tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263551842024-03-13T07:30:53.755-06:00BeaKeR's BrainBrian's ramblings on life, technology and photography... but mostly just purty pictures.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger479125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-64687550534720014482018-09-30T17:27:00.003-06:002018-09-30T17:27:28.398-06:00Tetons Trip - Molton Farm & Jenny LakeRunning a bit late, the final day in Grant Tetons from June.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-zdMWLhp/1/bee901ab/X3/_IGP7462-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="800" height="292" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-zdMWLhp/1/bee901ab/X3/_IGP7462-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We got up early again to visit the Moulton Farm, a photogenic old Mormon settlement. This is another spot that has approximately a million photos of it so it's hard to do anything really new, but I managed to get a few decent ones. Once again the lack of interesting clouds was disappointing, but the weather does what it will.<br />
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After that we headed off to Jenny Lake, taking an early shuttle boat across to see Hidden Falls in Cascade Canyon. We then hiked a bit up Cascade Canyon and caught sight of this furry little guy. After a few minutes he mostly got over his shyness and mostly just went about his business.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-CLpSPfN/0/bddb78f3/X3/_IGP7523-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="800" height="526" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-CLpSPfN/0/bddb78f3/X3/_IGP7523-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A little further up the canyon I got out on a rock and got my last photo of the trip, a view up the canyon.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-F8q7F8J/0/2854f5cf/X3/_IGP7535-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="424" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-F8q7F8J/0/2854f5cf/X3/_IGP7535-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that, at last, is it for the Tetons trip!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-34654347913341144662018-09-28T21:01:00.001-06:002018-09-28T21:01:12.087-06:00Crystal Mill & AspenThere's a relatively well-known spot in the mountains called Crystal Mill. Contrary to my brother's guess, it is not the factory outlet mall for crystal meth - it's an 1893 sawmill on the Crystal River that's great for photos. If you Google it there are about a million of them. I've been wanting to get up there for years, and I finally pulled it off this year. Huzzah!<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-P4XRqPQ/0/30081223/X3/_IGP8396-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="565" height="640" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-P4XRqPQ/0/30081223/X3/_IGP8396-X3.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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I did get some good photos, although in retrospect I'm actually a bit disappointed. I really wish I had taken a wider lens. For some reason I thought I'd be a ways away from the mill - it's actually only 50 yards or so, and there's a lot of cool stuff in the area. I didn't even manage to get the river into most of the shots. Oh well. I may go back some year, but it's not a priority anymore.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-MXP5mSQ/1/827b09a8/X3/_IGP8392-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="531" height="640" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-MXP5mSQ/1/827b09a8/X3/_IGP8392-X3.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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Getting there requires either a fairly gnarly 4WD road, or a 4.5 mile hike. It's really not a bad hike, except that the road was <i>extremely</i> busy. There were cars almost constantly, which really detracted from what would've otherwise been a very nice hike.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-qVhqGJm/1/f6e7e55d/X3/_IGP8374-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-qVhqGJm/1/f6e7e55d/X3/_IGP8374-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was accompanied by Dr. Bill, a fellow photographer. But he left to hike down about a half hour earlier than I did, so I was walking down alone. Not long into the hike, a bright yellow truck pulled up next to me and the driver offered my a ride. The passenger footwell was full of rock samples, but I didn't want to keep Bill waiting, so I took the ride. The driver turned out to be Richard, a man of <a href="https://www.carolineasingleton.com/blog/2018/2/19/move-over-pecos-bill" target="_blank">some degree of fame</a>. Along the way he told me all about his machine, a 1971 Bronco that he bought in 1982, replaced the engine, made an assortment of other changes, and repainted twice. Most recently to Ferrari Yellow, if I recall correctly, and obviously with a sweet flame job. </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-Fz9Vrb2/1/c6f53ec6/X3/_IGP8443-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-Fz9Vrb2/1/c6f53ec6/X3/_IGP8443-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Most people were driving the road at maybe 5 mph. On the way up I was actually walking neck-and-neck with a Jeep for the better part of a mile. Not Richard - he was going a good 10-15 mph, just bombing over huge rocks and ruts.</div>
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We stopped along the way to chat with some 4-wheelers who had a blown shock. Richard told them about dropping the steering box out of the car on a trail once, then sticking it back on with baling wire and tension from the winch to get home. His back tire was so patched that two different people asked if it was blown. "No, it's fine, I just have it deflated to 12 psi!" was the response. Richard's a real character! </div>
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Eventually we caught up with Bill, so I jumped out to finish the hike with him while Richard drove off into the deepening twilight. </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-mVMnfSj/1/e279b388/X3/_IGP8444-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="800" height="306" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-mVMnfSj/1/e279b388/X3/_IGP8444-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After a very nice night in the Bogan Flats campground, with our tents just a few yards from the Crystal River, we got up to continue leaf peeping. We drove over to Aspen, up Castle Creek Road. Short of the Ashcroft Ghost Town is the trailhead for the American Lakes trail. It worth heading up there just for the drive - the leaves in the area were looking great. </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-sgQmRR6/0/c0b572e6/X3/_IGP8451-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="800" height="196" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-sgQmRR6/0/c0b572e6/X3/_IGP8451-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The hike itself was quite challenging in the beginning, with a very steep first 1.5 miles. But it rewards the effort with broad views of the valley full of aspens. I took a few photos, but not nearly as many as Bill.</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-wBmjg46/1/460514c7/X3/_IGP8458-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-wBmjg46/1/460514c7/X3/_IGP8458-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Eventually the trail levels out and turns quite abruptly from a bright and open aspen forest to a very dark and quiet evergreen forest. Still quite a nice hike, though I took no photos there so here are some more aspens instead. :)</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-G86DRzQ/0/6eea42f3/X3/_IGP8455-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="800" height="158" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-G86DRzQ/0/6eea42f3/X3/_IGP8455-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On the way back I drove over a very crowded, but pretty, Independence Pass. Then I took a wrong turn and drove to Minturn instead of Copper Mountain, which lengthened my drive home. Oh well, it was a nice drive, even if I did almost get into a crash when people slammed to a stop due to some people who <i>had</i> gotten into an accident. </div>
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As always, <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Fall-Colors-2018/i-G86DRzQ" target="_blank">more and larger photos available on SmugMug</a>!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-3295401946790676962018-07-15T19:22:00.001-06:002018-07-15T19:22:10.942-06:00Places Not To Plant Yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Turns out the runoff from those thermal features is kinda bad for plants.</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-5xTb6dB/0/67df902c/X3/_IGP6745-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="800" height="497" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-5xTb6dB/0/67df902c/X3/_IGP6745-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But to be honest, I just think it's a near photo. Here's another one.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-Gx58Szd/0/0edae38a/X3/_IGP6800-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-Gx58Szd/0/0edae38a/X3/_IGP6800-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-14039568713211814302018-06-25T20:57:00.002-06:002018-06-25T20:57:47.818-06:00Grand Prismatic SpringAfter Old Faithful we went to check out Grand Prismatic Spring. You can find a <i>lot</i> of photos of that online, many of them quite dramatic. I thought it had to be a bit overplayed, but we ought to check it out anyway. And it turns out I was wrong. That thing is frickin' amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-42h8DH2/0/41891f2a/X3/_IGP6784-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-42h8DH2/0/41891f2a/X3/_IGP6784-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Somebody will inevitably ask if that's edited. It is, because it was shot in RAW and there's no way to <i>not</i> edit it. But it really is that colorful. It's ridiculous.<br />
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It's so colorful that if you look at it from the side, the water vapor rising off of it looks like it's colored blue.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-VPjWfw8/0/b15fea57/X3/_IGP6770-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-VPjWfw8/0/b15fea57/X3/_IGP6770-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. So it turns out I took a few photos there... like 180 or so... after I deleted the ones I really didn't like... Anyway, I won't make you look at <i>all</i> of them, but there will be a few. Because come on, this doesn't even look real...<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-5q5Fxqc/0/2b3cd4c7/X3/_IGP6783-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="424" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-5q5Fxqc/0/2b3cd4c7/X3/_IGP6783-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are two other pools next to Prismatic Spring. This one is Excelsior Geyser...<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-WFzrDSc/0/6ef35cda/X3/_IGP6836-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="800" height="412" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-WFzrDSc/0/6ef35cda/X3/_IGP6836-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The other pool was... hell, I don't know. It was nowhere near as cool. Which was pretty much our attitude for the rest of the trip. "Oh, another amazing thermal feature? Is it even half as cool as Grand Prismatic Spring? Well then screw that stupid, one-of-a-kind, amazing-if-it-was-anywhere-else natural wonder." It kinda ruined us for the rest of the trip, but still so worth seeing.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-3GBp7JT/0/a3dd272c/X3/_IGP6859-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="424" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-3GBp7JT/0/a3dd272c/X3/_IGP6859-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I spent half an hour sitting in the line to get into the parking lot. I hate lines, I <i>hate</i> traffic, but it was 100% worth it. Go see that. As usual, <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-BbXW2gS">more photos on Smugmug</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-41464625743249581782018-06-20T20:53:00.002-06:002018-06-20T20:53:25.747-06:00Yellowstone - Pool AbstractsOne of the neat things about the pools is the bizarre landscape of erosion, mineral deposits and bacterial mats that form in the runoff. You have to look closer, but the patterns and colors are amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-fHHV3zS/0/71620ec5/X3/_IGP6654-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="355" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-fHHV3zS/0/71620ec5/X3/_IGP6654-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I have to concede that Wendy spotted this composition first. It's a good one!<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-P2thLW2/0/a4a8e689/X3/_IGP6663-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="800" height="556" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-P2thLW2/0/a4a8e689/X3/_IGP6663-X3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This one almost looks like an aerial photo of a seaside cliff, but no. It's a closeup of a bubbling geyser. Nearly all of it is underwater too. It's a bit hard to see because the water is so clear, but if you look closely you can see the ripples from the water droplets hitting the calmer water.<br />
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Looks like a map of a desert with one river, if you ask me. And I do ask me, because nobody else would be so foolish.</div>
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And a few more of the lesser photos. As usual, <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-6N2FthB">more on Smugmug for the masochistic</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-6N2FthB/0/df2b0064/X3/_IGP6633-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="800" height="142" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-6N2FthB/0/df2b0064/X3/_IGP6633-X3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-61051516730843194262018-06-17T20:53:00.003-06:002018-06-17T21:58:01.222-06:00Pride Parade 2018Let's take a brief break from landscape photography for pretty much the exact, polar opposite - people wearing rainbow colors and sometimes not much else!<br />
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I went to Pride Parade again this year. I support the message and cause. It's basically just "be nice to people," which I find hard to oppose. But to be completely honest I mostly go because it's fun taking pictures of all the crazy people. I had <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2016/">previously gone in 2016</a> and had a good time. I actually thought I went in 2017, but apparently I didn't - go figure. </div>
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I took a <i>lot</i> of photos today... 814 to be exact. Yeesh. I'm not going to post all of them here, but <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-FxpwrQL">they will all be on Smugmug</a>... whenever my internet connection finally catches up.</div>
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Let's start off with the visual/graphical opposite of the rest of the photos - Captain America!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-FxpwrQL/0/349db7b6/M/_IGP7557-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="299" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-FxpwrQL/0/349db7b6/M/_IGP7557-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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Not only is this an impressively well-done cosplay, the guy is super friendly and nice, and is apparently doing this for charity. <a href="http://www.coloradocaptain.com/">He's got a website with all his social media type stuff</a>, so go check him out. </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-3s5g3g6/0/89cc7d72/M/_IGP7566-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="600" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-3s5g3g6/0/89cc7d72/M/_IGP7566-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next up is Mythica! I've run into Mythica a few times now - at <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2016/i-mHDR6P6">Pride Parade 2016</a>, and doing some of my <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/keyword/manea/i-mkxV96M">favorite chalk art</a>. She's always really friendly as well, not to mention a colorful character - haha! ha... hey, it's my blog, I'll make terribly obvious jokes if I want to. Anyway, here she is again!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-cvDZCXQ/0/2e85cd13/M/_IGP7568-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="299" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-cvDZCXQ/0/2e85cd13/M/_IGP7568-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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So that's enough of people I know, on to random people that I happened to get good photos of.</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-5tJC8tz/0/abfe6800/M/_IGP7598-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="562" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-5tJC8tz/0/abfe6800/M/_IGP7598-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of the things I like about Pride Parade is most people are delighted to be there. It's just a very positive experience.</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-6dwZj8x/0/4304d4be/M/_IGP7619-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="270" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-6dwZj8x/0/4304d4be/M/_IGP7619-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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Even better, a lot of them actually pose for the camera. It's almost like people that put on rainbow colors and makeup, grab balloons, and march in a parade <i>want</i> to have their photo taken! Weird...</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-Q3xkFDv/0/b94251ab/M/_IGP7606-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="465" height="309" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-Q3xkFDv/0/b94251ab/M/_IGP7606-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alright, some are a bit shy about it, but still. </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-5K2GcqC/0/ff252e4b/M/_IGP7650-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="600" height="212" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-5K2GcqC/0/ff252e4b/M/_IGP7650-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And if there's a doggo, you know I have to get picture of it. But PSA, I was talking to a parade marshal and they're actually against the rules. Partially because they tend to get dehydrated or heat exhaustion from walking on the hot pavement - thankfully not a problem today because it was cloudy. Also because they can get underfoot and get themselves or others into trouble. </div>
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So that's great and all, but it's not a Pride Parade until you see...</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-HtR62dJ/0/9c5835b4/M/_IGP7690-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="598" height="240" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-HtR62dJ/0/9c5835b4/M/_IGP7690-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yep, gay sailors in a speedo. And when there are sailors around, you definitely need...</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-dJQsVzh/0/daeabd91/M/_IGP7680-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="234" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-dJQsVzh/0/daeabd91/M/_IGP7680-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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A giant walking condom. Naturally!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-MDmWRpF/0/54b84927/M/_IGP7704-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="563" height="255" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-MDmWRpF/0/54b84927/M/_IGP7704-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How about a pretty good cosplay of Hawkeye from the Avengers?</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-mhTnKsm/0/3981a867/X3/_IGP7724-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="800" height="261" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-mhTnKsm/0/3981a867/X3/_IGP7724-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Good use of a pedalhopper! </div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-zvN7d9B/0/4da91cef/X3/_IGP7731-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="584" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-zvN7d9B/0/4da91cef/X3/_IGP7731-X3.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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And again!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-TCJJDL9/0/6eab41d1/X3/_IGP7727-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-TCJJDL9/0/6eab41d1/X3/_IGP7727-X3.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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Oh hi ladies!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-TRVLJX7/0/462170f2/XL/_IGP7798-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="462" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-TRVLJX7/0/462170f2/XL/_IGP7798-XL.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Yes, I even take photos of grump dogs.</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-MJFcn6D/0/22dd0b76/X2/_IGP7876-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="800" height="262" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-MJFcn6D/0/22dd0b76/X2/_IGP7876-X2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sneak: -100</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-qD5dQhp/0/5f8e1ba1/X2/_IGP7892-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="598" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-qD5dQhp/0/5f8e1ba1/X2/_IGP7892-X2.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Needs moar colors!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-pK4vghd/0/94a0695a/X2/_IGP7882-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="800" height="395" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-pK4vghd/0/94a0695a/X2/_IGP7882-X2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Carnival style!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-rbXnH3q/0/f61fb266/X2/_IGP7908-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="532" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-rbXnH3q/0/f61fb266/X2/_IGP7908-X2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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And again...</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-FZKhbX7/0/12cf1d10/X2/_IGP7581-X2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-FZKhbX7/0/12cf1d10/X2/_IGP7581-X2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just a neat photo</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-DhhG2BJ/0/d0aac5d4/X3/_IGP7960-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="800" height="273" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-DhhG2BJ/0/d0aac5d4/X3/_IGP7960-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ayyyyy!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-3gXMqbF/0/34846b24/X3/_IGP8346-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="800" height="353" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-3gXMqbF/0/34846b24/X3/_IGP8346-X3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Foam!</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-ndC25rf/0/3f71ab19/X3/_IGP8276-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="561" height="400" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Denver-Pride-Parade-2018/i-ndC25rf/0/3f71ab19/X3/_IGP8276-X3.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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Gaydar reading: inconclusive.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-28178030843540646812018-06-14T20:44:00.002-06:002018-06-14T20:44:42.362-06:00Old FaithfulWe were fortunate to walk up right before Old Faithful put on a show. We were unfortunate in that the wind didn't blow the mist away, so we didn't get a very good view of the water from the geyser. Oh well - some days you get the geyser, some days the geyser gets you. (That's how that saying goes, right?)<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-kDJvXjC/0/9f66c95d/M/_IGP6589-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="299" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-kDJvXjC/0/9f66c95d/M/_IGP6589-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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Also saw a group of tourists re-enact the Abbey Road cover...<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-qdFttNL/0/1899084e/M/_IGP6607-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="600" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-qdFttNL/0/1899084e/M/_IGP6607-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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And see a number of smaller geysers in the area (more of these later...)</div>
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-PrfTn49/0/045a0228/M/_IGP6618-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="600" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-PrfTn49/0/045a0228/M/_IGP6618-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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As always, <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-PrfTn49">full size photos here</a>.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-57219570550327253052018-06-12T20:26:00.002-06:002018-06-12T20:26:35.494-06:00Trees in the MistWe headed into Yellowstone relatively early in the morning. Near the entrance some thermal features threw up a cloud of mist that was backlit by the rising sun. It makes for a dramatic view.<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-rS4nnkH/A"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="599" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-rS4nnkH/0/90ba1e94/M/_IGP6580-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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In fact it was so dramatic that Wendy wrenched the car into a turnout, throwing around everything inside the car and narrowly missing the median. She then became so entranced with the view that she let the car roll into the curb instead of stopping it. Not exactly an auspicious beginning for a trip that turned out to involve some interesting driving.<br />
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A few more from that spot here. I'm too lazy to link them individually, so <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-xdbCgMX">larger versions are here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-QN9pwhK/0/27bd62e6/M/_IGP6581-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="322" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-QN9pwhK/0/27bd62e6/M/_IGP6581-M.jpg" /></a><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-xdbCgMX/0/e065727f/M/_IGP6577-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="299" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-xdbCgMX/0/e065727f/M/_IGP6577-M.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-x569DQH/0/c47efe19/M/_IGP6579-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="600" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-x569DQH/0/c47efe19/M/_IGP6579-M.jpg" /></a>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-15611083535702339972018-06-10T15:36:00.000-06:002018-06-10T15:36:14.179-06:00Grand TetonWe just got back from a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park. It was our most "All American" vacation to date. We visited the first national park, saw bison, bears, cowboys, tall mountains and beautiful lakes.<br />
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But by far the most 'Merican thing was visiting Grand Tetons National Park. Because "téton" means "breast" in French, and what could be more 'Merican than going to Big Titties National Park?<br />
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Anyway, without further classy banter, some photos...<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-hSwW6c3/A"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="599" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-hSwW6c3/0/b6b3281e/M/_IGP7364-M.jpg" title="Grand Tetons from Oxbow Bend turnout" /></a></div>
This is my favorite photos of the Tetons that I've gotten to so far. This was taken from the Oxbow Bend turnout, a very nice place for sunrise. There was a photo workshop there at the same time, so probably 20 photographers in total running around. Thankfully it's a large enough area that we weren't much in each other's way. I do wish we could've gotten a better sky, but this one wasn't so bad.<br />
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My second pick from the same morning...<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-4BRwGjN/A"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="600" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/YellowstoneTetons-trip-2018/i-4BRwGjN/0/aa7af60e/M/_IGP7351-M.jpg" /></a></div>
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They're both pretty good in my opinion. I like the geese in the second one, but the full mountain range in the first one. Probably tomorrow I'll decide I like the second one better. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-720402104244867222017-08-29T20:40:00.000-06:002017-09-06T20:00:24.785-06:00Frozen Margaritas... and Science!<div style="border: 1px solid white; float: right; margin: 3pt; max-width: 50%; padding: 3pt;">
<b><u>Limeade Frozen Margs ala Ben's Uncle</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 can frozen limeade</li>
<li>Tequila</li>
<li>Triple Sec</li>
<li>Ice</li>
</ul>
Pour/squeeze limeade into a blender. Refill can with tequila and pour in. Refill halfway with Triple Sec and add. Add ice to taste, about 2-3 cans worth. Add a pinch of salt if desired. Blend and drink. I've been told that you should use Minute Maid limeade because the generic stuff will give you green torpedoes, but I have not observed this myself.
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I've been a fan of frozen margaritas for years - ever since my college buddy Ben's Texan uncle showed us how to make them from limeade and ice. It's really a great summer drink in so many ways, and combines well with a lack of air conditioning. But I've always been annoyed that the frozen margs at some restaurants (<a href="http://www.bennysrestaurant.com/">notably Benny's</a>) are much better than my home made margs. So one of my little projects this summer has been trying to create a better margarita.
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The biggest difference is the texture. Restaurants margs have a smooth, thick, almost creamy texture. The ones I was making were more icy and granular, like a boozy snow-cone. I looked at buying a restaurant-style continuous mixer, but they're pretty expensive and I'd have to do a lot of drinking to justify it. Which isn't that much of a burden, but I don't want to become an alcoholic <i>solely</i> to amortize capital costs.<br />
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<b><u>Better Frozen Margs</u></b>
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<ul>
<li>1 can Bacardi frozen margarita mix</li>
<li>Tequila</li>
<li>Triple Sec</li>
<li>Ice</li>
</ul>
Pour/squeeze limeade into a blender. Refill can with tequila and pour in. Refill halfway with Triple Sec and add. Refill with water and add. Freeze for 4-8 hours, stirring/blending when you can. Add another can of water, freeze again and blend when possible.
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Somewhere along the way I read that some of the commercial mixers took all liquid ingredients, rather than a bunch of ice and booze. So I figured I'd give that a try. And it turns out that's the secret! You just replace the ice with liquid water, freeze the whole thing, and you get a much better texture. The problem is that if you mix it all up at once, it'll separate in the freezer. Then you end up with a lake of concentrated booze and sugar, topped by a glacier that'll take 15 minutes and a pickaxe to pierce. So it's better to add some water and blend, freeze that, then add some more water and blend again. It ends up taking a day or two to make a pitcher of margs, but that's probably for the best anyway. Along the way I also tried out a <a href="http://www.instantparty.com/bacardi-mixers-margarita">Bacardi margarita mixer</a> that I like a lot better than limeade, which was also an improvement.<br />
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Eventually I sobered up a bit and became curious about why the texture was different. I could probably ask a food scientist or a physicist, but I'm lazy and the internet is <i>right there</i>. So I did some Googling, read some stuff about formation of ice crystals, and made some completely unfounded conjectures which I will now present as "knowledge." Basically I think when you start with ice cubes you have relatively large crystals, which get chopped into smaller ones in the blender but are never very small. But when you start from a mixture of water, sugar, alcohol, salt, etc the water freezes into much smaller crystals because of the freeze concentration. Basically as the water freezes into pure ice, the remaining liquid has a higher concentration of solutes, which makes it even harder for the remaining water to freeze thus preventing larger crystals from forming. I think. Anyway, here are some <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/process-crystallization">really</a> <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/structure-ice-crystals">fascinating</a> <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/importance-crystallization-rate">pages</a> on the <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/node/1997/">formation</a> of crystals in ice cream, which seems like mostly the same thing. <br />
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So there you have it - better drinking through physics. My next task is trying to make better frozen margs from scratch. I've had one promising batch, but I haven't worked out a repeatable recipe yet. It looks like it'll be roughly the same as above, but replacing the premix with 3/4 cup of lime juice and 3/2 cup of simple syrup, give or take. I might also try extra-strength simple syrup. Anyway, I'll let you know when I figure it out, if I'm still capable of typing by then.<br />
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Update - here's my best stab at a good recipe before I call it quits for the season.<br />
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<ul>
<li>8 oz tequila</li>
<li>4 oz triple sec</li>
<li>6 oz lime juice</li>
<li>10 oz simple syrup</li>
<li>20 oz water</li>
</ul>
<div>
Mix together everything but the water in a large blender. If you're not sure of the recipe, you may want to go easy on the lime juice and simple syrup - you can always add more later. Add 8oz of water. Freeze for 6-8 hours, stirring a couple times if possible. Take out of freezer. Taste and adjust lime/syrup ratio if needed. Add remaining water and blend. Refreeze, stirring a couple more times if possible. Blend again before serving. </div>
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<div>
All amounts are easily modified if you like it stronger/weaker, more/less limey, more/less sweet. But if you add too much water it will be more difficult to blend after freezing. </div>
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<div>
Use a long serving spoon to mix while blending. Before serving it should be liquid enough to maintain a smooth flow in the blender without assistance. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-17162877152122631462017-08-14T19:49:00.000-06:002017-08-14T19:49:12.531-06:00Memorial Day Canyons pt 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-9RsW6jf/A"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="640" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-9RsW6jf/0/0eae0440/L/IMGP1227-L.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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One more from Fry Canyon last Memorial Day. Think I'll get through those before Labor Day? Eh, probably not, but oh well.<br />
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Anyway, I like this one because it's a somewhat narrow section, but still manages to show the scale of things. It's hard to get all of those at once - usually the narrow sections don't supply good overlooks like this. Plus the light is nice and soft with no hotspots, another rarity.<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-fvDfMbn/A"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-fvDfMbn/0/2b65c39e/XL/18768603_1427647820607931_1477175620904608761_o-XL.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is from later in the same canyon - definitely a different feel. Obviously I didn't take one, since that's me impersonating a corpse in the pool. It was just a nice place for a rest, one of the first warm spots after a lot of cold water. Also our fourth canyon in three days (more for some of the others) so we were getting a little tired.<br />
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I think I'll probably quit going on about this trip after this post, but if you just can't get enough there are <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-BMmVQR3">125 photos here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-86245928051354168012017-08-03T20:21:00.002-06:002017-08-03T20:21:29.077-06:00Memorial Day Canyons pt. 2The advantage of only posting once a month (or quarter... or year...) is that I can make photos from one vacation last a <i>really</i> long time! See, there's a method to my <strike>sloth</strike> madness!<br />
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This isn't really a great photo, but I heard some comments about canyons being claustrophobic. Which is definitely true some of the time, but not all of the time. Although that log solidly wedged 30 feet up might cause one to consider what this looks like during a flash flood.<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-P7KVrJD"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="529" height="640" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-P7KVrJD/0/ec4baae5/L/IMGP1134-L.jpg" width="563" /></a></div>
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Since I'm already posting photos of questionable quality, here's a canyon selfie. I know you're all jealous of my high-class canyon duds!<br />
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<a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-RqjXXM5/0/e912b173/L/IMGP1072-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Memorial-Day-Canyons-2017/i-RqjXXM5/0/e912b173/L/IMGP1072-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Although now that I think about it, that wetsuit might be the second or third most expensive item of clothing that I own. Does that make it high-class? Either way, I consider that to be a true victory in life. The shirt, on the other hand, was two dollars at Goodwill - which is why it's being used to protect the aforementioned high-class undergarment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-41477267635991851602017-07-16T10:07:00.001-06:002017-07-16T10:07:47.346-06:00Building a ComputerYears ago I modified computers on a regular basis, swapping pieces around and buying new components. When I was in middle school one of my birthday presents was a new motherboard - except my parents didn't know which one to get, so they used a chunk of 2x4 with "The Mother of All Boards" markered onto it as a stand-in. I pretty much quit messing with hardware after I got my first laptop. It's not practical to modify mobile hardware much, and I had switched to consoles for gaming needs.<br />
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The rise of Steam, with it's massive expansion of the games catalog and unmatched yearly sales, convinced me I should get back into PC gaming. But I still have some unusual constraints, in particular that I want to fly my PC back to Wisconsin every year. Since airlines are charging through the nose for checked bags, I wanted to be able to fit it in a carry-on.<br />
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It turns out that there are almost no pre-made PCs that are physically small enough to carry-on, yet have a full-strength graphics card. <a href="https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/page/syber/">Cyberpower's Syber</a> line, and <a href="https://www.originpc.com/gaming/desktops/chronos/">OriginPC's Chronos</a> seem to be the best options, but there are a few others around. Naturally you end up paying a premium to have someone else build them for you, so I elected to build my own.<br />
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Since case size seemed to be the biggest constraint, I started there. There are a number of crowdfunded options including the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1947322319"></span>NCase M1<span id="goog_1947322320"></span></a>, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sentry-console-sized-mini-itx-gaming-pc-case-computer#/">Sentry</a>, and <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/33753221/dan-cases-a4-sfx-v2-an-ultra-compact-sff-case">DAN A4-SFX</a>, but they tend to be quite expensive. From established manufacturers there are the <a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=RVZ03&area=en&top=C">Silverstone RVZ line</a> and the <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-202">Fractal Design Node 202</a>. I went with the Node 202 because it's the smallest, and I don't like all the styling and LEDs on the Silverstone cases.<br />
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One can argue endlessly about what to put inside that case. In fact I did that until Luke and Glenn were sick of it. I also read about other builds using the case to figure out what fans and coolers would fit. The upshot is <a href="https://pcpartpicker.com/user/breischl/saved/kHwNGX">this parts list</a>. Most of it can be modified freely - the key points are to save space by using an m2 hard drive, memory chips with no heat spreaders, and a low-profile CPU cooler.<br />
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<h4>
Getting Started</h4>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_e3B_SM1BYs/WWuDJBEAqhI/AAAAAAAABRo/x0lSeIYDvPEcrWOVlxR5DEgNuTU4rbr9wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170705_174337654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_e3B_SM1BYs/WWuDJBEAqhI/AAAAAAAABRo/x0lSeIYDvPEcrWOVlxR5DEgNuTU4rbr9wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170705_174337654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eventually I got past my analysis-paralysis phase and actually ordered all the parts. Since I spent so long choosing a case, the first thing I did was check how big it is in real life, rather than just measurements. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv3ye-TC860/WWuA4WrGSmI/AAAAAAAABRg/-oRshDn_l3U_aoD7o4oD0LknnsWFLmbQwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170705_173420526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv3ye-TC860/WWuA4WrGSmI/AAAAAAAABRg/-oRshDn_l3U_aoD7o4oD0LknnsWFLmbQwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170705_173420526.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It turns out that it does fit in a carry-on - but only just barely. There's maybe an inch of space to spare total, and our smaller carry-on wouldn't fit it at all. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy5PgGZAF8o/WWuA4IP0ZnI/AAAAAAAABRc/ABpXwJ6f8C8icu8c7txkVmAWJhFRxM16wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170705_173151802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy5PgGZAF8o/WWuA4IP0ZnI/AAAAAAAABRc/ABpXwJ6f8C8icu8c7txkVmAWJhFRxM16wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170705_173151802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a comparison to an an XBox One (original, not the S version) and a 15.6" Lenovo Y510p laptop. They're all lined up on the left and back edges for this photo. The Node 202 is definitely bigger than the other two, but not by a huge margin</div>
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<h4>
The Build</h4>
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<div>
Case gawking completed, I got started on building the machine. Which I proceeded to screw up in nearly every possible way. The short list of things I would do differently is:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Assemble all the components outside of the case and get them to the POST screen before putting anything in the case. It's much easier to do when you're not working inside that cramped case. </li>
<li>The m.2 hard drive slot on that motherboard is on the bottom.</li>
<li>When putting the motherboard into the case, it's much easier if you take out the graphics card riser assembly first, despite what the directions say. That gives you easier access to the screws. </li>
<li>The case directions neglect to mention one of the screws holding the graphics assembly in - I'll show it later. </li>
<li>Be really organized about keeping track of which screws go where, especially the 4 different kinds of tiny black screws in the case. I did pretty well with this until the very end. </li>
</ol>
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<div>
Ignoring my own advice from above, I started out by opening up the case. Again, I recommend wiring up all the components outside of the case first to make sure they work. You should put the motherboard on something non-conductive, like the box or anti-static bag that it came in.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSdMO-54vYY/WWuDbdl5m2I/AAAAAAAABRs/I-aX7yy0wPkovNtZmuMPH3CtyYiqrtLEgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170705_175704283_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSdMO-54vYY/WWuDbdl5m2I/AAAAAAAABRs/I-aX7yy0wPkovNtZmuMPH3CtyYiqrtLEgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170705_175704283_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's what it looks like fully disassembled. Getting the bottom off is a bit of a trick, because all the plastic tabs want to grab back on as soon as you release them. I found the best method is to stand the case on edge and use a flat-head screwdriver to push them open.</div>
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Following along with the case instructions, but not taking photos, I installed the power supply and motherboard. The motherboard mounting screws in the center of the case are really hard to access - in hindsight I suggest removing the graphics card riser before installing the motherboard. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1mDaLcsOeFY/WWuGHud59FI/AAAAAAAABRw/wfLEKzlJ-fYEvgGPSGC438iWw9QknYwCwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170706_185953126_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1mDaLcsOeFY/WWuGHud59FI/AAAAAAAABRw/wfLEKzlJ-fYEvgGPSGC438iWw9QknYwCwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170706_185953126_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which brings me to my next point - the instructions say that there are 3 screws securing the graphics card assembly. In fact there are four, with the last being on the back of the case just below the slots. The screwdriver is pointing at it in the photo. I almost bent the whole thing trying to get it out, before realizing there was a secret screw. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ES725IXQm4k/WWuGyjZJMeI/AAAAAAAABR0/mRFcIyPQqqcB982drZz0LDfXexZXeNj7QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170706_191656733_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ES725IXQm4k/WWuGyjZJMeI/AAAAAAAABR0/mRFcIyPQqqcB982drZz0LDfXexZXeNj7QCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170706_191656733_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's the machine reassembled. It's already getting pretty cramped, and I don't even have the power cables in yet. If we had a 2.5" drive it would go in the cage towards the front of the case (farthest from the camera) on the center strut, which would be really hard to deal with. You can see I put the case fan towards the front of the case, which may or may not be a good idea. I believe it would fit directly under the card, but I didn't try. This placement does make routing the front-panel cables a bit annoying, but it's doable. </div>
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You can also see that the power cable runs awkwardly over the fan. I ended up snipping one of the cable ties so that it could lie flat along the bottom of the case instead. But as shown, that cable points out the fact that the only space to route wires between the two halves of the case is a small window in the center strut, right where you see that cable going. Consequently that section of the case, and the bit between the memory and the PSU, tend to be very full of cabling. </div>
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Also, it's not visible in this photo but the graphics card supporter sits between the case fan and the graphics card. The GTX 1050 Ti is <i>just barely</i> too short to reach it, so the card is unsupported. But it seems to be small and light enough that it's not a problem. </div>
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It was at about this point that I realized that the m.2 connector is on the bottom of the motherboard. I proceeded to remove almost all of this from the case to access that slot, shown below. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iakJ_dilV4c/WWuIMogRgPI/AAAAAAAABR4/Vfme8dEct-oh2JggV8CYj3CG29ucV-TZACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170706_190545136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1188" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iakJ_dilV4c/WWuIMogRgPI/AAAAAAAABR4/Vfme8dEct-oh2JggV8CYj3CG29ucV-TZACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170706_190545136.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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Having done that, I put all the components back into the case again, which takes a little while. Then I flipped the case over to check something...</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1cuGujxVEg/WWuINLhsJ8I/AAAAAAAABR8/hPNb55gsQccxyfAaoXJH2W_hKYV9mLmRQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170706_200715499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1cuGujxVEg/WWuINLhsJ8I/AAAAAAAABR8/hPNb55gsQccxyfAaoXJH2W_hKYV9mLmRQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170706_200715499.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yeah, there's a cutout in the case that provides access to the m.2 slot right there. So I did all that work for nothing. Doh! But while we're looking at the bottom of the case, you can see the dust screens. They're attached with magnets, which makes them easy to move by accident while you're handling the case. </div>
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Anyway, after getting the whole thing reassembled, I went to plug in the power cables. Attaching the power cables to the power supply while it's in the case it really difficult - they all go in the small space between the PSU and the center strut. This is another reason to wire everything up outside of the case beforehand. </div>
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After doing that, I went to attach the front-panel connectors. Mostly this is easy, but the cables for the power indicator LED and the power switch are tiny, and they connect to this pin block. The pins are really hard to access. You can see that the memory goes right above them in this photo - I removed the actual chips. The motherboard main power connector is next to it, and the PSU is right below. Bottom line, you probably want to do these before all the other stuff. </div>
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Also, the indicator LED connects to the green pins, and the switch to the red pins. Or was it the other way around? If you get it backwards the LED will come on, but the power switch won't do anything. Ask me how I know that... or why I disassembled everything, right down to removing the CPU cooler, <i>again</i>. Yeah, good times. Don't get those two confused. </div>
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Once I finally got the whole thing put together <i>correctly</i> it worked fine. The only BIOS tweak needed was setting the memory to use XMP Profile 1, which upped the memory clock to use the full potential of the DDR4-2400. </div>
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I haven't run any formal benchmarks, but I did run Doom on Ultra settings for a couple of hours in a hot room (29-30 deg. C). The temps inside the case stayed very reasonable - the GPU was the biggest hotspot, but it topped out at ~70 deg C. So the whole thing seems to be running well. </div>
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Overall it was a good experience, despite my many roadblocks. Hopefully I'm still saying that after the first plane trip with it. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-46217942608168366762017-06-04T12:15:00.003-06:002017-06-04T12:15:48.102-06:00Detour into some CanyonsIt's been a busy couple of months (not <i>entirely</i> due to getting somewhat hooked on Factorio), so I didn't get around to posting. And now I'm just back from a Memorial Day trip into the slot canyons again, so I'm going to post a few photos from there.<br />
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This trip was a near-twin of the 2013 Memorial Day trip. Both trips took me to Cedar Mesa, and I did three of the same canyons: Cheesebox, Black Hole and Fry. This time the group was a bit faster, so we finished Black Hole early in the day. Also, camp was overrun by clouds of biting Cedar Gnats, which made hanging around the rest of the day an unappealing option. Instead we ducked into Duckett, so I got four descents in three days.<br />
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This photo is from Cheesebox Canyon, which we did first. We did a longer version of the canyon than the 2013 trip - the full west fork, instead of partial approach. I rather liked it, though it does make for a long day.<br />
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The photo is fairly typical of Colorado Plateau canyons - lots of banded sandstone and smooth curves. But I always like the subtle light, and sense of depth you can get from these kinds of photos. I also like the little reflection of sky in the water. It's usually tough to make this kind of shot work out due to the extreme variation in brightness, so it's nice when it does. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-80091686116765334802017-03-29T21:29:00.002-06:002017-03-29T21:29:56.355-06:00Hohenschwangau EntrywayThe previous post was the last long, article-style one for the Europe trip. They're kind of exhausting to write, which is part of why it took me so long to publish them, and I kind of wonder if anybody actually wants to read anything that long. I'm not sure I even want to read it! So henceforth I'll be going back to shorter "picture and a paragraph" style posts.<br />
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With that, a random photo of a lantern! I don't think there's any particular significance to this lantern. It's on the back side of Schloss Hohenschwangau, where the road enters the castle. Really I just liked the repeated lines of the ceiling and the light.<br />
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It's actually a very cool little part of the castle, down where the construct meets the underlying rock.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-14021485405378688462017-03-19T20:27:00.002-06:002017-03-19T20:27:23.070-06:00Castles!This is Part 4 of our year-ago Europe trip. It contains two infinity times more castles than Parts <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/02/europe-2015-trip.html">1</a>, <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/02/munich-with-sleep.html">2</a> and <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-german-resort.html">3</a> combined.<br />
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After Dachau we had planned something a bit more whimsical - a trip down to Füssen. Once again Bahn.de got us there with no problems, despite train track repairs and two transfers. With some positively idyllic landscape on the way, too. Fluffy clouds, rolling green hills, little farmhouses. The only way that gets more idyllic is...<br />
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Yep, there's the happy cows. This has gone from idyllic to positively picturesque. Quit it Bavaria, you're making the rest of us look bad.<br />
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<img src="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-kC3p3Wx/0/M/_IGP0651-M.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />After our idyllic overload, we arrived at Fussen, home of not one but <i>two</i> castles. Our first stop was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohenschwangau_Castle">Hohenschwangau</a>, which goes back to the 12th century in one form or another. The interior of the castle is overwhelming - every surface is covered in historic murals and paintings. Sadly they don’t allow any photos inside the castle, because they want to sell tickets. It’s understandable – maintaining that place cannot be cheap, and they have to pay for it somehow. Still, it would've been nice to see without being shepherded from room to room in a group of 20 tourists.<br />
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After the tour I just had to check something... yep, still picturesque down there in the foothills. Nice job with the lake, as well. Keep up the good word, Bavaria.</div>
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After our first tour we had to get from Hohenschwangau over to the second castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein. Not pictured here: the several hundred foot depp valley in between. But we needed the exercise anyway.<br />
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The road up is narrow and twisting, so it's closed to cars. During the hike up the far side we ended up talking to another American couple. The guy told us about visiting the castles 20 years ago when he had been in the Air Force. Apparently that was before the castles were fully touristificated, so they would drive right up to the castle gates and camp on the lawn, then get a personal tour the next day. It's a bit of a shame - it would've been a better experience.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle">Schloss Neuschwanstein</a> was the inspiration for the Disney castle. But it had a bit of a bizarre history before that. <span style="text-align: center;">Construction was started by King Ludwig II in 1886, long after improvements in artillery had made militarily useless. He built it because, well, he just </span><i style="text-align: center;">really</i><span style="text-align: center;"> liked castles. This one was supposed to be his private retreat, never to be opened to the public. But construction of this castle and several others had inflicted so much damage on the state finances that they were opened to paying customers within six weeks of his death. </span><span style="text-align: center;">Once again we were not allowed to take photos of the interior. However, the Wikipedia article I linked earlier has a number of nice photos. The entire thing is just ridiculously detailed everywhere – at one point the project employed 20 painters full time to do the murals and interior detailing. Anyway, that’s about it for the narrative. Pretty castles, we saw them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-27016732433130218192017-03-08T20:40:00.002-07:002017-03-08T20:40:32.340-07:00A German ResortThis is Part 3 of our year-ago Europe trip. It's less fun than <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/02/europe-2015-trip.html">Part 1</a>, and not as pretty as <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/02/munich-with-sleep.html">Part 2</a>, but I think worthwhile.<br />
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We headed out of Munich on the excellent transportation system to an old tourist town. (Side note: I <i>highly</i> recommend the <a href="https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml">Bahn.de website</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.hafas.android.db&hl=en">DB Navigator</a> app.) I probably have relatives there, who my parents actually visited about 40 years ago, but I didn’t find that out until I was already back in the states so I didn't try to look them up. We didn't spend much time in town anyway - we were there for the museum.<br />
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The locals are not entirely thrilled to be hosting an international museum of Nazi atrocities, but such is the fate of Dachau. We got weather more fitting for visiting a concentration camp than a resort day - solid gray overcast, cold breeze and lots of crows. Although we were aware of the camp in a general sense, nothing really compares to visiting in person. There's a psychological weight to the place that doesn't come through in a book. Obviously I can't do it justice in this little post either, but I want to put up a few of our photos anyway. I would encourage anyone to go visit - it's not a <i>fun </i>experience, but I think it's worthwhile.<br />
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The camp had psychological tricks right from the start. The words in the front gates (above), “Arbeit Macht Frei”, translates as “Work Will Make You Free”. The camp was initially billed as a work camp for slackers and deficients, so the implied promise was to set them free if they worked. That was, of course, a complete lie. It was never a straightforward extermination camp like Treblinka or Auschwitz, but neither did they set anyone free. Around 40,000 people died there, mostly from a combination of maltreatment, overwork or disease.<br />
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Inside the gates is the main assembly area of the camp. Here the inmates would stand at the end of each day for roll call. If somebody was missing, or the guards were just feeling malicious, they would keep them standing there for hours. In some cases they would stand there all through the night, during winter, in thin clothes. It was not uncommon for inmates to drop dead while standing there.<br />
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This is an aerial view of the camp after the war, showing some of the 32 barracks. In the aftermath of the war so much of the country had been devastated that it was used to house families for a time. They were all torn down eventually, but there are two replicas there now. Each building was originally designed to house two hundred prisoners. When the camp was liberated it was massively overcrowded, with some building holding up to ten times that amount – two <em>thousand</em> people living in one of those buildings.<br />
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Naturally the camp was surrounded by guard towers, barbed wire, and ditches. The grassy area outside of the path was considered off limits – stepping off that side of the path was would get an inmate shot. Suicide by guard was not unheard of, though less popular than I would have guessed given the conditions. <br />
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When the camp first opened they would send the dead inmates to be cremated in the nearby town. But as the number of inmates increased and the treatment deteriorated they had a growing number of bodies. During the early years it was supposed to be just a work camp, so they had to come up with excuses for the number of dead bodies. Eventually they couldn’t do it anymore, so they built their own crematorium. The ashes were buried on site. They don’t know how many people were buried here, but probably in the thousands. <br />
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They would also sometimes execute prisoners by firing squad, typically in a few places like this execution wall.<br />
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Memorials have been built for most of the major religions.<br />
I don’t have photos for it, but I was surprised to learn that the SS jailers lived right outside the camp. In fact many of them moved their families into a small town that was within site of the fences. I cannot even fathom how you could walk home from that to your family. I suppose it shows that humans are amazingly flexible - not always in the most best of ways. <br />
Visiting the Dachau museum was a powerful experience. Not fun by any means, but worthwhile. It’s one thing to read a book or watch a documentary about what happened there. It’s quite another to stand in the same room where they piled the dead to the ceiling, see the ash pits, and walk the grounds where such things were allowed.<br />
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A map of Nazi concentration camps. All the dots are camps, even the little ones. They just called out the larger ones with larger labels. Dachau was the first of them, and served as a model for the other work camps.<br />
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They have since installed a sculpture in the yard, a stark thing depicting broken bodies stuck in barbed wire.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-65284127396862364832017-02-15T20:10:00.002-07:002017-02-21T20:26:58.528-07:00Munich, With SleepPart 2 of our Europe trip, which I promise contains more pictures and fewer words than <a href="https://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2017/02/europe-2015-trip.html">Part 1</a>.<br />
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Having gotten some <em>much</em> needed sleep, we ventured out into Munich the next day. We had planned this day only very loosely, figuring we might not be too ambitious after the flight. We had some places we generally wanted to see, but no particular timetable.<br />
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Our first stop was the bakery closest to our hotel. Sadly the photo above is not that bakery. It is <i>a</i> bakery in Munich though, so that's pretty close!<br />
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Our normal morning fare is bagels, but we had no luck at all communicating that concept to the staff. We ended up just picking something out of the display case - a little squarish piece of bread that seemed similar. Then we tried to get some cream cheese but apparently this is an unknown concept as well. But they redeemed themselves with the butter - no stupid little cup of faux-butter but rather a quarter stick of buttery goodness.<br />
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It turned out that our bagel-like object was some kind of magical bread that must've had the approximate caloric content of an entire turkey. We each at a little 6 ounce chunk of bread… and then literally forgot to eat lunch. After that Wendy took to calling it “Dwarven stout bread.” <br />
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After that we wandered around town a bit, ending up in a local market. They had a brass band playing, which apparently does not preclude beer drinking. We stayed for a while and ended up talking to a group of tourists from Minnesota because they saw my Anoka State sweatshirt.<br />
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Then more wandering to several churches and buildings in the area.<br />
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Finally, back to the Neue Rathaus to see the Glockenspiel – basically a mechanized merry-go-round that reenacts scenes from local history.<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-vntpb2j/A" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-vntpb2j/0/S/IMG_20150906_061543_751-S.jpg" /></a>By midafternoon the Dwarven stout bread was wearing off, so we headed out the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatliches_Hofbr%C3%A4uhaus_in_M%C3%BCnchen">Hofbrauhaus</a>. It’s probably <em>the</em> classic beer hall, dating back to its origin as the royal brewery of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It’s actually still owned by the Bavarian state government, which says something about their priorities. They do a damn fine job of it too!<br />
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Like many of the restaurants in Bavaria, it’s basically a big room full of communal trestle tables. So we walked in, found a nice looking table and asked the occupants if we could sit there. In our ignorance we didn’t realize that it was a “Regulars” table, with a sign and everything, so tourists weren’t supposed to sit there. But they said we could, so we got a prime seat right in front of the band. The regulars at the table were all dressed in classic Bavarian outfits, and had wooden spoons that they played along with the band, and occasionally on the each other’s asses (see photo!) We got a big pork knuckle with potatoes, and a big stein of beer. Yep, pretty much a Bavaria overload.<br />
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After that we headed off to the Englischer Garden. It’s a pretty huge garden, sort of a Central Park style setup. The major difference is that the surfing is much better than Central Park.<br />
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It’s not the best surfing in the world, but then Munich is not very close to the ocean so I guess you take what you can get. It is quite popular. There doesn't seem to be any official organization, but the unspoken rules are quite effective. There's a line of people on the shore waiting to use the wave. Each person uses it for a short time and then washes downstream so the next can take a turn.<br />
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So that was about it for the day. But a few other random photos…<br />
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Home Alone, Munich edition</div>
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HI THERE!</div>
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Wendy’s maiden name translates as “Strength of the Wild Boar”, so we had to get a photo with this awesome boar sculpture.</div>
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So… Bacchus spitting endlessly on some poor kid? Sure, why not, sounds like a great fountain!</div>
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Big bike!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-1375239685872228192017-02-13T19:20:00.001-07:002017-02-13T19:20:15.888-07:00Europe 2015 TripSo yeah, we went to Europe! Um, about, <strike>5</strike> 16 months ago. I'm lazy, deal with it. Anyway had been 7 years since our trip to Peru, which was out last time out of the country, so it was time. I’ll just note ahead of time that part of why I’m writing this is to remind myself of the whole experience, so it might be overly detailed and a bit boring. Too damn bad, it’s my blog. Feel free to just look at the pictures, I won't be insulted.<br />
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Our first stop was scenic… Iceland!<br />
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Well, actually just the airport. Honestly it was not my favorite airport ever. That might have been related to the dense overcast, driving wind, rain, 40 degree temperatures, and firsthand experience we got with that weather while slowly stepping down a staircase on the tarmac. Also, the bathrooms are far from the gates. <em>Really</em> far. I suspect that they actually ran a tunnel to Heathrow so they could share bathrooms, but they keep it a secret because they want to keep selling flights. Ah well, I needed to stretch my legs anyway. <br />
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Soon enough we were crammed back into cattle class for a few more hours, and then arrived in Munich. I had heard that the best way to avoid jet lag is to not sleep on the flight so that you can adjust quickly when you get there. It seemed sensible, so when we finally landed in Munich I had been awake for about 24 hours straight. It was mid-day, but I really just wanted to find the hotel, drop my backpack, change clothes, and take a nap. I whipped out my copy of the trip plan, which conveniently organizes our whole trip for distracted and exhausted travelers, and looked up our hotel.<br />
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Whereupon Wendy says, “Oh no, that’s not the hotel. I changed it.”<br />
I was nonplussed. ”You changed it but didn’t put it in the trip plan?”<br />She said, ”I thought I updated the plan, but I guess not.”<br />“Well, that kind of misses the point of the trip plan, but OK. What’s the new hotel?”<br />”I don’t know.”<br />”You don’t know... OK, where is it?”<br />”I don’t know.”<br />”Would you recognize the name?”<br />”No.”<br />”So we have a hotel somewhere in Munich, but the only thing we know about it is that it’s <em>not</em> the one we have written down?”<br />”Yes.”<br />”Great. That’s just great.”<br />
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Cue the giant facepalm. Regrettably there is no photo of that. I will say it took some effort to remain calm at that point. For lack of better ideas we hopped a train to Marienplatz, the tourist center of town, and spent the ride trying to figure out where we were going to stay. Thankfully there was an Apple store right at the Marienplatz train station, and we were able to use their free wireless to get into Wendy’s email account. After much dinking around she was able to ascertain that our hotel was… the one written down in the trip plan. So all of that running around and stress was pointless. Cue the <i>second</i> giant facepalm. <br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-VWm43HJ/A"><img align="left" alt="" src="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-VWm43HJ/0/Th/_IGP0316-Th.jpg" style="display: inline; float: left;" /></a><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-j7wRmgm/A"><img align="right" alt="" src="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Europe-2015/i-j7wRmgm/0/Th/_IGP0313-Th.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right;" /></a>At this point we were both hungry, and I was feeling in need of a drink to drown the shame of our inauspicious start. So we plonked ourselves down at the touristy restaurant right in the middle of the plaza. This is when Wendy’s love affair with Bavarian cuisine began – it’s all meat and potatoes! I tried to out-Bavarian her by ordering beer and sausages. I think we both won.<br />
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The Marienplatz has the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Town_Hall_(Munich)">New Town Hall</a> bordering it. You can tell it’s the <em>new</em> town hall because it’s only 107 years old. Really it’s just a baby, it might get up and wander off at any time. The actual German name for it <em>Neues Rathaus.</em> It amuses me to no end that they keep the politicians in a “Rat Haus.” I also has a mechanical <i>glockenspiel </i>in the tower - basically the 19th century version of a Disney ride. Thankfully they did not play <i>It's a Small World</i> on repeat.<br />
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That night we walked around near the river, and happened into a street festival with a number of bands and vendors. Surprisingly, all of the music was sung in English. In between songs the bands would talk in German, but then always sing in English.<br />
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We were lucky enough to wander up to one of the churches just as a Gothic choir was about to start singing. So we sat and admired the church, thinking that now for sure we’d get some classic German music. Nope, they sang in English too. You’d think it was an English language music festival! Anyway, after a bit of wandering about we headed back to home base for some real sleep.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-85812074619601747522016-11-01T19:35:00.001-06:002016-11-01T19:35:13.249-06:00Utah Socks<p>One of the unavoidable downsides of canyoneering in Utah is the sand. There’s just no avoiding it. All my canyon clothes have a slight red tinge to them. Typically it’s not too bad, except that of course you end up with dunes of the stuff in your shoes, and thus lots of sand ground into your socks. I generally rinse mine out in the tub before subjecting the washing machine to that abuse. Here’s the results of rinsing a single pair of socks in the bathtub. </p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-4Q9pxqx/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-4Q9pxqx/0/S/IMG_20161030_122317413-S.jpg"></a></p> <p>That’s pretty ridiculous, right? You’d think they were made of sand, which I guess they kind of were before the rinse. </p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-gv6x7Jd/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-gv6x7Jd/0/S/IMG_20161030_122447831-S.jpg"></a></p> <p>Despite that, there’s still more sand in those socks. You never really get it all out. So I have a couple pairs of sacrificial Utah Socks that take the abuse so that other socks may remain clean-ish.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-49608759701324009662016-10-26T20:04:00.000-06:002016-10-26T20:05:29.065-06:00Mesa Creek Trail<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-zcznZfx/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-zcznZfx/0/S/_IGP5370-S.jpg" /></a><br />
Partway up the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway is the Mesa Creek Trail (that’s #505, if you’re wondering). We decided to take a quick side hike up the trail to see what we could see. At first we saw some mud. Then we saw a guy setting up for a wedding.<br />
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Then we saw a <em>lot</em> of mud, and some dogs. So overall, a pretty good side trip!<br />
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<a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-FkD5BV8/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-FkD5BV8/0/S/_IGP5400-S.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-44988843381052887692016-10-11T06:41:00.000-06:002016-10-19T19:07:40.477-06:00A Cloudy Fall Day<p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-58DSN5G/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-58DSN5G/0/M/_IGP5297-M.jpg"></a></p> <p>So, back to September. After wandering around Wining in Palisade, we headed up to the mountains to see some leaves. Of course it was cloudy, snowing, and generally unpleasant. But it actually turned out to be a good day for photos. </p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-PmwMXw9/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-PmwMXw9/0/M/IMG_20160924_133329152_HDR-M.jpg"></a></p> <p>And hey, some bonus photos of Wendy & I standing around!</p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-7MTPvv3/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-7MTPvv3/0/M/IMG_20160924_125415206_HDR-M.jpg"></a></p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-CDD2cGz/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-CDD2cGz/0/M/IMG_20160924_114448978_HDR-M.jpg"></a></a></a></p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-PhPD6Zt/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Stuff/i-PhPD6Zt/0/M/_IGP5429-M.jpg"></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-49382762162337931152016-10-11T06:25:00.000-06:002016-10-25T20:09:22.455-06:00Creeping Through the Canyon<p>I meant to post this after my earlier set of canyon photos, but forgot. Whoops</p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-B2JM8fm/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-B2JM8fm/0/M/IMGP0932-M.jpg"></a> </p> <p>! Anyway, this is my favorite shot from that trip. I believe this was in Arscenic. It’s not the darkest or twistiest part of that canyon, either!</p> <p>Bonus photo, this one from Slideanide.</p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-tDkT68f/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-tDkT68f/0/M/IMGP0945-M.jpg"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-77493760038615432792016-10-11T06:24:00.001-06:002016-10-11T06:24:14.787-06:00Canyoneering at Poison Springs<p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-TZz22pZ/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-TZz22pZ/0/M/IMGP0913-M.jpg"></a></p> <p>Last weekend I gathered the Canyon Crew and headed off to Utah again. This time to an area charmingly named Poison Springs. Despite the name it’s actually a nice area – as evidenced by the bizarre crowding. Usually we’ll see at <em>most</em> one other group all weekend, but this time there were about 10 cars there, and a bachelor party of 11 guys! <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-M4C9Vww/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-M4C9Vww/0/M/IMGP0919-M.jpg"></a></p>No matter, we still managed to do three canyons in two days. <p>The canyons in the area are named in keeping with the “poison springs” theme. <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-QTGWxgJ/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-QTGWxgJ/0/M/IMGP0986-M.jpg"></a></p>On Saturday we descended Arscenic, followed by Slideanide. Then on Sunday we jaunted down the road to the Irish canyons and descended Shillelagh. <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-jWvzw8n/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-jWvzw8n/0/M/14517419_10207403690506741_3229040768516685148_n-M.jpg"></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-Qshs2tK">More photos on Smugmug</a>, but I'll throw a few of myself in here because… ego, I guess. </p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-wXG4HzK/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-wXG4HzK/0/M/IMGP0917-M.jpg"></a></p>Looking down past my own leg there. This was standing on a ledge about halfway down a rappel. <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-ZvGcHpx/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-ZvGcHpx/0/M/14517471_10207403653825824_8186225630303000514_n-M.jpg"></a><br>I believe this is the second drop in Shillelagh, but I could be wrong.</p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-9WZRQcL/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-9WZRQcL/0/M/14639850_10207403691626769_8925495035642248419_n-M.jpg"></a><br>Slideanide, maybe?</p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-sTJQNGd/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-sTJQNGd/0/M/14671186_10207403694186833_1850608503031269821_n-M.jpg"></a><br>Standing in Arscenic Arch</p> <p><a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-26BVsGp/A"><img alt="" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/Canyoneering-Arscenic/i-26BVsGp/0/M/14692119_10207211546942673_7804508858360161248_o-M.jpg"></a><br>Screwing around while other people get down an unusually long elevator downclimb.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26355184.post-17833027170830404342016-09-28T20:31:00.000-06:002016-10-05T19:14:56.108-06:00Wine Lesson<p>After we got our <a href="http://beakerbrain.blogspot.com/2016/09/grape-shot.html">impromptu roadside grape lesson</a> we continued on to do some wine tasting. It was remarkably empty – we were the only people at any of tasting rooms. I suspect that was because it was 10 AM on a Friday, but I can’t be sure. Anyway, we had a nice time, tasted some wine, bought some wine, and rolled up to our third stop at <a href="http://www.mesaparkvineyards.com/">Mesa Park Vineyards</a>. </p> <p>We walked in, and once again were the only customers there. There was one older gentleman cleaning up a bit, but he dropped that and came over to greet us immediately. He only introduced himself to me, which was kind of weird. I thought maybe he was a raging sexist – turns out he had reasons which will become clear later. Anyway, we chit chatted a bit about cleaning up the tasting room from a party, the ubiquitous fruit flies, and the festival the prior weekend. </p> <p>Usually this is when the tasting room hosts start pouring some wine. Instead he started giving us even more in-depth information about his wine – which kinds of grapes were planted where, when they planned to harvest and why. Then he opened up the door to the back and started pulling down binders and showing us the analysis of the grapes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix">Brix sweetness</a>, the acidity, how they’d been changing over the season and compared to the prior year. </p> <p>It was quite an education, and I was quite interested, but I couldn’t believe he was taking all this time. I kept expecting him to go pour some wine so he could go about his day. But no! He took us around back of the building and up the outside stairs so he could point out the different plots on the vineyard! Then he started explaining how the cold air from uphill was expected in the next couple of days, which would probably take a lot of water out of the grapes. Then he talked about watering strategies to avoid splitting the grapes, and the tradeoffs in chilling the grapes during harvest. </p> <p>Finally, Wendy suggested we go taste some wine. So we head downstairs, he pours us a bit and we’re back on script. We sip and make appreciative noises, he pours another wine. Then he looks at Wendy and says “So you do think you still want those two tons of grapes?” <br>Cue confused looks. “Uhhhh…. I think you may have us confused with somebody else?”<br>“You’re Hillary, from [some other winery], right?”<br>”No… not really…”</p> <p>Anyway, it turns out that at the prior weekend’s festival he had struck a deal to sell two tons of grapes to another winery. But that was a week ago, so he didn’t entirely remember what the buyer looked like. We happened to walk in at just the time they were supposed to meet, so he assumed that Wendy was their buyer Hillary, and I was just some guy she brought along. Hence why he didn’t introduce himself to her – they had “already met” the prior weekend. And also why we got a super-detailed rundown on his grapes – you’d want to know about them before buying 4000 lbs, right? </p> <p>And that’s how we got our second grape education for the morning and only wasted some of his time. Of course we bought a bottle of wine, too. If you’re ever in the area, I suggest you swing by Mesa Park and tell them Hillary sent you.</p> <p>And with that, here’s a completely unrelated photo of some pretty leaves!</p> <a href="https://bkr.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-dQ3nr96/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Artsy/PESO/i-dQ3nr96/0/M/_IGP5287-M.jpg" alt=""></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0