HAPPY NEW YEAR !......

Well, It's 2009 in New York so I'm going to sleep..

Hasta Luego Amigos !

Retro Man - Telemark Skier Old School

At 43 I don’t really consider myself very old. Barely middle aged if that. However, today I felt like Retro Man. I guess it all began as I was suiting up for a venture onto the ski slopes. As I slipped into my Marmot Gortex snow pants I remembered how I purchased them at a shop in Jackson, Wyoming in 1989. I then put on an old wool sweater and nylon parka that I received years ago as tip from Hewlett Packard during my bellhoppin days. I then made some adjustments to my Merrill leather telemark boots, stepped in, and laced them up. I was sure not to forget my glacier glasses and Elmer Fudd style pile hat as I grabbed my aluminum Scott poles and 198 cm Tua backcoutry tele skiis. When I arrived at the ticket booth I leaned my skiis against a rack and was amazed at how they towered over others. My skiis looked thin in comparison. With ticket in hand I made my way to the slopes. Gone were the fast moving chairs that bang you in the rear and swoop you off the deck. Now the wide padded chairs come around ever so slow, gently lift, and smoothly transport you to the top of the slopes. I made a couple of runs and a lift op dude complimented me on my cool leather boots. As I rode the lifts, younger skiers and snow boarders didn’t know what to think while the older skiers smiled a nostalgic smile that said, “Ah yes, I remember the day”. I enjoyed skiing classic traditional telemark technique all day and only saw a couple of others doing the same but even they were on the fancey new gear and short wide skiis…

Ten years ago I would not have seemed like an oddity as I did today but I am amazed at how much skiing has changed in a relatively short time. I must admit the new gear is nicer , better, and safer. That all equates to more fun and that’s what it’s all about. Dan has all the new stuff and he offered to loan it to me but you know what ? I think it would be like learning to ski again. I’m not sure I could handle plastic boot power steering attached to wide stable short skiis whose tips are hard to cross ! And I’m referring to telemark equipment ! On second thought, maybe I should give it a try ? Until then you can call me RETRO MAN - Telemark Skier Old School…….

Skiing Colorado

View from the top of Elk Camp. Snowmass Ski Area.






If there’s an economic recession going on it’s hard to tell in Aspen, Colorado. Things appear to be rolling along just fine. Ok, maybe the sales of multi million dollar second homes is down but your lucky to find a parking space…… Wait,,, What ? I just talked with my friend Tim. Aspen’s a mess. Two bomb threats at two separate banks as I type this entry ! Trouble in Paradise ? Oh well, as long as it doesn’t affect the New Years Eve Party scene everything should be ok.

For the last couple of days the weather has been glorious and the snow divine. Lots of sun and not very cold. On my drive over from Denver I stopped in Frisco to fly around the nordic trails for a couple of hours on my lightweight cross country racing skiis. I love to cross country ski and especially enjoy the skate technique over classical. I’m a fairly proficient skater so the enjoyability factor is quite high for me. Cross country skiing is my favorite sport but I really don’t like cold weather. It’s kind of a problem. However, a nice mild winter day on good trails makes dealing with the cold a lot easier to enjoy what I consider to be the coolest cardio sport ever..

Today I skied the lifts of Snowmass Ski Area. I scored a couple of ½ price lift pass coupons from a ski patrol I know. My good buddy Dan is back home in Jersey with the family and offered the use of his slopside condo for a few days. As I’ve stated before in this blog. I’m a very lucky man…

Although I have Dan’s condo to myself I am not alone. There’s Leon the oversized cat. He’s well fed but agile and full of attitude and likeability. Since I have no intention of going out tonight I reckon Leon and I will be bringing in the New Year together. Yep, I have no desire to go out. Why start off the first day of a New Year feeling like hell with a hangover. Instead, I will awake early to snowshoe up Aspen mountain with friends. As I’ve said. 2009 is destined to be a Grand Year…..

2009 - Destined To Be A Grand Year !

Geetings ! After a period of sparse posts and uneventful living it's back to more interesting experiences.....2009 is positioned to be a Grand Year for the World Traveler and Thinker. I have great things planned for this blog. I’ll start the year off with a winter break in Aspen then I’ll return to Houston for about 3 months of nitty gritty getting it together nuts and bolts resource gathering. I’ll dive deep into misc. this and that combined with conglomerative necessitary riga ma roll. Some call it work but I prefer to not think of it as such…..

2009 will be a year predominately focused on travel and writing as I creatively navigate the alternatives to “Status Quo”. I will likely be abroad for a longer period of time than last years 3½ months. Domestic travel no longer counts as real travel for me. Ideas for next year include: Sailing (Atlantic Crossing), Walking in Europe, Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and India), and South America (Peru, Bolivia, N. Chile and Easter Island). I'm also interested in jogging the Medoc Marathon with friends in France. Well, this is the long list for now but at least I have it narrowed down. As usual my loose plans are always flexible so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds thoroughout the year. Needless to say, I'll be going about it in true low budget backpacker fashion….

Currently I’m in Denver. I drove up from Houston on Christmas Eve. I made the trip in 15½ hours which is record time for me. I only stopped for gas and and arrived at my sisters house in Denver just in time for dinner. The next few days were followed with visiting family and friends. I also spent a day on the ski slopes of Eldora. Today I’m simply tired and need a bit of rest so I’m not doing much. Tomorrow I’ll drive to Aspen to ski and bring in the New Year….

Snow Ball At Valhalla

While navigating my way out of the Valley of contemplation I came to the realization that hesitation due to over analyzation leads to situations requiring the need for behavior modification. The one problem with being a “World Traveler and Thinker” is the the “Thinking Part”. It'll get me in trouble every time. Thinking is good but best done in moderation. The cure ? A good run, time at a Coffee shop called “Antidote”, a few beers at “Valhalla”, snow in Houston, and over 60,000 airline miles. Wow ! Now that's a recipe for endless possibilities !......... Best not to give it too much thought otherwise I might come down with a case of “Mass Option Disorder” which invariably leads to impaired decision making skills. Like I always say, “ When you don't know what to do, do something”. I'm doing something.

I've decided to start taking a more creative approach towards writing and constructing blog entries. I do not want to bore myself or others with a blow by blow of what I ate for breakfast or how much I dislike the noise of gas powered leaf blowers. I'm more interested in releasing creative potential that's been stifled by the demons of self doubt. Time to slay a few dragons in order to boost up a little confidence. Now, if I can only find my sword ????

Last Wednesday it snowed in Houston. It actually snowed pretty good and some areas got more than just a dusting. Some winters Houston never gets temperatures below freezing but every few years there's a remote outside chance of a snowflake or two. In the photo above you can see me with a snow ball at Valhalla. I was amazed and fascinated to be experiencing such a rare possibility.

In the near future I plan to drive up to Colorado to visit family and friends. Afterwards I will do something else. I recently ordered a guidebook to Tasmania and a mini laptop. Not sure what that means but I'm sure I'll figure it out....