Snow in the Desert?

I got my wish! Some snow on the red rocks of the desert. It was extremely gorgeous as you can see in the photos below (it made me really want to ski though). We don't get that much here so I am definitely going to appreciate it while it lasts. And it definitely won't last long since it is going to be at least 60 degrees come next week.

In other news, work has definitely picked up. I finished my last observation period on the road which was really rewarding. Now I have all the data I need to complete my analysis. Over the past couple weeks I have been working mostly in-office to get the final report completed before I head back east for thanksgiving. This will give me some time to have the report reviewed and make the necessary edits and additions when I return for my final two weeks in December. I will also be doing a presentation at the Monument in my final weeks to acclimate all the employees with the work that I have completed.

I also got my truck back from the shop a couple weeks ago and it runs like a new 22 year old car. Still has some slight starting issues, but that is more tied to the coldness then anything else. Should I keep it and drive it back to Cali? Or sell it here in CO before I leave?

In the past week, I also got some new neighbors. About six members of the Teton's trail crew moved down here for a 60 day term assignment. This means that we almost doubled the amount of people that live on the Monument from 8 to 14. It almost feels like I am back in a big city! All of the new neighbors are great and very friendly. We even caught game 1 of the world series together and surprising everyone was rooting for the Phillies. It does seem that everyone hates the Yankees. I couldn't have been more pleased. Now all they have to do is lose three more games.

In a couple weeks, November 14th to be exact, the Rimrock Run takes place. I will hopefully have some pictures to post, but it is essentially a marathon that travels over the 23 miles of Rimrock Drive. It has been going on for years, and leads to some complicated transportation issues as well. So it should be interesting to watch unfold.

OK, I think that is it for now. Until next time...

Greyhound Buses and their Adventures

So I just returned from my buddy's wedding in NC. It was a blast. I got to meet a lot of new people and also catch up with a bunch that I haven't seen in a while. Always good fun.

As far as work has gone over the past couple weeks, I have continued on with my analysis as well as attempting to finish reviewing the 1986 lawsuit filed by some Glade Park residents. (I don't know how all you law students/lawyers do it, the language is just plain DRY!) The report is progressing well and am in a good position to deliver a complete and thorough analysis. Again, you have to wait for the results though!

Public lands day was a huge success here with about 1000 people showing up to walk Rimrock Drive and take part in the other events throughout the Monument. In addition over 800 showed up to our advanced screening of the first episode of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

4Runner Update: the beast finally went in for service (tune up, etc.) and I should be getting it back today. Hopefully all of my starting issues will have been taken care of. The car still rocks and rolls though. Such a solid purchase.

As for my trip on the greyhound bus from Denver to Grand Junction, it was one of the most interesting people watching scenes I have experienced in quite some time. I think it helps that I was taking a 12:10am bus from Denver that got us into Grand Junction at about 5:00am. Needless to say there were some character. At least it kept me entertained. We also were awoken on the bus ride to a call from the driver to see if there were any doctors or nurses on board. A car had flipped on I70 at about 4:00am and the bus was essentially the first responder. A couple people went out to check on the occupants so they had to wait for the emergency personnel to get there and then give them statements etc. In all it backed us up about an hour, but again, if you ever want some good stories, take a greyhound bus in the middle of the night.

OH OH, and the first couple mountains in CO opened for the ski season. Can you tell I am excited? It was actually snowing at DIA when I was flying to NC. I love it.

Until next time...there will be pictures, I promise.