The 'Monster Ride' and Lost Fleet Reunion (09/24/2008)

           I heard about the Monster Ride only a week or two before it was going down. I didn't think I could actually swing it at first, but everything fell into place and Tia and I decided to take our scoots down to Denver to reunite with the Lost Fleet once more. Good friends and a LOT of riding...hells yes, where do I sign?
           We met some new people and had a few adventures. All in all it was an awesome weekend!

• It all starts here. Tia, Dave, Kriska, and I ride down to Erico to meet up with Aimee.
• Goofy look, but I'm having fun none-the-less.
• The Lost fleet forms up, including Aimee's new Vespa.
• I love this pic of my Ruck.
• The five of us scoot down to meet up with RTD (a Denver Ruckus club).
• "Hey guys, SMILE!"
• We drove through downtown to get to the RTD meetup spot.
• Hanging out with RTD before we head to Sportique for the 'Monster Ride'.
• Rucks-a-plenty.
• More cats show up.
• We all formed up and headed to Sportique for the real thing.
• I heard there were about 120 scooters on this ride...here's the calm before the storm.
• It all starts here.
• I was 3rd in the entire line, check out how many people there were!
• You can pick out a few Rucks and some Lost Fleet members in this pic, if you look real hard.
• The leaders of the pack. Tia said to make sure I got towards the front...I'm not sure how much more "up front" I could have gotten ;)
• Another shot of all of the scooters.
• The first break we took.
• Chilling out and waiting for it to start back up.
• The second break we took, time to gas up at 7-11. With the 100+ scooters that arrived this place had to have made at least $20 in gas on everyone ;)
• Kriska and Chuck fill up.
• More riding. You can see Tia on the right two scooters behind me.
• The next big stop was at a lake, the perfect place for a photo opportunity.
• Another photo stop, we TRIED to fit everyone on the bridge.
• Some stud that was at the ride ;)
• Aimee and her Vespa.
• Kriska and Dave represent!
• We arrived at the party at the end of the ride. Here's my Ruck parked among a few others.
• Outside the Sportique party.
• The live band. Hmmmm, ok...
• Chuck took the corner too fast...
• Some RTD cats surround my bike...they were most likely laughing at its stockness ;)
• After the LONG 3 hour ride around Denver the Lost Fleet takes off for Golden, for the sake of tradition.
• The Lost Fleet with new members.
• Hanging out at the bar in Golden. (clockwise: Chuck, Aimee, Kriska, Dave, Nick, Beeto, Tia, Jessica, and me)
• After having a few drinks we suited up and headed back to Denver.
• Night shots = not so much.
• After making it out of a DUI checkpoint without incident we celebrate at the next light ;)
• He just wants your extra time and your................................kiss.
• The last party of the night.
• The next morning Dave, Tia, and I rode back downtown to meet Jessica for lunch, and help Aimee get her scooter back.
• Luckily the Vespa was still there.
• The five of us rode around downtown, and made an unexpected stop at Oktoberfest.
• After all of the fun we scooted back towards home, and everyone peeled off one by one. Sad.
• And then there were three...
• A slick shot of Tia on her scoot.
• We loaded the scooters back on the truck...
• ...and tied them down.
• All set to go.
• We threw the rest of our gear in the back seat, and that was that...

Labor Day Weekend Madness (09/03/2008)

           This weekend all still seems like a blur. I can think back on different events but it's difficult to place exactly what day they took place. Much fun was had...if I remember correctly ;)
           On Saturday morning Tia and I (with another scooter club member) to a ride up Frontage Road toward Wyoming. I love this route...it's nice and chill, and you get quite a few miles under your belt. And then that night we went to a BBQ at Liza's (no pics, sorry) and had a blast. The rest of the weekend involved Tia's party, some bar hopping, some brewery touring, and many other fun adventures. We had another partner in crime this time around, as her best friend Jessie was in town for a visit. It was soooooo much fun. Enjoy...

• Before the long weekend began is was time for another quick ride and a New Belgium "Scoot-In" movie, we saw Goonies!
• Tia and the screen.
• Heading north on Frontage Road as fast as our engines would take us!
• Tia tucks in and hauls ass!
• How I roll... ;)
• The Ruckus in the middle of nowhere.
• A shot of me on my Ruck...well hello there, Mr. Helmet Hair.
• I was showing off as the others were suiting up ;)
• Heading back down south toward town.
• Tia at Coop's...I imagine she has the photo of this photo being taken as well ;)
• I was told that this pic was very "Me."
• Hanging out with the beautiful Jessie.
• Tia, me, and Jessie at the party after the bar hopping after the party. "Sweet, Sweet Thunder"
• The girls at New Belgium Brewery.
• See? New Belgium Brewery ;)
• And then it was time to hit Odell. Mmmmmm, beer.
• After Odell we headed over to the Trail Head for another drink.
• The elite secret society known simply as Delta-T-M...they're everywhere!
• A very silly pic...but I love it.
• One last beer and photo before dinner...

More Voco Love (08/25/2008)

           I was SO stoked to hear that Voco was planning to play another set of shows in Colorado! We had a blast last time, and a few stories came out of those adventures. Unfortunately this time around there weren't any long drives into the mountains to make, but I did have fun hanging out with them around the Boulder/Denver area.
           Since Anthony came out with them and we had a few downtime days to kill we were able to go some fun stuff as well, like a few brewery tours and a pretty sweet scooter ride.
           It was a long week, but it was a blast. I look forward to seeing them again sometime in the future, whether it be in my neck of the woods or Los Angeles. Here are a few pics from this trip...

• Right before Voco came out Tia, Susan, and myself went to the New Belgium "Scoot-In" (as we call it). We got to hang in the parking lot and watch Jaws.
• See? You can't get this kind of beer/grub at any ol' theater...it's sweeeeet.
• Suiting up after the movie to ride home.
• Here we see Jess with the biggest piece of cake in all of cake history.
• Jessica and I split a sampler...but the "Aussie" had to bring another stout as neither one of us was gonna give it up ;)
• Jess, me, and Jessica.
• The backstage area of the Lyons Folks Festival.
• Getting the merch organized.
• The calm before the (dust) storm.
• Here's to tradition.
• KT Tunstall was one of the headliners, but I never did see her wandering around.
• Voco takes the stage.
• Christine.
• Jess.
• Moira.
• Jessica.
• I totally forgot his name...he joined them for this one performance...I'll change this caption as soon as I figure it out ;)
• Beautiful people with beautiful voices!
• Andy (Moira's boyfriend) sat in on a few songs.
• Voco on the main stage at the Folks Festival.
• Christine leaves the stage.
• That, freaking, rocks ;)
• The merch tent.
• Taking a moment to pose for a fan.
• Voco signing CD's in the tent.
• My wristband :)
• Not impressed.
• (We think) KT Tunstall's tour bus.
• Melissa Ferrick...she was awesome! She had some serious energy.
• I dunno, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
• Continuing on with the shoe theme of my recent trip to Los Angeles...
• Anthony and his Mountain Ave Wheat...it must be the high altitude.
• The five scooters get ready for a little ride.
• Liza and Tia hanging out at CB & Potts.
• "Huh? What?"
• Tia and Susan.
• Hells yes ;) (Though to be fair Tia beat the pants off of me on the previous round)
• Voco and their audience at a house concert in Nederland, CO.
• The girls performing.
• This was their green room at the Boulder Theater.
• The audience still sitting down and waiting for Voco to go on.
• Voco takes, yet, another stage.
• I took about 4 hours worth of footage over the course of their week long trip.
• Dominating the crowd once more.
• Voco taking a bow.
• At the end of their set they were joined on stage by Face.
• Selling/signing more CD's.
• A very sassy Jessica and Christine ;)
• Damnit, I forgot it was set on widescreen...
• A cute moment with Anthony and Christine.
• Cracks me up.
• More pics from around the table. Jess rocks.
• Moira and fans.
• I...don't...know...
• Jessica was getting photo happy...so here's our server...
• This one may get me into trouble ;)
• Moira gets caught by the camera.
• Denied!
• A cool pic from the venue (an antique shop of sorts) they sang at on their last night in Colorado.
• More statues.
• Another statue.
• Voco performs in Colorado one last time.
• The girls.
• I really wanted this statue...but it was $115k and they didn't have a lay-away program ;)
• A 16th century stone hunting table they had in the shop.
• More stuff.
• A close up of the statue in the last photo.
• Another statue.
• Beautiful.
• They let us run free through the whole warehouse after the show...there's Anthony in the background.
• I *think* this is the wheel that Jessica bought.
• "This horse belongs in a museum!!!" I kept making Indiana Jones references but I don't think anyone cared ;)
• A sweet boat.
• I want this at the top of my headboard.
• Yet another statue...
• ...and another.
• Anthony in an old Chinese door walkway.
• A very, very old fireplace.
• So many doors that lead to nowhere.
• The rock star pose with Voco in front of the van.
• One last pic.

Wine Country (08/12/2008)

           I took a last minute trip to Los Angeles this weekend. I had sort of forgotten that I had purchased tickets with Tiger and Christine to see Eddie Izzard at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood (where the Academy Awards are held every year). So I bought a plane ticket and flew out for it. It was the first trip to LA in a LONG time that didn't involve Disneyland. But as we agreed, it will be THAT much better next time we go!
           We went up to wine country but this time continued further north into the Arroyo Grande / San Luis Obispo region. I do love the Santa Barbara wineries (we only went to Roblar and Blackjack Ranch), but to be fair Arroyo Grande was even more scenic (we hit Kynsi and Wolff). Next time we're going to spend the majority of our wine tasting up there and most likely stay the weekend. We had amazing seafood on the pier at Olde Port Inn in Avila Beach, and then hung out on Pismo Beach. People turned up to hang out on this trip, so that made it even more fun!
           The last set of pics are from last night. The Ruckus had some work done, both cosmetically and new engine parts. Enjoy!

• I hit a MAJOR storm on the way to DIA. There were even a few tornado touch-downs reported.
• Christine playing with the camera as we're leaving the Kodak Theater (does anyone else see the irony?).
• Holy cow, it took SOOOO long to get out of there...we were 6 stories underground. I used an "artsy" setting on the camera in this shot. I was that bored.
• Fort Collins has amazing beer, that's no secret. But you can only get Red Trolley Ale in California (that I know of). GOOD stuff! Brewed in my home town :)
• Tiger and I going through the car wash (they had a mirror on the wall).
• Heading up the coast to Santa Barbara.
• Tell me that view doesn't rock!
• We always seem to start out the journey in Solvang. That works for me though!
• My favorite bakery.
• Mmmmmm, the chocolate chip cookies here are a MUST!
• Solvang has awesome chocolate shops too. We stocked up on snacks and treats for the road.
• More mirror fun.
• And so it begins...
• Roblar Winery. Not my favorite. But hey, it made me appreciate Blackjack Ranch THAT much more.
• We pushed on further to the north.
• It was a beautiful drive.
• Pushing on...
• This place was cool...it was small and they had decent wine.
• Next time we go we're getting the stretched hot rod!
• An artsy shot of the amazing view...you can see Wolff Vineyards on the hill in the background.
• Hmmmm, where shall we go next?
• Tiger's new car.
• Chilling out at Wolff.
• A cool shot of some of the grapes.
• I dig this photo. This new camera has some great quality!
• Tiger waits for a pourer in Wolff.
• There were amazing views everywhere...
• ...and not a cloud in the sky!
• I try not to look like I know that I'm taking my own photo ;)
• Some flying sea rats on the pier in Avila Beach.
• Just a cool shot.
• The sign says "detour" and points to the left. Ummmm...where exactly is it that you want me to drive? ;)
• Some sea lions chilling out under the pier.
• Ahhhh, it feels just like back home!
• Tiger and I at the end of the pier.
• You can't beat the view we had from our table at dinner.
• Some random fishing gear...I just thought it would make a nice pic.
• Some more sea lions, there were a ton.
• That's Pismo beach, our next destination, in the background.
• Dinner anyone?
• I got *very* close to this pelican, and then it gave me the sign that I had popped its space bubble ;)
• That's the restaurant we ate at on the edge of the pier.
• Pismo Beach at sunset.
• See? I told you...Pismo Beach ;)
• Tiger looking very band-member-ish.
• Just me.
• What a killer sunset.
• Another pier.
• There it goes...
• Who's who?
• Yet another artsy shot.
• Pismo Beach.
• Avi, me, and Sunny at one of my favorite Thai restaurants.
• "Joey, that Yogurt has your name on it...literally..."
• This place was delicious...yogurt with strawberries and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
• I don't even want to talk about what was going on here...it was all Christine's fault!
• The emotion is somewhere between embarassed and "I'm going to kill you" ;)
• This is probably the freakiest statue known to man!
• Andrew doing the pose...
• ...and then Becca...
• ...and then Christine...
• ...and then me...
• ...and then Tiger, who nailed it ;)
• Fun with fountains and photography.
• More feet, I don't know why, but whatever ;)
• The group...good friends and great times!
• The movie is in 2D...I think the last film I saw was in 2D as well...big deal ;)
• Tiger and Christine at the bowling alley.
• I love how absolutely annoyed we both look!
• Andrew and Becca.
• "You're not going to take a photo of thi...*sigh*"
• Andrew worships Anthony, the Bowling God.
• More bowling fun.
• Andrew was whooping everyone's butt!
• For the record, I didn't get the spare.
• The score.
• The boys!
• And the girls'...shoes...
• Bringing the metal.
• Becca was extremely thirsty...
• ...as was Tiger.
• Becca, me, and Andrew outside the bowling alley.
• Tia waaaaay ahead of me on our ride at lunch yesterday.
• These bikes seem to be the new fad in Fort Collins.
• Here I am being all mechanic-like.
• Note the sweat ;)
• Ummm, how does it go back together again?
• At the end of the night it had a new variator and I relocated the horn back into the battery box and the front blinkers were dropped down a bit.

Scooter Poot! (07/14/2008)

           The following pics are actually from two separate events, but I figured they were related enough to post all at once. It all revolves around a little scooter madness.
           First up we've got the tale of Wan, a man from South Korea with a dream. This cat did what many thought to be impossible. He worked for one year at a restaurant and saved his money to fly to the United States to purchase a Honda Ruckus (50cc, top speed around 40MPH) and drive it across the entire country. What he actually accomplished was much, much more. Wan touched the lives of many people on his journey, and luckily most of it was captured in words and photos on TotalRuckus.Com. You can find part I of the trip by clicking here, and part II is here. We were fortunate enough to have him visit Fort Collins (though he wasn't originally planning on it) where Tia and I showed him our fine city's greatest export...beer. It was an amazing weekend filled with many adventures. It's appropriate that these pics should be posted today, as he's flying home as I type this. I feel very fortunate to have met him, and I hope you enjoy the photos!
           And then there's the photos from Colorado Chaos 2008, a scooter rally held annually in Denver. Tia and I drove down for the weekend to meet up with the rest of the Lost Fleet (our scooter club). Dave, Kriska, Aimee, and a few new friends were all in attendance. And the rally's proceeds went to the Denver Fire Fighters Burn Foundation, so it was all for a good cause. It was a crazy, crazy weekend filled with a ton of laughter, a ton of beer, and a few spills. Enjoy! PS: These are older pics...I've lost about 20lbs since these were taken :)

• Wan arrives in Colorado for the first time!
• The first night he was in town we went to CB & Potts where he got his first Colorado beer taster tray.
• After dinner I had to jet...this is Wan and I at my scooter just before I took off.
• Day two was a big day for beer. The first logical stop was the New Belgium Brewery (home of Fat Tire).
• Hells yes! The only thing that beats free beer is free GOOD beer :) Wan was amazed that there wasn't any charge.
• Wan, Tia, and myself at New Belgium.
• The next stop was the Fort Collins Brewery.
• Wan and I enjoying our Chocolate Stout.
• And then it was off to my favorite pub, Coopersmith's, for some more local beer.
• More sampling.
• Now that we had enough beer in our systems to kill a small pony it was time to start up the ol' scooter and drive it around the parking lot of my townhome ;)
• Wan takes my denim Met for a spin.
• And then I thought it would be a good idea to have him hop on the back...
• ...we're extremely lucky we didn't crash ;)
• Speed Demon, aka Tia, takes her turn.
• A few cats drove up from Pueblo to see Wan, officially turning the gathering into a party.
• ...and party we did! (btw, this is a rare event at my house, for the record, heh heh - from l to r: Jeff, Kenny, Wan, Me, and Tia)
• Old Chub, Soju, and some misc local stuff.
• Jeff and I.
• Mmmmmmm, Vanilla Porter...
• Yeah, we were a little tipsy.
• Wan and I battle it out!
• And then I show Wan my "impressive" magic trick, the "amazing" balancing can...
• ...which he eyes suspiciously...
• ...and *crunch* he reproduces, kinda ;)
• The next day: The infamous WanRuck.
• 13,375 miles on a freaking scooter!
• The man and his ride!
• Tia got the chance to sit on in.
• Our last dinner the three of us spent together.
• The official Wan pose.
• Wan and I before the last ride. You're definitely missed, my friend!
• Tia and I throw our scoots on the back of the truck and head to Denver for the rally!
• The Lost Fleet at the pre-party: Aimee, Tia, Dave, me, and Kriska.
• Me and the man, the myth...Dave!
• Parked outside the bar.
• Still the first night of the weekend, but the second bar of the night. We met up with Big D where he was bartending.
• All of the scoots parked at Wokano (where we went for lunch, and our official hangout) the next day.
• We rode to Cheeseman Park before the registration party to hang out and chill for a bit.
• Aimee, Dave, Tia, and myself.
• Aimee, Dave, Kriska, and me.
• Chilling to the max.
• Aimee digs for a smoke.
• The scoots!
• Then we drove over to the registration party...my scooter was in the leper colony ;)
• The Fleet shows up to sign in.
• Dave's beer went a little limp ;)
• I head back to the scooters for some odd reason, and someone takes a pic of me doing so for some even more odd reason.
• The next day, heading to the rally. Dave shows up in full gear!
• Parked at the rally.
• The rally in all its glory.
• More scoots at the rally.
• Dave's scooter included a bar in the seat, complete with ice! He served up some mojitos for the Fleet. We got an early start ;)
• Sidecars freaking rock.
• Heading off for the Poker Run. Tia's on the left, then Kriska (you can kind of see Amiee behind her), then Dave, and then me.
• There I go, ready to ride!
• Me, Dave, and Aimee at one of the fire stations on the poker run.
• Members of Sqream handing out cards.
• Tia in the fire station.
• "Yeah, it's impressive, but my scooter gets better mileage!" ;)
• Kriska looks pretty damn impressed.
• "THAT way, Sir James!"
• When I can't think of anything else to do, I give the metal sign ;)
• Dave and I (kind of in the background) hanging out among the scooters after the Poker Run.
• "I spy...more rum..."
• Dunno what this is about, but I brought the metal.
• "What kinda mileage are you getting lil guy?"
• Dunno, just hanging out...
• Wtf is going on in this pic?
• Two of a kind!
• Kriska and Tia.
• LOVE the whitewall wheels!
• I didn't take this pic, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it ;) (sorry, heh heh)
• "OVERSHARE!"
• If you bought raffle tickets you got a free grope...seriously.
• Kriska gets her grope!
• This was the exact moment the dude realized that Dave was commando ;)
• Did you think there's any way in hell I *wouldn't* blush?
• The award for best dressed!
• Hanging out at the club after a full day of "rallying".
• That's a sunburn + being shy...
• Tia!
• This is Chuck...we picked him up and brought him into the Lost Fleet.
• I don't know...
• This is just moments after Dave bit the dust on the drive back from the club.
• The last day was the ride to Golden. It was beautiful!
• Another group shot of the scoots. 9 News met up with us here to do a story on the rally.
• Chuck, Kriska, and Dave wait for the leader to start the ride.
• Aimee!
• When in doubt, metal.
• Lost Fleet butts.
• Well, if we're gonna wait we may as well take some pics!
• We got to Golden and hung out at a biker bar (you should have seen some of the looks).
• Tia and I.
• Yup.
• Talk about "vintage"...
• After going back to Denver the Lost Fleet had their own post-party.
• Aimee and I.
• Chuck chills out, big time.
• It was definitely appropriate, on so many levels.
• *CRASH* The final tally: 1 broken shoulder, 1 broken rib, and hella road rash. Never let it be said that Lost Fleet doesn't know how to hang ;)

My Birthday Weekend (04/10/2008)

           I was fortunate enough to had the right mix of things fall into place for my birthday. I got to go to my favorite place (Disneyland), to see my favorite band play AT my favorite place (Bad Religion in Downtown Disney), and got to hang with two of my favorite people for it all. We did Disneyland/Bad Religion on Friday, Voco on Saturday, Wine Country on Sunday, and Disneyland again on Monday for my actual birthday.

• Me chilling out at LAX, waiting for Tiger to arrive.
• Sherri at LAX as well.
• And we waited some more.
• Our hotel for our first night in Anaheim. It had a black light with stars on the ceiling...and other interesting glowy things...
• I accidentally left my wallet on the top of the car in the parking lot and it was still there in the morning. That was a freaking close one!
• There's a pastry SOMEWHERE underneath all that icing.
• Some elephants on the Jungle Cruise.
• The three of us waiting for It's Tough to be a Bug.
• The Star Tours queue.
• Bad Religion at the House of Blues, Downtown Disney.
• Voco warms up for their show.
• Sherri and I waiting for the show to start.
• Jessica, Jess, Moira, and Christine performing...they sang a birthday song to me in front of the crowd and I turned bright red ;)
• Me with Voco...I can't wait until we get to hang out in Colorado again in a few months!
• Somewhere north of Ventura, on the way to wine country.
• Tiger and I.
• Here we are having lunch in Solvang, getting ready to hit the vineyards.
• Tiger and I outside of Blackjack Ranch, one of my favorite vineyards to go to when we're in the area.
• Wine tasting at Blackjack Ranch.
• The vines are almost ready to go into full swing.
• Me just outside of one of the places we hadn't visited before...and never will again.
• The three amigos.
• Another one of my favorite places...Mosby Winery. They specialize in Italian-esque wines (I love their Cortese).
• Tiger and I at my favorite place, Alma Rosa. It used to be called Sanford, but Sanford went on to be more corporate and the original place changed their name.
• On the porch of Alma Rosa (with my new bottle of wine and free glass they gave me for my birthday).
• Eating swordfish at the Hitching Post in Buellton.
• The three of us at California Adventure, with beer in hand!
• Nothing like slamming beer and then riding California Screamin'!
• The mouse ears from California Screamin' over my head...
• ...and Sherri's...
• ...and Tiger's.
• Remember the time we died on Space Mountain?
• Riding the Matterhorn.
• Me in front of Tom Sawyer's Island just before sunset.
• Tiger riding the Segway transport.
• I rode the Segway as well. It was actually a lot of fun.
• My birthday dinner at the Blue Bayou.
• My very sad birthday chocolate mousse (there's a story there).
• Our waterfront table at the Blue Bayou.
• The fireworks that night.
• The faceless hoodie people on Space Mountain...aka us.
• Me with a Haunted Mansion cast member.
• See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
• The saddest sight ever...Main Street at closing time.
• WTF?
• WTF2?

Sherri's Christmas Party (12/26/2007)

           I drove down to Sherri's for her Christmas party (it took like two hours with traffic). She got me the coolest gift ever, which I am proudly displaying in my dining room now...I swear to God I am ;) What follows is a few pics from the end of the night after most people took off...

• Monkey watches me like a hawk.
• Big D (with matching shirt) and I.
• I can't stand how easy I blush.
• Partners in crime...Sherri and I.
• Um, me.
• Tim, Sherri, and Dawn. (I love Sherri's expression in this photo)

Next Stop, Florida... (12/18/2007)

           So I finally got the chance to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. My sister literally called me and asked if I wanted to go in a week. Hell, why not ;) The crowds were very small, we got to go on all of the rides we wanted to...multiple times no less. It was so good to spend a weekend with her, and to check out all 4 major Disney World parks. We hit up MGM, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and the Magic kingdom (in that order). Being a big Disney fan I had an absolute blast! Here are a few of the pics from the trip...

• Our resort the day we arrived. It was cloudy and muggy.
• I didn't take any pics of the first night, as we just headed to MGM Studios for the heck of it to goof off. Here's the entrance that next morning.
• We parked at Epcot (since we were going to wind up there that night) but headed over to Animal Kingdom. The lady on the left gave us free parking :)
• The Christmas tree at Animal Kingdom.
• The main entrance.
• The Tree of Life, and the crowd waiting for the park to officially open.
• Our first ride of the day on Expedition Everest, one of my favorite rides in all of the parks!
• Expedition Everest.
• Denise and I with Pluto.
• Our pic from the Dinosaur ride.
• Goofy and Pluto take a boat ride around Animal Kingdom.
• A pic of me with Expedition Everest in the background.
• A closer shot of the Tree of Life.
• More detail from the Tree of Life roots.
• More Tree of Life.
• Me and a hammerhead carved into the tree.
• Denise and the Animal Kingdom Christmas tree.
• Taking the Monorail from the transportation center to Epcot...here's a passing Monorail.
• Finally arriving at Epcot, I was pretty stoked.
• Spaceship Earth isn't open yet, but we got to preview the ride a few times.
• Mission: Space...when the Orange Team says it's more intense it's not lying. It's the only ride I've seen that has barf bags in the car, seriously.
• A photo of the World Showcase (I had churros in Mexico, they rocked, followed by a beer in Germany).
• More World Showcase.
• I'm proud of how this pic came out.
• A pic from the queue of Test Track...not a good sign.
• The Seas (formerly The Living Seas).
• This is the Nemo pre-show for The Seas, which is pretty much exactly the same footage from the Little Nemo ride at Disneyland.
• A diver in the tank shows off by blowing bubble rings.
• The Christmas tree at Epcot.
• Another cool pic of Spaceship Earth at night.
• We headed back to MGM that next morning to ride a few rides again...nice weather, eh?
• We parked at the Magic Kingdom instead of at MGM, as we were going to wind up there later.
• Waiting for the bus to MGM.
• The MGM Christmas tree.
• I almost got a cool shot of the entrance to MGM ;)
• Probably my favorite ride at all of Walt Disney World...Rock'n' Roller Coaster. That's Aerosmith in the studio aspart of the pre-show.
• Denise and I on Rock'n' Roller Coaster.
• The Tower of Terror...I *love* this ride!
• Outside of Rock'n' Roller Coaster.
• The outside of Star Wars...you can see the Jedi Training Academy going on at the bunker over to the left (note Darth Vader).
• I decided to trade in my scooter for something a little faster...
• We managed to get in the front of the Monorail on our trip over to the Magic Kingdom.
• Cinderella's Castle.
• My favorite ride at Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion...this is the Magic Kingdom's version.
• I was allowed to hop in to the queue to take this pic even though the ride broke down as soon as we got off of it. I'm wearing my Haunted Mansion Fastpass tshirt here.
• One of a few blasts from the past. I was so excited to see it again!
• Classic!
• I'm so glad they had the same exact show.
• The grand finale.
• I had to ride their version of Pirates as well. It was pretty sweet.
• And of course, the Jungle Cruise.
• African Elephants...know how I know that?
• I know most people don't care for this attraction, but it was a pure joy to check it out again! Even though my feet were killing me I went through the entire treehouse...complete with Swisskapolka :)
• The cups that carry water to the top.
• A view of the treehouse.
• Here's a shot of the castle from outside the park, when we went out to get our jackets.
• Taking the ferry back to the Magic Kingdom.
• Another blast from the past...the Carousel of Progress!
• Me on the Peoplemover (this was removed from Disneyland many, many years ago...we went on it twice).
• Denise on the Peoplemover.
• Tomorrowland as seen from the Peoplemover track.
• Stitch's Great Escape...a pretty fun little show.
• At 7PM the park closed...unless you had one of these, in which case you could stay an extra 5 hours for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
• One of the perks of the party was all you could eat cookies and fruit...and all you could drink hot chocolate.
• One of the cast members handing out cookies.
• They lit up the castle at night.
• Here's Denise with her friends, Pam and Michelle. We hung out with them for the party.
• Buzz Lightyear!
• I didn't want to go on it...actually, no one did ;) But I had to get a pic.
• It's hard to see, but any time you saw one of these posts it meant there was free goodies there!
• Splash Mountain...and yes we got soaked.
• Here's the pic from the ride...I'm in the front with my sister and her friends are right behind us.
• My sister and I in front of the castle at the end of the night.
• Main Street all lit up.
• A Main Street decoration.
• I just like this pic for whatever reason.
• The Magic Kingdom's Christmas tree.
• They had a few attraction posters in the tunnels, just like Disneyland.
• Here's my room in our resort's townhome. I had my own TV :)
• Another view of my room.
• This is the townhome at the resort...looking from the living room back to the entrance...
• ...and then a shot from the front door back to the living room.
• Here's the view from my room.
• We passed through the gates one more time, on our way to Downtown Disney.
• A cool robot at the Lego store.
• Another sweet statue made of Legos.
• The HUGE World of Disney store.
• On the way home I watched movies since I had a row to myself.
• Landing in Denver at sunset.
• Taking the train back to the terminal.
• We got our luggage and the trip was officially over. MUCH fun was had!

Another Wedding and Some Cowboy Karaoke (11/19/2007)

           I'm mixing in two different adventures here, because I've got some photos and I haven't uploaded any in a long time. I actually have a ton from other events as well, but I felt like these were the two most approriate to put up.
           The first 11 photos in this section are from my buddy Tim's wedding. He and Dawn got married earlier this year and a few of us showed up to support him. I'm very happy for Tim and Dawn, and am glad they finally tied the knot. The wedding was small but a ton of fun. Good friends, good times...
           The remaining photos are from this last weekend's trip to Houston to see Nat, Anita, John, Jess, and the rest of the gang! I always seem to have a blast when I'm with those cats! We went to Todai, Numbers (a dance club), and Jumps (a karaoke bar). You can expect a full report in my blog ;) PS, these pics were taken from multiple sources.

• Dawn and Tim saying their vows.
• The new couple being introduced!
• Koren and Sherri at the reception.
• Here's Sherri after we'd had a few ;)
• Big D and Sherri...someone forgot to turn on the flash!
• Sherri and I stop to pose for a pic.
• Don't ask...
• Big D, his nutsack, and me. Again, don't ask.
• Avalon and Sherri.
• The boys and the metal.
• I absolutely love this pic of Sherri and Tim.
• The metal comes to Todai in Houston!
• Anita and I at Numbers. (I didn't think it was a good pic when I first saw it on the camera, but now that it's full sized I love it!)
• After the photo it was time for dance!
• (The man, the myth) John and I at Jumps.
• Metal and Popeye ;)
• I look like some dude that just wanted in the pic...Nat, Anita, and myself.
• Brooke, me, and John revisiting a tradition...
• I simply can't look at this photo without losing it with laughter. Jess rocks!
• Jess sings my request, "Talk Dirty to Me"!
• The new kid on the block, Mireya!
• One more of Mireya and I.
• Another photo with one of my favorite people on the entire planet! To use her words, "She wins!"

The Joey Microbre