Sunrise Over The Chesapeake Bay

Just a simple sunrise over the bay. Since the date is so near the Equinox then the location of the sun in the first frame is very nearly due East.

MS150 - 2010 Day 2 (New Bern NC)

Day 2 started out very rainy. We spent the night in Morehead City at Evelyn's house on Fisher Street. When we were leaving about 5:50am the heavens opened up and a cloud burst rained down. We had to pick our way through street floods to get out of town.

By the time we reached New Bern it was still very cloudy but the rains had stopped. No more rain fell that day and the clouds parted around noon.

Evelyn did not ride on Sunday, which was just as well since the threat of heavy rain and thunder caused a the 30 mile course and the 100 mile course to be closed. That left only the 50 mile course and the 75 mile course. (There was an option to ride 30 miles on the 50 mile course then get sag'ed back to New Bern, with your bike coming later on a truck.)

I chose to do the 50 mile course and it worked out great. It was just the right distance for me that day. I've been suffering from a head cold since last Thursday and I think the exercise in the warm weather was actually good for me.

Here are the 'stats' for Sunday:
03:30 hh:mm .... Time for Day-2
80.58 km ....... Distance for Day-2
23.00 kph ...... Average speed for Day-2
06:33 hh:mm .... Total time for the two days

133.01 km ....... Total distance traveled for the two days.

20.20 kph ...... Average speed for the two days

Here is the slide show that contains some pictures from Day-2 near the end of the slide show:

One more thing about the start of the ride. When I got there there really was just a small group waiting to start. So I just stayed near the start. I noticed right before the announcements that everybody around me had on the same jersey. It turns out the the New Bern 'Tri-Century-Cycling-Team' was tagged to 'lead-out' the ride and I found myself right in the middle of them. By the time I realized what was going on it was really too late to find my way back behind that group.

Also the national anthem was played by a horn player (cornet I think) who was a rider and he really nailed that song.

And Here is a video of the start of the ride and the second rest stop. I did not stop at the first rest stop and the video of the second rest stop (judging by the long line to the porta-potties and for the water line) was the first rest stop for lots of others too.

MS150 - 2010 Day 1 (New Bern NC)

Evelyn and I finished day-1 of the MS150 Cycling Tour in New Bern NC in fine styel. We had a very good ride. The sky was cloudy (no sun block needed) and the temperature was mostly in the 70s with light wind. A very nice ride.

Here are the stats:

03:03 hh:mm .... Time on rolling.

52.43 km ....... Distance traveled.

17.01 kph ...... Average speed.

Here is a slide show of some pictures we took:

And Here is a video clip of just some of the over 2,000 riders.

06 SEP 2010 Labor Day Bike Ride

Evelyn was on duty so could not ride this morning so I tried my 'North Raleigh Loop Ride'.

It turned out to be a beautiful day for a bike ride.

Here are the 'stats':

Time On The Bike hh:mm .. 02:22

Distance Traveled km .... 45.30

Average Speed kph ....... 19.20

The ride is a bit longer when you go clockwise and you take Morning Dove Dr to Sawmill then to Longstreet then to the greenway. However, this morning because the traffic was not so bad I decided to stick to Falls of the Neuse to Sandy Forks then to Six Forks then back home. Here is a graphic of the ride with the non greenway bit in yellow (click for a larger view). Also the graphic just below the picture will take you to a turn-by-turn listing of the ride at the website http://www.MapMyRide.COM

From Random Graphic Images

Hewitt Pottery Visit

Evelyn received an invitation to visit the kiln opening at Hewitt Pottery. The pottery is only about 35 miles from Raleigh, out on US64 West toward Pittsboro just after you cross the Haw River. It was a beautiful morning for a visit and Evelyn found a pot to purchase.

Here is a slide show of our visit. Everything was beautiful.

If they hate us why haven't they killed us yet?

You be the judge ... (hint: The answer is obvious - and quite easy - and has nothing to do with 'force-of-arms').

Here is the post that asks the question: http://snarla.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/if-they-hate-us-why-havent-they-killed-us-yet/

After reading some of the comments on the post I anticipate answers that may come to mind, and give the answer to the largely rhetorical question posed above.

[A] They don't hate us and they certainly are not trying to kill us.

[B] The reason [A] is true is that almost all of them live in such a state of poverty that they have much, much, much more to worry about than hating America.

and...

[C] Just like in the 'Good Old US of A' some among us, in hopes of switching attention from their own shortcomings, like to throw up FUD-Lies-Bull-Stuff about the other side.

and ...

[D] "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

... This messages is true whether or not you embrace the word 'love' ... Because the converse is also true ...

[E] "If you hate your neighbor you hate yourself."

... In other words, you have no choices about this ... it is built into your very being.

Hurricane Earl Approaches Outer Banks

Hurricane Earl approached the North Carolina Outer Banks today. When I left the gym this morning the dawn illuminated this beautiful arc of high/mid clouds that stretched from NNE to SSW. These clouds represented the leading edge of the NW quadrant of the outflow pattern from Earl. I stopped in a parking lot and took a video (just a few minutes earlier would have been even more spectacular). Evelyn had to leave early to help the Red Cross, her local chapter is hosting the marshaling point for North Carolina. When we arrived there were many 'ERVs' (Emergency Response Vehicles) and two huge tractor trailers. I took some pictures with my cell phone. Then when I got access to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov I captured some of the satellite shots and strung them together to make and animation of the storm. Here is the video I posted on YouTube.COM.