April 20, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck visited Grandpa Bredo Morstoel in his Tuff Shed. Brad, the man that keeps grandpa supplied with dry ice, took us to grandpa Bredo’s house and into his Tuff Shed.

Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed

This house was built according to the directions of grandpa’s grandson, Trygve Bauge.

Trygve’s house in Nederland, Colorado

This house is built to be earthquake-proof, bombproof and fireproof and have room for cryonically preserved body storage, as well as be sustainable and economical.

This end of the house was to hold cry frozen bodies.

This end of the house was to hold cryonically frozen bodies. Trygve was deported before it was finished.

Before the house was finished, Trygve was deported to Norway for a visa violation. Brad took us into the Tuff Shed

Zeb and Eider on box holding grandpa and lots of dry ice

and opened the box holding grandpa’s coffin, or sarcophagus. The box contains dry ice to keep grandpa frozen.

Grandpa’s coffin is suspended to allow dry ice under, around and over the coffin

The coffin, or sarcophagus, is elevated or suspended in the box. This permits the dry ice to be under, around and over the sarcophagus. Brad delivers about 1500 pounds of dry ice every two weeks. The ice is paid for by Trygve, in Norway. Zen and Eider Duck are sitting on the coffin.

Zeb and Eider sitting with grandpa. This is cold!

But not for too long. This is really cold.

Let’s go into the house. It is constructed of reinforced concrete and steel beams. This is the living room, with the wood burning stove. We believe this stove is the only source of heat in here.

Trygve’s living room. We liked the teddy bear by the window.

We really like this painting.

Grandpa was a hunter and avid outdoors man in Norway.

Brad said that grandpa Bredo painted it years ago. This house is build in a very nice area. The view from here is great.

View of Continental Divide and Nederland from Grandpa’s Tuff Shed

We are on a mountain looking down at the town of Nederland. This is certainly a beautiful spot for grandpa to wait to be reanimated, or brought back to life. We were told that was the purpose of cryonics. To freeze grandpa until a cure for his heart attack is found and then to bring him back to life. We wonder, will that work?

March 28, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Human Foosball and Remote Control Cars with Zeb and Eider in Nederland

Frozen Dead Guy Days festival sure has a lot of different activities. Today Zeb and Eider Duck saw human foosball. This game uses people for foosball. The humans must hold on to the pipe as they try to kick the ball and score a goal. The referee here is ready to toss the ball into the foosball court.

Ready to start the game

You can see the ball on the ground,

Kick that ball

while humans, holding their place on the pipe, try to kick a goal. Zeb the Duck, and Eider Duck, really like watching this game.

We like human foosball

Now we go back to Chipeta Park to watch the remote control trucks race and jump over snow banks. First Zeb and Eider want to race with these trucks.

We are on the trucks!

Wow! We feel like really could drive these. These cars can climb rocks.

Up to the top of the rock

They also race through the mud.

Through the mud

They even race up and down these snow banks.

Here they come

Now the cars and trucks will jump over the snow banks.

In the air

Some of these jumps clear the snow, and other do not. The trucks now try to jump over the snow bank and the boxes on top of the snow.

How high can they go?

Zeb and Eider are fascinated with the jumping.

Can trucks really fly?

They must come down.

Great display of trucks

They do not want to ride on a jumping truck. They prefer regular racing.

This is safer for ducks

You really have to visit Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado during March 2016. Be sure to keep reading about our adventures. Our next post on Frozen Dead Guy Days is really going to be special.

March 27, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Wood Carving and Ice Sculpting in Nederland with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb the Duck and Eider Duck are back in Chipeta Park during Nederland’s Frozen Dead Guy Days festival. We love these carved wooden masterpieces.

Great wooden carvings

Some of these were transported to the festival and some are being carved here while we watch.

Carvers at work

This is fascinating.

These would be great in our yard

It is a warm sunny day in Nederland and this guy is trying to play an Australian Didjeridoo.

Playing the didjeridoo while ice carvers work

Now the talented carver is working on ice. Look.

Ice sculpting starts with a block of ice and a chain saw

It is a turtle!

An ice turtle

That chain saw is really buzzing now. The only problem today is it is almost 70 degrees. The ice is melting pretty fast. We can see some melting and dripping as he is trying to finish and smooth the edges.

Smoothing edges

Even with the melting, we love these ice carvings.

This is a pretty big ice turtle

It is amazing to us, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, that such detail starts with a block of ice and a chain saw. We hope you can watch people carving wood and ice statues. We really like this!

March 25, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Turkey Bowling and Frozen T-Shirt Contest with Zeb and Eider Duck

We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks and humans, are still in Nederland, Colorado for the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival. This is a great festival! Now it time for the frozen turkey bowling. Starting with a wrapped, frozen turkey, fresh from the store, humans throw, or slide the turkey down the snowy path, trying to knock down bowling pins. Sounds easy enough, but the humans sure do make a mess with this. This man is ready to bowl.

He is ready

Now, the turkey wrapper has come off the turkey. The warm weather is helping the turkey to thaw. The turkey is thrown and then slides into the bowling pins.

Turkey hit the pins

Good job! Younger humans throw the frozen chicken at the pins. He is ready to throw the chicken toward the pins.

Ready to throw

Chicken hits bowling pins.

Pins down!

This lady is brave.

Turkey in hand

She is ready to handle the unwrapped, partially thawed turkey. There goes the turkey. The weather is warm, but those are bare feet in the snow.

Nice polish

Humans get a little crazy here. We like frozen turkey bowling.

It is time for the frozen t-shirt contests. The men try first. For this contest a new, folded t-shirt is soaked in water and then put in the freezer. The contestants start with t-shirts in a bag and on the ground.

Get your shirt

To open the shirt and put it on, only your own body and the ground may be used.

Harder than it looks

It is really difficult to open, unfold and put on a frozen t-shirt. We are seeing some progress,

Almost!

but still more work to do. The very cold t-shirt is now on.

It is on

Lots of cold fun here!

Let’s see how the women do in their frozen t-shirt contest. Difficult for them to get packages open.

We Will Do This

This woman is getting the shirt on over her dress.

She is getting the t-shirt on

Can she do it? She did it!

Yes. She did it!

She is the winner of the woman’s frozen t-shirt contest. This woman, wearing gloves, gets her frozen t-shirt on also. Another winner.

Love the gloves

This is a great festival. We really hope you can visit the Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado next March.

March 23, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Coffin Races in Nederland, Colorado 2015

Zeb and Eider Duck are still in Nederland, Colorado at Frozen Dead Guy Days. Now we are ready for the coffin races. The racing teams pay their entry fee, build the coffin, design their costumes and choose a person to ride in the coffin. The racing route is usually snowy with some ice, but today it is mud and water.

Muddy track

This warm weather has melted the snow, and mud is flying everywhere.

Teams carry the coffins up the first snow pile, run down the hill, race around the track and up the next snow pile. Here comes a coffin racing team now.

Starting the race

This team is the Cereal Killers. Tony the Tiger is in the front.

Now we have the Pink Socks.

The Pink Socks. The defending champions

This team has won 5 times and is the defending champion of coffin races. The Harlem Globetrotters are racing now.

Do they race as well as they play basketball?

They slipped and dropped the coffin.

Running fast!

With these costumes, they are fortunate that it is warm.

Person doing well in coffin, but runners sliding and falling

Get up the second snow hill is difficult, and slippery

Very slippery

Like the green shirts

Help is near–just in case…

The Pink Socks

The Pink Socks seem to be going up the second snow hill with little problem. These guys must train for this event. They won again. The Pink Socks are now six time coffin racing champions. Great race Pink Socks! Congratulations! The Cereal Killers won second place. Congratulations to Tony the Tiger and the team.

If you wondering where Zeb and Eider are during this race, they are right in the front. The mud was flying and here we are after the race, sitting on mom’s mud splattered jacket. Her jeans, hat and sunglasses also were covered in mud. Our humans are muddy messes, but they are smiling.

Mud splattered!

Guess all the mud and dirt means we had a great time. I hope you go to the coffin races in Nederland, Colorado next March and enjoy Frozen Dead Guy Days.

March 21, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Polar Plunge in Nederland, Colorado 2015

Zeb and Eider Duck are in Nederland, Colorado for Frozen Dead Guy Days. Yesterday we showed you the parade. After the parade, we went to Chipeta Park

Welcome to Chipeta Park. The Polar Plunge takes place in the pond behind the park

for the Polar Plunge. That reservoir is frozen. The human plungers wear costumes for this event. Here is a grandpa look alike ready to take the plunge.

In costume for Frozen Dead Guy Days

These humans are also waiting for their turn to jump into the icy water.

These humans will take the polar plunge.

A large rectangle has been cut through the pond and the ice removed. The humans will jump into this icy water. The fire department water rescue men are in the water to help if there is a problem.

One jumper with the rescue team

You can see that being ready to rescue humans can be a very wet job.

Big splash

These two humans are dressed as bacon and eggs.

Bacon and eggs costume

They are scrambling as they jump into the icy water. Behind the water, you can see the warming tent for the human participants. This is a great way to enter the cold water.

Great presentation

This really looks cold.

Brrr

But these two scientists checked and didn’t think the water was cold enough.

Scientists or crazy?

They are adding more ice to the pond. And now they are in the water.

They are in the icy water

This is like swimming, but bikinis in icy water?

Bikini bottoms

We ducks did not go into this cold water. We like warmer water. Keep reading our blog to see more of the fun at Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado.

March 20, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Welcome to Frozen Dead Guy Days 2015 with Zeb and Eider Duck

I, Zeb the Duck, and my Alaska cousin, Eider Duck, went to Nederland, Colorado for Frozen Dead Guy Days. And, yes, Nederland does really have a frozen dead guy in the mountains above the town. He resides in a Tuff Shed, packed in dry ice.

The festival opened Friday evening, with the lighting of the Frozen Dead Guy Days sign at the traffic circle in town.

Welcome to Frozen Dead Guy Days 2015

Zeb the Duck and Eider Duck are sitting in the top D. We did not participate in the parade, so this is our only photo today.

The lighting of the sign ceremony was followed by the Blue Ball, featuring live music and dancing.

Saturday the Parade of Hearses began at noon.

Hearse with live people on hood

Many participants come in costume.

This passenger is a little thin

Check out that passenger!

Another unusual passenger

This parade includes hearses, of course, and the coffin race teams.

5 time champion Pink Socks Coffin Racing team

Each coffin racing team must have a person in the coffin. This team, the Pink Socks, are the defending champions.

Harlem Globetrotter Coffin Racing Team

These guys can make baskets, also.

How can he spin a baseball on one finger?

How can he spin a basketball on one finger?

This is a pretty fancy coffin

Sponsors and non-profits are also invited to participate.

She can walk on stilts!

The wild bear for Nature Discovery

Learn more about this bear and the Nature Discovery Center at http://www.wildbear.org

These remote control cars are tough and do amazing things.

These remote control cars will race and jump later in the festival. They are great!

This is a parade and festival unlike any others that we have visited. You really should plan to visit Frozen Dead Guy Days in early March in Nederland, Colorado. We will show you may of the events in the next days. Hope you follow our adventures. We had a great time.

March 15, 2014 by coloradotravelingducks

Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

Zeb and Eider Duck here. We returned to Nederland, Colorado on Sunday for the last events of Frozen Dead Guy Days of 2014.

Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado

We did not go back Saturday, the main day due to human error. On the way down Friday, one human driver hit ice and slid into the side of the mountain. On Saturday the other human was sick and stuffed up. No injuries, but no Saturday festivities either.

We arrived at the park in Nederland as men were putting up the volleyball net. We watched the remote control trucks race over the snow. They almost fly and sometimes crash.

Remote control truck

We went to the frozen t-shirt contest. New t-shirts, still folded, are soaked in water and then frozen—really frozen! The men, without shirts, must put the new frozen t-shirts on as fast as possible. It required several minutes to unfold the frozen shirts. The shirts are bent, karate chopped, folded, pulled and anything they can think of to break ice and unfold shirts to put them on. We could not see very well, but took a few photos through the crowd.

Trying to unfold frozen t-shirt

We watched videos later on You Tube. This looks very cold.

Putting on a frozen t-shirt. Brrrrr

Then we watched frozen turkey bowling. This was easy to see and fun to watch. Unlike regular bowling, you throw the turkey at the pins.

Frozen turkey bowling

Children threw small game hens and adults had 2 sizes of frozen turkeys. As the bowling progressed, one of the turkeys became unwrapped.

Throwing frozen unwrapped turkey

There were a couple of beer tents with live music and heaters.

Inside warm tent

Next we watched snow volleyball. Some men had no shirts.

No shirt and a bikini top. What a guy!

This girl worn no shoes.

Where are her shoes?? Girl with yellow shirt is barefoot???

Finally she put shoes on. Cold snow and ice here. After the game Zeb and Eider met some volleyball players.

Our new friends are very nice!!

We enjoyed all at various times during the day. Near one of the tents a man had carved wooden animals and one ice sculpture.

Wooden turtle and ice turtle

Soon he had a new block of ice and began carving the ice with a small chain saw. The saw roared, the ice shavings flew and soon this sculpture was in front of us.

Carved from ice with a chainsaw

Beautiful work of art with only ice and a chain saw!

We liked the activities Sunday, so maybe we can see it all next year. You would enjoy Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado. Oh yes…there really is a frozen dead guy in a Tuff Shed in the mountains of Nederland. For more information visit www.frozendeadguy.com or visit Nederland, Colorado the second weekend in March.

September 14, 2013 by coloradotravelingducks

Nederland, Colorado with Zeb

Zeb visits a mountain town

Quaint and quirky describe Nederland. Now adored by tourists, humans and ducks, Nederland was just a tiny mountain mining town; then in the ‘60s it became popular with the hippies. Now Nederland is a popular mountain town near Boulder, Colorado.

We visited the Nederland Visitors Center, located across from the Blue Moon Bakery, one of my favorite stops. We didn’t enter the souvenir shops today, but we have other times. I like the shops. We entered the pedestrian bridge,

View of river from bridge

crossed the river and continued to the Carousel of Happiness.

Entrance to Carousel of Happiness

It was a lot of work restoring the antique carousel. All the animals were hand-carved by Nederland resident Scott Harrison.

A rabbit on carousel sign

Everyone has fun here. Ducks, too.

We had mini donuts at Buffalo Bill’s Coffee and Confections.

Up ramp to train car and a snack

This snack shop is in train cars that have been adapted for customers. My first time in a train car. Other train cars are also used. The donuts were very tasty. We had the ones with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!! Is all food from train cars this good? While eating we chatted with a few people. Everyone seemed happy. Definitely not a complaining group. We enjoyed the stop.

Other side of Buffalo Bill’s Coffee and Confections

When we left it was raining. With a longing look at the Alpaca store, we headed back to our car. I love the rain, but mom prefers dry days to wander around towns. Back through the pedestrian bridge, which really is a covered bridge over the creek.

Covered bridge over Boulder Creek in Nederland

Nederland has several festivals, including High Peaks Arts Festival the last weekend of June, Miner’s Days the third weekend of July, Nedfest Music & Art Festival the last weekend of August and Holiday Mountain Market the first weekend of December. But the most famous is Frozen Dead Guy Days the second weekend of March. I’m looking forward to this one, but only with mom’s protection. I don’t want to be frozen or dead. You will enjoy the many activities and festivals of Nederland.

I like Nederland and you will too. It is in a beautiful location in the Rocky Mountains, has shops, a variety of restaurants, even a few featuring food from the Himalayas and outdoor activities for all seasons.

We visited Nederland last week, before the flooding arrived in the area. We went on a road trip this week, so I will tell you about it on Monday. Nederland is a wonderful town and you will enjoy your time here. Please check the road conditions before you go. It is still raining as mom types this, so all damage is not yet known. Go in a few weeks and you will have a great time. Look for me Monday and see where we went.

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