Bike Path Follow-up

Here is a follow up to last weeks post about the Indian & Tomahawk Creek Trails. Since the note I got mentioned that they still needed to put up some fencing and do some seeding, I figured I'd check out the actual status of the path. Here you'll see one of the areas that I assume they'll seed.



There is a sign, going one direction, with this warning:



There are only a few spots where dirt and gravel cover the path; wasn't really a problem. I encountered a number of cyclists out for a ride on this section of the path.



They've got posts up for the fencing and for good reason as the side of the path drops abruptly.



Now, the Metcalf detour. Heading west you'll see the section of pavement that joins the path to the sidewalk on the left and the part of the path that is closed on the right.



Here is the challenging part.



The crosswalk signs are covered so you just cross with the green light. I encountered a couple problems here on a couple different rides this weekend:

1. The people that want to turn right are not going to be looking for you.
2. Sunday, a guy heading south pulled up about even with the bumper of the gray car pictured above, completely blocking the crosswalk and forcing me out around the cones and into traffic. I gave him my best passive-aggressive eye roll so he, hopefully, will be a little more careful next time...

Indian Creek & Tomahawk Creek Trails

Temperature at departure this morning = 76° F (24° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 94° F (34° C)

The recent construction project on Metcalf at 103rd street has made another Indian Creek bike/hike path detour necessary.

This one is a bit dicer than the one still in place at Antioch and I-435; you'll be routed up to the crosswalk on the North side of Metcalf. They have added some pavement just to the east of Metcalf to get you back off the sidewalk and onto the path. I would recommend taking the few extra seconds it takes to dismount and walk the bike across. As you can see, this is a busy intersection any way and they've funneled three lane into two, both directions. The detour is the crosswalk seen in the middle of this shot from the traffic cam.

Actually, I should say this is a HORRIBLE intersection to try to navigate as a pedestrian or cyclist. Most of the drivers here are going to be more apt to be looking for gaps in the traffic that they can shoot through and guess what? -- You are most likely to be in the gap, unseen by the motorist. It isn't a matter of who is right and who is wrong, cross with extreme caution!

Next, although the maps of Johnson county trails shows this stretch of the Tomahawk Creek trail open, I noticed on a ride a month or so ago that some work being done around Alt-69 between 135th and going north east to Metcalf. The path was just gravel in the section circled here:

I sent another note to the guy mentioned yesterday and got a quick response saying:

"We are close to completing that project and should have it officially open in the next couple of weeks. We still have some fencing and seeding to do there. This will complete the last major gap on the Tomahawk Creek Trail that runs from Leawood to Olathe (Pflumm Road). We still have a minor gap on 127th St. between Nall and the bridge near Deer Creek, but with the street and sidewalk, it is at least passable. That stretch will be completed with the road improvement in 2010."

He also gave me a heads up on some possible future work on the Indian Creek trail:

"While we are on the subject of closures and a heads up. In 2008, we may have a closure/detour of the Indian Creek trail in our Foxhill South & North park areas. This is the stretch between Mission and Roe. There is a major flood control and bridge construction project planned for this area. No timeline has been created but it will likely occur in mid 2008 and continue into 2009. The last time we had to close this stretch, we detoured users over I-435 via the pedestrian bridge that parallels the Roe street bridge."

I may ride the Tomahawk Creek trail this weekend to see how much work is left. Thought those of you who occasionally ride these paths might like the info as well.

Virtual Dinner?

...that's what the kids call the stuff I cook. [Bah dum bump]


Seriously, Virtual Dinner? I can't even get the people that live in my house all together at the same time...

Spouting Off Again

Temperature at departure this morning = 80° F (27° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 96° F (36° C)

Once again, the fine folk in the City of OP office come through in a flash. I have got to believe that this one guy rolls his eyes whenever he sees my name in his In Box. Granted, I don't e-mail him that often -- last time was 3 or 4 months ago. I had to send a note this morning though as the new Ed Eilert Fountain seemed to be the source of a new tributary for Indian Creek. You can see part of the fountain in the upper left corner and the photo doesn't really give you a true picture of just how much water is flowing down the sidewalk and path...


This shot is looking down towards the bridge for 109th. The water picks up again just past the tree in the upper, center of the shot and covers 3/5ths of the path with an inch or two of running water.


I sent the above mentioned contact an e-mail with these shots and got a reply back within an hour saying that they'd had a problem a week earlier with a stuck solenoid and he'd have someone check it out right away. Service with a smile... By the way, if you're riding the path and need a quick cool down, the sidewalk meets up with the path in two places and allows you to get right up next to the fountain. I took advantage of the spray this morning.

Birdman or Birds?

Temperature at departure this morning = 81° F (27° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 100° F (38° C)

So I was going to go with this one...


I'd just turned right off 103rd when I noticed a robin on the curb to my right, eating a bug. The thing must be part squirrel as it started to fly away from me, changed its mind and flew under me somehow shooting the gap between my pedals and back wheel. Nothing like a little shot of adrenalin to start the morning.

Flash forward 5 minutes and 1 mile. I rode through the tunnel under Antioch at my normal 12 MPH preparing for the sharp right turn at the end of the tunnel. As I exit the tunnel I enter a flock of what must have been close to 100 sparrows. They scattered and I rode in the middle of the frightened flock for a few seconds. I said that there was nothing like a LITTLE shot of adrenalin... So, I've decided the picture of the day should be:


...although I prefer the "Birds" sceen from Mel Brooks' High Anxiety...

Once Around the Campfire, James

Temperature at departure = 75° F (24° C)

On one hand, this is just wrong. On the other hand, if I had the money to burn...

Behold, Glamping! (glamorous camping)

$595 a night -- plus an additional $110 per person per day for food.

"The perks include a camp butler to build their fire, a maid to crank up the heated down comforter at nightfall and a cook to whip up bison rib-eye for dinner and French toast topped with huckleberries for breakfast."

I wonder if they have someone to walk around and round up all the chiggers... Hmmm, that would be SO worth it.

Baiku

It has been a while since I've seen a baiku on Fritz's site. Fritz, here you go...


This heat's oppressive.
Where'd my water bottle go?
Found it, now I'll ride.

Just Do It

Temperature at departure this morning= 76° F (24° C)
Temperature at departure last night = 98° F (37° C)

Pardon the interruption, but if you are someone who commutes by bike, please go read Fritz's post over at CommuteByBike and take a minute or two to send an e-mail to Ms. Peters via the link provided. Thanks.

We now return you to our regular programming.


When I initially saw this, after arriving at work yesterday morning, I was going to say that my kids must have come to the office for ice because they always seem to empty the trays at home without taking the 15 seconds it takes to fill them and put them back in the freezer. That's right, I've timed it. My kids roll their eyes every time I mention the 15 seconds to them -- you'd think that they'd fill them up just to avoid the schpeel they know will ensue as a result; but, no, they do it anyway... But here I was at work and someone had emptied trays and put them back without filling them.

I filled the trays and decided not to comment because standing in front of the freezer I realized that I've been doing something similar for months. There have been several receipts which I've been carrying around in my backpack, transferred to my laptop bag, back to my backpack, to the top of a pile on my desk at home and back into the backpack. I simply needed to fill out a form, attach a copy and mail them to get a check back from my medical reimbursement plan. It would be interesting to know how much time I've blown moving the stack, carrying forward the task in my planner, etc. So, the empty ice cube trays chidded me into sitting down and getting this task (originally put on my list in February) done. 29 minutes and, yes, I timed it.

Generation Gap

Temperature at departure = 81° F (27° C)

Ahhhhhhh. The first day of school. Apologizes to The Old Bag, but it will be nice to get back into the routine and away from all the phone calls regarding what people can have for breakfast, lunch, snack -- all the calls of people wanting to "tell on" their siblings.

So, I rode along with Curtis to his school and turned to head off to work when I caught up and passed another cyclist. I got stopped at the signal I love so well and he caught back up with me. "Man, what happened to your ankles?" I had a few seconds to explain the chiggers at the last campout and he was amazed that the bites would still be as prevalent as they are. Our light turned green and we headed out into traffic and chatted a little bit before I took a right turn and got back up to speed.

And now, from our "You know you're getting old when..." department:

Me: "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but..."
14 year-old: "What?!?!?"

Thus began a 5 minute explanation of the ancient technology of phonograph records. [Sigh]

Happy YMTYTSDFW Day

Temperature at departure = 78° F (26° C)

Some of the weather folk are saying that this will be our hottest day of the year with the temperature probably topping out ~ 103°. Still, it could be worse -- I could be back down in Texas where playgrounds are spontaneously combusting.

I can't find it on any calendars, but today must be Young Mothers Take Your Toddler and Small Dog For a Walk Day. I decided to stretch out my morning ride and met 4 of the above combinations within a 1.5 mile area. I must say, we all behaved very well with me slowing way down and dinging my bell and the moms moving to the side a bit making sure neither of their charges were in danger. "Good morning" shouts were shared all around and it was a very pleasant ride.

Here is a shot from the path just before I met up with the first group.

This Time Last Year

Temperature at departure = 77° F (25° C)

It was nice getting back on the bike yesterday. When I got into the office I did my normal hot weather routine of filling my water bottle most of the way and putting it in the freezer. Last year, when the temperatures for my afternoon departure were in the low 100's for several weeks, I'd stop for a drink around half way home and the water would be cool but the ice would have already melted. When I left the office yesterday the temperature was 93° F (34° C) and the bottle was still mostly filled with ice when I got home.

There are a few differences that might explain why I'm only filling the water bottle half way before freezing today:

• A 10 degree difference in temperatures.
• Last year my route was mostly in traffic -- this year it is primarily on the bike path which runs next to a creek and provides lots of shade.
• My route home is only 2/3 what it was last year.

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, it was still oppressively hot and breathing seemed a bit labored at times. So, for now, I'm not going to worry about my average MPH. I'll slow down a bit and stay on the lookout for misaimed sprinklers that are misting over into the road.

Back From Dallas

Temperature at departure = 75° F (24° C)

I honestly thought I'd get more done on-line last week than I normally do. Really, I was going to be in another city with only my normal work hours to deal with; my nights were mine to do with as I saw fit. No kitchen to clean up, no running people to lessons, etc. All I had to do was find dinner at some restaurant and the rest of my evening would be free.

I can't figure out where that time went. I didn't watch that much TV. I didn't really go anywhere because my feet and legs were killing me (see previous). It just goes to show that I get into a routine at home and even though there are a ton of things on my calendar, I'll still have time to do some of the things I want to do -- and some of the things I don't. So if you'll excuse me, I've got to go clean off the spider webs I rode through on the trail this morning. Ah yes, back in the groove.

Chiggers

This last weekend we had the rare opportunity to camp out at Shawnee Mission Park. The park doesn't allow camping -- unless your group is the Boy Scouts (or another similar youth organization). There is a special Boy Scout Camping Area just off the mountain bike trail and the fire road. This is, literally, primitive camping with no water, latrines, etc. The spots available for tents are far from level, you just find the best spot and set up your tent. Here's mine:

I had thought about taking a shot of Curtis' ankles -- or mine for that matter. We have so many chigger bites that we're both miserable. Antihistamines and hydrocortisone cream mute the itching a bit for an hour or two before the horrible itching comes back.

I used to get chigger bites in the summer due to all the running around in bare feet that we did. I never had it as bad as I do now and Curtis' bites are twice as bad. Poor kid. I don’t remember how long it takes for this to run its course; hopefully not much longer. Now, excuse me, I have to go do my best not to scratch.

Sage Advice

Words to live by: "Don't ring that bell to get girls."

Pretenses

Temperature at departure = 76° F (24° C)
Days until school starts = 14


We have yet to have had a 100° day this summer. Don’t get me wrong, that is NOT a problem. Last year, July and August gave us afternoon temperatures around 102° to 105° on a regular basis. What I’ve noticed is that the necessity of having a water bottle for my commute is negated; I still freeze a bottle over night and then freeze it again when I get to the office – I just don’t really need to drink during the 20 minutes I’m on the road when the temperature is in the 80’s.

Still, I was reminded this morning how the water bottle serves other purposes as well. Some people keep them handy to use as a projectile in the event they are threatened by drivers or dogs. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I use mine as a psychological prompt for over-courteous people.

I pulled up to an intersection early in my ride and a driver who had no stop sign and clearly had the right of way stopped to wave me out into my left-hand turn onto a busy street. What these types of drivers don’t understand is that they may, in fact, be waving cyclists into some other on-coming traffic. Perhaps you’ve gotten into an exchange of waves that goes something like:

“You go.”
“Thanks, but you go.”
“No, I insist, you go.”
“I really appreciate your looking out for me but, please, you go.”
“I just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, you go”

That just gets the driver (and all the cars piling up behind them) miffed at you. The answer to this dilemma is as close as your bottle cage. I now just stop, put a foot on the ground and grab my water bottle to take a drink; off the drivers go and everyone is safe and happy. I use that a lot when I come to parts of the bike/hike path that cross over driveways in the office park. I also use the technique when I get to the door of my building. I appreciate that people want to hold the door open for me as I carry my bike in, but it really is much easier if they go ahead and let me open the door by myself.

So, the bottle is back in the freezer prepping for the ride home so I can get a swig of bottle water when I get home – unless…

Hold Your Breath I Guess

Temperature at departure = 73° F (23° C)

So, today is our second Orange Ozone Alert day of the summer. The media is encouraging us to limit our emissions. Great, and we're having fajitas today... The news reports today suggested the following steps:

• Cut back on strenuous outside activities. They suggest staying indoors in the air conditioning.
• Drive less. My favorite part of the report I heard was when they said to ride a bike or take a leisurely walk -- right after they said to hide indoors.

Oh well, at least we won't have to worry about giant bugs.

Busy, Busy

Temperature at departure = 72° F (22° C)

The last few days have been hectic and, at times, stressful; but then, that's life. I had a very nice ride with some guys from church on Saturday which I will talk about next time. The end of last week we had some front end work done on the van. Sunday afternoon I was headed to my Dad's house and the tie rod popped off one side and I lost steering. The van was doing it's best to change lanes or plow into the curb, but I got it stopped without hitting anyone. When I showed the problem to the tow truck driver he pointed out that the nut for the other side of the tie rod was barely on. So, looks like they set the tie rod in place, stuck the nuts on and then promptly forgot to tighten them up. I was not amused. Had it been 10 minutes or so earlier I would have been driving 70 MPH down the highway with three of my children in the van. I still get a little shaky every time I think about that. All better though, they said they were sorry. Yeah. If the owner of the shop wasn't a long time acquaintance I'd pursue the matter further. As it is, I believe I will now look elsewhere for future repairs.

I found out Friday that our office might be moving down the road a bit to College and Metcalf. That would make the drive shorter but my bike commute will be a couple miles longer as there is no way on earth I would try to ride a bike down Metcalf. I did a recon ride this morning to see what kind of bike parking facilities they have for the three towers on that site: Two pipes bent in a U, next to a bush at the corner of one of the buildings. The battle is joined.

"Dad, I’m bored"

You need to understand how rare it is that one of my children would admit to being bored. It has been several years since any of them have dared to utter the phrase “There’s nothing to do.” I cured that long ago by handing the person who said it a small shovel and a plastic bag to do something we like to call “Poop Patrol.” We have two large dogs…

So my youngest must have been VERY bored when he came to me today. This time I had something different in mind. We’d recently had a dinner conversation about Carbon Credits and Carbon Neutrality. I explained that companies that put out a bunch of carbon can buy credits from a company that doesn’t put out as much carbon in order to avoid governmental fines. I took it a step further and asked why couldn’t people sell Personal Carbon Credits where they would do something green in exchange for someone else who didn’t want to make the effort but still wanted to feel good about themselves (see my post from Monday for an example…).

So, rather than just sit around watching TV -- and in an effort to avoid Poop Patrol, Curtis set up shop selling Kool-Aid and Carbon Credits.

There were three, one-dollar options today:

1) Curtis will ride his bike to school and his dad will ride his bike to work for a day so you can drive and not feel bad about it.

2) We will raise our thermostat two degrees so you can lower yours two degrees for one day.

3) Curtis will play outside for the day and not use any electricity to watch TV, play video games or use the computer.

He made three bucks today; all of it in Kool-Aid sales. He did have one person ask about the carbon credits and he explained that, like big business, they could pay him to do something environmentally friendly so they didn’t have to -- but could still feel good about themselves. They thought that was kind of dumb. Why should they pay him to do something that they should be doing themselves? Yeah. Exactly.

Wimp

In the three weeks of the Tour de France, they say that the riders will burn around 124,000 calories. I added up my calories burned cycling so far this year and I'm only up to 70,000. That is for the entire year. Still, that is equal to 20 pounds of body fat, so I can't complain too much. I get to have the occasional bowl of ice cream or can of Classic Coca-Cola without guilt.


Yesterday Peter and I tried out what was supposed to be a 20 mile route that was all bike path (except for a couple blocks on 127th). http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=2799


We got lost a few times and were thrown a curve ball when the path at 135th and Alt-69 ended suddenly, turning into gravel. We tried riding the gravel path for a bit until we were forced to turn around due to construction equipment. Rather than face the nightmarish traffic on 135th at that point, we took the sidewalk on 135th to Metcalf then headed down Metcalf to meet back up with the path by a golf course. The map showed a path all the way around that course, but it actually ends about half way. We decided to cut the ride short and take Lamar down to L.A. Juice and grab a smoothie. Once we made it home we'd put in 22 miles. We'll probably try that route again and just head down 127th once we get to Lamar. All in all a great ride.

TdF Games

I'm taking a few vacation days this week and riding the bike more than I normally do. Peter and I took a ride on the trail to try out his new (new for him at least) Diamond Back hybrid. There are a few parts that need to be replaced, but he loves fixing up older bikes.

Curtis and I actually watched the end of stage 15 live yesterday. Last night he decided to go spend the night with a buddy, so we hopped on the bikes and headed over. I've never seen him peddal that fast before; I actually had to try to keep up with him a couple times. As we're headed up 99th he yells back to me "Dad, I'll be Contador and you be Rasmussen." Zip, off he went.

We met up with his buddy (also on his bike) about a mile later. As we headed to the friend's house, Curtis said to his friend "You be Rasmussen and I'll be Contador." "Hey," I shouted, "I thought I was Rasmussen." The reply made me chuckle a bit: "I guess you can be Leipheimer." I guess you can tell who his favorite is...

Argument Deflected

Friend: "I don't understand how you can still be a conservative."

Me: "What I don't understand is why I'm the one riding my bike to work while you drive an SUV."

Friend: "How was your weekend?"

Me: "Great, got a couple of really fun rides in..."

What Did I Do?

Temperature at departure = 74° F (23° C)
Humidity = 84% (drippy)

I would like to believe that I am a reasonably approachable guy. Even when I’m riding on the bike/hike path, I try to be courteous and considerate of the pedestrians and other riders. I make sure that people that I’m approaching from behind know I’m there; I ding my bell and say good morning and pull as far to their left as possible. When I’m meeting someone head on I make sure I hug the right side of the path and I keep the pace nice and slow around the walkers.

So, what was the deal this morning? The first pedestrian I encountered turned around to look at me when I dinged and said good morning and promptly hurried three feet into the grass at the right of the path. I shrugged it off and continued. Pedestrians two and three were enjoying a morning stroll together and even though we were heading towards each other, I dinged again, slowed down and said good morning. They scurried off the path about 4 feet into the grass. Weird.

Now I’ve got several thoughts running through my mind: Do I resemble a photo of some criminal that they’re showing on the morning news? Did I cut myself shaving and miss stopping the flow of blood? What?

A little further down the path I see that I’m going to overtake a young woman out for a leisurely ride; great, what do I do to NOT scare her? I ding my little bell and say “Good morning, coming up on your left.” She rides off the path into the grass. I just don’t get it. I take the loop around the park to head back towards my building and as I’m getting back to where the loop rejoins the path where I got on and I notice there is another cyclist coming towards me from the other side of the loop; it looks like we’ll meet at the junction. Nope, the guy stops and turns around to pedal back the other way. Further on the gang out trimming trees along side the path hustle out of my way and I just want to get to my office and let the world get back to their own business.

I still don’t get it. Now, WHERE’S MY COFFEE!?!?!

One Year

Temperature at departure = 76° F (24° C)

Today marks the one year anniversary of this blog. To those of you who check in occasionally, thanks. To those of you who comment, I appreciate your taking the time; it means a lot to me.

I actually had been blogging for about a year before I started this one, but that blog was on a corporate site and after an acquisition the server that held all those posts went away, never to return. I know I should have backed my work up, but as we say in Kansas -- "Sailor Vee." It's a shame, really; those posts were so much more witty and entertaining. I mean "Dave Barry watch out" kind of funny ... but, sadly, the world will never know.

Anyway, I will endeavor to persevere, so please keep checking back.

WT

Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride, part 2

Temperature at departure = 76° F (24° C)

I've been trying to find a news story to link to regarding either the Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride, or the activity that occurred during the ride. No news to be found. So, apparently 4 people can get together on a corner to protest something/anything and get coverage, but > 1,000 cyclists just isn't news worthy. Not that I'm bitter...

Around 4 miles into the ride I noticed a helicopter overhead. Cool, I thought, I'll have to watch the news later in the morning to see if they show some shots of the ride. Time and miles went by; around 2 miles from the finish one of the volunteers stationed at an intersection yelled to us that the next major intersection might be closed off due to a high speed chase the police were involved in. Up above we still see the helicopter, but now I notice it is shining a spotlight on the ground. Close by. Where we are riding.

We made it through the next intersection without event. A few more blocks go by and we noticed some officers walking between a couple industrial buildings -- the helicopter is now shining its light on and around the officers. We picked up the pace just a hair...

So, I can't find any news about the Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride or anything about the police searching for a fugitive in the area. All I know is it added just that much more excitement to the ride.

French Lessons

Temperature at departure = 76° F (24° C)

Curtis, our youngest (11 years old), and I have been spending quite a bit of time together the last few weeks. CAT has been working late the last two weeks or so, moving her office and storage down to the Arts District (warning: the preceding link has audio - you have to put your cursor on the video and hunt down the mute button - I hate sites that do that) and the other kids are either working or out with friends. Curtis' friends have been away on vacation or busy with baseball, so he has been hanging out with dad. A lot.

Last week I started watching the Tour de France for the first time in my life -- and I'm hooked. I avoid checking the news in the morning (which isn't difficult) and catch the re-broadcast on VS later in the evening. Curtis decided to watch with me. It is interesting (to me) to watch people's reactions when he tries to discuss the peloton, breakaways and the four special jerseys.

A quick note about the news coverage: you really have to dig for it this year. I checked several of the big news sites, like Google News and there is nothing to be found on the front page. Fritz is doing a wonderful job keeping up and there is always Versus but, again, I watch at night so I've been trying to skip checking in until after 10 p.m...

Anyway, when Curtis and I watched Stage 8 the other night we noticed some things that looked like awnings covering parts of the alpine roads. The odd thing, in my mind was that they have grass growing on them.

"That's cool." said Curtis...

"That's weird." I said, to which he replied:

"Well, it's France."

I got a good chuckle out of it...

Here is a fuzzy screen capture of a YouTube video of one of these overhangs. From what I gather, they are designed to keep the water from the melting snow in the Alps off the roads at critical places; and you know, they are cool.


By the way, CAT, Curtis and I decided to head out to see Ratatouille last night -- FANTASTIC!

Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride, part 1

Temperature at departure = 75° F (24° C)

Sunday morning's Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride was an absolute blast! I am so glad my buddy John talked Peter and I into giving it a try. John has ridden a bunch of organized rides throughout the country and he says this one was organized and run better than any in the Midwest, and as well as the good ones he has ridden in California. The volunteers and the police were fantastic.

Peter and I met up with John at 10 p.m. and waited for the registration table to open up -- they'd closed it down and moved all their stuff under some awnings since a thunderstorm was threatening. They opened the tables, briefly and we got our selves checked it and went back to get our bikes and kit pulled together.

A half hour before launch I saw Noah; it was wonderful getting to meet him and ride along with him. We took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other...

Dude, sorry this one came out so blurry; cell phone camera...

There was a photographer that the city of Lenexa uses to take pictures of all their events. Cool idea.
From left to right, a shot of Noah, my buddy John, my son Peter and myself, waiting for the ride to begin.

Having maneuvered up towards the start of the pack, past most of the families with small children and the guy with the big dog in the kiddie trailer, we were in a good starting position and since the thunderstorm warning had been lifted we actually got to start at Midnight.

We rode for about a mile when John asked if we wanted to move past some of the people we were behind. Off we went! We never made it up to the breakaway, but we were in the front part of the peloton (I've been watching a lot of the TdF). I can't tell you how much fun I had riding straight through left turn lanes while running the red light with an officer standing there watching. The ride was fairly level until we got close to the turn-around point. There is a rather steep hill -- a half mile down and a half mile up -- we flew down the first time and John and Peter made it to the top well before I did. I was huffing and puffing a bit, but recovered by the time we had to do it again. This time I let everyone hammer away on the downhill part and I took it easy. This time I passed the others on the uphill side.

Lesson: always keep a little in reserve.

The ride through the industrial limestone caves was worth the whole entry fee and more. Very cool ... in more than one way; it was fascinating riding past all the limestone pillars and the temperature cooled down so that it felt like we were riding through a refrigerator. The cool temp.s were very welcome after the hills we'd just ridden. I'm borrowing one of Noah's pictures of the caves.


The photographer they had on hand got the following pictures of Peter, myself and John close to the end of the ~2 miles we spent underground.

Peter

Me

John

Chris Cakes pancakes at the end were a nice touch. Great ride and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. Sorry for the length of this post. I've got a few other things I want to mention, but will wait until tomorrow.

That Was Much Better

Temperature at departure = 69° F (21° C)

This morning more than made up for the previous day. With no one else stirring yet I got up, made my mocha latte, headed out to the back yard with the dogs and just sat on the porch and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then I packed my backpack and headed out on the Trek hoping that I fixed the flat and got the rear wheel back on correctly. I've got some adjusting to do since to shift up a gear it is two steps forward and one back at the moment. But, I made it.

I saw another bicycle commuter in my neighborhood this morning. He pulled in front of me ~20 yards from a side street and I thought I was going to be able to catch up and say good morning at the traffic signal of doom, but he swung to the left and hopped on a sidewalk that goes through a group of duplexes. I continued on and lucked out with the light; a driver had pulled up earlier and the light turned green just as I got to the intersection. I turned left and headed down 103rd and right where I pull off to the right to join up with the trail, and I see this guy pull up to a stop on the far side of the road. Now, if I'd been stuck at the light for a bit, as is the norm, he would have had the advantage. So now the dilemma, the sidewalk has a sign that says "Private Drive" -- but it would cut out the majority of the only real traffic I face daily. I could try it and take the "It is better to ask forgiveness than permission" approach, but I'm a rule follower by nature. We'll see; once school starts and the traffic turns ugly again, I may give it a try.

I'll leave you with a shot of yet another cyclist on the Indian Creed Trail. Didn't catch up with him though...

Grumpy

Temperature at departure = 73° F (23° C)
Days until school starts = 37

I love that book -- and it pretty much sums up my ride home last night and the ride in this morning. I left work a little late hopeful that the 3.5 inches of rain we got in the late afternoon would be mostly dried up, and that I’d beat the next batch of storms headed my way. Eh, kinda. Here is what I faced in the first .8 miles home:

1. Snakes. Apparently, snakes seek high ground during flash floods along the creek -- and the bike/hike path is the high ground.
2. Washed out sections of the little bridge that I’m so fond of. The water got so high that it popped up a couple of the boards.
3. Mud. Lots and lots of thin patches of mud.
4. Flat tire. I’ve been reading a bunch of blogs that have been discussing all the problems people have with flat tires. I didn’t understand because flats have never really been a problem for me. I went 28 years on my ten speed without a flat; I ended up replacing the tires once or twice and got a new tube in the process, but no blowouts. Now, after close to 2,000 miles on the Trek, I’ve had my first blowout.

So, I called my wife - she has the van and is at a job site. I called my eldest – he’s out with buddies and is more than a half hour away. Tried calling my daughter but found out that she and the next oldest boy were both at work. So, I walked home. As I was walking across the bridge over 435, I got to the far end and found it was blocked off. Figures.

Storms threaten again this morning, but I decided to hop on the Mendota and head in. The tires are LOW. I decided I’d still ride in but skip the extra loop and fill the tires in my office. I make it half way down the part of the path that runs adjacent to 435 and am met by this guy.

Keep all the rain we’ve had in mind and you’ll understand what a soggy mess it was maneuvering around the guy. He wasn’t happy I took the picture (which will soon be e-mailed to the construction company working on the project) but, tough! I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad continuation of yesterday.

I made it to the little bridge and stopped to take a picture of a wild turkey that was standing five yards away from me when a woman walked up and scared it away. We chatted for a minute about all the wildlife on the trail and I headed to the far side of the bridge to take a picture of the popped up boards to share with you. She followed and, just as I was about to snap, stomped the boards back into place. Oh, well. Perhaps the rest of today will be better once I’ve found my coffee cup. I know it has to be here somewhere…

Back To Work

Temperature at departure = 77° F (25° C)
Days until school starts = 38

It was a great weekend! I got a bunch of yard work done that needed attention, meals for the next two weeks planned, got to spend some time relaxing on the newly cleaned off back porch and got some extra miles in on the bike. I even spent some time watching the Tour de France.

I'm running a bit behind on my cycling goals for this year and just passed the 1000 miles mark for 2007 yesterday. I'm going to quickly place the blame on some business trips and all the rain we've had this year (excuses, excuses). I'll pick up some more extra miles this weekend as Peter, my buddy John and I are riding in the Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride. Should be cool and I'm looking forward to some Chris Cakes at the end of the ride. I believe Noah said he'd be there too ... hope to see you dude.

Drafting

Temperature at departure = 76° F (24° C)


Although I recommend against it, I enjoyed watching one of the mythbusters drafting behind a semi. The video on the link is around 4 minutes long and did not appear on their show. Now, before you get any ideas I'll remind you of what they always say on their show: do not try this yourself, they are professionals. Still, how cool would it be to have their job?

Nice Day Off

Temperature at departure = 75° F (24° C)

Not much traffic out there on the bike/hike path this morning. My office building is ground zero for the big Corporate Woods Fireworks Display so there was plenty of debris to avoid on the way in. The other, minor, inconvenience was the Caution tape that had been strung on the far side of the little bridge I have to cross. I hit the 4' wide bridge at ~16 MPH and didn't see this tape until I was just about on it.



I stopped with my front wheel having bowed the tape out 6". Easy enough to hop over; and I hope no one minds that I pushed the tape down to the ground. No further need to keep people from going to that side of the creek.

Sorry about the quality of the picture; taken with my camera phone...

Buzz

Temperature at departure = 71° F (20° C)

This morning I was riding through the woods when, suddenly, a bee hit me in the neck. No biggie, I thought; at least it didn't sting me. I continued on my way and after another half mile I started thinking how fortunate I was not to end up like RickyD.

A few moments later I felt a frantic buzz inside my shirt, just above one of my backpack's straps.



I was in the woods with no place to really pull over so I had to wait a half minute until I found a clear spot (shown above) at the side of the trail. Off came my back pack and I started fluffing my shirt with all my might. Finally the bee fell out the bottom and flew away. I can't remember if I'm allergic to bee stings or not. I know my 14 year old son has very nasty allergic reactions to bee stings, so I've decided I need to start carrying some benadryl in my back-pack along with some aspirin, wipes, bandages, etc. What else would you suggest?

Hee-uuuuu-mid

Temperature at a.m. departure = 68° F (20° C)

You know, 68° sounds like a nice temperature to get out and have a leisurley ride to the office. Problem 1 - although I wouldn't mind a leisurely ride to the office, once I start looking down at the bike computer I start pushing myself to get my average MPH up. Problem 2 - the relative humidity this morning was a muggy 81%, so by the time I got to the office I was soaked. Oh well, it IS July and our normal temperature for this time of year is ~10 - 15 degrees warmer...

We spent a good part of the weekend out looking for cars for TWT. His gave up the ghost this last week and although he intends to give commuting by bike a try, he still wants a social life. I hate shopping for cars. 'Nuf said.

Not Really That Popular

So, I've been encouraged to switch over from Outlook to gmail at work. Part of the problem is that all of the e-mail that I've received in the last year is considered unopened now. I've been trying to clear it out for a little over a week and here is where I'm at this morning.

On the bright side, there are some messages that I had deleted, which I shouldn't have, that are back in my Inbox.

Drove again today. I'm trying to remember if I have a wetsuit around someplace. My IM icon at work has been switched to Annie Lennox with the witty tag message of "Here comes the rain again." I'd switch it to BJ Thomas but I'm afraid it would be lost on most of my colleagues.

Family Night

I drove yesterday because CAT and I needed to head out early in order to get out to Camp Naish for Family Night. It had been a pretty nice week; hot and humid, but that's what you expect at camp. Yesterday the rain came back; but you have to expect that at camp too...



Curtis was a bit home-sick when we got there and, truth be told, I was a little camp-sick. I'm really missing not being there this summer -- but it IS a good oportunity for Curtis to be on his own. He is a trooper and had no issues with slogging around in the rain as long as that wasn't going to keep them from doing their late-night swim.

More rain today but I've got the Trek in the van in the hopes that the rain will end this afternoon and the kids will need the van for something, come get it and let me ride home. If not, tomorrow is another day and is supposed to be beautiful. With the trip to Dallas last week, I'm not going to hit my target miles for June anyway.

Wha' huh???

Temperature at departure = 73° F (23° C)

I was listening to the News/Talk station this morning as I was driving JLT to his summer school class and heard an actuality from a guy with the Missouri Department of Transportation discussing some changes to enforcement of lane change violations. He made a comment that I had to scratch my head over:

“Courtesy is the lubricant for traffic congestion.”

At first I thought he meant in an attempt to lower the chance for road rage they are encouraging people to NOT be courteous? Huh? I guess he is trying to convey the oposite. Anyway, I don't want to have to concentrate on stuff like that before I've had coffee. Perhaps if they'd given the story more than the 30 seconds the devoted to it versus the 4 minutes of coverage regarding a certain non-event that is the top headline of the day - I would have understood. Oh well.

I'm Back

Temperature at departure = 74° F (23° C)

Sorry about the lack of posts last week. My daughter is back from Europe. I'm back from Dallas. My youngest son is off to Scout Camp and I'm jealous - I'm on call this week and couldn't go this year. I believe there were only 4 bona fide emergencies while I was gone -- so, typical week away.

It was nice to get back on the bike again today. Almost hit a bunny this morning who was on the path here when it should have been on the game trail to the left. Perhaps the city could put up a multi-species sign of some sort that would direct wildlife to the left and cyclists and pedestrians to the right...

Band Trip Brief

Temperature at departure = 72° F (22° C)
Days until school starts = 63

My daughter has left Paris and should now be in Bietigheim-Bissingen. I've been popping in to check a webcam of the Marktplatz occaisionally and it looks like it is raining there at the moment. They should have a beautiful weekend though.


I got a text message from her last night and she sounds a little home-sick. We're missing her too, but what a wonderful opportunity for her and the other students.

Media Rant

Temperature at departure = 72° F (22° C)
Days until school starts = 63

I've spent my entire adult life working in the media in one form or another and have considered myself a justified critic of the industry. In the last couple of weeks I've seen the local media here do an excellent job covering a story that hit very close to home. They kept the relevant relevant -- great job. Now, the news cycle has shifted gears and we're back to the type of "news" that I abhor.

Samuel Morse changed everything about the way our nation and our world communicated by creating the first information network able to move data faster than the 35 MPH that trains, the era's current delivery system, could travel. At that time, Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden:

"We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate.... We are eager to tunnel under the Atlantic and bring the old world some weeks nearer to the new; but perchance the first news that will leak through into the broad flapping American ear will be that Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough."

Well, now we have the internet and satellite delivered news to let us know that our own princes is suffering and we're back to the media making the relevant irrelevant and vice versa. So it goes.

/rant

If this makes any sense at all, you may enjoy Amusing Ourselves to Death - Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman. Written in 1984, it seems even more pertinent today and makes great pool-side reading.

Should a detour need a detour?

Temperature at departure = 73° F (23° C)
Days until school starts = 64 {with appologies to TOB}

The gang working on the 435 and Antioch project made it a little difficult riding on the bike/hike path detour this morning. They could have at least tried to warn us that this was coming up:



I actually entered from the far end and although I saw the two workers, I didn't see the hoses until it was too late to turn back.

This made it rather difficult as well:



Oh well, still a beautiful ride in, albeit a humid one.

Magic Scale

Temperature at departure = 70° F (21° C)
Days until school starts = 65

Scale, scale, on the tile
Who's the sveltest man on file?

For the longest time I noticed a discrepancy between my weight as calculated by the scale in our bathroom compared to the scale at the gym or doctor's office. Let's just say I always preferred the results at home.

Sunday we were packing my daughter's luggage for her trip to Europe with the school band and needed to make sure her bag hadn't gone over 50 pounds. We brought down the scale and weighed the bag by itself and it came in around 45 pounds. My wife suggested I stand on the scale and weigh myself with and without the bag to see if it came out any different. It did.

I weighed in at a miraculous 185 pounds. I then picked up the bag and it had somehow shed 40 pounds as the dial read 190. Cool, sounded like she'll have plenty of room for presents for her father on the trip back. Now, next time I go to the doctor's office I need to tell them their scale is off ~10 - 15 pounds...

Thanks Anyway

Temperature at departure = 66° F (19° C)
Days until school starts = 72

I didn't put on any sunscreen last night; I didn't go out after dark and there was no rain last night...

It is no wonder more people ride their bikes for transportation in Amsterdam than they do here. In U.S. dollars, they're paying $6.48 per gallon. Yikes!

Who Am I To Question The Weather Channel?

I don't understand it -- but, okay, I'll make sure I wear sunblock during the thunderstorms overnight the next two nights.

Another bobcat

Temperature at departure = 65° F (18° C)
Days until school starts = 73

What a beautiful morning. Windy, but sunny and mild temps. I saw my second bobcat today. Took the extra loop on the way in to work and came around a corner in the woods and there it was, standing in the middle of the path. Compared to the one Peter and I saw a few weeks back, this one was quite a bit larger.


For my own benefit, I've created another Google map to note my Bobcat sightings. A quick screen shot is shown above, but the actual map can be viewed HERE in the event you are very bored.

WOF WOF

We went to Worlds Of Fun with my sister-in-law and two nephews from Wyoming yesterday. A good time was had by all. While there, I noticed some Emo kids walking through the park; it made me wonder -- why would Emo kids want to go to a place called Worlds Of FUN?

"Nice going Janet"

Temperature at departure = 64° F (18° C)
Days until school starts = 77

Wednesday night, just as I was shutting down the laptop in preparations to head home, another thunderstorm rolled in. I wimped out and called Peter to come get me and left my bike in the office along with my helmet and gloves. Yesterday was yet another stormy day so I drove the van so I could haul the bike back home. Today is nice and sunny. Sure, everything is still soaked; there are tons of rain laden branches hanging down over the streets and bike path, lots of mud and puddles and humidity -- but still a nice day to ride. I got the bike out and realized that I'd left my helmet and gloves in the office. I rode anyway and felt weird to be without that piece of Styrofoam wrapped around my noggin.


When I got to the part of the path that loops into the woods around Founder's Park (seen above), I ran into more of the slick mud that nearly did me in back in March. I slowed down a bit and as I came back out into the clear where a sidewalk from the park's parking lot joins the path I was met by three people out for a morning stroll. One of the two ladies present said, loudly, "You should be wearing a helmet."

I was feeling 'ornery.

I stopped and said I agreed, shared the information I just shared with you - including the story from March and noticed that they were more than ready to move on. I continued to ramble a bit and finally bid them a good day. As I rode off I heard the other lady in the group say "Nice going Janet." I just smiled.

Now, that I think of it, I've been rambling on here a bit. Some of you must be saying to your computer "Nice going RSS..."

Depends On Your Viewpoint

The kids: Hooray! Today is the last day of school!

Me: 78 days until school starts.

Zip On!

Temperature at departure = 69° F (21° C)

We had a wonderful day in Wichita yesterday with CAT's two sisters and their families. I enjoyed the chance to sit with my two brothers-in-law and just talk; it has been a long time since we've had the chance. Randy did a great job grillin' [including some antelope that one of my nephews bagged in Wyoming]. I was very happy that the kids hardly spent any time indoors playing video games. The cousins rarely get together like this and they spent the day riding bikes, catching toads, playing ball and just playing outdoors. In fact, Randy's buddy Kenny owns Mosey's, an outdoor challenge center in north Wichita, and invited us all out to take a crack at the climbing walls and zip lines. I'm sure the kids are going to remember this for a long time. If you are in or around the Wichita area - this is a great place to take a group (kids or adults) to do a cool, adventurous outdoor activity.




There is a new feature on the bike path that I'll be seeing every day.


This fountain is in honor of County Commissioner Ed Eilert, former mayor of Overland Park and the 2005 Johnson Countian of the Year. As the summer progresses I'll probably ride closer and closer to the fountain...

Serendipity?

Temperature at departure = 60° F (16° C)

I used to travel quite a bit for work. That stopped just over a year ago and left me with a bunch of points sitting around in various awards programs for air travel, hotels and rental car companies. The big problem is I always went with the lowest reasonable price so never had enough points in any one program to do me much good. So, that time of year has come again - time to redeem some of my points on magazine subscriptions or loose them forever.

Last time I had done this I ended up with most of the magazines I had requested, but two that somehow got mixed up: ESPN and Fast Company. The ESPN typically got handed off to one of my boys, one of their friends or -ahem- the trash can. Fast Company, on the other hand, turned out to be a GREAT read and I looked forward to it each month. I missed it when the subscription expired last time and was going to renew it on my own. Now, I've checked it off on the card I sent in the end of last month and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. Then again, who knows if I'll get it.

The first magazine showed up this week. I had checked off Wired because I have actually gone and BOUGHT copies of it before. Did I get Wired? No - I opened the mailbox and was greeted with a slick and shinny copy of Water Ski!



Now, don't get me wrong, the two times I've gone water skiing in my life, I've loved it [thank you Randy] but the last time was ~15 years ago and I don't really need a magazine about this sport right now. I wonder what other surprises I have in store.

Senator T; Governor T

Temperature at departure = 68° F (20° C)

"Someday - and that day may never come - I'll call upon you to do a service for me..."

I saw the guy again this morning on my ride in; he must be home from college for the summer. I just smiled and waved.

It happened around a year ago, a graduation party is my guess. I walked out my door one morning and there at the end of my driveway was a mess of beer cans and bottles. Some of the bottles were still in a black garbage bag along with a few other items, including ... a student planner from the high school my kids go to.

I cleaned up the mess putting everything in the garbage bag that had been provided and took the planner into the house. I grabbed one of the kids' student directories and looked up the guy's address -- right down the street, about four blocks from our house.

With the garbage bag in the back of my car, I drove up to the boy's house where he and his mother were out in the front yard doing some yard work. I pulled up, got out of the car and called the boy's name and told him I'd found something of his. He walked around to my side of the car where I opened the door, opened up the bag with all the beer cans and bottles, pulled out his planner and handed it to him. The look he gave me was worth more than words can express. His mother had walked up to the other side of the car and asked him what it was; he said something lame about how his friends had taken his planner and thrown it out the window. I just closed the door, smiled and drove off with the garbage bag still in my car leaving them behind to whatever conversation may have followed.

Every now and then, like this morning, I'll see him. He has that look; he knows that I know where he lives...


...and he knows, deep down, that someday...

Tactics

Temperature at departure = 52° F (11° C)

From: Commander, 4th Division, Light Infantry
To: Troops, the Marauding Mammals
Sent: Friday 18th May 2007, 08:43
Subject: Tactics

First, I would like to commend the troops of the fighting forth for their efforts. In fact, I observed three of you this morning as you executed daring feints against the enemy in rapid succession. Your bravery has been duly noted.

In light of the exceptional attempts against the enemy this morning, it pains me to say that our current tactics have been unsuccessful. The enemy continues to make daily sorties onto our path in both morning and afternoon. This must stop. Several of you may be asked to go on missions of a more dangerous nature in the near future; just remember I am proud to have served with you.

A. Squirrel, "Ol' Stumpy Tail"

Ad astra per sciurus

Good Morning Mr. Murphy

Temperature at departure = 55° F (13° C)

What a beautiful morning. Sunny skies, no gusty winds and the temperature was cool but not cold. I had ridden 4.8 miles (7.7 k) and had seen no one on the trail. NO ONE; not one cyclist and, even odder, no pedestrians. I was reflecting on how strange that was when I noticed ahead that a young mother with a toddler on a bike with training wheels and a puppy on a leash had stopped to talk to another young mother headed the other way with a baby in a stroller and approaching them from behind was an elderly couple we all met up at the same point at the exact same moment. We had a brief chuckle, said good morning and the elderly couple and I moved on. After that the flood gates were opened for pedestrians as I met ~5 others before making it to the office.

Bike To Work Weak

Temperature at departure = 53° F (12° C)

I normally see at least two or three other bikes on the way to work. It is Bike To Work Week and so far, on day 3, I've seen a grand total of 1 other cyclist. Maybe it is a reverse psychology thing; perhaps we should have called it Drive To Work Week. Weird.

There have been more pedestrians on the path this week. Every single one of them was polite and very pleasant as we greeted each other with a "Good morning." Even the dogs were well behaved this morning.

Happy Bike To Work Week!

Temperature at departure = 70° F (21° C)

Mother's Day went really well yesterday. CAT said she had a really nice day. Not only had we got her some more lillies for her lilly bed, Saturday we got the bed raked out and weeded, ready for planting the new additions. Dinner out and ice cream afterwords with the kids behaving well. Nice day.

A Couple Wildcats

Temperature at departure = 85° F (29° C)

Spent yesterday in Manhattan at K-State moving things down six flights of stairs to get Peter moved out of his dorm room and back home for the summer. We got quite a bit of yard work done so Peter and I decided to get the bikes out and take a ride on the trail.

Since I had my Trek back (with new spokes), I let Peter ride the Mendota. What a difference that bike made; normally I would have to hold back a bit, this time he made me work to keep up with him.

We came across some other wildlife to add to the list: we chased a bobcat off the trail and saw a 6' long black snake. 23 miles altogether and a wonderful time.

Wait, Wait, Wait

Temperature at departure = 64° F (18° C)

Very humid this morning. I'm pretty tired, I'm on call this week and I had three customers I worked with last night, 2 until 10 p.m. and one from 3:30 to 4:30 this morning. Two of them were great to work with. One of them is a new customer who didn't pay very close attention when the installer was at the station last week and has decided to tinker with the system - thus loosing more than half of the audio for 4 radio stations. Got it back though!

Anyway, I had to watch this again this morning to get a bit of a chuckle to start the day. If you're involved in support in any way, you'll be able to relate.

You Have To Know These Things

Temperature at departure = 64° F (18° C)

Last night was the last high school band concert of the year. The Freshman, Concert and Symphonic bands all did a wonderful job and the guest soloist, Dr. J.D. Parr from Baker University, was amazing on clarinet. We may get in a short 5th grade band concert this afternoon and then the last middle school band concert is next week. I can't believe we're this close to the end of the school year. Let's see ... how many days is it until August 16th?




Had to chase another couple off the little bridge that is close to the end of my ride. As you can see above, it's not very wide, but the thing seems to be a very popular stop for couples out on a walk in the Spring and Fall. I'm still test riding the Mendota so I didn't have a bell to ding at them this morning. I had to politely stop and say "I'm sorry" to get them to move off the bridge to let them pass. As always, I was ready to say "An African or European swallow?" It didn't come to that this morning...

Water Wheels

Temperature at departure = 60° F (16° C)

Well, here is my solution to next week's Bike to Work Week if the rain comes back.


The kit is available at http://www.shuttlebike.com -- too bad I don't speak Italian.

The rain stopped yesterday afternoon and the streets were, for the most part, dry this morning. I had to skip riding on part of the path because it was either covered with running water or 6" deep mud. No matter, it was just nice to get back on the bike. Rivers and streams are going to continue to rise over the next day or so -- a lot of flood preparation segments on the local news. We should be fine, but I'm really ready for things to dry out for a bit.

Oh, and Ducks and Frogs

Forgot to mention those Friday...

I am so tired of the rain. I just checked NOAA and we've gotten 5" in the last 24 hours and here is the forecast for the next few days:


With the recent posts about wildlife I am tempted to make the obligatory Noah's Ark joke but will refrain. Instead I'll just say that perhaps next week should be Canoe To Work Week instead of Bike To Work Week.

Wild Ride

Temperature at departure = 62° F (17° C)

It is Bike to Work Month and here is another reason why I choose to ride my bike rather than drive: wildlife.

I find it odd that after spending 3 days camping out with Boy Scouts and 3 days in the outdoors with the fifth-graders, I had to get back on my bike and ride to work to see some wildlife. Granted, over the six days with several hikes through the woods we did see the remains of a deer that had been taken down by something (probably coyote) along with a handful of turtles and squirrels -- not much else to report.

This morning I came into fairly close contact with the following:

• White Tail Deer
• Woodchucks
• Rabbits
• Squirrels
• Wild Turkey
• Great Blue Heron
• Cardinals
• Robins
• Wrens
• Finches
• Mourning Dove
• Sparrows

...along with others that I've forgotten to note.

Not bad.

Wild - Wildwood

Well, I’m back. Friday through Sunday I was off with the two youngest for a Boy Scout campout. Monday through yesterday I and nine other adults were out at Wildwood, an outdoor learning center with a pretty cool adventure challenge course, with around 70 fifth-graders. It is nice to be back to the normal schedule, but I really should have taken one more day off to just take a long nap.

One quick story about Wildwood: I was in charge of a group of 10 kids and the first half of the day was so – so. The last half of day one turned ugly; especially during free time when I was watching close to 20 kids trying to play a game of basketball. The “game” turned out to be more of a trash talk session so I ended it early. Day two we went on the five hour adventure challenge with one of the staff and I was just supposed to sit back and observe. The kids started out okay but things quickly fell apart with the kids complaining about each other and, finally, making fun of each other's physical attributes. At that point, when the staff leader just looked at me and shrugged, I stopped observing and went into dad mode. Things settled down for a bit - but the arguing never went away. More free time at the BB court with more of the same and I, along with one of the teachers who came down to watch, made the call that there would be no more basketball for the remainder of the trip.

So, I’d not been having a very good time to this point when one of the teachers shared the following story:

When she was in 10th grade, she and some of her classmates went to an adult day-care center as a service project to just spend some time talking with some of the residents. One elderly lady in a wheel chair was sitting off to the side in a corner looking out into space. One of the members of the class, a boy who was very sociable, decided to go engage her in conversation. He spoke with her for several minutes as she continued to just look blankly ahead when, suddenly, she started screaming. She was still just looking straight out into space but screamed and screamed. The manager of the day-care center just looked at the kids from the class and simply said “She taught for forty years.”

I SO appreciate the teachers at our schools.