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Dear B,

It is snowing again, and much like the moisture laden flakes falling from the sky, I feel heavy and burdened. I feel unable to let go off this oppressive feeling that someone I trusted so completely routinely lied to my face. Almost a year has gone by and without any form of real closure I feel more and more betrayed. Why I ever put any sort of faith in that friendship continues to haunt me. What a colossal waste of energy. I can't express how hurt I am right now and at the same time clueless at how to make myself feel better. There is something I am looking forward to. I plan on driving to Lake Louise outside of Calgary and cathartically burning my favorite photo of me and this friend. It seems befitting. What do you think? Do you understand why I feel this way? Does my catharsis in Calgary seem a fitting closure in light of the fact that my friend will never do me the kindness of being honest with me... let alone speak to me? Your input would be greatly appreciated, and until we speak again, I hope all is well with you.

Me

Mar 12th-13th, 2010

B, Mar 12th

On the road again. This weekend its off to Powder Mountain Utah for the Superfly. It is the next stop on the Snowkite Circuit, with only one or maybe two more before the season ends. I wont be able to make the snowkite Rodeo in Montana because it is the same weekend as the

North America Bu

ggy Expo on Ivanpah lake south of Vegas. You guys probably drove through there last year on the way to the California coast.

Sigh, just looking at my travel list for the next few two and a half months, I am excited, but worried. The van is sure to die soon. The question is whether or not I will be lucky enough to have it happen when I am either here in Boulder or at my mom's/the island this summer.

How is your trip to Newfoundland going? Well I can imagine. That is such a beautiful part of the country (no B.C. tho!) I wonder if you are going by road, plane or train. I don't know if you heard that my travels will take me through your neck of the woods in a few months. I doubt you will have the time tho to visit. Oh well, I will continue to write as if we were still friends! I have to admit that seeing the photos of you at Lake Louise

has inspired me to add it to my travels this summer. I have seen photos of it since I was a child and have always wanted to go there. But that is for another letter. This one is supposed to be about my trip to Utah! After last weekend at the Colorado Snowkite Open, I now have a whole family of kiters from all around the country. I can't really think of anyone of the folks I met that wont be happy to see me again. I know that I will always have a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me and countless others either sleeping on floors or in the back of their vans/trucks/SUV's/Campers. It is definitely an added sense of security when you are in my position. Alone on the road. It's always nice to have a friendly face amongst the wilderness.

Anyways, the weather in Boulder is trying to be spring. It is kind of sad since we never really had full blown winter here. Before we could see the snow we all sat around anxiously awaiting, the birds started chirping and the tulips started to poke their leaves through the warming soil. Pussy willows are appearing on the trees and the temperature seems to want to stay around 60. It seem strange that here I have spent yet another spring in Boulder, and I am once again on the eve of my summer departure. Thankfully these trips I have been taking have been a good remedy for my greatest malady: Wanderlust. Actually, as you know, it hasn't cured me of it, it just has satiated my appetite a little. I fear tho, that it will take more and more trips to achieve this level of being ok with remaining relatively stationary. It was a lot easier when I only looked forward to the lighthouse. Then I could bemoan my time at home with nothing to do but plan. Now, I have what I wanted, a stable home and a life out of a duffel bag.

On the subject of home, I have really been developing my idea of it. The best way to describe it: I have always wanted to see my house as a museum of my life. A repository for the detritus that tends to collect about me. I also like having the thought although my 'life is afloat' I still have an anchor somewhere.

Till after the event,

Me

Dear B, March 13th.

Driving across Wyoming. Awoke this morning at 5 am outside of Little America. After driving for an hour or so I pulled off on a ranch exit next to the train tracks, crawled atop a parked freight car and watched the sunrise. THe mountains and some cows at my back, along with the threat of a blowing front. Until now I had always hated driving across Wyoming, but there is something special about it. Long red roads and gusting winds, and thankfully a refined sense for Road music radio stations. I don't know if I would ever go so far as to live here, it will always remain a waystation state for my other journeys. Like now, I write this from Utah, waiting for the skippers meeting for the Powder Mountain Superfly.

Love,

Me

Dillon Snow Kite Open Mar 5-7 2010

For the first time ever, Colorado Kiteforce has upgraded their ever popular Therapy Sessions to a full blown competition. With roughly 30 competitors from near and far, (some hailing from Russia, Peru, and even farther!) the fields for both Pro and Amateur were well rounded. The event, set to kick off around noon on Friday was postponed due to wind conditions. Although many had set up on the ice in the lee of the marina, most felt wary about launching into the 30+ mph winds. Those of us that sat this one out, the Peanut Gallery as it were, watched from the deck of the yacht club as gust after gust came out of the west. One by one swirling vortex’s would come crashing down on the ice and tumble towards the fliers, catching some off guard and humbling most. Finally around 3 pm their seemed a lull in the gusts and the wind felt as if it had evened out to a steady 25. Those with enough faith in their abilities (and maybe a few hotshots) decided to take off across the ice for a short practice run. In short order those of us in the Peanut Gallery watched as one by one those that had ventured out came back with either their tails between their legs, or completely spent from trying to maintain control. In the span of an hour three kiters had detached from their gear completely, with one kite tumbling over a mile across the ice before it came to rest in a barbed wire fence along Highway 6. Needless to say the tapped keg of Euphoria (Ska Brewery) and the threat of a spectacular 80’s band at the bowling alley that night helped us to assuage our fears about the rest of the event.
Thankfully the great gods of the sky decided to bless us on day 2. Sadly tho, their blessings were a little misguided. They seemed to be directing their attention more at those partaking in some alpine action on the mountains ringing the valley. Blue skies, nice temperatures, and no wind. Ideal if you were doing any sort of downhill activities. This was, as evident by the RC pilots early in the morning, not what we needed if we expected to do any races. In fact before the racers arrived I pulled out a no-wind stunt kite and enjoyed the sunshine warming the day. Thankfully, around 3:30 pm the thermal finally started to kick in and those with kites out ran down to the ice to fly. This time, to be rebuffed by 7 mph winds that kept dropping down to 5. Between the conditions overhead and those underfoot, it was a chore to stay in the air let alone work your skis, or board, out of the slush that was developing rapidly. One competitor (Gary Greene of GG Wind) ended up barely crossing the finish line when the kite fell out of the air due to 2 mph wind. Several folks even walked part of the upwind leg of the race simply so they wouldn’t lose ground and could keep the kite aloft. Before we parted for the evening, the raffle was held. With folks (some only spectators) walking away with a brand new 6.5m kite, a new Cabrinha snowboard, a new set of Rossingnol fatties, and countless swag. Those that were winners, and those that weren’t, once again retreated at the end of the day to the keg, a hot tub, and the bowling alley.
Oh Day 3, we were so happy to see you come. For this final day of the Snowkite Open broke upon us all as the perfect Goldilocks day. Just right. Most of the competitors had felt that the day would take the same turn as the previous two days, so when the call came down from Anton that yes indeed we WERE going to race at 11 am, most of them were still rolling out of bed. There was a mad rush to the field, jackets and harnesses half on and rolled up kites in tow as one after the other ran down so as to enjoy the 12-15 mph steady wind from the south-east. Those with LEI’s were hand inflating while standing in line at the air compressor simply so they could get out there as soon as possible. As the pro’s were set to ride in the first race, I had time to set up the PA system and throw on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Up Around the Bend. How funny that up until the point that I was watching Billy Bordy (Ozone), Jacob Buzianis (Best Kiteboarding), and Anton Rainold (Colorado Kiteforce) launch and head toward the starting line that I finally heard the lyrics of the song. “Come on the rising wind, we’re going up around the bend...yeah”. I think the folks on the field had the same feeling and they all let out whoops and hollers as the realization hit that the event was on in full force. All of the races were run in the next few hours with Amanda Weldy (Ski’s) and Heather Schenck (Snowboard) taking first place in their divisions in the women’s fleet, Sean Haag (Ski) and Billy Bordy (Snowboard) winning first place in the Pro division and Bentley Blaho (Ski) and Rick Dunn (Snowboard) in the amateur division. The day was not complete with out some free-riding and a chance for us to just enjoy the unconstrained joy of new and old tricks and good wind mixed in with great friends and fine weather.

update. I am an HQ sponsored kite flier!