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.