes park colorado and went to the safeway there to grab some grub...well the grub consisted of a loaf of bread, some turkey, and some munster (not just ordinary cheese). meanwhile, i at this for a number of meals...and i still am eating some sandwiches. anyways, what they are easy to make and travel, so i headed out from estes park east to loveland, fort collins, and up to cheyenne, wyoming.


my goodness. sure is windy on the plains.

anyways. i got up to cheyenne and took a nap, and grabbed a cold drink to keep my turkey and cheese cold. i got on 80 headed west, instead of going through all the mountains, which i had been in for awhile, i decided to take a jaunt through montana. so i did. well after just buying that bike rack and traveling down the road at 60+ miles an hour and having wind gusts at 45+, i had an incident with my bike.

good think i kept an eye on it. well, two of the three rubber latches came off and luckily no one was behind me when it happened. i quickly pulled off onto the shoulder and re-situated and then drove 45 down the highway that was limited to 75...fun traveling...and i also got so frustrated...i guess scared too, cause i didnt want to lose the bike, ruin the rack, or injure some other motorist...i tried to cram the bike in the car...didnt quite work...so on the rack it remains.

Stopped at abe's memorial, and then drove over the plains to a town called rock springs. i thought about stayin the night in a parking lot there...but i didnt. i have gotten used to falling asleep pretty soon as the sun goes down cause not having any noticeable light source...there is not much to do. well the ability to travel at night and a fear of public restrooms me going. i figured it was dinosaur national monument or bust!

missings

man, i am truly blessed with a church family that is great. meeting so many great people, and working alongside some of the most caring people has been a great experience to me. even in my absence yall think of me, and it is really appreciated. just so you know, you are missed.


oh, and eric, you owe me a pic.

finally

well, this is probably going to be the first of a few just cause it would be a stinkin long blog otherwise...but first a break from our sponsors...a great and beautiful day up here in montana.



ok, first things first.

i managed to disassemble my bike enough to fit it into an old television box and ship it on the plane as my checked luggage...kinda sweet, no extra cost or anything. after getting back to longmont, i crashed cause the whole wake up at 4.30 was brutal. anyways, now that my bike was in colorado...in pieces, i had to reassemble it. once it was re-assembled, i had to scout out a rack so i could carry it on my car. Well, the plan was to head out of longmont the next day, but after visiting 4 or more stores, i ended up having to go to boulder to pick up a bike rack that would fit into a 1.25 inch trailer hitch.

done deal. i then headed out to rocky mountain national park for the second time on this trip. on the way, i ran into some fog, and though that it was going to be a bad trip. it was cool to see the fresh icing on the pine trees. i went to the long's peak area. i went to go check into the campground, but they wanted to charge me 14 bucks to go camp...naw... so i went backcountry camping...which is free (and i think it is free in most parks until may). i went, filled out the permit and then began the trip. the snow, for the most part, was packed and slightly icy on the trail. i did post hole in a few spots, but thats alright. the original plan was to go to an area by estes cone, but being unprepared once again, i didnt have any snow shoes...which were highly needed in about 2 foot of snow. anyways, i went back the way i had come to a nice plain that was for the most part snow free. i went back off of the trail and pitched my tent. yes i did say tent. (cmon, that was slightly humorous for those that saw the vid).

my goodness. the wind sure blew that night. couple of different times i woke up ready to get going...but it was still dark. i felt as if so much time was wasted not doing anything...with limited resources...at night...in the middle of the boonies... i got to see some stars, but was to cold to get outside and view many more in the hurricane that raged outside. i was cool though to get to hear the wind go through all the trees and race down the mountain.

well, during the night, the wind blew so good that it pulled the fly off. it didnt help that i decided not to put the pole in the fly, but i decided to do it different tonight. normally it wouldnt have mattered, but because the wind was going so much...the fly flew off, but was still attached at three of the points...so i just pulled it inside and went back to sleep with a view of the tree tops swaying and the stars in the distance.

i woke up to see the sunrise...it was pretty nice. packed up the tent, and then headed out. on the way back, i found my skull cap that had come out of my pocket sometime during the hike. it hadnt gone anywhere despite the crazy wind during the night. it seems weird, but it was nice to find something that i had assumed was going to be lost, either blown away, or taken by some animal.

i got back to my car and then headed towards estes park.

alive and well

just so yall know i am alive and well. i am currently up on great falls montana... more details to come

headed out

hey guys headed out from longmont colorado on my way north. dont know if i will be able to write for awhile, so i hope yall have a good time. always interested in hearing what is going on with you, so post under comments here or on facebook.

stranger than fiction

superb movie.


score was pretty sweet.


possible spoiler...




a tragedy unfinished. nice movie about death and life, work, desires and love.
10 out of 10. finished the way you would want it to. acting was good, plot and casting was great. eccentricities worked well with the movie.

great idea, and i like the way the movie was written in book form. verbage you would find in a book intricately woven into the movie, and yet entertaining.


might make you re-examine the small things.

back on the road

...can i say i wasnt on it? anyways, after a good trip to fort worth, a great wedding for chris and lindsey (with a 5 hour party), loungin in fort worth, trip to dallas, and trip to booker, perryton, booker, amarillo, booker, perryton, booker, amarillo, and fort worth, i bet i clocked close to 1000 miles this weekend. anyways saw some folks from dfw and had a great time at steph's wedding. i wish all four newly weds great marriages.

it was great getting to see all the folks this weekend.

talent

you want talent. look at the youth, the youth that seek it out, the youth that deal with what they have. something within makes them seek, makes them get it when everyone else thinks they dont.

and what am i doing?

the struggle, its what makes them whole.

insights that get missed by everyone else.



you guys are the rightful successors. can there be such to lead you?

where's my jones

i think hate simply understates it

dadgum. never knew it was this bad. saw this on cnn.

posters are clever though



guess there is no chance for re-election.

can we say over-dramatic?

would this make you a closet republican, or do you still ride the elephant?
have you switched, or made you more adamantly against?



...does it matter?

post short reply if you got any thoughts...meanwhile, one can avoid doin what they should, only for so long until it finally smacks them in the face. but not yet.

Pillar - Frontline

It's not like I'm walking alone into the
 valley of the shadow of death
Stand beside one another, 'cause it ain't over yet
I'd be willing to bet that if we don't back down
You and I will be the ones that are holding
 the Crown in the end
When it's over, we can say, "Well done"
But not yet, 'cause it's only begun
So, pick up, and follow me, we're the only ones

To fight this thing, until we've won
We drive on and don't look back
It doesn't mean we can't learn from our past
All the things that we mighta done wrong
We could've been doing this all along

Everybody, with your fists raised high
Let me hear your battle cry tonight
Stand beside, or step aside
We're on the frontline

And we'll be carrying on, until the day it
 doesn't matter anymore
Step aside, you forgot what this is for
We fight to live, we live to fight
And tonight, you'll hear my battle cry
We live our lives on the frontlines
We're not afraid of the fast times
These days have opened up my eyes
And now, I see where the threat lies

We've got to lead the way




....thats a nice line...stand beside or step aside....
when are you gonna face up?
when will you finally join the ever-raging battle?

confessions

being back in texas reminds me of how much i miss it. the people have always been good and the weather is pretty stinkin nice.

but...i dont think that i am ready to return to the south just yet. a big part of me does (the part that gets frozen and would like to be thawed)...but not yet.

part of me feels if i were to come back too soon, if at all, it would undo what has been done thus far, and forgo that which is to come.

do these four walls give you comfort?
to hide where you cant be seen

to fester that which you shouldnt

just let it go

there is more to you than you give yourself credit for



something about a new creation

celebration

congratulations to the families of chris and lindsey o'connor!! wedding was absolutely great. had great fun at the 5 hr party and i wish yall much fun on the honeymoon.

meanwhile after the wedding during the week, back to the grindstone. i see how much i miss doing video and stuff, but alas, it is left in very capable hands

yeah, i dunno

dont know why i try, and yet why i give up so easily.

can i even yell? ever feel like you have been taught so much not to do something because it was not polite or it inconvenienced someone? and that is how life is taught to you, and for the most part you buy in...or at least you do when you get older...maybe you see the truth in this, or maybe you are fed up with hearing ..... from everyone or just maybe you have forgotten what it was you were going after in the first place.


when you were young you used to break the system. why? was it to get attention, was it because it was who you are? what happened?

so many options now-a-days...it can bite you in the keister.

do you like to see yourself squirm?

emotion...what is that like?


yell.



cant bring yourself to do it can you?



maybe when you can, is when you will be ready









i see the struggle, but yet cant grasp it. cant bring myself to look too long at it...and yet one side wins when you dont.

welp, groove is gone. guess music tends to do that. was listening to natasha bedingfield.

anyways, got done watching quiz show. good movie. thought it had some applications for today. if i really cared, or wanted to i might give some, but maybe i feel as if i a smarter of i think i have an inkling of an idea, but dont follow through in its entire completion.

do you believe everything that you see today, everything that you hear. we are told to be trustful of what we see and hear, and yet shunned when we try to go the long way.

what kind of c-rap are you feeding yourself. do you really believe this, or are you simply writing words on the page?


you dont try

beautiful day

just wanted to let those that really read these things to know that i am staring outside at a beautiful fort worth day. lots of sun, over 40 degrees and a slight wind with gusts reaching 5 mi/hr...or something to that effect

reiteration

if i havnt said this before, i should have, and if i have, i shall say it again.

live with conviction, for it is the only way that you can live. otherwise life can bland itself into mediocrity.

now that i have begun this, i dont feel like finishin it. so much to say...mediocrity, conviction but being wrong...

a fine balance between arrogance, belief, pride, and passion.

what happened, you used to not care
now the weight is upon you
days have gone
and none to spare
for all that you breathe
is in the air

life that was lived
so careless and free
is wrapped up in
a mess of order
of filling the status-quo

i want to break free
but i dont know how
it has been so long
suppressed inside
forgot how to laugh
and how to confide

what life is
is not learned from a book
but lived with a smile
with friends
with laughter
with confidence and trust

what does it mean to breathe to live
to take what is given and waste it away
or to be sure of the important stuff
and relax on the rest
to live with morals and a solid foundation

not much can be asked for, but to be sure of what you want
and even when you dont, to know what its not
to live is to love, and to love is hard
for some it comes easy, but to others it is a challenge
to know what you want is easy but difficult
to pin a reason, or a motive for sure
is to go beyond instinct, and to challenge yourself
to a new way of living, to a new life ahead

ooh and aww

well, today was a day of travel. not much happened. thanks for waking up early eric to take me to the port to set me off on my grand trip. anyways, after choosing not to stop and eat (which i would later regret) we went straight to the port, got there bout 1 hr afore my plane was to leave, which left me time enough to check in (only one carry-on which i would recommend is the best way to travel) and get scanned, and find my terminal, alllll the way on the other side of the place, and still have time to sit down and read a chapter or so in the voyage of the dawn treader.

anyways, i think i had the only seat on the plane that was not filled, or that is how it felt anyways...maybe i wasnt ready for the convo, to early, not awake enough...but it was nice...didnt have to do any of the cordial how-do-you-do's...even though they can be nice at times.

we pull up to the runway and then we make u turn...i'm thinkin we forgot something, but then the captain informs us that we are going to be delayed because there was fog in salt lake city. we ended up being delayed an hour or so...but i was able to catch my connecting flight. granted i didnt have the 1-2 hr layover i thought i would have, nor was i able to do much other than get off one plane, and go to the other one. sat in the back next to some people from durango. no food other than snacks. bummer.

blasted...get to the good part i say...
if i try and talk about it, it just looses its goodness. but i found myself talking about it anyways, and yet, it lost it's flavor...i guess to all but me. flying into salt lake city was absolutely beautiful. yes, i couldnt help but think that i was in the mormon capital of the world (i know a bad stereotype, but i couldnt help myself). i also kept thinkin google earth or google maps... [you know this would be where i would insert an 'anyways' but i seem to use 'anyways' and 'well' and my famous '...' all to often so i shant here] absolutely amazing. mountains, plain, lake, mountains coming out of the lake, snow, mountains covered in whiteness...b.e.a.utiful. fly in there if you get a chance. driving doesnt do it justice.

a new view

have you ever seen things in a different light? things that one would consider ordinary or mundane. words, pictures, people, or simple actions that one would normally think of as the usual. maybe that is what i am looking for. not just something new and senseless, but something that transcends all rationale. maybe it is not so much something such as an act.

or maybe this is just me rambling again...not much of yall read anyways...so why can it not be something more for me to jabber on about.

got to thinkin at the rocky mountain national park the other day. i was more in search of a destination, a place to camp, a lake to see, a mountain to traverse, rather than enjoying the beautiful country that surrounded me. it was more of going to the destination rather than the journey itself. not sayin that is a bad thing, looking for the destination, the end, but i missed the majority of the travel for a few minutes at the destination.

now dont mis-interpret me, i think that being a goal orientated person, or a person along for the journey is not a bad thing. but for me, can i not be both...have i been one for so long that it is hard to think of what it is like to be the other? has it been a masquerade?

enough of this tirade...just be and enjoy. live with conviction and yet be compassionate. smile and mean it. love and enjoy it. sulk and be comforted. be faced with your fear and become victorious. sit still and silent and yet communicate deeply.

fire, peace, passion