Hanging out in Colorado and getting ready for Antarctica

My 3 weeks or so in Colorado were very busy seeing family and getting ready for Antarctica and of course watching the Olympics.  I had to do all my medical and dental physical qualifications.  I had to spend a week down in Aurora doing lab safety and radio-isotope training for Lockheed for my new lab position.  I stayed down at the red lion and enjoyed eating fancy food courtesy of Lockheed.  Down in Denver I got to hang out with Sharona, my previous boss, and Steph the postmistress from Antarctica.  I also of course met my new boss Bev (who qualified for the 2008 Olympic trials in the backstroke) as well as fellow lab assistant Abe who is a PhD student at Vanderbilt studying Volcanoes in Iceland.  After my training, Elisha visited for a few days where we did some hikes in the Park and bikes in Boulder.

It was then off to Leadville and Buena Vista with my mom to watch my brother race in the Leadville 100 mtn bike race.  We enjoyed the hot springs of Cottonwood and had tons of fun rooting bro on.  Zach and I then spent a day biking in Leadville before heading over Independence pass to ski Kaitlyn Archambault, watch the Campaign, and do some biking in Aspen.  I then had a day in the valley with my mom doing some shopping and getting the rockie's taco bell specials, and then I had a couple days to pack, which leads me to today...8-19

8-19
A shuttle will pick me up at my house this afternoon.  I fly to LA, then to Melbourne, and then to Christchurch where I have orientation training and gear issue for a day before heading off on a flight to McMurdo station in Antarctica.