The Mountain-Ear
The voice of the Peak to Peak
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| Cryobirthday cause for champagne |
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| Written by administrator | |
| Friday, 13 November 2009 | |
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Barbara Lawlor NEDERLAND Grandpa Bredo has been on ice for 20 years. But he hasn’t been forgotten. On Nov. 6, 1989, the Norwegian was cryogenically frozen at a lab in California. In 1994, he was transported and laid to rest in a shed off Doe Trail in Nederland, where he has been ever since. Last week, his passing into the cryozone was celebrated by Bo Shafer, the man who has spent the past 15 years making sure that Bredo Morstol doesn’t thaw. Every month, Bo, known as the Iceman, drives to Doe Trail where the remains of Bredo are now kept in a Tuff Shed, in a casket wrapped in chains. Every month he refills the Styrofoam box that contains the chained coffin, Bredo’s frigid bed, with dry ice. Bo likes to celebrate the date of Bredo’s icing, the beginning of a part-time job that earns him $800 a month for the delivering of the ice. Bo says it is not about the money, that he has actually developed a relationship with the Norwegian who has become the focus of an annual winter festival known as The Frozen Dead Guy Days. The funding to pay Bo comes from Bredo’s grandson, Trygve Bauge, who was deported to Norway about 14 years ago, leaving his mother and frozen grand dad behind. His mom, Aud, has moved back to Norway where she lives in seclusion and Trygve continues his work involving cryogenic research and managing a health spa. Bredo would have been 109 years old on Feb. 28th. “He’s dead, but he ain’t dead,” says Bo. “He might be brought back to life again.” Last Wednesday, Bo brought a package of sushi and a bottle of champagne to Bredo’s resting place. He spoke to reporters and took them on a tour of the house where Trygve and his mom used to live. Paintings hang on the walls and piles of paper with cryogenic data are piled around the main room. There are rodent droppings everywhere. The afternoon sun shines through large windows overlooking Barker Reservoir, but it doesn’t chase away the chill in the air. After a quick lookaround, Bo heads to the shed where he unlocks the door, saying he thought Bredo might have had a Halloween party. The door emitted a freaky squeak and Bo chuckled when he saw the skull head wine glasses on the top of Bredo’s icy box. He has a quirky sense of humor. He explained that he picks up the dry ice in Boulder and hopes it doesn’t melt before he gets to his destination. When he removes the cover of the box, he pulls out a piece of cake, which, he says, has been there since the last Bredo birthday party. There is a blanket and pillow on top of the coffin. Bo looks into the box and notices that there are still about 300 pounds of ice. He makes room for more and begins to unload his pickup truck. The ice comes in steaming slabs that he packs around the coffin. As he works, he says that the mortgage for the bomb proof, earthquake proof, alien-invasion proof house that Trygve built, was paid off two years ago, but now there is the matter of taxes. Bo says there are six other people who are trained to do what he does and he might turn the job over to his son. While Bo has been talking, with the lid open and the inside of the shed exposed to sunshine, the temperature had risen to minus 70 degrees. It was time to pop the bottle, give a toast and leave Bredo to his cool musings. In a few months, Bo will open the shed to the public as the three-day Frozen Dead Guys Festival fills the town with tourists and puts Bredo, once again, in the spotlight. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 November 2009 ) |
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