A Day Remembered

I am Zphlip. Gonzo of Wyoming and sage of the Rockies. Ok maybe not but thats beside the point, point is it is a new day and somewhere somehow the cycle begins anew.

  I was born and raised in and around the Rocky Mountain (henceforth RM) and Pacific North West (hence forth PNW), and only recently did it occur to me to share in a journalistic fashion the various happenings of the RM and PNW areas.

February 12 2013---
I had risen early and arrived at my real job the local Shari's Cafe with little to no intent of remaining for my entire shift. The weather a fair, winter day, somewhere between comfortable and sub-arctic. After performing some meaningless tasks it was decided that my presence was not needed.  I left the cafe and headed home. Arriving I carelessly through the still burning cigarette to the ground as I exited my mode of vehicular transportation, for some reason this made me think of manslaughter and mass genocide. How that was I don't know, but the idea hit that somewhere a mass grave of slaughtered innocence was rising, intent in their unbreakable will to eat the living. Either way the concept fascinated me but then I dismissed it and called Hulk. "Hello".
"You ready to go snow boarding?" I asked
"Yeah. Can Ned come?"
"Of course."
"kewl kewl, give me like thirty minutes."
"Done."
 I walked into the house my parents looking at me guiltily, like teenagers that have been caught. There was some brief banter about kids walking in on parents and parents walking in on kids before I go on to other tasks, loading the transport with equipment being the highest priority.After this I convinced my Dad to go as well. I drove over to Hulks house just as Ned was approaching. He turned as I drove up and waved. I got out and pleasantries were exchanged. Ned was about to enter the car then decided it would be more beneficial to go into the house and retrieve Hulk. Making three strides he stopped and looking confusedly at his phone casually sent a text message. A moment later Hulk appeared carrying a suspicious coat which concealed a paint ball gun. Stashing the weapon we told Ned that my drivers side passenger door was not functioning, a fact that was repeated three times before the message found its way into Ned's cranium. Hulk still held a Co2 canister that was empty. Brief stops at local merchants rendered no results for the sought gas but did result in a smaller member of the female sex being referred too as fun size. For the most part Dad was silent, reading his books working on notes for school, Hulk had made the inside of the car ripe with the smell of controlled substances and this seemed to effect everyone. We drove out on to I-80. The Sun shined down, reflecting its light across the snow and causing a strange landscape of shadows. Soon we entered the pass and began to ascend, the surrounding tree lined hills all blanketed in a white sheen. All so peaceful and beautiful. I took the turn off at Happy Jack Road and with in a few minutes we had boots on, had all smoked a cigarette and proceeded to carve a trail for the object with which we were in awe. It did not take long for us to realize how much smoking effects your breath. Despite this,after a few runs we felt it necessary to find steeper fair, which after plowing through a five foot drift we did. Hulk went first followed by Ned, then at last myself. I had brought a handycam and with it I documented our excursion, sarcastic comments, brotherly ribbings. Co-workers,these young men were, I had only met them a year ago but yet I in some way viewed them as my baby brothers. The end of the ride came, and we hiked back to the car chatting,laughing enjoying the result of our adventure. At the car we poured coffee and played a round of Hacky Sack the small ball bouncing hither and yon, my foot, Hulks foot, Ned's foot, someone would miss and the ball would come to rest in the snow, a light blue and orange accent in a sea of white. Finally we loaded into the car and returned to Laramie. All of us looking forward to the next time.

This photo was taken two days before our snowboarding journey, Hulk and I stopped and each of us took a photo from where we stopped. I was helping him move that day and this was our last trip to his old house. " My new place is so awesome man" He said, "Its going to be so rad to go hiking this summer too." It was the Sunset of his life though, a week later Hulk fell, and even when he wakes up he will have passed into a different state of being, and how he was will only be remembered by his friends and family. Much like my father.