Last night while playing with the kitten there was a point when I suddenly realized we were playing fetch. I would throw his toy. He would run after it and then bring it back. It’s kinda funny because it just sort of happened. Anyway, this morning as we’re just waking up we hear the kitten downstairs playing with his toy… it’s got a bell on one end. Eventually we hear him dragging the toy upstairs and then into bed. Well… maybe he wants to play fetch? All I have to say is that this cat is funny. Enjoy the short video.
Got to break some stuff at work today in order to get it replaced for a customer. Yakima needed proof that we destroyed the defective cargo box before they would send out the replacement… here’s our proof.
As I was driving back from the Kuparisaari Triathlon the wind was just howling and I knew that there were waves in the forecast… So, I decided to take a detour on my way home and swing by Mclain State Park to see what the big lake was up to. The scene that I stumbled upon was like nothing I had ever seen before. The waves were awesome, the water was warm and there were damn near 20 people out surfing… 20! I didn’t know there were that many surfboards in all of the U.P. On top of the board surfers, which was by far the largest contingent, there was a small group of windsurfers and a solitary kite boarder.
I have to say, it is pretty sweet to see the surf community growing and it’s cool to see everyone out together enjoying the shit out of themselves. Anyway, here are a few images from the hour or so that I stayed out there. I’ve got my camera… now all I need is a board and a wetsuit.
On Wednesday evening myself and a couple other members of the Keweenaw Paddling Club got together to paddle the shoreline south from Breakers. I feel this is one of the nicer paddles in the area. It’s relatively close to town, it’s on the Big Lake, there are numerous sandstone bluffs, and it faces west so you get some great sunsets. There are also many small waterfalls visible throughout this stretch, with the one in the image above serving as our typical turnaround point.
Now, the waterfall in the above image is nothing special. It’s not exceptionally large, or in any way spectacularly scenic, but it is pretty cool. The water that poured out of it was actually quite warm and when the water levels on the lake are high enough you can paddle under it. Paddling under waterfalls is just one of those fun things to do… sort of like paddling through sea caves, or through narrow channels. Something about features like this just call out to you begging you to paddle through, under or around them.
Anyway, on Wednesday as we approached the point where the waterfall should be we came upon this scene.
On the paddle out I had noticed a lot more erosion this year than I even have in the past. At the time I knew things had changed, but it was difficult to determine just how different things were. The collapsed falls were the only spot where the amount of erosion was visible. It was a sad sight, and I’m sorry to that future paddlers won’t get to experience it. However, my hope is that after a few spring storms sweep through the area, that some of the debris will be crushed up and redistributed… we’ll see.
For now, please be careful while paddling out along the cliffs on the west side of the peninsula. Things are looking very sketchy and if a significant portion came down, even if you weren’t right under it, you could be in a bad spot.
Finally got the new bike today. It’s been a while since I’ve owned anything from Santa Cruz, and I forgot how nice their stuff is. I can’t really say much about the ride quality of durability at this point as I’ve only ridden it from the shop back to the house. However, building it up was a breeze. The fit and finish are second to none, and all of the parts work well together… at least they did in the stand.
Soon, I will get this thing out on the trails and will have a bit more to say. I should mention that I will probably change out the bar and tires. The small block eights just aren’t going to cut it, and the bar just doesn’t have the right rise/sweep combo.
So, enjoy some pics for the time being… she looks pretty sweet. Once I get her out on the trails I will post some thoughts.
Later.
UPDATE: So, I’ve now had a chance to get out on the trails and all I can say is… well done SC… well done. I don’t want to pass judgement either way just quite yet, but on these first couple of rides the bike felt pretty good. Actually, it felt the best on the uphills. Before actually getting out on this bike I was pretty worried that it just wouldn’t climb like my old Anthem X did. Now, I don’t want to go so far as saying that the Blur LT climbs as well as a 4″ travel XC race bike, but it climbs pretty damn well. As for the downhills… I’m still shaking of some of my winter clumsiness. The bike rides great, and it’s possible I’m going just as fast and the extra travel just makes it feel slower… yeah… that’s gotta be what it is… hmmm. Right, now I don’t know. It’s good though… definitely good. No regrets at this point.
After I get some more saddle time I will post a more thorough review.
Wow… to me this is super sweet. I don’t know if it’s because I used to work at a hobby shop, or if it’s just because the they managed to really create and convey a sense of “Fun” to the viewer. I really like this type of thinking. They’re doing a lot with a little… 10x less to be precise… and not giving up anything in terms of effectiveness.
Anyway, check out the finished commercial here, and the behind the scenes video after… it’s hard not to enjoy this just a little bit.
