Colorado Gonzo: Four

 

"Dumbass Mogul" by jpg

14 runs by 2.  Mush groins and quads, feel good.  Found my technique early.  Never waited in a line, on the lift 5 minutes after leaving our jeep...  One minor wipe on a dumbass mogul.

"Flat Took My Skis Off"  peoplesDuke

The powder is so thick here, caught an instep, the right ski wiggled violently.  Flipped and almost stayed up while traveling backwards towards a cliff.  Went down and tumbled.  Piece of cake compared to Spider Mountain.  However, flat took my skis off and walked down like a beaten man, sat at a picnic table for 45 mins freezing my ass off. 

"Where's Zach!?" by peoplesDuke

I'm done.  By the restrooms.  Different spot.  Lower.  Y'all go ahead.  Where's Zach?  Where's Zach!?  Bring me to key to jeep after this run. 

"Skeletal Science" by jpg

The McKenzie Method.  Skeletal Science.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKenzie_method?wprov=sfla1

"3 Men" by Woods

We're celebrating the lives of 3 men we lost to an avalanche about a month ago.  One of the friends was the owner of Bonfire Brewery.

"Bonfire Brew" by jpg

off to the west, near the nuclear tests
sits a pile of sand and a hornets nest
huge rocks and french white wines
aching for family and having good times

looks of knowing and hands of grease
saltless maragritas and two kinds of meat
bonfire brew near an amphitheater
blues get light from the noise of a heater

from gear to rides to room and board
made that way so we could afford
hospitality holds a lofty place
next to angels and the One of grace

knee high powder and catching breaths
in a state of mind and a state of unrest
sweetie wakes early and starts to howl
never heard her beg, never heard her growl

junior looks strong and he seems real smart
flaunts a huge smile and a tender heart
up near the divide in a valley of hope
lives a family who will always live near the slopes

a canyon was forged by the eagle river
if my life wasn't waitin' i'd try to live here
smartest man i ever knew got some good tests
it'll take more that that to put him to rest.

Colorado Gonzo: Three

"Tuck"  by jpg

The air is crispy, cold, and clean.  Deprived of accustomed oxygen levels, but hydrated thoroughly.  Visually, the smooth slide is in my mind, lean into the mountain, lift the upper ski, relax, breath in numeric rhythms.  Tuck.  Loose.  But there is leeriness, there is pause, there is reluctance.  It will be shaken off by 11am, just before high noon.  Speed runs, and powder seeking, and burning quads.

"Lead On Breakfast" by jpg

I'll take lead on breakfast and Zach leads dinner.  Sunday...

     \\\Breakfast.  Omelettes.  Thick Bacon.          Potatoes O'Brian.  Fruit.  Durango Coffee.

     \\\Prepared lunch.  Cheese.pepperoni..snacks.

     \\\Dinner.  Ravioli.  Chicken dinner.  Graze.      Salad.

"Jefferson Depot Hamburger" by MTB

I'd like to try a Jefferson Depot hamburger.

"Room One Eleven" by Griff

Welp we are mask free in downtown McKinney room One Eleven..... Up, watched TT vs UT on TV, played in Lubbock.  Then Drove to Lubbock!  For next 2 days.

"The Elma Lift" by jpg

I ain't going near Star Wars!   Thinking Pitch's Gate to Serendipity.  Then the Elma Lift back to Bonanza Crossover.  It will be 10 degrees.  Plotting our initial runs.

"Zero Lines" by Crain

Wolf Creek is freaking amazing.  My favorite is the Treasure Chair Lift - so many great runs.  I was there on Super Bowl Sunday and Monday. Zero Lines, had 20 plus runs on both days. Star Wars is not bad, just has moguls involved.  All of their Blue runs are amazing though. You're gonna have a blast.  There is literally something for everybody.

"Kandi By One Eskimo" by Amos

Pdiddy!  Man, jeep trip!  The life you live....gravy...hey i need your help plz, i cant find chords for kandi by one eskimo....anywhere..

Colorado Gonzo: Two

"Jeeping That Jank" by jpg

Been demolishing these highways since Childress, Texas. I mean jeeping that jank like a calm, frenzied cruiser.  The peoplesDuke asleep on the passenger side, wrapped in an acrylic and polyester New Mexican blanket, made in India, bought near Raton, New Mexico.  Then the E470 around the east side of Denver.  Elevation driving.  Like cowboys, hungry as we pull into Fort Collins.

"Pulcinella Pizzeria" by peoplesDuke

Limited seating, long waits at sit downs.  At Pulcinella Pizzeria.  Pretty darn good!  On the road.  Hey hey hey.  We gone.

"I Saw A Homeless Guy" by Amos

The Duke's line "I saw a homeless guy with a baseball bat, pickin' his nose"......classic....

"Saw A Documentary" by MTB

I was just thinking, "where'd that homeless guy get that baseball bat?!"  Also, I once saw a documentary about one of the first American doctors that performed gender reassignments and he practiced in Trinidad.  Always think about that when I pass through there.

"8 of the 10" by The Dodge.

We are good.  We return 8 of the 10.  Delicious.

"Seals And Croft" by TTop

Where y'all at??  Seals and Croft...good right about now.  That pizza 🍕 Damm!!

"Those Border Bums" by jpg

plenty of times we drank until 2
always waiting for the next gag
slowing down to back over the damage
next time that dude'll think twice

carry a crowbar under the driver's seat
pull it out if you need to back 'em up
be ready for a bloody nose and knuckle wounds
be ready to let the adrenaline loose

flung women around and went for gold
realizing the tragedy that was inevitable
racing over rocks and rivers and pavement
scabs are shed and ligaments jarred

don't get the shakedown over in new mexico
those border bums paid by the speeders
felt like the fix was in in Texline
sorry 'bout the cancer, call the number on tuesdays

Colorado Gonzo: One

"Protecting The Noggin"  by jpg

Really don't see the danger in skiing, even through amber vision goggles.  Sure, things can go bad, real bad, but protecting the noggin is the thing.  Don't leave that up to a rental helmet.  Go FOX.  Go FOX all the way.

"Wolf Creek Snow Report" by peoplesDuke

Mapped it out!  Yes. Yes.  Wolf Creek Snow Report 970-264-5639.

1. Night #1 we backtrack to Lakewood to motel. 

2. Wolf Creek- great snow. We buy tickets and get rentals there. I called and they said it will be great snow and very few people.  

3. Can't wait. 

 

"Escape The Twilight Zone" by jpg

Need a shot of Rockies.   Some real.  Escape the Twilight zone.  I'd take Country Club to McKinney.  Google has no soul.  'The Bluetooth works.'  Brilliant.

"Frozen Waterfalls" by peoplesDuke

Zach claims we will see frozen waterfalls.

"Big Snow" by jpg

.snowdrifts on the fences.
.whirling, whipping, and blowing.
.winds coming from the north.
.morning moonlight was glowing.

.effects of global warming.
.sleeting, icing, and freezing.
.complicated to explain, you see.
.seeing's not always believing.

blizzards. someone's always talking bout blizzards. someone's always talking bout snow. how it sticks to the roads. how it makes us cold. how we told you so. although its ten below. although the pipes all froze.

love the big snow, oh yeaaa, love the big snow.

.clear the highways and streets.
.bulldoze it over to the side.
.been snowing for days and days.
.boston's all buried in white.

.packing up for the western drive.
.slide down the mountain slopes.
.enjoy it all while it lasts.
.winter bout to come to a close.

The Reality Of Shades

Original math, the math that still works, the math you grew up with.  Effort increases your chances, nothing tangible is truly deserved, only earned.  Good luck, bad luck, fate, those are the breaks.  Odds is all.  Folks are run over by busses daily, or weekly for sure.

This spectrum of colorful humanity, what a weird identity, especially knowing the reality of shades.  It's a fantastic miracle, any birth.  Any pigment of creation, any skin.  Get real.  New Coke sucks as bad as it did in the 80's.

Twist, twist in the wind.  Dish out more shame, it's an attention getter.  Like a gnat, or a lawn mower next door.  A true nuisance, but accepted.  We can all use more shame.

Melbourne Green

 

Novak in his Melbourne green, his Russian opponent was in yellow.  Three quick ones early, then another three the other way.  Nerves settling, minds erratic.  Move him around, side to side, up and back, keep it deep.  Hold serve, the serve must be held.  Use the knife when it matters most. 

He's not digging in, he's tapping out, said John McEnroe.  He was knocked silly, he was demolished, Medvedev was schooled.  Taught.  Acted like a junior player, said McEnroe's brother.  Talking to himself after every lost point.  Exacerbated, yelling at the crowd to shut up. 

The Joker down under was too tough again.  Stingy on the court, thoughtful, deliberate, precise.  He dominates the Southern Hemisphere, he is the equator buster.

Shattering The Skeleton

 

These rolling electricity waves, life itself in 2 hour blocks.  Dole out the life so it's fair and square.  Just enough to avoid a boring, cold death.  Blink if you must, even the tears are frozen, each breath like a burst of fog, each shiver shattering the skeleton.  Everyone wears layers.

Paint whatever you got in your mind.  Line your brushes up, get prepared, go sleeveless.  Colors, shapes, shadows, and shades. Don't care about the glare, it's a waste.  Obsess, instead.

From head to toe, bundle up, under the covers, near the flame.  Stranded like meat, locked down in the freezer, doors closed, lights off.  Deep.  I'll have another, make it two or three.  Keep it on ice, my honey, come on and dance with me.

Wrapped In Chain Link

They buzz like gnats, irritating and ruining.  Their words are empty of authentic reason, the dumb usually sound authentically unreasonable.  And so they do again.  Ignoring has been fabulous, the air's not as hot, the ass stink is gone, sanctimony is too hard to endure for long.  Same as it ever was.

The legislative chamber seemed small, shrinking into irrelevance, most everyone knows the score.  Wrapped in chain link, this predictable and disappointing scene.  Talking about boogie people as if boogie people were bad people.  We disco here, we turn and turn, we slide.  Staying alive with night fever and a brick house.

Save your coins, tip those seeking salvation.  Got an ace in my hand, got the card I need, simple and clean, beats the Queen and the King.  Gonna take the pot for sure, a double down is coming.  Act worried, act like nothing, act mad, act excited, act depressed.  Tell them what you got, they'll think you're bluffing. 

Deactivation Rebellion

 

DD7

GG7

CG

DG

Digital vagabonds.

Wandering the clouds.

Deactivation rebellion.

Bye blue birdie crowd.

Conform if you want.

Make it all go away.

Back to the way it was.

In the good ole good ole days.

The unborn don't care.

Warm in their wombs.

This life is going swell.

Ain't no gloom, ain't no doom.

Ready for what's next.

Let's get on with life.

These walls are closing in.

Gonna make it out alive.

Turned Eyes Aren't Closed Eyes

Then you realize, sunrises are incredible everywhere.  Blasting red pastels into new, blue skies.  Everything gets lit.  Like the truth coming through, like the real view, like blinding.  This is what hope really looks like.

Back is turned on the goons for now, they will wallow in their pits.  They will demonstrate their disgusting and uncivil ways. Goons are goons after all, they are cannibals at their core.  They will devour themselves.  It will be ugly, try not to watch.

Turned eyes aren't closed eyes, however, witnessing miracles and life, craving cuisine, noticing curves, laughing.  Sparkling.  Gazing.  Recording memories in our own thoughts, understanding exactly what is seen.  In stereo.