Colorado, Days 2-3: Nothing/Rocky Mountain National Park

Our second day was rather uneventful since we were both so exhausted. After a full day of work, an all-nighter with 17 hours of driving, and a concert until late, Mark and I were not prepared to do anything other than lay around and relax. I spent the day catching up on reading (currently enjoying An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck) while Mark spent approximately 9 hours creating a "fashionable" home on The Sims 2. Now then, onto day 3.

We set out for Rocky Mountain National Park early in the morning, and spent most of the day in the park. The journey to the park itself was breathtaking, with remarkable views from Boulder all the way into the mountains. We essentially drove all the way around the park on Highway 34, stopping at various overlooks and attempting a challenging hike to Timber Lake. We hiked for about 4 miles before reaching an impasse; the trail stopped and was blocked by snow drifts anywhere from 4-8 feet deep. Check out some photos after the break.

This is pretty much the first thing we saw- Longs Peak (14,259 ft.).

This photo was taken from an overlook at approximately 11,000 ft. above sea level. The large peak on the left is Mount Ida (12,880 ft.).

Mark and I asked this old chap to take a photo of us in front of Mount Julian (12,928 ft.) and I'm pretty sure he thought we were gay. It was kind of an awkward moment... hahaha.

Timber Creek swelled with all the runoff. This photo was taken about an hour before the trail stopped and the massive snow drifts began.

We made it back to the car without falling off a mountain... hooray!

Green Mountain (10,313 ft.) shot as the sun was setting and we were on our way out of the park.

I think this is an elk and Mark thinks this is a moose. At any rate, this thing was larger than our car and probably could have killed us. This shot was taken about 2 miles from the exit.

Now we are home, I am tired, and there is nothing on TV.

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Colorado, Day 1: Death Cab Concert!

After a brutal 15 hour drive with only necessary stops, Mark and I arrived in Denver this afternoon. For those of you who have never traveled out west, the entire state of Iowa is a barren wasteland except for Des Moines, Nebraska is quite literally 400 miles of grass and swamps after Lincoln, and Colorado is quite unremarkable until you reach Denver, with over 150 miles of plain rolling hills and authentic tumbleweeds.

As soon as we reached Denver, Invesco Field at Mile High filled my entire field of view and my Denver Broncos pride welled up inside like never before. The awesome sight of the home of the finest team in professional football is enough to make any man have his breath taken away. So, yeah... Go Broncos! At any rate, we headed to the Red Rocks Amphitheater for a Death Cab for Cutie concert shortly after checking into our hotel. Long time readers, friends, or family know that I have more or less waited for this moment for at least 3 years, and that I may or may not be one of the biggest Death Cab fans around.

First of all, for those who do not know, Red Rocks Amphitheater is part of Red Rocks park, a strikingly beautiful park located about 10 minutes southwest of Denver. We sat in the 50th row, front and center. The stage was clearly visible, the acoustics were flawless, and the panoramic vista over the stage added to the ambiance in a way that sitting up close could not. Rouge Wave opened and performed a solid 40 minute set of songs from their last two albums, Descended Like Vultures and Asleep at Heaven's Gate. Death Cab played a stellar 75 minute set for over 7000 fans. Their set included songs from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, Trasatlanticism, Plans, and Narrow Stairs. They opened with Bixby Canyon Bridge, the first track from the new album. Ben also sang several classics like Soul Meets Body, Crooked Teeth, Expo '86, Sound of Settling, and Company Calls. He did indeed perform my all-time favorite song, I Will Follow You Into the Dark near the end of the set, and then eventually wrapped up with Marching Bands of Manhattan. After about 5 minutes of applause, the guys came back out and essentially played another set, delighting the fans with another glorious 45 minute set/encore. They played Title & Registration, What Sarah Said, and of course closed with one of their strongest and most memorable tracks, Transatlanticism. The concert was absolutely transcendent, and the sheer joy I felt is difficult to express with words. Let me just say that I did not stop smiling for the entire 3 hour show. Cheers to Death Cab for an outstanding live performance that will surely go down as one of the highlights of the trip.

Check out a few pictures after the break.

Woo-hoo, check out my ticket!

A quick snapshot of the "Red Rocks" after which the park is named.

The view from our seats during the sound check. Check out the city of Denver in the background as well as lovely scenery.

Rouge Wave rocking their set. They are singing Publish My Love.

One of the only good shots I got of Death Cab (too dark... sad). They are playing Sound of Settling.

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Narrow Stairs

So just in case you didn't know, the new Death Cab for Cutie album, Narrow Stairs, came out just a few hours ago. After giving it several careful spins, I'd like to share my thoughts. Just for a frame of reference, I quite frankly find Ben Gibbard to be one of the finest musicians of our generation. His solo work along with Death Cab, The Postal Service, and All-Time Quarterback are all in my top 10 list of favorite bands. So, I do beg your pardon if this review is a little biased.

Narrow Stairs starts off with a bang, immediately rolling in with Gibbard's smooth and silky voice telling a picturesque tale of lost love. Bixby Canyon Bridge indeed ends up being one of the best tracks on the disc. The second track, I Will Possess Your Heart, is an epic, 8 minute and 35 second track consisting of 4 full minutes of instrumentals before the lyrics begin. I must say that while in general, Gibbard's lyrics are what really make Death Cab, the tune is so catchy that it is hard not to enjoy the whole song. Other excellent tracks include You Can Do Better Than Me, The Ice Is Getting Thinner, Your New Twin Sized Bed, Long Division, and my personal favorite, Grapevine Fires. You Can Do Better Than Me is a lovely short, lasting only 1:59, while the lyrics of The Ice is Getting Thinner are reminiscent of Summer Skin from Plans. Long Division is some excellent Indie Rock/Pop and Your New Twin Sized Bed is equally upbeat, featuring a great guitar hook. Grapevine Fires is a perfect display of Gibbard's vocals and brilliant songwriting talents and features a deep and soothing bass line.

Overall, Narrow Stairs falls just short of We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, Death Cab's greatest album, and indeed one of the finest albums of the last two decades. With that said, Narrow Stairs is a fantastic album in its own right and ends up being well worth almost three years of waiting. Do pick up a copy for yourself and enjoy it.

Cheers.

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Odds and Ends

Hello readers, it's been too long. My semester is nearly over, and it is time to blog again. Indeed, a few topics require discussion. First of all, I finished Grand Theft Auto IV. After spending about 35 hours with the game, I can stand by my 9.5 score. A few problems still exist, but don't let that stop you from experiencing one of the most engrossing stories in entertainment, period. GTA IV had a $100 million budget, and it really shows. The story is truly outstanding all the way through and subtle details like car and body physics are impeccable. It just goes to show that when you make a quality title, people will buy it. Take-Two announced earnings of over $500 million in the first week, breaking the all time entertainment record previously held by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The game sold over 5.9 million copies in its first week, with 3.3 million units being moved on the 360 and 2.6 million units sold for the PS3. Hats off to the folks at Rockstar North and Rockstar NYC for making one of the finest games in years.

In other news, I caught a showing of The Counterfeiters, the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film. It tells the tale of a group of counterfeiters, led by the legendary Salomon Sorowitsch. This group of brilliant Jewish prisoners orchestrated the largest counterfeiting operation in history, perfectly replicating the British pound and the American dollar, and funding the Nazi war effort for several months during World War II. Although the film tells a fictionalized story, Sorowitsch is a very likable character his story is poignant and moving. The film is mildly depressing, but it gives a good message and a stern reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. I highly recommend this Austrian tour de force.

I also went to Iron Man and had a good chance to geek out and enjoy a sweet superhero movie. I am constantly skeptical of superhero films after being disappointed by the last two Spiderman disaster- ... *cough*... films. Indeed there is very little I can criticize about this film, as John Favreau does a wonderful job of making Iron Man into a charming character while appealing to hardcore comic book fans with outstanding action set pieces. Iron Man is a film with broad appeal and is a perfect summer movie to enjoy with some friends. I must join the bandwagon and tip my hat to Robert Downey Jr. for an immensely entertaining performance as Tony Stark. His snarky humor and sharp wit make the film so much more enjoyable than what it would have been in the hands of a less skilled actor.

Finally, I'll leave you with this, considering I did almost the EXACT SAME THING on the day of my prom:


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