Roller Derby in “The Fort”

Last week Tobey saw an ad in the paper for a roller derby match and he decided we should go. We had seen the movie, Whip It, with Drew Barrymore, but it did nothing to prepares us for what roller derby in Fort Collins would be.

We arrived early at the Qdoba Events Center in Fort Collins because we had been told it would be a packed house. Not so much … Unlike the raised track with rails around it as seen in the movie, this track was a flat track marked with fluorescent pink tape on the floor. PVH arrived with an ambulance and two paramedics – just in case.

At 7pm we were treated to a junior division exhibition match. These little girls were somewhere between 7 and 10 years old and were quite the skaters! Like the movie, all of the skaters had their special monikers which they went by. Mega Drama, pictured above, was a “jammer,” or one of the skaters who could score points. She had her entire family there to cheer her on – Drama Mama, Drama Daddy, Drama Sista, Drama Grammy, (all wearing tee shirts with their names on them. The other team had better blockers, so Mega Drama’s team ended up losing. The main event, the competition between the Fort Collins’ nationally ranked travel team, the Micro Bruisers (in blue) , facing off against the Castle Rock ‘N Rollers Greatest Hits began shortly after the Juniors.  With “jammers” like “Slim Skatey” and “98 Pounds of Steel",  and blockers, “Inner Demon” and “Battle C Portman”, the Micro Bruisers were off to a fast start which never let up. Try as they might, the Castle Rock ‘n Rollers could not get past the Micro Bruisers and lost 212 to 49!

Following a competition of high school aged skaters, the second official matchup was between the Fort Collins Punchy Brewsters and the Boulder County Bombers. The Bombers had the clear advantage at the beginning of the match with their awesome jammer, “Faelust” finding her way through the Brewsters blockers. At 10pm, we decided we could officially cross “attend a roller derby” off our bucket list and headed home.

Watch the trailer of “Whip It”  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172233/

Last Camping Trip of the Season

We have taken our last RV camping trip for the year. Two weeks ago we went to Mountain Park in the Poudre River Canyon, with our good friends, Ann and Gary. After a rainy start early on Friday afternoon, the sky cleared and we had a fantastic weekend. We had planned to hike the Mount McConnel /Kreutzer Nature Trail on Saturday, but it was still closed while the forest service was working to repair damage from the High Park Fire this summer. Instead, we walked our dogs all around the campground several times, then let Penny swim in the Poudre River. She had a blast!
We spent most of the afternoon sitting in the sun, playing cards and dominos. It was tough duty. We had fun watching the Stellar jays flit from tree to tree, and from limb to land, looking for any scraps of food that might have been dropped near the camp area. Later, we broke out the adult beverages and hor d'oeuvres before preparing dinner.

As the sun went down, Gary built a great campfire and brought out some ice cream for dessert. We shared stories by the fire while enjoying a great view of the stars.

On Sunday morning we intended to take Gary’s truck and drive further up the Canyon to an open trailhead for hiking. As we headed out of the campground, we noticed the McConnel trail was open, so we changed plans and decided to stay at Mountain Park and check it out.

Much of the 2.1 mile trail was quite slippery with loose gravel and pine needles. It was evident where there had been mudslides which required the forest service to eke out the trail and many areas where they cut down the burned trees to ensure hikers’ safety.

It was good to see lots of green still in the area, and it was encouraging to see new growth peeking up under the trees.

The High Park fire burned over 87,000 acres of land and it will be years before the area is restored to its previous beauty, but we still love camping here. This won’t be our last trip!

As September is coming to a close, the weather is starting to cool down and the winterization of the RV is almost complete. Tobey still needs to change the oil in the generator and repair the damaged solar panel while I finish cleaning and putting things away. I guess it’s time to start planning for next year!

High Park fire info: http://inciweb.org/incident/2904/

Mountain Park: http://campincolorado.com/federal/arapaho_roosevelt_nf/mountain_park/mountain_park.html

McConnel/Kreutzer Trail info: ttp://poudrewildernessvolunteers.org/trails/lower-poudre-canyon/16-mt-mcconnel-trail-kreutzer-nature-trail#description

Labor Day Weekend - Fort Collins

Tobey and I did not travel far this Labor Day weekend, opting instead to enjoy some of the activities in and around our area. Saturday morning we rode our bikes to watch the Tour de Fat parade, sponsored by New Belgium Brewing. The Tour de Fat parade attracts 20,000+ participants and raises money for Overland Mountain Bike Club, Bike Fort Collins and Fort Collins Bike Co-op.

We found a prime section of grass with shade to watch along Mountain Avenue. The parade, according to the New Belgium website, is “ is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, eccentric entertainment, local food, unusual bike contests and much more. “

We chose to partake in watching the 2-hour parade!



We even saw a couple guys from our Lions Club riding in the parade.

It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. Some interesting comments from parade participants which we overheard included one from a college-aged young man saying he should have learned how to ride a bide before today! Another joked that the parade was a lot like a cross between Halloween and Mardi Gras.

After the parade we pedaled home to watch the Rocky Mountain Showdown – the CSU vs. CU football game. We had the opportunity to go to the game in Denver, but opted for the TV version instead so we didn’t have to miss the parade. It has always been fun to watch the game, but when our son went to CU Boulder, a new dimension of competition was added. (I graduated from CSU.) Saturday’s game was exciting for us. CSU scored first (field goal), but was answered by TWO CU touchdowns.

Tyler and Katie went to the game, so we did a little texting after each score … trying not to be too mean. CU’s quarterback appeared to be injured in the second half – probably from being sacked five times. CSU’s defense was the best we have seen in years! Anyway, CSU prevailed and won the game 22-17. I didn’t send any texts gloating over the victory and Tyler didn’t send any congratulating us, either.

On Sunday we headed to Denver to the Taste of Colorado. The band, Head East, was playing at 1 pm. We arrived with plenty of time to stake out a spot center stage, just behind a few people.

The music was great and the weather was hot. Tobey was able to catch TWO guitar picks, so he will be sending them off to our friend, Chris, who played with the band back in the 1970s! After the concert, we waited in line to talk to the band which was fun. We enjoyed checking out all the crafts which were for sale. Tobey and I both took a try at a game sponsored by Ford, and he won $10. Lucky guy! Guess he can pay for gas for the next trip!

We are rested now, and ready for the week ahead. We hope you had a good weekend, too!