The Essence of the Grand

Made to Stick (Environmental Leadership Book 2)

2011-10-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

I'm reading "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" as my second book for Environmental Leadership. My choice was based on the thought that said book would help me when I begin teaching again. Teaching is largely getting ideas to stick in student's heads. I used to try to do this with corny (REALLY corny) jokes in class that typically realted to the material (biology jokes are tough to come by though) and helped the material being covered "stick" with the students. I was sometimes rewarded when students would include tid-bits of my jokes in test answers. But the jokes and material they related to were typically about very simple concepts. How to make more difficult concepts stick was where I struggled. So, the book.

I'm not too far along in the book but the authors (brothers Chip and Dan Heath) have bronken down sticky ideas into six principles: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Simplicity and concreteness are two difficult principles to use when teaching science "stuff" (to be simple). How do you make photosynthesis simple and concrete? Maybe the simplicity and concreteness lie within the other four principles. Credibility is not something scientific material really lacks (despite some of the general public and political figure's opinions). If I can get students to be emotionally connected to the material through teaching it as if it were a story... this would likely be unexpected to boot. This may be a bit of a stretch but I supposed I could create characters for photosynthesis or cellular respiration that could tell the story. I'm just not so sure they'd be emotionally attached to "Ruby S. Coe", C. di Oxide, or "A.T. Phosphate" (or his weaker brother "A.D. Phosphate") (Remember, REALLY corny!).

Regardless, I really hope the book will give me some tools to use in my future endeavors in the classroom. In the mean time, maybe I'll learn something that will help me connect with and teach my Environmentors mentee.

Passion

2011-10-09T23:11:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I was in NYC celebrating my and Sara's anniversary and we decided to head down to see the Occupy Wall Street crowd. Wow! I don't want to discuss my feelings in regards to their cause but I was impressed with the fact that they are a passionate group. The movement, which is the only thing I know to call it, may be lacking in many areas but the one that it is not lacking in is passion.

In his book "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader", John Maxwell lists Passion as one of those indispensable qualities. It became evident to me in seeing the individuals that were part of this movement that they were, if not all, mostly all, passionate about the cause or at least what they viewed as the cause. A park near Wall Street had been taken over by the "Occupy" group and it appeared they weren't planning on going any where anytime soon. These folks were there for the long haul. They had setup a feeding station, a first aid station, a clothing station, a bedding station, etc. I think their passion may currently be a bit blind however, They did appear to be developing some sort of loose agenda/plan for each day. I think that the group's cause, if directed by someone (or a group of people) who is a good leader, has the chance to lead to real changes precisely because of the passion they display. Passionate leaders with passionate followers generate a kind of momentum that is truly difficult to stop.

This got me started thinking about things I am passionate about and whether or not I was passionate enough to make the same kind of commitment that the "Occupy" supporters/followers/activists have made. And to be honest I'm not sure there is anything that I'm that passionate about. I am however happy that there are people that are so passionate about a cause. This kind of passion and commitment is how our nation got its start after all. However, passion without the other qualities of leadership may be a lost cause.

Self Assessment

2011-09-25T22:13:00.001-04:00

As part of my Environmental Leadership class we are reading John C. Maxwell's "21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader". I decided this week to assess my self in each of these qualities. The results are below:

I should say from the get go that in no way does a rating of 3 (high) indicate that I don't have room for improvement in these areas. If my education to this point has taught me anything, it's that there's always room for improvement in any aspect of my personal or professional life. That being said, I do feel that I have a pretty high standard for my self in regard to character. I believe that is something that was instilled in me at a pretty young age and I was reminded of it often. I believe this is what my dad always referred to as "The right thing to do". I also feel that I'm pretty generous, maybe even to a fault, as I often neglect my own desires and "needs" to help out someone else. I also think that I'm pretty responsible. However, my assessment of my responsibility could be due to my comparison group, of which I'm for the most part a good bit older than and as such have had more responsibilities than many of those I'm comparing my self to.

Moving on to those qualities that I ranked my self as medium. Of the 11 qualities that I placed into this category I would say that I could probably most use improvement (would benefit most immediately from) commitment and initiative. My commitment to some things is pretty high (fitness oriented activities) but those items tend to be both fun and easy. And I'm not sure that true commitment entails doing something that fits those two qualifiers. I truly need to commit more to my disertation work. This probably also entails some improvement in discerment and vision, as judging between what is currently a "need" and what will get me where I need to go in the long term (vision) is sometimes troublesome for me. I also feel that I need to take more initiative within the groups and organizatoins that I participate in. My lack of initiative could be partly due to security issues but I'm working on that too.

Of the six qualities I designated that I needed to work on the most I believe that self discipline and focus are the two that would most immediately help me along my journey towards finishing my degree in a timely fashion. I definitely have trouble with focusing on specific tasks. Just ask my wife. I often begin one task only to start another in the middle of the first. I'm not sure what causes this nor how to fix it but it is something I'm aware of and I do constantly try to improve in this area. This too is imperative for me to rectify if I intend to complete my studies in a reasonable time. Self discipline is somewhat tough for me and I have been improving in this area. My dad referred to this as "Putting your nose to the grind stone". It's something you don't want to do and is likely to be somewhat uncomfortable but you know you NEED to do it. I heard someone say once, in regards to getting up at 4:45 am to swim, bike, or run, that "you just have to obey the alarm clock". I believe that last year specifically I was a bit content with where I was and therefore was ignoring the alarm clock. However, the buzzing seems to be getting louder with each passing day.

Will You?

2011-09-18T23:05:00.001-04:00

Externality it seems is an economics term that I believe is transferable to our professional and personal lives in a daily manner. An externality can be defined as a decision made by one party that has an effect on another party or parties without their being considered. The classic example of a negative externality is pollution. Pollution is generated by some enterprise, which has an effect on others that were given no choice or their feelings on the matter were not considered. An example of a positive enterprise would be a beekeeper who sells his honey but his bees contribute to the pollination of plants and therefore crops as well as other ecological benefits of the continuation of plants. It has become somewhat common practice for companies specifically to internalize (i.e., accept responsibility or own) their externalities. For example, the food industry quickly acted to adopt trans fat free food options when there was attention brought to the fact that trans fat foods were bad news for people’s health. The adoption of healthier alternatives in the food industry is evidence of their internalizing an externality. I do, however, wonder if this was largely, at least initially, purely an attempt to get a larger share of the market by showing “concern” for the consumer’s health and later it was/is merely a “keeping up with the Joneses” situation. Regardless it seems to be a good thing for all parties involved.

So how is it that this idea of internalizing externalities can be transferred to individuals? As I see it, we all have externalities. I went for a three hour bike ride today and therefore neglected to cut the grass. Some externalities associated with my action (or lack thereof) are that my neighbors may be a little unhappy with my grass’s height, the value of my (and therefore my neighbor’s) home could be reduced, my wife may be less than happy with my not cutting the grass, and I’m sure there are a hand full (or two) of other consequences (or externalities) that I’m not considering. I can’t say that I have really internalized these externalities and I’m not sure there’s a real good means to do such, other than cutting my grass tomorrow, which I intend to do. I do however, participate in our neighborhood association’s annual clean up of our local wetland and I do try to keep my house in good repair. Another example is the fact that I use energy (just as most everyone else) that is generated by a power plant and therefore creates a host of externalities. In order to internalize those externalities I bike or ride to work as often as possible thereby not using as much fuel and thus internalizing at least some of those externalities I generate through my use of power. One more example is that my wife and I buy groceries. An externality of groceries (at least those purchase at the grocery store) is trash. In order to internalize the trash externality we compost. This reduces our trash contribution by quite a bit.

The above examples are decisions made in my personal life. What about as a professional? I believe that the internalization of externalities for a professional indicates leadership. And I say this because I believe that the process boils down to accepting responsibility for things you are not required or expected to internalize. This, I believe, is a sign of a good leader. For example, when I was teaching at Presbyterian College a colleague proposed to the college as a whole and the dining room specifically that there should be a garden on campus that would grow vegetables for the salad bar in the dining hall. This required the recognition of multiple externalities associated with buying salad oriented food that would be shipped in from various locations. The school’s acceptance and support of the garden allowed the school to internalize some of the externalities associated with the dining hall. In my opinion, the individual’s willingness to propose the idea to the school and spend many hours both in the garden and out of the garden to bring their idea to fruition displays leadership and this was brought about by their desire to internalize their own and the campus’s externalities.

We all have externalities and we all have the ability to internalize those externalities. Will you?

Environmentors 2: Seattle

2011-09-11T20:11:00.002-04:00

This past week I was in Seattle, WA for the national American Fisheries Society annual meeting. It was a really great meeting but quite overwhelming. There was a reported 4,500 people in attendance (a record I believe) and there were presentations a plenty. I have a hard time absorbing very much from meetings with so many people and so many talks. I should remember (and maybe I will now that I've written it down) that I need to take a notebook to take notes at the talks I attend. After four full days of conference going, I was pretty wiped out and all of the talks began to run together a bit.

In regards to Environmentors (or Environmental leadership) I think that attending such conferences is very important. I think it sets a good example for mentees, it certainly helps broaden my own knowledge base, and it's a great way to meet new folks and connect with those you haven't seen in a while. I'm not very good at meeting new folks and from a leadership perspective I could certainly benefit from working on that weakness. I also failed to talk to my committee members about my research. I thought it would be a great opportunity to do so but I had forgotten how busy everyone is during conferences. In the future I should make explicit plans to meet with specific people if I feel it is in my best interest. Attending events like the AFS conference always seems to get me excited about the field and I leave with more of a sense of purpose. I also leave feeling that I need to be more involved in the organization professionally. If not the national organization, then the student and WV chapters.

Why.

2011-09-05T10:50:00.001-04:00

I've never really considered why I ended up here, at this place in my life, with my hopes and aspirations of obtaining a doctoral degree in Fisheries Biology. As I considered my progress towards this un-ending destination I attempted to find in my past some specific point or points that directed me here. Not to be found. Nowhere in my mind's eye did any singularities stand out that specifically guided me along this path. Instead I found just that. A path. And as paths through the woods tend to meander, and I prefer my literal paths to be wooded, this path also meandered. There were plenty of forks along the way and for one reason or another I chose those that led me to this point.

I recall even as a very young child thinking that I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. I certainly wasn't sure what that entailed or even what that really was but knew that was the direction I wanted to head. There were side paths that I took from time-to-time. For some period of time I was certain I wanted to be a veterinarian, a professional soccer player, a whitewater kayaking guide, a nature/wildlife photographer, and plenty of others. However, I began to realize that most of my true passions were directly related to the natural world. I believe that these passions were stimulated and initially derived from experiences I had with childhood friends to some extend but mostly to those I had with my family and specifically my dad.

Beginning at a very young age my dad introduced me to day trips and hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which progressed to longer hikes and eventually to overnight camping trips and then on to backpacking trips. We backpacked along the Appalachian Trail and various other locales within the Smokies. These trips eventually led to longer car camping trips to the western states and national parks: Yellowstone, Teton, Yosemite, Death Valley, Glacier, Grand Canyon and many others. I believe these experiences fostered a desire to understand relationships of organisms with their environments and to somehow support the cherished lands that drove these desires.

Growing up in a rural area seems to have also had quite a bit to do with guiding me along this path. Beginning at about five to six years of age I started spending lots of time outside, alone and with friends. There was a lot of woods and pastureland around my house growing up and I took full advantage of their extent. With friends I would often venture two to three miles from home exploring both the terrestrial and aquatic environments and any organisms that happened to be in our path along the way. This education was quite informal but was an education none the less. We learned which aquatic insects would bite and which wouldn't, where paper wasps made their nests, that most snakes were quite docile (even an eight foot long black rat snake), and which fish ate what and where to fish for them. We also quickly learned the best route to evade a land owner, whose permission we had failed to get to fish in his pond. Many of the critters that we found were captured and returned to my house, put in various aquaria or terraria, fed, studied (watched), and returned to their home. My parents were fantastically understanding of a little boys desire to have his menagerie.

It wasn't until my undergraduate education at Presbyterian College that I began to realize that this love of the wilds could be pursued as a vocation. I was involved in two independent research projects while at Presbyterian, one recording and identifying frog calls in various locations throughout the county and the other was a freshwater mussel research project looking to map where I found various species and record several habitat metrics. I also took part in an internship with the South Carolina DNR. These experiences had quite a bit to do with my developing desire to pursue a graduate degree.

During my time at Western Carolina University working on a master’s degree I discovered teaching through my assistantship. It didn't take long for me to realize that I really like teaching. I got to share my love of the natural world, while still learning myself. That seemed truly perfect to me. After I finished my tenure at WCU I procured a job as a high school biology teacher. I soon discovered high school teaching was not my cup of tea. I wasn't a very good classroom manager and in a high school classroom, to be an effective teacher, you've got to be a good classroom manager.

After two years of teaching high school I was hired as the Freshman Biology Coordinator at Presbyterian College (my alma mater). At that point, I felt that I was now in my element. However, I soon discovered that I wanted more from my career than just teaching freshman biology. I was interested in developing further as an ecologist, as I was beginning to feel a bit stagnant professionally, which led to similar feelings personally. I knew that my next step needed to be as a PhD student and that is what brought me to WVU.
I guess there's plenty of debate about whether or not we do things altruistically and I've often wondered what it is about teaching that is such a draw for me but I'm excited about the opportunity to be involved in the lives of developing young individuals again in the role of a mentor through Environmentors.

Field Work Pics

2011-06-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

Hike along Cooper's Rock Hemlock Trail

2011-06-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

He Gave the Shirt Off His Back

2010-11-22T22:59:00.001-05:00

The fact that it was the opening day of gun season for deer was talked about on their way to the streams they were to sample for brook trout. In somewhat of a pejorative sense. It was reported, one to another, that the entire state school system took the week off just for deer season. So the conversation progressed from talk of deer and other game hunting to the deep and depressing issues global climate change. Along the meandering mountain roads their Dodge Ram barreled along.

They were to sample brook trout in headwater streams for a long term habitat and reproduction study. This was real, science going on here. The kind that could be used for predicting things like the effects of global warming on brook trout populations. Brookies, after all, require cool, steep, clean headwater streams for oversummering and reproduction. If the warming trends continue they are likely to get thermally squeezed from below and above. Effectively this will likely lead to there being small, distinct populations in small localized waters. This inevitably leads to inbreeding depression and most likely the demise of their species. This is no unusual scenario, the loss of a species, there is an estimated 200 species lost every day. Not lost in the "I can't find them but I know they're around here somewhere" sense, the "They're gone forever" sense. There is plenty of debate as to whether or not this really matters, the loss of 200 species per day, however scientists believe this is the greatest rate of extinction in the last 65 million years when the dinosaurs went extinct. Dinosaurs were on Earth for some 140 million years, a pretty long time by most standards, and much longer than the 7 million years humans have been around. There aren't too many contemporary dinosaurs and it seems that we should take notice of history but then again man does not seem to notice the lessons of history all too well.

The 70 degree November weather was certainly Indian summer like but it was welcomed as waders were donned and electrofishing backpack gear was shouldered. Leaving the gravel parking lot along the roadside in the National Forest they headed down the trail towards their destination. The leaves are off the trees now and the woods are open and pleasant to look through. The headwater streams are small waters that most people would never look to to house brook trout or any fish really, other than maybe an occasional minnow. They are, however, the preferred habitat for brook trout in this combination of latitude and altitude.

Walking towards them in blaze orange and camouflage with a rifle over his shoulder walked a young man, maybe a boy, depending on your dividing line, that when spoken to only grunted in return. Their thoughts reverted back to the pejorative conversation of the morning drive about deer hunting and deer hunters. The wanted badly to turn around and catch a glimpse of the juvenile but didn't for fear of seeming too suspicious of such mountain folk. Despite not being dressed as such they were after all academicians and certainly didn't want to viewed as elitists as those that endeavor to more fully understand the world often are in the politicized world of these times. So they just walked with hopes that he wouldn't get some wild hair to see what it was like to kill a human. As they walked they gained confidence that their worst nightmares would not come to pass. And then there was another hunter walking the trail in their direction.

Walking in single file the first researcher to approach the guy spoke cordially. The words were not discernible from behind and the second researcher had a bit more time to formulate his stereotype more fully and found himself in an elitist position, viewing the guy as a hill billy. As he approached and spoke, so as to keep his view of himself in tack, the man spoke back in a friendly manner. They paused on the trail, the man was interested in their doings and they explained in somewhat simple terms that they were sampling brook trout. The man reported: "I like fishing. Maybe more than hunting but I'm 'fraid to fish these waters in the summer 'cause of snakes. I know they's copper heads up here." The two agreed that there likely were copper heads in the local woods. Not so much because they knew of the presence of copper heads in the area but mostly just to be agreeable. A pause. "One of you needs to have on orange. Walking around in these woods." They consented that they should have on orange and that they had forgotten that it was opening day of gun season, when in fact they hadn't forgotten about gun season, they just forgot to bring along some orange for their own sake. "Take mine. I'm almost out of the woods and I don't want nobody to get shot back here."

And so he gave us the shirt off of his back.

The Mighty Stony River Near Mount Storm, WV

2010-11-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

The Stony River is where a bulk of my research on the effects of dams on downstream fish assemblages. The first time I saw the Stony I was pretty stoked. The area is really quite pretty despite the enormous and looming Mount Storm power plant. The stream in March was very attractive at 400 cfs with snow still on its banks. As I repeatedly made the trip from SC to WV over the late spring and majority of the summer the Stony River began to change dramatically. Flow dropped, which was expected, but as flow dropped and little rain fell due to the continued regional drought there appeared more and more settled flocculent from the seeping acid mine waters entering the stream. During normal years there is water flow from the reservoir above the Mount Storm dam, which as it turns out is largely the driving force for the funding for my research. Mount Storm Reservoir is a cooling source for the coal fired power plant that sits on the reservoir's shores. This cooling of the power plant increases the temperature of the reservoir's waters and upon a rain event causes an influx of "hot" water to rush over the dam and into the Stony River below. Stream fish, being ectothermic, aren't equipped with any means to handle such a rapid temperature change and tend to not perform well in the Stony River. This past year however, with such low flows, there was little water coming over the dam in the late spring and eventually none as the season progressed into the hot dry summer months. This resulted in late summer flows of 1 cfs eight miles downstream of the dam (see above picture). Most of this flow I suspect was actually the result of treated mine effluent entering the stream about 1.2 miles downstream of the dam. These low flows resulted in an inability of the stream to flush it self of the toxic mine drainage that seeps in through various fissures and geological features from uphill mined areas and a development flocculent or precipitates on the stream bed. The resulting poor water quality seemed to reduce life in the stream to near nothing. Dominion Power (the owners of the dam and givers of the grant money) are installing cooling towers in order to mitigate the warm water discharge that comes over the dam and flood gates to control the rate of discharge over the dam. However, if rainfall continues to be so dismal in the summer months neither the floodgates nor the cooling towers will be required or help return the stream to a healthy state, as there will not be enough water in the reservoir to release over the dam and into the stream.

I'm hoping for more "normal" rainfall in the coming years as my project at least to some extent depends on it.

Falling Water for our Fourth Anniversary

2010-10-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

Wishing I was HERE

2010-10-04T10:45:00.000-04:00

An Bonnie Blue Afternoon

2010-06-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

This is Funny!

2010-05-25T08:17:00.002-04:00

And somehow all too true .

Afternoon Walk

2010-03-27T19:56:00.002-04:00

A Link to a Post of a Former Blog

2010-03-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

The link below is from a post on a blog I set up last school year for my freshman seminar class, Why the Blue Hose Run, and is about why I run. Google for some reason blocked the blog but over a year later reinstated it. A lot of good that does me!

Click Here

A Mini-Vacation of Sorts

2010-03-21T14:24:00.003-04:00

The past few days (Wednesday through Saturday) we spent traveling to Morgantown, to my research site, to look at houses, and back to Clinton. It was less of a whirlwind tour than the last trip we took in November but we still crammed quite a bit into the 2 full days and one half day we were there. We arrived about midnight Wednesday night (Thursday morning) after working Wednesday and driving the eight hours it takes to get to Motown from Clinton. Thursday I travelled to my research site for a safety training, which pertained little to the work we'll be doing, and checked out the Stony River below the Mount Storm Reservoir dam. While I was away checking the research site, Sara was in Morgantown looking at houses with a realtor. We do feel a little better about our house prospects but we've still got to sell our house in Clinton before we can be too serious about houses in WV. After I returned to town we ventured around town a bit and then went to Tyler and Jenny Boulware's house (friends we were staying with while we were in town). Later that night we went to eat at Olivera's, an Italian eatery on the Monongahela River in Motown. Friday we ate breakfast at the Blue Moose Cafe, walked around town, drove around town, ate lunch at Black Bear, drove around some more (house hunting on our own), returned to Jenny and Tyler's to hangout with them for a while. That night we baby sat while the Boulware's got a dinner date. The kids were great fun. Saturday we packed up and met the realtor to look at more houses (see the "tree house" below) and then made the eight hour trip home. Some pictures of our trip and our Sunday are below.

The "tree house". This was probably our favorite house that we actually got to visit. The house is out in the woods, about 9 miles from Morgantown, and sits on 8 acres.

The cedar waxwings are visiting our holly trees today and here's one of the guys (or gals) in action.

Sophia hanging out under the shrubbery. One of her favorite places to be.

And Bonnie playing soccer. What a poser!

Sophia's Afternoon Walk

2010-03-15T20:38:00.000-04:00

Sophia lives for our afternoon walks in the Thornwell pasture. Every afternoon she gets so excited and pretty much drives us crazy if we don't go to the laundry room for her leash and harness. Below are a few pictures of hour afternoon routine. The weather and light were particular great today and that's quite a change considering the wet, cold conditions we've been used to this past winter. The change is welcome.

"Research"

2010-03-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

The crayfish I ordered for a research project arrived on Thursday. Dead. So we decided we shouldn't let them go to waste.

One of the Things Life is Made of: Meals with Friends

2010-03-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

I had dinner last night with Tut Said, a friend I used to play soccer with in Atlanta, that I haven't seen in about 14 years when we last played soccer against each other. He was playing for Furman University and I was playing for Presbyterian College. It was really good to catchup. Tut is now working for Nike (pretty sweet job) and living in Atlanta. Tut was Tut. He looked the same (a little older but pretty much the same) and certainly acted the same. Seems interesting to me that folks personality traits remain relatively constant throughout their life. I always enjoy catching up with friends I haven't seen in a long time. And I'm amazed at how easily I fall back into conversation, jokes, etc. with them. With Tut it was very much like no time at all had passed. I like that.

This morning I met a good friend Cliff Sams for a coffee and some breakfast as he travelled on his way back to Charleston from Anderson. Cliff and I seem to have endless things to talk about and never tire of one another's company. I see Cliff relatively often and it's always good to visit with good friends.

As comfortable as I am alone and sometimes even prefer such solitude (maybe one of the reasons I enjoy long solo bike rides) it seems that these human to human contacts are in many ways what makes us human.

Spoiled Already?

2010-03-11T12:32:00.002-05:00

Buddies

2010-03-11T07:42:00.001-05:00

Bonnie and Pia are big time buddies. Already.

A Day with Legends: Celine Cousteau and Sylvia Earle

2010-03-10T06:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got the opportunity to hear, speak with, and eat lunch/dinner with two women that are living and have lived incredible lives, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Celine Cousteau . Dr. Earle's talk was very interesting (maybe a little fluffy) about the state of the worlds oceans. She didn't have good news to give on most fronts but she was encouraging in what can be saved if we begin to act. Some of the world's fish species will most certainly be lost but many still have numbers enough to recover. We can only hope that policy makers will see the ocean's fauna as a treasure that must be reserved for our generations and future generations. After the talk I was privileged to get to eat lunch with such a living legend. After eating the conversation was turned over to Dr. Earle as she further discussed the issues of getting her message of ocean conservation to the public and the policy makers.

Later in the day I then got to sit down to dinner with Celine Cousteau, daughter of Jean-Michel Cousteau and granddaughter of the famed Jacques. WOW! She was incredibly interesting. The places she's lived, the things she's done, and the experiences she's had are those that dreams are made of (at least some people's dreams). Her talk later that night was a mix of how environmental degradation affects indigenous peoples. She is now heading up a non-profit organization to help small non-profits get their message to the public through visual media. She is also putting together a celebratory event in NYC this coming fall in honor of her grandfather. The event which will be linked at www.JYC100.com (it's not up and running quite yet) and will be less a recount of her grandfather's many accomplishments but rather how he (one person) inspired so many others. So it's sort of a celebration of Jacques through the conduit of those he inspired to do other great things.

After Celine's talk there was a panel discussion (poorly attended I might add) in which Celine and Sylvia fielded questions from students and other attendees. The advice was sound but the stories (especially from Sylvia) were amazing. Dr. Earle recounted a dinner with President Bush (W) in which she and Celine's father convinced the president that the North East Hawaiian Islands should be a marine protected area. He listened, learned, and signed into bill the largest marine protected area in the history of the world (140 square miles).

So yesterday in a nutshell... WOW!

Bonnie Blue and Pia Too

2010-03-08T21:08:00.001-05:00

Pia's new and improved jacket arrived today. She's a little embarassed about it but we think she'll be much happier come next winter.

Bonnie has discovered that she loves laying in the soft Phlox.

A first for Bonnie (A bath)

2010-03-06T08:30:00.004-05:00

Bonnie had to have her first bath last night. Somehow she mananged to get poop on her chest. She hollered pretty loudly while we were washing her. But she really liked getting swaddled afterwards. After I took her outside to "do her business", I walked over to the sink to get some water while holding her and when I turned the water on she hollered again. Guess her memory is pretty good or the bath was really traumatic.

Bonnie's First Posting: A Progression

2010-03-04T17:04:00.003-05:00

You don't really want me to wake up do you?

Ok. I'm awake. Now what?

That's it?

I'm going back to sleep.

A New Addition

2010-02-27T18:40:00.002-05:00

Introducing Bonnie Blue (Bonnie). She'll be joining us next weekend as a new member of our family. Ahhhh symmetry... 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 humans.

She's a blue-merle tri-colored border collie. She'll be coming to us from the Dual Oaks Farm in Belton. We're very excited!

More to come soon.

Weekend and Early Week in the Life of Pia

2010-02-15T19:44:00.008-05:00

Sophia had quite the weekend and Monday. She was exposed to her first snow (more of that to come in WV we're pretty certain), the beach and ocean for the first time, and revisited her friends at the Thornwell farm. Below is a recap of her weekend... albeit out of order.

The Christmas Photo Blog

2009-12-27T18:40:00.003-05:00

Rock'n the Mustache

2009-12-26T10:28:00.003-05:00

I decided to shave the beard and try out a mustache for the day. Sara's embarrassed to be seen with me but I think I've convinced her it'll be fun for a day (or at least funny). More to come on the adventures of the mustache and a Christmas update too.

Take me home?

2009-12-10T17:55:00.003-05:00

Country roads. Take me home. To the place I belong. West Virginia.

We officially decided to make the move to WVU. Now the fun begins. Selling the house, buying a house, moving, jobs, etc.

Here are a couple of pictures of our soon to be new home... West Virginia.

Take me home. Country roads.

More Western Photos

2009-08-11T15:34:00.004-04:00

Old Faithful. Note the Old Faithful Inn in the background on the left.

Mammoth Hot Springs. And no you can't swim in the hot springs.

Tower Falls.

Grizz.

Oh give me a home....

Western Photos III

2009-07-31T10:55:00.005-04:00

Check it out!

2009-07-30T08:58:00.003-04:00

You should definitely checkout my friend Matthew Dunn's blog fishbeer and watch the trailer for his short film about brook trout. Pictures from the brook trout fishing extravaganza with Matt will be posted soon.

Western Photos II

2009-07-30T08:40:00.004-04:00

The Teton's in the background with what I believe are mule's ear flowers in the foreground.

The "Mormon" barn outside of Kelly, WY.

The same barn from a different view.

Ditto.

Sara through the ruins of the "Shane" cabin.

Western Photos

2009-07-29T16:13:00.003-04:00

This is part of what's left of the cabin from the movie Shane, located just outside of Kelly, WY.

Awaiting lunch at Billy's in Jackson, WY.

The Tetons just after sunset.

The Teton's and reflection.
Mom and her ducklings.

Pia Loves the River

2009-07-27T21:50:00.003-04:00

Sophia loves going to the local River (the Enoree River) and playing in the water. We try to make it out there several times a summer but we really should take advantage of the area a bit more. It's actally a really nice retreat.

Tetons and Flowers

2009-07-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

Black Lake Panorama (RMNP)

2009-07-11T20:29:00.003-04:00

Panorama from the Ute Trail (11,000+ feet)

2009-07-11T20:25:00.002-04:00

In the Rockies Pre/Post Sara

2009-06-30T23:48:00.004-04:00

For the past 4 days... or is it 5 days... well, 4 nights anyway I’ve been in the tent alone at night. Sara has been at a conference in Denver (the National Association of Student Councils) and I have been in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). I’ve hiked quite a bit:

Day 1 (Saturday): I hiked to Cub Lake where there were lots of lily pads and lots of people. I continued over a ridge (much fewer people) to Bierstadt Lake only to find more people but the scenery was nice. I spent the night in Glacier Basin campground.

Day 2 (Sunday): I awoke at 5:30 and headed to Sprague Lake for some sunrise photos (See images). I later went to altitude (12,000 + ft) and did some hiking along the Ute Trail. Afterwards I ventured to the western portion of the park to camp at Timber Creek campground and much to my dismay found the grounds had to be clear-cut due to the infestation of pine beetles. It was a sad sight but I knew at that point in the day it was too late to head back to the eastern quarters of the park. So I set up camp and drove back up the road a piece to walk along the headwaters of the mighty Colorado River (knee deep at best). Later that night I heard a ranger talk about moose in the park.

Day 3 (Monday): Back up to altitude and I did a little walking and photography of the Lilliputian world of the tundra (mostly flowers). I then made my way back down to Glacier Basin to ensure I got a campsite before heading out for the day. After camp was set and lunch was had I made my way to the shuttle, to the Mill’s Lake trail head and began my day of hiking. I hiked to a series of falls and then on to Mill’s Lake. Once again there were LOTS of people, so I continued to Jewel Lake. Jewel Lake is only about ½ mile further but it’s amazing how few people actually make the extra effort. Perhaps it’s called Jewel Lake because it’s so underappreciated and often the Jewel’s in our lives seem as such. But I wasn’t satisfied with my day and headed on up to Black Lake. WOW! It is certainly one of the more spectacular individual places I’ve had the pleasure to visit.

Day 4 (Tuesday): I again awoke for some sunrise photos over Sprague Lake (at 5 am this time) before heading to pickup Sara at the hotel on the south side of Denver. I showered, we loaded the car and headed back to RMNP. Sara’s first trip to the Park and she was impressed. We did a short hike at altitude because I really wanted Sara to see the tundra. We then headed back down the mountains over to Loveland, up to Fort Collins, and up to Cheyenne, only to be attacked by as many mosquitoes at our hoped for campsite as I have ever in my life seen. So... we stayed the night in a KOA KABIN! Sad but true. Our first night out together after seeing such beauty and we spent the night here but... It is what it is.

Our Bountifully Harvested Crops

2009-06-17T16:55:00.004-04:00

This is our bumper crop from our garden planter boxes (We've got one quarter cup black beans, one carrot of any size, and a handful of green beans). We're hoping for more (much more) in the future.

The Answer to J's Question

2009-06-04T13:31:00.004-04:00

The little girl (aka the flying squirrel) is now in the study... until I build her a new home that can go in the sun room.

The Sunroom... Finished

2009-06-01T07:35:00.004-04:00

Spring approaches and dang the sorry weather

2009-03-26T15:42:00.003-04:00

Well it looks like spring is approaching. Hopefully that'll mean some upcoming posts. I've been both busy and in need of some inspiration for blogging for quite some time. I'm not as busy now but I'm still in the need of some inspiration. Soon. Hopefully. Soon.

Here's a quick update on a recent triathlon I took part in.

I've been pretty busy training over the past few months to try to be at least somewhat competitive in the SC triathlon series this upcoming year. I participated in the Parris Island Tri and faired pretty well. I finished 49th out of about 660 individuals (male and female) and 5th in my age group out of 17. If my transitions were more reasonable I could have finished 2 in my age group. The weather was a bit cold, even in Beafort, SC, and I decided to try to stay at least a little warm. This at first thought might seem like a reasonable thing but in the world of sprint triathlons the name of the game is misery and I should have sucked it up and been a little chilled. It would have all been over with in about an hour and I was not in any state to think about how cold I was and I should have worn my arm warmers on the bike. You push hard in sprints and the things you think about are: my legs and lungs hurt and I've got to catch that guy in front of me. He might just be in my age group.

You can see pictures of me in the event here. Notice the pain!

More soon. Hopefully.

A "Pia"houtte

2008-12-04T20:59:00.002-05:00

And sometimes the news isn't

2008-10-29T15:20:00.002-04:00

Click here.

The news can be disheartening

2008-10-29T11:52:00.000-04:00

Click here.

A Thursday Fall Walk

2008-10-17T13:50:00.003-04:00

The caterpillars were successful in forming their cocoon. Now the question becomes, will they be successful in exiting their cocoon. I'm not sure this is the best place to overwinter but they might know better than I.

Sophia getting the high ground.

The bumblebees were storing up for the winter on this late blooming aster.

If I can't see you, you can't see me.

A Thursday What's it? (II)

2008-10-16T07:33:00.003-04:00

Flower Teeth

2008-10-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Some flowers look like they might become animated and eat you.

2nd Anniversary Trip to the Mountains

2008-10-14T10:33:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Sara and I took a trip to the mountains of NC/TN to celebrate our 2nd year of marriage. The leaves were as pretty as I can ever recall and the company was great too.

Below are a few images from the weekend.

Leaves covering the road.

Fall Foliage.

Roadside Thistle.

View of Grassy Ridge from my Uncle Tom's front porch.

On top of Grassy Bald along the Appalachain Trail

And the what's it is...

2008-10-14T10:30:00.002-04:00

A mini beaker holder, a holder for lab vials, and (I guess technically) a test tube rack. Although I really like J's answer of a holder for miniature pool ques.

A Thursday What's it?

2008-10-09T13:08:00.001-04:00

The Grand Master Champion

2008-10-09T09:39:00.002-04:00

That Matthew D. Dunn is one smart cookie. He is once again correct in his shot at the "what's it" from last Friday. It is indeed a fish ladder. For those of you who might not know what a fish ladder is, it's a series of baffles that create eddies for fish to travel from below a dam to the top of the dam. This is really important for fish that migrate upstream for spawning purposes, which is the case for salmon. Most dams in the west have such structures as the successful spawning of salmon has been deemed important to the local economy. There are (I think) 11 fishways on the Columbia River as it borders the states of Washington and Oregon. The easter US is a bit behind in the fish ladder building process. There are only 3 fishways in the entire state of SC. Maybe one day we too will see migrating fish as an important resource.

In waiting

2008-10-08T10:52:00.002-04:00

Here birdie, birdie, birdie!

2008-10-07T07:50:00.001-04:00

YIKES! Stop it!!!

2008-10-06T17:49:00.002-04:00

A Friday What's it (II)

2008-10-03T12:10:00.002-04:00

I think this is a bit of an easy one but maybe not. You know the drill. I'll post the answer later sometime next week.

A Tribute to Dr. Sean O'Connell

2008-10-02T10:21:00.005-04:00

Dr. Sean O'Connell is getting married this weekend and despite his futile attempts to hide behind signs at various photo ops, he'll be front-and-center come Saturday night.

Into the Belly of the Mountain

2008-10-01T09:21:00.001-04:00

Sophia. The early days.

2008-09-30T09:31:00.002-04:00

And the answer is...

2008-09-30T07:45:00.002-04:00

...the cogs and wheels and pulleys and cables of the Columbia (SC) Hydro Station's lock system. The system diverts water from the Broad River through a channel for municipal use. Congratulations to J and/or A (who I plan to see next weekend) and Matthew D. Dunn (who I plan to see this weekend) is still on a roll.

70.3 and done

2008-09-29T10:21:00.002-04:00

1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
5:27:27

I completed my first half ironman yesterday (Sunday September 28, 2008) and man am I tired. I completed the swim in 42:24 (318th out of 415 male contestants). This was better than I anticipated swimming and I'm happy about that. I then had a 2:17 transition to the bike, which I completed in 2:41:11 (118th out of 415). I had hoped to do this in about 2:30 but I'll take it. The route has some sections with rolling hills and I don't have a tri bike with aero bars (maybe sometime in the future). My transition from bike to run took me 2:08. I then ran and ran and ran for 1:59:19 (172nd out of 415). I had hoped for a bit better time in the run but I'm pretty satisfied with the run too. This totaled to 5:27:27 (152nd out of 415). That's not too bad for my first half ironman but I sure am tired and sore today.

A Friday What's it

2008-09-26T11:36:00.002-04:00

Place your thoughts of what the above picture is in the comments.

Going Solo (sort of)

2008-09-26T10:01:00.004-04:00

This "lady" is a wasp species that are considered to be solitary, as oppposed to communal, and watched her this summer making her "den". She'd go in and out of this hole, with each trip pulling particles of dirt out with her. I must assume that she was going to put her brood down in there. Probably she was also going to bring them gifts of dead spiders or other insects for them to munch on as they developed. Now that's a mom. While they are considered soliatry species they don't go at it alone. They aren't asexual reproducers, therefore they must have a mate and aren't completely soloists.

Time's a pass'n

2008-09-25T07:41:00.001-04:00

Vine Swinging is Fun

2008-09-24T11:25:00.003-04:00

Yellowstone NP: From the inside looking out

2008-09-23T15:12:00.002-04:00

Smell the Flowers, Aaaahhhh

2008-09-22T10:15:00.002-04:00

Butterfly, Butterfly, Where do You go?

2008-09-21T18:56:00.002-04:00

Divided Waters. Yellowstone, NP

2008-09-19T15:14:00.001-04:00

The Wednesday What's it is...

2008-09-19T15:11:00.003-04:00

a cardboardy thing that you plant seeds in. That Matthew D. Dunn is one smart cookie. I think he's gotten all of the what's its right. Maybe he should be given some sort of an award. Maybe a giant whatchamacallit or maybe a fishin' trip down south.

A What do You Think from Rivers

2008-09-18T15:57:00.000-04:00

Inside Old Faithful Lodge, Yellowstone NP

2008-09-18T10:44:00.004-04:00

Past Pictures of the Building of the Building

2008-09-18T10:44:00.002-04:00

A Wednesday What's it

2008-09-17T11:52:00.002-04:00

Here's a what's it photo. Post your answer as comment and I'll get back to you soon as to what the what's it is.

A Hi from Sophia

2008-09-17T11:16:00.002-04:00

Out of Seward, AK

2008-09-14T18:55:00.003-04:00

Alaskan gulls look much the same as SC gulls... just their roost looks different.

Coming or Going

2008-09-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday's What's It is...

2008-09-11T15:46:00.001-04:00

a lighthouse lens.

My Teeth Hurt: A Self Portrait

2008-09-11T15:44:00.001-04:00

Colorado Dandelion

2008-09-10T16:43:00.001-04:00

In Memory of David "Biohazard" Perkins

2008-09-10T09:44:00.003-04:00

David or "Biohazard" as he was known on our Yellowstone trip of 2003 was a great guy. Today I got the sad news that he had passed away in a motorcycle accident in early August. While I haven't kept in touch with him I do have fond memories of the time I spent with him on that trip. This picture immortalizes one of those memories. He and I hiked up Hanging Canyon in Grand Teton National Park on a day that I will forever remember.

His ashes have been spread at a backcountry campsite where we spent 3 nights in Yellowstone. I think his soul will rest peacefully there.

Whooooo's that owlt there?

2008-09-08T16:25:00.002-04:00

Picture of me with a baby owl from the top of a dormatory last spring.

A Thursday What's it?

2008-09-04T11:38:00.002-04:00

The survey on the side offers some options, one of which is correct. What'cha think?

Feet

2008-09-02T15:48:00.001-04:00

Flight of the Dove III

2008-08-27T11:26:00.003-04:00

So I finished second in the metric century (62 miles) option of this year's Flight of the Dove bicycle ride. I actually tied for second I guess with Paul Wilke a fellow Laurens County Bicycle Club rider. We finished about 2 minutes behind our fellow local rider Phillip Sumner, the resident fast guy. I must say that this is better than I anticipated finishing and I paid for it the rest of the day and into the night with sore legs.

The day started out nicely as we left Bailey Stadium (home to the Blue Hose football team). The pace soon picked up and forced a few people off the back of the ride. After one of the first "real" climbs of the day we the group was whittled down to about 12 riders. At about mile 25 when we topped probably the toughest climb of the day the front group had been reduced to the three local boys. We pushed hard to get out of sight, trading the front of our mini-paceline as we tried to seem uncatchable. It worked. The rest of the ride it was just the three of us at the front. I knew at some point Phillip would push the pace and I wouldn't be able to keep up. I was right and about 4 miles from the finish Phillip pushed hard up a hill and Paul and I were left wondering how he does it. Paul encapsulated the idea well with his comment "It's like leading a horse to the barn." I think Phillip could smell the finish and there was not stopping him at that point. Paul and I pushed on in finishing the 62 miles in 2 hours and 50 minutes with an average pace of 22 mph.

My favorite part of the ride was staying in Phillip's slipstream and breaking the 35 mph speed limit as we passed into Whitmire at a pace of about 36-37 mph.

Why I ran, run, will run

2008-08-26T12:02:00.001-04:00

From my running class blog www.runninghose.blogspot.com

In years past I ran because it was liberating. I ran with my dog, after my dog, away from my dog. I ran through fields, through the woods, through the house. I ran because it felt right. Like I was meant to run. Maybe I was meant to run. Maybe we're all meant to run. Especially at a young age. It surely helps us develop motor skills. It helps us find out where we stand in regards to other's abilities when we race each other as children. I ran because I could and ran because I was pretty good at it. Was I good at it because I ran or did I run because I was good at it. Maybe both. At six and a half years old I ran a mile in 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Maybe I could have been a good runner in the pure sense of just running. As time passed I faded from running for the sake of running to running because I was chasing a soccer ball. Soccer became somewhat consuming and I soon ran because the coach said go or whistled. This ofcourse was so I could run on the soccer field. Later I became a bit more disciplined and ran because I knew if I didnt' I would not be able to run on the soccer field. At least not for long. After my life as a soccer player passed (I played in college) I returned to running for its liberating effects. I ran in the woods. I took to running through the woods because I loved the forest. I loved the birds chirping, the soft ground and leafy trees that absorbed my foot steps. It was quiet. Running in the woods. I soon turned to running on the road. Not so much because I enjoyed it over running in the woods but mostly because it was more convenient. I found it quicker and easier to step outside and run, as opposed to driving to a trail so I could run in the woods. I still enjoy running in the woods. I just don't get to as often anymore. Now I run to stay fit. To stay young (or at least I tell my self I'm still young). I run to chase the guy in front of me. I run to stay away from the guy behind me. I run to think, to not have to think, to breath deep, to feel the burn, to not feel the burn, to chase antelopes, or elude lions.

"Everyday in Africa an antelope wakes up and knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Everyday in Africa a lion wakes up and knows it must outrun the slowest anteolope or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or an antelope--when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

-Anonymous runner

The Oportunists

2008-08-25T16:49:00.001-04:00

Home for a Night

2008-08-15T12:24:00.001-04:00

Lily

2008-08-13T12:30:00.002-04:00

A New Place to Visit

2008-07-31T21:57:00.001-04:00

Sara' s brother John and his wife Alleen have joined the blogosphere and you can keep up with them here

www.rebelandarazorback.blogspot.com

My Assault on Mount Mitchell: I was saved by the Marines

2008-07-31T19:27:00.001-04:00

The morning started early. Real early! I was up at 4:30. Struggling to find my way in the darkness of the early morning. Clumsily I pulled on my cycling kit. I then pulled off my cycling kit so I could strap on my heart rate monitor. I forgot to put it on in my early morning stupor. I again pulled on my cycling kit and made my weary way downstairs into the kitchen. At the time we were still living upstairs because, after two years, we still hadn't finished the remodelling project and didn't have a bedroom downstairs to fully occupy. Luckily, the night before I had, on my friend and cycling buddy GW's suggestion, cooked my french toast, placed it in aluminum foil, and stuck it in the freezer. What a great idea! So I pulled out the french toast and the boiled eggs from the night before and stuck the toast in the toaster oven to reheat, while I shelled the eggs and commenced to eating 5 (whites only). I thought the protein would be good for the day's festivities that I was slowing coming to the realization I was about to undertake.

5:15 GW is waiting outside his house and I pick him up. We'd loaded the bikes and gear the night before to allow for a little more sleep. We were now, in the dark of the night, on our way to Spartanburg for the 6:30 start of the "The Assault on Mount Mitchell". A 102 mile bicycle ride to the top of the tallest mountain the Eastern U.S. has to offer. At 6,684 feet it's a formidable mountain (at least for Easterners). And starting in Spartanburg at 804 feet made it even more formidable.

We unload the bikes, unload our bladders (in the appropriate place--a restroom), and head to the start line. Nervous riders, groggy spectators, and one hovering local news helicopter all gather for the go signal. Click-Click---Click--Click-ClickClickClickClick. 6:30 has struck and all the riders are clipping in to their pedals. Some of the couple of thousand or so riders will ONLY go to Marion, NC. 74 miles up the road. That's no small feat either. It's a pretty brutal ride to Marion. I know because I did it a year ago. That's how I got the opportunity to attempt to register for the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. This year's Mitchell ride sold out online in a mere 7 minutes. Yes, there are that many crazy fools out there willing to put themselves through a tortuous 11,000 feet of climbing in just over 100 miles. We started near the front of the group with the thought that we could stay with the lead group for as long as possible and then we'd eventually be picked up by the next fastest group, etc.

It's a pretty fast start. Through the 4 lane highways of Spartanburg. POW! Someone blows a tire but otherwise it's smooth sailing. Across interstate 85 and suddenly there's a commotion in front of me. Maybe 35 feet in front of me. At nearly 30 miles an hour 35 feet is pretty close. Two riders go down in a tangled mass. I lock up my brakes, fishtail, and realize I'll have to do a little off road riding to avoid the mess. I swerve left and tighten my grip on the bars. Off road for maybe 10 yards and then back on the pavement. Surely that'll be today's "excitement".

The pace steadies and I make my way towards the first third of the peloton. It's pretty safe there. You can avoid the yo-yoing of the back of the peloton and there's less chance of someone going down in front of you causing you to crash. At about 20 miles into the ride as I was settling into a comfortable spot I notice my left shoe feels a bit awkward. My cleat seems to have too much float (twisting motion). I begin to lift my foot and notice my foot comes completely off of my pedal. This is not supposed to happen. Cleats are attached to shoes and clipped into pedals making the rider and bike one. I was no longer one with the bike and thought...This sucks! What can I do? I left my multi-tool at home thinking the less weight I had to carry to the top of Mitchell the better. Now I'm thinking it would have been well worth a little extra weight.

"Excuse me. Do you have a multi-tool with you?" I ask.

The responses all come back negative. Until one Marine jersey wearing guy said "Yes. It's in my saddle bag."

"I hate to ask you to stop. Do you think you can reach it without stopping."

He was successful and I pulled over in the next driveway. I was lucky the cleat and screws were still in my pedal. Stuck in my pedal. I couldn't generate enough torque to get the cleat out. Loosen the tension on the pedal and the cleat should slip out. Well it didn't slip out but I managed to pry it out with the loaned tool. I secured my cleat back to it's proper home... my shoe and jumped back on the bike. Without readjusting the tension. I stopped again and tightened the tension. By now any groups that were at all travelling as fast as I had hoped had pretty much passed me by. I began to work harder than I had intended so early on in the ride to try to catch a group that was at least travelling pretty fast. But I thought I had surely lost touch with the lead group. What?! My right shoe began giving me the same aforementioned problem and I went through the same routine again. Minus the having to borrow a multi-tool. This time however I lost one of the screws. My SPD style cleats only have two screws and with one missing the cleat pivots in the pedal pretty freely. I tightened the one screw as tight as I could get it and was off. This time I remembered to readjust the tension.

Eventually I managed to team up with a couple of other riders that were pretty strong and we worked together, making pretty good time but nothing like the main group and there was no way I was ever going to get back the lost time due to mechanical problems. So for about 15 miles that was how it went. These two riders and myself taking turns at the front doing the work. Then it appeared that luck smiled on me a bit. I see the entire group of riders in a huge standstill in front of me. Road work! I've never been so happy to see traffic halting road work in all of my life. I was back! Back in the lead group. Now the question would be...How long can I stay with them after working so hard by my self and then with these two other riders. It turned out to be not too long. But at least now I was in a larger and faster group.

Over Bill's Hill, the first real climb of the day, and I passed folks all the way up. On into Marion. I stopped in Marion long enough to refill my remaining 3 water bottles (I dropped one about 5 miles before arriving in Marion), a little food, and a bathroom break. Now the real climbing begins. From this point on it will be all up hill with the exception of two descents on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of which was pretty short and not too fast, while the other was about 2 mile long (a seemingly short two miles) and fast.

I had heard highway 80 was tortuous and it was. It was chock full of switch-backs and steep. There was one rest area about half way up, which I stopped for, managing to leave my right shoe clipped into my pedal the entire rest. There were some lovely folks there filling water bottles, pouring water over our heads, and handing out water melon. I partook in all three forms of bliss. The next rest stop was at the top of highway 80, just as it intersected with the Parkway. This time I was not so lucky as to be able to keep my right foot clipped into my pedal. Now I had a problem. My cleat would not come unclipped from my pedal. It just rotated on the single bolt holding it to my shoe. Off my shoe came. I performed the same contortionist-yoga type move at each of the 3 rest stops I visited on the remaining climb.

The Blue Ridge Parkway had its own difficulties. It wasn't as steep as highway 80 but it was a consistent grade and it showed itself in long views of yet unconquered road. Grinding along I kept going.

There were folks who asked my how long I thought it would take me before I set out on the ride and I would answer "If I can do it in 6 and half hours I'll be really happy. If I can do it in 7 hours I'll be pretty satisfied." Even after my difficulties I still thought 7 hours was doable but as 6 hours approached and then 6 and half, I changed my goal. I just wanted to finish. Turning off of the Parkway, headed towards Mount Mitchell State Park I had about 4 miles to go. As I entered the Park there were only 2 miles remaining and the Mountain does a wicked thing. It pitches. It pitches up and throws itself at you. Adding insult to injury. I trudge along. There are millions of tiny flying insects striking me in the face, chest, legs, arms...any body part they can attach themselves to in one last attempt from the mountain to keep me from its lofty perch. I was peddling in boxes when I crossed the finish line but I crossed the finish line. 7 hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds.

The ride back down to Marion is a story for another time. Same place, just another time.

PS-I'll see you next year Mount Mitchell.

Story of the Week (So Far)

2008-06-16T21:22:00.002-04:00

I'm away at soccer camp this week. Working with a group of 13 year old girls.

Breakfast:

Me: What do you mean you've never had grits? You're from the south!

13 year old girl camper: I'm not from the south, I'm from North Georgia!

Link to my Assault on Mt. Mitchell Finish

2008-06-13T09:38:00.002-04:00

The picture of me finishing can be found here. If you click on the photo of the two guys at the finish line, then click on the link for finishers between 7-7:30 hours and then click next at the bottom. I'm the first picture on the second page. And believe it or not I'm smiling.

Assault on Mt Mitchell Stats

2008-06-12T10:11:00.003-04:00

Total Calories Burned 8,156
Total Time to ride 102 miles 7:17:30
Average Heart Rate 167
Average Cadence 72
Maximum Speed 44.58
Average Speed 15.75
Ride Time 6:40:40 (time spent actually on the bike pedaling)
Tired 1 Daniel

Pond Visitor

2008-06-05T10:44:00.001-04:00

Party setup at our house

2008-06-05T10:43:00.002-04:00

Sara's Birthday Present

2008-06-05T10:42:00.002-04:00