2015: DENVER “RATED XX”
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DAY 1: BACK TO COLORADO
For their epic 20th edition, the Paloozians return to their sacred homeland of Colorado.
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DAY 1: PALOOZA MODE
Just one airport beer into Colopalooza, Al is already telegraphing his plans to do a lot of in-vehicle sleeping.
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DAY 1: AND THEY'RE OFF
The boys pull out of DIA in their largest Palooza Van ever. Curbs of Colorado, you have been warned.
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DAY 1: DENVER ARRIVAL
The Paloozians head straight to Wynkoop where they are met by one of their Honorary Paloozians, Leo.
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DAY 1: THE WYNKOOP BOYS
Everyone is looking quite spry in the opening hours at legendary Wynkoop Brewing.
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DAY 1: TASTY BREW
This cask-aged Belgian Tripel delivers the goods.
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DAY 1: 16TH ST MALL
This young lady is crushing the piano until the paloozians walk up. Old white dude alert!!
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DAY 1: SERIOUSLY?
Geez, we're not even three hours into the palooza. Really Al?!?!
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DAY 1: BABY GOT BACK
The finest vehicle in Palooza history--the epic 11-seat Palooza van complete with tinted gangsta windows.
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DAY 1: BLACKJACK IN BLACKHAWK
A quick stop in Blackhawk drains a few benjamins from the boys before they head on to Winter Park.
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DAY 1: PIZZA TIME
The guys check their devices for work emergencies as they wait for a couple of Beau Jo's pizzas to arrive.
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DAY 1: LOG PALACE ARRIVAL
Dean brings his luggage into the famed Log Palace.
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DAY 1: WHISKY DRINKS
In a matter of mere seconds after arriving, Clem has fresh cocktails in motion.
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DAY 2: MORNING IN THE PALACE
A peek-a-boo look outside through the kitchen of the Log Palace.
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DAY 2: EARLY MORNING HIKE
Sean and Craig are up early, so they decide to take a hike up the hill from the Log Palace.
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DAY 2: FALL LEAVES
The many aspen trees near the Log Palace are beginning to fall for the winter.
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DAY 2: DEER SIGHTING
The boys are greeted by four mule deer who are a bit surprise by their presence. Here’s one of them standing motionless as Sean and Craig pass by.
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DAY 2: CRAIG TAKES A SELFIE
Craig along the trail where a lot of aspen are turning.
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DAY 2: MOTHER CLEM
Chris pops out to greet Craig & Sean as they return.
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DAY 2: CLEM'S DRONE
Chris’ latest gadget is a high-end drone he uses to track Paloozian activities. Here’s Dean checking it out.
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DAY 2: WAY UP THERE
The drone gets up in a hurry to give the Paloozians a view of the entire valley and Winter Park Ski Resort.
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DAY 2: DOUBLE X'S
Even the airline pilots flying into Denver are excited about Palooza XX, carefully planning this coordinated XX message high above the Log Palace.
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DAY 2: LATTE CHEERS
The Paloozians head to Rise & Shine for breakfast and this touching latte toast.
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DAY 2: BREAKFAST ORDER
Yeah, we’ll take six breakfast burritos and add extra green chili to all of them. Oh and let’s get three cinnamon rolls just to be safe.
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DAY 2: MILO'S SWEET FORM
Milo has been playing a lot of golf lately back home, making him now the best of the Paloozian golfers.
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DAY 2: POLE CREEK
Yeah, this Pole Creek is pretty much a hideous dump of a golf course. Avoid it at all costs.
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DAY 2: CALVE PLATES
This shot of Dean and his sculpted calves made its way to Facebook, landing our boy 43 dates over the next two months. Even Oprah couldn’t have delivered that.
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DAY 2: GOLF CART FUN
Sean and Craig seem to enjoy cart racing, spinning and brake-slamming more than the actual golfing.
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DAY 2: B-LUV & GOLF
Bill makes the best of the one Paloozian activity that he actually passionately dispises.
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DAY 2: CLEMBOX TEES OFF
Clemmie showing some pretty solid form himself.
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DAY 2: OH BOY!
Craig provides the day’s hightlight as he tries to drive his cart over a narrow bridge and nearly dumps it into a pond. Luckily nobody from the club spots the fool.
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DAY 2: HIDEAWAY HIDEOUT
With a successful outing on the course complete, the boys head over to Hideaway Park Brewing for some quality brews and potato chips.
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DAY 2: REALLY FRESH BEER
The Blackberry Sour literally finishes brewing and is added to the menu while sour-loving Smalls is contemplating his next round. Just so delish.
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DAY 2: APPETIZERS
You know you're at the Palooza when you down a large Hernandos pizzas as an appetizer before having ribeyes for dinner.
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DAY 2: AUTUMN SUNSET
The view from the back porch of the Log Palace as the sun sets over the Rockies. Meanwhile, a mix of stiff bourbon cocktails and fresh beers are flowing inside.
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DAY 2: THE BACK PORCH
The best spot to be at the Log Palace—on the back porch on a warm autumn evening as the sun drops.
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DAY 2: PALOOZA FEAST
Nothing quite calls the Paloozians to action like a feast in the making.
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DAY 3: MID TOWN CAFE
Before reaching Rocky Mountain National Park to begin day 3, the Paloozians stop at Mid Town Cafe in Gramby for breakfaast. But that doesn’t stop Al from first running to the adjacent McDonald's for a “pre-breakfast” before ordering “breakfast”.
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DAY 3: THE DRIVE TO THE PARK
Since we were already in Winter Park, we enter RMNP from the north side. It’s a beautiful drive around Grand Lake and into the park.
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DAY 3: EXTRA LONG
The Palooza Van stretches out in the parking lot at Rocky Mountain National Park.
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DAY 3: UP HIGH
The Paloozians take Trail Ridge Road into the center of the park. Trail Ridge is the highest paved road in North America. The views are insane.
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DAY 3: HIKING AT 13K FEET
Sean tries to throw a rock all the way down to the valley below. The Paloozians conveniently ignore the cries of the hiker down below who may or may not have been hit by a rock traveling 180 miles per hour.
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DAY 3: PALOOZIAN MAGIC
The Paloozians stand at elevation higher than 99.999% of the US population. Now that’s niiiiiiiiiiice!
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DAY 3: SALAMI SAMMIES
The boys make their way across RMNP and down to Bear Lake where they park and wolf down some delicious salami and provolone sandwiches.
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DAY 3: BEAR LAKE
Craig pops his head in to ruin a perfectly nice shot of Bear Lake.
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DAY 3: MOOSE CALLS
Sean makes what at least one scared young tourist thinks is a series of rabid moose calls.
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DAY 3: RUNOFF STREAM
Nothing gets Craig's fishing blood boiling like spotting a little summer run-off stream deep in the Rockies. If only he’d brought his fishing rod and a box of worms. Next time.
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DAY 3: ALPINE LAKE
The hiking trail up the mountain features a series of lakes that collect in these alpine valleys. This one is called Dream Lake and it is spectacular.
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DAY 3: LOTS OF TROUT
You can see dozens of trout just swimming around looking for something to eat for lunch.
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DAY 3: ASPEN GROVE
A cluster of autumnal aspen leaves hang on for dear life to their fading leaves before the approaching winter season claims them for good.
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DAY 3: THE FINAL DESTINATION
The Paloozians are finally able to relax and check out the view at Emerald Lake.
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DAY 3: WHAT A VIEW
This pic doesn't fully capture how amazing this lake is--complete with a small waterfall coming down off the face of the wall rock in the distance.
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DAY 3: CHIPMUNK FUN
Milo and Al play around with the chipmunks that are everywhere around the lake. They love people with salty snacks up the high country.
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DAY 3: EAGLE SIGHTING
A young bald eagle watches the Paloozians from his perch on this old pine tree.
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DAY 3: WEDDING DAY
Back down at Bear Lake, the boys stumble upon this wedding ceremony. Imagine having the world-famous Paloozians as witnesses to your wedding and never even knowing it.
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DAY 3: IS IT A SIGN?
After driving down to Boulder, Fate Brewing was the first stop on Craig’s planned tour of Boulder breweries. Is it a sign of things to come?
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DAY 3: ENTERING RED ROCKS
After dinner and a few brews, the Paloozians make their way over to the greatest amphitheater on earth. Here is the view of the crowd as you enter from the base.
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DAY 3: SOUNDSTONE WALL
One of the two sandstone monoliths that basically bounce the sound coming from the stage into your waiting ears. There’s just nothing like Red Rocks anywhere.
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DAY 3: BEN HARPER KINDA SUCKS
For whatever reason, the Paloozians have never been able to synch a trip to The Rocks with a great act. This year, they’re subjected to Ben Harper, who’s just a bit too mellow.
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DAY 3: PARKING ROYALTY
How big is the Palooza Van this year? Well let’s just say the folks at Red Rocks considered it to be in the same class as a Bluebird School Bus. Hells yeah!
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DAY 4: CREOLE BREAKFAST
At the last minute, the Paloozians make an audible and decide to hit Lucile’s, Craig’s favorite breakfast spot in Colorado. Andouille Breakfast Sausage and Gravy, buttery Southern Biscuits, Crab Omelettes…it just doesn’t get much better than Lucile’s.
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DAY 4: CRAIG'S FAVORITE DISH
The way to roll at Lucile’s is to get something savory and balance it out with their unbelievable Rice Pudding Porridge with Currants and Raspberry sauce. Unreal.
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DAY 4: JUST A FLESH WOUND
At the conclusion of breakfast, Bill suddenly announces he is going to the hospital. The high altitude of the first three days did a number on his system, so he checked into Foothills Hospital for the night as the Paloozians bravely carry on.
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DAY 4: PALOOZIAN PRINCIPLE TESTED
With their fellow Paloozian resting at Foothills, the boys gamely demonstrate their commitment to the oft-cited Paloozian mantra, “the Palooza waits for no man” as they continue with their planned hike up to the Boulder Flatirons. We know that in between IV bags and blood tests, Bill is quite proud of their dedication.
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DAY 4: BOULDER FIELD
One of the most unique sections of the hike up to the Flatirons is the stretch that takes you over a massive field of boulders and opens up a perfect view Boulder down below.
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DAY 4: PALOOZIANS IN THE WILD
Clem's son Ben broke the young paloozian seal by leading us up the hill with the speed of a Iemur who’d wandered upon an open can of Red Bull.
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DAY 4: CONTINUING ON
Clem & Clem Jr continue their way up the trail as the rest of the Paloozians lag behind.
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DAY 4: TREACHEROUS SECTION
The route up to Flatiron #1 actually gets a tad dicey toward the end. Here the boys are slowly making their way up a pretty rocky section.
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DAY 4: CRAZY ROCK CLIMBER
After watching this legit rock climber make his way up the face of Flatiron #1 the hard way, the Paloozians are suddenly motivated to press on.
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DAY 4: I CAN DO THAT!
Inspired by the rock climber, Al busts out and begins to freestyle toward the summit. This lasts all of about 38 seconds.
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DAY 4: PALOOZIANS ARE FRIGGIN OLD
Ben can’t stop laughing at the extreme levels of sweating and heavy breathing on display by the elder Paloozians.
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DAY 4: GREAT VIEW
After a precarious final stretch, the Paloozians finally reach the summit and are able to check out the rarely seen valley behind the Flatirons.
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DAY 4: FOG ROLLING IN
A stegasaurus-like spine of rock jets out from one of the hills behind Flatiron #1.
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DAY 4: THERE HE IS
Clem spots Ben who has mysteriously gone missing during the final stretch to the top.
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DAY 4: LEMUR SPOTTING
Somehow, Ben has slithered his way atop a rock above the Paloozians.
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DAY 4: BOULDER BUDDIES
Another group shot with the massive Flatiron wall shooting up behind them.
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DAY 4: BENNY
By the time the Paloozians transition into the beer drinking portion of the day, Ben has completely bought into the glory of the Palooza.
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DAY 4: TWISTED PINE
After a long day on the mountain, the boys head back into Boulder to sample some beers. First stop is Twisted Pine Brewing.
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DAY 4: 2 OUNCE GROWLER
Milo pounds all the beer he can handle for the night--two full ounces of Twisted’s IPA.
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DAY 4: CHEERS MATES!
The boys toast their fallen Paloozian, and make a solemn vow to nurse B-Luv back to health by 10am tomorrow (so that he can still be part of the Broncos flag ceremony).
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DAY 4: AL IN WILD WOODS
It’s very very very hard to tell, but Al is extremely excited to be at the next stop on the Boulder Brewery tour—Wild Woods.
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DAY 4: CLEM RELOADS
I know you think I’m talking about those massive guns he’s been building over the past few years. Nope, he’s just in line to relaod his empty beer glass.
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DAY 4: LATE BUFFS GAME
The Paloozians head over to see the Buffs play the Oregon Ducks in a late night game that doesn’t kick-off until 8pm…uh scratch that, 9pm after a lightening delay. Holy crizap.
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DAY 4: IT'S A WET ONE
Craig & Sean look like seasoned hill dwellers as they try to stay dry and warm in their special rain ponchos during the lightening delay.
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DAY 4: OUTSIDE FOLSOM
The scene outside Folsom is pretty chaotic as fans scramble to get out of the rain.
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DAY 4: WEST SIDE
For the first time, the Paloozians sit on the west side of Folsom, which means they’re able to stay warm inside Balch Fieldhouse.
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DAY 4: OREGON 41 - COLORADO 24
The Buffs keep things close until the 3rd quarter when the Ducks’ talent begins to take over. In a game that ends at 12:31am, the Ducks are able to lock up a win in Boulder.
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DAY 5: TIME TO GET BILL
The Paloozians pack up their rig and head over to see if they can wrestle Bill away from his doting team of nurses in time to catch the Broncos-Vikings game.
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DAY 5: DEAN GETS A SCOOBY SNACK
Dean packs up some leftovers in his luggage at the hospital parking lot.
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DAY 5: HOSPITAL JOKES
The Paloozians arrive at Bill’s bedside to convince him that he’s just fine and should talk his nurses into letting him check out so he can head to Mile High.
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DAY 5: THAT'S A LOT OF WIRING
Natilly dressed in his hospital garb, Bill listens to words of encouragement from his fellow Paloozians. Minutes later he would be in the Palooza Van and back in the fold.
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DAY 5: PALOOZA LOVE
Craig is thinking about that dancing teddy bear as the boys enter Mile High Stadium.
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DAY 5: SEE--HE'S FINE!
Sean and Bill are all smiles as they wait for the flag ceremony practice to begin. Apparently, they didn’t get the “orange memo”.
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DAY 5: BRONCOS FAN
Craig is fired up to be walking around in the belly of Mile High Stadium.
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DAY 5: PRACTICE TIME
The boys are out on the field getting ready to unravel the flag.
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DAY 5: FLAG TOMFOOLERY
During the practice run, Milo leaves his post to run around like a fool under the flag.
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DAY 5: LADIES ROOM LOITERING
Al enjoys a fresh brew as the boys wait to regroup for the kickoff ceremony.
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DAY 5: GAME TIME!
Milo and Dean are ready to get this party started as they hear the crowd roaring.
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DAY 5: INTRODUCTIONS
It’s time to bring the thunder as the Broncos are introduced before 77k orange lunatics.
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DAY 5: VIKINGS WARMING UP
QB Teddy Bridgewater gets loose as the flag ceremony is about to begin.
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DAY 5: YO ADRIAN!
As the boys await the signal to begin unfurling the flag, they are standing next to future Hall of Famer, Adrian Peterson, who is huffing and puffing like a gladiator about to fight a lion. The dude is just a tangled mass of rippling muscles.
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DAY 5: THE FLAG IS OUT
The view from the field with the flag fully stretched out is an amazing sight from the field.
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DAY 5: STADIUM CAM VIEW
A view of the ceremony from the top of the stadium. The boys were right in the middle at about the 40 yard line on the Broncos side of the field.
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DAY 5: DENVER 23 - MINNESOTA 20
The Broncos lean on Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas and their stout D to hold off the Vikes for the win to reach 3-0. These Broncos go on to win their third Super Bowl. And with that, the boys are out—see ya next year in Austin!
Inside Colopalooza: Bill Taylor