As I Walk in the Shadow of the Valley of the Sangre De Christos

After a brief visit to Colorado Springs where my dad had a GIS conference (90% excuse to see me in Colorado 10% chance to learn about GIS). I am back in Alamosa. Colo Springs was nice, if horrendously conservative. There will later be some photos from the experience (but I cannot download photos here). We went to Garden of the Gods. The story behind the name is great. Settlers crested the hill and looked out on the fins (geological feature) and the sandstone arches, and one of them declared this is a great place for a beer garden. Another stated that this was a place for the Gods. Garden of the Gods. No beer is sold there, in fact that's part of the contract that allowed the land to become publicly owned (no intoxicating liquors).

Also in Colo Springs, is Mount Cheyenne. Which looked for most of the trip like a mountain with radio towers on it. Then on the final day I found out that inside the mountain is NORAD. Pretty badass stuff. I am a fairly large, if only partially well versed-fan of NORAD. The idea of being able to run most of the country from inside a mountain seems cool. Colorado College students on September 11th were afraid that hijackers would try and fly planes into NORAD. Their prof reassured them that flying a plane into a MOUNTAIN was not likely to be very effective. Ahhh panic, eroder of logic.

In other news, I'm going horse back riding today. Should be fun. I'm not much of a horseman, or horsecow, or horsefly, etc. Essentially I like horses in the abstract and like riding them, but franly the overwhelming allure that grasps my sisters imagination never got to mine. Speaking of which (sister) I've started my sister on her own blog. I may post about it later, but for now I'm going to offer her some annonymity.

This time on Wednesday I will be 3 hours+ into my trip to Seattle. Man, I'm dying to see Jen again.



Oh, I almost forgot. I went back to the Sand Dunes last night with my family (father and sister, uncle, and aunt) and saw a 5 person (down from their normal 8) barbershop quartet (I realize that quartet means 4 and not 8 or 5...but cut them some slack). They were eager. They tried very hard. Their voices were not the best. There were moments of forced notes, and disharmony (though in their defense it was terribly windy, and the pieces were arranged for 8 not 5) And they told corny jokes--a la a cappella groups the world over, it was familiar and reassuring. They didn't do Obertones-esque skits, but that may be on the horizon. But it was a great evening all the same. Good photos. Great setting. And middle aged men trying their best.