dad finished his latest
numberforty7
not expected
sucker punch
looks like the inside of my brain. who can resist giant samurai warriors with gatling guns?
justin bieber slowed down 800%
J. BIEBZ – U SMILE 800% SLOWER by Shamantis
credit: nick pittsinger, paulstretch, gizmodo, and of course justin bieber
“u smile” as a 30 minute long track. pretty sweet stuff. reminds me of what they did in that “inception” flick.
oh yeah, there was a dead elk in there
we heard that there was a dead elk in this canyon while doing our background prep work, but we hoped it would be just bones by the time we visited. actually it was still pretty pungent.
walking the tightrope
the helmet cam is weird with perspective. the log we are on is actually high enough off the ground that one could walk under it… but that is hard to see in the video.
slippery
das boot canyon, zion national park, utah
so what is das boot canyon like?
like this.
this is almost a public service announcement
considering the popularity of online dating, this okcupid blog post is amazingly useful/informative.
on the road, virtually
day 6 of the long ride
it has been almost a week since my dad embarked on his big adventure. one of the remarkable benefits of our modern times is that i have so many ways to participate virtually in his ride. using google latitude, i can pull out my smartphone randomly during my workday and see where my dad is. i try to text him at milestone moments, like when his ferry arrived back in the usa from vancouver island.
when he sends me pictures from his phone, i can use the latitude data to learn all kinds of things about the area he is in. here’s a pic from day 6 (today) of his ride. using google maps/the internet, i learned that the building they are approaching is a diner called “fat smitty’s” which is averaging 4.5 stars over 13 reviews on yelp. the restaurant has a facebook page, and they seem to be doing pretty well.
i can use google street view to look over the terrain my dad and his partner are riding on, and via the internet i can review the weather as they are riding. this is all in real time. what a world. 
if i wanted to, right now i could call my dad and tell him what people think is good on the fat smitty’s menu.
i continue to worry, but i’m very grateful that our era allows me and my family to have these previously unavailable options. the world continues to shrink.
sharing time
i have a confession to make: i’ve been avoiding this post. i know i said i’d try to add more personal sharing to the blog, but i have mixed feelings about what i’m about to share, and the confusion makes it hard to write.
so in 10 days my dad is embarking on an adventure. he and a fellow cyclist friend plan on bicycling from vancouver, canada, to los angeles, california. if they ride 60 miles a day, this trip will take at least 6 weeks. relevant background: my dad is over 75 years old, has multiple cardiac stents, and has been told by his cardiologist to not let his heart rate exceed 130 bpm. my father took up cycling after various health issues forced him to give up other recreations like sailing and flying aircraft. for the last 10 years he has been cycling 20-60 miles every 2-4 days. he has never ridden with a full set of pannier bags.
what i’m confident of: 1-my dad is serious about going. 2-my dad has virtually no experience with multi-day rides. 3-there will be no support vehicle. 4- his partner is equally inexperienced. 5- the planning and logistics have been grossly inadequate.
what i’m unsure of: 1- does my dad feel that this lack of planning is part of the adventure? or is it symptomatic of insufficient competence? 2- does he understand how stressed my mom and the rest of the family will be every day? 3-is he ignoring the health/fitness requirements, or does he not understand them? 4- what does it mean if he understands the risks? 5- what will happen if our worst fears are realized?
where i’m at: ultimately it is his life, and i’d be a hypocrite to try and stand between my father and an adventure. this is going to happen, and it may very well change the lives of my entire family.
hello
give me a minute to think about it