They did it again. Everytime I really need to focus on work or on packing for a trip or something else, Microsoft goes ahead and releases another must-have digital board game for its Xbox Live Arcade service. This time it's the very popular Ticket to Ride, a strategy board game that pits players in competition to link North American cities with various rail lines. And it's available for 800 points tomorrow. The game is set in the nineteeth century (I suspect the inevitable sequel, Amtrak Deregulation Station, will be out later this fall - I kid) and seems to pack in quite a bit of charm with its strategy.
Watch the video of how to play the board game version of Ticket to Ride right here.
This, like Catan and Carcassonne, is another one of those games I've held in my hands countless times and never bought on account of not having enough people on hand to play it with. Sure, it can be played with just two players, but that gets old very quickly. Hopefully this game plays well enough on XBLA that it can draw a sizeable crowd of board gamers just like Catan, in which case there might still be people playing it in a few weeks when I have some time to commit to it.
In the meantime, check out the screenshots of the game and look for me online briefly in the mornings -- I'm sure to be playing while I have my coffee.
No Creampuffs for Me
It's official, I'm definitely going to be skipping the Cascade Creampuff 100 this weekend in Oregon. A deadline for one of my current projects moved up by nearly a month and there's simply no way I can afford the 2-3 days of missed work this weekend. I also had to cancel the 3-4 day backpacking trip Kristin and I were planning for 4th of July weekend -- we were going to circumnavigate Mount St. Helens on the Loowit Trail.
I'm not complaining though. I wasn't too excited about the 2-lap format of this year's CCP (and may not have been able to finish it anyway) and these weekend getaways were starting to really add up monetarily being that gas is around $4.45 a gallon now. Sucks to lose the $246 entry fee, but being that my employer/publisher is also my racing sponsor, it was ultimately their money not mine that paid the fee. And I'm pretty darn sure they prefer to pay me for my writing than my racing ability. Yeah, there's no question about it.
So this means that my next race will likely be the GearJammer on 7/26 in Squamish. I might decide to drop in on one of the Indie Series races in early July if I can squeeze in a nearby one, otherwise most of my July weekends will be spent staring at a monitor.
At least I had the entire month of May off. Of course, I was sick and it rained the entire time, but I did have it off!
I'm not complaining though. I wasn't too excited about the 2-lap format of this year's CCP (and may not have been able to finish it anyway) and these weekend getaways were starting to really add up monetarily being that gas is around $4.45 a gallon now. Sucks to lose the $246 entry fee, but being that my employer/publisher is also my racing sponsor, it was ultimately their money not mine that paid the fee. And I'm pretty darn sure they prefer to pay me for my writing than my racing ability. Yeah, there's no question about it.
So this means that my next race will likely be the GearJammer on 7/26 in Squamish. I might decide to drop in on one of the Indie Series races in early July if I can squeeze in a nearby one, otherwise most of my July weekends will be spent staring at a monitor.
At least I had the entire month of May off. Of course, I was sick and it rained the entire time, but I did have it off!
Photos from the Methow Valley
My ride report from the Native Planet Classic is below. I'll upload some more to Flick'r later on tonight, but here are the highlights. Click the photos to see a larger version.
Kristin shot this of me rolling into the food stop at 83 miles.This was the worst I felt all day.
Cresting the final major climb to Washington Pass (for the second time of the day).
Checking out the scenery behind me during the descent.
I took this photo and the one below it on Sunday during our drive home. This was just east of Washington Pass and I both climbed and descended this stretch on Saturday.
Much more fun going down than coming up!
We camped along the Methow River, just upstream from Twisp. Kayaked down the river on Sunday from Winthrop and beached the boats just steps from the tent. 
Methow Valley scenery. You can see the river we kayaked in the foreground.
Ride Report: Native Planet Classic
My longest bicycle ride of the year thus far was the 56 miles I rode with the group out of Singletrack Cycles last Thursday. Not one to wade into things, I cast aside the swimmies, held my breath, pinched my nose shut, and took a head-first dive into the deep end of the cycling pool just two days later when I embarked on the Native Planet Classic, a 125-mile road ride with 10,000 feet of elevation gain. And I hereby impose a moratorium on all cliched swimming metaphors.
The ride was an out-and-back starting and finishing in the little town of Winthrop in the Methow Valley, one of my favorite places on Earth (or at least in Washington), and making its way through the North Cascades to Diablo Lake. The starting point on the north end of Winthrop was at 1,760 feet above sea level and the turnaround point at Colonial Creek Campground was at an elevation of 1,290. Between them stood Washington Pass, peering out above the valleys from a vantage point of 5,470 feet.
Gulp.
Click to enlarge.There were several ride options for the 130 or so cyclists in attendance. Naturally, being the type of guy whose two frame-mounted water bottles are consistently filled with piss and vinegar, I opted for the whole enchilada. I also wanted to ride alone and figured my morale would benefit from a day spent passing others than vice-versa so I chose to ignore the 5:30 suggested starting time and began my ride at 6:15 instead. But I still didn't have time for a cup of coffee.
The first 17 miles or so led out of Winthrop on lightly rolling terrain. Your basic sagebrush-speckled landscape with towering snow-capped peaks in the distance. That and a couple of dead mule deer on the side of the road. Kristin kissed me goodbye at the starting line and went off on a 15-mile run around Winthrop and out to Pearrygin Lake State Park. I wasn't five miles into the ride and was already far more uncomfortable on the bike than I had expected to be. If I had my cell phone with me, I may have called her and asked for a pick-up, but I didn't so I kept riding. And the pain eventually subsided... either that or my nether-regions grew numb to it.
I eventually passed a sign that read: Avoid Radiator Boil-Over Turn Off Air Conditioning. The translation for cyclists is simple: Large Doses of Pain Ahead Turn Around If You Have Any Sense! Of course, the sign wasn't really necessary since it only took a glance out in front of me to see that the road was kicking up pretty steeply and since this was all in the name of training for the Leadville 100, how could I possibly turn back? No, I kept going and over the next 15 miles I climbed along with Route 20 from an elevation of about 2,000 feet to nearly 5,500. No reprieves. No mid-climb descents to catch your breath on. Just one continuous climb that only steepened as you rose. And the rewards at the top were incredible. Oh, sure, the views were fantastic, but the food stop had a giant thermos of hot coffee. I would have climbed a mountain for a fresh cup of joe at that point. Oh, wait I just did.
The descent was incredible. There was very little traffic, WADOT swept the roads free of rocks and debris before the event, and the sightlines were great. Being that the trailheads around the pass were still snowed in (this section of Route 20 is closed for 5 months of the year due to snow) I knew to bring my knee warmers, arm warmers, and a lightweight cycling jacket and I needed all of it during the descent down the west side from Washington Pass. The temperature couldn't have been above 50 degrees in the pass and I was cruising along at 35mph for much of the descent. It warmed up slightly below 4,500 feet then got really warm below 3,000 feet, but the sudden blast of cold air from nearby waterfalls and creeks was enough to give an instant case of goosebumps.
I clicked off the 32 miles between Washington Pass and Diablo Lake in little over an hour, despite two more small climbs during the descent. The final drop from the Ross Lake Dam trailhead down to Diablo Lake was the best of all. The road sign showed curves ahead and a suggested speed limit of 30mph. I glanced over my shoulder and saw no cars on my tail, so I moved to the center of the lane and carved the S-turns at around 38mph and was hooting-and-hollering the whole way. It wasn't as much fun as mountain biking, but it was definitely the most fun I've ever had on a road bike.
Native Planet's leader Jean-Philippe was waiting at the turnaround point with tons of homemade sandwich wraps and other assorted foods and drinks. Nutritionwise, I had been making a point of drinking Nuun every 10 minutes and eating a couple Cliff Bloks or a Gu every 10 miles and, of course, supplementing this with fruit and extras at the aid stations. I didn't plan on eating a turkey wrap, but damn it tasted good after 4 hours on the bike.
I expected the act of turning around and retracing the 62 miles back over the pass to Winthrop to be a bit harder to come to grips with than it was. I was in good spirits and feeling great on the bike (a 30-mile descent will do that), but this soaring high quickly blew away when faced with the massive headwind we were now encountering. Kristin was planning to meet me at the return-trip aid station at Easy Pass, roughly 21 miles after the turnaround point and I was really looking forward to seeing her. The climb back out from the lakes was dismal. I was using that 27-tooth cog I installed the prior night and battling to keep the speedometer above 5mph on account of the wind. I had passed dozens of riders on the out-bound portion, but was now gaining on nobody. The climb to Easy Pass took forever and I was all but out of water when I got there -- just 21 miles and I went through 40 ounces of Nuun -- but I did finally roll into the aid station and Kristin was there to give me some fruit and a couple of Advil. 83 miles down, 12 more miles of climbing to go, then it's all downhill.
The nice thing about this ride was knowing that the last 31 miles were quite literally all downhill. Sure, there were a couple bumps to get up and over on the ride into Winthrop, but nothing worth mentioning. So, with this in mind, I grit my teeth and mashed my way up the final 12 miles to the top of Washington Pass for the second time of the day. The clouds had rolled in, it was starting to rain, and it was damn cold at the pass, but the coffee was still hot and Kristin had one of my cans of V8 and some of that salty "giardia snack mix."
Kristin would later tell me she was proud of me for not climbing into the truck and hitching a ride back into town, especially since the rain was picking up. My response was one of shock, "I didn't spend 3 hours pedaling up this damn mountain to not get a chance to ride down the other side!"
That descent proved mighty scary. The rain abated once I got back below 4,000 feet but the wind didn't. I'm a bit timid on the bike at high speeds but was feeling pretty confident this day and decided to really open it up on a lengthy straightaway. Just as I was cranking up the speed and watching the speedometer tick past 42mph, I got blasted with a vicious cross-wind. I swerved mightily, my heart leapt into my throat, and images of Beloki's infamous crash leapt to the center of my mind. I was nearly blown completely off the bike, but I somehow recovered. Fortunately. I eased it back below 35mph and allowed my heartrate to recover and was thankful to roll back into Winthrop in one piece.
I covered the 125 mile course completely alone, not drafting for a single moment, and just enjoying the scenery and the music playing in my right-ear. I spent over an hour at the various food and water stations and finished with a total time of 9:12, a far cry from my nearly sub-5:00 century ride last summer in Redmond, but this course most certainly earned its "Super Century" title.
This is a good time to note that Native Planet is a non-profit organization working with various foreign NGOs to preserve indigenous cultures around the world, particularly in the jungles of Indonesia. You can read more about Native Planet's mission and the other bicycle tours the group leads right here. The organization's leader Jean-Philippe Soule is a super nice guy, and is a valuable asset to the Seattle cycling community, as well as the world community at large. Definitely stop by their website and check out what they do. And if you're thinking of doing the NPC next year, do it! I totally recommend this event. The support was fantastic, the organizers and volunteers were super-friendly, and the post-ride dinner was a very pleasant addition.
Lastly, I want to thank my sponsors BradyGames and Singletrack Cycles for their help in making these endeavours possible. Thanks everyone, especially you Kristin!
Note: I'll have some photos posted from the ride tomorrow. Kristin and I camped the weekend near Twisp and kayaked the Methow River on Sunday before breaking camp and taking the scenic route back home through the North Cascades. A fantastic weekend.
Sonic is Back
No, this isn't a post about Seattle's current lawsuit with the NBA franchise, but rather about Sonic Unleashed, the new installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise that, frankly, I thought should have received its one-way trip to the shadowy corner of the woodshed two decades ago.
That is, until this showed up:
Now that is pure Sonic gameplay. Super fast gameplay, brightly-colored graphics, music that raises your heartrate, and subtley intricate levels that can be navigated at warp speed. No, at Sonic speed.
Put me down for a copy. I don't care when it comes out (11/4) or for what platform (all of them). I just have to have it.
That is, until this showed up:
Now that is pure Sonic gameplay. Super fast gameplay, brightly-colored graphics, music that raises your heartrate, and subtley intricate levels that can be navigated at warp speed. No, at Sonic speed.
Put me down for a copy. I don't care when it comes out (11/4) or for what platform (all of them). I just have to have it.
International Diplomacy
I've been giving some thought to the recent economic problem/crisis/recession/downturn/holy-shit-the-sky-is-falling situation here in the United States, and I believe I've thought of a solution that nobody in Washington, D.C. has yet to consider publicly.
I propose we join the European Union.
What better way to solve the problem of a declining dollar than by switching to the Euro for our currency? Much of the rest of the world now considers the Euro the benchmark currency, and we Americans love benches (and Marks!) so why shouldn't we use it too? Secondly, we need more friends these days and the EU is really like a big happy gang. A big multi-lingual, imported-beer swilling, hooliganing gang. If you think Canada is hesitant to mess with us now, wait till they take a look at our homies across the pond! Nobody messes with you when Romania has your back!
Another good reason to join the EU is the travel. Not only will Italy and the UK be cheap again to visit, but we won't have to stand in long lines at customs anymore either -- Europeans whisk across other member nation's borders with no fuss at all. And since we'll be using their currency we'll no longer have to become walking calculators when shopping for souveniers. Which is a good thing, because we all know how poor Americans are with math. And back home in the US, we might finally get some impetus for high-speed rail travel -- they can call it USrail, like Eurorail, but pronounce it yoos-rail like as if Joe Peschi was saying it. It will be as classic as apple pie, baseball, and croissants.
There are some downsides to all of this, however. Like, for instance, the fact that much of Europe pays nearly double what we do at the gas pump. That would suck. On the bright side, I suspect most Americans would still resist buying smaller cars, so we'll still get to stare upwards and marvel at those Hummers and Escalades... while crossing our fingers and toes in hopes that they don't plow into us. I suspect it would also be tough developing a number of languages and dialects that sound like clearing one's throat of phlegm -- after all, if England can't convince its neighbors to speak English, how can we? And then there are the sports. I admit the current UEFA tournament has been fun to watch, but I don't think I can take daily cricket highlights on ESPN.
But I guess the worst part of potentially joining the European Union would be the influx of American college kids staying home for a semester abroad.
On second thought, forget the EU. I hear gas is only $2.20 a gallon in Mexico. Somebody ask the President of Mexico what he thinks of the number 51. Tell him it's a great number; let him know Ichiro wears that number.
Tell him "51" could be his...
I propose we join the European Union.
What better way to solve the problem of a declining dollar than by switching to the Euro for our currency? Much of the rest of the world now considers the Euro the benchmark currency, and we Americans love benches (and Marks!) so why shouldn't we use it too? Secondly, we need more friends these days and the EU is really like a big happy gang. A big multi-lingual, imported-beer swilling, hooliganing gang. If you think Canada is hesitant to mess with us now, wait till they take a look at our homies across the pond! Nobody messes with you when Romania has your back!
Another good reason to join the EU is the travel. Not only will Italy and the UK be cheap again to visit, but we won't have to stand in long lines at customs anymore either -- Europeans whisk across other member nation's borders with no fuss at all. And since we'll be using their currency we'll no longer have to become walking calculators when shopping for souveniers. Which is a good thing, because we all know how poor Americans are with math. And back home in the US, we might finally get some impetus for high-speed rail travel -- they can call it USrail, like Eurorail, but pronounce it yoos-rail like as if Joe Peschi was saying it. It will be as classic as apple pie, baseball, and croissants.
There are some downsides to all of this, however. Like, for instance, the fact that much of Europe pays nearly double what we do at the gas pump. That would suck. On the bright side, I suspect most Americans would still resist buying smaller cars, so we'll still get to stare upwards and marvel at those Hummers and Escalades... while crossing our fingers and toes in hopes that they don't plow into us. I suspect it would also be tough developing a number of languages and dialects that sound like clearing one's throat of phlegm -- after all, if England can't convince its neighbors to speak English, how can we? And then there are the sports. I admit the current UEFA tournament has been fun to watch, but I don't think I can take daily cricket highlights on ESPN.
But I guess the worst part of potentially joining the European Union would be the influx of American college kids staying home for a semester abroad.
On second thought, forget the EU. I hear gas is only $2.20 a gallon in Mexico. Somebody ask the President of Mexico what he thinks of the number 51. Tell him it's a great number; let him know Ichiro wears that number.
Tell him "51" could be his...
Media Rundown
Combo-post time!
Movies
Saw the new Adam Sandler flick "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" this weekend. It's stupid. It's vulgar. It's hysterical. And I can't wait to pick it up on DVD when it comes out (which might be any day now based on the reviews).
Adam Sandler is the Zohan (aka Scrappy Coco), an Israeli counter-terrorist with super-human strength, flexibility, and pubic hair. He tires of the constant fighting with the Palestinians and longs to leave Israel for America where he can pursue his life-long dream... to cut and style hair. He wants to make America "silky smooth." He finally gets his chance in a Palestinian-run beauty parlor in New York City and garners quite the fanbase due to his willingness to satisfy the elderly women who patronize the shop. That is, until he falls in love.
I'll be honest here, this movie isn't for everyone. It's pretty over the top in terms of stupidity and has a pretty high raunch factor, but those who want to laugh will certainly do so. Those looking for cinema or an art-house experience should look elsewhere. It's true that the movie does actually address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a pretty humorous way, and it's also true that there are a number of funny cameo appearances in the film. This movie is not unlike Austion Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It's moronic to say the least, but that might be its best feature.
Videogames
Haven't been playing much lately, but I did come across something very interesting in the paper yesterday. A Bellevue vascular surgeon has developed a vest gamers can wear that uses an air compressor to, essentially, inflict the force of explosions and being hit with bullets for those playing action games.
From the Seattle Times:
You can read the full article and see a photo of the vest at Brier Dudley's blog. I can't help but recall a toy I had when I was a kid that tried to provide some physical pain as an incentive to not "get shot" by your friends. The guns took 4 D batteries, were connected to a helmet that you wore, and fired an infrared beam. When "hit" by one of your friends a small plastic piston would rapidly tap you in the temple over and over for several seconds. It didn't hurt, but I can tell you from experience that it sure as hell didn't feel good. Kids today have it too easy...
Oh, one other thing: Gamasutra has a pretty interesting analysis of each of the online game stores available through the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. The gist of the article is to try and show a downturn in the number of games being offered in 2008 versus 2007, but it's using the latter half of 2007 and the first half of 2008 to base the comparison on, which I think is a rather small sample size. See the graphs and read the study right here.
Books
I read Willie Weir's book Spokesongs during my weekend flying back and forth to NJ and readily enjoyed it. The book is divided into three sections with each containing over a dozen brief essays from one of his annual 5-month long bike trips. The book covers his bicycle tour of India, a trip he made throughout South Africa, and also a trip around the Balkans.
I was hoping for a bit more how-to advice or even a little bit more discussion about gear or the logistics of transporting his bike and what he packed, but the book was still enjoyable. Probably more than it would have been if he had made it a how-to book, actually. Many of his stories were entertaining or filled with some sense of dread or excitement, and nearly all of them were just 3-5 pages long so reading the book can be consumed in bite-size portions.
Willie is a fine writer and really paints the portrait well of where he is and the people he's with. And while I'm not so sure extended bicycle touring is something that truly interests me, I did enjoy reading his tales enough to pick up another book on the subject. I'll be digging into the book titled, Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents later this week hopefully. The book chronicles Jim Malusa's bicycle journeys to the lowest point on each of the major inhabited continents. Should be fun.
Movies
Saw the new Adam Sandler flick "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" this weekend. It's stupid. It's vulgar. It's hysterical. And I can't wait to pick it up on DVD when it comes out (which might be any day now based on the reviews).
Adam Sandler is the Zohan (aka Scrappy Coco), an Israeli counter-terrorist with super-human strength, flexibility, and pubic hair. He tires of the constant fighting with the Palestinians and longs to leave Israel for America where he can pursue his life-long dream... to cut and style hair. He wants to make America "silky smooth." He finally gets his chance in a Palestinian-run beauty parlor in New York City and garners quite the fanbase due to his willingness to satisfy the elderly women who patronize the shop. That is, until he falls in love.
I'll be honest here, this movie isn't for everyone. It's pretty over the top in terms of stupidity and has a pretty high raunch factor, but those who want to laugh will certainly do so. Those looking for cinema or an art-house experience should look elsewhere. It's true that the movie does actually address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a pretty humorous way, and it's also true that there are a number of funny cameo appearances in the film. This movie is not unlike Austion Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It's moronic to say the least, but that might be its best feature.
Videogames
Haven't been playing much lately, but I did come across something very interesting in the paper yesterday. A Bellevue vascular surgeon has developed a vest gamers can wear that uses an air compressor to, essentially, inflict the force of explosions and being hit with bullets for those playing action games.
From the Seattle Times:
Coming soon is a helmet in which players can feel head shots and a racing-game vest that simulates the g-forces felt by a Formula One driver.
Yet another model was created for military training. Ombrellaro said he's close to a deal with the Canadian military for units with wireless connections and gas cylinders that can be turned up high enough to leave bruises when soldiers are "hit" during training exercises.
The standard $169 vest includes a book-size air compressor and a USB cable. The compressor fills air bladders in the vest. When you start playing, it feels a little like getting a blood-pressure check, and the air drives eight quarter-sized actuators on the front, back and sides.
Hits are pretty gentle and don't sting. They have about 5 pounds of force, the equivalent of a roll of pennies dropped from about 6 inches above your stomach, Ombrellaro said.
But that's not enough for some early users, so TN developed an upgraded compressor with about 70 percent more pressure. It will sell for around $50 extra later this year.
The top priority for the company, however, is building relationships with game developers so that the vest activation codes are built into their games. It's also pushing hard to break into the console market.
You can read the full article and see a photo of the vest at Brier Dudley's blog. I can't help but recall a toy I had when I was a kid that tried to provide some physical pain as an incentive to not "get shot" by your friends. The guns took 4 D batteries, were connected to a helmet that you wore, and fired an infrared beam. When "hit" by one of your friends a small plastic piston would rapidly tap you in the temple over and over for several seconds. It didn't hurt, but I can tell you from experience that it sure as hell didn't feel good. Kids today have it too easy...
Oh, one other thing: Gamasutra has a pretty interesting analysis of each of the online game stores available through the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. The gist of the article is to try and show a downturn in the number of games being offered in 2008 versus 2007, but it's using the latter half of 2007 and the first half of 2008 to base the comparison on, which I think is a rather small sample size. See the graphs and read the study right here.
Books
I read Willie Weir's book Spokesongs during my weekend flying back and forth to NJ and readily enjoyed it. The book is divided into three sections with each containing over a dozen brief essays from one of his annual 5-month long bike trips. The book covers his bicycle tour of India, a trip he made throughout South Africa, and also a trip around the Balkans.
I was hoping for a bit more how-to advice or even a little bit more discussion about gear or the logistics of transporting his bike and what he packed, but the book was still enjoyable. Probably more than it would have been if he had made it a how-to book, actually. Many of his stories were entertaining or filled with some sense of dread or excitement, and nearly all of them were just 3-5 pages long so reading the book can be consumed in bite-size portions.
Willie is a fine writer and really paints the portrait well of where he is and the people he's with. And while I'm not so sure extended bicycle touring is something that truly interests me, I did enjoy reading his tales enough to pick up another book on the subject. I'll be digging into the book titled, Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents later this week hopefully. The book chronicles Jim Malusa's bicycle journeys to the lowest point on each of the major inhabited continents. Should be fun.
The Forecast Calls for Pain!
The Cascade Creampuff course has been 98% finalized and I believe Kristin summed it up rather nicely when she said, "That doesn't sound like fun."
It's going to be a two-lap race with each lap being roughly 54 miles in length with approximately 7,000 feet of elevation gain. Most of the climbing is done on forest roads, almost all of the descending is reportedly on singletrack. Nevertheless, there will be four 3,000 feet ascents over the course of the 100+ mile long course.
I was planning on leading a BBTC ride covering the infamous Triple Crown in the Greenwater area near Mount Rainier. There's no longer a need. The CCP is essentially a quadruple crown... against the clock.
Four mountain passes on 6/21 on the road bike and four more on 6/29 on the mountain bike. If this doesn't get me in shape, nothing will.
It's going to be a two-lap race with each lap being roughly 54 miles in length with approximately 7,000 feet of elevation gain. Most of the climbing is done on forest roads, almost all of the descending is reportedly on singletrack. Nevertheless, there will be four 3,000 feet ascents over the course of the 100+ mile long course.
I was planning on leading a BBTC ride covering the infamous Triple Crown in the Greenwater area near Mount Rainier. There's no longer a need. The CCP is essentially a quadruple crown... against the clock.
Four mountain passes on 6/21 on the road bike and four more on 6/29 on the mountain bike. If this doesn't get me in shape, nothing will.
Race Report: Test of Metal
I passed.
The second race in the newly-constructed Squamish Triple Crown race series is the ever-popular Test of Metal, a 67-kilometer race that not only packs over one thousand racers onto the singletrack around Squamish, but is known as Canada's premiere mountain bike race and attracts Olympic-caliber athletes from across the Great White North. And let me just say that having now experienced it, it is easy to understand why this race sells out within minutes each year. Everything about the race from the organization to the volunteers to the course to the schwag to the scenery to the spectators was absolutely top-notch. This was beyond a doubt the single best event I had ever experienced.
And no, it doesn't hurt that the weather was sunny and 70 degrees and that the trails were in primo condition. Nor did I mind being one of the hundred or so lucky winners of a prize bag valued at roughly $200 -- each bag was different, but mine had a Test of Metal pint glass, a long-sleeve New Balance coolmax-type shirt, and a carbon fiber Race Face Next SL seatpost (retail price of $125). And, I suppose I should mention how happy I was to find a carpool-buddy (Erik Brooks) to chip in for gas and to split the hotel cost with. But while all of these things did factor into my enjoyment of the weekend, I was primarily thankful to finally have a good race this season.
I've not kept it a secret this year that work, being sick, and a weather-induced malaise has combined to really put a damper on my training these past couple months... with damp-er being the operative word. But nonetheless I was optimistic about this event. My first step towards positive thinking came when it was time to self-seed myself. I knew a lot of above-average riders aimed to finish in under 4 hours (finishing times range between 2:30 and 6:15) so, despite not knowing much at all about the course or trail conditions, I took up a spot in the area reserved for those expecting a 3:45 to 4:00 finish and crossed my fingers that I wasn't out of my league.
The race started with a moment of silence, followed by the singing of "O Canada" and instead of a gun blast or someone yelling GO!, racers were instructed to begin pedaling on the last note of the song. Being that there were several hundred canucks in front of me, I didn't have to be concerned with not knowing the words to the Canadian national anthem. I just started pedaling when everyone else did.
Not long after this sandy, sunny, descent we re-entered the woods and descended even further via a section of singletrack that could I only describe as a high-banked bobsled run. It had excellent construction and featured a few big step-downs that could be rolled at speed and, without exagerration, this 1/4 mile was among the most fun I've ever had on a bike. From there, we rolled quickly through town again and past the first feed zone on the course. Both sides of the dirt road were lines with spectators and volunteers. Those who weren't handing out cups of water or orange slices were screaming and ringing cowbells. Music was blaring, the wall of people on the sides of the course was impenetrable and for just a minute, in a very small way, I thought I knew what it might be like to summit one of the major climbs in the Tour de France. Sort of.
Miles 20 to 30
Time - 1:13:39
Ascent - 1702 feet
Descent - 1246 feet
Everything about the day was perfect and I for one can't wait to do it again. Just not in 2009 because I'm told Kristin's graduation is that weekend.
Damn.
The second race in the newly-constructed Squamish Triple Crown race series is the ever-popular Test of Metal, a 67-kilometer race that not only packs over one thousand racers onto the singletrack around Squamish, but is known as Canada's premiere mountain bike race and attracts Olympic-caliber athletes from across the Great White North. And let me just say that having now experienced it, it is easy to understand why this race sells out within minutes each year. Everything about the race from the organization to the volunteers to the course to the schwag to the scenery to the spectators was absolutely top-notch. This was beyond a doubt the single best event I had ever experienced.
And no, it doesn't hurt that the weather was sunny and 70 degrees and that the trails were in primo condition. Nor did I mind being one of the hundred or so lucky winners of a prize bag valued at roughly $200 -- each bag was different, but mine had a Test of Metal pint glass, a long-sleeve New Balance coolmax-type shirt, and a carbon fiber Race Face Next SL seatpost (retail price of $125). And, I suppose I should mention how happy I was to find a carpool-buddy (Erik Brooks) to chip in for gas and to split the hotel cost with. But while all of these things did factor into my enjoyment of the weekend, I was primarily thankful to finally have a good race this season.
I've not kept it a secret this year that work, being sick, and a weather-induced malaise has combined to really put a damper on my training these past couple months... with damp-er being the operative word. But nonetheless I was optimistic about this event. My first step towards positive thinking came when it was time to self-seed myself. I knew a lot of above-average riders aimed to finish in under 4 hours (finishing times range between 2:30 and 6:15) so, despite not knowing much at all about the course or trail conditions, I took up a spot in the area reserved for those expecting a 3:45 to 4:00 finish and crossed my fingers that I wasn't out of my league.
The race started with a moment of silence, followed by the singing of "O Canada" and instead of a gun blast or someone yelling GO!, racers were instructed to begin pedaling on the last note of the song. Being that there were several hundred canucks in front of me, I didn't have to be concerned with not knowing the words to the Canadian national anthem. I just started pedaling when everyone else did.
Miles 0 to 10
Time - 55:29
Ascent - 1562 feet
Descent - 614 feet
The first few miles provided a tour through the town of Squamish. We climbed gradually away from the Sea to Sky highway up into some neighborhoods and the residents of nearly every house were on the sidewalk cheering us on, playing music, ringing cowbells, and hooting and holllering. From there it was onto the singletrack to continue the climb. Things were moving a bit slowly through here on account of the occasional techy section of trail and the sheer volume of racers (1050 started the race) but all in all it was a nice gradual climb with no stopping.
I decided to record split-times every 10 miles to get a feel for how well I was doing with regards to the goal of breaking 4 hours. Finished the first 10-mile stretch at 55 minutes, which I thought was pretty good since it was primarily all uphill.
Miles 10 to 20
Time - 55:13
Ascent - 947 feet
Descent - 1358 feet
Not long after this sandy, sunny, descent we re-entered the woods and descended even further via a section of singletrack that could I only describe as a high-banked bobsled run. It had excellent construction and featured a few big step-downs that could be rolled at speed and, without exagerration, this 1/4 mile was among the most fun I've ever had on a bike. From there, we rolled quickly through town again and past the first feed zone on the course. Both sides of the dirt road were lines with spectators and volunteers. Those who weren't handing out cups of water or orange slices were screaming and ringing cowbells. Music was blaring, the wall of people on the sides of the course was impenetrable and for just a minute, in a very small way, I thought I knew what it might be like to summit one of the major climbs in the Tour de France. Sort of.
Miles 20 to 30
Time - 1:13:39
Ascent - 1702 feet
Descent - 1246 feet
We were soon ascending Nine Mile Hill, a gradual rocky forest road ascent not unlike the climb to Sun Top. In talking with other racers during some of the slower singletrack portions of the race, I had already learned that the climbing isn't over at the end of the road. There's still another mile or so of climbing on singletrack after crossing the river bridge at the top. This is precisely the kind of knowledge one needs to avoid a major dose of depression. After all, there's little that compares to the demoralizing nature of reaching the top of a climb, only to find that it goes on for another mile. Fortunately, I was prepared.
I saw Erik halfway up the climb and thought I was going to catch him, but when I stopped to grab some oranges from the the aid station two-thirds of the way up the road, I lost sight of him. I was starting to get a bit tired and was ever thankful when the climbing was finally over... at least for this stretch. From the top, we enjoyed a very fast, stutter-bump laced double-track descent. This could have been really fast if not for the sensation of having the muscles rattled loose from your bones. I couldn't help but think back to someone comparing a section at TransRockies to the act of holding onto the paint shakers at the Home Depot. That was what this felt like. A volunteer was on the course warning of a sharp hairpin turn at the end of a long straightaway and the guy in front of me didn't brake in time. First a fishtail, then a head slammed to the ground. I fortunately avoided running over his noggin' and rounded the bend with a case of goosebumps. I don't like seeing crashes.
Miles 30 to 37.2
Time - 1:03:09
Ascent - 686 feet
Descent - 1681 feet
Now it was time for the Powerhouse Plunge, a descent of over 700 feet in little more than 1.2 miles. It started out with a gentle slope, plenty of rocks and ladder bridges, and some pretty challenging trail. Then it became the single-most technical mile of singletrack I've ever ridden. I'd like to say I cleaned the whole section, but I cannot. Although I only had to walk about 15-20 yards of the trail, I definitely had my fair share of dabs and near-endos. I had no trouble with the dozens of ladder bridges, and managed to kick-out my way around each of the switchbacks (to the delight of the crowds lined up to see the carnage) but I also had a few very close calls on some of the larger, exposed rock drops. More than once I felt my seat slip between my legs as I tried to get back behind it on the rocky step-downs and all I can say is that if my seat were even 2 millimeters higher, it would have definitely snagged my shorts and catapulted me into the rocky abyss. I saw some bad wrecks, some frayed nerves, and even a bit of blood.
There was a very high pucker factor on this descent, and I'm not talking about blowing kisses.
Once at the bottom, we mercifully were spit back out onto the road and routed back through the feed zone again. Same cowbells, same music, same orange slices, same girls in bikinis. Canada rocks!
Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived. Tired from the climb, sore from the descent, and just all-around drained from three hours with an average heart rate of 153, it was time to enter Crumpitt Woods, nicknamed Cramp-it woods by veterans of the event. Another long singletrack climb. It was here where I kissed goodbye to my hopes of finishing under 4 hours. I wasn't bonking, I was just really tired. This is where the relative lack of conditioning this season reared its ugly head. I pretty much doled out my energy in perfect bite-size quantities throughout the race and was now simply running on fumes. Nevertheless, I struggled onward and before long volunteers and spectators could be heard once more. The few on the course urged me forward, telling me it was only another 15 minutes to the finish. Then only another 5 minutes. Then, finally, I could heard the music and the crowd and I was done.
4:07:31, 37.1 miles, 4,897 feet of ascent
*Note that everyone I spoke to had a GPS or bike-computer readout of less than the stated 67 kilometers. I was expecting 41 miles and can't say I minded that the race ended up being just 37.1 according to my Garmin Edge 305. Others I spoke to recorded between 60 and 62 kilometers which is in perfect agreement with my numbers.
I don't know the official results, but last I looked I had finished 52nd out of 83 in the Male 30-34 age group. There may have still be some stragglers on the course as of that update. Erik, my carpool-buddy, finished in 3:57 and took home the second place medal for the male 56-59 age group. I noticed on the results board that my TransRockies partner, Brett, finished in 3:37 on his singlespeed. His friend Nat finished in 3:17 on his singlespeed. The winning time was 2:31 and there were a few dozen finishers who rolled in after the 6 hour mark.
I said earlier how great this event was and I think I should elaborate here. This is what happens as soon as you finish the race. Teenage volunteers helped me off the bike, handed me a ticket for a free meal of lasagna, salad, and drink. They then wrote the number 208 on my left foreardm with a black Sharpie and put a piece of tape with the same number on the front tire of my bike which was promptly whisked away to a secured area. They asked if I wanted it washed. Sure! I then wandered around the large finisher's area and helped myself to a plate of fresh fruit and some water, then got my dinner. I was still hungry so, for 3 dollars I got a fantastic hot dog and a cup of coffee. Then I learned about the prize bags. We were also given free access to the nearby community center for a chance to shower and get changed (I skipped a swim) and by the time we were done with that, they were already giving out the awards. Erik also won for having the most banged up body. He was pretty battered from an endo early in the race and then also gashed his shins pretty bad (from the pedals) while walking down the Powerhouse Plunge.Everything about the day was perfect and I for one can't wait to do it again. Just not in 2009 because I'm told Kristin's graduation is that weekend.
Damn.
Moab Freeride Bails Video
One more quick post before I head to the food bank and then over the border to Canada for the weekend.
Please note that I am NOT the guy in the yellow helmet.
Please note that I am NOT the guy in the yellow helmet.
Heroic Tragedy on Mount Rainier
It's one thing to sit behind a monitor and complain about the cold and rain. It's funny to see a front-page article in the paper about Siberia being off to a warmer June than Seattle. And it's easy to marvel at the fact that nearby Snoqualmie Pass received half a foot of snow on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it's also easy to forget what a freak storm like this could mean if you're out in it; especially if you're on a mountain.
You can read the rest of the article at Yahoo.
SEATTLE - A hiker who lost his life on Mount Rainier lay down in the snow and used his body's warmth to protect his wife and a friend from the 70-mph winds of a freak June blizzard, national park officials said.
When it became obvious the trio could not find their way back to base camp in whiteout conditions, they dug a snow trench with their hands. Eduard Burceag, 31, lay down in the snow while his wife and friend lay on top of him. Later, when they begged him to switch places, Burceag refused, saying he was OK.
"In doing so, he probably saved their lives," park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Thursday.
Mariana Burceag, also 31, survived the storm, as did the couple's friend, Daniel Vlad, 34.
You can read the rest of the article at Yahoo.
Same Bike New Wheels
Late last week, before flying to NJ, I went into Singletrack Cycles to take a look at their assortment of road bikes and before I knew it, I was being fitted to a spectacular 2008 Trek Madone that, even with the absurd deal I was offered, was still out of my price-range for what I consider the necessary evil of road biking. The combination of being a deal I couldn't refuse and the sextacular look of the bike weakened my knees and being that I was lining myself up for a month of sleeping on the couch (or in a tent in the yard), I figured I'd get some new shoes as well.
As luck would have it, the bike was too small. I told Loren that my other bikes were all size 60cm, but he was positive I'd fit on a 58cm. Nope. The only bike they had in my size was a low-end Trek that simply wouldn't cut it. I was running late to meet Kristin and friends to see the play, so I skipped out without further negotiations.
And I was glad I did because at best, I would have ridden the bike and suffered the blow to our finances and, at worse, I would have sold it in the fall and inadvertently totally taken advantage of the generosity afforded me by the owners of the shop. I didn't want either of those situations to take place. Not to mention, Kristin and I have been talking an awful lot about building up a pair of touring bikes for next year.
I returned to the shop the next day and this time decided I simply wanted to put a pair of stiff, lightweight wheels on my existing bike. It turned out that all of the flex I was experiencing on my Scattante R-660 was not due to the frame -- it's aluminum after all -- but rather due to the very cheap wheels it shipped with. Again, Loren and Brandon offered me a great deal on a set of '07 Bontrager Race Lite wheels and, to this, I happily swiped the plastic. They're not a super lightweight racing wheel by any means, but they are a fine wheel for my purposes.
So I went to retrieve my bike from the queu at Performance Bike where I left it for the free tune-up they offer. And that's when I realized I made a terrible mistake in an earlier post when I was talking about running a 30 tooth cog and wanting a 32. Rubbish. My bike actually came with a 12-25t 10-speed Ultegra cassette, not a 30t. Rather than counting the teeth, I was looking at the inscription on the cog and some gobbleygook looked like it said 30. It didn't. They didn't have any 12-27 cassettes in stock, so I picked up another 12-25t and a new chain and was out the door, dragging my still-limping bike behind me.
I mounted up the new cassette, chain, and wheels last night and something seemed very wrong. The front wheel was great, but there was a problem with the skewer in the rear hub that basically caused the rear wheel not to spin. I thought it was just me making another bone-headed bicycle mechanic move so I brought everything over to Singletrack Cycles today. Loren dropped what he was doing to look at it -- I didn't do anything wrong, there's a problem in the hub. I left the bike with him and two hours later got a call saying he swapped the suspect wheel out for one of the 08's they had on another bike. Problem solved.
When I picked it up I also made sure to get the new shoes and pedals I was going to put on the Madone. I've been wearing the same beat-up pair of Sidi road shoes since 1998 and with the Native Planet Classic and RAMROD on the calendar -- and memories of the pain I suffered during last year's STP still fresh in my mind -- I figured I was do. The new Ultegra pedals offer a fantastically wide platform to clip into and the Specialized Pro Carbon shoes are not only very comfortable, but also very light and stiff. A fine investment that, hopefully, will last at least half as long as my Sidis.
****
So how did it all go? I took my suped-up fake Italian bike out for a 20 mile group ride tonight and it felt great. The bike is definitely stiffer and even feels a little lighter too. Acceleration is great. Erik took us up Uplands Way in North Bend -- a hill that he's been tauting me with for quite some time. It climbs about 600 feet in 1.4 miles so, essentially, it's just like Tolt Hill Road in Carnation. The difference, however, is that this road has incredible mountain views, is very smooth, and passes multi-million dollar gated estates.
I felt very sluggish on the climb and I can't tell if that was because I hadn't ridden in 10 days or because I pushed too hard early in the climb, but I was definitely expecting a crew of folks to pass me halfway up the hill. Nobody did, so perhaps it was imagination, but I'm definitely counting the teeth on that cassette tomorrow to make sure it does in fact have 25 of them.
And I'm ordering a 12-27t for next weekend's trip through the North Cascades either way. I don't have a compact drivetrain on this bike and with four mountain passes to climb, I'm going to want a bail-out ring.
I leave tomorrow for the Test of Metal in Squamish, BC. Fortunately, this time I have someone carpooling with me and will not only save some money in gas, but he's splitting the room with me too.
Lets hope I can finally get a good race under my belt this year and get a jump on the rest of the summer events. Have a good weekend and happy father's day to the dads among you.
As luck would have it, the bike was too small. I told Loren that my other bikes were all size 60cm, but he was positive I'd fit on a 58cm. Nope. The only bike they had in my size was a low-end Trek that simply wouldn't cut it. I was running late to meet Kristin and friends to see the play, so I skipped out without further negotiations.
And I was glad I did because at best, I would have ridden the bike and suffered the blow to our finances and, at worse, I would have sold it in the fall and inadvertently totally taken advantage of the generosity afforded me by the owners of the shop. I didn't want either of those situations to take place. Not to mention, Kristin and I have been talking an awful lot about building up a pair of touring bikes for next year.
I returned to the shop the next day and this time decided I simply wanted to put a pair of stiff, lightweight wheels on my existing bike. It turned out that all of the flex I was experiencing on my Scattante R-660 was not due to the frame -- it's aluminum after all -- but rather due to the very cheap wheels it shipped with. Again, Loren and Brandon offered me a great deal on a set of '07 Bontrager Race Lite wheels and, to this, I happily swiped the plastic. They're not a super lightweight racing wheel by any means, but they are a fine wheel for my purposes.
So I went to retrieve my bike from the queu at Performance Bike where I left it for the free tune-up they offer. And that's when I realized I made a terrible mistake in an earlier post when I was talking about running a 30 tooth cog and wanting a 32. Rubbish. My bike actually came with a 12-25t 10-speed Ultegra cassette, not a 30t. Rather than counting the teeth, I was looking at the inscription on the cog and some gobbleygook looked like it said 30. It didn't. They didn't have any 12-27 cassettes in stock, so I picked up another 12-25t and a new chain and was out the door, dragging my still-limping bike behind me.
I mounted up the new cassette, chain, and wheels last night and something seemed very wrong. The front wheel was great, but there was a problem with the skewer in the rear hub that basically caused the rear wheel not to spin. I thought it was just me making another bone-headed bicycle mechanic move so I brought everything over to Singletrack Cycles today. Loren dropped what he was doing to look at it -- I didn't do anything wrong, there's a problem in the hub. I left the bike with him and two hours later got a call saying he swapped the suspect wheel out for one of the 08's they had on another bike. Problem solved.
When I picked it up I also made sure to get the new shoes and pedals I was going to put on the Madone. I've been wearing the same beat-up pair of Sidi road shoes since 1998 and with the Native Planet Classic and RAMROD on the calendar -- and memories of the pain I suffered during last year's STP still fresh in my mind -- I figured I was do. The new Ultegra pedals offer a fantastically wide platform to clip into and the Specialized Pro Carbon shoes are not only very comfortable, but also very light and stiff. A fine investment that, hopefully, will last at least half as long as my Sidis.
****
So how did it all go? I took my suped-up fake Italian bike out for a 20 mile group ride tonight and it felt great. The bike is definitely stiffer and even feels a little lighter too. Acceleration is great. Erik took us up Uplands Way in North Bend -- a hill that he's been tauting me with for quite some time. It climbs about 600 feet in 1.4 miles so, essentially, it's just like Tolt Hill Road in Carnation. The difference, however, is that this road has incredible mountain views, is very smooth, and passes multi-million dollar gated estates.
I felt very sluggish on the climb and I can't tell if that was because I hadn't ridden in 10 days or because I pushed too hard early in the climb, but I was definitely expecting a crew of folks to pass me halfway up the hill. Nobody did, so perhaps it was imagination, but I'm definitely counting the teeth on that cassette tomorrow to make sure it does in fact have 25 of them.
And I'm ordering a 12-27t for next weekend's trip through the North Cascades either way. I don't have a compact drivetrain on this bike and with four mountain passes to climb, I'm going to want a bail-out ring.
I leave tomorrow for the Test of Metal in Squamish, BC. Fortunately, this time I have someone carpooling with me and will not only save some money in gas, but he's splitting the room with me too.
Lets hope I can finally get a good race under my belt this year and get a jump on the rest of the summer events. Have a good weekend and happy father's day to the dads among you.
For the Shenmue Fans
Saw this on Destructoid and simply had to post it. The guys at Tapezilla recorded snippets of Ryo Hazuki's speech from the game Shenmue (one of my top three all-time favorites) and used it to then prank call a store owned by a man named Terry. Terry, of course, was one of the people Ryo was actively searching for in the game.
This might be funny to those who haven't played the game, but I have a feeling those who played the game through will likely find this to be quite funny.
This might be funny to those who haven't played the game, but I have a feeling those who played the game through will likely find this to be quite funny.
I'd Check Tiki's House First
Someone stole the New York Giants' Super Bowl rings. My smirk is so wide, my ears are filing a restraining order.
In the Name of Better Posture
The jump to HD video editing via the Black Magic Design's Intensity Pro capture card has necessitated upgrading to a computer monitor that not only supports DVI-D for when I'm working, but also HDMI so I can pass along along the signal from an Xbox 360 or PS3. I've been running two 20" LCD monitors side-by-side and will still need a second monitor for taking notes and writing while playing games. Because of this I was hesitant about getting too big of a monitor for fear of running out of space on my desk.
It's amazing how you can make things fit when you come across a superb 26" widescreen monitor for nearly half the price I paid just 4 years ago for a dramatically inferior 20" one.
I ended up picking up the Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM at Fry's yesterday afternoon (nobody local had the 24" model in stock, else I would have gotten that one... and Fry's had a $50 mail-in rebate on the 26" model) and I have been giggling like a schoolgirl ever since.
The monitor is sleek, bright, has zero dead pixels (not always a gimme), and with a native resolution of 1920x1200 and full support for 1080p, is not only making my photos pop off the screen, but my games look better than ever too. I typically sit hunched over my desk, leaning heavily on my elbows, staring into the monitor at a range far too close to be healthy on my eyes, but not anymore. I'm kicked back in the chair, arms outstretched, and finally after so many years of deskjockeying, am finally comfortable.
I had no idea a monitor of this caliber could be had for so (relatively) little money. It even boasts built-in (albeit tinny) speakers, has a height-adustable stand, and can swivel and rotate into vertical mode. The only complaint I have is the same one that many people registered on Best Buy's website and that is that there is no remote control and the source, volume, and menu buttons are essentially touch-screens on the bevel and are impossible to see without shining a spotlight on the lower right-hand corner of the monitor and squinting. But, in all honesty, this is a fairly minor complaint, as the only time I'm really using those buttons is to switch input sources.
A Circus, a Baptism, and Good Times With Family
There was so much cream cheese on the two egg bagels before me that I was tempted to ask the girl behind the counter if she had a few dairy cows working overtime out back. I resisted -- it was 103 degrees out and if there were any cattle around I would have smelled them by now. I was in the Knot Just Bagels bagel shop on Main Street in Woodbridge, NJ and this was the first place I found that met the minimal two of my three search criteria: 1) coffee, 2) air conditioning, and 3) a comfortable chair to read in. I was killing time before my flight home and although there were no coffee shops to speak of on this busy road in one of America's most densely-populated areas, two out of three wasn't bad.
I took the red-eye flight to New Jersey on Thursday night and met my sister, Jessica, in Philadelphia at Jim's Steaks on South & 4th at noon. I had seen her for all of 3 hours back in December and, well, I can't remember when I last saw her before that. I ordered my "Whiz with" and a cream soda and was quickly upstairs, sharing a table with a couple enjoying equally messy sandwiches. My sister's expressed shock at me not hesitating to ask to join the other couple at their table -- there was nowhere else to sit -- was just one of many pieces of evidence I've noticed over the years that proves we live in very different worlds these days. Seattle is to Philadelphia as day is to night.
With stomachs full, we made the walk through Philly's beautiful "Old City" neighborhood to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The over-reaching security measures in place at these sites really dampened my enthusiasm for the history on display so we beat feet through the heart of downtown to Love Park. I wanted to finally see the place I spent countless hours kickflipping through in the many guidebooks I've written for the games in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise. It looked just as it does in the games. I had my sister take a photo of me in front of the LOVE statue that I hope to Photoshop into one of the screenshots I have stored on a disc sometime in the future.
We sat and talked in the park for a while then continued our march to Scoop DeVille, an ice-cream parlor I had seen featured on a "10 Best" show on the Travel Channel recently. Their list of ice cream flavors is pretty basic, but the list of extras that get run through a machine and mixed into them is anything but. I had butterscotch vanilla ice cream mixed with dark chocolate espresso beans and hot fudge. Absolutely fantastic.
After a stop at my sister's office in a very scenic part of the city not far from the Franklin Institute, the two of us pulled up a couple of chairs al fresco and enjoyed a couple pints. Actually, I enjoyed a pint while she begrudgingly sipped a watermelon martini with far too much vodka. Beer for the win, as always.
Our afternoon in Philadelphia was coming to an end, but the big treat for me still lied ahead. My sister arranged to have my mother drive down after work so they could spend the weekend together. My mother had no idea I was coming to visit and got to my sister's apartment early and let herself in. The look on her face when I walked in a few minutes later was priceless. She was really happy -- and shocked -- to see me and even moreso to learn that this wasn't going to be another 3-hour pit-stop visit that has become de rigueur due to our attempts to always cram too much into too short of a visit (Kristin and I have finally learned our lessons and now do our east coast trips separately so we can focus on one family at a time... and not have to spend hundreds boarding the dogs).
We had reservations for a nice Italian restaurant in Collingswood, NJ just a few minutes from where my sister lives with her soon-to-be fiance. My mother excitedly volunteered to iron my shirt and pants -- something she hasn't had a chance to do since I was a teenager. Who was I to deny her the pleasure? But I paid her back by letting her know that Jessica and I had gotten the three of us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's show "Kooza" for the next day. My mother, as expected, had no idea what Circus doo Soolay was and was at first apprehensive -- she doesn't like clowns and isn't a big fan of large animals either. It took some trying (and a few wine spritzers) but we were able to convince her that it was, in my sister's parlance, a "fancy-pants" show and didn't have any animals. Clowns, maybe.
I awoke Saturday in the cocoon of a nearly-deflated air mattress with a stiff back and a slight headache, but this discomfort was washed away the second I had seen my sister and mother sitting on the couch in the other room. I hadn't awaken in the same house with this many pieces of my family (two) in 16 years and it was great to sit on the couch, drink coffee, and watch the end of Caddyshack together. My sister had left a stack of boxes of Tastykakes on my bed and while I was tempted to rip into the carton of east coast delicacies, I opted for the pork roll sandwich she made instead.
Conversation soon shifted to the heat. It was going to be 95 degrees and while we optimistically hoped the Cirque du Soleil tent was air conditioned, we didn't know for sure. We had tickets for the 4 o'clock showing and it wasn't long before we had to brave the heat and make the drive back into the city. Fortunately the show wasn't only excellent, but the tent was air-conditioned. The contortionists, unicyclists, and juggler were very impressive, but the two acts that really put us on the edge of our seats were the guy balancing (one-armed handstand) on a stack of chairs thirty feet in the air and the two guys in the suspended hamster wheels. One of them missed the landing on one of his weightlessness jumps and got flung out of the wheel as it came low to the ground. He shook the cobwebs out and got back in the wheel and went right back at it. We Americans love somebody who gets back up after falling and as you might expect, the applause he received was thunderous. Sure, he's not supposed to fall, but seeing him fall and then get up and conquer the stunt on the next try was even better than him landing it clean on the first try. The same goes for one of the tightwire walkers who also fell while trying to do a flip over another performer.
I was hitching a ride back to Central Jersey with my mom Saturday night to go and visit my friends, but first I had to see my possible future brother-in-law's 1951 Buick Eight. He's doing the restoration himself and has much of the car in pieces and down to the bare metal, but he's got it running and it sounds like a champ. It's got a straight eight cylinder configuration, something I hadn't ever seen before, and is understandably tough to get parts for, but he's chipping away at it and hopes to be showing off his first hot rod before long. Even more interesting than the car in the garage was the ring in his pocket. Yes, he showed me the ring he hopes to give my sister once the time is right (through an absurd mix-up with the jeweler, she's unfortunately already aware he has it). He's a great guy and I didn't hesitate to give him my blessing when he asked. Of course, being the big brother, I had to also play Mr. Tough Guy and warn him of the consequences of ever hitting her or cheating on her but I'm pretty sure he was just laughing on the inside just as I was when my father-in-law gave me the same speech. Nonetheless, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't say these things and I think all guys understand that.
My mom dropped me off Saturday night at my friend Ed's house and not long after I was standing in a bar in New Brunswick surrounded by friends, just like I never left. Bad music drove us to a dive bar closer to home where we proceeded to drink cheap beer and play shuffleboard and darts well into the morning. A mandatory diner stop at 3am completed the night. Who says you can't go home again?
Sunday, as luck would have it, was the baptism for my friend Dan's two-month old baby girl, Kyra. I now know what you get when you combine 100 degree heat, crazy Catholic pamphlets about the threats of same-sex marriage, pornography, and Islam, an African priest with a barely coherent accent, and a sermon about drug users being killed by rebels in Columbia. What you get is hilarity and barely-disguised madness. The ceremony was so absurd that everyone was unabashedly cracking jokes and letting loose with barely-stifled laughter. We even got a "Dunk the Babies" chant going at one point to try and speed the whole thing up. I know this must sound absolutely sacrilegious to those who weren't there, but seriously, it was like attending a Saturday Night Live skit masquerading as a baptism.
The post-dunk party was a good time though. I got to see Dan's new house and the 10 of us "youngsters" all promptly emptied a cooler of Yuengling and retreated to the air-conditioned basement to watch baseball (those damn Yankee fans tell me it was Joba-Time) and make further jokes about the undecipherable priest. Half-pound slabs of cake were consumed, hands were shaken, cheeks were kissed, and six hours later I was back at Ed's apartment looking at the map of the cross-country motorcycle trip he's taking later this month. Despite him having to be out in front of his school the next morning to picket at 7am, he volunteered to go see the 10pm showing of Iron Man. Neither of us had seen it and I was glad to finally get the chance. I'm always reluctant to see comic book movies on account of having zero interest in superheroes, but the movie was fantastic. Seriously. It also serves as an example of how good Transformers could have been when it came time for the actual transforming. Iron Man deserved the praise it got and I'm already looking forward to the sequel. Seeing it served as a very nice conclusion to a rather perfect three-day weekend back in NJ with family and friends.
I took the red-eye flight to New Jersey on Thursday night and met my sister, Jessica, in Philadelphia at Jim's Steaks on South & 4th at noon. I had seen her for all of 3 hours back in December and, well, I can't remember when I last saw her before that. I ordered my "Whiz with" and a cream soda and was quickly upstairs, sharing a table with a couple enjoying equally messy sandwiches. My sister's expressed shock at me not hesitating to ask to join the other couple at their table -- there was nowhere else to sit -- was just one of many pieces of evidence I've noticed over the years that proves we live in very different worlds these days. Seattle is to Philadelphia as day is to night.
With stomachs full, we made the walk through Philly's beautiful "Old City" neighborhood to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The over-reaching security measures in place at these sites really dampened my enthusiasm for the history on display so we beat feet through the heart of downtown to Love Park. I wanted to finally see the place I spent countless hours kickflipping through in the many guidebooks I've written for the games in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise. It looked just as it does in the games. I had my sister take a photo of me in front of the LOVE statue that I hope to Photoshop into one of the screenshots I have stored on a disc sometime in the future.
We sat and talked in the park for a while then continued our march to Scoop DeVille, an ice-cream parlor I had seen featured on a "10 Best" show on the Travel Channel recently. Their list of ice cream flavors is pretty basic, but the list of extras that get run through a machine and mixed into them is anything but. I had butterscotch vanilla ice cream mixed with dark chocolate espresso beans and hot fudge. Absolutely fantastic.
After a stop at my sister's office in a very scenic part of the city not far from the Franklin Institute, the two of us pulled up a couple of chairs al fresco and enjoyed a couple pints. Actually, I enjoyed a pint while she begrudgingly sipped a watermelon martini with far too much vodka. Beer for the win, as always.
Our afternoon in Philadelphia was coming to an end, but the big treat for me still lied ahead. My sister arranged to have my mother drive down after work so they could spend the weekend together. My mother had no idea I was coming to visit and got to my sister's apartment early and let herself in. The look on her face when I walked in a few minutes later was priceless. She was really happy -- and shocked -- to see me and even moreso to learn that this wasn't going to be another 3-hour pit-stop visit that has become de rigueur due to our attempts to always cram too much into too short of a visit (Kristin and I have finally learned our lessons and now do our east coast trips separately so we can focus on one family at a time... and not have to spend hundreds boarding the dogs).
We had reservations for a nice Italian restaurant in Collingswood, NJ just a few minutes from where my sister lives with her soon-to-be fiance. My mother excitedly volunteered to iron my shirt and pants -- something she hasn't had a chance to do since I was a teenager. Who was I to deny her the pleasure? But I paid her back by letting her know that Jessica and I had gotten the three of us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's show "Kooza" for the next day. My mother, as expected, had no idea what Circus doo Soolay was and was at first apprehensive -- she doesn't like clowns and isn't a big fan of large animals either. It took some trying (and a few wine spritzers) but we were able to convince her that it was, in my sister's parlance, a "fancy-pants" show and didn't have any animals. Clowns, maybe.
I awoke Saturday in the cocoon of a nearly-deflated air mattress with a stiff back and a slight headache, but this discomfort was washed away the second I had seen my sister and mother sitting on the couch in the other room. I hadn't awaken in the same house with this many pieces of my family (two) in 16 years and it was great to sit on the couch, drink coffee, and watch the end of Caddyshack together. My sister had left a stack of boxes of Tastykakes on my bed and while I was tempted to rip into the carton of east coast delicacies, I opted for the pork roll sandwich she made instead.
Conversation soon shifted to the heat. It was going to be 95 degrees and while we optimistically hoped the Cirque du Soleil tent was air conditioned, we didn't know for sure. We had tickets for the 4 o'clock showing and it wasn't long before we had to brave the heat and make the drive back into the city. Fortunately the show wasn't only excellent, but the tent was air-conditioned. The contortionists, unicyclists, and juggler were very impressive, but the two acts that really put us on the edge of our seats were the guy balancing (one-armed handstand) on a stack of chairs thirty feet in the air and the two guys in the suspended hamster wheels. One of them missed the landing on one of his weightlessness jumps and got flung out of the wheel as it came low to the ground. He shook the cobwebs out and got back in the wheel and went right back at it. We Americans love somebody who gets back up after falling and as you might expect, the applause he received was thunderous. Sure, he's not supposed to fall, but seeing him fall and then get up and conquer the stunt on the next try was even better than him landing it clean on the first try. The same goes for one of the tightwire walkers who also fell while trying to do a flip over another performer.
See a Kooza video clip right here.
I was hitching a ride back to Central Jersey with my mom Saturday night to go and visit my friends, but first I had to see my possible future brother-in-law's 1951 Buick Eight. He's doing the restoration himself and has much of the car in pieces and down to the bare metal, but he's got it running and it sounds like a champ. It's got a straight eight cylinder configuration, something I hadn't ever seen before, and is understandably tough to get parts for, but he's chipping away at it and hopes to be showing off his first hot rod before long. Even more interesting than the car in the garage was the ring in his pocket. Yes, he showed me the ring he hopes to give my sister once the time is right (through an absurd mix-up with the jeweler, she's unfortunately already aware he has it). He's a great guy and I didn't hesitate to give him my blessing when he asked. Of course, being the big brother, I had to also play Mr. Tough Guy and warn him of the consequences of ever hitting her or cheating on her but I'm pretty sure he was just laughing on the inside just as I was when my father-in-law gave me the same speech. Nonetheless, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't say these things and I think all guys understand that.
My mom dropped me off Saturday night at my friend Ed's house and not long after I was standing in a bar in New Brunswick surrounded by friends, just like I never left. Bad music drove us to a dive bar closer to home where we proceeded to drink cheap beer and play shuffleboard and darts well into the morning. A mandatory diner stop at 3am completed the night. Who says you can't go home again?
Sunday, as luck would have it, was the baptism for my friend Dan's two-month old baby girl, Kyra. I now know what you get when you combine 100 degree heat, crazy Catholic pamphlets about the threats of same-sex marriage, pornography, and Islam, an African priest with a barely coherent accent, and a sermon about drug users being killed by rebels in Columbia. What you get is hilarity and barely-disguised madness. The ceremony was so absurd that everyone was unabashedly cracking jokes and letting loose with barely-stifled laughter. We even got a "Dunk the Babies" chant going at one point to try and speed the whole thing up. I know this must sound absolutely sacrilegious to those who weren't there, but seriously, it was like attending a Saturday Night Live skit masquerading as a baptism.
The post-dunk party was a good time though. I got to see Dan's new house and the 10 of us "youngsters" all promptly emptied a cooler of Yuengling and retreated to the air-conditioned basement to watch baseball (those damn Yankee fans tell me it was Joba-Time) and make further jokes about the undecipherable priest. Half-pound slabs of cake were consumed, hands were shaken, cheeks were kissed, and six hours later I was back at Ed's apartment looking at the map of the cross-country motorcycle trip he's taking later this month. Despite him having to be out in front of his school the next morning to picket at 7am, he volunteered to go see the 10pm showing of Iron Man. Neither of us had seen it and I was glad to finally get the chance. I'm always reluctant to see comic book movies on account of having zero interest in superheroes, but the movie was fantastic. Seriously. It also serves as an example of how good Transformers could have been when it came time for the actual transforming. Iron Man deserved the praise it got and I'm already looking forward to the sequel. Seeing it served as a very nice conclusion to a rather perfect three-day weekend back in NJ with family and friends.
Quickie
Back from my weekend in NJ (Eric, you have 1 week to collect your Tastykakes else I eat them) and am unpacked, my office is cleaned up, and I'm about to dig into not one but two projects for the Xbox 360. I've had about a month off since finishing my last book (guidebook giveaways galore in September) and unfortunately spent most of that time pretty sick, Nevertheless, it's good to be back to work.
I'll make a proper post in the morning about my trip. In the meantime I'll leave you with the following signature I saw on a message board tonight.
I'm going to blame thinking that is funny on the jet-lag and the fact that I got on a plane in a city where it was 103 degrees and got off in one where it was 48 degrees. That and the onset of depression from the fact that 6 to 12 inches of fresh snow is falling tonight in the mountains near my house. At this rate, I might be able to ride my favorite trails by the end of August...
Of 2010.
Might it be time to invest in a Pugsley?
I'll make a proper post in the morning about my trip. In the meantime I'll leave you with the following signature I saw on a message board tonight.
My Pokémon bring all the nerds to the yard, and they're like, you wanna trade cards? Darn right, I wanna trade cards, I'll trade this but not my Charizard.
I'm going to blame thinking that is funny on the jet-lag and the fact that I got on a plane in a city where it was 103 degrees and got off in one where it was 48 degrees. That and the onset of depression from the fact that 6 to 12 inches of fresh snow is falling tonight in the mountains near my house. At this rate, I might be able to ride my favorite trails by the end of August...
Of 2010.
Might it be time to invest in a Pugsley?
To Grandmother's House We Go
The great thing about being an American is you can move two thousand miles from family and still be in the same country.
Kristin and I went to see the play Over the River and Through the Woods last night at the Taproot Theatre in Seattle. It's about a young Italian man named Nicholas who lives alone in New Jersey -- his parents are in Florida and his sister in San Diego -- yet remains very close to both sets of grandparents. He joins them every Sunday, without fail, for dinner. They are a very traditional pair of Italian couples; they are first-generation immigrants who retain much of the customs of the "old country" and believe that the only measure of a good life is being able to marry, have kids, and provide food and shelter for them without dropping dead in the process.
Nicholas is the only member of the family who has stayed close by and is all that keeps them from feeling cast aside and forgotten. Nicholas just received an incredible promotion at work, but it requires that he relocate to Seattle.
Over the River and Through the Woods is a fantastic two-act play that evokes a wide range of emotions. The first act is laugh-out-loud funny. The actors playing the roles of the grandparents did a marvelous job of aging for the parts, but of also capturing the idiosyncracies of easily-distracted doting grandparents. Always with the food. The two grandmothers were like watching an aged version of my own mother. I can't tell you how many times Kristin and I looked at each other laughing uncontrollably, and commenting between the hearty fits of laughing that it was like watching my mother.
Photo from the Seattle Times, Erik StuhaugCase in point: Nicholas finally manages to corral the four grandparents into sitting down so he can make his big announcement and just as he's about to begin one of the grandmothers jumps off the couch, realizing she forgot the coffee cake in the other room. And before Nicholas can try and get her to sit back down for two minutes, she hurries off into the kitchen and the topic is switched yet again. This is but one example of dozens in which it was like watching my mother on stage. There were many other moments that reminded us of Kristin's grandmother. These moments usually involved one of the grandmother's making a rather offensive comment about someone's appearance or what they eat. Of course the grandmothers -- fictional and real -- don't realize how inappropriate those remarks are, and that's what makes them so funny.
Naturally, the grandparents don't take the news well. At first they think Seattle is "by the shore off of Exit 94" (that would be the town of Seaside, but close enough gramps) then they realize it's in Washington "and not the close-by Washington, the one near California." But rather than try to guilt him into staying, they instead try to fix him up with the neice of a friend and invite her to join them next Sunday for dinner. Hilarity ensues.
The second act was not nearly as funny for us, as it hits a little close to home. Nicholas was still trying to get everyone to understand why he was leaving and why it was good for him, but the pain he was causing his family brought tears to the eye. I can tell you from first-hand experience, it's not easy to explain to your family that you're moving 3000 miles away, especially to a mother who lives in a house 10 minutes from the one she grew up in and whose only time travelling more than a couple hours from home was to visit her son (me) in North Carolina, where I lived before moving to Washington.
Rather than risk spoiling any of the other developments for those who get a chance to see the play or read the script, I'll just say that there are some other trying moments in the second act that are pretty emotional. The actors at the Taproot have once again done a fantastic job, and this is easily one of the best plays we've seen in the few years we've had our season tickets. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you've ever done a similar move or had family move away from you.
The play is running through June 14th so hurry over and see it, it's definitely worth it. But don't take my word for it, check out the review at the Seattle Times.
And if you live elsewhere and want to read the script instead, you can get a copy pretty cheaply right here.
Million Dollar Bike
Super aerodynamic track bike that reportedly cost $1,000,000 to develop for Theo Boss, a Dutch Olympic track specialist.
Watch the video on Yahoo right here.
Watch the video on Yahoo right here.
Travel Stuff
If you've been following along with me on this blog recently you know that I've got a few trips to Squamish, BC lined up, already drove to Spokane, WA, have a trip or two to Oregon in the coming weeks, and will be driving to Leadville, CO later this summer. Although the thought of buying gas for these trips makes me want to cry (I paid $4.35 per gallon this past Saturday morning), there is one thing that has been making these lengthy road-trips much more enjoyable: Rick Steves.
Yes, that Rick Steves. I downloaded nearly 120 of his nearly hour-long "Travel With Rick Steves" podcasts from iTunes and I am totally hooked. These are taken right from his weekly radio shows (without the commercials) and usually feature a few callers with questions, one or two lengthy interviews with tour guides or travel writers, and some really poignant observations and tips. I'm not a big podcast fan. I've tried to listen to a few gaming and mountain biking related ones and they've always bored and/or annoyed me. But not this one. I can listen to these shows all day long. If you enjoy travel and have some lengthy road trips planned, I highly recommend downloading Rick's free podcasts and giving them a listening to. The topics are vast and vary wildly and although his shows on PBS and his books deal only with Europe, his radio shows cover the world. One of my favorite episodes was when he was talking with the guidebook author of Lonely Planet's Afghanistan travel guide. Very, very entertaining!
Since Rick is a Seattle-area resident, he often gets to interview some local experts for his radio show. One of the regular guests on his show Willie Weir, a Seattle area expert in bicycle touring who has criss-crossed the planet several times under his own pedal-power. Willie has a book titled "Spokesongs: Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents" and has discussed some fascinating bicycle journeys with Rick on the radio show, including a trip across northern Thailand and Laos. I had Barnes & Noble order me a copy of the book and will be picking it up today. I'll be sure to let you know what I think. If you see me with panniers, that will be a good indication I liked it.
Speaking of books, I recently read "The Kindness of Strangers" which was a collection of travel stories edited by Don George of Lonely Planet. Despite the preface by the Dalai Lama and alson containing a story from one of the my favorite authors, Simon Winchester, I have to say the book as a whole was disappointing. It was a collection of tales from people who found sudden generosity and potentially life-saving kindness in strangers, but many of the stories were poorly written, dull, and didn't really showcase any noteworth acts of kindness. I'm sure most people who have ventured outside their nation's borders have experienced similar acts. There were a couple of stories that certainly stand out, but oddly enough the one that was perhaps the most memorable was about a woman buying sexy underwear in South America. Go figure. Sure, there were one or two that were far more adventurous than that, but all in all the book was a big letdown. I suppose only those people who have an aversion to travel or who have a tendency to mistrust strangers would find the stores contained within it impressive or entertaining.
But back to Rick Steves for a second. Having finished the travel books on my shelf, I decided to pick up a copy of his seminal "Europe Through the Back Door" how-to book. This particular tome isn't a travel guide per se, but rather a very detailed guide to infiltrating Europe not as tourist, but as someone who fits in and is seen as more than a source of revenue. Consider this small portion of the preface:
The book is nearly 700 pages long and is chock full of great tips and advice including some sample itineraries for those who want them. Our grand RTW trip is 4-5 years off (saving for it is going very well, thank you for asking) but reading this book has me already itching to go and taking plenty of notes on what to bring, where to go, and how to do it. I look back on our trip two summers ago along the Danube River and while we definitely had a good time with Kristin's grandmother and saw some spectacular sites, I can't recall talking to a single European who wasn't in one way or another being paid to talk to us. Tour groups certainly have their place -- I hope to take my mother on a similar river cruise in the coming years -- but I can't wait to get back across the pond and break free from the travelling herd. The people you meet can certainly become more memorable than the sights you're striving for. My trip up Cerro Chirripo was far more memorable for the international collection of fellow hikers and locals I met than for the view from the summit (although that was pretty spectacular too).
And speaking of our RTW trip, I came across a fantastic travel-themed encyclopedia for North Africa and the Middle East. The project is called Looklex and although they are striving to create a free online travel guide for the world, the current Lexicorient section conains only the areas I just mentioned. The site has fantastic info, photos, travel tips, and maps and although taking a ferry from Portugal to Morocco was already on our must-do list, I now think a stop in Tunisia is going to be mandatory as well. If only getting across Algeria could be done reasonably by land...
Lastly, there is this site, www.savingfortravel.com that contains a form designed to tell you how much money (in Pounds Sterling) you'll need for so many weeks of budget travel in different countries. The individual country estimates expect you to go as no-frills as possible and don't include major transportation costs or other niceties.That said, I entered in a bunch of countries and the number of weeks we assume we might want to stay in them for and then took the number it gave us and multiplied it by 3 before coverting it to US dollars. I multiplied by 3 because there are two of us going and because we're not going to want to stick to the absolute cheapest option for sleeping and eating all the time. As I suspected, this ends up bringing us closer to the $125/day average I anticipate us having to stick close to. And I think the word "average" can't be stressed enough. There will be some parts of the world where we'll find it hard to spend less than twice that amount and other parts where we'll find it hard to spend half that much. Either way, the site does help reveal which countries are cheaper and which are more expensive. Give it a look.
Planning a trip like this has been such a great source of pleasant daydreaming. I highly recommend it.
Yes, that Rick Steves. I downloaded nearly 120 of his nearly hour-long "Travel With Rick Steves" podcasts from iTunes and I am totally hooked. These are taken right from his weekly radio shows (without the commercials) and usually feature a few callers with questions, one or two lengthy interviews with tour guides or travel writers, and some really poignant observations and tips. I'm not a big podcast fan. I've tried to listen to a few gaming and mountain biking related ones and they've always bored and/or annoyed me. But not this one. I can listen to these shows all day long. If you enjoy travel and have some lengthy road trips planned, I highly recommend downloading Rick's free podcasts and giving them a listening to. The topics are vast and vary wildly and although his shows on PBS and his books deal only with Europe, his radio shows cover the world. One of my favorite episodes was when he was talking with the guidebook author of Lonely Planet's Afghanistan travel guide. Very, very entertaining!
Since Rick is a Seattle-area resident, he often gets to interview some local experts for his radio show. One of the regular guests on his show Willie Weir, a Seattle area expert in bicycle touring who has criss-crossed the planet several times under his own pedal-power. Willie has a book titled "Spokesongs: Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents" and has discussed some fascinating bicycle journeys with Rick on the radio show, including a trip across northern Thailand and Laos. I had Barnes & Noble order me a copy of the book and will be picking it up today. I'll be sure to let you know what I think. If you see me with panniers, that will be a good indication I liked it.
Speaking of books, I recently read "The Kindness of Strangers" which was a collection of travel stories edited by Don George of Lonely Planet. Despite the preface by the Dalai Lama and alson containing a story from one of the my favorite authors, Simon Winchester, I have to say the book as a whole was disappointing. It was a collection of tales from people who found sudden generosity and potentially life-saving kindness in strangers, but many of the stories were poorly written, dull, and didn't really showcase any noteworth acts of kindness. I'm sure most people who have ventured outside their nation's borders have experienced similar acts. There were a couple of stories that certainly stand out, but oddly enough the one that was perhaps the most memorable was about a woman buying sexy underwear in South America. Go figure. Sure, there were one or two that were far more adventurous than that, but all in all the book was a big letdown. I suppose only those people who have an aversion to travel or who have a tendency to mistrust strangers would find the stores contained within it impressive or entertaining.
But back to Rick Steves for a second. Having finished the travel books on my shelf, I decided to pick up a copy of his seminal "Europe Through the Back Door" how-to book. This particular tome isn't a travel guide per se, but rather a very detailed guide to infiltrating Europe not as tourist, but as someone who fits in and is seen as more than a source of revenue. Consider this small portion of the preface:
The average American traveler enters Europe through the front door. This Europe greets you with cash registers cocked, $5 cups of coffee, and service with a purchased smile.
To give your trip an extra, more real dimension, come with me through the back door. Through the back oor, a warm, relaxed, personable Europe welcomes us as friends. We're part of the party -- not part of the economy.
Traveling this way, we become temporary Europeans, members of the family --
approaching Europe on its level, accepting and enjoying its unique ways of life. We'll demand nothing, except that no fuss be made over us.
"This "Back Door-style" travel is better because of -- not in spite of -- your budget. Spending money has little to do with enjoying your trip. In fact, spending less money brings you closer to Europe. A lot of money forces you through Europe's grand front entrance, where people in uniforms greet you with formal smiles. But the back door is what keeps me in my wonderful European rut.
The book is nearly 700 pages long and is chock full of great tips and advice including some sample itineraries for those who want them. Our grand RTW trip is 4-5 years off (saving for it is going very well, thank you for asking) but reading this book has me already itching to go and taking plenty of notes on what to bring, where to go, and how to do it. I look back on our trip two summers ago along the Danube River and while we definitely had a good time with Kristin's grandmother and saw some spectacular sites, I can't recall talking to a single European who wasn't in one way or another being paid to talk to us. Tour groups certainly have their place -- I hope to take my mother on a similar river cruise in the coming years -- but I can't wait to get back across the pond and break free from the travelling herd. The people you meet can certainly become more memorable than the sights you're striving for. My trip up Cerro Chirripo was far more memorable for the international collection of fellow hikers and locals I met than for the view from the summit (although that was pretty spectacular too).
And speaking of our RTW trip, I came across a fantastic travel-themed encyclopedia for North Africa and the Middle East. The project is called Looklex and although they are striving to create a free online travel guide for the world, the current Lexicorient section conains only the areas I just mentioned. The site has fantastic info, photos, travel tips, and maps and although taking a ferry from Portugal to Morocco was already on our must-do list, I now think a stop in Tunisia is going to be mandatory as well. If only getting across Algeria could be done reasonably by land...
Lastly, there is this site, www.savingfortravel.com that contains a form designed to tell you how much money (in Pounds Sterling) you'll need for so many weeks of budget travel in different countries. The individual country estimates expect you to go as no-frills as possible and don't include major transportation costs or other niceties.That said, I entered in a bunch of countries and the number of weeks we assume we might want to stay in them for and then took the number it gave us and multiplied it by 3 before coverting it to US dollars. I multiplied by 3 because there are two of us going and because we're not going to want to stick to the absolute cheapest option for sleeping and eating all the time. As I suspected, this ends up bringing us closer to the $125/day average I anticipate us having to stick close to. And I think the word "average" can't be stressed enough. There will be some parts of the world where we'll find it hard to spend less than twice that amount and other parts where we'll find it hard to spend half that much. Either way, the site does help reveal which countries are cheaper and which are more expensive. Give it a look.
Planning a trip like this has been such a great source of pleasant daydreaming. I highly recommend it.
Bikey Stuff
Managed to get 7 days on the bike (sort-of) in a row and although I have some slight remnants of the cough and am still a bit stuffy, I feel good. I was hoping to get a longer ride in today, but the rain is coming down and it's not too warm outside. If it wouldn't be my 8th straight day on the bike and I wasn't trying to ward off pneumonia, I'd do it anyway, but I think I'll settle for a session with Coach Troy and his painful Strendurance videos.
I spent this weekend riding with the Director of State Parks, the Commissioners, some rangers, a Regional Manager, and many of their spouses. It was a great opportunity to be an ambassador for the mountain biking community here in Washington and to discuss ways in which the State Parks system could advance recreational opportunities for mountain bikers. We rode roughly 28 miles of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (a cross-state railroad corridor that has been converted to trail) on Saturday through beautiful Yakima Canyon and then met back up on Sunday morning right down the road in North Bend to ride a snow-free section here on the west side of the pass.
You can read my full report from the weekend right here. And see some photos here and here.
I hurried home after my ride with the State Parks officials on Sunday and took Kristin down to Henry's Ridge to get out on some singletrack. I had forgotten how many switchbacks there were down there so it was a bit more advanced than I wanted. Nevertheless, despite a number of falls (Kristin is riding clipless pedals) and some prolonged hyper-ventilation due to nervousness, she eventually settled into a nice groove and got the hang of it. I rode along in front of her calling out wheel placement and when to coast, sit, stand, pedal and after a short break on a gravel path she was able to climb back into the woods and make it all the way down one of the trails without any hiccups -- she even cleaned the switchbacks and made it over the roots without falling! I was very happy.
We just have to work on her self-sufficiency. As in, making sure she has her wallet with her so the next time we get carded in the bar of a Mexican restaurant afterwards, we can still have a beer and watch the Mariners game and not be forced into the dining room with the screaming children.
Kristin is signed up for this weekend's "Boot Camp" mountain biking school and is then going to go on a beginner's ride at Tolt with my friend Erik on Sunday. Tolt can be a pretty technical place for beginners due to the tight twists and turns and plethora of roots, but I trust Erik will keep the pace slow and select a tame bunch of trails for the Boot Camp grads that will be accompanying him.
I dropped my road bike off at Performance Bike yesterday to get the free warranty tune-up, get a new rear cassette and chain on it, and to get the rear wheel repaired. Turns out the rear wheel is toast. I bent it beyond repair on Friday's ride (I suspected as much). Also, I'm told I can't go to a 32-tooth rear cog (for RAMROD) without going to long-cage rear derailleur.
So here's the dilemma, do I sink upwards of $400 worth of new wheels and drivetrain parts onto a bike I purchased for $950 (originally listed at $1899) when I'm already unhappy with how weak the frame is and how badly it flexes at the bottom bracket when I'm pedaling hard or do I look for a new road bike?
With half the drivetrain (again, for RAMROD) and wheels (I no longer trust the front wheel and don't want a mis-matched pair) needing replacing there's little money to save by buying a new frame and moving over the crankset and brakes. Especially since most bikes that can be bought as a frame only tend to be a bit higher end. I don't need a high-end road bike, just something to do some training on and the occasional century ride. But I don't want an ugly franken-bike either. I have to want to ride it.
I'd be happy to stick with my budget store-brand Scattante bike if the frame was stiffer at the bottom bracket, but looking down and seeing the frame flex so much laterally doesn't instill much confidence, not to mention it wastes a ton of energy and has gotten to be a sore spot for me when I'm riding.
This isn't a decision I can make slowly, as each day that passes without a working road bike is another day closer to the Native Planet Classic and RAMROD.
I spent this weekend riding with the Director of State Parks, the Commissioners, some rangers, a Regional Manager, and many of their spouses. It was a great opportunity to be an ambassador for the mountain biking community here in Washington and to discuss ways in which the State Parks system could advance recreational opportunities for mountain bikers. We rode roughly 28 miles of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (a cross-state railroad corridor that has been converted to trail) on Saturday through beautiful Yakima Canyon and then met back up on Sunday morning right down the road in North Bend to ride a snow-free section here on the west side of the pass.
You can read my full report from the weekend right here. And see some photos here and here.
I hurried home after my ride with the State Parks officials on Sunday and took Kristin down to Henry's Ridge to get out on some singletrack. I had forgotten how many switchbacks there were down there so it was a bit more advanced than I wanted. Nevertheless, despite a number of falls (Kristin is riding clipless pedals) and some prolonged hyper-ventilation due to nervousness, she eventually settled into a nice groove and got the hang of it. I rode along in front of her calling out wheel placement and when to coast, sit, stand, pedal and after a short break on a gravel path she was able to climb back into the woods and make it all the way down one of the trails without any hiccups -- she even cleaned the switchbacks and made it over the roots without falling! I was very happy.
We just have to work on her self-sufficiency. As in, making sure she has her wallet with her so the next time we get carded in the bar of a Mexican restaurant afterwards, we can still have a beer and watch the Mariners game and not be forced into the dining room with the screaming children.
Kristin is signed up for this weekend's "Boot Camp" mountain biking school and is then going to go on a beginner's ride at Tolt with my friend Erik on Sunday. Tolt can be a pretty technical place for beginners due to the tight twists and turns and plethora of roots, but I trust Erik will keep the pace slow and select a tame bunch of trails for the Boot Camp grads that will be accompanying him.
I dropped my road bike off at Performance Bike yesterday to get the free warranty tune-up, get a new rear cassette and chain on it, and to get the rear wheel repaired. Turns out the rear wheel is toast. I bent it beyond repair on Friday's ride (I suspected as much). Also, I'm told I can't go to a 32-tooth rear cog (for RAMROD) without going to long-cage rear derailleur.
So here's the dilemma, do I sink upwards of $400 worth of new wheels and drivetrain parts onto a bike I purchased for $950 (originally listed at $1899) when I'm already unhappy with how weak the frame is and how badly it flexes at the bottom bracket when I'm pedaling hard or do I look for a new road bike?
With half the drivetrain (again, for RAMROD) and wheels (I no longer trust the front wheel and don't want a mis-matched pair) needing replacing there's little money to save by buying a new frame and moving over the crankset and brakes. Especially since most bikes that can be bought as a frame only tend to be a bit higher end. I don't need a high-end road bike, just something to do some training on and the occasional century ride. But I don't want an ugly franken-bike either. I have to want to ride it.
I'd be happy to stick with my budget store-brand Scattante bike if the frame was stiffer at the bottom bracket, but looking down and seeing the frame flex so much laterally doesn't instill much confidence, not to mention it wastes a ton of energy and has gotten to be a sore spot for me when I'm riding.
This isn't a decision I can make slowly, as each day that passes without a working road bike is another day closer to the Native Planet Classic and RAMROD.
Mayday, Mayday! Bike Karma Strikes Back
I sold my full-suspension Giant NRS C2 the other day. I didn't enjoy riding it anymore -- didn't even feel safe on the 26" wheels anymore after spending a year on the bigger hoops -- and wanted to help offset the cost of the bike we bought Kristin two weeks ago. Of course, our good pal Murphy and his stupid laws ensured that the front fork started leaking fluid during the buyer's test ride. D'oh! He also noticed that the "small amount of cable rub" on the frame was all but completely through the carbon fibre. Double d'oh! Had to come down off my $750 asking price a little bit, but I'm happy to be gone with it.
Of course, getting rid of one bike automatically ensures problems on another. Murphy you rat-bastard!
I woke up really looking forward to getting in a nice long road ride, but as the day wore on I started feeling like maybe I should just ease back into riding more slowly and rest for the weekend. But no, that's the fear talking! The fear of getting sick again.
Of course, getting rid of one bike automatically ensures problems on another. Murphy you rat-bastard!
I woke up really looking forward to getting in a nice long road ride, but as the day wore on I started feeling like maybe I should just ease back into riding more slowly and rest for the weekend. But no, that's the fear talking! The fear of getting sick again.
And fear does not exist in this dojo!
Umm, yes sensei?
Moving right along...
It was almost 4pm and I decided enough was enough, I'd go for a ride. I had planned to do my normal 45-mile Carnation loop and add onto it with a trip up Issaquah-Fall City Road and maybe even do a second pass over Tolt Hill Road for kicks.
This is probably a good time to mention that I forgot my cell phone in my office. I noticed I had forgotten it about a 1/4 mile from my house but decided it wasn't worth going back for.
Strike 1: I get a flat about 8 miles into the ride. My first flat on the road bike in two years. I plucked the little piece of metal shrapnel out of the tire, replace the tube, and keep on going. I have a nice spin up the hilly Issy-Fall City Road and zip along down Duthie Hill before returning to the farming lanes near the river.
Strike 2: As I'm preparing to turn onto Tolt Hill Road, construction workers tell me the bridge over the Snoqualmie River won't be reopened until 7pm. That means if I do my normal route, I'll either A) Be forced to sit for an hour and wait for the bridge to open, B) make a jailbreak-style sprint across the bridge and hope construction workers don't clothesline me into the drink, or C) turn around and retrace my route. A fourth option, riding on the 3-inch shoulder of Route 203 is not really viable.
I decide to continue the route as normal, up and over Tolt Hill Road, over Ames Lake Road, and back around to the other side of the bridge in Carnation. If I get there early, I'll just turn around and retrace my route and maybe even push the ride to 65 or 70 miles. Bonus miles! "It'll be fine, I'll stop at the Shell station to buy some drinks or snacks if I need more food," I thought to myself.
Strike 3: I get to Carnation's lone gas station and turn the bike into the driveway. There was a bit of a lip, I was going about 20mph, and somehow I hit the bump on just the right (i.e. wrong) angle and completely bent my rear wheel. I opened the brakes all the way, tried repositioning the brakes, tried adjusting the wheel in the drop-outs, but nothing worked. The wheel won't spin more than 1/4 revolution without coming to a halt. By car, I'm about 16 miles from home. With the bridge out and there being no shoulder on Route 203, I'm a good 25 miles or so from home.
No problem, Kristin should be on her way home from school, I'll just call her.
Oh, right, I didn't bring a cell phone today.
Fortunately, the clerk inside the Shell station's convenience store leant me his personal cell phone and I got in touch with Kristin just as she was approaching the Preston/Fall City exit -- the very one she'd need to take. She's absolutely awful with directions -- I mean breathtakingly bad at navigating -- but for the first time ever, she got it on the first try and rolled into the Shell station just 20 minutes later. I was starting to get a little cold, but a bag of Doritos and two Reese's Fast Break candy bars made the wait a bit more enjoyable than you might expect.
Nonetheless, I can't help but think my bikes are mad at me for selling the Giant. I've never had a problem with a road bike before -- not even when I went over the handlebars at 30+ mph so many years ago -- but to bend a wheel into inoperable shape by going up a gas station driveway? Absurd! Yeah, I know it's no more absurd than thinking my bikes are ganging up on me, but I'm nervous. What if the Moots or the single-speed are plotting similar, er, plots?
I have an all-day ride planned tomorrow with the Director of Washington State Parks and the parks' Commissioners. Naturally, I'll be riding the Moots. But what if it decides to suffer a sudden twilight-zone implosion too? Not only will it really throw a damper on the ride, but we'll be hours from home. What if it decides to do so in one of the old railroad tunnels we'll be riding through? I don't know what's worse: the thought of crashing into the wall of soot-stained railroad tunnel or having to try and give Kristin directions to a bike trail hours from home.
Perhaps it's time to buy my baby a Garmin?
Colonnade Photos
BBTC held a special fundraising event at Colonnade this past Wednesday to show off the park, generate some extra interest, and to hopefully encourage some checkbooks to open. Most of the Board was there, as well as the org's new Executive Director, John Lang, and quite a few supporters I haven't seen in a while. I'm guessing the donation I made this spring landed me on the invite list. They had some pizza and drinks available and russled up a few dirt-jump guys to demo the big gap jump and show the rest of us how it's done. Mike Westra, the Project Manager for BBTC, gave a walking tour of the beginner section, the intermediate area, and then finally to the phase 2 freeride section.
I brought my singlespeed to dink around on the "limestone loop" and the teeter-totters and some of the skinnies and pump track, but also brought my camera to get some shots of the guys going big. It's been too long since I used my SLR and I had to get back in the proper frame of mind to use it, but I ultimately got a few good shots. I spent a while under the gap jump taking shots of the guys soaring over me, but even the best of those shots weren't really interesting to look at.
Shooting at Colonnade is a bit of a challenge because of the dust, the shadows, and the bright light in the background. Not to mention the speed of the subjects. I had my external flash with me and was primarily shooting 1/250, f2.8 at ISO 200. I absolutely hate using faster ISO speeds because of the noise (yes, even a problem with digital) but in hindsight I should have at least bumped it to 400 and stopped it down a bit. Like I said, it's been a while...
Here's my 5 favorite shots from Wednesday. Click to enlarge.
I brought my singlespeed to dink around on the "limestone loop" and the teeter-totters and some of the skinnies and pump track, but also brought my camera to get some shots of the guys going big. It's been too long since I used my SLR and I had to get back in the proper frame of mind to use it, but I ultimately got a few good shots. I spent a while under the gap jump taking shots of the guys soaring over me, but even the best of those shots weren't really interesting to look at.
Shooting at Colonnade is a bit of a challenge because of the dust, the shadows, and the bright light in the background. Not to mention the speed of the subjects. I had my external flash with me and was primarily shooting 1/250, f2.8 at ISO 200. I absolutely hate using faster ISO speeds because of the noise (yes, even a problem with digital) but in hindsight I should have at least bumped it to 400 and stopped it down a bit. Like I said, it's been a while...
Here's my 5 favorite shots from Wednesday. Click to enlarge.
The Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field
Seattle's minor league soccer team has made the jump to MLS for the 2009 season and has secured Microsoft and their Xbox 360 Live gaming service as their primary sponsor (5 years, 20 million dollars) and, as customary with major football clubs around the world, the sponsor's logo is more prominently featured on the jersey than that of the team.
Microsoft had previously not been known for doing much in the way of sports sponsorship. But the corporation found what it felt to be an ideal situation in attaching itself to the fledgling Sounders, with soccer growing in participation
locally and nationally."When we looked at soccer and what's happening in the sport, and then we looked at what was happening with youth and how powerful the growth is there," Bach said, "this is an opportunity to be in really close to the ground floor, and certainly the ground floor with the Sounders."
Bach said many Microsoft employees are soccer fans, and they will become passionate Sounders FC fans. The company has plans to be involved in developing the team's community initiatives. The partnership doesn't end with Seattle. Xbox 360 will be recognized as the official and exclusive video-game console of MLS and receives MLS players appearances, league Web site presence and in-stadium exposure, among other benefits.
The "Sounders FC" is off to a good start. Drew Carey, a minority owner, has become a likable voice of the team; season ticket holders get to vote on whether or not to fire the General Manager each season; the team will have a marching band; and they have videogame sponsorship.
What's not to love, other than the fact that it's still soccer?
Read all about Microsoft's sponsorship of the Sounders FC and the aforementioned "Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field" in the Seattle Times.
Activision Heads South of the Border
This makes me very happy.
From Gamespot:
The Baja 1000 is a great way to blend videogames with motorized endurance racing and it could be really something special if they make a way to work in online team dynamics that features swapping out drivers on the course and, essentially having relay races. The game won't appeal to everyone, especially if their goal of "hyper-realism" is carried beyond just the graphics and vehicles to the way the game handles time and distance. Off-road driving can be a lot of fun in videogames, but driving for 1000 miles while even averaging 100 miles per hour, well, you can do that math pretty easily, can't you?
Can't say too much more about this just yet, but as someone who has always wished for a Cannonball Run-themed MMO, I have to say the prospect of potentially racing teams of other drivers over such a lengthy course has me pretty excited. Let's just hope it lives up to the potential.
From Gamespot:
Prior to turning the industry on its ear by merging with Vivendi Games in December, Activision warmed up its consolidation engine in September by picking up Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations. The move signaled Activision's interest in becoming a serious player in the racing genre, an area where up until that point, the publisher had been noticeably lacking.
Today, Activision said it would be making further advance on the racing scene, publishing Score International Baja 1000 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PC. Excitebike 64/Nitrobike outfit Left Field Productions is developing the title, with plans to wrap production this fall. Modeled after the annual 1,000 mile off-road racing event that traverses the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, the game challenges players to succeed in a "hyper-realistic" driving environment and accurate dirt and damage modeling. Score International Baja 1000 features more than 90 vehicles in a number of classes, including trophy trucks, motorcycles, and ATVs.
While the publisher didn't reveal specific gameplay details for the title, Activision Publishing general Manager Dave Oxford said, "In creating Score International Baja 1000, our goal was to create something true to the sport that made you feel the speed and heart-pounding conditions. Players will see potential shortcuts on the tracks, but wonder if their vehicle can handle it."
The Baja 1000 is a great way to blend videogames with motorized endurance racing and it could be really something special if they make a way to work in online team dynamics that features swapping out drivers on the course and, essentially having relay races. The game won't appeal to everyone, especially if their goal of "hyper-realism" is carried beyond just the graphics and vehicles to the way the game handles time and distance. Off-road driving can be a lot of fun in videogames, but driving for 1000 miles while even averaging 100 miles per hour, well, you can do that math pretty easily, can't you?
Can't say too much more about this just yet, but as someone who has always wished for a Cannonball Run-themed MMO, I have to say the prospect of potentially racing teams of other drivers over such a lengthy course has me pretty excited. Let's just hope it lives up to the potential.
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