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This post is a test… and a report from The Road to #DragonCon
Sep 1st
I am testing the Android WordPress app from the road. If it works the way it should, you should see my view of the back of Karma’s head while she watches the road ahead to Atlanta.
Blog Post at 30,000 Feet (for real!)
Aug 4th
Technology keeps getting more and more interesting (and fun) each year. Proof of this (at least to me) is the fact that I’m typing this from Airtran Flight #370 to Indianapolis, Indiana on my way to GenCon.
Yup – Internet on a plane. (MUCH better than finding snakes on a – well, you get the idea.)
Here I am typing on my lappy toppy.
Here’s right after takeoff… Shannon looking out at the engine & wing (for gremlins; none were found.)
BONUS!
I unlocked the “Mile High” badge on foursquare by checking in from the plane. LOL
Beast Wars may suck, but Dinosaur Ridge DIDN’T!
Jul 24th
This post has nothing to do with Transformers, but throwing in a Beast Wars title after last week’s hubbub was too easy to pass up.
My father-in-law LOVES dinosaurs. The man’s home office contains books, statues and toys of all kinds of dinosaurs; some of them older than me. That said, some of the interest rubbed off on his daughter, so Shannon and I found our way to Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado.
The importance of the place (according the museum guide) stems back to the dinosaur books from our childhood. Remember pre-Jurassic Park how dinosaurs were always drawn with their tails dragging behind them? Well, check out this photo I took:
Notice anything missing from the tracks? That’s right: no tail trail. Allegedly, the discovery of these tracks (while making way for a new hyperspace bypass or something) helped drive the point home that dinosaurs, like dogs, don’t drag their tails.
Seeing the tracks was a fun way to kill a couple of hours (and get some exercise in the process). Also, add this to the list of odd signs you won’t run into in Florida:
After the trek up the hill and back, Shannon and I walked around the gift shop and met the aforementioned museum guide. A younger guy, he seemed really REALLY excited about dinosaurs and fossils. Thanks to him, I now know that the state fossil for Florida is the Eupatagus and the state fossil for Colorado was the Stegosaurus. The guide had them all memorized. Snazzy.
Mount Evans, Colorado aka “OMG THERE’S SNOW!!!”
Jul 23rd
On the suggestion of a friend in the Colorado office where I was working, Shannon and I took the afternoon last Friday and drove out to Mount Evans, Colorado. According to Wikipedia (and a number of t-shirts at a gift shop on the way) Mount Evans sports the highest paved road in North America. Lucky for me, Budget Rent A Car gave me a free upgrade when I had landed a few days earlier… a GMC Yukon XL with four wheel drive.
I know it’s kind of cheating as a blogger, but there really isn’t much to tell that the photos we took can’t tell even better:
Us standing the summit of the mountain. Yes – that’s snow on the hill behind the lake.
Like I said: snow. Back at our hotel it was over 95 degrees outside.
Goats. Lots of goats… especially the higher you get. Check out the photos here.
How high? Elevation of 14,130 feet. Note that we are both wearing sweatshirts now.
We had to free climb the last bit to the highest point. I made it, but the lower oxygen coupled with my out of shape ass made it a challenge.
So what do you do once you’ve made it to the top of an insanely high mountain? Why – almost kill yourself by sitting on a ledge! Notice how firmly I am looking to the left. This is because the ONE moment I looked to the right I saw straight down. It was a sobering reminder of my mortality and (as a result) those are now my “lucky” Converse All-Stars.
The Buckhorn Exchange in Denver, Colorado…
Jul 22nd
We now return you to our regularly scheduled program!
Thus far, I have eaten in two Man v. Food recommended restaurants: The Jack-N-Grill and The Vortex. Both offered LARGE servings of some fun food… but neither offered menu choices as odd and unique as the third eatery I’ve now been to, The Buckhorn Exchange.
From their website:
Prime grade beef steaks, buffalo prime rib, elk, salmon, quail, game hen, and succulent baby-back pork ribs are just some of the marvelous offerings on the Buckhorn menu. Exotic appetizers such as alligator tail, rattlesnake and buffalo sausage are available, and no dinner is complete without the house specialty, Rocky Mountain Oysters.
What are Rocky Mountain Oysters? Don’t ask. Seriously. You’ll regret knowing – and NO, I did not have any.
Shannon and I DID have a number of animals (all cooked) make their way across our table that evening, though. Seven to be exact…
- Clams
- Rattlesnake
- Elk
- Buffalo
- Cornish Hen
- Duck
- Quail
See the meat in the dip to the left? That’s rattlesnake. It tastes like a cross between chicken (shocker!) and tofu.
The restaurant is decorated with an inordinate number of animals heads. According to our server, two of the departed creatures fell at the hand of Teddy Roosevelt. Maybe one of these guys was one of them…
Where the deer and the antelope play… dead.
Would I go back? Yes.
Was the food good? Excellent. The elk steak was tasty- but the buffalo steak was amazing.
Was it pricey? Yeppers. Bring some cash.
Overall: another great experience. The atmosphere and service of the place were both top notch. Even if you can’t stop by for dinner, step in and enjoy the bar upstairs (their liquor license is number “1″). The entertainment in the upstairs area the night we were there consisted of a talented older gentlemen whose music and charms helped make the ambiance of the Buckhorn Exchange that much more enjoyable.
The Jack-N-Grill in Denver, Colorado…
Jul 20th
As reported earlier, I spent last week in Colorado for business. The weekend, though, was spent with my wife seeing the sights and having fun with some of the local attractions. It has been mentioned before (and bears repeating) that I and a number of my friends are a fans of the TV show Man vs. Food. So whenever a trip is scheduled for conventions, work or the occasional vacation – we look up the episodes to see where to eat while in town.
One such place was the Jack-N-Grill in Denver – home of the 7 lb. breakfast burrito. Here’s what it looks like:
What you CAN’T see in that picture – is the amount of potatoes in that damn thing. Here’s a pic of Shannon’s reaction. Note the kid sitting behind her. Also note that little chicken taco she ordered in an attempt to make me look like a starving pig:
Lastly… here’s my look of shame. I only made it through about 1/4 of the damn thing. Our plane was supposed to leave about three hours after this meal – so I didn’t want to push my luck. That thing hitting my stomach in the wrong way on an airplane would have been tricky business.
More Colorado photos and stories tomorrow…
You know when people talk about “getting back to nature?”
Jul 17th
I’m pretty sure this is what they’re talking about.
More photos and fun from the trip after this weekend.
