2006 is coming to an end and it is time to give thanks!

This web site is a major source of joy, laughter and friendship in my life and I want to thank everyone who has encouraged me with this web project. Just last night, we had a high of 13 people in the chat room, which was yet another reminder of how special this web site really is.

I don't want to sound too "Christianese" here, but I must give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He literally carried me through this year in what was often a spiritually brutal battle towards my heart (Read John Eldredge's Waking The Dead), that was filled with lonliness, despair and uncertainty. I had so many wonderful personal triumphs too - things to personal to share - that give glory to the God who saved me from the cesspool of muck and insanity I formerly lived in.

Special thanks to specific people are in order: Kansas Kelly, for organizing much of the 2006 Colorado Guy Festival; My best friend Ron W. in Colorado Springs, who spent countless evenings listening and encouraging; Mare P., for administering the daily trivia game for yet another year; My sponsor, Erin Crutcher, one of the best realtors in the Colorado Springs area (ElPasoCountyRealty.com); Everyone who donated financially (See Donation Page); the Naegele family and Blackburn family in Buena Vista; Sarah, Florida Pete, Dave-O and Chris for participating in the crazy Hair Consultant election; Jeff Kowalke of KC2.com, for helping out greatly with hosting issues and Tom in Salida for installing my web cam.

Every word of encouragement, e-mail, bumper sticker and appreciative comment goes a long way. It's an honor to know people enjoy this web site, whether they are die-hard regular visitors, distant friends who check in a few times a year, employees who drive web traffic up during business work hours (heh heh!) and the many who live in geographically inferior places (such as Kansas, Indiana and southern California) who long to live in a beautiful place like Colorado and visit here for their "fix" of Colorado. :)

I have no idea what the future holds, but I am committed to finding more ways to makes the "ColoradoGuy.com experience" even better.

Lastly, have a wonderful new year - one that brings life, joy, healing and transformation to depths of your very being!

All the best,
Steve :)

Photo Above: That's me at the parking lot of Cottonwood Pass. I visited about 50 to 60 times last summer and love it up there! :)

2006 - The Year in Pictures :)

	The 2006 Colorado Guy Festival was the largest and most enjoyable ever! A few notable pages from the event: 2006 CG Festival Main Page Sunday Barbeque Rocky Mountain National Park The Festival Cabin Miniature Golf Festival Cake Two Weeks Later
	I finally got a web cam running on this web site! Trees to the west block the grand view of Mt. Princeton, Deer Mountain and Mt. Columbia, so I turned the web cam inward towards my living room and computer area, which has been a much greater source of fun anyway! ;)
	Special thanks must be given to Dave, Florida Pete, Sarah and Chris (not pictured) for participating in the 2006 Hair Consultant election. The annual chat room debate (bottom left) in late March was very entertaining and the negative campaigning near the end was distrubing, albeit in an amusing way. Sarah won the election after winning a coin-flip to a break tie for the 23 electoral college votes in Arizona. That's how close the election was! (2006 Election Results)
	2006 was my first full calendar year living in Buena Vista. It is a small town with friendly people, grand views of the Sawatch mountains, easy access to various outdoor activies and just one traffic light (adjacent photo). Ah, but I learned first hand that boredom, gossip and being 100 miles away from the nearest Dunkin' Donuts are matters to contend with too. ;) Still, I love living in this town.
	Mt. Yale - I only hiked one 14er this year, but I am giving myself some grace. I have a feeling I will be doing many more in 2007!
	My Grandma Grace died in November, and I made a tribute page for her. Thankfully, I spoke with my grandmother on Thanksgiving Day, the day before she suddenly died, and I will miss her dearly.
	I had some funny and amusing "news articles." Here are six that I am particularly proud of: Top Left: Coffee Creamer Top Right: Big Gulp Streak Middle Left: George Costanza Wallet Middle Right: Fish Sticks and Waffles Bottom Left: 17-Year-Old Shirt Bottom Right: Concrete Tribute
	Living in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains, I have been very pleased in the upgrade of quality pictorials on this site. My photography has even improved too! :) Four of my favorite scenic pages: Top Left: Yellowstone National Park (Special thanks to ~A~ for taking me there - November 2006) Top Right: Great Sand Dunes National Park (November 2006) Middle: Sunset at Independence Pass (July 2006) Bottom: Cottonwood Pass (September 2006)
	I had a morning radio show on KHEN in Salida (106.9 FM) from March to November. I mixed things up with music and talk, and the highlight was interviewing Nick and Phil in September. You can listen to these one-hour radio shows at these links: Interview with Nick Hughes (adjacent photo) Interview with Phil The Lurker
	Special thanks to Erin Crutcher, a sponsor of this web site and one of the best realtors in the Colorado Springs area. Her web site is www.ElPasoCountyRealty.com and I recommend using her for your real estate needs in the Colorado Springs and Woodland Park areas. You have likely seen her button (adjacent) now and then on the site!
	I only biked about 700 miles in 2006, which is dismal for a road biker and paled in comparision to the 3,000+ I biked in 2005. Still, I was proud to have bicycled from the Buena Vista traffic light to Cottonwood Pass in late May. That was a great experience! :) My 2006 bike pages: Bike Cottonwood Pass Bike Around BV & Nathrop Bike: BV to Granite
Ah, but the bicycling hero of the year goes to Dave Ortiz in New Mexico. I met Dave on the forums and we met a few times for some good and scenic rides, the latest being at South Fork/Creede in November 2005. On Christmas Day 2005, Dave was struck by a car while on his bike and has been in physical recovery for the past year. Thankfully, Dave is expected to heal back to normality and he hopes to ride again sometime in 2007. Dave has been quite a source of inspiration and has maintained quite a positive attitude throughout this experience. Read Dave's Reflections One Year Later Here.	Dave is a well-loved "regular" on the forums, who could not drive to Chaffee County (because of physical limitations) to attend the Colorado Guy Festival, and so about 15 festival attendees drove to Ouray to meet with him at a closer distance from his home. You can see those photos here: Visiting with Dave in Ouray.
	ColoradoGuy.com will always be the #1 web site of my heart, but 2006 was a year that I created all sorts of other Colorado-ish web sites. Here are three enjoyable ones: www.CottonwoodPass.net www.MtPrinceton.org www.ManitouCafe.com
	My autumn photography! :) I was so pleased with how my autumn photography came out during the months of September and early October. You can see some of my best photos on my site: www.Autumn-Pictures.com.
	I joined a Fantasy Football league for the very first time this fall. My team was the Garbage Cans and I finished with a 5-8 record. I learned so much about strategy and research and have "caught the bug" ... There will definitely be a 2007 Colorado Guy Fantasy Football league! ;)
	I also became officially hooked on myspace in November. ;) My page is: www.myspace.com/stevelonghair.
	Thankfully, I am so happy to announce there were no drama queen incidents (yes zero!) for the entire year of 2006! I attribute this success to the many people who participated in the candlelight vigil in late January during the 2006 Drama Queen Day holiday.
	One last "thank you" to my God. It was a rough year in many respects, but also a big one. I give all credit to Him! I chose the adjacent photos as a representation of Him: A beautiful stain-glassed ornament and the grandness of Mt. Princeton.