They don't call it Catchin!

To round out the summer.....Dad came fishin!

Back when I was a studly 7th grader in Coppell, Texas, my dad had a great idea to take me fishing in Colorado and we didn't catch a thing. But, it was one of the greatest trips we had....minus the chilly temperatures and the military rations.

We didn't know how to fly fish then, and we don't know how to fly fish now!

Before he came out, I warned him it was not like bass fishing. I told him we probably weren't going to catch anything because you really have to know a lot. I told him I'm not out here for the fishing, but just to hang out and I'm not paying for a guide. He said ok.

In the back of his mind, he still believed there was chance to catch something........nope, but we had an awesome time trying. See, Pops is a busy dude and it was great to have him out in the Rockies where things are calm. Plus, we had a great time laughing at our fly fishing abilities.

I will say I did catch one fish the entire time. It was fitting too, I fought him for a while, finally got him to shore, reached down to pick him up and he hopped off the hook. So technically, we didn't touch a single fish, but I still count it.

Awesome end to the summer. Bring on football!

Best Place Ever

A few of my favorite things in the world are as follows: Avocados, Mexican Food, Van Morrison and stinkin ASHEVILLE, NC!

On Labor Day weekend, I was fortunate to be a part of the Lentz/Brier wedding. Adam and Erin are two of my best friends in Charlotte and I was lucky enough to work with Adam at Push America.

Luckily, because they new I was coming of course, they decided to have their wedding at the Biltmore Estate in beautiful Asheville, NC.

I'm not really going to elaborate on too many details, but it was easily one of the greatest weekends of all time. Between golf, beer, more golf, more beer and seeing old friends in a great town.....good times.

Insert sappiness here....no matter where I travel in the road through life, the family I have in Charlotte is truly a blessing.

One LONG climb on Longs!

As many of you might know, one of Colorado's many desirable attributes is the quantity of 14,000 foot peaks that scatter the terrain and attract thousands of hikers ever summer. One such peak in the front range that is extremely popular and equally as dangerous is Longs Peak. Standing 14,255 feet above sea level, Longs Peak is one of the most demanding and scetchy of all the 14ers. Not named for the duration of the hike, coincidentally, Longs Peak is one of the longest day hikes in Colorado.

Considering it took us just over 14 hours to complete, there is a lot to share. Don't worry, I will keep it short.

We woke up at 1:00 am, made breakfast, hit up Wal Mart, drove from Fort Collins to the trailhead (just over an hour), on the trail by 4, above the treeline by 6 am and on the summit by 11:30 a.m. via the beautiful and less traveled "Loft" Route. You see most people don't know about the Loft Route because it is covered with snow for about 11 months. On a general day on the "popular" route (the Keyhole Route) you will see hundreds of people......we saw 4 and it was awesome!

We sat on the summit for an hour because the weather was so nice. You see, normally you have to get off the summit before noon in a race against brutal thunderstorms and epic winds. But our day was perfect........that is except the lung clogging smoke carried over from the stupid California fires. So, the weather was nice, but our views were totally covered by smog.

I must add, while on the summit, we completed what we believe to be a world record for the highest altitude frisbee toss......we are still waiting on confirmation from the Guinness Book.



I'm going to wrap this up because the rest of the hike is something we would kind of like to forget. We thought it would be a great idea to make our hike a loop and descend the Keyhole Route and see more of the mountain. BIG MISTAKE! That stupid route was significantly longer (added hours to the hike), super congested and far more dangerous/sketchy. We finished around 6:30 pm and whipped as hell......just ask Captain Grumpy (Knotts).

If you ever want to climb Longs Peak, go in August or early September and ONLY do the Loft Route. The view from Chasm Lake is incredible (see photo). Better yet, all the views from the Loft Route are incredible.....Keyhole Route....not so much.

One thing I forgot to mention....there was a guy playing bagpipes on the summit and it was awesome!

Two scoops of Avetts

One thing I have noticed about Colorado that I have never experienced anywhere else I have lived is that fall comes much sooner. I'm not saying it is completely here yet, but it is imminent. So what better way to close out an incredible summer than two scoops of The Avett Brothers.

For those of you who don't know, The Avett Brothers are probably the next big thing in music and, by far, the best performers I have ever seen live. There is really no way to truly describe their style.....but I will try. It is kind of a bluegrass meets folk meets rock meets the Beach Boys. I know it sounds strange, just check them out (The Avett Brothers).

Anyways, they put on a free concert in Steamboat Springs where I was accompanied by a good friend of mine from my days in Sooner Nation (Emily). The show was so awesome, I decided to go for round two a couple days later when they played in Denver. Definitely worth it!