Friends John & Annmarie drove up from Denver where we met up to attend our first Frozen Dead Guy Days in the eclectic town of Nederland…who wouldn’t wanna join in with this lineup:

 

WHAT IS THERE TO DO?

  • Amazing FREE Live Music all Weekend  (two tents)
  • Coffin Racing 
  • Costume Polar Plunging
  • Frozen T-shirt Contests
  • Ice Turkey Bowling
  • The Blue Ball (live band)
  • Brain Freeze Contests
  • Parade of Hearses 
  • Frozen Salmon Toss
  • Snowy Beach Volleyball

 

Annmarie had just purchased a new camera – so left early in time for parking & the parade of hearses.  First snag – Hwy 119 (Boulder Canyon to Nederland) closed due multiple accidents including a fatality.

Wait did I mention the blizzard?  Back up, start over – snow is pouring out of the sky & we are driving to Nederland Colorado to see a hearse parade & a guy who’s been on dry ice for 25 years.  Seriously.  LOL>

 

Dead Guy Story (from Wiki)

In 1989, a Norwegian citizen named Trygve Bauge brought the corpse of his recently deceased grandfather, Bredo Morstøl, to the United States. The body was preserved on dry ice for the trip, and stored in liquid nitrogen at the Trans Time cryonics facility from 1990 to 1993.

 

In 1993, Bredo was returned to dry ice and transported to the town of Nederland, where Trygve and his mother Aud planned to create a cryonics facility of their own. When Trygve was deported from the United States for overstaying his visa, his mother, Aud, continued keeping her father’s body cryogenically frozen in a shack behind her unfinished house.

 

Aud was eventually evicted from her home for living in a house with no electricity or plumbing, in violation of local ordinances. At that time, she told a local reporter about her father’s body, and the reporter went to the local city hall in order to let them know about Aud’s fears that her eviction would cause her father’s body to thaw out.  The story caused a sensation…

 

Highway 119 is closed – how else to get to Nederland?  Lucky for me I hiked so much last year that I knew of a back way (not too many road options when you live in the Rockies – mountains get in the way :)).  Lefthand Canyon to shanty town Ward and then south on Peak-to-Peak Highway to Nederland.

Prius’ don’t fare well in snow & elevation.  Big thanks to John and his 4-wheel drive vehicle.  No blizzard stopping us!

Heavy snow coupled with the closure of Highway 119 = plenty of parking available.

 

excerpt from official Dead Guy Days site  https://frozendeadguydays.org/

Behold the Frozen at the 12th Annual Frozen Dead Guy Days®

What goes best with a Frozen Dead Guy?   SNOW!
Dress Warm. Drive Carefully. 
The show goes on… snow or shine.

 

NEDERLAND, Colo. (CBS4) – Because of the snow an annual tradition in Nederland was postponed on Saturday.  The coffin races, the polar plunge and the parade of Frozen Dead Guy Days will happen Sunday.

 

ARGH!  No frozen dead guy this day – maybe next year.  We did do some shopping (bought an official beanie), visited an indoor carousel & a coffee house lodged in a railcar AND shared some laughs & BBQ at Wild Mountain Smokehouse.

Lunch, great conversation & the drive home through Boulder Canyon made the whole day worthwhile.

Next weekend is my half marathon in Moab.  That said, itching to go on a hike with Ro.  Nothing like feeling small in the enormity of my Colorado wilderness surroundings.  Stay tuned.

 

p.s. Happy Birthday Mom!  March 9th is your day!

 

One Response to blizzard, BBQ & a frozen dead guy

  • Darlene Rogers says:

    Hey! Thanks for the birthday wishes. The only thing I would have joined you in was probably the socializing with good friends and enjoying a great fire and of course the lunch and a warm drink. Glad you enjoyed all of it!

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