I've been so caught up in the #darkTO experience that I haven't really given enough thought to what 2013 has been like now that it's coming to a close and what I might dare dream of for 2014. High time to fix that!
A timeline in one thought per decade:
1970 (death), 1980 (separation), 1990 (rebirth), 2000 (professional
growth), 2010 (personal growth), 2020 (who knows?)
There have been a handful of
landmark moments between these and after... life's lessons, first hand
experiences.
2013:
Starting at the end and working back...
We have power, back on the grid, happy to be getting back to some sense of normality.
For a while, I was concerned that our house might make it to "the elite 1%", that exceptional minority that has everything to excess. Except this would have been the inverse... the remaining one percent of 300,000 homes to still be without power. It was a tough and insightful experience, and we only got down as far as the 8% mark. Personally that is how I will look back on this year. There have been a few other experiences as tough, not sure any have taught me more though.
This past week+ has been exceptional, unprecedented in all of my experience. And it fits right into what my 2013 has been like.
My year started out with some firsts... my first time in Louisville (Jan/Feb), first time covering CX world championships, first time traveling with someone else at the wheel. Those firsts were awesome. And seeing how the Louisville organization dealt with their impending catastrophe was something to behold! Imagine working at that level and having to deal with a flood that would cancel day 2 before it got started. Day 2 that would have the most important race of the whole weekend. And pulling it off as if there wasn't any doubt about it. I'm still impressed almost a year later.
Then there was April in North Carolina. Not the first time there, first time leaving the way we did though. First time I broke my neck, at least that I know of. And first time Andrea drove Babe that much and in some challenging places. Add a halo neck brace to the mix once we got back, followed by 9 months of learning... this is getting closer to what my year has been like. By comparison, the ice storm and a week of dealing with some limitations was a piece of cake. And yet... I got very tired of being limited even more than I had been. Enough is enough. It's been a year of learning about things I hadn't considered before.
Between an exciting start and a frozen end, there's been a "well, that happened" year. I'll stop trying to explain it away, it just happened.
2014:
Well...
It will start with more physio, I'm not where I expected to be by now so I'll keep working at it.
The contract I took (another learning experience) will come to an end in March and I've already decided I won't renew... I miss all of the things I got to experience and learn as 2011/2012 shaped my next chapter. My calendar is filling up quickly and it doesn't include being in an office.
My plans start with a trip to Moab in April instead of a trip back to NC. Nothing is finalized yet, even though most of the spring and summer are already mapped out (I have potential trips and events listed on my KraikerPhoto calendar (on Google). A spring trip west, much of the summer in central Canada and the norther U.S., September in Quebec, a few music festivals along the way, and I assume there will be some unexpected events (as there almost always are).
I'm less concerned about what or where, I'm more interested in being able to actually be there. Where-ever "there" is or whatever it is.
Yup.
I'm happy to be here. And that's one thought I've kept close for decades now. I will live 2014 in the moment. No change there...
I'll close by saying, simply:
Happy new year! I hope 2014 is filled with unexpected treasures and pleasures.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A Week of Suspended Anticipation
Every time we've left the house, coming back held a little glimmer of hope that the power would be back on. Only to disappoint us. Yesterday was no different.
A week is a long time to stay in a state of suspended anticipation. Like the tree branches encased in ice, we are frozen in the moment just before the power comes back on. We don't know how long that moment will take, only that it will come at some point. Hopefully before the temperatures drop significantly but there are no promises being made. Only that "we're in the queue". Each day of this week has been a part of that moment and today is no different.
Of the 300,000 homes and businesses that were without power, almost 280,000 of them are back online. We're now in the remaining 8% still waiting.
The @TorontoHydro twitter feed keeps giving out statistics like this, don't they realize how disheartening it is to know you're in an ever diminishing group of people? It's much more constructive to say where the crews are currently working (which they do from time to time). It would be even better if they said where they will head to next. Instead all we get is reminders to be patient and vague promises about the crews not stopping until everyone gets their power restored. A week of hearing that promise makes it sound very hollow.
We are in a cluster of about 20 houses, waiting for them to come to fix one transformer on top of a pole. None of us have downed wires that I can see, no tree limbs came down on the wires between us and the feeder. We're just in the queue somewhere. Waiting, frozen in time.
My biggest concern is this: the warmer weather has things melting, the forecast is for the temperature to drop 10 to 15 degrees and there are likely some branches or other hazards waiting to take out power somewhere in the city. Will we then be waiting for that to get fixed before they remember we're still without power?
Seven days is a long time to hope for something to happen that you can't control or make happen.
A week is a long time to stay in a state of suspended anticipation. Like the tree branches encased in ice, we are frozen in the moment just before the power comes back on. We don't know how long that moment will take, only that it will come at some point. Hopefully before the temperatures drop significantly but there are no promises being made. Only that "we're in the queue". Each day of this week has been a part of that moment and today is no different.
Of the 300,000 homes and businesses that were without power, almost 280,000 of them are back online. We're now in the remaining 8% still waiting.
The @TorontoHydro twitter feed keeps giving out statistics like this, don't they realize how disheartening it is to know you're in an ever diminishing group of people? It's much more constructive to say where the crews are currently working (which they do from time to time). It would be even better if they said where they will head to next. Instead all we get is reminders to be patient and vague promises about the crews not stopping until everyone gets their power restored. A week of hearing that promise makes it sound very hollow.
We are in a cluster of about 20 houses, waiting for them to come to fix one transformer on top of a pole. None of us have downed wires that I can see, no tree limbs came down on the wires between us and the feeder. We're just in the queue somewhere. Waiting, frozen in time.
My biggest concern is this: the warmer weather has things melting, the forecast is for the temperature to drop 10 to 15 degrees and there are likely some branches or other hazards waiting to take out power somewhere in the city. Will we then be waiting for that to get fixed before they remember we're still without power?
Seven days is a long time to hope for something to happen that you can't control or make happen.
 | |
| From TorontoHydro.com |
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Day 5
This will be my 201st post to the blog since starting it in 2011. Usually my multi-post threads are related to a trip, this thread is more of an "adventure" since it all takes place in the same location...
The Toronto Hydro twitter feed tells me how hard the crews have been working for the past 5 days:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Power restored to approx. 82% of (or 245,726) customers since height of storm. 54,724 remain without power.
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro)
<a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoHydro/statuses/416197050477203456">December 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
We are in the remaining 18% though, without power for over 100 hours nows. We've been out of the house a few times to visit family and celebrate this festive time. And each time there has been an edge to being out; a hint of concern mixed with anticipation. I hope to be home when the power comes back on... the water pipes are fine but I'm not sure about the radiator pipes as they've been without any circulation. And I expect the furnace will kick in once the power is on. That's the concern, the trepidation.
The anticipation comes from driving through streets and intersections that had been dark earlier in the day wondering if perhaps we're also back on the grid. Both times it has been disheartening to get to our little nook and see no change.
Five days into this, it's hard to keep a positive attitude. The fridge and freezer are empty with some frozen food saved in the bike shed and lots of spoilage waiting for the next garbage collection. The floors and walls are all cold to touch, there is ice building up on some of the windows, and most of the time has either been in the living room by the space heater or under the covers in bed. Not much motivation to do things. Even reading means holding something cold in your hands.
I should have been out taking photos, the grey days have had some interesting light effects, there have been bright sunny periods and the ice at night in a mix of lit and dark sections has lots of potential. I just haven't been motivated to be out in the cold.
That's not to say I haven't taken any photos. But they have mostly been on my iPhone. I"ll wrap this entry up with a few photos. We'll be heading out again this afternoon, perhaps tonight we'll come home to light.
The Toronto Hydro twitter feed tells me how hard the crews have been working for the past 5 days:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Power restored to approx. 82% of (or 245,726) customers since height of storm. 54,724 remain without power.
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro)
<a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoHydro/statuses/416197050477203456">December 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
We are in the remaining 18% though, without power for over 100 hours nows. We've been out of the house a few times to visit family and celebrate this festive time. And each time there has been an edge to being out; a hint of concern mixed with anticipation. I hope to be home when the power comes back on... the water pipes are fine but I'm not sure about the radiator pipes as they've been without any circulation. And I expect the furnace will kick in once the power is on. That's the concern, the trepidation.
The anticipation comes from driving through streets and intersections that had been dark earlier in the day wondering if perhaps we're also back on the grid. Both times it has been disheartening to get to our little nook and see no change.
Five days into this, it's hard to keep a positive attitude. The fridge and freezer are empty with some frozen food saved in the bike shed and lots of spoilage waiting for the next garbage collection. The floors and walls are all cold to touch, there is ice building up on some of the windows, and most of the time has either been in the living room by the space heater or under the covers in bed. Not much motivation to do things. Even reading means holding something cold in your hands.
I should have been out taking photos, the grey days have had some interesting light effects, there have been bright sunny periods and the ice at night in a mix of lit and dark sections has lots of potential. I just haven't been motivated to be out in the cold.
That's not to say I haven't taken any photos. But they have mostly been on my iPhone. I"ll wrap this entry up with a few photos. We'll be heading out again this afternoon, perhaps tonight we'll come home to light.
 |
| Day 1 |
 |
| Day 1 |
 |
| Early Ice |
 |
| Sun and Ice |
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Still in the dark
Social media is an interesting thing. It's become a great source for getting news quickly and from numerous different perspectives. In the case of #darkTO it's revealing itself to be a challenge.
Reading as friend by friend gets power back while we are still without has an odd taste, a twist of bitter in it and a hint of something more.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy for everyone who's got their power back! And we're doing ok thanks to some great and generous neighbours. It just feels a little more... Difficult? Frustrating? Not sure what the right word is but getting so much news without getting any direct news about when our situation will change has given me cause and pause to reflect.
Is this a small sampling of how people felt in Japan after the tsunami? Or in Sryia? Or any major natural or man-made disaster since we all got so connected? I'm definitely not saying this is anything close to as bad as that... Only that perhaps I have a little more sensitivity to how challenging it can be now. And perhaps I have been given a glimpse of how a drop of rain, greed for power, a wave, or some wind can alter someone's life forever.
In any event, I'll take this as my second reminder this year about how lucky I am and how good it is to be alive. That's a lesson I hope I have already taken to heart.
Reading as friend by friend gets power back while we are still without has an odd taste, a twist of bitter in it and a hint of something more.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy for everyone who's got their power back! And we're doing ok thanks to some great and generous neighbours. It just feels a little more... Difficult? Frustrating? Not sure what the right word is but getting so much news without getting any direct news about when our situation will change has given me cause and pause to reflect.
Is this a small sampling of how people felt in Japan after the tsunami? Or in Sryia? Or any major natural or man-made disaster since we all got so connected? I'm definitely not saying this is anything close to as bad as that... Only that perhaps I have a little more sensitivity to how challenging it can be now. And perhaps I have been given a glimpse of how a drop of rain, greed for power, a wave, or some wind can alter someone's life forever.
In any event, I'll take this as my second reminder this year about how lucky I am and how good it is to be alive. That's a lesson I hope I have already taken to heart.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
#darkTO
Encased in ice, Toronto is struggling to get back to normal. At the height of the "storm" and in the aftermath over 300,000 people were without power. Trees in many of the older parts of the city shattered under the weight, described as 3 time what they would normally bear. Exploring some parts of the city was impossible as roads were blocked by the carnage and the power lines that came down with the limbs. Even major roads like Leslie Street were narrowed by the trees leaning down from the park. Traffic lights were out, for the most part people were considerate toward each other.
Amazing how damaging a steady light rain can be.
It's now over 56 hours since the power started going out, the Hyrdo crews have been working non-stop and over half of the people who lost power are back online and have their heat back. There have been some tragedies as people made mistakes with barbeques indoors, generators in their garages or unattended candles. Not many, but a few needless deaths.
We are still without power, fortunately we have a gas stove and water heater. The furnace needs electricity to pump the water through the rads but we were able to keep the house warm enough while the outside temperature was still around freezing. And now that it's dropped to -10c we're lucky that our neighbours got their power back. With an extension cord from their outdoor outlet running in through our mail slot, we have one light on in the living room and a small electic space heater near Punch's cage. He seems happy enough at +15c so we're all doing ok.
Next up: Andrea is going to bake a cake for tomorrow's Bowker family gathering while I get things ready for the Kraiker gathering with our traditional fondue dinner. An evening out of the ice-encrusted city will be good. Fortunately the storm didn't reach up to Midland so my mother was unaffected.
Perhaps we'll have power and heat by the time we get home.
Amazing how damaging a steady light rain can be.
It's now over 56 hours since the power started going out, the Hyrdo crews have been working non-stop and over half of the people who lost power are back online and have their heat back. There have been some tragedies as people made mistakes with barbeques indoors, generators in their garages or unattended candles. Not many, but a few needless deaths.
We are still without power, fortunately we have a gas stove and water heater. The furnace needs electricity to pump the water through the rads but we were able to keep the house warm enough while the outside temperature was still around freezing. And now that it's dropped to -10c we're lucky that our neighbours got their power back. With an extension cord from their outdoor outlet running in through our mail slot, we have one light on in the living room and a small electic space heater near Punch's cage. He seems happy enough at +15c so we're all doing ok.
Next up: Andrea is going to bake a cake for tomorrow's Bowker family gathering while I get things ready for the Kraiker gathering with our traditional fondue dinner. An evening out of the ice-encrusted city will be good. Fortunately the storm didn't reach up to Midland so my mother was unaffected.
Perhaps we'll have power and heat by the time we get home.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Too much on my mind
I should be calling it a day and putting my head down to get some sleep... funny how life can get in the way of things you plan. Things happen, adrenaline kicks in, you go with it. So here I go...
My last (terse) blog entry was about writing an article about doping in cycling a year ago, specifically about doping and a Canadian cyclist (Michael Barry). Then there was a second revelation, it hit home even just as deep for a second time here in Canada. That news (about Ryder Hesjedal and others) prompted me to write an early reaction piece for the Pedal magazine website (plus a follow-up) and am following that up with an in-depth print article about the latest round. Funny thing: it just keeps getting more in depth as I ask more questions.
I honestly like where it's going though.
The news of Ryder Hesjedal's confession to doping broke really hard, there were more negative reactions to this than any of the Rob Ford revelations (IMHO, likely only Toronto friends will get that, it's ok). It was a much stronger reaction than when Michael Barry came forward too, it seemed to be very short lived though. Beyond initial reactions, I was looking to confirm a few things and found some even more interesting details in background stuff.
One thing (a CCES email interview) led to another (a USADA phone+email interview), requests for comments from Slipstream Sports (email), which led to another USADA conversation (background discussion via phone+email), follow up requests to Slipstream (email), which led to a call from USADA (regarding an extended video of a presentation by Travis Tygart... yes, USADA is forthcoming to media requests).
And then Twitter.
I saw a tweet that went like this:
I've been trying to get some time on the record with him to balance what I've gotten from other sources so I decided to respond...
I'm not sure I even hit enter before my phone rang with a Denver CO # showing up. About 1/2 an hour later I was sitting back wondering if that really happened. And of course it had. Vaughters is that kind of person.
Details to follow...I hope the essence of this extended story comes through in the piece I'm writing... you can let me know what you think when it's published.
My last (terse) blog entry was about writing an article about doping in cycling a year ago, specifically about doping and a Canadian cyclist (Michael Barry). Then there was a second revelation, it hit home even just as deep for a second time here in Canada. That news (about Ryder Hesjedal and others) prompted me to write an early reaction piece for the Pedal magazine website (plus a follow-up) and am following that up with an in-depth print article about the latest round. Funny thing: it just keeps getting more in depth as I ask more questions.
I honestly like where it's going though.
The news of Ryder Hesjedal's confession to doping broke really hard, there were more negative reactions to this than any of the Rob Ford revelations (IMHO, likely only Toronto friends will get that, it's ok). It was a much stronger reaction than when Michael Barry came forward too, it seemed to be very short lived though. Beyond initial reactions, I was looking to confirm a few things and found some even more interesting details in background stuff.
One thing (a CCES email interview) led to another (a USADA phone+email interview), requests for comments from Slipstream Sports (email), which led to another USADA conversation (background discussion via phone+email), follow up requests to Slipstream (email), which led to a call from USADA (regarding an extended video of a presentation by Travis Tygart... yes, USADA is forthcoming to media requests).
And then Twitter.
I saw a tweet that went like this:
Some days I do stupid things. Most days, actually. Just that only sometimes my stupidity becomes public.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) December 12, 2013
I've been trying to get some time on the record with him to balance what I've gotten from other sources so I decided to respond...
@Vaughters a Westword too many? Wasn't the interview we didn't have today...
— Peter Kraiker (@kraikerphoto) December 12, 2013
Smackdown... careful what you ask for. I do feel that I got more than I bargained for and I love it.I'm not sure I even hit enter before my phone rang with a Denver CO # showing up. About 1/2 an hour later I was sitting back wondering if that really happened. And of course it had. Vaughters is that kind of person.
Details to follow...I hope the essence of this extended story comes through in the piece I'm writing... you can let me know what you think when it's published.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Writing... A Recurring Theme
I've just finished writing another feature article for Pedal Magazine, I can't help but think back to the one I wrote about a year ago...
Monday, November 25, 2013
Ninety-five years...
is a pretty long time ago. November 24, 1918 so make that 95 years plus a day (or however many more have passed between my writing this and your reading it). That's how long my mother has been exploring this world though, and I'm amazed at how well she's doing.
I think this is the first time we've ever celebrated her birthday before the day, it was only the day before though so we could have more people join in on the festivities for a Saturday dinner rather than on Sunday. And while many of her friends have passed on it was still a good turnout with 15 people at the table. A mix of family and friends.
So here's a gallery of photos from my camera and Conrad's...
And just for the fun of it, here's a photo from the party to celebrate mom's 90th... I put up a gallery on Picasa back in 2008, here's the link.
I think this is the first time we've ever celebrated her birthday before the day, it was only the day before though so we could have more people join in on the festivities for a Saturday dinner rather than on Sunday. And while many of her friends have passed on it was still a good turnout with 15 people at the table. A mix of family and friends.
So here's a gallery of photos from my camera and Conrad's...
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| Flowers, family and friends |
 |
| Tracy, Conrad, Kayla, Andrea and the rest of the table |
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| Claire and Marie |
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| Long time friends, getting together for a special occasion |
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| Of course my mom made her own cake to bring to her party! |
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| And it was delicious |
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| Andrea, Steff, Tracy, Kayla and Marie |
And just for the fun of it, here's a photo from the party to celebrate mom's 90th... I put up a gallery on Picasa back in 2008, here's the link.
Finally got the courage up to shave...
I feel comfortable enough with the pin sites that I decided it was time to shave again. So there it is... what little hair I had is now gone again : )
And as an afterthought, here's a photo from when I first shaved my head, back in Jan. 2011
Friday, November 22, 2013
2013 Cyclocross Season Wrap-up
While I didn't get to cover much of the cycling season this year I feel like it did end on a high note and I'll take as a positive sign for the season to come.
On top of my own distractions there was also the late-season doping revelations that took some of the fun out of it. I'm not surprised, just disappointed that yet more Canadians are being shown to be dopers. Still... I'm optimistic about the future of the sport, keep an eye on the next issue of Pedal magazine where I expect to have an article published about it reflecting my opinions and those of others in the cycling scene here.
But back to the topic at hand... CX.
I made it to most of the local races, missed a couple because of conflicts or the fact that the camper is now in hibernation for the winter but I was at the majority of them. For the most part the weather was too good. Hardwood presented me with the opportunity to get dramatic photos while the Baseball Cross delivered some good deep and sloppy mud shots as usual.
Last year around this time I was formulating plans to get to Louisville for the Worlds. No such luck this year, I have wrapped up my season and will start it up again in the spring. Which means I'll spend the next month or 2 sorting out my calendar to see what events I'll be covering. I'm hoping to be much more active in 2014.
I'll let my images speak for themselves though... first up is a video of images taken on the GoPro I've been using as a trail-side extra. I like the ability to use my iPhone as a monitor and remote to trigger it, there are some problems with the app/iOS7/4S combination I have though as it drains the battery way too fast. I actually think it's not that the battery is drained but that something is making iOS7 think it is. Either way it means I have to use it selectively. So here's my selection... hope you like the tune too!
I'll follow that up with a small gallery of select photos from the events, many of which have been posted to FB. The larger galleries are on my KrakerPhoto.com website, as usual. Hope you like them...
On top of my own distractions there was also the late-season doping revelations that took some of the fun out of it. I'm not surprised, just disappointed that yet more Canadians are being shown to be dopers. Still... I'm optimistic about the future of the sport, keep an eye on the next issue of Pedal magazine where I expect to have an article published about it reflecting my opinions and those of others in the cycling scene here.
But back to the topic at hand... CX.
I made it to most of the local races, missed a couple because of conflicts or the fact that the camper is now in hibernation for the winter but I was at the majority of them. For the most part the weather was too good. Hardwood presented me with the opportunity to get dramatic photos while the Baseball Cross delivered some good deep and sloppy mud shots as usual.
Last year around this time I was formulating plans to get to Louisville for the Worlds. No such luck this year, I have wrapped up my season and will start it up again in the spring. Which means I'll spend the next month or 2 sorting out my calendar to see what events I'll be covering. I'm hoping to be much more active in 2014.
I'll let my images speak for themselves though... first up is a video of images taken on the GoPro I've been using as a trail-side extra. I like the ability to use my iPhone as a monitor and remote to trigger it, there are some problems with the app/iOS7/4S combination I have though as it drains the battery way too fast. I actually think it's not that the battery is drained but that something is making iOS7 think it is. Either way it means I have to use it selectively. So here's my selection... hope you like the tune too!
I'll follow that up with a small gallery of select photos from the events, many of which have been posted to FB. The larger galleries are on my KrakerPhoto.com website, as usual. Hope you like them...
Monday, November 18, 2013
November Sideroads, Concessions and Trails
Since I mentioned this ride as a source of finding the GPS documentary I posted earlier, I thought I should do justice to the ride too.
A group of almost 20 people showed up in Erin at Jouko and Robin's place, greeted by freshly baked cookies and espresso shots before the 11AM start. Almost all were prepared for the ride and had brought CX bikes. The three exceptions were Ian (road bike) plus Andrea and me (MTB steeds). Ian's choice was better.
Before agreeing to do the ride I made it known that I would be the slow guy and it only took one hill for me to realize how out of shape I was. By the second hill I got a push to try to stay in contact and before the 3rd hill I decided to do my own ride. That was the right choice.
I still rode for almost 2 1/2 hours, my legs were spent by the end of it, and I was very pleased to have accomplished what I did. I even took a detour and did some double track that was pretty and technical. I got back a little before the shorter ride group, had time to get changed and not much more. And we all got treated to a feast!
Lots of great food, from lots of the people on the ride or their partners at home. And everyone had a tale to tell about their day, it was a perfect day for an end of season ride. Not the "HTFU" epic it could have been but there have been enough of those this year already. I'd call it a perfect autumn ride.
And here are a few photos from the day. I'm glad I took some pics early, I spent most of the ride on my own (happily doing whatever I wanted at whatever pace I felt like doing it at).
A group of almost 20 people showed up in Erin at Jouko and Robin's place, greeted by freshly baked cookies and espresso shots before the 11AM start. Almost all were prepared for the ride and had brought CX bikes. The three exceptions were Ian (road bike) plus Andrea and me (MTB steeds). Ian's choice was better.
Before agreeing to do the ride I made it known that I would be the slow guy and it only took one hill for me to realize how out of shape I was. By the second hill I got a push to try to stay in contact and before the 3rd hill I decided to do my own ride. That was the right choice.
I still rode for almost 2 1/2 hours, my legs were spent by the end of it, and I was very pleased to have accomplished what I did. I even took a detour and did some double track that was pretty and technical. I got back a little before the shorter ride group, had time to get changed and not much more. And we all got treated to a feast!
Lots of great food, from lots of the people on the ride or their partners at home. And everyone had a tale to tell about their day, it was a perfect day for an end of season ride. Not the "HTFU" epic it could have been but there have been enough of those this year already. I'd call it a perfect autumn ride.
And here are a few photos from the day. I'm glad I took some pics early, I spent most of the ride on my own (happily doing whatever I wanted at whatever pace I felt like doing it at).
The Things You Find On A Garmin
A ride this past weekend led me to finding this, hadn't really thought about it until seeing it but it's an interesting sort of documentary.
I decided to bring my Garmin along so I could find my way on roads that I'd never been on before. And it was a fun ride (thanks again Robin and Jouko!). It was about 2 1/2 hours of riding and it was a good test of my neck. I felt more comfortable than when Andrea and I were in Vermont, a little more flexible too. Progress, but still lots of room for improvement.
So... this morning I uploaded the ride to Garmin Connect along with all of the other rides it had stored on it. The most recent one before this weekend was from April 7th 2013 (I didn't bring the Garmin to Vermont which is the only other time I've ridden since April). Here's the map from that day...
The start is at the Turkeypen trail head parking lot, the end is at the motel where we finally settled in for the night. In between it shows:
Seeing this certainly brought back a lot of memories. Some are in the blog entry I linked to above, some I hadn't included. This kind of tells the story that I skipped over between my crash and the drive back to Toronto, in a way I wouldn't have thought of. The very definition of a life-altering moment, captured via a GPS.
And for the Garmin / Strava geeks, here are the details of the ride.
Pisgah by pkraiker at Garmin Connect - Details
I decided to bring my Garmin along so I could find my way on roads that I'd never been on before. And it was a fun ride (thanks again Robin and Jouko!). It was about 2 1/2 hours of riding and it was a good test of my neck. I felt more comfortable than when Andrea and I were in Vermont, a little more flexible too. Progress, but still lots of room for improvement.
So... this morning I uploaded the ride to Garmin Connect along with all of the other rides it had stored on it. The most recent one before this weekend was from April 7th 2013 (I didn't bring the Garmin to Vermont which is the only other time I've ridden since April). Here's the map from that day...
 |
| A day in the life of... |
- a few hours of riding, along the various trails we rode that day. It was an out-and-back route.
- then some slower walking, making my way back to the parking lot.
- a quick drive to the hospital in Brevard, where they put me in a temporary neck brace and did the CT scan.
- then while I was whisked to the Asheville hospital in an ambulance, Andrea drove Babe to the campground and then on to Asheville (that's around 8 hours into this day that started around 11AM).
- Then the drive back to the campground. A short drive from the hospital to a drug store for pain killers, then back to the campground. But instead of spending the night in Babe we got a motel room at the corner where the BiLo is. That would make it around 13 hours later. That night wasn't very restful.
Seeing this certainly brought back a lot of memories. Some are in the blog entry I linked to above, some I hadn't included. This kind of tells the story that I skipped over between my crash and the drive back to Toronto, in a way I wouldn't have thought of. The very definition of a life-altering moment, captured via a GPS.
And for the Garmin / Strava geeks, here are the details of the ride.
Pisgah by pkraiker at Garmin Connect - Details
Monday, October 14, 2013
2013 Vermont Trip, Part 2
I'm back home in Toronto, reflecting on how quickly the week flew by.
I'm happy to report that Babe behaved perfectly after the fix for the starter wire, she purred all the way throughout the rest of the trip including the 12 hours driving back on Saturday. I'm glad we pushed all the way home on a beautiful sunny day; it rained on Sunday so being home, sleeping in, relaxing was perfect.
And I spent some time yesterday editing photos and videos. First up, here's the video... I took parts from a number of trails, mixed them up to a great tune, and came up with 8 minutes. These are all fun trails, lots of flow and most of them are descents so you can pick up a lot of speed. I did speed up the video as well, mostly just to get more of the trails in without making it too long but also because I wasn't going that fast. I was riding more than I expected to and loving it but I wasn't going to push my luck. No spills or slips, and I walked the few very tricky parts I came across including some narrow bridges.
Next up are some photos... this blog entry is all about the images and feelings rather than my words :)
These two photos are from the Ricker Pond campsite we had. I can't even guess how long that stone picnic table has been there but it's still really solid so I expect it will be there for a while.
These clam shells on the other hand... they will only last until the next kids come to play on the big rock at the edge of the woods.
Here's what the trails looked like at Ricker CG, they were perfect for me to start riding on.
This waterfall was just off the road, part of Wells River.
We changed campsites for our last night on Burke Mountain, this is the campsite we had reserved (not intentionally but it's the one listed in our reservation). The campground was going to fill up on the Friday evening for the weekend and the site we'd been staying in was booked for the full weekend so it made sense for us to move. And yes, that is another westy in campsite #7 through the trees.
One thing I've found since getting the camper is that firewood is a much different experience that what I'm used to from canoe camping. I've had a great Sven saw for over 20 years (designed in Canada, manufactured in the U.S.) and have used it a lot to cut small trees for evening fires. But much of the camping in Babe is at campgrounds or forests where cutting trees isn't permitted and firewood comes in the form of split logs. Often not split all that well. So I finally broke down and bought a small axe to add to the tool box.
And here are a few more colourful shots to wrap up this entry. I particularly like the vibrant sunset. Not bad for an iPhone photo...
I'm happy to report that Babe behaved perfectly after the fix for the starter wire, she purred all the way throughout the rest of the trip including the 12 hours driving back on Saturday. I'm glad we pushed all the way home on a beautiful sunny day; it rained on Sunday so being home, sleeping in, relaxing was perfect.
And I spent some time yesterday editing photos and videos. First up, here's the video... I took parts from a number of trails, mixed them up to a great tune, and came up with 8 minutes. These are all fun trails, lots of flow and most of them are descents so you can pick up a lot of speed. I did speed up the video as well, mostly just to get more of the trails in without making it too long but also because I wasn't going that fast. I was riding more than I expected to and loving it but I wasn't going to push my luck. No spills or slips, and I walked the few very tricky parts I came across including some narrow bridges.
Next up are some photos... this blog entry is all about the images and feelings rather than my words :)
These two photos are from the Ricker Pond campsite we had. I can't even guess how long that stone picnic table has been there but it's still really solid so I expect it will be there for a while.
These clam shells on the other hand... they will only last until the next kids come to play on the big rock at the edge of the woods.
Here's what the trails looked like at Ricker CG, they were perfect for me to start riding on.
This waterfall was just off the road, part of Wells River.
We changed campsites for our last night on Burke Mountain, this is the campsite we had reserved (not intentionally but it's the one listed in our reservation). The campground was going to fill up on the Friday evening for the weekend and the site we'd been staying in was booked for the full weekend so it made sense for us to move. And yes, that is another westy in campsite #7 through the trees.
One thing I've found since getting the camper is that firewood is a much different experience that what I'm used to from canoe camping. I've had a great Sven saw for over 20 years (designed in Canada, manufactured in the U.S.) and have used it a lot to cut small trees for evening fires. But much of the camping in Babe is at campgrounds or forests where cutting trees isn't permitted and firewood comes in the form of split logs. Often not split all that well. So I finally broke down and bought a small axe to add to the tool box.
And here are a few more colourful shots to wrap up this entry. I particularly like the vibrant sunset. Not bad for an iPhone photo...
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The 2013 Edition of Autumn in Vermont
Amazing how quickly time has passed this year, and yes… I know I'm repeating myself. I just keep getting reminded of that in a bunch of different ways at a bunch of different times.
The last bike riding I did was back in April, back in North Carolina, back before I hurt myself. And so Wednesday in the parking lot of the East Burke bike shop (and by the Kingdom Trails office) it really didn't surprise me to be talking about Pisgah to someone who'd spent a lot of time there. Jesse Livingston & his partner Lori Reed (Trail Care Crew for Subaru/IMBA) we just headed up this way from that area and were here for the first time. But that's later in the trip report so let me get back to the beginning.
We got the camper loaded up in good time on Thursday and didn't hit too much rush-hour traffic getting away from the city. I was up for 5 or 6 hours of driving and we planned on getting to our usual first night stop in Massena, NY. We made good time and got there shortly after 10pm with time to unwind and watch a little TV (likely the only TV we'll see until we're on our way home except for little bits in pubs & such). It was filled with politics of course and certainly got us up to speed on the various positions of the parties and groups of thugs within the parties who seem to be holding the rest of the country hostage until they get what they want. It was a good refresher before heading into Vermont and spending some quality time with Guy & his wife Joan. He is well versed in the national and local scenes and always interesting to talk politics with (something I generally don't do so take that as high praise if you're reading this Guy!).
We got to their place around 5pm on Friday and got the first part of the tour from Joan, including her favourite place in the house. I can see why too… the view across the valley to Mt. Mansfield was gorgeous. I can imagine many hours spent there reading, petting a cat or dog, or just lost in thought. Perhaps a nap or two as well! When Guy got home we got the tour of his beer-making facilities with a tasting. What a great setup, with multiple delicious beers on tap by the keg (no bottling, just straight up).
When we were about to head to Jericho for a nice evening dining at one of their favourite restaurants (Joan told us she'd just been there that afternoon) Babe decided it was time to act up… the problem I've been having lately with the positive lead to the solenoid on the started coming off did exactly that. It's not hard to put back on but with the camper loaded and bikes on the back it would take 15 minutes just to get to it. Guy suggested we go in their camper so off we went. I realized I hadn't been in the back of a westy before (or if I have I've forgotten it). Definitely a lot of room between the front and back seats!
After a leisurely meal (inspired by slow service as much as anything else but still very enjoyable) we headed back and decided to fix the starter wire once and for all. Guy dug out a few tools, I dug out the offending wire and we proceeded to clean it up, solder on a 3 inch extension to make up for the inch we took off plus making up for the short length, double protected it with heat shrink and then added on a good connector (soldered not crimped and protected with heat shrink as well). I'm happy to report that 5 days later the problem has not reoccurred and I would be very surprised if it dare to! So… a big thanks Guy.
One more thing he shared with us is a great camping spot and that's where we headed to the next morning. Rickers Pond CG is part of Groton State Forest and is set between the lake and an old railway bed that's now a multi-use path. It turned out to a perfect place for me to get back on a bike with gentle grades and not too many bumps. There are some nice campsites too, they get booked early I expect and we were happy to take what was left. They are a little close together for my liking but then again we got to meet some great people (including Lesley & Bill and their dog Casey). Next time we head to Watkins we'll let them know and perhaps get together. There was also the blacksmith from down around Putney (I think I got that right) who used to have a westy but decided to switch over to a trailer. He came by to take a look, chat about the pleasures of travel, and recumbent bikes. Interesting guy. And he very helpfully came by the next morning to let us know about the weather heading east. It didn't catch up to us until late Monday afternoon but it definitely hit a few areas really hard (including the Burke Mountain CG which had a few trees come down on sites).
Back to Rickers Pond though… on top of camping (which I love), it also represents my return to riding a bike with two days in the saddle in a row. Saturday, October 5th 2013 was just 2 days shy of 7 months since my fall in NC. The first ride was tentative and about an hour and a half along some rail-trail. Up hill for about 50 minutes at a gentle grade, then back down to the campsite. It was long enough that my tender butt told me about it the next day though. And the other part that complained was my neck… it's been almost 7 months since I've tilted my head back like that.
The next day was a little easier and definitely a lot more fun. We headed in the opposite direction and even played a little off the trail. Not exactly single track but riding through a hydro cut and then a bit of pine forest. That ride was closer to 2 hours.
Monday (the day the weather was supposed to turn on us and the rest of New England) was a day of travelling, shopping and exploring. That included a stop @ King Arthur Flour in Norwich of course. Our final stop of the day was to buy a tarp since we'd forgotten to bring one along and figured we should have one handy. I guess there was another stop as the folks at the Burke CG suggested we might want to wait until around 8 when the storm would definitely be past before setting up camp. And as we were the only people booked into the CG for that night and the next they gave us their phone # in case we needed some help.
Dinner was in the pub in East Burke where we kept an eye on the weather and then made our way up to our campsite. A good fire to keep us warm, the rain stopped and we got to enjoy the night. It was cool but we were rewarded with sun the next day. And it's been sunny ever since (and still cold at night).
We rode some gravel roads on Tuesday… what was a short loop turned out to be a long loop as we missed a turn. It made for a better ride though and put us on some "roads" that would pass as technical double track. And it helped me with my comfort and confidence on the bike. Which brings us to Wed., and meeting Jesse and Lori in the parking lot.
Andrea was all set for a good 3 hour ride and I was just puttering around the camper as she was getting ready. Jesse has friends who are full-timers and has spent time traveling in a westy so he knows the pleasures (and challenges). As paid Subaru/IMBA reps, they get to travel around staying in hotels/motels riding their bikes… and loving it. He mentioned a blog they're keeping, I'll have to check it out.
And on that note I'll wrap up this blog entry. Our trip is about ½ done so there'll be another installment which will start with how our ride on Thursday goes. We'll both buy trail tickets and I'm intending to ride mostly double track plus some easy single track connectors. Then a little more riding on Friday and we'll see how that goes. For now, it's stack up some firewood and get things ready for a cosy evening by the fire.
Here are a few photos to enjoy... they are @ 1024px resolution so they might work as a desktop background.
The last bike riding I did was back in April, back in North Carolina, back before I hurt myself. And so Wednesday in the parking lot of the East Burke bike shop (and by the Kingdom Trails office) it really didn't surprise me to be talking about Pisgah to someone who'd spent a lot of time there. Jesse Livingston & his partner Lori Reed (Trail Care Crew for Subaru/IMBA) we just headed up this way from that area and were here for the first time. But that's later in the trip report so let me get back to the beginning.
We got the camper loaded up in good time on Thursday and didn't hit too much rush-hour traffic getting away from the city. I was up for 5 or 6 hours of driving and we planned on getting to our usual first night stop in Massena, NY. We made good time and got there shortly after 10pm with time to unwind and watch a little TV (likely the only TV we'll see until we're on our way home except for little bits in pubs & such). It was filled with politics of course and certainly got us up to speed on the various positions of the parties and groups of thugs within the parties who seem to be holding the rest of the country hostage until they get what they want. It was a good refresher before heading into Vermont and spending some quality time with Guy & his wife Joan. He is well versed in the national and local scenes and always interesting to talk politics with (something I generally don't do so take that as high praise if you're reading this Guy!).
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| Driveway camping with Joan & Guy |
We got to their place around 5pm on Friday and got the first part of the tour from Joan, including her favourite place in the house. I can see why too… the view across the valley to Mt. Mansfield was gorgeous. I can imagine many hours spent there reading, petting a cat or dog, or just lost in thought. Perhaps a nap or two as well! When Guy got home we got the tour of his beer-making facilities with a tasting. What a great setup, with multiple delicious beers on tap by the keg (no bottling, just straight up).
When we were about to head to Jericho for a nice evening dining at one of their favourite restaurants (Joan told us she'd just been there that afternoon) Babe decided it was time to act up… the problem I've been having lately with the positive lead to the solenoid on the started coming off did exactly that. It's not hard to put back on but with the camper loaded and bikes on the back it would take 15 minutes just to get to it. Guy suggested we go in their camper so off we went. I realized I hadn't been in the back of a westy before (or if I have I've forgotten it). Definitely a lot of room between the front and back seats!
After a leisurely meal (inspired by slow service as much as anything else but still very enjoyable) we headed back and decided to fix the starter wire once and for all. Guy dug out a few tools, I dug out the offending wire and we proceeded to clean it up, solder on a 3 inch extension to make up for the inch we took off plus making up for the short length, double protected it with heat shrink and then added on a good connector (soldered not crimped and protected with heat shrink as well). I'm happy to report that 5 days later the problem has not reoccurred and I would be very surprised if it dare to! So… a big thanks Guy.
 |
| Smugglers Notch |
Back to Rickers Pond though… on top of camping (which I love), it also represents my return to riding a bike with two days in the saddle in a row. Saturday, October 5th 2013 was just 2 days shy of 7 months since my fall in NC. The first ride was tentative and about an hour and a half along some rail-trail. Up hill for about 50 minutes at a gentle grade, then back down to the campsite. It was long enough that my tender butt told me about it the next day though. And the other part that complained was my neck… it's been almost 7 months since I've tilted my head back like that.
 |
| Mushrooms, in HDR |
Monday (the day the weather was supposed to turn on us and the rest of New England) was a day of travelling, shopping and exploring. That included a stop @ King Arthur Flour in Norwich of course. Our final stop of the day was to buy a tarp since we'd forgotten to bring one along and figured we should have one handy. I guess there was another stop as the folks at the Burke CG suggested we might want to wait until around 8 when the storm would definitely be past before setting up camp. And as we were the only people booked into the CG for that night and the next they gave us their phone # in case we needed some help.
Dinner was in the pub in East Burke where we kept an eye on the weather and then made our way up to our campsite. A good fire to keep us warm, the rain stopped and we got to enjoy the night. It was cool but we were rewarded with sun the next day. And it's been sunny ever since (and still cold at night).
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| Campsite #6 |
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| Parked at Kingdom Trails |
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| This road was on Andrea's GPS |
And on that note I'll wrap up this blog entry. Our trip is about ½ done so there'll be another installment which will start with how our ride on Thursday goes. We'll both buy trail tickets and I'm intending to ride mostly double track plus some easy single track connectors. Then a little more riding on Friday and we'll see how that goes. For now, it's stack up some firewood and get things ready for a cosy evening by the fire.
Here are a few photos to enjoy... they are @ 1024px resolution so they might work as a desktop background.
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| the end of one season marks the beginning of another. |
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| Colour |
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| Colour and sky |
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