Greg: i know

Greg: want to write one?

Jamie: hmmmm

Jamie: might want to post this, 3 huge figures of the Denver design community speaking tonight at MCA

Jamie: http://blog.seanklassen.com/my-awesome-friends/applied-ideas-volume-3/

Stephen Colbert you and your writers are genius.

Hey, Single Malt Scotch, you’re thirty years old. When are you going to settle down and get married… to my stomach.

3.  Arches National Park

2.  Death Valley - Given the number of national parks out there you’d think a big expanse of desert wouldn’t make it into the top 3.  Death Valley is home to much more than empty sands though.  The sheer diversity I’ve seen in Death Valley and the level of accessibility are just unparalleled.  You can see water get carried up though a salt flat in the pre-dawn and see it burn off in seconds as soon as the sun turns it’s angry glare down on the valley.  If you like mountain climbing telescope peak is at 11K feet and you can make a continual hike from Badwater Basin at -283 feet all the way up the mountain for the longest continual climb in the lower US.  The sand dunes that they shot the first star wars movie in are in Death Valley along with the amazing racetrack a dry lake bed that becomes so slick when wet that stones weighing hundreds of pounds are pushed around by the wind.  The other thing that makes Death Valley amazing is that most of it is accessible by paved road, and what isn’t found on a paved road is easily found on a dirt road.  There are a few roads that require serious 4wd vehicles, but most can be navigated by a passenger car or motorcycle.  Go in late fall or early spring to avoid the heat but expect cool nights, but the dark skies are perfect for astrophotography.  No matter where you go there’s always something new to take a photo of, and the amazing changes in elevation provide high contrast landscapes that you can’t find anywhere else.

1. Yellowstone National Park - Yes it can be crowded and Old Faithful has been photographed more than Madonna, but the real thing to photograph in Yellowstone is the wildlife.  Huge herds of bison are often found by the road side, bears are all over the place and even packs of wolves can be seen within a circuit or two of the park’s excellent roads.  Bring a long telephoto lens as most of the large animals don’t take kindly to flash bulbs or those that get too close.  In winter all of the animals are covered in snow and frost.  The steam from the geothermal vents throughout the area, make all the critters look like frozen ghosts.  The steam also creates some amazing shots at both sunrise and sunset.

Eric Starling is a webmaster and photographer in Denver, CO.

• Metropole
• Inverted World

Which one would you like to read? Any alternate suggestions?

If you want to burn a bit of holiday fat off in the winter time you could go to the gym and choke down the stagnant air laced with artificial smells disguised to hide the fact that people sweat.  Run in place like a hairless hamster while being subjected to whatever 80s hair metal the front desk jockey has queued up for the evening, OR you could hop in the car, drive to the first place that has snow on the ground more than 4-5″ deep and go for a run, climb hills, play in the snow and remember what it was like when you were 8 and working out was fun instead of labor.

I find that people tend to snowshoe for 2 main reasons, they’re either looking to burn some fat during the holiday season and just want some place to do it that’s quiet, peaceful, and challenging.

The second group is awed by the beauty of winter.  The outdoor world really does change under a heavy snow fall.  Snow absorbs sound and so much of the outdoor experience is auditory, just the change in sound, the heavily weighted trees and reformed mountains is enough of a change you feel like you’re rediscovering things all over again.  Since walking on snow is also less of an impact on the plant life under it and because trails are nearly impossible to find when they’re buried under multiple feet of snow you can hike where you please, across frozen lakes, off trail and climbing hills and peaks that are otherwise off limits for conservation purposes.

For the fat burners small running snowshoes are likely going to be the best bet.  Redfeather makes a good lineup of light, simple snowshoes on the cheap that make you feel like you’re wearing your regular running shoes.  Atlas also makes an excellent lineup of smaller shoes that do not drag when you lift your feet up.  This makes for a very natural running stride.  These will have a small simple crampon and be around 18-20 inches in length.   You can easily keep them in your car and go for a quick run on your way home from work if you pass by an empty snow  covered lot, or jog around a frozen over lake.

For those winter explorers who want to get into deeper higher snow and trudge up steep hills all while bringing calories I suggest large shoes.  30+ inches is what I tend to use and I’m fairly small and not too heavy.  For those that enjoy climbing look for a shoe that has a very aggressive crampon.  The metal spikes under the shoe tend to come in two formats either a simple sawtooth design that’s made out of steel about 1-2mm thick or a very big burly thing that looks more like the mouth of a shark.  For those that do climbing the bigger the crampon the better.

These shoes tend to be heavier, and running in them would be a chore, but the floatation they provide is far better and they are built to take serious abuse.   Tubbs makes an excellent lineup of shoes.  I use an old pair of mountain 30s, and the adventure line is also a very good model.  Tubbs also come with a lifetime warranty and seem very good about honoring it.   After abusing my shoes for years I busted one of the mounting points for the buckle.  I called Tubbs up and they sent me enhanced new buckles that I was able to install in just a few minutes.

Some people may be turned off by the 300+ dollar price point of new large snowshoes.   There’s many ways to trim the expense though, craigslist, seems to be a hot  bed of used snowshoes with many 300+ dollar models selling for around 100.  Add in a pair of used ski poles and you’re set.  You don’t need fancy foot wear, either your hiking boots will do just fine or if you plant to get into really deep snow a pair of gaiters will help to keep the snow out of your boots.   It’s not uncommon to find older big snowshoes for around 50 bucks.  While the old style “tennis racket” snowshoes look a bit cool and retro, they are had to maintain, and much more prone to failure.  Still they can be picked up cheap and they do work pretty well.  Often they will not have a crampon so if you’re planning any climbing be cautious.  REI also sells their old rental equipment.  They use very nice Atlas snowshoes for their rentals and buying them used from their quarterly REI yard sale is a great bargin.

If you have any questions about a particular model of shoes or if you’d like any suggestions on where to go in your area feel free to leave a comment.

Eric Starling is a webmaster and a photographer.  He lives in Denver, CO and is highly skilled at falling into spruce traps.

In the final reading section the book is quick paced.  I found myself fervently consuming the remaining pages all in one sitting.  I was so caught up in the story, my mind moved from the analyzation of the book to the plot and character interaction.  This has definitely served as a testament of Doctorow’s writing.  I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.

Marcus and Ange meet with the journalist Barbara to divulge all of the information on the prison and the following xNet.  Immediately following the meeting, Marcus starts receiving emails from hacker turned DHS agent Masha.  As a side note, everytime I read that name a certain website comes to mind.  

Fearing his security, Marcus and Ange plan to go underground with Masha’s guidance.  Things go awry and Marcus backs out of the agreement.  Zed comes back and serves again as a guide to Marcus.  Shortly after Marcus is whisked back to the prison, undergoes torture, and is rescued by Barbara and a team of local law enforcement fellows.  Charges are mostly dropped, and Marcus lives happily ever after with Ange working on a non-profit derivative of the xNet work.  

This book serves its intention well.  It renewed my excitement about technology and opened my eyes a bit more to things going on in current news.  Suddenly I’m paying more attention to global stories about Australia’s interim terrorist prison and local stories about the operation of government funded security cameras in my neighborhood.

Crazy delicious!