Monday, December 29, 2008

Two Days at Monarch

I shot all of this over the course of two days at Monarch, specifically the 9th and the 14th. Snow was great and deep, but early season conditions did exist. Riders are Logan Myers, Glenn, Kevin Brooks, Marcus Elich, myself, and some random dude. Music is FC Kahuna, "Hayling".



Two Days at Monarch from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

CBMR - December 6th, 2008

Met up with Alex for a day of shreddin' at CBMR, the same day the mountain had a jib contest scheduled for the base area. It was still early season at this point so there wasn't much to film, but I did manage to snag a few shots. We met up with T-Money early in the day, and while he doesn't ski with poles, he's still mostly a cool kid, so we rode with him until he had to work. The Jib Jam went down in the afternoon, but honestly it was kind of boring unless you were in it. So I snapped a few shots of the homies and called it good.


CBMR 12-6 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Jib Jam! from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Long Road Home

About halfway through last season I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be able to put out a full movie this season. Access issues at CBMR, coupled with camera problems, and a lack of availability to go anywhere cool led to a sharp downturn in filming this year. However, I was able to squeeze out a few segments, and ultimately looking back a few weeks ago I realized that with some minor work, and the addition of an intro and credits, that a movie could indeed be had. So I set to work, and this is the end result. I have to say, I am pretty satisfied with it, too. It may not be as neatly made as The Elevation Revelation but I do feel that overall, the cinematography and videography is much better in this one. Enjoy.


The Long Road Home from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving Business

Thanksgiving went down as planned, and skiing did at Loveland, but unfortunately both were rather anti-climatic. The skiing was decent with 4'' of soft new, but there just wasn't anything worth filming. We had a good time though, and the season is just getting started!

Kevin & Vitale


Kevo & Vittles


Loveland Base


Loveland Base and Chair 2

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Updates ARE Coming......

It's been almost a full month since my last post, and while I feel bummed about it, really and truly, there just hasn't been much going on here in the past 30 days.. We had a fun mission to get firewood last week, and aside from that it's been mostly work and sleep while we wait for the snow to finally arrive.

Unfortunately the snow picture has been somewhat grim since our initial dustings last month. The Webcams @ CBMR reveal a startling picture of the much dreaded white ribbon of death that will rear it's ugly head next Wednesday for Opening Day 2008. There isn't any snow on the forseeable horizon as well, so everyone is playing the waiting game now. Will it keep on sucking like 2006-2007? Or will it surprise us and snow a bunch like 2007-2008? Just have to wait and see......

On a last note, a few of us will be heading to Loveland Ski Area the day after Thanksjibbing for a day of skiing on my 24th birthday, so with that leading it off, the updates should start increasing here as the season finally arrives!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

PK's Rio Chama Pics

PK and Gail went to Santa Fe, NM last weekend, for a weekend of fun and sun with some family, but more importantly, to eat at Maria's Kitchen, which is a top notch Mexican food restaurant in town that has hooked many, many people over the years. It's pretty remarkeable, because you will be talking to somebody completely random that you don't know and if Santa Fe gets brought up 9 times out of 10 they know what it is, and are hooked themselves. Bottom line, eat there if you get a chance.

On Saturday PK and my uncle Tom went fishing on the Rio Chama, first ending up at the tailwater below Abiquiu Dam, northwest of Espanola, NM. This is host to a short, easy stretch of water that is more popular with the fishermen more than the paddlers. The fish were not biting, so they headed upstream to the Day Run of the Chama Canyon, which is where we are heading next spring for our annual beginning of the season New Mexico trip. PK took some pictures to pre scout where we will be next year, and I gotta say, it looks pretty fun. Can't wait.

Abiquiu Dam
abiquiu dam


blw Abiquiu (2)
below Abiquiu Dam


blw Abiquiu (3)
more below Abiquiu


Looking Up Into Chama Canyon
looking up into Chama Canyon


Rio Chama (1)
the rio chama


Rio Chama (4)
the rio chama again


Rio Chama (5)
class II+ overdose


Rio Chama (7)
big and brown


Rio Chama (9)
can't wait



As always, the more people we can get to come next spring, the better this trip will be....

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Team Profile: Ben Wright



Benjamin Wright
aka Ben-jammin, Benjamanover, Ben-gina
"I like freshmen......"

person->
Profession: Furniture Placement Consultant

Hometown: Carbondale, CO
Hair: Short

Ride: Toyota 4Runner
Riding Since: 1998


gear->
Board: Burton Ronin 164
Boots: Burton Ronin
Poles: he doesn't use poles, DUH
Jacket: Quicksilver
Pants: Special Blend

extraneous->
When I grow up I want to be........a ROCKER

The soundtrack of my life is composed by.........Iron Maiden
My favorite food is........anything as long as it's meat and potatoes
My beverage of choice is.......New Castle Ale OR Chocolate Milk


Ben- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Friday, October 17, 2008

Team Profile: Alex Else


Alex Else
"NH BOI!"

person->
Profession: skier
Hometown: North Conway, NH
Hair: spikey
Ride: no ride, he's a bum
Riding Since: 1990


gear->
Skis: High Society FR 187
Boots: Dalbello Krypton Pro
Poles: Leki customs
Jacket: 4 Square
Pants: 686

extraneous->

When I grow up I want to be........a pushaman
The soundtrack of my life is composed by.........DMX & Journey (together)
My favorite food is........shepard's pie
My beverage of choice is.......BEER

appearances->
Alex Vs Snowmass
Alex Superfinals CB Extremes
Alex Finals Run 1 CB Extremes

Alex Day 1 CB Extremes
Alex Else qualifier CB Extremes
Telluride Extremes (Album)
Monarch Yumping
Monarch Dogs
CBMR 12-6
The Long Road Home
The Elevation Revelation

freebies->

Alex 540 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Alex Else from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


eben wright photo

Team Profile: Kevin Brooks



Kevin Brooks
"Right meow?"

person->
Profession: lift ops/tar junkie
Hometown: Gunnison, CO
Hair: unkempt
Ride: '93 Ford Explorer
Riding Since: 1993


gear->
Skis: Rossignol Scratch Brigade 178
Boots: Lange CRL 170
Poles: Scott
Jacket: The North Face
Pants: The North Face

extraneous->
When I grow up I want to be........geologist by day, gynecologist by night
The soundtrack of my life is composed by.........Rammstein

My favorite food is........Bacon Cassarole
My beverage of choice is.......Bitburger

appearing->

Two Days At Monarch
The Long Road Home
The Elevation Revelation


Kevin on the Taylor from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Kevin @ Monarch from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Team Profile: Corey Hartman



Corey R Hartman
"Live every day to the EXTREME!"

person->
Profession: lift ops
Hometown: Carbondale, CO
Hair: Mullet
Ride: '92 Subaru Legacy wagon
Riding Since: 1986


gear->
Skis: Rossignol Scratch BC WRS 181
Boots: Scarpa T2X
Poles: Leki
Jacket: Obermeyer
Pants: Obermeyer

extraneous->
When I grow up I want to be........an eXtReMe mountain man
The soundtrack of my life is composed by.........Rush
My favorite food is........5B's Tatornator
My beverage of choice is.......Extra Gold Lager


appearing->

Monarch Yumping
Monarch Dogs
The Long Road Home
The Elevation Revelation


Corey @ Cranor from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Corey Powderhorn from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Corey Tearing Monarch A New One from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Season Recap

The paddling season is officially over, and it's time to recap on the glorious season we had here in Gunnison. With the water high all year, there was plenty of paddling to go around, and we saw to it that we got as much possible in this year. All told, I personally logged 48 separate trips, and accumulated 288.5 river miles. I had somewhere around 350 going into this summer, which brings my career total to somewhere over 600. I have the official mileage somewhere, I just need to find it, and when I do I will bring that information to light.

With this year firmly behind us, its time to honor some folks with some awards for this season.

Swim Team Captain: Kevin Brooks
Kevin racked up an incredible EIGHT swims this summer. A few on the Taylor, a few on the Gunny, some his fault and some not his fault, Kevin showed this year that he is NOT afraid of the Gunnison River, even when it's freight-training at 3350 cfs.
Honorable Mention: Gerilyn Williamson

Dead Man Walking: Ben Hendy
After flipping his cataraft in the flood-swollen Psychadelic Falls, without a life vest, Ben nearly became the state's 4th high water victim after the runoff laden river sucked the life out of him and made him a rag doll. If not for the timely assistance of Marcus, we might have lost our portly but beloved companion.
Honorable Mention: Nikki Williamson

Boofmaster 2008: Aaron the Old Man
In true Aaron fashion, he launched his sturdy Wavesport of every rock in sight, sometimes with positive, and sometimes with negative, but always with comical results. On the few times he pulled them off it was pretty rad; watching him sail off the last ledge on Farmer's Bridge is one of my prize days from this year.
Honorable Mention: Nate Hardy

Rookie of the Year: Corey Hartman
Corey only went once with us this year, and the day he chose to go the Gunnison hit 4750 cfs, three days before it's peak of 5100 cfs. It was the highest I ran the Gunny all summer, and Corey betrayed no ounce of fear otr trepidation, and instead tore it up and did great.

Freestyle Award: Paul Muirhead
Whether he's surfing, splatting, cartwheeling, or spinning, Paul is a blast to watch on the river. He plays in any wave he can find, wave wheels and cartwheels downstream through wave trains, splats or spins on any rock he can find, and just generally has the best time possible on the water. It's fun watching Paul because he really shows how versatile a kayak can be!

Bitch Award: Marcus Elich
Marcus started the season strong, going 8 for 10 to start the season. Then, he randomly decided the family motorboat was more worth his time, and his battered craft, in need of simple repairs, sat unused for the rest of the summer. What happened Marcus? Where'd ya go??

Here is my total log from this season. Every trip has it's details but I will spare you those in favor of this simple list:


4/05 Rio Grande R- Orilla Verde
4/06 Rio Grande R- Orilla Verde
4/19 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
4/20 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
4/26 Taylor R- Upper
4/27 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
5/03 Gunnison R- Middle
5/11 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
5/19 Gunnison R- Middle
5/21 Gunnison R- Middle
5/25 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
5/29 Gunnison R- Middle
5/30 Gunnison R- Middle
5/31 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
6/01 Gunnison R- Extended Lower
6/14 Arkansas R- Big Bend - Salida
6/15 Taylor R- Middle + Lower
6/21 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
6/22 Taylor R- Park Run
6/27 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
6/28 Taylor R- Park Run
6/28 Taylor R- Lower
6/29 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
7/03 Gunnison R- Extended Lower
7/04 Taylor R- Lower
7/12 Taylor R- Lower
7/12 Gunnison R- Extended Lower
7/13 Taylor R- Park Run
7/24 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
7/25 Taylor R- Lower
7/26 Gunnison R- Upper
7/27 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
7/30 Gunnison R- Middle + Lower
8/01 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
8/02 Taylor & Gunnison Rs- Scouts Honor to Lost Canyon Resort
8-03 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
8/09 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
8/10 Gunnison R- Rockey River to McCabe's
8/14 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
8/15 Taylor R- The Slot/Upper + Middle
8/18 Taylor R- The Slot + Upper
8/21 Gunnison R- Middle
9/13 Taylor R- Upper
9/20 S Fork South Platte R- Chutes x2
9/20 South Platte R- Waterton Canyon
9/27 Taylor R- Upper



So there ya go! Looking forward to another great year next year.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Oct. 11, 2008 - First Snow Of The Year!

If you live anywhere in the west or in Colorado, then you likely woke up this morning to the same thing I did: SNOW! That's right, a wonderful fall storm came rolling through yesterday, leaving snow over a large portion of Colorado, and the west. It's likely this snow will all be gone in a matter of hours and days, but it's the first piece of the puzzle to fall into place for this winter. Skiing is coming soon, I promise!


Oct 2008 Snow (9)


Oct 2008 Snow (8)


Oct 2008 Snow (7)


keep those skis handy!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Upper Taylor In The Fall

As the season has been winding down slowly, it's been a challenge to find people to go boating with. Last Wednesday I called Vito, the friendly head guide at Three Rivers Resort and he was kind enough to let me know Taylor Dam would be spewing 250 cubic feet per second into the river below it until October 1st. With this information in hand I attempted to find paddling partners for this weekend, hoping to pull off at least one, but hopefully two (or more) trips.


My plans were clearly shot after calling through my phonebook. Between people leaving town, not "feeling" paddling anymore, people out with injuries, and others just too lazy to go, it was soon looking grim for even going at all. I had resigned myself to a couple of solo missions on the Gunny until I was saved by my buddy Paul "Studmuffin" Muirhead, who I boat with on the Taylor every once in a while. We met up in Gunny with blue skies and found our way north to the Taylor, where dark blue clouds and the occasional rain shower greeted us.


The Taylor at this level is a blast. Everything is fun and defined, and the drops tend to be large with more vertical to them, but nothing on the river is too pushy at this level. Sneaks are everywhere and it is hard not to have a great time. Unfortunately it was raining off and on so we were making progress downstream and not worrying much about video. Still, I managed to fire off some jerky, out of breath clips here and there. Enjoy.




Rainy Taylor


It's hard to tell in this picture but at this moment it was raining really hard. Two minutes later it just quit. Welcome to Colorado!



Paul in the Slot from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Paul in the Slot


Initiation (5)


Initiation, the first drop on the commerical Upper. Its a fun mess of rocks and holes and waves oh my!



Paul in Initiation from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


I was too jerky with the camera to effectively get the top half of the rapid. Still, he does the lower half nicely I feel.



Paul in Upper Tombstone from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Paul in the upper half of Tombstone, running through Toilet Bowl, No Parking, and the Goalposts.



Paul in Boogie Water from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Paul in some typical Taylor boogie water. Check out Paul's fresh freestyle action in the end of the clip. Normally he's much better than that.



Paul in Lower Deadmans from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Paul in the lower half of Deadman's Rapid.


Harmel's Park


Some more leaf-peepin' on the way back to town. With the rain and wind this weekend I think the leaves are pretty much done, so I hope ya saw em when ya had the chance!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

2009 Projects

As the 2008 boating season wraps up, it's time to dig back out that list that we all made back in the spring, the list of runs that we wanted to get on this summer. Some were a success and some were not. My biggest shutdowns this year were Texas Creek and Muddy Creek. We got chased off Texas Creek by some lightning, and Muddy Creek never ran, except for some multiple-thousand cfs flooding in August. So as always, its time to add to that list, and get some runs on it for next year. Although I have a lot of desired runs on my personal list, I have come across four runs in particular that look especially delicious for next year. The first one, Texas Creek, has been on the radar for a couple of years, but the other three I believe to be relatively unknown, and I'm almost certain all are perfectly ready for that initial first descent. Of course what kind of kayaker would I be if I spilled the beans prematurely, so I will give you just a taste and you'll have to wait until next year to see what it holds......




tcsmall


Texas Creek. There is a two mile long shallow gorge on the bottom of this creek just as it spills into Taylor Reservoir. It's mostly shallow, boulder bed with a consistent gradient. There are several small but notable drops in the upper half, but the lower half is almost all continuous cobble stoned rapids. We were ready earlier this summer, boats in hand and ready to drop in, but then the lightning started up......


ccsmall


Don't look now, but this one has already been featured in my Webshots galleries. There is a gorge proper on this creek that looks marginally runnable- in the class V/V+ range with some portages around logs thrown in to the already steep gradient. Still, the rock is lava bedrock and the water does get high, so gnar-fiends look no further. The two miles above the gorge, however, contains a long series of class II and III rapids ultimately leading up to the above drop- which ends up in the takeout campground directly above the gorge.


cc2small


The longest of the top projects, this one looks to be about a three to four mile trip through a shallow class III canyon. The beavers have been in here, and this stretch is quite popular with the fishermen. Still, it looks fun and the flows are more than enough. I will be surprised if this is a first d, considering a section of the Colorado Trail runs right alongside it. The only downside to this run will be access- the bottom of it's canyon is located on private land, requiring either a hike back up the creek after we're done boating, or a steep bushwhack directly up and out of the canyon onto some sketchy forest roads that may or may not be there.


scsmall


The one showing the most potential, this one is a shallow class III high mountain desert creek that drops through some lava rock rapids in a shallow gorge. I originally had intended to look at the creek below here, and much to my surprise there is a significant looking patch of white in amongst the meanders visible from Google Earth, but a lack of suitable access has me stymied. Like the above creek, the bottom of the canyon is located on private land and thus downstream exiting is not an option. So with a brutal hike in (6 mi to the goods), an unknown section of whitewater, and shitty exit options, the main stem will remain shrouded for a little while longer. However, in my lookings I stumbled across some photos of a feeder stream to the one I was looking at, and they look mighty fine. This creek is number one on my list, so stay tuned because it will likely go first!


I have other projects on my mind too, but none as good as the above. As I attempt to garner more information this winter I will post it, but for now the wait begins....

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Leaf Peeping

Sometimes I really love my job.

We got dispatched to do a job in Lake City today, and with Whirlpool paying us 3x normal rate to go, it seemed worthwhile to go. It also happened to be the perfect time to go for the aspen trees as well- multitudes of reds, yellows, and browns were all around, mixed in amongst the greenery. While not the full on peak, it was definitely a very beautiful drive. We went down 149 but came back up Cebolla Creek, where we stopped in and I checked on a little project for next year.........

We forgot the still camera AGAIN, so y'all get a good round of vidcaps again. I'm still surprised how well this camera does with them.



Low Water Lake Fork


Low Water Lake Fork @ The Gate C.G.


Grassy Mountain


Grassy Mountain


Wetterhorn & Uncompahgre


Wetterhorn & Uncompahgre Peaks


Grassy Mountain 2


Williams Peak


Aspens


View From Slumgullion


Slumgullion Slide


Slumgullion Slide (it's technically an earthflow)


Cebolla Headwaters


Cebolla Creek Headwaters


Cebolla Gorge


Upstream from this mess lies a potential beauty....


So there ya go. Get out there quick if you want to see some because it will be nothing but sticks in a couple of weeks!

Monday, September 22, 2008

South Fork South Platte + Waterton Canyon

First off, let me apologize for the photos. Between the three of us we all managed to forget a still camera, so the few stills I have were captured off video. They ain't bad but they could be much better.......

With the flows dwindling to
"low" & "too low" across the state, and a trip to Denver on the agenda, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some last minute boating in, even if it was some easy, short lived class II action. Any day being in a boat is better than being inside. With my mom & sister attending a play, my dad was game to come along and either boat with us, or run shuttle for us, depending on how scary it looked. I called my cousins, Jeremy Allen & Zach Allen to see if they wanted to go. They were both interested when I brought it up, but Jeremy unfortunately wasn't able to make it due to his work schedule. Still, Zach was not to be deterred and came on down. We met up at the new Safeway between Conifer & Aspen park, loaded up the boats in the back of the truck and took off. It's a pretty drive down into the South Platte Canyon, the Reynolds Park Open Space is very scenic, as is the winding dirt road the parallels the North Fork of the South Platte on your way to the confluence. The confluence itself is a very beautiful place, with two beautiful, meandering Rocky Mountain streams converge and then plunge into the forbidding depths of Waterton Canyon.


Creepy Hotel


This creepy looking hotel sits overlooking the confluence; contrary to popular myth it is NOT haunted. It is an old hotel from when then the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad went through here.


The Chutes


The Chutes. There are two kayakers on river left below it (not members of our party). As you can see there is lots of granite. A much better picture can be found here thanks to Flickr member PaulMeisburger.


We headed up first to run the
South Fork of the South Platte, also known as the "Chutes" or "Deckers". It's a class II+ at most, although I would rate the Chute itself as a class III, due to some awkward but fun hydraulics that you encounter while in the granite hallway. The Chutes themselves are actually a multi-stage drop, with a small easy rapid up top that leads into a small ledge that drops you into the granite hallway. From here you plunge through the Chute, into a large flat pool around a corner, and then you pop through the Lower Chute, which has a fun ledge/wave on the left side to boof. There whole area is supposedly "off limits", so PK was unable to get any video of us in this section. We put in about a half a mile above the Chutes and ended up floating about 2.5 miles down. I should mention at this point Zach suffered a perfect case of "insta-karma" on the river. Not 50 yards below the put in, he lines up for a sleeper in the river, looks at me and says "Watch This!" amd goes tearin' ass for the rock. He goes jarring up onto it, immediately gets stuck, tries to wriggle his way off, flips, and then proceeds to swim in chest deep flatwater. Fortunately he self resuced, gear and all, but we did get some laughs from the fishermen that were just below us. Zach laughed it off and we soon were moving downstream.


Zach & Kit 1 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
I think this is called "Eagle Rock Rapid" but I am not sure.


Zach & Kit 2 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo. A fun rapid just below there. I don't know this one's name.


Approximately a half a mile above the confluence there is a bridge over the South Fork where the
Colorado Trail crosses it and proceeds on it's way to Denver. The bridge is named in honor of Gudy Gaskill, who was a strong advocate of the trail in it's early days. The bridge made for a goode filming platform for PK, and a great takeout for us to avoid the landowners just downstream. Apparently there used to be an old man who lived just above the confluence and used to regularly threaten boaters with guns and lots of threats. While the cantankerous old coot is gone, the new landowners (while nowhere near as crazy) are still unfriendly to boaters so it's best to avoid them altogether.


Gudy Gaskill Bridge


Gudy Gaskill Bridge


From The Gaskill Bridge


Zach said he saw a snake on the hike out but I failed to. I believe him, I guess.


From The Bridge


Just completed.


Taking Out


Walking to the cars.






Kit & Zach From Bridge from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


From The Bridge


Our plan was to then drive downstream and have a look at
Waterton Canyon, which is one of the few standard off-season runs for Denver and Front Range-area boaters. Boasting an incredibly long season and at least a basement flow, Waterton is about as standard as class III+ gets. We were stoked to go down, but unfortunately about halfway down in started pouring rain on us. We ran a couple of drops and went about a half a mile but ultimately decided to hike back to the safety and warmth of the truck.



Zach Waterton 1 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Zach On Waterton



Zach Waterton 2 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Zach still on Waterton



Kit Waterton 1 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.


Me on Waterton


Waterton Canyon + Rain


Waterton Canyon in the rain. By the time we got back to the truck, it had of course stopped raining. Not wanting to hike back out the same shit we had just hiked out, we decided for another quick run down the Chutes. We sat around at the confluence for a while, warming up and just generally enjoying the outdoors. You could see evidence from the Hayman Forest Fire, which was still fresh seven years later.


Hayman Burn Area


The burn area. There are large splotches like this everywhere.



south platte map


A map of the area


After running the Chutes again we headed back out to the Safeway, where we reunited Zach with his Subaru, and we rallied out, making it to my cousin James' house in record time. Despite the fact that it is a class II, the Chutes are still supremely enjoyable. The canyon is very scenic, with large granite domes popping up in between the large swaths of ponderose pine. The water is mostly flat and burbly, but there are a few class II rapids to keep the beginner on their toes. The rock is all granite, so the rocks in the riverbed tend to be sharp and unfriendly. Zach cut his hand pretty badly early on and will likely be sporting a fresh scar from it before too long. All things considered, a great way to spend September 20th!