Jump to content

Macanudo

Legacy Members
  • Posts

    7408
  • Joined

Posts posted by Macanudo

  1. 2 hours ago, You don't know me said:

    Occasionally I will take the wife's vehicle to the gas station on Sunday afternoon and fill it up.  Win/win.  I get a few minutes of peace and quiet and she appreciates it.  Mostly I do it for the peace and quiet.

    Do it right and go to the grocery store too with a big giant list.  Then hit a bar, drink a beer or three, go to the grocery store and speed shop for the list.   I guaran-damn-tee that I can do a grocery shop trip, with every item on the list purchased in half the time (or less) than 99% of women. 

  2. On 7/26/2018 at 3:43 PM, Jameslaw121 said:

    life hack - let the cat pee in the pile of bags. Usually only need to do it once or twice before she give up and only keeps a handful of bags

    Why corral the cat?  Be a man and pee on them yourself.

  3. 2 hours ago, TornACL said:

    Let us not forget that he basically singlehandedly carried Too Close for Comfort through 6 seasons on air. Ted Knight was a machine.

    That's giving awful short shrift to Jm J. Bullock.

    • Like 1
  4. 7 hours ago, Jhawk said:

    Seagram's heiress (about $300mm net worth at one point) just got pulled into this.  It will be interesting to see how much further this goes.  If you look at their website with the slant that it is a human trafficking ring then you start to get sick to your stomach.  The company is about supporting kids and people to feel good about themselves which means their targets are kids and people who have no self esteem.  disgusting.

    The Seagram's heiress has been involved a for a while.   She's also fucking batshit crazy.

  5. On 7/20/2018 at 10:21 PM, Okie State said:

    I do not currently max out at the $18.5K, but it's close. With the employer contributions I'm at around $30K-$35K/year. That's probably a lot to some people and peanuts to others. I feel pretty good about where I'm at, but am far from Surly 1% range.

     

    I do know people my age who max out at $18.5K, but they have a higher combined income with their spouse than I do. We're pretty much saving as much as realistically possible for us. Once the kids are out of daycare, we can save more.

     

     

    Your employer is making a 12-17K contribution per year?   Yeah, that's not even close to normal.  Either you are highly compensated and they have a 5-6% match/ER contribution or you work for a better company than I do.   We have a 6% match (above average by 50%) and an Er contribution of 3%.  

  6. On 7/22/2018 at 11:26 PM, BillyGoatHill said:

    Actually, there was the Triple Nickel, 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion that was first a company in 1943 and later Battalion size in late 1944. All Colored (African-American) unit with Colored Officers that was to be sent into the Battle of the Bulge, but the unit never made it to "full" Battalion strength and the crisis ended before they were sent. They were later deployed to the west coast and used as the first paratroopers / "smoke jumpers" to fight forest fires in the Pacific NW that were started by the Japanese fire balloon bombs (Fu-Go) in 1945. Fifteen different fires were jumped onto.

    Lob,

    BGH did that for us.  Except that the 55th did not land on D-Day and the 82nd was not an integrated unit.  I stand corrected on whether they were paratroopers but they didn't land at Normandy.

  7. One other thing and this is more Denver but over by where the original Denver Airport used to be (Stapleton) is the Stanley Hangar.   This is used to be the maintenance hangar for a company that built ejection seats for military aircraft (among other things).

    After the airport moved out to eastern CO, the hangar got converted into mixed use development with shops and restaurants.   check it out.

  8. Had a question from a poster but thought I'd share my reply here too.   

    Couple of questions and then some ramblings...

    Where are you coming from?   Elevation is a beast if you're not used to it so some of what I suggest below should be taken with a grain of salt.  I'm not in the best shape and so the elevation does get to me if I push too hard.

    How old are you kids?    This also affects what you'll do in three days.   If you have one younger than 7-8 I recommend having them tandem with you on the ride down.   That makes things a lot easier.   It's not that much harder for you and you don't have to worry about them.  

    Where are you staying?    If you're within walking distance of town and the kids are old enough to go on their own, let them.   Main Street is very pedestrian friendly.  Lots of t-shirt shops, a few ice cream/treat places and even a decent candy shop.  We normally stay just up the hill from the Breck Brewery.   This a 5 minute walk from the south side of Main Street.   This past week we were on the other side of CO 9 off of Broken Lance.   A little farther away but still a decent area.

    We rent from Mountain View Sports in Keystone.   Used them three times now and their crew is friendly and nice.   Every place costs about the same.   The ride is a lot of fun but if you choose to push on to Dillon, it gets harder if you're not used to the elevation.  I had been in Denver for parts of 4 days before we went up to Breck and did the ride on our first full day up there.   The ride down to Frisco was easy peasy.   The section from Frisco along Lake Dillon was challenging but not too bad.   But the last bit over the Dam was tough because of the wind.  Rewarding and worth it but tough.  

    The hike from Peak 8 to Peak 7 took less than 2 hours round trip.  It costs $20 per person to ride the Superchair from the Fun park.  Not a ton of money but something to consider.  This is a particularly easy hike as it does a bit of up and down but nothing major.   Single track path but nothing too hairy overall.  

    The Hoosier Pass trail took maybe 20-30 minutes to drive to  from Breck.  The hike took more than 2 hours.  You can either take a trail that kind of materializes going up the ridge about 10 minutes after you leave the trail head parking lot.   Take the Forest Service Road and go left at the junction.   About 1/10 of a mile on the right, you'll notice a path leading up to the right.   You can take that or just stay on the road for as long as you like.   That road goes on for several miles but I'm not sure how far.  We did the trail section then came back down the road.  The trail dead ends up on a small peak but there is a cut back down to the road that's kind of hard to see but you'll notice it after about 1.5 miles on the left.   

    There's a great hidden waterfall/hike down the valley toward Alma/Fairplay from Hoosier Pass.   Go south and turn right on County Road #4.  The first turn off for CR #4 is right before the road to starts to level off.   You can catch it again farther down but all you end up doing is driving on unpaved, bumpy road for a longer stretch if you go that far.   Follow this (staying right) to get onto the N/NE shore of the Montgomery Reservoir.   If you hike the Hoosier Pass trail above you'll see this off to your left as you go up.   The road dead ends at an old mine.   The reservoir is for Colorado Springs and it flooded the mining town of Montgomery after all the mining played out.  You can walk along a tiered waterfall (and even get in water for a little wading or cooling off in certain places.)   You can also go up past the old mine and hike up to Wheeler Lake.   This is along a jeep trail so be prepared for some road traffic.   Doubt you'd make it all the way to Wheeler as it's a 32 mile round trip unless you planned on having a real hardcore 4x4 vehicle.  But the area around the falls is pretty.   We did the Hoosier Pass loop then drove down to Fairplay and had lunch at the Soup Pot before going back up to the Reservoir.   The South Park Brewery is in the same parking lot area....   I'm not saying....   I'm just saying.    

    Loveland Pass is down US 6 from Keystone about 15 minutes (35-40 minutes from Breck).   The hike up the left hand spur is taxing but nothing impossible.   It's an out and back trip with nice views around.   Didn't do the right hand side as those are a lot more up.   

    There are other hikes in/around Breck like McCullough Gulch (moderate according to trail guides) and Continental Falls (moderate as well).  If you're all in shape, you could do those.    The Iowa Hill trail just north of downtown takes you around an old mining area.  It's not a tough walk but it does do some up and down.  

    Cannot recommend Downstairs at Eric's enough for the kids if they're in the right age range.   I always enjoy taking the kids and playing the games.  Skeeball, the skiing video game, etc.  Hell, they have Galaga, Donkey Kong and Pacman too.  Pizza is good, beer is cold and they love playing the games.   I usually make a little tournament and we spend an hour or two in the arcade.  

     

  9. Got back from a week and then some in Denver/Breckenridge.   Have family in Denver and stayed with them (Stapleton area) for a few days.  Sister in law had a baby in early June so we hung out with them for a couple of days then went up to Breck for 5 days.   While in Denver, we went to the Botanic Gardens.  Very pleasant surprise.

    Stayed in a townhome on the south side of Breck (off of Broken Lance...  A brisk 10 minute walk from the south end of Main Street.)   It was was adequate but had two glaring problems (one the owner could fix and one they can't.):   The upstairs bedrooms had ZERO window coverings and the master bedroom had a massive skylight.    Nothing like having the bedrooms light up at 6:00 in the morning.   We actually noticed a few properties around us that had skylights as well.   WTF?   The other issue was a new home being constructed above us on the hill.   They started work before 7:00 am and worked until after 6:00 pm.   Lots of backhoe work on the foundation and rocks.   Nothing like coming back from a long day hiking and then sitting on the porch listening to construction.  

    Restaurant report:

    We ate at several place but these were the standouts:

    South Ridge Seafood - They moved from the old house they used to be in closer to the northern end of Ridge Street to the Cima Mall area on the south side.   Still very good and IMO, the best restaurant in Breck.  Had a salmon-avocado bruschetta appetizer, red trout main dish and peach crostini dessert.  

    Downstairs at Eric's  - Pizza place mentioned above.  Still fun to go to even if the Macanudo-ettes weren't with me.   Good pizza with lots of beer.

    Hearthstone - Went here before going across the street to the Breck Playhouse to see Monty Python's Spam-a-lot.     Had the lobster appetizer and the braised lamb shank.    Very good but our waiter was a turd.   

    Outdoor stuff:

    Rode down Vail Pass.  This ride is almost all down hill for the first 6 miles to Copper Mountain.   The nest 6 to Frisco require a little peddling but not much.   Usually, when the Macanudo-ettes are along, we finish in Frisco.   This time, I rode on to Dillon along the lake and dam.   It was pretty nice until the section along the dam.   Easily as 15 mph head wind that kicked my ass.   The ride back into Keystone (where we rented the bikes) is another 6+ miles and slightly/mostly uphill.    Probably wont't ever do that.  From Frisco, you could ride back/to Breck and that's another 10 miles (mostly on a slight uphill grade.)   It might not seem like much but when you're at 7,000 feet above sea level, it can kick your ass.  

    Hiked from mid way up Peak 8 to Peak 7.   Took the Gondola from downtown Breck to the Fun Park then the Colorado Superchair up to Vista Haus.   This is a pretty easy hike as the trail tends to run fairly perpendicular to the ridge line.   The only drawback is the $20 per person charge to ride the Superchair.  We got a later start than I wanted and the consequence was getting stuck at Vista Haus due to thunder and lightning.  Had to be shuttled down the mountain as the lifts were closed down.

    Hoosier Pass Loop - Trail guides show this as a 180 foot elevation gain on the 3 mile loop.   I call bullshit but maybe it really is only that far.   But it's not a hard hike and the 1.3 mile along the ridge on the way up gives awesome views.  You can go another half mile or so farther north towards Quandary Peak and the double back to the loop.   

    Loveland Pass West Ridge Trail - This is the easier of the hikes from Loveland Pass.  Grizzly Peak and Mt. Snitkau are more challenging to the east but you're already at 11,990 feet above sea level when you start on either trail.   

    Cross posting my favorite Colorado beers from the trip:

    Upslope Rocky Mountain Kolsch (Boulder)  Very good Kolsch.  Very smooth and very bummed that this is only a spring seasonal.   

    Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (Denver) Excellent Scotch Ale.  Really good example of this style.  

    River North Pils. (Denver)  Very easy to drink and is a lot like a Czech pilsner.  A definite session ale.  Liked it a lot.

    Telluride Tempted IPA (Telluride).  Liked as well and another one I wish I could get down here.   A really good IPA 

    Broken Compass Czech Pilsner(Breckenridge) Very nice pilsner.   Simple but a good beer.  If you’re in Breckenridge, swing by their tap room south of town. 

    South Park Ranch Hand Cream Ale.  (Fairplay) Might my favorite beer of this trip.   Smooth and easy to drink.   The rest of the South Park lineup doesn’t intrigue me all that much but I will seek this one out the next time I’m up there.

    Left Hand Kolsch.  (Longmont) Super tasty kolsch.   Might be the best Left Hand offering out there and their Milk Stout is one of my favorite beers ever.   

    I didn't take as many pictures as I thought:IMG42492122475_91cd9603dc_k.jpg

     

    41588146760_7cdf21df08_z.jpg

     

    42492123725_2cdb02ae25_z.jpg

     

     

    41588148400_dae5abd23d_z.jpg

     

    41588148950_4fe3f5787d_z.jpg

     

    42492125145_257d1afb87_z.jpg

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Like 2
  10. Beer report from a week in Colorado in order of when I drank them:

    Upslope Rocky Mountain Kolsch (Boulder)  Very good Kolsch.  Very smooth and very bummed that this is only a spring seasonal.   

    Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (Denver) Excellent Scotch Ale.  Really good example of this style.  

    Denver Beer Princess Yum Yum (Denver).  Raspberry Kolsch.  Very fruity and one was enough.  Doubt I’ll ever try this one again.  Don't know that anything from Denver Beer has ever been "great" to me.  

    Pikes Peak Golden Ale.  (Monument) Belgian ale.   Really didn’t care for this one.   Just too yeasty and reminded me why I usually skip Belgians.

    River North Pils. (Denver)  Very easy to drink and is a lot like a Czech pilsner.  A definite session ale.  Liked it a lot. 

    Upslope Citra Pale Ale.  (Boulder) New hop (Citra) pale.  Drinkable but a little too citrusy.   I wanted to like it but there are other Upslope offerings that are better. 

    Fremont Summer Ale (Seattle) Very drinkable summer beer.  It’s a seasonal so if you see it around, grab it. 

    New Image Paul Vermont Pale Ale (Arvada).  Super cloudy NEIPA.   Reminded me of Great Heights NE IPAs and that is a total compliment.   Needed a little time in a glass to really open up on the flavors.

    Upslope IPA.  (Boulder) Good IPA and pretty representative of a “normal” west coast IPA.   I think I can find this in Houston.

    Bierstadt Slow Pour Pils (Denver) Light and clean.   This is from a small brewpub and worth trying if you’re up there.   Great with a meal.  Had this with some Korea BBQ.   

    Fremont Lush IPA. (Seattle) Very tropical and not like a traditional west coast IPA but I liked this one enough that I wish I could get it down here.   Fremont makes some really good beer. 

    Elevation 8 Second Kolsch. (Poncha Springs)   Great beer.   Reminds of me of Love Street.    Along with the Tempter IPA below, the only beer I had more than once this week.  Bought sixers of both while in Breck and wish I could get it down here. 

    Telluride Tempted IPA (Telluride).  Liked as well and another one I wish I could get down here.   A really good IPA 

    Great Divide Titan IPA.  (Denver) Nice IPA.  Worth seeking out at home and Spec’s (downtown) has it. 

    Breckenridge Kensho Kolsch. (Breckenridge) A little too fruity.  Not sure what's causing that.  Had this a couple of years ago and like it better then.

    Breckenridge Summer Pils. (Breckenridge)  A lot like St. Arnold's Summer Pils but lighter and less filling.  Like it for a weekend drinker if I could get it.  

    Breckenridge Hop Peak IPA. (Breckenridge)  Rotator seasonal.  Sort of traditional IPA with hoppy goodness. 

    Outer Range In the Steep IPA (Frisco).  Just a little cloudy but not a typical NE IPA.  Some really good citrus notes without being  overhelming.   

    Broken Compass Czech Pilsner(Breckenridge) Very nice pilsner.   Simple but a good beer.  If you’re in Breckenridge, swing by their tap room south of town. 

    Vail Brewery Hot Mess Blonde.  (Vail)  Bit more of a bite than your normal blonde and likeable.    This was the only Vail offering I saw anywhere in Breckenridge and Frisco. 

    South Park Ranch Hand Cream Ale.  (Fairplay) Might my favorite beer of this trip.   Smooth and easy to drink.   The rest of the South Park lineup doesn’t intrigue me all that much but I will seek this one out the next time I’m up there.

    Melvin IPA (Alpine, WY) – Trying to do too much.   Sort of cloudy but not a NE IPA.   Not hoppy like a West Coast IPA and kind of odd.  I wanted to like it but it just didn’t hit the spot. 

    Pug Ryan Peacemaker Pilsner. (Dillon) Super mild for a pilsner.  Sort of sweet.  Could drink a few of these.  

    Left Hand Kolsch.  (Longmont) Super tasty kolsch.   Might be the best Left Hand offering out there and their Milk Stout is one of my favorite beers ever.   

    Tivoli Helles (Denver).    Nice but nothing special.  Had this with an average burger at the Canteen  in Breck.  The burger was better. 

    I'm going to cross post my favorites from this list with an update on the "Vail (summer)" thread along with  trip report.   

    • Like 1
  11. 34 minutes ago, RPM said:

    Pro Tip: Don't get old.

    I hurt my back a few weeks ago bending over to pick something up off the floor of my car.   Took almost a week to really get better and it still tweaks every now and then to remind me who's in charge.

  12. 22 hours ago, CheesePie said:

    Regarding boots, everybody and their grandmother wear XTRATUF's in Alaska. The insulated pair are practically necessary in the winter but will not be so comfortable during summer.

     

    https://www.xtratuf.com/

    I had a great pair of Merrells with the insulation.   Those were super comfortable and never felt too clunky even though they were pretty damn big.

  13. 6 hours ago, LCHorn said:

    The biggest surprise in this thread is the discovery that HG is married. 

    Aside from the recurrent leaks from the private board, it does help explain the decline in the crazy LA party stories.  Congrats!

    Nope.   The biggest surprise is that you only have 12 posts.

×
×
  • Create New...