Friday, October 10, 2008

A Breath of Fresh Air

Written by felix

Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking.

31. Coincidences in Unlikely Places

Sunday, 11 March 2007

Yesterday, well after I waved goodbye to some friends in Boquete, Panama and returned to Panama City, my heart felt a few tinges of sadness and pangs of sorrow.

Boquete, after all, is a small paradisical town nestled within a bowl of verdant mountains, overlooked by a giant volcano and disected by a wild, rocky river. On a superficial level, it looks a little bit like a shrunken, cheaper Estes Park and feels a little bit like parts of Fort Collins, where a smile and a wave is universal currency. In contrast, Panama City is much like other large cities in the world, a concrete jungle with blaring horns, creepy shadows, too many cars, etc.

¨Wish I were in Boquete,¨ I thought at one point this morning. ¨Or Estes Park. Or Fort Collins.¨ This mindset stayed with me all the way to on a bus ride to the town of Gamboa, where I was to commence a tour of the Panama Canal.

That is when something quite remarkable happened.

An elderly man from Gamboa jumped on the bus and started speaking to everyone. ¨I´m from upstate New York,¨ he proclaimed in perfect English, ¨but lived in Panama for more than 30 years now.¨ He then briefly talked about a book he wrote about the U.S. invasion of Panama and its effects on locals´ lives, and continued, ¨and in the States I sell the book for $10. But I am offering you the chance to buy the book for $5 and I´d sign it. Does anyone want to buy it?¨

I looked around and only one person raised his hand. He was sitting in the seat next to mine.

¨Great, where are you from?¨ the author asked the tourist.

Indeed, can you guess where he was from?

Of course, I would hardly be writing about this if the answer was no less than Fort Collins, Colorado! It turned out that the man, Chuck, and his wife, Linda, had just arrived in Panama City a day ago and will be on their way to Boquete on Tuesday. They will stay there for a week before returning to the Fort.

On top of offering more evidence for what a small world we live in, the couple and I talked for a couple of hours on the yacht we toured the canal on, and no longer was I longing so much to be back in Fort Collins. For a little bit of Fort Collins had come to me.

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32. Random Thoughts from the Top of a Volcano

Wednesday, 07 March 2007

Last weekend I marched to the top of Volcán Baru, which happens to be the tallest mountain (11,400') in the Republic of Panama. I went with a group of 14, which included Panamanians, Mexicans, Costa Ricans, Irishmen, a Swede, a Russo-Canadian, an Englishman, and a guy from Miami.

We all had a wonderful time, though I have to say our little overnight hiking and camping trip was a little more of an ordeal for some compared to others.

First off, there was the issue of the weather. In the pueblo of Boquete that we started from, the starting temperature was about 75 degrees. By the time we reached the top of the volcán, it was about 40 degrees.

At this point, the hombre from Miami donned six layers of clothing, and was still cold. I found it a little funny that he was complaining to me that he was freezing because at that moment my torso was covered by nothing but a simple T-shirt, and I was feeling totally comfortable.

Then there was the issue of altitude. While most of the group seemed to be slowed down a little bit by the thinner air and the Englishman even succumbed to a mild case of altitude sickness (extreme headache, fatigue, and gasping for breath), it was no problem for both the young, petite Swedish woman and myself.

"Soy acostumbrado," said the sexy Swede when I noted that the entire day she looked super strong and, like me, hardly even tired.

Ah, así, "I am accustomed." It is moments like these that I am really glad to be from Colorado.
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33. Spring Cleaning

Tuesday, 27 February 2007

As the last remnances of white powder had all-but-disappeared from the lawns of my neighbors homes as temperatures began to exceed 50, it was a clear sign that spring was on the way and it was time to a thorough cleaning. But no, no of my home which has actually been spic-and-span this year... I'm referring to the garage!

First, there was the order of the car. Most vehicles gracing the roads in Fort Collins in the last few weeks have looked like they had been driven (some successfully more than others) through waist-deep mud pits, and my car was no exception. Out came the bucket and hose, and after about 45 minues (or three times longer than it normally takes me to wash my car on a summer day), you could actually tell that my car was green again.

Then there were the bikes. While they had not been ridden much this winter, during the times they had, they quickly accumulated zebra-like streaks of muddy water spray, courtesy of the slick snow met on the roads. The hose was instrumental here as well, although then I had to lubricate the bike chains afterwards as well. That was another 30 minutes.

Speaking of athletic equipment, I couldn't help but notice but my running shoes were caked with dirt as well! Out came the shoe brush and some laundry detergent and another 15 minutes of time gone by.

I couldn't ignore the clumps of dirt on the cement floor either that had migrated into garage with my car, so I had to sweep that up as well. Since some of it was sticking really well that took another half an hour.

But after it was all said and done and a total of two hours had ticked off the clock, the spring cleaning was done and I was able to admire my work. Now I know what you are thinking; isn't it going to snow again in March? Perhaps. But -- I will be in Panama the next couple of weeks, where the season won't feel at all like winter or spring, but rather summer. Time will only tell if spring really is in force at the Fort when I return. For I'd rather not have to go through that whole cleaning ritual for at least another season!
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34. Waning Snow Days at Lory State Park

Saturday, 17 February 2007

On Friday morning I bolted out of bed and looked out the nearest window. The grass in the back yard -- whose yellow and green colors were exposed just a few days ago -- was once again replenished with a thin coating of white powder that had accumulated the day before. Many Front Rangers were probably looking at the same snow and rolling their eyes in disgust, wondering when the record-breaking Siberian winter would end. I on the other hand was actually welcoming it.

Why was that? Perhaps this meant that in these waning days of winter, there was one last opportunity to cross-country ski in the mountains no more than 15 minutes west of Fort Collins. I jumped in the car and headed directly to Lory State Park.

I commenced skiing on the West Valley Trail, which runs north-south by the main road through Lory and is pretty flat with a few rolling hills. Shortly after starting, I found my skis slipping sideways as the snow was just too icy. It was hard to get an edge on the skis and I squandered a lot of energy just trying to stay on the trail. In the first five minutes, I successfully traversed about 20 feet.

Things would eventually get better. But not before they became worse! As the trail began to rise, I found myself helplessly slipping backwards despite doing my best herringbone ascension technique and burning seemingly enough calories to power a small hybrid vehicle. Ultimately I unclipped from the skis, hoisted them over my shoulder and hoofed the tricky sections.

I had my moments. This included a 100-foot flat stretch where I was either gliding or striding along in a straight line, enjoying the views of the (still frozen) Horsetooth Reservoir. Then there was a beautiful powdery knoll where -- judging by several faint ski tracks criss-crossing it -- others had skied before. Well, maybe in January. I went up and down it a good half-dozen times.

After about an hour I was as exhausted as a fighter who had just endured 10 rounds of boxing so I headed back to the car. I tried to remind myself that skiing was invented because it is one of the most efficient ways to traverse snow. Then I completely disregarded that notion and decided that I was much more physically beat than when I went snowshoe running in previous weeks at Lory, despite covering less ground.

It's just as well. I motored out of the state park with the convertible top down, basking under warm sunrays that would grace Fort Collins for a whole hour before 50-mph winds and horizontally flying snow slammed into the Front Range later that afternoon. The sunshine and near-50 degree temps -- despite being so short-lived -- were indicators that spring is well on the way and that skiing within the city of Fort Collins will soon be totally out of the question. I am so ready.
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35. Super Bowl Commercials

Monday, 05 February 2007

Yesterday, while talking with my friend Tom, I asked him if he was planning on watching the Super Bowl.

"I hate football," he replied. "So probably not. If I do, it would be for the commercials."

It seemed like a bunch of my friends were mostly looking forward to seeing what creative advertisements would be aired, especially when the game didn't involve the Broncos or [insert your favorite team here]. To some, a match featuring the most prolific quarterback of the last few years on one hand and one of the most inept/erratic on the other was set to be a Super Bore only to be saved by a few creative, laugh-inducing advertisements.

It turns out Tom wasn't going to be watching commercials for their comical value, however. "No, I'd watch them so I know what companies to BOYCOTT!" he exclaimed.

He then reasoned that if a company was spending 2.6 million dollars on a 30-second ad, they "clearly are not passing on savings to consumers" resulting from low overheads.

He may have a point, although it is arguable that when a company advertises effectively, they can reduce their profit margins per unit sold by selling more product, hence passing on savings to consumers that way. In an ideal world, at least.

Economics aside, it did get me to watch the commercials in an entirely new light and added an additional dimension of humor to them.

There were advertisements by Coca-Cola and Budweiser. "Guess Tom won't be drinking them," I thought to myself. An ad by Chevrolet. "Good thing Tom drives a Ford!" Another by Disney. "Guess he won't be going to Disneyland this year."

Then again, I suppose Coke and beer aren't exactly good for him anyhow, and I'm pretty sure that the football-hater was never really a fan of Mickey Mouse in the first place.

I hope others enjoyed the Super Bowl commercials as well, even if they won't be boycotting the companies.
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