October 20, 2015- Traveled Down To Lakewood Today

Scott, Robbie and I drove down the hill to Lakewood to Scott's Neurologist. I was commissioned to testify as to Scott's medical condition for the DMV.

The doctors office was only a couple blocks away from my old home in Lakewood. Made me wistful for the old days when I first arrived in Denver.

Last rehearsal for the Melodrama is tonight at 7pm in Dumont. Don't believe another rehearsal is necessary but the Director believes it to be necessary. So, I will be there. Bruce Bell will be picking me up.

Pastor Bill Robertson is meeting me at 3pm at the Frothy Cup to go over my responsibilities for dog sitting while he is visiting family up in Minnesota until October 31st. This means I cannot get up to York Gulch until November 1.

Forecast is for 6" of snow in Idaho Springs tonight/tomorrow. 10" at 10,000 or more feet.

Ciao!

BR Schoenbein
October 20, 2015- Tuesday

It's Clara's 17 th Birthday today!

Missing my step-daughter's 17th birthday today. There is really no step to it. She's every bit my daughter as if she were my own biological daughter.

I first met Clara when she was a tad over 3 years old. She had a head full of auburn red hair and was filled with charm, energy and curiosity. Then suddenly when she was 5 years old she lost her papa who she loved dearly. The two of them were so close...then he was gone.

When Clara's mother and I informed her of her dad's death Clara turned to me and said quite matter of factly that I was her father now. A humbling and sorrowful situation all around.

Her mother and I separated and later divorced leaving me without the ability to make good on my promise to be her dad. But, let me be clear ultimately it was my decision to leave Clara's mother so I must bear the burden of that horrible mistake.

The beautiful thing is is that Clara forgave me and put it behind her. She's always been a loyal and loving daughter which I will never forget.

So, sweetheart have a great birthday today and know I am grieving our separation more than ever. Part of the reason I undertook this journey was to deal with the demons of the consequences of all of the dumb decisions I made in the last 20 years.

I love you sweetie!

BR Schoenbein
October 20, 2015- Tuesday  

Second Performance Went Great

We played our second performance of "Goodbody's Gold" yesterday afternoon at the Old School Building in Dumont. It was great! The audience got really into it interacting with the cast which really made the whole thing so much fun!

I'm the slow talking, dim witted mine foreman, Bob Faithful, who was short cheated in the brains department. My job is to find out, by using "good old fashioned modern detective work" who the villain is that's determined to force the sale in the mine by disrupting mine operations using mysterious explosions in order to lower the value of the mine so he, the villain, can pick it up for a cheap price.

The villain, I.B. Fowler is the local attorney. He's played by Bruce Bell.

Donna and Glenda from the Frothy Cup attended the performance yesterday. The Blackwells and the Colonel, attended the first one on Saturday.

We all forgot some of our lines yesterday but that just made the performance that much more fun!

We have 2 more performances to go next weekend then its curtains!

Scouted out campsites on Joe's land up in York Gulch the other day. Intended to go today to continue looking for the best site but it looks like its going to rain so I will go tomorrow instead.

From the view up there I can look down into Spring Gulch where I camped on old Bill Lee's mule ranch last summer. By the way, Bill Lee, attended the first performance on Saturday and afterwards I had an interesting conversation with him about using his donkeys in early spring to go door to door in Spring Gulch like I planned to this summer. He may let me do it for free.

Anyway, I've got to get moving on locating a camp site soon because I still have to build a shelter. It's 9200 feet up and so the snows come earlier there than they do in Idaho Springs.

I figure this week I can get a lot done up there in York Gulch. Then, I can camp up there 3-4 times a week and stay the rest of the week at the Lucas House.

Can't wait to get up in York Gulch. I'm not going to cook or build a fire to make the conditions even more extreme. Joe says that the winds up there have been clocked at 140 miles per hour. That's way over hurricane strength! 

Well gotta get going and pick up some supplies at the hardware store for my stay up in York Gulch.

The first 2 pics show the Melodrama getting started yesterday. Bruce Bell is shown in the first pic. The third pic shows my view from York Gulch of one of the 14 teeners, Mount Evans, which is about 30 miles distant as a crow flies.

Peace and God's blessings to all y'all!

BR Schoenbein
October 18, 2015- Monday

Last Dress Rehearsal Yesterday First Performance Tonight!

We performed our last dress rehearsal in Dumont last night. The Clear Creek Press was there taking photos. They then interviewed me for my story about hiking to Denver from Illinois.

All of us forgot our lines at different points. I think the press photog threw us off plus there were audience members present too which we never had at previous rehearsals. Nevertheless, all went well.

Scouting my campsite up in York Gulch here in a few minutes. Bonnie Coffey my good friend who stayed with me a few months ago asked me what camping out on York Gulch has over just staying at the Lucas House.

I explained that I wanted to test my mettle to see how I handle extreme situations. I have never winter camped in Colorado in a homemade structure. This will test my ability to pick out a good site, construct a winter shelter that will last the entire winter season.

And, I'm curious how I will react to and deal with the solitude ensconced in an unforgiving, cold, harsh environment.

Hiking to and back from Idaho Springs won't be easy.  It's five miles straight up York Gulch which is over 2000 feet higher than Idaho Springs. Plus, I will be forced to scramble down the embankment off of Stanley Rd and walk into and across Clear Creek on foot and clamber up the opposite embankment and walk across 4 lanes of I-70 dodging cars and trucks and then cross the access road to Fall River Rd as there is no road or trail to Fall River Rd which joins York Gulch Rd. I could avoid all of that by hiking on I-70 but it's illegal for pedestrians to walk on the interstate.

Clear Creek Canyon is extremely narrow between Idaho Springs and Fall River Rd so there are no alternate routes.

That 10 mile round trip from my campsite to town will be particularly difficult during winter. The snow on these roads will be plowed and drifted onto the shoulders right where I need to walk.

Crossing Clear Creek in warm weather is dangerous enough but will be extremely dicey due to the ubiquitous round slippery rocks that carpet the river bed.

But, that's where the adventure comes in. True, I could just stay in the Lucas House all winter enjoying the heated space while cooking supper on the gas stove and sleeping in a cozy warm bed every night.

And, my good friend, Donna, has offered to drive me back and forth since she has to drive that way to get to her house on Fall River Rd. But, where's the challenge in that?

I'm going to do my utmost to hike back and forth from town during daylight. But, some days that may not be possible. So, I will carry an old fashioned kerosene lantern with me to light the way. If a particularly harsh snowstorm hits while I'm in town I'll just stay over at the Lucas House for the night. I plan on spending 5 days every week at York Gulch and the remaining 2 days in town.

In other news, I accidentally killed a mouse living in my kitchen this morning. I was boiling water to wash yesterdays dirty dishes and poured the boiling hot water in the sink when suddenly I saw something flapping about. It was a mouse! Apparently, it was hiding under the dishes. Oh well. One down hundreds to go!

Gotta do some clothes washing before I head out to Dumont for my first official performance as Bob Faithful the hero of the Melodrama, Goodbody's Gold. Forgetting some of my lines last night was unnerving to say the least but I adapted by ad-libbing and haming it up.

The rest of the cast who are veterans of acting in these local plays told me the audience loves it when we forget our lines. So, it's all in good fun when this happens.

Now getting ready to head to York Gulch! Ciao!

BR Schoenbein
October 17, 2015-Saturday

Bitter Disappointment!

At the Breakfast Club this morning I learned that I may not be able to stay the winter in the cabin after all. As previously mentioned, Bruce Bell's children who incidentally are around my age, are against the idea. Apparently, they feel that Bruce was being taken advantage of and that I exert too much influence over him.

The children ran a background check on me and found nothing suspicious. They talked to the Watsons who own the Frothy Cup and of course they gave me a resounding endorsement. They discussed the situation with Pastor Bill Robertson who is Bruce's Pastor and he likewise vouched for me. Yet, with all that they are firmly entrenched in their original position.

So, I need to  now consider alternative solutions and options. The Blackwells have given me the option of staying at the Lucas House. I could go back to Morton possibly and stay at the homestead while my mother winters in Long Beach, CA at my sister's home. Then I would head west by train to San Francisco where upon disembarkation start hiking north to Seattle then east and finish up on the east coast.

I believe the best option would be to winter here in Idaho Springs at the Lucas House and write my book.

This is the most troubling setback for me since I began my journey across America a year and half ago. I think of all the labor I expended and the hiking back and forth and up the mountain. Now, all of it for naught because of baseless suspicions and such.

I realize that Bruce's children are only being over protective of their elderly father. They harbor me no ill will as such. I accept that. But then again it's all a part of my journey working out my issues, which includes how to resolve relational issues in a rational and spiritual way.

I am learning better how to accept reality and people just how they are. Taking things they way they are instead of scheming to change things to suit my preferences is a lesson I need to learn.

So, although I am bitterly disappointed and chagrined at the unexpected turn of events I will trudge on and make the best of it.

Well, onto other news. It's Wednesday so its supper time at the Blackwells. I was just informed via text from Becky Blackwell that it's spaghetti night. Becky Blackwell in addition to being a gracious hostess is likewise gifted in the culinary arts.

Afterwards, I will be practicing my lines with Miss Sugar Goodbody, at the Rec Center at 630pm. Yesterday was another dress rehearsal for our Melodrama with the first of four performances starting at 7pm on Saturday. I must admit to some nervousness about performing in front of large audiences. But, I usually do well in public spectacles!

If anybody from Illinois wants to come out to Colorado and watch my Melodrama please feel free to do so! Ha-ha!

Thursday night Clear Creek Neighborhood Church and I will be planning the next few weeks starting up a spaghetti dinner each Thursday night service. I will help with cooking, publicity, cleaning and set up.

I actually went on a date the other day with Donna from the Frothy Cup. We ate dinner at Tommyknockers. It's been years since I was out on a date. Donna and I enjoy each others company and we have our own spiritual book club we participate in. She has been an invaluable friend since my arrival in Idaho Springs last January. In fact, she was the very first person I met in town when I arrived.

Her pic I took at Tommyknockers is featured below.

Well, gotta go. I may be spending an hour or so helping out Brian Blackwell deliver some oil to one of his customers. So, adios!

BR Schoenbein
October 14, 2015- Wednesday

October 4, 2015- Cody Left Idaho Springs For Golden, CO

A few days ago Cody Yates my 26 year old fellow missionary from Texas put down a deposit for an RV spot and borrowed his employers old RV. Well, after an almost 4 month stay at the Lucas House Cody moved out this afternoon after church. He will work in the Denver area for the next month constructing custom sheds and will then head back to Texas to his grandfather's ranch on the Guadalupe River. His grandfather is ailing and needs Cody's help.

Well, first Bonnie Coffey left to go back to Florida now Cody. I miss both of them very much. They have left a big hole in my life here in Idaho Springs. We had a lot of camaraderie as well as heartache while living here in the Lucas House.

Cody and I would watch movies late at night and over analyze the shows plot. I will miss that for sure especially as I watch movies by myself late at night.

Miss Bonnie too. She has been gone for months now. She was a huge help for me.

As I have said many times before: life is all about saying "hello" and "goodbye".

Now, it's just me knocking around in this big old house all by myself. A wave of loneliness hit me just now. I just realized I will probably never see Bonnie or Cody again this side of the grave.

Oh well. What can I do? It will be even more lonely up in the cabin after I move in. That's my life. And, that's OK

Live Your Life Now Before It's Too Late

Most of us live our daily lives in fear. Fear not only of death but of life. Our whole purpose seems to be to avoid pain, suffering and death. We take all kinds of precautions like donning helmets to ride a bicycle, strapping on seat belts when get into the car and the like. Safety and security seems to be the overriding concern today.

As you know, this was not always the case. When I was growing up we kids did things I wouldn't tell my mother about... even today.

We would climb the rocky cliffs at Oswald Park and walk on railroad right of ways and ride our bikes on Rt 9 to Pekin sans the helmets and swim in filthy creeks and play in the neighborhoods without adult supervision and wander home only once the street lights started coming on.

My brother and I used to walk down the sidewalks in our neighborhood on First Street in Morton carrying our BB guns with which we shot mourning doves, robins and rabbits. We even shot ourselves with pellets when playing "Army."  And, yes we drank water out of garden hoses, we smoked hollow sticks from neighborhood bushes to simulate all of the chain smoking adults we saw.

I remember smoking swisher sweet cigars when I was 12 or so. How I got my hands on them I do not recall. We ate raw hamburger straight from the bloody package mom purchased from Martin's Supermarket and I do not remember ever getting sick from the now dreaded E. Coli bacteria.

I can remember canoeing down Spoon River near London Mills as a Boy Scout with Troop 85 when I was 11 years old. That day, none of us wore life jackets or were instructed in boat safety. We just got in the stinking canoe and paddled!

I got frost bitten fingers back in 1973 hiking at the Optimist Cabin in the north woods outside Morton with other Boy Scouts when the wind chill was a mind numbing -30 degrees. It was bad enough that the doctor warned my mother that if the medication didn't do it's job I faced certain amputation of the affected extremities. Luckily, the meds worked and I'm using said fingers to pen this article.

Back then mom lathered herself and us with baby oil at the Morton Pool and we swam in that unprotected state for hours in the hot blazing sun and we would walk barefoot all the way from our house downtown to the pool agonizing from the egg- frying heat of the concrete sidewalks. In fact, all of us walked everywhere barefoot during the hot summer months.

Geez, what has happened to us between,1959 the year I was born, and today to explain all of this fear that encapsulates us?

Well, some of it may come from information overload due to the widespread use of the internet. For example, I remember a painful headache coming on once so I googled "headaches are symptomatic of what diseases." Of course, brain tumors came up first. After perusing the hundreds of articles that popped up, I had convinced myself that I was dying of some dread, inoperable brain tumor and probably had only weeks or a few months to live!

Turns out it was just a headache...nothing more. Parents today are told that spanking is child abuse and if the child calls the police they can go to prison.

Over regulation of just about everything in this country is strangling our culture and our lives. We're trying to escape reality. 

Parents are so busy today chasing the so-called "American Dream" trying to save up to buy the big mansion, buy the $80,000 BMW and plan for the vacation in the South of France that they feel compelled to over-schedule their children's activities via organized sports, music lessons and the like just to keep the kids busy so they stay out of their parents hair.

We need to conquer our fears especially our fear of life. And, if our fear of death is controlling we will find as Thoreau feared, that on our death bed we discover that we never really lived.

Throw safety and security to the wind and regain your sense of adventure and get out there and live...before you die. Remember, we all are going to die anyway. No one gets out of this alive so, you might as well get going now...and live!

BR Schoenbein
October 4, 2015