Sickness Number 4

Sickness Number 4 of the season got me last week. It's pretty much the same sinus infection I've had since Mid-December. I've spent the last week filling a trashcan a day with tissues.

It sucks. 4 Doctors visits and a visit today to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist haven't yielded many answers. Life is on hold for me until I can get over this. I did get a new toy to keep me busy and torment Molly with!

Okay tormenting Molly with this way too dangerous for both of us, so she'll have to watch from a far.

A Memorial for Bob

My friend Bob passed away last weekend. Bob was a very influential person in my path to becoming an adult and a spiritually healthy person. He led by example, called things like he saw them, practiced tough love at times, but was always willing to help other people - Most importantly he was a good friend. I've always tried to see him and the rest of the "Monday night" crew when at home. Bob along with the other Bob and Lee put together an anual rafting trip down the Cheat River Canyon in West Virginia. Most of my Bob pics are from over the years padding the Cheat. Here are a few.

Bobs memorial service was Saturday back in Maryland. I couldn't make it, so I decided to honor Bob in my own way, in Colorado. I woke up early, printed out his picture, loaded up the dogs, and made my way to the Shadow Canyon Trail head. My plan was to hike to the top of South Boulder Peak, 8549 feet, and "let Bob go". South Boulder Peak is the highest peak in the Eastern Boulder hills. It has stunning 360 degree views of Boulder and Denver to the East and the peaks of the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National Park to the West. It would be the perfect spot for a memorial.

South Boulder Peak (HDR)

Last night a low pressure system moved through bringing wind speeds of 70 mph. It was still gusting to about 30mph in the flatlands this morning when I started out. The 3000 foot climb to the peak was grueling, the trail was covered in snow and the winds were relentless. I kept a good pace for the first 1.5 miles, but once I got into the steep Shadow Canyon climb I started to bonk. My weeks of inactivity fighting a sinus infection have taken a tool on my base fitness level. In the canyon the trail went from steep to vertical and the snow depth doubled. I was nervous about slipping and hitting my head, as it's only been a week since my concussion. The doctor told me even the slightest bump could cause permanent brain damage, especially in the first month. I motivated myself by thinking about Bob. Dragging myself up an icy canyon was least I could do to honor his years of service.

Alex Bonking, Dogs Relaxing

I pushed through, one snowy rocky ledge at a time and eventually I reached the saddle at about 8000 feet. I was at the top of the ridge and wind speed was up to a steady 40mph. The snow and winds did do some good, I didn't see a soul once I started up the canyon. I had the whole mountain to myself. I put on another layer and headed up the ridge line to South Boulder Peak. As I neared the top I was post-holing in about 3 feet of snow. It was great! Just shy of the peak I had to cross a steep boulder field. The snow made it treacherous by hiding the patchwork of deep cracks between the boulders. Every step needed to be probed first to make sure it was solid. At the first big crack Diogee and Sugar had had enough and refused to go any further. I understood so I leashed them up and they bedded down in the snow while Molly and I stubbornly pressed on. I did managed to fall in a couple cracks, but they weren't deep. Alas, I was at the top!

Trail (HDR)

Boulder Field

On Top

Picture of Bob

Views from the Top

Stitched

The wind was a sustained 45mph, but that was good because it would carry the picture of Bob far. I anchored myself on the peak and let my heart rate slow down. After a few moments I said a few prayers, thanked God for having Bob in my life and let him go. The strong winds ripped the picture from my hands. As I drifted into the horizon I caught a glimpse of Bob looking back at me. In a few seconds it was gone. After a few more moments of silence I headed back down. It was a contrast to find peace in such a harsh environment. Once across the boulder field I felt a huge sense of relief. I bedded down in the snow with the dogs and had an apple.

Cheers Bob...

Snowboarding Headache

My brother Andrew and some friends were in town last weekend for a snowboarding trip. I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to drive up the mountain with them due to a sinus infection I've been fighting for weeks. Luckily by mid-week I was finally able to clear my sinuses and ears to enable them to equalize the change in pressure. It would be my first time boarding this winter so I made a mental note to take it easy. Thursday we were treated to a clear, sunny day at Copper Mountain. There was about 12" of new snow that fell in the days before, but it was completely tracked out. The best snow was in the back bowls and with a little hiking you could find fresh powder.

Backside of Copper Mountain

Joe (red), Andrew (desert camo), Casey (white), Alex (green)

Friday, Jo along with John and Ally from Denver joined us and we headed to Beaver Creek. It snowed all day and we were treated to some of the best snowboarding I've ever had in Colorado. It wasn't crowded and the snow was fresh, both rare for a resort in Colorado. We had some epic tree runs and lots of laps down the bowl in knee deep powder. Jo scored a new snowboard on Craigslist and was ripping on it, it's so cool to have a girlfriend that you don't have to wait for. Overall, it was an epic day of boarding with a great crew until the last run.

Jo in the Trees

Andrew in the Trees

Alex in the Trees

On the last run Andrew and I were decided to race down the bowl. He's a better snowboarder than me, but my board is super stiff faster than his. I caught him as the bowl drained into a cat track near the bottom. It was the only section of the hill that was hard packed. We hit the track at full speed, I tucked into his draft and closed the gap quickly. My plan was to use his draft to slingshot me by and pass on his left. It worked perfect, so perfect I thought I would ignore the mental note I made earlier and pass super close. Bad decision!

My last memory is as I was passing Andrew, parallel and slightly ahead on his left. I came to in a daze to a huddle of concerned faces staring down at me. I was laying on my back, head-downhill about 100 feet down the cat track. Andrew had been knocked out too, but he seemed to recover quickly. I've been knocked out before, but never this bad. Once I woke up I just couldn't clear my head, my vision was blurry, I felt nauseous, and my skin was pale. I must have looked bad because everyone was super concerned. I took their advice and let the Ski Patrol take me down the mountain on a gurney to the clinic in the base lodge.

Free Ride Down the Mountain

All I wanted to do was go back to sleep, but obviously this was not allowed. I was treated for a concussion, although, I was coherent and could answer all the questions asked of me. The headache and nausea were the worst initial, but by Saturday my neck was completely inflamed from whiplash. I woke up Saturday with a black eye and spent all day in bed in pain. I left the mountains with Jo on Sunday morning and started to feel better by mid-day. I've been taking it easy since then, allowing my body and mind to heal.

We determined later than the tail of my board must have just kissed the nose of Andrew's as I passed which turned us both to the right. As we turned we both caught our back edges slamming the back of our heads into the hard pack. We both had helmets on and I would estimate our speed at the time of impact at least 35mph. I'm completely humbled and embarrased by my stupidity. I've never been one to take such uncalculated risks. It was just a stupid decision to pass Andrew so close as such a high rate of speed. For those of you that know me, save your breath - I'm harder on myself than any of you.

Keeping Busy on the Lee-Side

It's winter on the Lee-Side and I've been fighting a horrible sinus infection for the past month. I'm sad to report that I haven't been jumping off any cliffs or surviving 100 mile mountain bike rides in the desert. My sinus infection is so bad I even missed a trip to Utah that would have included some winter Hang Gliding at the Point and a couple epic powder days. Argh! I haven't even been able to work - I never thought I'd complain about that! It's been hard to keep busy. One thing that's kept me sane from the hours on the couch and the giant piles of tissues has been Problem A, aka the stolen, but recovered Honda Civic I just bought. Here's what I've done so far:

I managed to get the driver's side power window and door lock to work. The window was off the tracks because the front track was horrible bent. The lock mechanism was just broken off its mounts.

I've completely replaced the entire steering column. To do this I had to remove the airbag without triggering it to go off in my face which was way more involved than you would think, then remove the steering wheel.

Remove the wire reel and what was left of the headlight and wiper switches.

Unbolt and remove the universal joints in the steering shaft.

Remove the what was left of the old steering column without another trip to the emergency room!

Done.

The replacement column went in pretty easy. I had to cannibalize the old steering wheel, airbag assembly, and some wiring, but I managed to get it all together without the airbag going off.

The car is completely drive able and secure right now. All that's left to do is replace the heater / AC console and some extensive body work. I managed to get the mangled rear bumper close to it's original shape with a drill, pri-bar, and a metal screw! You can barely tell right!

Oh, I almost forgot about the Problem B I mentioned in my Solution B post, Problem B:

A nail in the worst possible place, the sidewall-tread junction. Not having the funds for $400 worth of tires, I found Solution B on Craigslist for $60 bucks. I will say you get what you pay for, the first run out in the M Coupe with those tires was downright scary!

Problem A

Problem A:

Problem A is really a solution to a future problem. Jo's current car, a 1998 Saturn, is nearing the unreliable end of its life. My friend Laura recently had the misfortune of having her 2000 Honda Civic stolen, but recovered with damage. Even though the car was damaged, Laura didn't like the idea of her car going the way of the crusher lot. With Jo needing a different vehicle, I saw an opportunity that would cure both of our dilemmas. Unfortunately, so far it has paned out like just another of my crazy schemes, involving drama, injury, failure and hopefully success.

Problem A

The plan: A well executed plan is done so in steps and the first step of my plan was to get the car off the dealer lot, where it was being stored, and into my garage. The problem with this step was that in place of the ignition key slot was a mangled mess of wires and plastic. Never having stolen a car before I tried to retrace the steps of the thieves to get it started. I twisted the two stripped ignition wires together and used a screw driver to contact what was left of the starter tumbler. It started right up. Step one almost complete. All I had to do was simply put it in gear and drive home to a nice lunch and spending the afternoon recovering from the sinus infection I've been fighting. That didn't happen, this is where it the day turned from plan to crazy scheme.

I decided it would be prudent to tighten the ignition wires more securely and insulate them, so I shut the engine off. It never restarted. I repeated my first steps a dozen times, checked all the fuses, checked all the wire connections, nothing. I just wouldn't start. A mechanic even came out and put a jumper on the battery for me. He mentioned the all the fuses in the engine compartment were good. I shouldn't have trusted him.

After about an hour I gave up on using the mangled remains of the ignition to start the car and implement Solution A, a complete used steering column including its own ignition key. It should be plug and play, but to get to the connectors I had to take the dash apart. The plastic covers came of easily, but the metal knee impact absorber behind was being stubborn. I struggled with a seized bolt in a narrow opening. It was cold and I didn't feel the razor sharp edge of the impact absorber slice through the flesh on my first knuckle. The first thing I noticed was the pooling blood on the floor mat. It had cut through the skin and fat in my finger and just grazed my tendon. As I moved the nickel sized opening in my skin back and forth I could see the gray tendonal shealth and muscle underneath. For a surreal moment I was mesmerized by the insides of my finger and the different colors of each anatomic component. Then I though: "Dude, that's your finger!"; "OOOOOOOOOUCH!!"; followed by instant nausea and the sight of a growing pool of blood in the white snow below.

The only thing I could find to stop the bleeding was a Starbucks napkin and a hair tie. It was like plugging a garden hose with a Q-tip. I did manage to tourneqet my wrist, which slowed the blood flow, but didn't stop it. I was suddenly in a race against time. I needed to get the car running in time to drive myself to the emergency room before I lost too much blood to function. My deductive reasoning skills faded proportionally to my blood loss. I scrambled to hook up the replacement steering column. The problem was that I didn't have the tools or time to remove the old one, so I stood the new steering column vertically on the floor and plugged it in. This put the key position on the floor between the gas and brake pedals. I crawled into the floor of the drivers side, inserted the key and turned. Nothing. It wouldn't crank.

2 Steering Columns

About 20 minutes had passed and I was completely faded. Laura wouldn't stand for my protests anymore and demanded I go to the emergency room. On the way to her car, I manged to glance into the fuse box under the hood one last time only to see the needle in the hay stack - a blown fuse. The mechanic was wrong, why did I initially trust him, why didn't I see this earlier? I had looked right at it! It didn't matter now, I was too delirious and delusional to do anything about it. I grabbed what tools I could see laying around left dazed in a cloud of failure.

The Emergency Room

Four and a half hours, a painful wound irrigation, tendon examination, and 3 stitches later I left the emergency room 30 minutes before the car lot closed. Hand bandaged and pride humbled, Laura and I stumbled back into the dealer lot. I made it to the parts counter as it the miniature garage door was closing, paid $10.60 (ouch) for a new fuse, and rushed install it in the fading sun light. As I ran around the corner to the car, Laura had a sad look on her face. For the second time this year her and now my car had been the victim of a theft. While we were gone, someone had stolen my remaining tools, the floor mats, and even some of the stolen merchandise the original thieves had left in the trunk. All I could do was laugh! The dealer claimed no responsibility even through it was inside their fenced lot because they had already released the vehicle to us. I didn't have the energy argue effectively at the time, but I'm not done with them...

I fixed the fuse, crawled onto the driver's side floor, twisted my good hand into place, turned the key and the car started! Victory! Now I just had to manage to some how fit and drive for an hour back to Boulder with an extra steering column wedged vertically between my legs. After my day, not a problem!!

How I had to Drive Home

Solution A, Solution B

Ahh Craigslist, sweet Craigslist what would I do with out you.

Solution A

Solution B