It's hard to believe I've been on the road for 5 weeks now. Serpentining through the Midwest, I've encountered all sorts. Rural farms, state high points, vegan restaurants, breweries and wineries in all states. National Parks. Art museums and sculpture gardens. Cute trendy neighborhoods and seedy ghettos. Craft cocktail dens. Water parks and arcades :-D

I'm now headed West, and as I sit in a cafe drinking a Chai and writing my masterpieces in Lincoln, Nebraska I feel very weary. I can't wait to see mountains again! Right now I feel like I could sleep for days. And then some more. But I have faith the West will revitalize me, and this is prime time to get up high in the mountains. I'm not sure where I'll head after the visit to Colorado. I would like to continue to the Northwest and California and catch up there on sights still unseen and revisit the beloved old. 

I'm currently at 22 out of 50 State high points reached and 14/54 Colorado "14-ers" submitted and I plan to knock so many more out by the end of the year. But so much is up in the air, will I continue to freelance, living out of my Jeep around the US indefinitely while I write my scripts and books, and ever studying for the Advanced Level Sommelier level that I took the course for earlier this year? Will I take some high mountain or National Park work for the end of the season? Or will I move into a Wine Director or Beverage Manager position at the right place, wherever that might be in the country?

Many options to consider, and none of them bad. But, for the time being, I can return to Boulder and the Rockies, climb, hike, clean up, regroup, take a couple art and guitar classes to brush me up and set me moving ahead better artistically. Figure out finances after draining myself down now. I'm exhausted but excited. Dreaming ahead. And putting pen to paper (or words on a laptop, more appropriately…) in documenting my strange and beautiful life. 

Just a few teaser photos for now, but soooo much more to come, I promise!

God Bless and safe travels!

Two and half weeks ago I set out for a cross country adventure, leaving my comfy zone of Boulder, CO. In that short time a hell of a lot has happened. There might be a book in this adventure. Way more than I can discuss here, although I could probably break it up nicely into segments. Every day has so much to talk about! I left with very little money, and a lot of faith, and abandoned some people I love, and took a chance on going totally broke on the road. I turned down some good job opportunities to do this. But it has been overdue. Visiting all the places I've meant to see for some time now. And I've been doing it. I'm still out here. Living the dream out of my Jeep (I could go for a shower and a movie at home). 
The Black Hills. Midwestern wine and beer. Chicago. Minneapolis. Fargo. Mosquito Heaven while hiking in Northern Minnesota. Flat tires in the middle of nowhere. Caves, praries, cornfields, badlands. State high points. Vegan soul food. Farmer's markets. Fights with ex-s. Craft cocktails. Museums, old homes, gardens, police encounters;on and on and on…
Life is fun with me. It's spontaneous, but kinda planned. It's challenging yet rewarding. It's expensive, but I find the deals. I secret shop. I meet people. I find the good and the bad. I've had some existential breakdowns and some renewed belief in the people in this country; sometimes I have both in the same day. It happens. I'm still searching for "something" out here, on top of the joy of going places I haven't been. But I'm figuring out what I need to figure out. I feel God with me. Thanks for flying with me…
B

Colorado beer. It's the stuff beer geeks dream of. All of my adult life I've heard about Colorado beer as legend in the hops and barley world, and after so many years of traveling so many other states in this great country, I had mostly missed Colorado, excepting for one brief pass through in 1999. I came here just under a year ago, with two jobs in hand, one at the Devil's Thumb Ranch in Winter Park, the other at Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park. I chose the latter for it's location, the fact that it was still snow season in the mountains and it's seasonality if I needed to move on. Between April and August, I managed to pack in a lot in terms of exploring the landscapes, towns and, as we're discussing here, the breweries. For starters, when I told the staff at brewpubs I was sitting in that I planned to visit all of the State's breweries, they had a shocked amusements, reminding me of just how many there were. Over the last year, as so many new breweries have opened in that short time, I've been quoted different numbers, ranging from 175-300. That's a lot. But I set out anyway. From a home base in Mancos and Mesa Verde, I started consuming. Let's first start with the 4 Corners and San Juan area. 
Durango

With 5 breweries, and rumors of more, this small mountain town of 16,000 has a lot going for it. 

At Steamworks Brewing, an extremely popular family and adult restaurant and brewery that is (unfortunately in my case) known for it's house-smoked meats and such, nothing I can recommend with strong vegan ethics, but the beer did occasionally shine, and although there were many dark beer (a personal fav), what stood out most was the Chile Ale. This style of beer, I discovered, was common among the Southwestern breweries, and for obvious and good reason. This brewery also boasts a large number of Certified Cicerones, 5 when I was there, and it showed. Very knowledgeable staff. 

Onto Durango Brewing Company, a longer staple on the local scene, but which is more recently under the brewing mastery of from Boulder Brewing. The assistant brewer took me on a tour of the small brewery, where I got to see some fresh Colorado hops being seasonally used in some of their tasty beer. The IPA is winner. 

At Brew, a different philosophy exists-crafting beer with single-ingredient focuses. A flight of 4 beers, each highlighting the 4 primary components of beer showed each of the primary characteristics well, and it was a friendly and flavorful experience. 

Carver Brewing, on the main drag through town, is another always-busy kind of place. While the beers didn't bowl me over, they were all solidly crafted, and yet another brewery in this area utilizing local clean energy and good ethical practices. 

The real highlight of the Durango brew scene is Ska. This brewery has positioned itself as a staple of good Colorado beer. From the clean and refreshing Blonde, to the full bodies Red, to hoppy standard of the Modus and their Decadant Impreial IPA, we're talking about seriously good beer. An excellent, fun tour is available and they also feature beers made on premises by talented home brewers that have won the chance to brew their beer at Ska.

Two breweries also exist in Cortez, J Fargo's, with a small selection of mediocre beers in a  semi-divey family restaurant setting can be missed, and Main St Brewery downtown offers far better beer, although nothing necessarily worth going out of your way for. The town of Cortez is something that needs some better progress and happiness.

More beer travel to come...

My experiences have often defined me. It's a good thing. My faith in God and love for the Bible has also defined me and this also is a good thing. I live authentically and have no shame for the ways I live (I  make mistakes like everyone else and will ask forgiveness for those mistakes and then move on). I seek love and am loyal when people are loyal to me as well and often even when they aren't. This has betrayed me a time or two, even when I am accused of doing things that the other party is actually doing or looking to do. It sucks. I'm not ashamed that I've lived out of my car so much. It's freeing. I work hard at my jobs, I pay my debtors when I can. I pay to Caesar what is Caesar's as I'm instructed, even though this government is mis-using my money in sick ways, lying to us, and doing severe damage instead of the good it could be doing.  I've worked in restaurants for 20 years now, and I've enjoyed most of it. Working in 13 National Parks, Napa Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Big Sur, lakeside mountain lodges, Mackinac Island and even a couple strip clubs for a couple years has given me a lot amazing experiences with places, people and landscapes. I've taken up photography and gone to film school. I've been certified as a Sommelier and crafted unique cocktail menus. I've climbed mountains, dated strippers (briefly..), explored deep canyons, watched the sunset over the Pacific more times than I can count. Iv'e drunk uber-expensive wine, served celebrities and hung out in the bright lights of Vegas over 20 times. This is why I'm writing a book about my travels, starting with the distinction in lifestyle, spiritual growth and adventure that has come with working in the National Parks. But all good things must come to an end, and I feel changes in the air. Emotional and career wise. I'm not excited anymore about getting a huge list of certifications in alcohol based degrees. I suffered a couple serious illnesses recently and it put things in perspective. It's a perspective I had, but had been lost a bit, and I needed a kick in the ass. Since moving to Boulder in August, I've grown by leaps and bounds in my life and I'm grateful. But I always was drawn to the arts crowd more than anyone. And I always loved crafting my own products as much as anything else in the restaurant work. And being outdoors and on the road makes me happier than just about anything. And I've missed out a lot by working my busy restaurant life. And lost a little focus and balance on the other aspects of life that make me happy. And I'm tired of seeing the unnecessary suffering going on that should be healed and the corruption that needs and can be fought against. And the restaurant lifestyle is just not inspiring.  So here I sit. Ready for and making changes. Getting back into the car and just driving. Hopping on planes, then hopping into a car at my destination and driving. And walking, talking to people, tasting new flavors, seeing new sights. Visiting the museums and artisans. Writing more. Getting errands done so I'm more efficient at the important stuff. Pulling open the laptop and writing, without thinking about it. Planning adventures.  Spending time with people who are an inspiration rather than bringing me down. People who are sparked about life and giving to it. And that's where I'm at right now. Today I became a member of the Boulder Digital Arts group. I spent time with an inspirational art and theater worker. I'm getting prepped for new headshots as an actor and am applying for local acting gigs. I'm posting a casting call for scripts I'm working on. I've returned to the movie theaters for joy and entertainment. I'm doing. I'm living. And I'm being me. And there's a lot to come to show you. I'm breaking open. In a good way. Hell, maybe I'll even have a kid or 2. One never knows...

Mountain climbing. It calls to me more and more as time goes on. I've been doing some sort of rock, hill or mountain climbing for 20 years now. It never gets old. The mountains always call, especially new and unfamiliar places that have their own sights, smells and feel about them. Colorado and New Mexico called me this year. The mountains there called, and I've become addicted. Much more than expected. I've climbed the highest peaks of New Mexico and 12 of Colorado's 54 "14-ers". It's been magical. Every mountain is different, every back road and town I get to see along the way is a treasure. And of course, there's the ever prevailant breweries to enjoy some of Colorado's famous craft beer in at every turn. And it always tastes that much better after a long and fruitful climb. Please enjoy a few of my photos from a few days of adventures this summer. There's many more pictures, and many more waiting to be taken. Getting caught in snowstorms while climbing class 4 pitches on exposed ledges at 14, 000 feet or summiting the top of NM followed by a quick glissade down the snowfields. Taos, Aspen, Telluride, Boulder, Idaho Springs, Mentura/Vail, Breckenridge…a few of the towns I've gotten to enjoy as part of the adventures. I can't wait to see what the future holds...

I just found this beautiful few seconds on the videos of my iPhone and thought I share. It's fitting to find this footage of floating away quietly from the City on the ferry as I am now travelling away from my recent home of the Bay, which I adore and love tremendously. Nothing profound here, just a little bit of visual beauty...

I've been a bad blogger. I've been a great traveler and adventurer the last few months, though!! I need to write more often. I need to show you my pictures. I've been bad. I've been lacking my own computer for a year now (not the best excuse) and have been scraping to afford a new one, or at least get financing on a Mac so that lingering videos can be finished editing, my outlined non-fiction book on working in National Parks and resorts can be further written and this beloved website can be kept more up to date. In the last few months, I've explored the Bohemian culture of Salt Lake City, visited museums throughout California, climbed many high mountains in Colorado and New Mexico, visited more vegan restaurants and craft breweries than I can possibly remember (good thing I take lots of photos), visited a dozen National Parks (many of them new to me), hung out in Taos, Santa Fe, Boulder, Aspen, Telluride, Denver, Vegas, LA, Durango and..well..you get the point. I've been active. Many of the adventures have involved my partner Lynn, many have been solo. And I have a lot of catching up to do. It's been educational, fun, hard work and a great pleasure. I have now landed in Boulder for a good while. It seems a good spot to land. New opportunities as a bartender and Sommelier at a wonderful farm-table restaurant called The Black Cat. Getting inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of this town to further create my own organic and artisan products. Writing the book I've wanted to write, making the films I've wanted to film. Brewing more batches of tasty organic beer and bohemian root beer. Preparing for the Advanced level tests for the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Certified Cicerone test. Starting anew. Building on the old and beloved.
And maybe I'll just attach a slideshow of adventure to this to give a taste of the last few months...

A couple months ago, in my ever-beloved desire to visit and re-visit all possible amusement parks, in particular those with big roller coasters and/or water slides, my partner Lynn and I visited Six Flags' (and anything with Six Flags name on it is worth seeking) Northern California signature park:Discovery Kingdom. Once (many moon ago) this was Marine World (still how longtime locals refer to it as), but has since been accumulated into the Six Flags extensive lineup of parks, and in doing so, gone from what was primarily a zoo and animal showcase into an expansion of exciting thrill rides in addition. In my second trip to the park, and Lynn's first, we enjoyed many of the animals, the swings, and for I only-some of the thrilling roller coasters the Six Flags name is known for. This is scaled down Magic Mt, but fear not, there are many thrills to be had here, and the newest and most exciting is the Superman adventure, which I'm not quite sure how to put into words, but needless to say-Ride it! It is short, but you will feel and remember the experience (and most likely want to ride it again right after!).
Below is a short montage of images from the park, and I hope you will fine yourself here soon!

More Sierra images, this time focusing on the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe

Some beautiful shots of gorgeous spots in the High Sierra wilderness areas, as part of my continuing series of iPhone videos that I'm finding