Beanblog

Knobstone - Take 2

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:53:24 -0600

A few days after our hike/camp excursion, I hiked from mile 0 back to to where we left my car at the Jackson Road trailhead. It was about a 6 mile hike, and I did it at a pretty good pace finishing in about 2.5 hours.

I tracked our hike in, out, and my hike back through using an iPhone app called Accuterra and was able to snap a few pictures along the way. I have created a Google Map that shows our paths, pictures, and an overview of the Knobstone Trail. I'm hoping to add to it as we continue to expand our hikes north.

Google Map: Knobstone Hiking

If anyone in the are would like to join us on our next excursion, let me know! We are planning a 3-day, 2-night hike from Jackson Road to New Chapel for September 3-5

Knobstone - Take 1

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:57:07 -0600

Lat weekend, Mothereffer/cuz and I decided to go hiking and camping along the Knobstone Trail. We took a minimal set of equipment (no tents) and hiked in from the Jackson Road trail head which is about a 6 mile hike from the Deam Lake trail head by my house, our final destination.

The first few miles were pretty rough. There's quite a bit of up and down as you hop from knob to hollow to knob to hollow. We stopped about 3.5 miles in (2.5 miles from the exit) and set up camp. We chose the bank of a dry creek bed as out site, as it had obviously been used before and there was already a fire pit with a few logs around it for seating. Brad built a small lean-to style shelter and I hung my hammock from some trees and got a fire going.

Then it started raining.

Then it started pouring.

Then the thunder and lightning kicked in... and lasted for about an hour and a half.

Brad's shelter kept the water from falling on him, but the rain was so torrential that most of bank pooled up with inches of water and soaked him from underneath. I had packed a poncho, so I put it on and sat in the rain and waited for the storm to pass. Our blazing fire got put completely out and the dry creek started flowing a little bit, then a lot. By the time the rain stopped, the creek was 40' across and not something I'd try to wade through. It was neat to see the water level come up so quickly, and then go back down just as fast.

After the rain, we dried off our stuff, ate some pudding, then tried to get some sleep. I can't speak for Brad, but I know that I got a solid 3-4 hour in before dawn woke me.

In the morning, we ate some granola bars, drank some water, and hiked out. The hike out, thankfully, was quite a bit easier than the hike in.

Good times! We will be back.

GIRL

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:16:44 -0600

Stef and I found out this morning that the bun in her oven is a baby girl! Can't wait to meet her on or around November 3!

Lost: The End

Sun, 30 May 2010 14:49:28 -0600

I started watching Lost the summer after the first season aired, and I was hooked after the first episode. I watched it religiously from that point forward and I consider it my favorite television series to date. For it to end on such a crappy note was a huge disappointed to me.

What it boils down to is this: The flash-sideways of season 6 was a complete waste of time. Instead of spending half of the season watching people slowly awaken and bumble around in purgatory, the writers could have put out more episodes like "Ab Abterno" (Richard's back story) and "Across The Sea" (Jacob/MIB's back story) and brought some resolution to the many many many unanswered questions that came up over the years.

Lost ended like a soap opera. That ending could have been tacked onto the end of any television drama. The writers really pushed the notion that the story was "about the characters" in interviews leading up to the finale, and yeah, it IS about them, but it's also about the island! Every story is about the characters, but Lost was unique and great because of the island. When someone asks "What is LOST about?", I don't think anyone would ever reply "It's a drama about a bunch of people who go through a journey of redemption and salvation and form a strong bonds". No, instead, most people would say "It's about a bunch of people who crash on a bizarre island with a monster, hatches, time travel, and all kinds of crazy, interesting, interconnected mysteries."

That's it. That's all I am gonna blog about it. If I get into the details, I'll never finish this blog. It was a great show with a crappy ending.

Okay, one more thing... Jacob has a "thing" for numbers? Seriously? that's the only explanation? LAME!

The Runs

Fri, 21 May 2010 13:58:35 -0600

Every now and then, I get the runs.

Ever since late 1998 or so, I've considered myself a "runner". I picked up running in my first major effort to lose weight, and as I dropped pounds, my distance and speed both increased. It was that great gob of positive, reinforcing feedback that ultimately led to me dropping about 60 pounds and running my first mini marathon. In the time since then, I've gone through phases... bouncing from running 4-5 times a week to skipping 4-5 weeks at a time!

I am happy to say that my longest and most inactive phase is now over. I'm back, and ready to get some more miles under my feet and drop a pound or two along the way. There's an app for that.

IBADS Brewtour 2010

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:37:45 -0600

This summer, several of us in IBADS will me driving all over the state and brewing beer with as many folks as we can. Our schedule lists out dates/events that are locked in, but we have plenty of openings late this summer. Interested in learning to brew beer? Host us!

Beards 4

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:40:07 -0600

Baby Bean

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:50:47 -0600

Stef's Pregnant!
Due date: early Novemberish.

Beer Snobs

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:04:58 -0600

I think there are two kinds of beer snobs. The first one that comes to my mind is the hooty tooty who refuses to drink "cheap" beer...often equated with domestic light lagers. One of my favorite places to eat and drink (Sportstime) refuses to sell Miller Lite, but will happily fill your glass with Spaten, an import light lager that's pretty similar. A type two beer snob is the inverse of type 1, latched onto whatever beer they've been drinking for years, shunning the blossoming craft/import beer scene.

I'm Bean, and I'm no beer snob. I don't discriminate.

The Problem With Facebook

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:29:11 -0600

The problem with Facebook is that you don't get to own and control your content. Fleeting thoughts thin out the good stuff, and the whole mess fades away as quickly as it rolls in. I've decided to revive the Beanblog for the things I want to stick around longer than 12 hours. Stay tuned?