Front Range Burner

I know I promised a review of the WSJ Review Section here. But first...presenting my herb garden in midsummer! The aroma of lemon balm and the butterflies flitting through cool shadows distracted me from indoor activities. The yellow plant at left is St. John's Wort and next to it is oregano with lavender blooms. Lavender is below and to the left. In front are chives, lemon balm, more oregano and hops vines to the right. We're actually planning to use the hops berries to flavor beer this fall!

It's a delight to wake up on a beautiful Saturday morning to muscular, engaged prose. That's why I've been reading the new Review section of the Saturday WSJ instead of heading straight to the gym. Review and its sister section Off Duty help me get my mental engines revved up and ready for a multidisciplined weekend. For instance, today's Off Duty section leads with a command to take three days off in Jackson Hole, Wyoming by reporter Benjamin Percy. Okay! The commands continue: "peel off your clothes and soak the travel grime off your skin" "drag on your wetsuit and board a bus that grumbles into Teton National Forest"  "throw down $10 for the round-trip shuttle that motors you across the water to the Cascade Canyons trailhead" "suck down a gin martini and chew your way through an elk steak" "grass hisses beneath you as you bump along, your teeth gritted into a smile" "eat up some asphalt". Double okay! I...

Since the Kite Lake Trailhead campground was snowed in on the last weekend in June, I set up camp between the road and a roaring creek, at an established campsite with a fire ring. Here's my Kelty tent with Mount Democrat, the Fourteener I climbed, in the background. To the right is the approach to Mts. Cameron and Lincoln. I took off from work about 1:30 pm and sped west to Fairplay (also known these days as South Park). Just stopped long enuff to buy a 6" sub at Subway. Drove NW on Colorado State 9 to Alma, a cute little mountain town. Turned west and followed a bumpy road 6 miles to the trailhead. BUT, the road was covered with snow 3 miles from the TH, and impassable. I found a campsite between the road and a roaring creek. Set up my tent, gathered firewood, and retired around 8 pm. Although the sun went behind a mountain around 5 pm, it was light until 9 pm, so I was able to relax in my sleeping bag and read Alexander McCall Smith's latest novel for an hour. Sleep el...

First things first: I am not an arsonist. The title of this blog refers to what's hot on the Front Range of Colorado. It also hints at something dear to my heart: cooking. If I'm not on a trail or an ice climb, you'll find me behind a stove. It may be a JetBoil stove, or any other kind of stove! Otherwise I'm likely to be dishing out opinions, fleeting thoughts of fancy, snips of copy, photos, quotes, and unsolicited advice on any number of totally unrelated topics. Are you up for it? Then, follow me on the Front Range!