I awoke this morning to a pleasant surprise. When the weatherman said snow was heading our way, I expected a light dusting in Denver. I was wrong.
Today was the first day of the season where the weather created adverse driving conditions around the city. My usual 20 minute commute turned into 40 as I allowed 50 yards distance between cars for braking as I slid on occassional ice patches. The visibility at times was two cars in front of you. Not exactly ideal.
Sitting at my desk surrounded by windows, how could I not think about the weekend? Of course I had to check the snow report for all the ski resorts. A-Basin reported 12 inches while Loveland reported 22. Unfortunatley, my five mountain pass isn’t valid at Loveland, but I’m not complaining. Twelve inches at A-Basin will be just fine. Think it’s not snowing that hard? Take a look at A-Basin’s Web Cam (as of 10am 10/26/06). 
I started thinking about the early risers and locals riding through the fluff at A-Basin right now. Their exuberant faces and plastered smiles shining like a beacon while they weave effortlessly and gracefully through the snowy fields of white. Jealous isn’t a correct term, bitter hits the nail on the head.
How can I be expected to concentrate when the main reason I dreamed of moving to Colorado for is falling all around me outside my window? How can I work when the only thing I can think of is gliding through waist deep powder with the urgency of a feather in the wind? I can hear the deafening silence of falling flake and the slow crunch under my board. I can close my eyes right now and imagine that feeling, that weightless buzz, that childhood giddyness, that startling freedom, that sensation you can only get from surfing the angelic cold.
Last year, I can only remember riding once in the month of October. This year, I’ll probably get three sessions in, with two of them being powder days. This season has gotten off to a quick start like none other. It’s gonna be a great winter. I can’t wait. Oh yeah, it’s here.
Four different games went to their first commercial at roughly the same time, and the first commercial was the new Budweiser Select commercial with Jay-Z. On four different channels, at the same time. I couldn’t escape the Jman; he truly does rule the world.
I think the Bengals would look cooler with Black Jerseys with orange stripes instead of the other way around. I’ve never seen a real tiger look like that though, so that’s probably why they don’t have those jerseys.
Since the Bears were on bye week, I decided my main game of interest in the morning would be Bengals/Panthers in the hopes of seeing a dance off between Chad and Steve. I’ll chronicle it periodically until I lose interest.
5:21 1Q: looks like Steve might strike first, Panthers almost in the Red Zone. What would be funny would be to see Steve do something Chad would do, like the Riverdance, in the Jungle. Funny thought, you know how T.O. used to flap his wings after a TD in Philly? I think if Chad or Steve ever acted like a big cat afterwards it would be slightly disturbing.
2:20 1Q: Wow Delhome just hit Keyshawn in the chest almost at the goal line and it bounced off. Get me the damn ball? Get some damn hands!
2:09 1Q: Mangum just lunged across and reached for the TD, and the red flag is on the field. Change the channel time. I thought he was down before he reached, but it holds up, TD Carolina. Chad’s on the clock.
C’mon Yahoo Sports, it’s already the 2nd Quarter in the Jets/Lions game and it still hasn’t told me whether Laverneous Coles is starting or not. The Jets have 112 receiving yards and none to Coles at this point. Might be screwed in two leagues. Great.
12:01 pm Damn, Larry Johnson just ran in an impressive score, and that can only mean one thing, somewhere Skip is smiling and giggling like a little girl. Oh man, Tynes just missed the extra point. Now that’s funny!
7:45 2Q: Bengals just got their first first down. ‘Bout time.
5:34 2Q: I just saw a Bengals fan with an orange headband with a tiger tail on the back. Insert your own comment here. But I am now starting to see why my cousin prefers Rudi now over Dillon in his prime.
3:16 2Q: TD Bengals! But it’s Reggie Kelley! No dance. Steve’s on the clock.
Only against Green Bay can you hear “Joey Harrington to Marty Booker for the big play!”
0:47 2Q: TD Panthers! Nick Goings! 1st TD since 2004. At halftime, no TDs for Steve or Chad, and Steve leads with 38 yards to 10.
Late in the 2nd quarter, Rivers looked really shook up and rattled. Then he completes a 14 yard pass to LT. Skip is pleased, but wants San Diego to stop kicking field goals.
10:37 3Q: Bengals will have good field position after the punt. C’mon Chad, make me regret benching you in a league. I’m sure you’re furious.
Roy Williams looks like he’s trying to bring the Ray Lewis at “the U” look back.
9:45 3Q: Nice, Rudi just busted a 21 yarder, and is looking like he might get the TD. Fantasy implications: Great. Dance-off implications: Bad.
7:08 3Q: Field goal for Shayne Graham. And he doesn’t dance.
Wow, they were just talking about Ronde Barber and he picks it off for a TD. Tampa is destroying Philly 17-0 halfway in the 3rd.
2:01 3Q: Great, just found out Chad hasn’t scored in the 3rd quarter in 52 consecutive games or something, and
Carolina hasn’t scored a TD in the 3rd all season. Wish I would’ve known that at the beginning of the quarter, and I probably would’ve caught more of the Steelers/Falcons game.
Speaking of the Steeler/Falcon game, I switch to it to find Vick hitting Crumpler for a big first down making it 1st and goal. Think I’ll stay here for awhile…
Cincy last week and Philly this week (up 17-7 at this point), are the Bucs for real, was Simms just the weak link, is Gradkowski next Tom Brady? Probably jumping the gun a bit.
Damn it, at the end of the 3rd, LJ has 28 points. LT has less than 7. Frankly, I’ll take it. I’m lucky the duo goes for under 50.
10:18 4Q: Carson goes deep for Chad…and…too deep. Guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.
9:05 4Q: Wow, on 4th and 1, Carson fakes the handoff and passes deep to Chad…setting up first and goal.
I flip back to the Steeler/Falcon game and shit! Hines Ward is fucking crazy! I flip back to the Steeler/Falcon game and shit! I tune in just in time to see Hines hit in stride, lose his shoe and run in the rest for the TD.
8:11 4Q: I flip back to the Battle of the Cats in time to see Carson throw a TD…to TJ. He does a little bow, and that’s it. When are you going to learn? Start being more creative or we’ll continue at calling you T.J. Housyourmama instead of bothering to figure out the correct pronunciation.
0:25 4Q: Looks like the Bengals are gonna pull it out, but I don’t get any type of dance-off. Great game, but hard to live up to my lofty expectations.
San Diego completely snuck up on me. It’s tied?? Really? But then Tynes, the guy who missed the extra-point, hits a 53 yard field goal to win it. KC wins!
Westbrook had himself a game. I need it, now that the LJ/LT combo Skip’s got has it up to 53. Turns out, Rudi/Westbrook just about equaled LT/LJ. Too bad the rest of Skip’s team kicked ass.
Joey Harrington threw for 414 yards and the Dolphins lost. Despite the loss, that type of production is gonna keep Dante’s ass planted on the bench for awhile.
Took a long break, needed to get a house in the mountains for new years, rake the lawn and take a shower. I come back and find none of the games are interesting, the best being Broncos 17 Browns 7. Oakland is beating the Cardinals? The same Cardinals who almost whooped the Bears? Well this should make the league where I have Edge and Boldin pretty interesting.
The NFC has turned into a madhouse. The defending Super Bowl representatives have dismantled without Alexander. Arizona gets beat by Oakland. Philly drops to 4-3 with a loss to Tampa. Carolina loses one to the Bengals. Unless the Bears play like they did against Arizona, who’s going to beat them?
Broncos win! It’s a good feeling when both the Bears and Broncos are in first place.
Matt Leinart is now 0-3. Quick story: Let me tell what might’ve been the worst part of the Bears game last week. When Leinart’s lighting up the Bears’ secondary, they show a picture of him with his stats. My wife, in the seat next to me at the bar, goes “Oooh, he’s pretty cute.” Ugh.
It’s 5:30, all the games are over, got the World Series tonight, go Tigers.
I notched up my second day of the season this Saturday. I couldn’t believe I was riding a powder day in October. It’s gonna be a great winter.
Filed under: A-Basin, Backpacking, Baseball, Beaver Creek, Blogroll, Breckenridge, Camping, Chicago, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Colorado, Denver, Football, Keystone, MLB, Music, NFL, Politics, Snowboarding, Sports, Vail
Welcome to Chicalorado. It’s pronounced Chi-ca-lo-rad-o. I came up with it trying to think of what to call myself. As much as I love Denver and the state of Colorado, I’m still a Chicagoan at heart. I don’t want ketchup on my hot dog, my accent is still prevelant, and I root for the Bears and Cubs.
Whether it’s snowboarding at Vail, backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park, catching a concert at Red Rocks, sports, or anything else, it’ll probably be here. I wanted to chronicle the tales of a Chicagoan living in Colorado. Here are my tales.
