2002: DENVER “BIG AL GOES FORTY”
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DAY 1: WE HAVE LIFTOFF
Paloozian patriarch and elder statesman, Big Al McGough arrives at the John Wayne Airport bar to begin a celebration of his fortyness.
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DAY 1: PALOOZA PUNCH
Milando opts for a little cran and vodka to get the party started.
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DAY 1: OH SHOESHINE BOY
Upon arrival at DIA, Sean feels compelled to shine Bill's shoes while singing "Mammie".
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DAY 1: THE PALOOZA VAN
An inside look at this year’s Palooza Van and it’s ample Paloozian storage. Hey, is Al already asleep back there?!?
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DAY 1: LOG PALACE ARRIVAL
The Paloozians arrive in Winter Park to find Clem and Dink already breaking into the bourbon.
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DAY 1: LITTLE WHITE KITTY
At Zoe’s request, her beloved Little White Kitty (LWK) joins Craig for this year’s festivities. Fortunately, she fit right in almost immediately.
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DAY 2: COFFEE SHARING
After quickly alienating the server, Sean turns his attention toward sharing his coffee with LWK.
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DAY 2: THE CLEMBOX
Clem offers a toast to his fellow Palozians.
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DAY 2: NAPTIME FOR LWK
After crushing a breakfast burrito at the golf club, Little White Kitty puts on some shades and decompresses.
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DAY 2: A NICE DAY FOR GOLF
Still yet to truly feel the affects of the Paloozian marathon, Dean & Bill are all smiles and energy on the course.
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DAY 2: GREAT VIEWS AT EVERY HOLE
The view from the tee box on a perfect Rocky Mountain day in Winter Park.
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DAY 2: POOP
When you’re golfing in the Colorado Rockies, you have to assume there will be animals (and animal droppings) involved at some point.
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DAY 2: OFF TO A GOOD START
LWK keeps an eye on the scorecard to make sure that Smalls isn’t cheating like he usually does.
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DAY 2: TIME TO RIDE ATVS
After golf, the Paloozians turn their attention toward doing some ATV riding. Here they are in a pre-ride strategy session.
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DAY 2: LET'S DO THIS
Craig, Bill and Al are geared up and ready to take on some mountain trails.
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DAY 2: GEARED UP
In a thinly veiled effort to flaunt his riding experience, Milo dons his "Jeremy McGrath" motocross outfit. So hot!
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DAY 2: READY TO ROLL
In sharp contrast to Milo's racing attire, khaki-clad Clem looks as if he's about to go on an important job interview.
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DAY 2: LITTLE KITTY TRAIL BOSS
Not wanting to look like a wimpy Paloozian, LWK saddles up on her "Trail Boss" and gets ready to tear up the mountain.
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DAY 2: BROKEN CLUTCH
Solidifying his nickname "Wreck", Sean rolled his ATV on its side and broke his clutch. Here he is after leaving the action early as the rest of the Paloozians carry on.
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DAY 2: MAD MAX PART 3
Upon their return, the Paloozians want to make sure that Sean knows they’re back with a circular dust storm for the ages.
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DAY 2: DUSTY STREETS
Al goes up the bank to get a running start back toward the helpless Sean.
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DAY 2: DUST DEVIL
Dean takes off helmet to reveal a face covered in dust generating evidence,
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DAY 2: A JOB WELL DONE
Smalls looks off into the distance, proud of the outstanding ATV riding that he and his fellow Paloozians had just turned in.
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DAY 2: AL'S FOIBLES
Following the simple instructions to “slowly drive up the ramp and park the ATV in the truck bed,” Al begins his ascent.
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DAY 2: JUST A BIT TOO MUCH
At which point, he guns the engine and goes flying into the back of the truck’s cabin, as Sean laughs hysterically.
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DAY 2: GRAND LAKE LODGE
With multiple ATV fines paid (don’t get Chris started), the boys make a stop at Grand Lake to check things out.
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DAY 2: MAN THAT LOOKS GOOD
The Paloozians look longingly at the pristine swimming pool at the Grand Lake Lodge. Just a quick dip?
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DAY 2: BIG AL GOES FORTY
After a pleasant morning of golf and a near-death ATV experience, the Paloozians head to Hernando’s for pizza and Big Al birthday cake.
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DAY 2: AL IS SHOCKED
After taking roughly 15 seconds to realize that the cake and the singing are for him, Big Al finally pulls himself together and cuts the cake.
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DAY 3: BACK TO IAN'S BAKERY
The past three Paloozian Fridays have been dedicated to fishing the Colorado, which means another trip to Ian's Bakery.
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DAY 3: TROUT DREAMS
Allie and Dean get ready to depart. Al goes on to fly fish all morning before wisely switching to spinners to actually catch fish in the afternoon.
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DAY 3: MOUNTAIN DRINKS
While the softer Paloozians hit the spa to buff each other, Sean, Craig, Dean, Jay & Bill drink beer and debate the benefits of wearing kilts.
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DAY 3: WRECKAGE
Sean looks like he’s about to get into trouble as he sips his whiskey drinks.
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DAY 3: TAKE THAT, CLEMMIE
This photo is purely a reminder to Clem that we did in fact bring home an 18" brown, cook it and throw it away. Ouch.
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DAY 4: LOG PALACE LIFE
A handful of Paloozians enjoy a toxic breakfast mixture of coffee, beer and cigarettes at 9am on Saturday. It's a crisp 67 degrees and the only sound you hear above Paloozian chatter comes from chipmunks looking for something to nibble.
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DAY 4: CARVER'S BREAKFAST
Before heading on to Boulder, the Paloozians fire up some breakfast goodness at Carver's.
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DAY 4: WHAT COLOR IS THIS?
I'm not sure whether Jay even realizes that LWK has decided to get a closer look at his brown...blond...red hair.
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DAY 4: CLEM'S NEW STICKER
At a gift shop near Carver's, Clem, Al and Dean fInd a car sticker that they just could not do without.
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DAY 4: CRUISING THROUGH GOLDEN
Little White Kitty takes a call from Zoe, while Clem, Allie and Dean troll for hot studs near Golden.
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DAY 4: JAY KNOWS
Soon the "I know what boys like" sticker began to appear throughout the Paloozian wardrobe--first on Jay’s jacket.
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DAY 4: WHAT A CREW
Eight of our finest Paloozians gather for a group photo at Harvest House before the Buffs game.
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DAY 4: TRUST ME, JAY KNOWS
The sticker makes its way to Jay's back after he falls for the old “back-pat” trick and stays there for well over an hour.
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DAY 4: BEERS ON THE HILL
With kickoff not until 5pm, the Paloozians venture up The Hill for a few pre-game libations. Here’s Al looking quite spry for his advanced age.
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DAY 4: CLEMMIE & MILANDO
It wouldn't be Colopalooza without a little rain, snow or hail. This year we get off pretty easy compared to last year’s snowy affair. Come on Milo—smile!
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DAY 4: PRE-GAME WARM-UPS
The San Diego St Aztecs on the left and Buffs on the right get ready for battle at Folsom Field.
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DAY 4: HERE COMES RALPHIE!
Out come the #17 Colorado Buffs and their beloved Ralphie. The Buffs goe on to smoke the overmatched Aztecs 34-14.
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DAY 4: BUFFS STUDENT SECTION
The game is always more fun when you watch it from the rowdy environs of the world famous Buffs student section.
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DAY 4: MOJITOS IN BOULDER
After tiring of Clem's moaning about some Cuban place named "Ramba", the Paloozians do one of their annual needless walks across town for dinner. Fortunately, the place was great--highlighted by their extra strong mojitos.
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DAY 5: CLEMLORD JOINS THE FUN
Day 5 gets off to a strong stare as the esteemed "ClemLord" joins the boys for the Broncos game. He then proceeds to slam beers and shout obscenities all day long. A tad surprising.
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DAY 5: SCALING INVESCO
The Paloozians make their way up the ramps inside Invesco to get to their seats.
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DAY 5: BRONCOS VS RAMS
With the stands packed with Eddie McCaffrey fans, the upstart Broncos go on to knock off the defending NFC Champion Rams 23-13.
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DAY 5: BRONCOS CHEERLEADERS
The Broncos Cheerleaders perform in the endzone as the Broncos get ready to punt the ball back to the Rams.
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DAY 5: SEAN AT THE GAME
If you look closely, you can see Sean's red shirt on the top row, just to the right of the scoreboard.
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DAY 5: OK, THAT'S BETTER
With the help of our trusty digital camera, here's a closer view of Wreck in action at the very top of the steps. Nice seats, pal. And with that, another solid Palooza is in the books.
Inside Colopalooza: Little White Kitty