Jude relaxing at the top of the Incline

On Friday I took half a day off work so we could all go to Manitou Springs to do the Incline. I think this is the fifth year in a row we have done this and with the kids on Fall break we headed down south. It was a beautiful crisp and clear day, perfect for the challenging climb. I climbed the 2,768 steps slightly faster than last year at 41:41 and Jude also lowered his record to 30:59. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch in the town and the kids had their traditional funnel cake afterward.

At Falcon Stadium on a chilly fall night

Anna did a cheer camp at the Air Force Academy this summer so she wanted to go back to see a football game. On Saturday afternoon we headed down to the Springs to see the Air Force Falcons defeat the Wyoming Cowboys. There was the usual flyover, with an AC-130 bomber this time, and they also had a bunch of paratroopers drop into the stadium.

One of the actual falcons the Air Force trains (the headgear is to help keep them calm)

The highlight for me at a Falcons game is watching the actual falcon fly. It came out at halftime and flew around the stadium for a couple of minutes. They are such amazing creatures – the fastest living thing on the planet, they can fly at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. We got to meet one on our way out which was really cool.

the cheerleaders in action at the homecoming football game

This was homecoming week at South High School and there were all kinds of festivities. The big homecoming games were on Friday night. First, the varsity soccer team played at 5pm. They had an easy win, 5-2. But what was really cool, for us at least, is that the cheerleaders came by in the second half to cheer them on. So, Jude was on the field with Anna and her team cheering them on.

Taking a break at the football game

The main event, of course, was the football game. Marcy and I volunteered to work at the concession stand but they let us out just before halftime so we could watch the cheerleaders perform. They were great.

About to head out for the Homecoming Dance

On Saturday night was the homecoming dance. Anna was really looking forward to it and we bought her a new dress for the occasion. Jude was less enthusiastic (and he declined to have his photo taken) but they went together at around 7:30pm. Anna had a good time but was home by 9:30pm, Jude about half an hour later. Marcy and I used our free night to play backgammon for the first time in decades.

Jude’s official soccer photo

The official photos of the soccer team came out this week. Jude looks great in his varsity uniform.

Jude on the move in the South Varsity game against Eaglecrest

We are in the thick of high school sports season. Jude has one or two soccer games every week. Anna has to cheer a football game every week and of course, she has both high school and Cheer Athletics practice almost every day. It is a busy time for the kids but they are both keeping up with schoolwork and getting good grades.

First family pickleball game at Gates

I have been curious about pickleball for a while and after watching the Blue Zones documentary that featured pickleball as a way to help longevity I decided it was time to give it a try. So, I bought some racquets (paddles?) and we booked a court at our local tennis/pickleball center. All four of us went and while Anna was not all that into it the rest of us enjoyed it. I want to see if it is something we can start to play more often.

Marcy about to do battle under the deck

We discovered a leak in a sprinkler line that ran under the deck. The ground was sinking in one area so Marcy went under to assess the damage today. Under the deck has been a breeding ground for wasps so she got fully geared up for battle. Thankfully, the pest control we did a few weeks back appears to be holding, no wasps were encountered.

On our anniversary hike at Staunton State Park

Today was our 19th wedding anniversary. As we have done the last several years we went into the mountains for a hike. We decided on Staunton State Park this year and we were up bright and early and on the trail by 8:25am. It was a glorious sunny day and we were happy to be at altitude (8,500 – 9,500 feet) to make it a little cooler. We were back home by 2:30pm and then we went for a family sushi dinner. Delicious.

The South cheerleading team at the East vs South football game

On Saturday, it was a full-on South High School sports day. At 11am the South varsity football game vs East was on. But Marcy volunteered to provide refreshments for the cheerleaders on what was a hot day. So, we delivered water bottles, refills and watermelon to the team before they started. It ended up being a bummer of a game but the cheerleaders stayed strong and cheering to the end.

Sunset over the mountains in Colorado Springs for the South vs Rampart varsity soccer game

That evening we drove down to Colorado Springs for the South vs Rampart varsity soccer game. Marcy and I managed a quick Mexican dinner after we dropped Jude off and we were back at the stadium before the 7pm kickoff. It was a great game, in the second half South played the best they had all season but they were unable to score so it was a 1-0 defeat.

About to head off for the first day of freshman year

Anna was first to start school this week as the freshmen class went back on Monday. She had a good first week, she enjoyed most of her classes and she made some new friends. And funnily enough, Anna was able to move up to Math 3 and ended up in the same class as Jude.

Jude towers over Marcy on the first day of his junior year

Jude started Tuesday and he also had a good first week. They ease the kids back into it after the summer so no major homework or tests on the first week.

Cheerleading for the first South High football game

The Varsity cheerleading team at South has been practicing for weeks and they had their first outing on Thursday. It was the varsity football team’s first game and they were on the sidelines doing their cheerleading. There was a big crowd, probably almost 1,000 people including several hundred South High kids. Anna did great, it looked like they had been doing it all season.

The boys varsity soccer team celebrating after their 2-0 win against Lakewood

On Friday night Jude had a soccer game at Lakewood. It was 60 degrees and pouring rain, so it was miserable conditions at least for the spectators. Jude didn’t mind it at all. He came on as a substitute after about 80 minutes and his first touch was a goal! His first varsity goal and more importantly it secured the 2-0 win for his team.

One of the many great things about playing on varsity is that every game is streamed live and recorded. Here is the clip with his goal:

Jude in the opening game of the 2023 Ravens season

Jude made the varsity soccer team at South and they opened the season this week at home (I think it is strange that the sports season starts before officially starting school). Jude started the first game at right back. It was a tough game and South lost 1-0 to Heritage. Jude played well in the first half but struggled a little in the second. The pace of the game is so much faster than JV and it will take a little while to get used to I expect. They played their second game at Thunder Ridge on Saturday and that was another tough 1-0 loss, made worse by the fact that South was clearly the better team.

On Friday night we went to Marczyk’s burger night, something we haven’t done since before the pandemic. When we lived in Park Hill we used to go regularly but it takes more effort now that it is a 15+ minute drive instead of a 5-minute walk. The burgers are still delicious.

Ed Sheeran in full swing at Mile High Stadium

On Saturday night Marcy and Anna went to see Ed Sheeran. After a little bit of a ticket snafu (which was resolved) and a rain/lightning delay, he finally came on around 10pm. They both loved it, although he comes a distant second to the Taylor Swift concerts from last month.

Jude comes in 1st in his age group at the Race for Research 5K

This morning Jude and I did the annual Race for Research 5K. We both ran well, Jude did it in 21:14, his second fastest 5K time and I recorded my fastest since getting serious about running again four years ago: 25:24. Jude won his age group, and was 8th overall, and I was 3rd in the 50-59 category.

We also undertook another big backyard project this weekend. We are getting new fiber-optic internet and they need to get it to the house from the alley. So, we dug a one-foot deep trench in our yard for it.

On the summit of Mount Massive, the second-highest mountain in Colorado

Looking at the view about 2/3 of the way up the mountain

It was a long hike, just under 8 miles to the summit. It was a gentle slope most of the way up, but it got a little steep near the summit. The views were spectacular, we could see for hundreds of miles. We got back to the car around 2:45pm, so just under eight hours of hiking with 30 minutes at the top.

Anna with one of her best friends from Cheer

Anna had a cheerleading team bonding event at her gym that was called a “foam party”. We didn’t really know what to expect but they basically filled part of the parking lot with foam and let the kids go nuts. They had a blast.

My good friend Ron Suber hosted a summer party at his house

On Friday night, Marcy and I went to a summer party at the Subers. Ron is a good friend from the fintech space and he moved to Denver a couple of years ago. He has a beautiful house by Cheesman Park and it was a fun time.

Olive missed Marcy terribly

On Monday morning Jude and Marcy took the Tesla and drove to Iowa. Anna and I stayed home so she could go to Cheer, this was a special choreography week that Anna really didn’t want to miss.

We had a quiet week. The highlight was probably going to see Oppenheimer which Marcy and Jude saw with Baba while they were in Iowa.

They arrived back on Friday night because Jude was expected to start his new job at Poke City on Saturday but he received a text on Friday that his start date has been moved back.

Olive was a sad dog most of the week with Marcy away, she hung out in my office on her bed most of the time.

After all the activity of the past few weeks we had a quiet weekend. Lots of home time and we even made time for church on Sunday.

Setting off from Twin Lakes for four days of backpacking

On Monday morning I took Anna to the airport for her trip to Eugene, Oregon. She spent the week at a cheerleading camp there, where they worked really hard and she had a great time overall. Jude was at his soccer camp all week north of London in the town of Oundle. He also had a great time, with a very international group of teenagers. His roommates were German and French.

It was cold and windy on the summit of Mt. Belford, a 14er (Mount Oxford is in the background)

We started our backpacking trip on Tuesday at Twin Lakes and hiked on the Colorado Trail for about 10 miles before setting up camp by Clear Creek. Day two we continued on the Colorado Trail until Pine Creek and picked up that trail for about six miles before setting up camp at around 11,300 feet elevation. The next day we hiked to Elkhart Pass (13,200 feet) and then dropped our heavy packs to summit Mt. Belford, a 14,000-foot mountain (14er).

Hiking down Missouri Gulch after summitting Mt Belford

We then hiked down to the ghost town of Vicksburg, which we found out is not really a ghost town as we met one of the part time residents there. We were looking for a campsite and Clay was kind enough to suggest we camp behind his trailer on the old road. It was a little creepy camping on the old road of a supposed ghost town but the night followed without incident.

Camping on the old main road of Vicksburg

Our last day was our longest and toughest day. We left camp just before 9am and climbed 3,000 feet in less than four miles to Hope Pass where we enjoyed brilliant views of the many 14ers in the area, then it was down for several miles to Twin Lakes. At the end of the long day we checked out the old Interlaken Resort which 130 years ago was one of the top resorts in Colorado.

We made it back to the car just before 6pm on Friday. We had covered 50.5 miles of Colorado backcountry trails with over 11,000 feet of elevation gain. It was a physically demanding vacation but so great to spend some time in nature and off the grid.