Talking Sense

Pikes Peak Summit Run

2012-02-11T21:48:00.002-07:00

My 2012 project is to run to the top of Pikes Peak every month of 2012. January and February are done, ten more months to go.

When Jerry Springer Came to Fox News

2012-02-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

Coastal Challenge, Costa Rica, Day one

2012-02-09T19:50:00.001-07:00

New Year's Day Ascent of Pikes Peak

2012-02-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Why Bike to Work?

2011-12-19T14:52:00.001-07:00

Created by: Healthcare Management Degree

Hardrock 100 Lottery

2011-12-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I got into the 2012 Hardrock 100 mile fun run after trying for the last ten years.

Mt Buckskin Trip Report

2011-11-26T18:52:00.002-07:00

Climbed Mt Buckskin yesterday, #84 in my quest to climb the highest 100 peaks in Colorado.

Nixon tries to form a "Silent Majority"

2011-11-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Early Morning: Garden of the Gods

2011-11-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

On the Barr Trail

2011-11-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ring the Peak attempt October 2009

2011-11-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Bear 100 Race Report

2011-10-10T21:13:00.003-06:00

Bear 100

The Bear 100

2011-10-02T17:38:00.002-06:00

Inaugural Aspen Backcountry Trail Marathon

2011-08-28T16:29:00.001-06:00

Final minutes of the Leadville Trail 100-mile Run

2011-08-25T06:55:00.001-06:00

My Most Excellent Journey on Pikes Peak

2011-03-20T12:49:00.003-06:00

Last day of Winter, March 19th, 2011

Snow plumes were swirling off the summit when I first got a glimpse of Pikes Peak about two miles up the Barr Trail. The forecast was for winds of 45-50 MPH and temperatures of 25 degrees by 1100 AM when I expected to be up there. I started my journey at 7:40 A.M. at the trailhead proper. My intent was to make a go at breaking the winter speed climbing record of 3 hours 21 minutes that I had set in January of last year, however when I reached the top of the W’s in 27 minutes I knew it was not going to happen. I wasn’t moving fast enough for any number of reasons: carrying too much stuff, ran a trail marathon a week before, getting older….pick your excuse, any excuse will do. Other time hacks at the 7.8 mile-to-go sign (1:10), Barr Camp (1:36) continued to reinforce the realization that it was not going to be a record setting day.

The trail up to Barr Camp was melting out well. Indeed the trail to Noname Creek was dry and from there to Barr Camp no spikes were necessary. I finally put on spikes just above Barr Camp. I followed one set of fresh footprints in the snow, but caught him just before the end of the long switchback before A-Frame. This was also where the trail became mostly un-runable. I cut straight over to A-Frame from the “willows switchback,” reaching A-Frame in 2:34. The creek by the A-Frame was completely frozen over. From here I climbed straight up the slopes, post-holing up to my knees on the soft snow, seeking firm ground on heather slopes as much as I could. Though it was a direct ascent the going was slow. I crossed the trail at the long traverse to the 1-mile-to-go sign about three hours into it. It would take another 53 minutes to reach the summit. As I approached the summit at first I thought the train was up there, then I realized it was the wind. Wow. The wind was screaming like a freight train. After the 16 Golden Stairs sign I angled left and gained the south ridge, popping out on the tracks. I walked the tracks towards the summit house in the face of bitter wind. Finding some shelter out of the wind I put on all my clothes: coat, an extra set of gloves and wool cap.

My next goal was to get off the mountain as fast as I could. I really didn’t want to go back down the rock pile, so I set off jogging down the tracks. Problem was, this was directly into the face of the biting wind. My fingers were going numb despite two sets of gloves and to keep my nose from getting frostbit I had to hold a hand over it. Finally, I rounded the first turn where the wind was mostly at my back. From the summit it is about two miles down the tracks to Windy Point, which is still above tree-line. What did I find there? Three trains, and one of them was coming up the tracks towards me. I called Chewy and we climbed up into the rocks while the maintenance train drove past. I’m sure they must have seen me but they pretended not to. It didn’t take very long before they gave three toots and turned back. Windy Point was the highest point the passenger trains would go that day.

I waited until they all had started back down the mountain before I resumed my run down the tracks. Just below treeline the maintenance train had parked and workers were working on the tracks. Chewy and I diverted into the woods until we had passed safely beyond the train, then resumed our run down to the Mountain View station at 10,000’ elevation. At Mountain View it was so hot that I stripped down to short-sleeve shirt before running the connector trail back over to the Barr Trail near the half-mile-to-go sign to Barr Camp. I was running on “six hour legs” by this time and that is not too fast. Even at that pace Chewy was lagging. I realized he was not behind me when I reached Noname Creek. Backtracking I had to go all the way back to above “Town Overlook” before I found him. It was a long day on the mountain by the time I finally got home.

Manitou Incline - Current Conditions

2010-12-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

14ers.com • View topic - Manitou Incline - Current Conditions

Kucinich: Fake Taliban Leader, Fake Elections, Fake Deadline, Real Trouble « Dandelion Salad

2010-11-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

“The only real thing about this war is the dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, the wasted tax dollars and the mounting evidence telling us to get out.”

Kucinich: Fake Taliban Leader, Fake Elections, Fake Deadline, Real Trouble « Dandelion Salad

Daily Kos: Republicans win office, kill jobs immediately

2010-11-07T10:28:00.001-07:00

Cause that’s the way they roll!

“Governor-Elect Kasich in Ohio has killed the federally-funded passenger rail project that would have connected Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. Apparently, Kasich does not like the idea of putting Ohioans to work building new infrastructure that would keep a ton of people employed and provide people with a transportation option that would reduce fossil fuel consumption.”

Daily Kos: Republicans win office, kill jobs immediately

Grand Teton 100 Mile Race Report

2010-10-02T12:07:00.002-06:00

Grand Teton 100 Mile Fun Run Race Report

2010-08-08 RMFI Work Day

2010-08-08T18:15:00.001-06:00

Click on picture for all the day's pics

Ring the Peak, June 12, 2010 Run Report

2010-07-23T12:36:00.000-06:00

Ring the Peak, June 12, 2010 Run Report

Ring the Peak Slide Show

2010-06-14T18:50:00.001-06:00

Ring the Peak, June 12, 2010

2010-06-13T13:33:00.001-06:00

The four finishers of the first-ever one-day run of the Ring the Peak Trail. From left to right: Rick Hessek, Nick Starkey, Paul DeWitt, Steve Bremner

17 hours 30 minutes
64.5 miles
13,200 feet elevation gain and loss

TRNN Exclusive: The man that "shoed" Bush

2010-05-22T20:32:00.000-06:00

American River 50 mile Endurance Run

2010-04-11T19:26:00.001-06:00

Yours truly near the halfway point of the American River 50 mile Endurance Run, Sacramento to Auburn California along the American River, April 10th 2010.

Birthday at Barr Camp

2010-04-04T15:31:00.000-06:00

I celebrated 55 years on the planet this morning with Neal and Teresa Taylor at Barr Camp.

2010-03-10T18:11:00.002-07:00

The Spotted Skunk makes its getaway!

2010-02-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

Winter Series #4: Blackforest 20K 27 Feb 2010

2010-02-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Skunk #2 for tonight

2010-02-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Return of the Skunk

2010-02-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Skunked again

2010-02-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Manitou Springs, Colorado

2010-02-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

My feet after last year's marathon in Palisade, Colorado

2010-02-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

Bicycle Dreams Trailer

2010-01-11T19:33:00.001-07:00

Rejecting Atheism

2010-01-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Woman Sees Jesus In Her Bruise

2010-01-05T15:28:00.001-07:00

Lynn and I with our hula hoops around 1960

2009-12-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with my Raramuri bud in Copper Canyon, Mx

2009-12-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Miles Davis- Dig Watermelon Man

2009-12-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

Miles Davis- Dig Watermelon Man

2009-12-18T20:19:00.001-07:00

Denver Art Museum

2009-11-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Marlene Bremner takes in the exhibit Embrace! at the Denver Art Museum. Highly recommended if you have the chance to see it. They commissioned 17 artists to compose artwork that complements the unique architecture of the building.

US public detached from the true cost of war

2009-11-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

My finish of Colorado Marathon #20 for 2009

2009-11-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bush Family Fortunes Part 1 of 6

2009-11-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

Magog and Gog

2009-10-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

Ring the Peak Part 2

2009-10-26T11:31:00.000-06:00

From Movies

Ring the Peak Part 3

2009-10-25T19:44:00.000-06:00

From Movies

Ring the Peak Part 1

2009-10-25T13:46:00.000-06:00

From Movies

View off my deck this morning

2009-10-11T10:20:00.000-06:00

2009 10 04 Blue Sky Marathon

2009-10-06T11:54:00.001-06:00

Blue Sky Trail Marathon, Fort Collins

2009-10-04T19:16:00.000-06:00

Steve Bremner and John Courtney just before running today's Blue Sky Trail Marathon on the Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, Colorado. I ran 4:18, finishing 7th overall and 1st in my age group--#18 in my quest to run all 20 Colorado marathons this year.

XTerra Trail Marathon

2009-10-03T20:39:00.000-06:00

Steve Bremner and John Courtney before today's Cheyenne Mtn State Park Trail Marathon. I placed 5th overall in 4:18. John ran 5:19. Three more marathons to go (including one tomorrow) in our quest to run all 20 Colorado Marathons this year.

Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification

2009-09-29T19:00:00.001-06:00

John Courtney and Steve Bremner

2009-09-13T20:29:00.000-06:00

Holding up our hardware after today's Mountain Air Marathon in Gunnison, Colorado. I won overall in 3:10. John won his age group (60-64) in 3:44.

2009-09-06 Breck Crest Marathon

2009-09-09T17:52:00.001-06:00

Breck Crest Marathon

2009-09-07T19:44:00.000-06:00

John Courtney and I prior to running the Breckenridge Crest Mountain Marathon yesterday. Today we ran the American Discovery Trail Marathon in Colorado Springs.

Auto-Tune the News #8 WITH T-PAIN!

2009-09-03T12:46:00.001-06:00

Hard Times Come Again No More - James Taylor - Yo-Yo Ma

2009-09-02T10:20:00.001-06:00

Jimi Hendrix: Machine Gun

2009-08-31T20:21:00.001-06:00

January 1st, 1970. Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, Jimi Hendrix. Band of Gypsys.

Silverton Alpine Marathon

2009-08-30T19:01:00.001-06:00

Silverton Alpine Marathon

2009-08-30T12:02:00.000-06:00

Race director Rodger Wrublik asks me if I want a burger following my win at the Silverton Alpine Marathon, 28 August.

Scene in Silverton, Colorado

2009-08-30T11:48:00.000-06:00

Rampart Shooting Range

2009-08-26T15:02:00.001-06:00

My new dog! (German Shepherd/Chow mix)

2009-08-24T17:40:00.000-06:00

Hummingbird

2009-08-23T20:23:00.000-06:00

Manitou Reservoir from timberline on Pikes Peak

2009-08-22T20:02:00.000-06:00

View from timberline on Pikes Peak. This morning I did some exploring. I ran nine miles from my home in Manitou Springs to A-Frame (timberline), then proceeded cross-country southwards to a grassy plateau. From there I marched up slope looking for a trail built by Fred Barr nearly 100 years ago. I turned into the Cirque, a huge natural basin on the south slopes of the Peak where I found a cairn! The well formed trail shortly came into view. I followed it back towards Barr Trail to see where it joined the trail up Pikes Peak. The trail was in and out through grassy slopes, but cairns kept me on track until the trail came back into rocks where it was more evident. After crossing the main drainage off the peak (where about six fuel barrels dumped off the summit years ago had come to rest) the ancient trail joined the Barr Trail ten feet from the 3-mile-to-go sign. I love finding new trails.

TRAILER: Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story'

2009-08-21T21:55:00.001-06:00

My feets after running today's Pikes Peak Marathon

2009-08-16T19:24:00.000-06:00

That Mitchell and Webb Look - Divine Watermelon

2009-08-14T12:01:00.001-06:00

Hiking the West Coast Trail

2009-08-06T21:23:00.001-06:00

Steve Bremner on the West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island

2009-08-05T11:23:00.000-06:00

Meeting of great minds

2009-07-31T23:55:00.000-06:00

Bill and Doug Bremner on the beach in front of Bill's fabulous beach house on the Key Peninsula, Puget Sound, Washington. It doesn't get any better than this, folks.

My girls: Natalie and Marlene

2009-07-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

Olympics off Hood Canal, Washington

2009-07-31T20:35:00.000-06:00

On my way up to Port Angeles today I stopped on a beach for a couple hours... Found some oysters that I ate raw just like when I was a kid... then I relaxed on a log and read while enjoying the view... Tomorrow I will take the ferry across to Victoria and then run the West Coast Trail.

Doug Bremner living the life on Puget Sound

2009-07-31T10:32:00.000-06:00

Mt Hood summit today

2009-07-28T21:53:00.000-06:00

Marlene on beach in front of her place on Puget Sound

2009-07-24T21:54:00.000-06:00

Bill Moyers Discusses The Washington Post's Pay-to-play Scandal

2009-07-23T15:11:00.001-06:00

Lou Dobbs, take note: Matthews accuses birther bill co-sponsor of "appeasing the nutcases"

2009-07-22T22:04:00.001-06:00

Obama Attends Bulls**t G8 Summit

2009-07-12T16:03:00.001-06:00

War Crimes and the White House: The Bush Administration's Cover-Up of the Dasht-e-Leili Massacre

2009-07-12T13:45:00.001-06:00

View from my deck this evening

2009-07-09T20:44:00.000-06:00

Jeff Beck - Pork Pie Hat

2009-07-04T22:37:00.001-06:00

Jeff Beck - Cause We've Ended As Lovers

2009-07-04T22:32:00.001-06:00

Björk - Declare Independence

2009-07-04T21:47:00.001-06:00

Pikes Peak from Mount Arthur this morning

2009-07-04T18:37:00.000-06:00

Team CRUD Crew

2009-07-03T13:32:00.000-06:00

Team CRUD

2009-07-03T13:12:00.000-06:00

Harsha left this for us yesterday at the turn towards Hurricane Canyon off Longs Ranch Road. http://www.teamcrud.com

Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends

2009-06-29T23:05:00.001-06:00

Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

2009-06-29T21:38:00.001-06:00

CRUD in the Ramparts this morning

2009-06-27T19:47:00.000-06:00

The Bear

2009-06-25T11:12:00.001-06:00

The bear visits my home in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

On the Edge with Max Keiser - 19 June 2009 (pt 1 of 4)

2009-06-20T21:21:00.001-06:00

The global economy is one multi-billion dollar pyramid scheme.

Now I know who has been emptying my Birdfeeder

2009-06-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Leonard Cohen - Democracy

2009-06-08T22:10:00.001-06:00

Exactly as we experienced the inimitable one at Red Rocks. Leonard Cohen is a truth teller extraordinaire!!

the Reserve currency status corrupted America says Peter Schiff on CNBC 08 06 2009

2009-06-08T16:25:00.001-06:00

One Bullet - Garnet Rogers

2009-06-05T15:12:00.001-06:00

Nice Little Bobcat hanging out by my hot tub yesterday afternoon

2009-06-05T09:32:00.001-06:00