Population......................-1

I hate this place...

2012-02-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

And I don't care who knows it...

My favorite memory of my three winters and two summers at RMBL is of being given only grudging and marginal credit for working my fucking ass off to make the facility a better place, and me a better person in it, while being treated like the village outcast by certain people with whom I worked the closest, then being manipulated and shoehorned by those same certain peo...ple into a living arrangement I didn’t want, from which I had nothing to gain, and as it turned out had everything to lose, soft touch that I am, and then, favorite among favorites, actually getting fed an extra large measure of blame by certain other persons to whom the eagerness to brand someone, anyone, a chemically enhanced troublemaker came too easily to me after I took more than my fair share of the blame myself, as I tend to do, for such inevitable problems which ensue from this kind of forced confinement in such small towns as this, and between such persons as we, the offender and I, where chemical enhancement is a natural enough escape from the rather ungainful employment as can only be purchased from the same certain other persons who themselves should never have been put into positions of authority where the judgment of conditions regarding real human emotional interaction is in play, as they have none of their own, but who nevertheless are; all the while observing the emboldened offender, who was obviously, to everyone who knows him, the principle cause, instigator, antagonist and ultimate source of said difficulties, and who has a well documented and official history of chemical offenses, newly aimed toward such generous, and easily cajoled people as me, get away with taking absolutely no responsibility, whatsoever, for his role in these affairs, but who, nevertheless, gobbled up all available pity, self and otherwise, as is his nature, so as to earn a duel honorary doctorate in professional victimization, and competitive couch surfing where at the end of the day he gets the whole fucking house.

Is it irony that the same people who couldn’t spare a word of conversation with me for two summers wanted all of my attention when it came time to find a place to crash for the coming winter? Yes. I think it is.

No one in a position of authority in this ugly situation gave a damn about me or the reality of what happened because to them a confession in hand is worth none in the bush.

The only people I know who can never be wrong are Jesus freaks, and the monumentally insecure. Which one are you, Ian Billick?

In . . . . . . . . . . Out

2011-08-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have changed my blog presence to focus on my artwork, and life in general, post-Gothic. Here's my new address...

http://johnkennellfineart.blogspot.com/

I would have much preferred wealth and fame. But poverty and infamy are better than nothing.

Drawing in Gothic

2011-07-04T08:34:00.001-07:00

While in Gothic I finished a large pencil drawing entitled 'Hayman.' It incorporates the June of 2002 Hayman Fire smoke plume as seen from Denver, as well as sections of my apartment building at the time.

The actual drawing dimensions are six by sixteen inches on a sixteen by twenty-four inch piece of paper. It was done with a drafting pencil and gum eraser. My prints preserve the original dimensions, have a title stamp, and are signed and numbered . . .

[click on images to enlarge]

This is a mock-up of how it may look matted and framed.

You may obtain prints of my work through Northside Galleries of Fort Wayne, or contact me directly at johnkennell66@gmail.com .

. . . but wait! There's more . . .

I have created an additional series of prints derived from the 'Hayman' drawing. They are ten inch square, kaleidoscopic images on twenty inch square paper; stamped, signed and numbered. These web images are at 100 ppi. The physical prints are at 800 ppi and capture the contrast and detail of the original even better than I had hoped.

Below is a compilation piece of all twenty-five, shrunk down and arranged in the same ten by ten inch square . . .

And here is one of them, number twenty-one, framed . . .

August 1, 2011: And here's a mandala I generated from the base drawing...

August 9, 2011: And another one...

Spring Forward?

2011-03-29T17:32:00.001-07:00

We got about three feet of new snow the past couple days, topping us out over seven feet... again.

Only two more months until the dining hall opens!

Pink!

2011-01-21T15:10:00.001-08:00

Bread!

2011-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

New year, new loaf.

Indiana for Christmas

2011-01-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

I went home for Christmas this year and had a wonderful time, but seriously, this is what it looks like in winter. I miss it more in the summer.

Zeek!

2011-01-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

This is Denny's snowman... alas, now six feet under.

Six Feet Under (antique Gothic)

2011-01-21T14:24:00.001-08:00

A huge storm rolled through town before Christmas and dumped six feet of new snow on us. There wasn't a lot of wind, so the snow settled lightly on everything, caking trees and buildings with frostings of pure white.

(I admit the antiquing may be a bit thick on a few of these, but I find it fun and the results look pretty descent.)

Copper Creek Trail

2010-12-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Gobble, Gobble ...

2010-11-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

Population .......... 4(ish)

2010-11-20T10:45:00.001-08:00

The actual number of caretakers this year varies by day, but we seem to have maxed out at 7. There are the officials ... me, Denny Brown, Gary and Kiki Dotzler (sp?). Ira Jackson joined the crew late in the game. There's Shayn Estes, the semi-impermanent guest and private ski instructor. And lastly is our very own billy barr, according to whom this is the most people we've had living up here in the winter that he can remember going as far back as the mid-1700's.

By the way that's Venus up there in the sky.

Sand Dunes - People

2010-11-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

44

2010-11-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

Green, green.

Sand Dunes

2010-09-19T16:32:00.001-07:00

June at the Beaver Ponds

2010-06-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Shayn Estes, Sarah Rudeen and I went up to the Beaver Ponds, then Vera Falls the Sunday before last. It had just snowed that morning.

may is the merry month, billy!!

2010-05-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

So we got a little snow... that's no reason to hang yourself. At least the road is open.

Copper Creek Trail

2010-05-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday Anne Marie Panetta and I hiked up Copper Creek Trail toward Copper Lake. We didn't quite make it to the lake, but had a great day anyway. The trail was snowed in nearly the whole way up. It was hard enough though that we didn't need our snowshoes. And we saw a rabbit.

Florida

2010-04-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just got back from visiting family in Florida for a couple weeks. We went to Disney World, then south to stay at the beach for a few days.

On the morning of April 6th, my sister and I got up early to see the space shuttle liftoff. We found a footbridge at the hotel that had a good eastern view. The launch pad was probably about 65 miles away from us there in Orlando. There were only three other people up watching; a man and his two sons.

We thought we could see a bright object rising, but then I saw its blinkers; an airplane. A second later we saw a very bright flare rise up. It arched over to the left where it shed the rocket boosters. A halo of comet-like light then formed around the shuttle. At this point we could start to hear it. The sound was like a low thunder that smoothly rose and fell. Sorry for the poor picture quality... low light and no tripod.

This was probably the best part of my vacation. I've alway wanted to see a space shuttle launch.

fox news

2010-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Bread

2010-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Check out my loaves. I threw away the recipe and baked on instinct...

Vernal Equinox 2010

2010-03-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

The first day of spring in Gothic...

Super Tour 2010

2010-03-06T10:50:00.001-08:00

The Super Tour ski race rolled through town this morning. There were about sixty skiers in all. The weather looked to be cloudy when I woke up, but cleared off by the time the first racers reached Gothic.

I captured a couple short videos, too. You can see billy there in the first one. I tried to bully him into telling me where he put the booby traps for the skiers, but he refused squeal.

Roof Slide

2010-03-06T10:34:00.001-08:00

We had some pretty heavy snow buildup on Maroon's roof after the recent storm. The top slid down at a snail's pace for three days before finally braking loose. I directed the hut renters away from the worst of the danger, as the lab normally frowns upon crushing its guests.

...but eventually it all came tumbling down.

Careful what you wish for

2010-02-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Check out these snowfall stats the next time you feel like complaining about the weather:

2/21... New Snow 9"... Depth 69"
2/20... New Snow 21"... Depth 68"
2/19... New Snow 20"... Depth 63"
2/18... New Snow 2"... Depth 46"

If I'd'a Known You Were Coming...

2010-02-08T16:39:00.001-08:00

billy so hates it when his in-laws drop in unannounced.

p.e. no.14b - Avery Peak in 3D

2010-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

I took some 3D pictures while up on Avery. They're no Pandora, but I like making them. For viewing info click here.

(click to enlarge)

p.e. no.14 - Avery Peak

2010-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I caught this image of Avery Peak at sunset. See how the snow blows off the top?

It looked very different last May when a group of us hiked up to the summit...

This is the entrance to an old mine shaft on the side of the abandoned road into Virginia Basin.

Looking back at Gothic Mountain from Virginia Basin.

Avery is pyramid shaped. Once we reached the mountain itself we followed the narrow ridge up to the summit. This pinnacle is almost unnoticeable from below, but dominates the valley from just above.

Weeks before this hike a dust storm blew in from Utah depositing a fine layer of pinkish powder on everything. The dust being darker than snow, it quickly melted its way through the snow pack, exposing the ground much faster than normal.

Gothic face and bowl from near the summit of Avery.

The town of Crested Butte.

Me.

Shadows and Fog

2010-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday a fog bank descended into town just as the sun came up...

Gobble Gobble

2009-11-26T05:32:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of this year's Thanksgiving feast in Gothic. The weather was beautiful and nobody got stuck on the road, in or out.

I couldn't sleep at all last night. I was afraid I'd miss the alarm and not get the bird in the oven in time. I remember waking up and seeing the glowing hands of my clock, and reading them as 4AM. Bzzz! Wrong... only 12:20AM. Turns out I was worried for nothing. For our 12 o'clock supper I put the 21lb., five hour turkey in the hot box at 6AM... to be conservative. It was done in three and a half, two and a half early, as it turned out.

So I put the oven on low and let it stew. By the time the guests arrived, Tom was so tender he fell right off the bone. I made gravy with the drippin's and we ate and ate and ate...

Gothic, Ringworld

2009-11-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

Mount Crested Butte always reminded me of a peculiar mountain featured in Larry Niven's scifi novel 'Ringworld.'

black&white

2009-11-21T12:35:00.001-08:00

I took this picture last October 13th.

Weather Station Day

2009-11-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays are weather station day up here. J&T and I switch off weeks where we have to climb the hill up to the EPA station to calibrate and test the equipment, and gather water samples to be sent for analysis. The day was bright and clear, and I took a couple pictures of the ice in Copper Creek.

And while up on the hill today I caught my first sight this year of the abominable snow billy.

p.e. no.13 - First Big Snow

2009-11-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

The first big snow storm hit us a couple days ago. I took my skis out yesterday to take some pictures.

I made a couple 3D pics out of this batch. For viewing info click here.

And this morning Gothic was doing its thing with the light again.

nov 6

2009-11-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my 43rd birthday. I didn't do much, except make sweet and sour chicken. I offered up a birthday wish to the Great Quantum Fluctuation for 'Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,' but am still waiting to be approved.

I caught the moon just setting over the mountain as I got out of bed this morning.

Fall Equinox

2009-09-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

We got a fresh covering of snow on the equinox. Here are some pictures, and music...

Gothic Face

2009-08-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Three of us, Jamie, Ira, and myself, went up the face of Gothic Mountain on Monday, August 3. This first picture is looking back down at town. My cabin is the smaller of the two in front.

I didn't take a lot of pictures on this hike because honestly I was too afraid to let go of the mountain. We hiked up through the meadow and into a water drainage shoot that varied from ten to two feet wide. It was one rock climbing puzzle after another. On a couple of them you just had to wedge in and push. I got stuck a few times. About a thousand feet later, when we got out of the shoot, the rest of the climb was basically a hand over hand forty-five degree angle scramble up to the summit. At one point I reached the ridge which separates the face side from an enormous bowl to the north. That's when I really started to panic. From where I was I could see another scree field sloping down to a cliff, after which was a shear drop into a gravel pit. There was no going back the way I came, and I knew the only was down the mountain was up the mountain, so I kept inching my way along the ridge.

Black and white seemed appropriate for most of these pictures.

Gothic town site from the summit.

Mount Crested Butte (left) and the town of Crested Butte (right).

Jamie and Ira (and me) on the summit.

The north peak of the bowl, also known as the false summit. The trail down the mountain leads along the rim to the left.

The bowl from the rim.

I saw something nasty in the woodshed...

2009-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

... and it definitely saw me.

I caught the sound of this little critter gnawing on my house early Monday. Porcupines like the taste of treated wood, I guess. Salt, or something. I opened my front door thinking it was a woodpecker or a grizzly or something awful I could scare away with the flay of a bath-towel... But upon seeing me, this needle-backed, rat-oid, weezledom waddled clear up to the top of my woodpile and stayed there all day, scared to death.

p.e. no.12 - The Road has Opened!

2009-05-05T05:23:00.001-07:00

I walked over to Johnson Lab yesterday to do a load of laundry only to find our billy in a slough of despond under the weight of two inches of new and still falling snow with no end to winter in sight. I wrenched the double-barreled shotgun out of his mouth in time for news of the snowplow that was on it's way up to us just then.

Thursday: I rode my bike into town today in sandals, shorts and a t-shirt... and got sunburned.

p.e. no.11 - Meltdown

2009-04-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

I take it all back. I hate snow. I want green. I skied into town today... probably the last time before the road gets plowed early next week, says billy. We've been getting a lot of sun, so I hope he's right... for his sake.

pbd

2009-04-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Spring Equinox

2009-03-21T06:19:00.001-07:00

The equinox was yesterday. Call me crazy but I think the clouds at sunset looked warmer.

p.e. no.10 - Super Tour

2009-03-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

A group of about seventy back country ski racers came through town this morning. The first of them made it from the trail head to Gothic in twenty minutes. The same distance takes me an hour and twenty minutes to cross. billy wanted to form a caretaker gauntlet; throwing rocks, sticks, and withering insults at these speed devils in envious protest... It took some doing, but I talked him out of it.

p.e. no.09 - Ten Percent Water

2009-03-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

To my fans, all two of you, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on other stuff. But last Tuesday (2/24) we had a weird snowstorm roll in that I couldn't ignore with my camera.

Usually the water content of the snow up here is around 5%, much lighter than the average 10% at lower elevations. This storm was the exception. I measured 12% after almost two feet total snowfall over two days. I had to shovel the outhouse path half a dozen times on Monday to keep ahead of it. The temperature hovered just above freezing both days.

I woke up early Tuesday. The snow had stopped falling so I went out to do another quick shovel. The weather was foggy and strange, with zero wind. I've been waiting for a good picture day like this. I snowshoed up Copper Creek road and could hear aspens snapping under the weight all around me as I went. I'm glad I got an early start too, because owing to the sun's heat and the slightest breeze the snow was all gone on the trees by noon.

That's Dennis walking across the previous two pictures.

I'll post more pictures of this storm soon...

Fox

2009-01-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

Cody Parmer, referred to in some social circles as 'The Charmer,' has a great view of the field on the east side of the road here in Gothic. He often sees foxes playing and chasing each other. He got this nice closeup last weekend.

Stereopticon

2008-12-23T13:47:00.001-08:00

So I've been experimenting with stereo photography the last couple of days. I think I've got it down.

In the old days they used a single camera with two lenses that could take two slightly different views of the same scene, simultaneously. When combined on a card and placed in a special viewer the images would merge and create a three dimensional effect. The brain would do what it does naturally and interpret the angular differences between the two pictures as depth.

I just have the one camera, though, so I have to choose subjects that are perfectly still; no wind blown objects, falling snow, fast moving clouds, etc. I take one picture, then immediately move slightly to the right and take the same picture again being careful to frame the second photo with the same landmarks as the first. In Photoshop I combine the two images into a single picture with the left and right images next to each other.

Now admittedly it is far easier to get a three dimensional effect with a viewer, but few people have them lying around anymore. However I've found that it's possible to see a 3D image without a viewer if you don't mind going cross eyed. This takes a little practice, and it tends to give you a headache if you stare too long, but here goes...

Look at the image and let your eyes relax a little. You'll notice when you do that the two images will tend to drift together. Use this natural drift to your advantage and force the images to keep drifting until they seem to overlap and combine to form a third image in the middle of two fainter peripheral images (it may be helpful to back away from your screen so your eyes don't have to cross quite as much).

Once you've aligned the two images into the third you should begin to see depth of field. It's a bit difficult at first to hold the image, and again it may help if you back away a bit. Once the image is captured, slowly move closer to your screen while holding the image together to experience more detail.

The following is a demonstration of what you will see as you combine the two pictures together. This is a flat interpretation. The actual images tend to shimmer around the edges when you do it for real. This is due to your brain not getting quite enough information in the periphery to make sense of what it's seeing.

And here are some images for you to try. Migraine suffers beware.

(click to embiggen)

Winter Solstice

2008-12-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

The winter solstice was yesterday. I caught this picture of light on Gothic Mountain just as the sun rose, but before it ascended into the cloud layer.

p.e. no.08 - Frost/Moon

2008-12-12T06:24:00.001-08:00

This morning a weird frost settled on all the vegetation. It had large flat crystals that covered the plants in irregular patterns and grew out to maybe a quarter inch. In sunlight it produced a halo effect.

Dennis, Cody and I finally finished closing the last two cabins today. There wasn't much to do except unhook the propane tanks and shut off the power. Then we all went skiing down the road toward town. All of us needed the practice.

Later, around sunset, I kept an eye out for the moonrise. It would be full tonight. I knew it would also rise later than the previous night, and probably farther north. I caught a few pictures of the red stained mountains while waiting for the moon.

Photo Essay No.07 - Moonshine

2008-12-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Monday evening (12/01) the sky cleared. I captured one good picture of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter alignment.

Astronomy is automatic up here. At least for me. Clear moonless nights are both frightening (I'm sure I'll be eaten by a squirrel or a moose or something when I go out after sunset) and exhilarating. Orion is the most prominent feature of the sky outside my south facing windows. I can tell time by it. With all this snow on the ground, when the moon comes back the valley is almost bright enough to read a newspaper.

p. s. - This guitar wielding hypnotist puts me in a moon-watching trance whenever I listen. So despite the bigfoot threat I wandered outside the last few nights to soak up some lesser light...

Photo Essay No.06 - The Road has Closed

2008-12-07T06:37:00.001-08:00

Last Monday (12/1) the county locked the gate at the trail head and officially closed our road for the season. We three caretakers and billy shuttled the Subaru down there the day before because it had been snowing heavily all weekend. We got it out just in time.

Since then I've been hitting the skis nearly every day. The last time I cross countried was twenty years ago. I went up and around the valley trying to work up my endurance for what will be a three and a half mile trip to town that is my commute to civilization for the next six months.

Photo Essay No.05 - 11/6

2008-11-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

On November 6, I hiked up the road toward billy's place, then up to Judd Falls.

Photo Essay No.04 - Sunrise

2008-11-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken on different days over the last month, under slightly different weather conditions. They are in no particular order and share only their proximity to the sunrise.

Critters

2008-11-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

I caught some of my neighbors out hunting the past few mornings. Cody identified this first guy as an Ermine. He moved so fast I'm surprised I got this shot.

Update: Dennis Manz, one of the other caretakers, photographed a porcupine poking it's head out from under Lead King cabin on Dec. 20.

Maroon

2008-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

This is Maroon Cabin (on the right). In winter it will serve as a back country ski cabin for overnighters. It's brand new this year and I'll be responsible for taking care of it.

It has a fully equipped kitchen...

A dining and living area...

And four bedrooms upstairs (3 with 2 twins beds each, and 1 with a single full).

There is a bathroom, but it only has a shower and sink (sorry, you'll have to outhouse it). There's no wood stove in this cabin, but it does have a ground source heat pump for warmth, and hot and cold running water.

What a Difference a Day Makes...

2008-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting snow, and today I got it. The first major snow storm of the season rolled in this morning; about six inches so far, with maybe a foot or two more expected overnight.

billysquatch

(O)h, yeah... that, too.

HSH

2008-11-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

A few people have asked for a look at my cabin, so...

This is my castle... Rogers-Boggs. It's a four bedroom house with a bathroom, kitchen and living room. It has an attached outhouse off the bathroom... Sorry, no flusher. (I'm just glad it's inside.)

Dennis lives in Avery cabin.

And Cody lives up in Gates... at the very top of the hill. That's my living room window in the foreground.

This is my wood for the winter. I stacked it myself, so I wouldn't stand under it if I were you.

My front door...

And this is my living room.

The stairs up to my bedroom...

And my kitchen...

Best of all, this is the view from my window...

Photo Essay No.03

2008-10-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend (10/05) some bad weather moved in. I got a few good pictures out of it.

Photo Essay No.02

2008-10-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

And last Tuesday (9/30), Peter Petropoulos and I hiked up White Rock Mountain. Here are some pictures...

Photo Essay No.01

2008-10-02T16:50:00.001-07:00

I hiked up Gothic Mountain last Saturday (9/27) to take some pictures.

Work Crew is Over!

2008-09-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Robyn the work crew supervisor released us early today, but the elements weren't so generous. It started raining just as we finished shuttering Marcellina cabin. I stayed a while in the shop, then got tired of waiting so walked home in rainish hail.

I can't complain... coming up is a long weekend followed by a whole lot of nothing until May. Winter caretaker starts now.

Pitch Black

2008-09-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

It's really dark here at night, and quiet. One can become annoyed by the tiniest light a mile away.

I just arrived home. It's eleven thirty now.

Tonight I walked down a country road, in the mountains, in absolute blackness - except for the stars - with a group of Gothic residents, six in all, to dismantle a tee pee south of town built by one of the summer work crew (Jonathan Speer - some kinda plant artist). We built a fire and burned the mildewed blankets and sundries. It was an event like that of an exit from summer camp, or cleaning out one's high school locker... except it was here.

And here is seriously the middle of nowhere.

The best part of this night was the exchange I had with George, previously named, on the way down to the fire, which amounted to... 'I walk all over this valley, at night, alone, without a light, all the time, unafraid.' And he's been doing it for ten years.

Who are these people? My dad took me to see 'The Legend of Boggy Creek' when I was five or something and ruined me for dark wooded places, forever.

And so as I walked, one foot in front of the other, assuming the attitude of those around me... soon realizing I could see in the dark, like they could. I could see the road, the trees, the sky, the vague silhouette of light from CB over Snodgrass, the Milky Way, Andromeda... I could see two point two-million light years. I felt the dizziness of the unfamiliar. And being with people who knew where they were and what they were doing, I felt safe. The unfamiliar began to feel familiar. And I realized I knew where I was... I could tell by the outline of the mountains and the stars. I knew exactly where I was.

We had a great time pulling up stakes, knocking down poles, tossing crap onto the bonfire.

We stared at the fire for a long time... And after the coals died down we all walked home. Nothing unusual.

This is life in Gothic.

RuMBLe

2008-09-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last spring while watching Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' I googled the phrase winter caretaker and got a hit. An ad appeared for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado. I had never heard of it, but I liked the sound of it... nine or ten months alone to work on some art and enjoy the mountains... perfect.

After some fancy application writing, and persistence, they offered me the job. I was as surprised as anybody, and a little worried... afraid that I might actually like it. I had a good job in Denver, and a not so great apartment, but it was stable. I honestly didn't know I was really going until I really went.

Except for two other caretakers, and the lab's business manager (billy barr - the only year round resident in Gothic) I'll be alone. There will be once or twice monthly trips down to Crested Butte, about three miles by ski or snowshoe only after it snows. No snowmobiles or motorized anything is allowed in the valley in winter. There is a 'ski cabin' right next to mine where back country skiers can stay the night. I'll be supplying them with water and propane throughout the winter. So it's not completely REDRUM up here.

I arrived on September 1st after a long six hour drive in a u-haul. The weather was good all the way to Gunnison.

Mount Princeton

But on the road north to Crested Butte it started raining. I didn't mind. Rain and clouds give the scenery more dimension.

Highway 135

Elk Street, Crested Butte

It was near dark when I arrived in CB. It took another hour to get up to Gothic. One of the residents (George) who just happened to be walking by pointed me to my cabin. I found a bed and fell asleep.

On Wednesday (9/3) I began work crew detail with about five other guys and a supervisor. We fixed and built fences to keep cattle out of the lab's research meadows, shut down the summer water supplies, and closed unoccupied cabins. Most scientists and students were gone before I arrived, leaving their various cabins and labs to be shuttered and emptied by the crew.

Back in Denver, before this job came along, I was sitting on my ass in front of a computer for the better part of a year, and four thousand feet lower. Try carrying fifty pound bags of cement up a hill at this altitude and you'll understand why I've never been so tired in my life.