Spring Breakin'

Jord-o is down in Mississississsissippi working with Habitat for Humanity. I am currently in Breckenridge with the Fam. The weather's bomb, floating on 6 inches of fresh pow-pow. First day down, injury free all around. I'll be updating more in a bit.

I now walk...

Into the Wild is a favorite epic tale here at Basecamp, if for nothing else it's great story about great adventure. If you don't know the story it chronicles the adventures of a college graduate, Chris McCandless on a roaming trek to seek truth in his life- to discover the essential question: What is real?

I love and hate the story. Partially this tale scares me. I've cried every time I've read it. I go back and forth on what I really think about it: Was he stupid or too smart for his own good? How did he treat people throughout his journey? Is he a personal hero or just some wanderlust filled idiot?

The story scares me because I get it. I understand what McCandless was doing. His parents had held high expectations for him throughout his life and he had done all he could to live up to them. It was finally his time to explore, to walk his own path. I don't think I would ever do something to the extreme, but maybe that's part of my love for the outdoors, that searching/seeking/raw/living thing.

I cringe because he breaks hearts along the way. I feel like he disrespects people, using them only to further his own means. McCandless has this unique understanding that humans need other human interaction, and when he has had enough he moves on without any regrets. (i.e. the old man that asks if he can adopt him, if that scene doesn't stir some emotion in you I don't know what will.) I'm never really that upset at what McCandless does because in the moments he shares with people he gives so much of himself.

What truly attracts me to the story McCandless' ability to shake what the world expects of him and find truth.

Bold, stupid, crazy, brilliant, think what you will, but it makes for a damn good story.

Super Saturday

Chalk up another great weekend for the Base Camp Boys. Saturday started out slow but soon picked up speed by spur of the moment activities.

Activity #1: Our first visit to the new Bass Pro Shop in Independence. After finding a relatively close parking spot in a jam-packed parking lot our spirits were high walking into the bass and hunting Mecca. With neither of us being hunters nor bass only fishermen the store slowly lost its magic. Wondering throughout the 180,000 square foot store the only thing that seemed worth stopping at was the Fly Shop. Maybe BPS will be more enjoyed on a less busy day.

Activity #2: Geocaching. The Base Camp Boys and Caitlin ventured to a near by park in search of some treasure! With Jordan having minimal Geocaching experience, and Ryan and Caitlin having none, this was going to be a learning experience. With the new GPS device Jordan got at the REI Garage sell exactly one week ago; we plugged in the coordinates to the cache provided by geocaching.com. We stumbled endlessly fallowing the compass on the GPS and finally we hit the jackpot!

Activity #3: Time to eat! Since we tried out the new GPS… we decided it was only far to try out Ryan’s new MSR cook set. We set up camp inside of the WJC climbing hut, so we (and by we I mean Jordan) could climb and eat. Ryan did do the cooking and it was bomb! Caitlin and Abby even joined for some food and good company.


Activity #4: With good food in our bellies; Jordan, Ryan, and Caitlin wanted another crack at Geocaching. So we got some coordinates for caches around Liberty, put on the headlamps, grabbed the bikes, and rolled out into the night. We spent the whole night tracking the caches like pirates; however we only technically found one of four caches in the area. We like to think that the ones we didn’t find were either not there, or due to the satellites (cue P.O.D.) in the sky preventing the GPS to not do its freaking job.

And that pretty much summed up our Saturday.

What we learned-
Bass Pro Shop is over rated.
Geocaching is sweet, and could potentially become addicting.
Ryan can’t climb in cold weather, or on full stomach.
Jordan doesn’t handle bikes well (But just learned how to ride a bike within the last year).

One week till spring break… hola hola back yall.

Brett Favre made me cry.

It's true, I'm not ashamed. I found myself watching #4's retirement press conference and it dawned on me: This is the end of an era, not as much for the NFL or even the Green Bay Packers, but the end of my child hood sports heroes. They're all gone. Marcus Allen, James Hasty, Brian Waters, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Dominique Dawes, George Brett, Joe Randa, Mark Gubicza, Appier, Craig Biggio, Bagwell, MJ, Pippen, Shawn Kemp, John Stockton, Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff, and so many others.

Some are still great: Smoltz and Chipper. Mutombo.

A few of my childhood icons are still hanging, limping, and lingering on.

Randy Johnson isn't the same pitcher without a 105mph fastball.

Ken Griffey Jr. has never been the same explosive player he once was since he moved to Cincy and shredded his knee (I never really liked him because he never played with passion. It just felt like he played because his dad did and he could make a shit ton of money doing it. The other thing was, he wore long pants. I place the blame of that terrible trend and every other uniform fashion statement squarely on his shoulders, (i.e. C.C. Sabathia and his crooked hat, baggy jerseys, etc).).

Shaq is not the same brilliant, agile dominating athlete that rocked movie theaters with not one, but two great films (Blue Chip and Kazaam). I can hardly watch him crawl through 25 minutes a game trying so hard to catch up with the Suns.

It's a whole other blog to talk about the fact that a majority of my heroes were 'roided up beyond belief.

Brett Favre just closed the door. He was the last of my heroes. A throw back to the type of players my dad grew up admiring. Players like the Chiefs' E.J Holub, a hall-of-fame-caliber linebacker and a larger-than-life Texas rancher in the offseason. A gritty, tough, manly man. Someone who embodied selflessness, passion, and guts. Kansas City's own construction player turned All-Star, Frank White.

The athletes today are great. Maybe better than the ones I grew up loving. But for me, no one's bat will ever make the same crack sound as Brett, play as smoothly as Marcus, run as fast as Jr. or embody passion and toughness like Brett Farve.

Bicycle Dreamin'

Jordan has his fishing adventures, I have my bicycle addiction or collection depending on who you are.

#1My first love: 2007 Specialized Rockhopper. Some Crank Brothers eggbeaters, a ton of embarassing falls, and a good friend with a matching bike- You've got some magic right there.

My loyal #2: Cannondale r700, or Caramel as I like to call her. So smooth, so fast, so clean, I love it. The freedom of the road is priceless. Slap on my LiveStrong braclet and my Team Discovery jersey and I'm Lance Armstrong going for number eight.

And finally, the latest addition to my growing collection #3: My inheritance. Frederick W. Lauer's 1978 Nishiki road bike. Known to me as the dusty bike from the garage, she has transformed for me into...The Gray Goose. A gray and silver steel framed beaut. Sure she has some kinks, shes hefty, the rides not the smoothest, she needs a new handbar tape job, the rear derailer is sketchy at best, but she has character. Newly rejuvinated and in the prime of her life, the Gray Goose and I are looking forward to many commutes and miles of adventure in the years to come. (Pictures on the way)

Jump on the green bandwagon- get a bike.

LYLAS, R.F. Lauer

Fly Fishin' Day Dreamin'

Hello my people~ As I'm sure you have already know... REI/St. Louis weekend was amazing! We snagged some unbelievable gear/clothes, and are excited for the next one ( March 10th).

Now that I am back all I can think about is the recently opened Fly Fishing season. My favorite home state fishing spot, Bennett Spring State Park opened on March 1st and I'm itching to get down there ASAP.




* I was checking out the amazing Tim Keel's Blog today and ran across a quote from Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"

"Thomas Merton wrote, 'There is always a temptation to diddle around in the contemplative life, making itsy-bitsy statues.' There is always an enormous temptation in all of life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends and meals and journeys for itsy-bitsy years on end. It is so self-conscious, so apparently moral, simply to step aside from the gaps where the creeks and winds pour down, saying, I never merited this grace, quite rightly, and then to sulk along the rest of your days on the edge of rage. I won't have it. The world is wilder than that in all directions, more dangerous and bitter, more extravagant and bright. We are making hay when we should be making whoopee; we are raising tomatoes when we should be raising Cain, or Lazarus."

J.C+

Deal Grubbin' Bum Rushin'

>>

Team Basecamp has had a crazy 24 hours. Here's the recap:

• 4:30: Leave Basecamp, pick up the GF, drive to the Lou.


• 8:45: Arrive at REI: Just in time to witness some great reactions from the employees as we set up our tent, or auxillary Basecamp. Now numbers 1,2,and 3 in line. Enjoyed some items from the local Whole Foods
• 12am: I fall asleep at midnight. Jordan and Caitlin fail to do so. Aparently I'm an inconsiderate jackass that snores really, really loud. My two great teammates failed to sleep at all last night.


• 6:30am: Wake refreshed and re-energized along with reciving many grumblings, insults, and curses from the two I shared a tent with. Our good new friend Ray brought us coffee and $5 for saving his spot (#4)


• 7:30: giddy


• 8:30: giddy and excited with a growing line behind us.


• 9:30: pre-garage sale stretching and strategizing.


• 9:59: weeping in joy.


• 10:00: We're in! The three of us sprint after the manager through the store, back into the warehouse and out to the loading dock where the sale that dreams are made of is going down. (gasping for breath): "Breath Ryan." I froze. It was all too much. We were excited and therefore missed the $20 Mad Rock Crash Pad waiting beneath one of the tables. I ran to the bike table and shoes, why the hell did I run to the shoes, then snagged a great little REI daypack. I lost track of Jordan and Caitlin in the intense chaos. Finally we settle down.


• 12:30: First ones in, last ones out. Crazy. Its one big blur of tents, North Face, yelling, and hyperventilation. We can not fully disclose the last details of our shopping. Its all part of the strategy for next time. It wasn't until after checkout that we realized the full extent of the madness. My trunk was full, we were dazed and confused, and we still had 4 hours till home.
  
  
  Stopped by Columbia for what felt like 20 minutes. Sorry if I didn't get the chance to see you, catch up, and brag about my great finds. Great day. Great fun. Great memories.
  RFL
  
  

You can find me in St. Lu-A... Nelly Ville Here we come!

First state of business....Happy Leap Day!!

A little Leap Day history lesson for you: Leap day, also known as leap year day, is an extra day added to the month of February in a leap year. February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. It occurs every four years in years evenly divisible by four except for centenary years not divisible by 400.
A leap day is more likely to occur on Mondays or Wednesdays rather than other days because the Gregorian calendar repeats itself every 400 years. Therefore February 29 can occur 15 times on a Monday or Wednesday, 14 times on a Friday or Saturday and 13 times on a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday.

Also, a tradition was introduced many centuries ago to allow women to propose to men during a leap year (maybe I'll get lucky)

So the rubber is about to hit the road soon... T minus 4 hours 30 minutes to be exact. We will be experiencing are 1st REI "garage sale" in St. Louis. At 10 a.m. tomorrow morning complete chaos will occur!

Many stories and pictures are on the way... "get your popcorn ready"
J.C.

Leap Day Eve

Alright alright, the snow's all melted or melting, birds are chirping, the sun stays out a little longer, and the permafrost that has built up from this winter is alomost gone. Time for my 5 favorite things about spring:

1. Time to dust of the old bicycle(s). No longer am I forced to stare at two beautiful two wheeled creatures, but actually get to ride them. Yesterday and today I've gotten out on some short rides, for coffee, and to the bank. And finally I dont have to look like this guy:

2. Chaco time.


3. Spring camping. It might be a little wet, it might be a little cold, but to hell with it. We've been sleeping inside for too long now. Plus with the new edition of a MSR coffee filter to my gear collection those cold mornings are way more pleasent.

4. Fishing time. A family member of mine just purchased a great new boat and a slip at smithville, Jordan and I will have no regrets taking advantage of that. Plus my GF that has never been fishing or caught a fish (werid I know), will be snagging crappies like crazy before she knows it. I also plan on having Jordan teach me how to fly fish.

5. Waking up and looking forward to the day. Febuary is just gray and once you think its as gray as it can get, its gets even grayer. I'm over. I can't wait to enjoy my walk to class each morning in a beautiful moderate temperature.

I just love the change in seasons. I think that we forget how cyclical life was supposed to be. There are season to life as there are seasons in our environment. Since we've moved from a largely agrarian cluture and society we've lost the awe wonder and thankfulness for the new life springing up around us.

Keep walking, look forward, but don't miss what's right under your feet.
R.F. Lauer

Tasty Food..Tasty Price Contest

Winner goes to the person who can up with something better then a "Handful of Everything" by Archer Farms

Ryan and I love this 30 oz mouth watering blend of flavor heaven. Really the only way to eat this pleasing mix is by the handful. Whoever said you can't guarantee happiness clearly has never tried Archer Farms "A Handful of Everything." We're talking.. raisins, almonds, chocolate drops, peanuts, cashews, coconut, and the most delightful... dried fruit.

So the winner that comes up with something better...will receive a courtesy 30oz jar of "Handful of Everything." But once you receive your 30 oz jar you will soon realize that your answer was wrong and that "Handful of Everything" is indeed the best.

In the mean time Ryan and I are going to fist fight over them!
Good luck.... you will need it.
J.C.

Cause there's good deeds and there is good intention

It started with good intentions: Get in killer shape, become better climbers along the way, and do something few have ever acommplished. Our attempt at the Oklahoma City Half Marthon started out strong the second week of Febuary...for two days.

We got sidelined quickly. First I had wicked battle with influenza. Only a few days later Jordan caught a chesty congestion cough thing. We're a little off track, but we'll catch up somehow. Sunday first run in two weeks-6 miles. Look out, we're on our way.

Before the marathon I'm starting my first run at the professional triathlon circuit. April 19th I'll be in Columbia doing the Shakespeare's Pizza Duathlon. I'll be making T-Shirts for my offical fan club soon.

Keep livin' the dream

Ryan

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman aint got nothing on me.

Today's 50 degree weather was a breath of fresh air! Even though it is now snowing and cold... but heck 50 degrees is a much needed rise in temperature and morale.

In case anyone was sleeplessly wondering how my terrible sickness is going... no need to worry I think I'm going to make it. (pity cough.. pity cough)

My Three day Medicine Diet:
In your face Dr. Quinn (not Sully..he is the man)
2tsp of Delsym every 12 hours.. then throw in 4tsp of Tussin chest congestion (wild berry flavor of course) every 8 hours. Then before bed throw down some..ok alot.. Night Time Cough All Night Relief.. then between medicine shots, suck on some Cough Drops.. cherry flavor of course.. gotta keep it real with the cherry. That seems to be working so far.. not out of the woods yet..but I see the tree line up ahead. (c)

Gotta get back on my feet...

keep your eyes on the horizon.
Jc

Lazy Sunday.

Caitlin and I have determined that being outside more will bring spring about faster. Today was a great one. With my poor sick roommate in a Nyquil induced comma, I got up early, picked up Cait, drank some coffee, at some day old muffins, courtesy of By the Book, and went to Jacob's Well. As usual, great service, great message, great friends. Taking advantage of the great spring weather we wandered around The Nelson lawn and explored for the second time the great galleries of the Bloch Building. Came across some new great things worth checking out. A photography exhibit: Time in the West: Photographs by Mark Klett. Its great that a major art museum is free.









Offically started planning some weekend trips for this spring. Starting with Piney-Creek Wilderness and Taum-sauk Mt.

REI Garage sale: STL, less than a week away.

...great day.

Much love-
R. Lauer

Cough..cough...uaaaaaakahhhhh(really big cough)

Greetings from Sick Camp.

I totally underestimated the wildness of my cough and have been unsuccessful thus far to tame it.
Hopefully NyQuil won't fail me now.

Due to my illness this will be all. However I will urge you all to track our good friend, video genius, Brandon Goodwin as he chronicles his adventures in the People's Republic of China.

Wash your hands~
J.C.

not close enough.

This week has been a great music week. I've came across and rediscovered a lot of artists that are really hitting a chord with me. I think it has something to do with the crappy weather, too many YouTube climbing videos (this one's great), really boring classes, and more snow than I can remember in a winter. So here's my top 8 albums in rotation for me. Why 8 I don't know.

1. Lupe Fiasco's, "The Cool"

2. Eddie Vedder, "Into the Wild"

3. Brett Dennen, Self-titled

4. Waterdeep, "Sink or Swim"

5. U2, "Joshua Tree"

6. Andrew Bird "Armchair Apocrypha"

7. Wilco, "Sky Blue Sky"

8. Tea Leaf Green, "Live in San Francisco 4.7.06"

Its been a good winter for reading. I'm chowing through some Kerouac, but thats too dangerous to do when one is locked into school, one place, and winter weather. I'm reading Vollmann's "Riding Toward Everywhere", don't really like it. At this point I'm just reading to finish it.

Bumming around Kansas City this weekend. Can't wait to head to Columbia in a week.

Peace and chow-

RFL.

Spring and adventure are close....

Old Man Winter Strikes Agian~

Another snowy day in Liberty...

That means we can't go climbing, can't go to the grand opening of the new Bass Pro Shop, and definitely can't avoid of getting sick. But it does mean we can complain some more.

On a good note~

Lunar Eclipse last night was amazing!


Ryan and I got our new Patagonia El Cap 1/4 zip fleece pullovers today (bomb). Suggested Retail price: $75.00. What we paid? $35.00. Thank you Steep and Cheap!

Since today was a snowy.. nasty.. cold.. bitter.. old man winter day, I busted out season 1 & 2 of Saved By The Bell. Wow what a show. I have included a clip below that might change the way you look at your life...

Thats all i got today, I'm going to go tame this cough then part its mane and ride it off into the sunset.

JC

Saved by the Bell - Buddy Bands

Mountain Cravings

Winter's wearing on the two residents of Browning 105. Its tough living the life of a flatlander. All winter I've been compiling my collection of gear and stalking Steep and Cheap to have some great stuff to play with when the warm weather rolls around. Spring is only a couple weeks away and we're going a little crazy. The two nights a week of climbing at our local gym can't control our fever for hiking, climbing, camping, and spending time outdoors.

Yesterday we went exploring Roger's Sporting Goods here in Liberty. We're now determined to buy some hug rods, go down to the Missouri River and snag an 80lb catfish named Meaty.

A couple of other happenings:

• 
  
  Jordan, Caitlin M. Bunn, and myself will be making a trip to the STL to expirience the wonder of a REI Garage Sale on March 1st.



• 
  
  A reconnaissance trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, outside Jasper, AR is only a couple of weeks away.



• 
  
  Jordan is much better at Perfect Pushups than I am.



• 
  
  Don Chaffer of Waterdeep has a side project I'm really enjoying.

-Ryan F. Lauer

The Adventure Begins

Thats right, everyone's favorite roomates are writing down our many adventures and dreams. Look out. Their may be a little too much information revealed, deep dark secrets told, and so much more.

As we're both new to the blogging community, we'd like to introduce ourselves

Jordan Matthew Carey



A/S/L? A 21 year old male originally from Raytown, Missouri. Currently a junior at WJC majoring in outdoor education, entrepreneurial leadership, climbing, fly fishing, Steep and Cheap tracking, and adventure planning. A former college athlete Carey is now known to funnel all competive fire to raquet ball, running, climbing, and poor ol' Ryan.

Ryan Frederick Lauer

A/S/L? The youngest roomie, a fresh faced 20 year old from Kansas City, Missouri. A proud graduate of the Oak Park High School, Lauer is currently a sophomore at WJC majoring in religion, business, climbing, non-profit leadership, slacklining, mountain biking, adventuring, knot tieing, and dreaming.

A couple of quick hits:
Track our good friend, video genius, Brandon Goodwin as he chronicles his adventures in the People's Republic of China.

Went to Wal-Mart today. Both agree the place is creepy. Got some instant rice, tuna, and goldfish crackers. But you can't have rice and tuna without Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce...stuff is bomb!

This is just a starter post... So Saddle Up Your Horses... We Have a Trail to Blaze.