New York, New York

View of Lower Manhattan. Shamelessly stolen from Benji Vess.

It is going to be weird to visit New York after a few months in Colorado - it is as close as you can get for polar opposites. Like I told Ben the other night - I lived in Brooklyn for six years - I think this will be the longest I have ever spent in Manhattan itself - more than one night.

New York, see you in a few hours.

For everyone - enjoy your holidays and have a fantastic New Year's. Let's hope 2008 brings good stuff. Maybe less crazy than 2007 (not that it wasn't a good year, but something a little easier to handle would be great).

best slippers evah

thanks, jen! ;-) (even if I got it years ago)

Sorry for the randomness - a conversation about slippers started up with a couple of friends around here, and had to post pics of these ...

Back on the slopes!

After being out of commission for a week and a half with a nasty cold and cough, this morning I finally got well enough to do a few runs.

Photos!

Me! On chairlift - 2nd run of the morning.

My ancient but reliable skis - will buy a new pair soon.

The next few photos are the views from the chairlift - this is the one that goes to the top of the mountain - estimated height is about 12,000 feet above sea level.

Peaks of Breckenridge

As you can see - there's peaks above the ski areas - the ones that I could not see in the white out the other day, and over this weekend. There's areas on the mountain called Peak 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 - I believe you can see from L to R, Peak 9, 8 and 7. This was taken on Wellington just before you enter the downtown / happening portion of Breck.

Yesterday was the first time I saw the sun in three or four days, as well as more than 500 feet in the front of me, very nice. We now have about two feet of snow right now. One of our windows in the living room is now level with the snow - the roommate and I were trying to figure out how much of the window will be blocked by the time we're done with the snow.

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Drove to Denver on Saturday afternoon to catch a flick and see a couple of friends - which is right up there in the top five of the stupidest things I have ever did. I thought that the snow wasn't that bad, and that the highway should be all right. Hahahah. Understatement of the week, possibly of the year ... we'll see when 2007's done). The first fifteen miles there were no exit for me to turn around and head back home, so was stuck on the highway - we all were creeping about 2 mph, the cars with two wheel drive were swerving all over the place, some skidding across three lanes. Even some cars/trucks with AWD / 4WD were skidding (including yours truly), but as soon as we went through the Eisenhower tunnel, it was easier, and I decided to go ahead and get to Denver.

I didn't see ANY accidents on the way (not including cars that decided to wait it out on the shoulders of the highway), which speaks volumes of how well Coloradoians know how to drive in snow and bad weather - I remember back in DC when it snowed two inches, I saw the results of four accidents from a friend's apartment window at the same time.

I decided to crash at Denver - didn't want to make the same stupid mistake of driving back to Breck at 1:30a (which probably would be worse as it was still snowing) and the next morning, it cleared up, and I finally was able to enjoy the scenery on I-70 between Denver and Frisco. Exiting the Eisenhower tunnel and seeing a huge valley and Silverthorne in the distance was breathtaking, so breathtaking I forgot to take a picture (I was also busily using my favorite liquid to clear the windshield...), sorry folks. There's always the next time.

Oh, the movie ... was supposed to watch Beowulf rear window captioned ... and guess what happened? Anyone? Veterans of RWC? The CD didn't work. Ack. I did all that driving for a stupid broken CD. Oh well. I had a great time with the people, so it was all good.

TIP OF THE DAY: Online Traffic Reports. They ROCK. I should have looked at them before I left Breck on Saturday - guess that's one of the many ways that NYC spoiled me.

Rankings of Liquids

Sure - there's important liquids, such as water and oil (I'm assuming those are the top two replies if anyone was asked what liquids are neccessary), I mean the first one you pretty much can't live without (or grow anything without), and the second, unfortunately is what runs our country.

At this point - I think there's a liquid that's so much more important than those. Way more important.

Windshield Wiper Fluid.

Yep. Without this vital gallon or half-gallon in my car, I don't know what I would have done. I think I may have used more of this fluid in the past couple of weeks than I have ever used. We got tons of snow - about a foot and a half over last week, and we're supposed to get ten inches by the end of tonight. Combine that with road salt, big assed trucks spewing all the slush onto my poor little subaru. That results in me worrying that I'll run out of the fluid.

Let's hope I don't any time soon.

Lack of Oxygen

When I first arrived to Breckenridge in mid-to-end of October, I immediately felt the effects of the altitude. As you go up higher above sea level, the less oxygen there is, and it's an interesting effect. The first few days I felt almost high, and my body was screaming for water. After a week or so, I finally got used to the lack of oxygen - and drinking tons of water everyday.

There are two effects that I'm still feeling - one and a half months after moving to a town that boasts an altitude of over 9,000 feet (mind you, that's the base of the town - I live probably another 500 or so feet above that, and ski between 1k to 2k feet above that number). First - alcohol packs quite a punch. Oy. A beer feels almost like two beers. I've been avoiding the hard stuff just because it gets too much for me.

Secondly - one that I've been thinking about all morning - I went skiing this morning (that's the awesome thing about living one and a half mile away from a resort, and that work starts at noon ...) and each time I go skiing, I find myself out of breath twice / thrice as quick as I used to back East at sea level. While it's a good workout in the land of less oxygen, sometimes it sucks to finally catch your breath a half hour after you skied your last run. Your entire body feel the workout - it's a good feeling, but I look forward to catching my breath just a tad quicker. 

snow and ice ...

I guess my previous post prompted the weather gods to spill some of the snow that we've been craving for a while now. Or maybe the gods were offended by ben's comments that snow will end up in a museum.

While the snow have been amazing, it was unbelievable how much ice was on the road. Sure, I grew up in a region that has ice and all that jazz, but I mean, when I drove back from a friend's birthday party, the road was solid ice. Everyone was creeping down Route 9 carefully, even some big assed Ford F-350's (tho I don't know how they'd afford the gas ...).

Some pictures!

View from my bedroom window ... when it's snowing, or white out'ed, you can't see the mountains behind the trees.

Breckenridge! You can't even see the peaks.

Under all the snow, it's pure ice. On way to Frisco just out of Breckenridge on Route 9.

White Out! Or Blue Out? It was getting a bit dark ...

Well, I hope you get at least a glimpse of the area here - I've found that my pictures do not do it justice, and y'all need to git yo' ass out here to see it for yourselves!