Trails and Sourdough

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Continental Divide: Devil's Thumb and Jasper Mountain (click to enlarge)

Continental Divide: Devil’s Thumb and Jasper Mountain (click to enlarge)

 

I got out for a hike today.  After the whining in my last post, I decided to dig my heels in and take some time off this week.

 

Alien spaceship wave clouds

Alien spaceship wave clouds

 

Another cool thing happened today.  I received some sourdough cultures I ordered.

 

San Francisco Sourdough Starter

San Francisco Sourdough Starter

 

Regular readers may recall I made a lot sourdough bread during last year’s holiday season.   Last year I got the starter from Whole Foods.  But lately their sourdough bread has really gone down in quality, so I didn’t want to use their starter (although I think the quality issues are more related to their procedures).

 

South African Sourdough Starter

South African Sourdough Starter

 

Searching around the internet, I came across Sourdoughs International which has a variety of cultures for sale.  So I decided to try a couple.   With my work load, it might be too much for me to use and maintain more than one culture, so I’ll have to choose one to start off with.

Although I use my oven and a candle to proof dough, I think I’m going to build a proofing box with a small electric heat source and a thermostat.  This will allow for longer, unattended proofs, as well as a place to keep my starter when it’s not dormant in the refrigerator.

The cultures are shipped dried.  It will take several days to get it revived. I’ll probably start off with the South African culture because it is based in a whole wheat flour, and that piques my curiosity.

One of these years, I will try and start my own Mountain High Sourdough culture.

Take Me Away

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Amtrak #5 heading west this morning.

Amtrak #5 heading west this morning, with a car chasing along.

It’s still difficult to find spare time.  Both businesses are doing well, but that cuts both ways. It’s been stressful. Days off are spent doing chores.

It was a year ago that I hopped on the train and rode it through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico.  Last night I dreamed about hopping on the train and going as far as Reno then heading back.  That idea really appeals to me right now.

It would be so relaxing, because as a captive on a train, there is nothing to do but to eat, sleep, and watch the scenery go by.  Forced passiveness.

Why Reno?  Because it’s 24 hours from Denver.  A day and a night in one direction.

When I woke after the dream, I went online and checked fares for next week. Unfortunately, the fares discourage improvisation. The bedrooms are booked.

I miss hiking and exploring and taking photos.  Now we are entering winter, and with the clocks falling back an hour, short days and darkness.

 

Catching Up: Post Flood

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By now you’ve heard about the great Colorado flood of 2013.  The numbers for Boulder County:

  • Damaged Residences: 557
  • Residences destroyed: 345
  • Damaged Commercial: 33
  • Commercial properties destroyed: 3
  • Deaths: 4

I’m not sure about the numbers statewide.

Other than a leaking roof, where the water ran down into the wall and out into the closet and soaked the carpeting, I survived fine.  Throughout the flood, I was busy trying to meet a work deadline amidst power outages.  The entire week was a bit surreal.  Rain was falling each day and I was given a nearly impossible printed circuit to design in a nearly impossible time frame.  Actually it was four circuit boards, but I only completed two.

The biggest inconvenience has been transportation.  It’s now nearly two weeks after the flood and the main roads in and out of the area are still closed.

I wish I had some spectacular photos to share, but there was never any time to go out and take photos.

I am tired of all of the hyperbole in the media regarding this event. There is so much misinformation and comparisons of apples and oranges.  So I’ve pretty much stopped keeping up on things.

Fall is a bit late this year, very little color has developed so far.  Given that the peak of the wildflowers were a couple of weeks late in mid-summer, followed by the peak mushroom season being late, I can conclude that Fall will be a bit late.

I don’t think the heavy rains portend a bad winter.  The monsoon and winter weather patterns are nearly opposite of each other and different forces are in play.   Prior to the heavy rain storm, the monsoon was running pretty close to average.  So therefore I’ll bet winter will be average, if not a few weeks late getting started.