GPS Data from our Route on Google Earth

In the Colorado Springs Cycling Club, there are three nutballs that are always the most competitive and always finish first. Steve, Josh and myself. We’re all about the same age, the same stage of life and share the same passion for going fast on a bike. With the exception of Josh (who crushes EVERYONE on the climbs), we have the same physical abilities.

A few weeks ago, while ignoring ride instructions at a club ride, we hatched the idea of going to the summit as hard as we could from Barr Camp. Today was the day.

We covered the 12.68 miles in a total time of 4 hours, 54 minutes, 3 seconds and a moving time of 4:04:09. The weather was perfect but we were a little alarmed when we got to Barr Camp and a woman said the temp on top was 15 degrees with a 25 mph wind from the west. Screw it we said and trudged on in our shorts and long sleeve t-shirts.

Interestingly, all three of us had difficulties keeping up at various times on the course. I struggled and was dropped on the 2 miles after Barr Camp but felt the best the higher we got. Not surprising since I’ve always done extremely well at altitude and generally get better as a race goes on. In an incredible display of timing, Amy appeared in my truck to pick us up at the top and take us back home.

I’ll spare you the rest of the banal details but would say this was the most fun I’ve had since moving to Colorado back in March of 2007. It was a lot of suffering but in fine company and great scenery.

I don’t have any group pictures, just memories to hold, that grow sweeter each season, as we slowly grow old (big points for knowing the song and artist!).

Due to the pace, we didn’t talk much and took almost no pictures except our camera phones. Here are the pictures off mine:

This was our first glance at the Peak

The Shelter at Barr Camp

Me at the Barr Camp Shelter

Wouldn’t normally expect this from Fox News but at least somebody’s pointing this out. This is a pretty outrageous lie and only strengthens my position that neither candidate has any idea whatsoever about what their campaigns are saying.

Here’s some supporting information from independent factcheck.org.

[EDIT: Lance is computer illiterate and was unable to use a Flash player that didn't auto play. I've removed the embedded video and apologize to all of my readers.]

Lance’s Comeback to Cycling in 2009

I have to say I’m pretty surprised and though I don’t think it’s such a good idea, I have to admire his panache. He looks lean, mean and motivated. I like that he made the announcement with a video to put an end to all of the written speculation. 2009 is going to be a very interesting year for professional cycling. Good luck dude.

Me, Amy, Donna and Hugh at Cave of The Winds

About two weeks ago, Amy’s parents Hugh and Donna drove down from Seattle to spend some more time with us now that Hugh has finally retired.  They helped us move in almost 18 months ago but didn’t get to spend that much time here and the time they were here, it was all unpacking.  We also spent a couple of weeks with them back in Seattle in June but it was pretty hectic. 

Hugh did a tremendous amount of yard work on his own, stuff that would have taken me weeks to do by myself.  He fixed our warped deck, made repairs to the kitchen cabinets and innumerable other improvements without us even asking.

And though I always kid her otherwise, Donna made some great food (save for the stuff with green peppers in it!) almost every night.  And even though they brought their Bassett Hound Lilly, Sally and Kirby enjoyed laying on granny’s lap at every opportunity.

While here, we (finally) visited Cave of the Winds, Mesa Verde National Park and the Four Corners National Monument.  Amy started back teaching full time during their second week and we spent some time getting her classroom ready for the new school year.  We had a great time.

I hate goodbyes and wish we lived closer to them but it’s weird how moving away can sometimes bring families closer together.

Though we’ll see them again in Seattle around Christmas, I’m still sad to see them go.  Thanks guys!

Some good memories (click for a larger version):

Donna Sternly Quizzes the NPS Park Ranger (My Fave!)

Hugh and Donna at Mesa Verde National Park

Hugh, Amy and Donna

I’ve been a weather buff all of my life but haven’t had too much interest in hurricanes until recently when I found out a family member may be doing some work down in the area very soon. I’d found the tools on the internet to be somewhat lacking until today. Do you wonder where Hurricane Ike will hit or when Tropical Storm Hanna will pass? What about the projected storm path after it makes landfall and is downgraded? Hurricane season gets lots of people glued to the Weather Channel or local news to get the latest updates on developing storms. I don’t put a lot of faith in what most of the metorologists say so I often seek out the information on the web so I can interpret the data myself. One of the best places I found to do this is Stormpulse. (Google Earth is another one). Stormpulse shows active hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic. And the graphics are better than TV because you can modify their appearance and add or subtract additional layers of data.

You can turn on layers to show projected paths and historical tracks. The severity of the storm is color coded from Tropical Depression to Category 5 Hurricane. You can see all active hurricanes at once, drag the map around, or click on a specific storm. The site also offers satellite pictures and storm news.

Base geographic imagery is provided by Nasa and Data is pulled from the National Hurricane Center and the Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, UK. The site has storm data going back to 1851, soyou can see the paths and intensity of previous hurricanes. There is even an API for embedding Stormpulse maps on other sites which I’m looking into for a page here on RCS.