A little while later...

Well, once upon a time, this was likely one of the best blogs on the Internets, at least according to its (not so) frequent contributors and perhaps a few of their friends. Of course, it comes as no surprise that the blogging fell by the wayside as the seasons changed. Julia never returned to Bozeman, as was once the plan, and Danny bought his own house into which Patrick moved. In addition, a ping pong table now graces the big room downstairs, and any time that perhaps would have previously been dedicated to blogging is now used up swinging paddles at small plastic spheres.
These days, however, as I'm driving in my car from place to place I often have thoughts and realizations that I know would be perfect for blogging. I'm not actually going to share any of those right now because, frankly, I don't actually remember them any longer than about 5 minutes or so. This, at this point, renders them useless.
Currently I'm in Steamboat Springs, Colorado visiting family. I've been away from Bozeman and 511 since May, working more for NOLS. I have a triumphant return to Bozeman scheduled for August 10, and the Ridge Run is on August 11. I've been training hard all summer by thinking about running, looking at places that a person could potentially run, and hauling my running shoes about just in case I get the urge to actually run. That would be something...
I've been traveling around Colorado in the past week visiting friends. It turns out that Julia had some days off from Outward Bound simultaneously and we were able to meet up for some quality hiking, hanging out, and Pabst drinking. I or We also saw some good friends from back in the day at Colorado College: Alex, Dan, Retta, Liza, Tess, and that might be it. It's been nice.
Yesterday I did, in fact, go for a run. It did not feel great, but when I was done I smiled. Then I passed out. I saw a bear on the run. It was a cub, about the height of our canine friend Phoebe, but very stocky. At first visual contact, I thought, "What a strange looking dog." But then, quickly, my thought turned to, "Wait. That's not a dog. That's a bear! Run for your lives!" Fortunately, I was already running, so I just needed to add the "for your lives" part on, which lessened the overall workload. As the bear saw me, apparently she thought my new fumanchu moustache was unattractive (which is why I think that it was a female bear) and she promptly ran off into the woods. The rest of the run was uneventful.
So, perhaps this blog will put the spirit back into the 511 (and beyond) Times, and it will return to its former glory. Thank you.