Bull Moose at 3:00 A.M.

Last night at 2:00 A.M. I woke to check the aurora index and next thing you know I'm spending the remainder of the night and early morning out in the woods! During the evening the aurora forecast was looking more and more favorable but not strong enough to head out before going to bed. So, I set my alarm for 2:00 hoping that maybe by then it would be worth going out. When I checked the forecast after my alarm woke me it indicated that the aurora was at "STORM" level! Once I saw that, I was on my way outside with my camera in tow. Unfortunately, it started to rain just moments after I arrived at my first location along the Lake Superior shoreline. The aurora was active, I could see it plainly in the sky between the rain clouds. The rain prevented me from getting any shots so I altered my plan and decided to head inland and see if the sky was clear away from the big lake.

On my way up Old Highway 61 in Grand Portage I drove right by a swamp and there, standing not more than 20 feet off the road, was a big bull moose! He didn't even move when I drove by, so I slowly backed up to get a better look at him. He still wasn't moving, so I turned the truck a bit until the headlights were shining right at him. He just stood there, staring at me as I stared back at him. This photo was taken through the windshield of my truck. I think it turned out pretty good considering it was a hand-held shot from behind the wheel of the truck and at ISO 6400! I took a few more pictures of him before he started to walk away. As he walked away I shot a couple of video clips of him as well. It was a great start to my late night photo outing!

NEW KING ON THE BLOCK

It didn't take young Harry long; he now has his Grandpa George wrapped round his little finger. Here they are earlier today as they walked around the little Owl Wood trying to train Billy the Hen to walk to heel - with some success thanks to the judicious use of a spinach leaf...







Here we have Harry, sitting on the throne which his Grandpa is carving for him, training Toby to follow his commands...





and finally, Grandpa being trained in how to push Harry round and round the garden.





Don't worry Jonny, he hasn't taken over your room, yet...





Big day tomorrow! We'll be thinking of you and look forward to hearing of your safe arrival.





Mum





xxx

Springtime in Currumbin Valley

It's perhaps surprising that it's been several months since I took a simple ride out to Currumbin Valley -- and perhaps even more surprising that a simple 70km jaunt should be the highlight of a weekend of riding. On the other hand, it wasn't a usual weekend. I had a visit from a family member who had just been to London and Florence, and was trying to fit my rides in between swapping travel stories. That might even have worked if I hadn't somehow managed to pick up a stomach bug on Sunday afternoon which basically took 24 hours to clear up, and effectively removed any possibility of a night time jaunt to Springbrook.

On the other hand, I suppose an "easy" weekend is a good idea occasionally. Saturday morning's ride in warm temperatures with the scent of blooming flowers in the air has whetted my appetite for other rides. Now all I need to do is shake off this current little set back, and make the effort to get out on the bike tomorrow evening.

The problem I invariably face after a lay-off of any kind is that idleness breeds idleness. Often it's just too easy to settle into a pattern of not doing very much, it becomes habit forming. While there is a deep-seated desire to get on the bike and explore new places, it's all too easy to slip into a comfort zone, a "do it later" mentality. I suffered from this a little toward the end of 2006, and I have no intention of letting it happen again.

Waltzing Matilda

Carlos and his sweetly repainted steed. He found me on the out skirts of Cali and rode with me into the city. An official Colombian bikegeek.

I think everyone in Colombia should have a framed photo of the famous Luis Herrera proudly displayed.

Cali

Just Cuz

Saurez

A rather fertile land- Coffee, Bananas, Papaya, Mangos, Bamboo and all sorts of other things.

mmm

How can you not?

As if I need an excuse for an afternoon cup

I like my bearings the opposite of my peanut butter. I prefer the smooth over the crunchy

Old bridges still have their uses. This exact location kept me out of view from new bridge.

Nearly sold out seating.

You gotta love a campfire shared with a great group of Aussies and Brits.

A crowded campsite. Though it was nice to have the company for coffee.

Bike Ride, Beer, and Buds

The day started as a normal Sunday morning - coffee at Panera Bread with John & Dennis. Dennis said he rode The Trace yesterday - I thought it would have been soft from the rain. With the wind forecast for this afternoon, I suggested we ride The trace Silver City to the West Nishna Bridge. Unfortunately, John has to work and Dennis was not sure he had the legs for that ride.
After coffee, I had to stop at the grocery store for my salad. Rested a little and then prepared for a ride on The Trace. Looking forward to checking out my new cycling computer.
Wind was picking up as I unloaded the bike in Silver City. Just as I was about to head down the trail, Chris and Joe (friends of Zack's) arrived in Silver City, headed to Malvern. Visited a little with them as we started down the trail. They were soon riding too fast for me.
It seemed that I was riding into the wind or at least a cross wind (wind from the SW-WSW). Was looking forward to a tail wind on the way back. Saw them again at the Silver Creek Bridge. Took a couple photos there. The upper photo was taken on Silver Creek Bridge (pushed with Photomatix Light).
Their destination was "Excuses" in Malvern for beer and sloppy joes. When I got to Malvern, I rode on through town and climbed the hill to Marh Road. Wanted to get in my 20 mile ride today.

Back in Malvern stopped at the bar. I did not have my cable lock with me. Chris said that recently a bike was stolen on the street, so he locked my bike with his and Joe's. Grabbed some grub and a couple beers. Saw they had 312 beer - had heard of it. Was offered a taste - its NASTY stuff. Settle for a Boulevard.
Decided to get a photo of the three of us at the bar. Things got a little crazy there, with the photo. (Lower photo - By the way, what was the bartender studying?) After a couple beers and sandwiches, it was time for me to head back up the trail.
As I headed North, it felt like I was again riding into the wind or a cross wind. The wind and the slightly soft trail surface, really gave my legs a work-out. Made my 20 miles, but was exhausted when I got home.

Put to Bed

We returned to the storage lot this morning to move the Phaeton to its permanent spot.  It was only 8:00a when we got on the road.  The early hour meant little to no traffic, and we made it to our destination in record time.  It sure is nice to have a shorter drive to get to the motor home.

Pristine snow scenes and dry pavement make for a pleasant drive.

The Phaeton lives in a gated community.
(there's a second locked gate at the fenced in lot beyond this one.)

Mui had already checked out the map of available locations and settled on #87.  Before we could put the Phaeton to bed, however, we had to deal with a tiny problem.  When we parked the coach yesterday, the tires were still hot from our recent drive.  The snow around the tires had melted, creating snow-chocks that needed to be dealt with before we could go anywhere.  Having anticipated this, we were prepared.

I’m assigned to tackling the front …

… While Mui digs out the rear tires.

A little kitty-litter will do wonders … 

… to give the tires traction.

Yes, Mui … I’m working as fast as I can.

Lying down on the job, are we?

Fifteen minutes later, the coach was out of its overnight spot …

… leaving a mess behind!

It didn’t take us long to get the Phaeton re-situated.  I walked over to #87, Mui followed behind in the coach.  (Don’t get used to that, Mui; I am going to learn how to drive the motor home and then we’ll see where that leaves you!)  Taking advantage of the wide road just to the left of our spot, maneuvering in was a piece of cake.  Pulling out to go camping is going to be even easier!

# 87 awaits the Phaeton.

The wide road just ahead is why Mui picked this spot.

Wish we didn’t have to lock up and leave.

Weather permitting, we hope to take the coach out for a couple of day trips in the coming weeks.  We also have a few service appointments ahead of us as we prepare for what I consider to be our first real motor home vacation in April.  Until then …

RPi Up & Running

Since I basically got my taxes done (just clipping together, into an envelop, and deliver to the tax guy), had some time to initialize my Raspberry Pi. The monitor here on the office desk has both VGA and HDMI inputs. Normally, I use the VGA, which leaves the HDMI for my RPi.

With all of the computer "stuff" around the house, no problem finding USB keyboard and mouse. Had purchased the 1 amp power supply when I bought the RPi.

In the top photo, I will identify the connections:

On the upper/left edge of the board you can see the SD card (sticking out on the underside of the board). To the left is the micro-USB power connection (same one used my my cell phone). The larger cable on the lower/left of the board is HDMI monitor connection. The blue cable on the lower/right corner is my ethernet connection. Finally, on the same side are the USB connections for the mouse and keyboard.

I had initialized the SD card and "wheezy" Raspian operating system. So, when I powered things up, Raspberry Pi booted. Following directions on the RaspberryPi.org web site, I was able to set up the system running. Success!

My experiences with Linux distributions me be giving me problems. Raspian is a stripped down version. Here's a couple things that have been giving me problems:

The initial User ID and Password are "user" IDs, not root. It appears that the root password is "enter", just enter at the password prompt.

The only way I have been able to get to "root" has been the menu item "root terminal". Linux command "su" or "sudo" has not been getting to root.

Attempts to adding a second user id end up with an error.

Updating and upgrading the software is done from the terminal (text input). There is a menu item for Aptitude (the Debian package management system), but entering my user id and password causes an error.

The weather is supposed to be shitty this weekend (cold and rainy). Looks like will be good time to spend some more time with the RPi.