Author Archives: Al

Bad Ass 2018 Camp report, Part Deux (II)

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Al

Tuesday – The Big Day. Independence Pass rises directly out of Aspen, heading east from 8000′ to 12,100′ over 20 miles. We debated for days how to tackle this route. John and Jeremy tried vainly to entice Tim, Matt,  and Patrick … Continue reading →

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Sa Calobra

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Al

“Sa Calobra” – “The Snake”, in Catalan Spain is a very young country, with a long and tortuous history. Two millennia ago, the Roman Empire consolidated the Iberian Peninsula, building an extensive road network, many of their famous amphitheaters, and … Continue reading →

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El Rocîo

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Al

“1492 was a very important year here in Spain, no?” I asked. Michael stroked his ragged, blondish-white beard. “Well, yes. The Moors finally were defeated, the Jews were dispersed, and that Italian fellow set off to the Eastern edge of … Continue reading →

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Reaching Out

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Al

In my current quest to regenerate my knee, I first reached out to a long-time friend, who went through arthroscopic surgery last year for similar issues. Here’s what I said: Since the first of the year, my R knee has … Continue reading →

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Rotten To The Core

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Al

“When did that tree fall over?” Cody asked. He had driven down from Seattle for one of his periodic visits with Cheryl’s perpetually overloaded computer. She takes literally 1,000s of pictures at a time, and has a tenuous hold on … Continue reading →

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The Monk of Mokha

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Al

Within the space of 8 months in 1991/2, Dave Eggers lost both his mother and father to cancer. At the time, they were in their 50s, he was 21, and he had a younger brother, Christopher, who was 8. His … Continue reading →

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Gondola Stories – I

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Al

The mid-day sun warms up a gondola cage, even on a cold day in January. Skiers fresh from the shuss down Little Nell, then removing skis, carrying them up to the loading dock, and hoisting them into those racks on … Continue reading →

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The Long Way Home

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Al

It was twenty years ago today…that Linda Tripp contacted the office of Independent Counsel Ken Starr to talk about tapes she had made of conversations with Monica Lewinsky, allegedly detailing an affair she had with then-President Clinton. A week later, … Continue reading →

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Zapotrek, Part II

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Al

“We’ll drive out to Tule, and start our ride from there,” Eric continued, once we’d left the chaos of downtown Oaxaca. We were slowly making our way along a crowded street, rather than taking the main Carretera Internacional a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Oaxaca, Travelogues | 1 Comment

Zapotrek, Part I

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Al

“Maybe we can go on a bike ride this weekend,” Cheryl ventured. We’d seen a few cyclists in a group rambling through the valley floor on our excursion the previous Sunday. Lonely Planet listed a few local outfits which visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Oaxaca, Travelogues | 1 Comment