A typical Bozeman evening. Cold. Snow everywhere. And delicious meat. Al killed those 2 deer with one bullet! The man is that awesome. This was the first time I’d ever been involved in skinning a deer.

Built to Spill rocked the fuck out at the Wilma last night. This was my 5th time seeing them. I don’t have the setlist but I remember they played Dystopian Dream Girl , an awesome cover of the Grateful Dead song Ripple, The Weather, Carry the Zero, You Were Right (totally boss crowd sing-along), Kicked it in The Sun (hell yes), Conventional Wisdom, Hindsight, and The Wait. Basically the best songs in the universe. Before the encore Doug came out by himself and played the first 2 songs off his solo album acoustic, Offer and Dream. The crowd was enthusiastic and appreciative, as is typical with the shows I have been to in Montana.

Also, I had an encounter with Doug (the bearded man in the pictures below) downtown before the show as he was walking to his hotel with some carryout from El Cazador. I was at the Wilma breifly buying my ticket with a small hope that I would run into him, and I did. It was one of those times that makes me feel like there is some greater design than just existence.

Halloween weekend I was lucky enough to be able to fly back to Asheville to attend the 3 day spectacular known as Moogfest. It was a fairy tale weekend with amazing performances from the likes of Hot Chip, Jonsi, Pretty Lights, Big Boi, Massive Attack, and School of 7 Bells. The company and costumes were indescribably grandiose.

These pictures are all in chronological order.

Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounces per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and then the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume the skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard (mêlée, final vociferations) tennis..the stones…so calm…Cunard…unfinished…

samuel beckett
waiting for godot

The previous week has brought to Missoula colder temperatures, shorter days, and the end of a fall season that was amazingly pleasant for so long. The only constant is change and vigilance will be necessary to maintain.

Mostly shots from the plane on the way back to Missoula and around the Denver area.

Killing some time on the free wifi at the Denver airport. Scenes from the plane.

Taken over the weekend on a drive from Missoula to Dillon.

On day 14 we finally made it to the heart of Vancouver in the early evening. The final 20 miles or so of biking into a large city are rarely very fun. Downtown Vancouver itself is very pro-bicycle though, with lots of dedicated bike lanes.

We had camped up in the mountains, and the day started with a big downhill. It was also raining, which made going 35-40mph on your bike that much more exciting. The rain stopped once we got down to flat ground, which was certainly welcome. After that it was pedal pedal pedal to Hope, a lovely city about 100 miles east of Vancouver. Our first shower in some time was taken at their aquatic center.

Somehow my days on this trip are off. We left on a Saturday and got into Vancouver on a Friday, which is 14 days. There were only 2 more days of riding to Vancouver after this one though.

The day started with a climb out of Okanagan Falls. We took the 3A south to Keremos, and then met highway 3 and turned west towards Vancouver. Several locals had told us to take Old Hedley Road, the old highway, into Princeton.

Another warm day, and another day with a big stop to do some swimming. Osoyoos is a beachy tourist town, and for me it was unexpected. After we had swam it up we turned north so we didn’t have to restart our day by biking continuously uphill. We basically were able to delay climbing until the next morning, which was quite a bit more pleasant.

For some reason around this point a steady stream of young people that were either actually homeless, or felt it was fashionable to look homeless, started. We weren’t sure if there was a music festival (festy) they were all going to or if the area was a well known place to bum around in.