Halloween was mellow but spent in some great conversation. first time in a while that I have lost time in deep discussions. Unfortunately, I also was so overcome by the smoke in a bar that my eyes were burning on the drive home.

"The streams who's crystal floods pour over nuggets of pure gold do not flow in any flat and acessible river bed but in a narrow rocky valley surrounded by gigantic Ideas, and over its entrance the mighty Spirit stands guard like a cherub with his sword, turning back all who expect to be admitted at the usual price for a play of ideas." - Presussische Militair-Literatur Zeitung, 1832

Sporting our new uniform for the Army - the ACU (Army Combat Uniform). They are so comfortable I feel like I am wearing my pajamas to work! the nice thing is they are wash and wear - no more pressing uniforms. Plus the additional pockets are great too.

Sunset over the range in Florence, AZ

Get Some!!!

One of the best parts being a commander is seeing your troops succeed. We were supposed to stay overnight at our armory tonight after a long (14 hour) day of weapons qualifications. They did so well and qualified 100% of those who went I let them go home tonight.

Nothing beats some of the simple joys of watching the stars at night, or reveling in the sunrise with the one you care about most in this world. Sunrise over Whidby Island, WA.

Back in Washington State again for one of the best weekends of my life.

RITC Baby!
Floor Seats at Rage In The Cage.... freaking awesome!
This was Steve's first time at a cage match. I told him that sometimes there are fights that break out in the stands... not even five minutes later, yup you guessed it.. there were four fights in the audience that night. The funniest one was on the floor near us and the guy was giving the cops a bunch of smack so they just cuffed him and dragged him out. What a dumbass.




Then there was the fight with 'roid boy', some guy was jacked on steroids, this was really obvious by his build. He recieved a mixed welcome when he walked up to the octagon, some loud cat calls. Then he was DQ'ed (disqualified) for some reason I forget, but when he was leaving the floor, the audience was throwing trash down at him. Don't piss off an arena of fighters. What a great night.

I can't believe this is undoctored. The sunset from on Mt Humphreys was amazing. Good thing we had a flashlight to make it down the mountain.

Going slowly took longer than I planned on this trip. Steve and I almost at the top - on top of Arizona enjoying the view.

Steve and I startin to feel the altitude at over 11,000'

At a little over 14,600' Mt Humphrey's dominates Flagstaff, AZ

Had a blast of a weekend. Took a few extra days off to head up Mt. Humphrey, the highest point in AZ at 12,600'. I learned a lot from the Kilimanjaro trip about acclimatization. Took it "poli, poli" (slowly, slowly) above the 11,000' marker. Saw some nice fights at the Glendale stadium (www.rageinthecage.com) on Friday night, checked out some of the bars in Phoenix after. Saturday we drove out to San Diego to go to some great parties, the second one had a phenomenal DJ. Your roomate kicks butt, Urban! Thanks for driving Steve. And to everyone else in the 'crew' this weekend I hope you all had as much fun as I did. One more for the record that I'll never forget. Pictures to follow...