Seattle!

Let's be honest: the blog has not been going well. Once in a while we'll get a new entry. But, right now is an important time to post! I am sitting in a coffee shop in Seattle with three former 511ers: Tucker, Sara, and, believe it or not, Justin! Yesterday, Tucker and I took the Amtrak (thanks for the ride to the station, Sara) to Stanwood, WA. Justin met us at the platform. He looks great. I touched his leg, and it was rock solid. Tucker and I pedaled all day into Seattle with our traveling friend. We were a little nervous about keeping up with such a rider, but we sneaked a few extra rocks into Justin's bags to slow him down a bit. What a day we had! I almost fell off of my bike when we found the Scuttlebutt brewery. We skipped lunch, despite protests from Justin and me, because Tucker wanted to be a hardcore cyclist and eat just Clif Bars and HammerGel. I offered him some of my sandwich, but he would have none of it. Tucker also nearly fell off of his bike two times, which is the same as the number of flat tires he got. The day started cool, but eventually warmed up so that we could ride in just shorts. It started to rain shortly thereafter. Finally, after 7 hours on the road, we made it to Tucker's house. And Sara made us supper. Thanks!

Photos to come!

Good luck to Justin!

First off, I can't believe it has been a year since the last post for The 511 Times! Second off, I want to wish Justin the adventure of a lifetime! If you haven't checked out his website, do:

http://roadsunwound.com/

If I'm not mistaken, Justin was the longest resident of the ranch, the house will be different without you, but we all look forward to reading about your travels and look forward to seeing you when and wherever our paths cross next.

Thanks for reading my first blog :)

Holdin' it down in B-Town

A quick comment on the hardiness of the Ranchettes at 511.

So gnar that upon leaving the house, cash and rain jackets tow, knowing we would return in a downpour of hail and rain true to a Montana summer's evening, we still rode our creaky bikes down to the brewery to have the fill of our limits.

Hail summer.

Aspen!

Oh, hey all. I'm in cloudy and stormy Aspen, CO. My flight has been delayed an hour, but lucky for me, I had a two hour layover in Denver scheduled, so I should still make it home. I've been down here for a job interview at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, but I also managed to have some fun. I flew in Wednesday evening, and my friend Liza picked me up at the airport. We stayed at her aunt's house, and Thursday morning we skied some sick lines in the deep pow of Highlands Bowl. Sweet! My interview went well, I think. I taught an algebra 1 class, and at least I didn't bomb entirely. I got a good feel from most of the people that I talked to, which was encouraging. One woman was talking as if I was already hired. I was actually pretty tired by the end of the day, after talking to 6 or 7 people throughout the day. Then, last night I met up with my friend Retta from college and we saw some short films in Aspen. It is so tremendously exciting to be a part of the thriving art community of Aspen! Unfortunately, I forgot my Uggs and I nearly wasn't allowed in. I just showed them my Armani glasses, however, and I was in. Sick! Hopefully I'll be home soon.

Bachelors Abroad

Hi All - The 511 Times is once again sending a correspondent abroad, this time to New Zealand. We are continuously trying to stretch our coverage as far and wide as possible, and with the well established network the 511 Times has created, this is becoming ever easier. I will be in New Zealand for the month of April with another past ranchhand, Chris Eixenberger. While there we intend to bike, climb, drink, kayak, tramp and zorb. Chris has just finished up med school in Omaha, and will be moving to Portland, Maine upon his return, while I am just unemployed and looking for something to do. Wish us the best in travels, and let's hope we can avoid the dangerous bite of the sandflies and the English women (they managed to bite into another of our intrepid ranchhands on his visit). Best of luck to Max at his interview at CRMS this week, and to Aunge as she recovers from her broken leg.

Justin

The Bachelor

Right now, Justin, Caitlyn, and I are watching the bachelor. Mostly, I'm thinking, "What the fuck?" I think that this pretty much sums up the show. Or, TV in general. I've been personally looking for bikes on the internet. I'm interested in Surly Cross Checks, so if you have one for sale, let me know. Justin and I are trying to throw some ideas together for some epic journeys. Justin thinks that after tonight, the Bachelor won't be possible; it's that intense. I'm over it.

Saturday Night! Sick!

We're having a potluck! It's pretty sick, actually. Leinie's is flowing like wine, Allison and Becca are instinctively flocking like the salmon of Capistrano, and you know that Daft Punk is making an appearance. It's Tucker and Sara's last night in town, and although we are sad about this, we may as well have a celebration to commemorate the fact that they did actually come to Bozeman. On the plus side of them leaving, I get to reclaim my room. I will, however, miss my Paco pad. Some nights perhaps I will still sleep on it and remember the good old days. Well, this is all I can write for now, because it's party time (as it usually is).
-Max