On Bated Breath

The first day of tour is always exciting. Guys going on their first tour are excited and anxious. They await the experiences of 2 weeks with some of their best friends. Old dudes are bored and annoyed with waiting and waking up early but thrilled to participate in another tour. The tour manager is in disbelief that the culmination of 2 years of planning is coming to a close and its execution (if all goes well, not his execution) is upon him.

The wait at DTW.

Now that tour has begun our bated breath has turned to gasps of breath for the awe inspiring sites of the Denver stop. At our visit to the Air Force Academy we were given the opportunity to sing a small informal set in the protestant chapel of the Academy Chapel. It is a beautiful, uplifting structure pointing towards the heavens with its 17 spires. While there is no official reasoning for the number 17, cadet lore says that it stands for the 12 disciples and the 5 joint chiefs.

The Academy Chapel at the Air Force Academy.

Singing inside the chapel was a true honor and we realized collectively the difficulty in singing at high altitudes. Props to the Academy's Chorale. They must think singing at normal altitudes is a breeze.

The interior of the protestant chapel.

After a short tour of the other chapels and the grounds we moved on to the Garden of the Gods for a look at the majestic and beautiful sandstone formations in the feet of the Rockies. We were able to stretch our legs and our lungs climbing some of the formations. We even made sure to show our spirit and started a little Go Blue chant from formation to formation.

Clubbers climbing the formations.

The first day of tour was fantastic! With scenery like what we have here, it's hard not to be happy about being on tour.

Garden of the Gods with Pike's Peak in the background.