KanyonKris

Avatar, Christmas

2009-12-28T23:21:00.003-07:00

Avatar

I saw Avatar Saturday and I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. I was expecting just a good eye-candy movie, but it's better than that.

The story is solid but familiar, with a few twists. From what I'd heard about the plot, I was wary it would be a message movie, gladly I only rolled my eyes a few times.

The buzz about Avatar has been the formidable technology used to create it. (Popular Science has a good article on it. My favorite was the LCD tablet Cameron used to see the rendered motion captures set in the computer generated scenery as he roamed the stage to preview the performance and establish the camera shots.) My expectations were high and the movie exceeded them. Every scene looks gorgeous - filled with both lush outdoor environs and detailed sci-fi tech. The art in this movie is astounding in detail, scope and quality.

I saw the movie in RealD 3D and enjoyed the experience. With so many big scenes, the 3D depth added to the film. Sometimes objects looked a little blurry, but usually everything was crisp. RealD uses circular polarization so you can tilt your head and the 3D still looks great. The glasses resemble wayfarers and were comfortable for the whole 3 hours.

The world Cameron creates feels real, or perhaps super real. As I exited the theater into a dreary Winter day, I wanted to go back to Pandora (the planet location for the movie). I want to see it again.

Christmas

We had a good Christmas. The kids seemed happy with their presents.

We got a new TV. A 42" LCD. I've been watching these big TVs for years and finally this year the price dropped to where I couldn't resist. So far I'm pleased with it. And I'm already becoming a hi-def snob - the sharpness and detail is amazing.

For me the big gift is the new bike. Last post I mentioned the frame. It arrived and I was amazed how light it is. I bought a Medium 2008 HiFi from Kieth and I'll be moving the parts over to the Large frame the next week or so. Can't wait to ride it. Road trip down south anyone?

Framed

2009-12-15T22:26:00.003-07:00

I've been pondering my next bike move for a while. I like my Prophet - plush suspension, high BB clearance, feels good to ride. But this year I tried a 29er (Gary Fisher X-Caliber) and was quickly sold on the big wheels. Going back to hard tail has been fun, but it doesn't suit me for long rides and rough stuff. So I've been looking at full suspension 29ers.

Today I pulled the trigger on this Gary Fisher 2009 HiFi Pro frame.

It has a custom paint job.

I could pull the components off the X-Cal, but I want to keep it running and some of it's components wouldn't be a good match for the HiFi (specifically the old fork). Instead I'm planning to either buy a bike for the parts or start scrounging for cheap components over the Winter.

Hopefully having a bike project will keep me sane during the Winter.

How To Know You're In Utah Valley

2009-12-13T22:57:00.004-07:00

Let's say you're driving through Utah on I-15. Your friend is driving and you fell asleep a ways back but just woke up. How would you know if you were in Utah Valley?

If it's day-time you might recognize the majestic profile of Mount Timpanogos.

But let's say it's dark. And there are no highway signs. But there are plenty of billboards.

Sighting this billboard just south of the Point of the Mountain (Utah / Salt Lake County line) I would instantly know I was home.

A few more miles south I'd be reassured of my location from yet another Maakoa billboard. (Looks like Maakoa is trying to steal Omniture's green thunder.)

If you happen to be heading north and getting close to Salt Lake County, Maakoa's got you covered there too.

And while Maakoa has the most billboards, there are other players too. Here's one for FuzeUtah (it says "Make MLM $$$ .... Keep Your Friends" - nice).

There's also a Go-yin billboard (sorry, no photo).

Yes, the place I call home and have lived most of my life, is the nutritional supplement MLM (Multi-Level Marketing - think Amway) capitol of the world. We've got NuSkin (the grand-daddy), NEWAYS, Tahitian Noni, Xango, and the above mentioned Go-Yin and Maakoa.

I'm not a fan of these products, but I guess some people are happy with them. Growing up I knew a few too many natural medicine / herb people that were total nut-jobs so this turned me off to the whole idea. Perhaps I've thrown the baby out with the bath water (what a bizarre idiom), but we're all shaped by our experiences.

I worked at Nature's Sunshine in high school. I ran a machine that cleaned off the capsules after they'd been filled with bee pollen, ginseng, licorice root, etc. One day I was cleaning capsules filled with cayenne pepper when the dust collected in the sweat line at the cuff of my vinyl gloves. I didn't notice until it started to sting - like acid. I had a burn around each wrist for days. That was fun.

My neighbor told me he tried some Noni juice and it gave him a bad case of the runs.

And I'm definitely not comfortable with the MLM sales method. But then I'm not comfortable selling anything, so I don't need to go into "dream circles", "diamond level", etc. The few times I've done charity fund-raisers it was difficult. Frankly, I don't like selling stuff at all. People have attempted to recruit me a few times, but my reticence to sell was usually the biggest decider in the "no" column (there were other factors too).

I mean no disrespect to the people who work for these companies or sell these products. I know several people who do. It's just not for me. And it's undeniable that there are a lot of nutritional supplement MLM companies in Utah Valley. That's all I'm saying.

Timp Foothill Trails Update

2009-12-10T22:43:00.002-07:00

I've updated the Timpanogos Foothill Trails website to include two new trails and a Google Earth map.

The two new trails are Belt and Buckle. Both trails are new this year and are great additions to an already fantastic trail system.

Belt connects Betty and Frank and provides a slightly easier climb and longer route to the Altar. It flows well either direction. The person who created the trail named it (as it should be, plus it's a good name).

Buckle is what a lot of people are calling Upper Belt. This trail starts 10 yards above the Altar and heads west as it generally parallels Lament, but is easier climbing. It connects to Crank 50 yards or so below Lament. It's a fun trail as it winds up through the trees. It's still a bit rough, but has worn in nicely this year. While Upper Belt is an OK name, I prefer one-word names that are unique. Also, Buckle and Belt are not connected (they're separated by Frank, or Betty). I've asked around a bit but don't know who created this trail - I will respect the name he/she/they gave it. Anyone know?

I also created a Google Earth map of the trail network. I pulled together the GPS tracks of each trail and added labels, landmarks, trail heads, etc. The 3D terrain and color satellite imagery makes it easier to visualize the trails in Google Earth (which is free).

Finally, I added Adam's excellent header image to the website and made several tweaks to improve the look and function of the site. It's still a very basic website, but hopefully it works well enough. There may be some big changes in the future.

White Elephant Bullseye

2009-12-08T22:11:00.004-07:00

I went like a lamb to the slaughter.

Saturday Mark and Rachel hosted a Christmas party. I thoroughly enjoyed the party, food (Rachel is an accomplished practitioner of the culinary arts - the title of her blog, Kitchen Addiction, makes this perfectly clear), people, conversation and the white elephant gift exchange, even though I suspect it was all a setup to make sure I received this:

(A LoToJa water bottle, hanger [which I made fun of here], and window sticker.)

If you're new to this blog you may be unaware of my lampooning of LoToJa (a 200 mile road race/ride from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming). Here's my LoToJa anthology: No Transfers For You, LoToJa Owns The Road, Transfer Clamp-Down, LoToJa Hangups. Because I dared criticize the hallowed LoToJa, I've been branded the anti-LoToJa-ite (or other such appellations). So there's the history, now back to the party.

Before the gift exchange Mark announced they do it a bit differently - when it's your turn you give a gift, an unopened one or steal an opened one from another guest, to the person of your choosing. Another guest had picked Mark's LoToJa goodie box and given it to Aaron, but when it was Mark's turn he re-gifted it to me.

It was a funny moment since many of the guests know of my thing with LoToJa. And I'm sure when Mark wrapped up those LoToJa items he knew exactly who he wanted to receive them. But how deep does this go? I suspect Mark setup (made up?) the re-gifting rules to enable his intended goal. And did he give himself a high number to assure I got the goods? Was the dinner just a rouse to legitimize the white elephant gifts? Were all the other invitees in on this? I know I was had, but how had was I? What, me paranoid?

Credit must be given and I say to Mark, well played my friend.

I did get a little payback as I targeted Mark with my gift of a 1980s home entertainment package consisting of a VHS player (broken, of course), Jiffy Pop, and an ugly basket loaded with a fine selection of VHS movies (some from our own dwindling collection, others from DI). One locally produced movie, The Buttercream Gang (really, it was at IMDB?), featured a girl Mark dated - how's that for Karma, fate or something?

dug got hit with some collateral damage of the unusual rules.

My wife scored this sweet bike pad. Check out that cavernous "cutout" and the beyond-generous amount of padding. I think we can call this a grandma pad.

Back to the LoToJa goodies - what to do with them? I won't ever be able to put the bottle on my bikes, I'll probably give it to one of the kids. The hanger, uh, I guess I'll use it - stuffed in a closet is fine with me. But the sticker is a puzzler. I certainly will not put it on my car unaltered. I could simply stick it upside-down. Perhaps I could modify it somehow. I'm open to ideas.

Adjust LED Flashlight Spot Size

2009-12-04T01:13:00.005-07:00

Prompted by a question from Mark, I found an easy way to adjust the spot size of the TR-810 LED flashlight I use for night rides on my bike. (Learn more about the TR-810 here)

Mark is looking to buy a new light and is considering the TR-801 but would like a larger spot size so he asked me if it could be modified. I tinkered with the larger flashlights (the ones I bought before the TR-801) and only had limited success enlarging the spot diameter. I found a comment on DealExtreme reporting that unscrewing the reflector ring changed the spot size. It works very well, as you can see in the following photos.

The only trick is to be sure to unscrew the reflector ring and not the LED base. In this photo I've dissembled the front so you can see all the parts. Note that the LED base threads into both the Body and the Reflector ring. I found it easiest to take the flashlight apart like this then thread the LED base into the Body and tighten it snug. Then I screwed the Reflector ring on lightly.

This is what the flashlight looks like with the Reflector ring unscrewed 1/2 turn. Note the gap between the Reflector ring and the LED base. The gap is small enough that the Reflector ring is still contacting the o-ring on the LED base and I feel confident it is creating a water-tight seal.

The TR-801 has an even beam spot that is large enough to cover a trail from edge-to-edge. But I have noticed it is a bit tight. Now with this easy adjustment I can easily make the spot a little larger. The TR-801 just became an even better bike light.

At $14.56 this light is a bargain, and cheaper than last year when they were $17.52. In fact, the whole setup has dropped almost $10 and is now only $55.56.

Read what Watcher had to say about the lights.

SlowStick R/C Airplane - Parts

2009-12-02T22:22:00.002-07:00

Last week I mentioned that I crashed the remote control (R/C) airplane I built (from a kit) and DB wanted to know what parts I bought, so here goes.

All the parts except the SlowStick airplane kit came from Hobby King (a discount R/C shop in Hong Kong). I bought the SlowStick from a local hobby store because I wanted to start building right away. You only need the slope glider kit (no motor or propeller) since you can buy a better, more powerful, brushless motor for cheap. The best price I found online for the SlowStick kit is $22 at ALL e RC.

This is what I would consider the absolute minimal parts list:

Cost	Qty	Price	Description
$29.99	1	$29.99	Radio set, 4 Channel (Mode 1 or Mode 2)
$5.99	1	$5.99	Brushless Motor
$8.99	1	$8.99	Electronic Speed Controller (ESC, 25-30Amps)
$7.18	2	$3.59	Micro Servo (HXT900)
$8.29	1	$8.29	Battery Pack, Lithium Polymer, 1000mAh
$4.49	1	$4.49	Battery Charger
$1.20	1	$1.20	Propeller, 11x4.7
$66.13 TOTAL

Here is a parts list with a few inexpensive extras that are well worth the money:

Cost	Qty	Price	Description
$32.95	1	$32.95	Radio set, 6 Channel (Mode 1 or Mode 2)
$2.89	1	$2.89	USB Programming Cable (for 6 channel radio only)
$5.99	1	$5.99	Brushless Motor
$8.99	1	$8.99	Electronic Speed Controller (ESC, 25-30Amps)
$7.18	2	$3.59	Micro Servo (HXT900)
$16.58	2	$8.29	Battery Pack, Lithium Polymer, 1000mAh
$4.49	1	$4.49	Battery Charger
$9.99	1	$9.99	AC Power Supply, 12 VDC @ 5Amps
$4.80	4	$1.20	Propeller, 11x4.7
$1.99	1	$1.99	Prop Saver
$2.20	1	$2.20	Pushrod Snap Connectors, (5 pack)
$98.05 TOTAL

Notes about the parts:

Radio set - Includes the transmitter (the controller you hold) and the receiver (mounted on the plane to receive signals from the transmitter and control the servos and ESC). 2.4 GHz radios use spread spectrum technology to avoid interference. It is powered by 8 AA batteries (you can buy NiMH AA batteries for cheap at Hobby King). A Mode 1 transmitter has the throttle (no spring return) on the right stick, Mode 2 on the left (more info). Only 3 channels are needed for the SlowStick so the 4 channel radio is good. I got the 6 channel radio because it was only $3 more (actually $6 because I had to buy the USB programming cable), but I have no idea what I'll use the other 2 channels for. The 4 channel radio has reversing switches on the front panel so if a servo is moving the wrong way it's easy to change without having to connect to a PC, run software and reprogram the transmitter like the 6 channel radio.

Brushless motor - Ordinary DC motors have brushes (contacts) that wear out eventually, but brushless doesn't so they last longer. But the main reason you want this motor is for the greater power over the stock motors. The holes in the included plastic mount didn't line up with those of the motor so I had to drill a hole or two - not a difficult modification, but weird that it didn't match up.

Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) - Translates throttle signals from the receiver to control the amount of electricity to the motor. Includes a safety feature that prevents the motor from running when you power up the plane (that could otherwise be a nasty surprise). It will also shut down the motor when the battery gets low so you still have power for the controls to (hopefully) glide the plane down and land it.

Micro Servo - Translates signals from the receiver into a rotational position for moving the control surfaces (rudder and elevator). There are various sizes of servos, the micro size mounts on the SlowStick OK. Servos are pretty durable, but you may want to pick up a spare just in case.

Battery Pack - Lithium Ion batteries are light and hold a big charge. The 1000 mAh battery is a good value and will last around 20 minutes in the SlowStick. Buy 2 so you can swap in a fresh battery and put the dead one on the charger. And/or buy batteries with more capacity (mAh) for longer flights (if the battery pack is not a 2S or 3S you will need to select a different charger).

Battery Charger - You need a charger specifically for Lithium batteries and the number of cells in the battery pack (this one works with 2S and 3S packs). It clips to a car battery so you can charge in the field. Get the AC Power Supply if you also want to charge at home.

Propeller - The 11x4.7 was recommended to me and seems to work well, but since I haven't really flown the plane I can't be certain. Propellers take a lot of abuse and often break so get some spares - they're cheap.

Prop Saver - Mounts to the motor shaft and attaches to the propeller with some strong rubber o-rings. This adds some "give" to the system and will often prevent breaking a prop. For $2 it seems like cheap insurance.

Pushrod Snap Connectors - Instead of making a Z bend in the pushrods for the rubber and elevator you attach these connectors to the servo horn (arm). A screw holds the pushrod. Makes mounting and adjusting the pushrods much easier. Worth the money. I had to drill out a hole in the servo horn to make them fit.

A few notes about ordering: Hobby King has member discounts on some parts so create an account first before you start adding parts to your shopping cart. The cheap shipping will take about 2 weeks. I selected the faster shipping and it took 5 days.

The kit comes with an instruction booklet, but it's pretty bad (not very descriptive, bad english, typos, etc.). This guide helped. The kit is a bit different now - for one it comes with a clear plastic stiffener that goes between the two halves of the wing.

The guide suggests a number of changes, and most of them are good, but I only used a few. I will agree that the included tape strips didn't stick well and I covered them over with good quality clear packing tape. (The guide suggests using Scotch brand #8959 Extreme Application Packing Tape, but it's not clear so it makes the plane look ugly. I think packing tape works well enough, but if you want to trade some looks for durability then go with the Extreme tape.)

I didn't fasten any of the parts that slide onto the fuselage boom and that was a mistake. When the plane crashed they all slide forward and unbalanced the plane. The instructions say to use glue, but I'd rather use screws or tape so I can make adjustments, if needed.

That's all the major build tips I can recall.

Now I need to repair the crash damage so I can try again.

But before I attempt to fly again I'm going to do some simulated flight to get more familiar with the controls. I just bought from eBay a DYNAM controller that looks just like a R/C transmitter and plugs into a computer (USB). It comes with the open source flight simulator FMS. You can also use FMS with a keyboard, joystick or other controllers (even the 6 channel transmitter with the USB cable can be adapted to work, but it's a bit messy and uses the batteries). As a bonus, I think the kids will have fun using the simulator too.

Route Finding

2009-11-30T22:45:00.003-07:00

Miles and I did some more route exploring this afternoon. We started at the bottom to see what it would be like to climb this new trail.

Instead of climbing up the Firing Range trail, we went a ways up the Water Tank Road and used an access road (on the left before the steep climb) to get up on the ridge. The established trail by the gate is a grunt, but Miles found a game trail along the fence that, with a little digging, should work.

Climbing up the ridge is steeper than I expected (coming down it didn't seem so bad, funny that), but it will do for now.

A ways after passing under the power lines a pretty good trail forks off to the right. The horses have been using it. After climbing a ways it drops into a shallow gully then heads straight up it, so we veered right and over a low hill. Then we crossed another gully at a pretty good spot. Then some flat-ish stuff and up a slope to the foot of the ridge Ireland follows. (Note that we didn't bee-line this route - there was still plenty of exploring and trial and error.)

Getting up onto this ridge is the crux and we investigated several possibilities. I think we settled on a good route. It's rough, but with a little sidecutting it should be nice.

I thought I had the trail figured out after descending it Saturday and was a little bummed we had more route exploring to do. The good news is the route is even better after today and I still believe it will be a good trail. Miles marked a few key spots with blaze orange spray paint.

I may be able to do a little work on the access trail after work in the dark. I don't know Miles schedule, but he may be able to lead the lunch crew on some further exploration this week. Unless something comes up, I'm planning to work on the sidecut Saturday - anyone who wants to help is welcome (bring your own tools).

I must say, the evening Winter light on the grassy foothills is magical.

Back at the parking lot as Miles and I talked about the trail route, Adam and Aaron flew by. Aaron yelled out "34 minutes" and we knew it meant a Dry Loop TT attempt was on.

I had my lights so I headed out for a quick run down Rollercoaster. Heading up the road I hear tires humming and looked up to see Adam, Aaron, Rick M. and Kenny fly by. Rick M. was still at the lot when I came down and we talked about the new trail and how sweet it is to be riding such good dirt a day shy of December.

The foothill trails are in prime condition so ride 'em before the snow flies.

Overtime

2009-11-29T12:56:00.004-07:00

As the faithful gathered at the LaVell temple yesterday to enjoy (or despair in) some overtime, I headed for the hills for mine.

Up the Water Tank Road then down the Cliff trail. One lap around the Race Course then back up to the road. Then up Betty and lower Crank, which was OK except for the gully climb at the back of the narrow little meadow which was slick with mud and chewed up from horse traffic - I made it up, but the rear wheel slipped several times and it was touch and go. Then I crossed over and headed down Ireland, but stopped part way down.

A few months ago I rode out into the grass west of Ireland looking for a way over to Firing Range to avoid the descent down the Water Tank Road. I only went a hundred yards or so, but it looked promising. Well Tuesday Miles did it. So I gave it a try.

I wandered around a bit and hit a few dead ends, but found a pretty good route. I was plowing grass and was surprised the ground was relatively smooth with only a few patches of rock.

Not far from Ireland (the light blue line on the right) I went down a game trail that could be climbed, but is a bit too steep. I think there is a better route that isn't so steep.

My exploring in orange, the proposed route in blue.

I hope to get together with Miles this week to compare notes and decide the route (perhaps even flag it). The trail may need a little rock clearing and possibly some digging - certainly it will need lots of wheels. I think this trail could be established just like Kenny's Belt.

I'm excited that soon we could have a single-track route (up and down) that should be a lot more fun than the Water Tank Road.

Giving Thanks Ride

2009-11-27T22:11:00.003-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. Here's the recent high(low)lights:

Headed out for a ride Saturday, chain broke, no tools, coasted home.
Took the remote control airplane out, crashed it.
Ate lots of good food for Thanksgiving.

This afternoon Jolene and I head up into the foothills for a ride. The hillsides look dead with all the leaves gone and the grass brown, but the different look has it's charm.

We thought we'd have to stay low, but conditions were surprisingly good so up we went. Betty then Upper Belt (Buckle?), then 051 over to Dry Canyon.

There was still some snow on Upper Belt, but it was still OK to ride. It was warm enough (low 50s) that I was comfy in shorts.

Nice view today.

Coming down into Dry Canyon was mostly good, but the steeps spots were a bit slippery with ice and mud.

Zipped down Dry Canyon then took BST back. Felt good to get out for a ride.

Freak Family

2009-11-23T22:18:00.002-07:00

Meet the Freaks:

Father

Mother

Oldest daughter

Middle daughter

Youngest daughter

The boy

This all started last week when a co-worker showed me a distorted picture of himself.

With Jolene gone to Moab, the kids and I got silly tweaking photos of ourselves.

I used Paint.NET (free!), but most any image editor will work. I used only one tool, Bulge.

Negative Bulge makes a squeeze. Clicking on the thumbnail image chooses the center (or use the sliders or enter a number).

Most of the images above have more than one Bulge operation. For instance, my image had a bulge for each eye and a squeeze for my mouth/chin.

We spent an hour or so distorting images and laughing at each iteration. A silly good time with the kids.

What's your favorite?

Winter Wonder Lunch Ride

2009-11-19T18:39:00.002-07:00

I've been denying it, but I may have to admit it's Winter.

But it was so sunny at noon and the ground around work was dry. When I stepped outside the temperature reminded me it's November, but high 40s isn't bad. I knew I'd be able to ride something in Corner Canyon so off I went.

The lower trails were fine, but even then I'd see some snow and wet spots.

Heading to Ghost Falls, down in the shade, the ground was covered in snow, but only a couple of inches. It was actually fun to ride. There were icy spots but mostly it was just packed snow and I had good traction.

Then I headed up Canyon Hollow. As I went higher the snow got deeper. 3 inches. 4 inches. I had to work to keep my balance as I went in and out of the existing tracks. And the resistance caused by the snow made me work harder. Plus I had to pedal smooth so I would maintain traction and not spin out. I dabbed 4 times. I estimate it was 90% snow covered.

I went down the road. Started off snow then got a bit muddy, but not bad.

I figured Ghost Falls would be good since it gets more sun. It was, at first. Then some snow and more mud, but not deep. I felt bad riding the trail in these conditions. I wasn't making deep ruts, but was squishing a half inch or so into the goop. I tried to avoid the wettest spots.

North Ghost Falls was mostly dry and fun to ride down.

Even the BST (in the shade) had snow.

A more interesting lunch ride than I'd planned on, but obviously my expectations were off. It felt good to be on the bike.

If I had known the trail conditions I would have gone up South Ghost Falls then over and down North Ghost Falls. All the higher trails up higher are a mess right now. The snow was kind of fun to ride and it protected the trail, but there were also muddy spots.

One option would be to ride when the ground is frozen - morning would work. But I like the sun at lunch. I'll just have to confine myself to the lower trails.

In With In-N-Out

2009-11-18T21:11:00.006-07:00

The company I work for has a connection with In-N-Out. A few days ago we received an invitation to attend the Pre-Grand Opening of the Draper restaurant.

We went early, and good thing because it got crowded fast.

Looks just like every other In-N-Out. And that's a good thing.

I let the free hat go to my head.

Animal style cheeseburger combo with a chocolate shake. Delicious.

Here's where the magic happens.

On our quickie, impromptu tour we saw the big, red, ripe tomatoes, the sponge dough buns with good old sugar (no high fructose corn syrup) and no preservatives, giant onions carefully prepared then sliced and diced, and of course the potatoes loving turned into golden fries.

My co-worker's son took a turn at the fry slicer - slammed the handle down so hard his hat went over his eyes.

The grand opening is tomorrow starting at 10:30 and I predict it will be a zoo.

The guy who gave us the tour said the Orem restaurant is also opening tomorrow. I didn't even know about this and I live in Orem. Be aware the map is wrong but the address is correct. It's near the intersection of State by Mimi's Cafe and The Outback.

The West Jordan In-N-Out will open next (in 2-3 weeks) followed by American Fork. I took this photo of the AF restaurant two days ago:

For the Wasatch Front In-N-Out faithful, the day of deliverance is at hand.

Charleston Chew Vindicated

2009-11-17T20:44:00.009-07:00

After reviling the Mini Charleston Chews in my last post the comments were unanimously in support of the candy.

I've been wrong exactly three times in my life, could this be #4? (My wife will get a good laugh from the preceding statement.)

I have no desire to wrongly malign anyone or any candy so on my way home I bought a chocolate and vanilla Charleston Chew.

The ingredient list wasn't inspiring: Corn syrup, Sugar, Vegetable oil, Non-fat dry milk, Cocoa, Lactose, Milk Protein, Egg albumen (?), Artificial flavor, Soya lecithin (?), Soya protein (?), Salt. But this is candy, not health food, so I continued the experiment.

The wrapper suggests they are good cold so I cut each bar in half and put a half in the fridge.

I tried the chocolate first. The chocolate coating tasted about the same but a bit better. The nougat still had the compressed marshmallow texture but it tasted better. And no icky after taste. Remarkably better than the Minis from yesterday.

Next up was vanilla. I was hesitant because the Minis were also vanilla. I was pleasantly surprised to find the vanilla chew to also be pretty good with no weird chemical flavor and nasty after taste like the Minis.

Both flavors were also good chilled as the nougat was now brittle and snapped off when bitten. Indeed they did taste a little better cold.

Charleston Chews did not make it into my top tier candies (that's reserved for Snickers, Kit-Kat, Butterfinger and Twixt), but they've been salvaged from the "never eat this again" category. And I could see myself eating a Chew now and then when the hankering hit me.

The minor mystery that remains is: Why were the Mini Chews so awful? Perhaps the Minis are just made different and not as good. But the sad theory I'm leaning toward is that the Minis were not fresh. Could they have been from Halloween 2008, or even earlier? It's probably a good thing I can't recall which neighbor handed out the Minis. I think it's best if I just close this case and move on.

Nails on a Chalkboard

The kids were watching So You Think You Can Dance, a show I find repulsive. Not because of the dancers, most of whom are talented. The format of the show is annoying, with it's meager content stretched over a full hour, but that's not the worst.

It's Mary Murphy's voice. (Listen, if you dare.)

I would rather endure a car alarm or nails down a chalkboard than listen to her hideous mouth noises. She gushes in the worst possible way - loud and obnoxious.

But the nightmare is her laugh, which makes me want to shove something in my ears, say ice picks, to make it stop. It's some sort of evil cackle tragically combined with a belly laugh.

If I do something really bad, like suicide bomb an elementary school that's also a children's hospital and a church, I would fully expect to wake up in hell married to Mary Murphy. In a one-room apartment. And my arms removed so I can't plug my ears.

When the show came on I retreated to my room. I can't repel firepower of that magnitude.

Awful Candy

2009-11-16T21:54:00.005-07:00

My son shared some of his Halloween candy with me this year (some he offered, some I appropriated - for his own good, you know; I helped him get that candy by walking with him so I deserve a cut).

A few weeks ago he gave me a small box of mini Charleston Chews, which had been opened. I should have known something was up. A 7 year-old giving away hard-earned Halloween candy? I unwittingly thought he was just being generous.

So I pop one of the harmless-looking balls into my mouth and chew. At first it's OK, the passable chocolate coating numbs my taste buds like the topical anesthetic the dentist uses.

Then the "nougat" center hits me. It's nasty. Calling it nougat is beyond the leeway I grudgingly afford to product marketing. The texture is marshmallow-ish, like foam rubber, and the flavor is distinctly petrochemical. Valvoline 10W40, if I'm not mistaken. And it left a bitter after-taste that would not die.

How can something this awful come from the same company that makes Tootsie Rolls? I suspect Charleston Chews are made from Tootsie Roll by-products. Probably cheaper to make industrial waste into Charleston Chews than to have the hazardous substances properly incinerated.

After taking the photo, the Chews went in the garbage. I hope the EPA doesn't find them and charge me for illegally dumping toxic chemicals or I might be a misdemean.

Peeps used to be my most reviled candy, but Charleston Chews has taken the crown from the repulsive fluorescent baby birds. You have been warned.

Recent Happenings

I haven't blogged in a while, and I know you're anxious to hear what I've been doing, so here's the summary:

Wednesday - Good lunch ride up Corner Canyon. Started at the EQ, climbed up Canyon Hollow then came down Ghost Falls.

Thursday - Another lunch ride since the weather was still warm and a storm was coming. Started at the Coyote Hollow trail head this time. Climbed up Clarks. Wanted to go down Jamie's trail, but it was closed for resurfacing. So I went down Canyon Hollow then up and down Ghost Falls. The dark clouds threatened, but not a drop fell on me.

Friday - Picked up 50 pounds of chocolate chips from our dealer. Then went to Simply Sushi and gorged ourselves. We had 3 plates of Spicy Upside Down Shrimp nigiri, and I wanted to hurt myself by eating more, but Jolene talked me down. My favorite was the Playboy roll. I tried my first hand roll - pretty good, but the stronger nori taste and texture was kinda weird.

Saturday - The bad weather bummed me out so I vegged out watching a few movies.

Sometime during the week I finished Angels & Demons. It was pretty good, but the ending was weird and seemed forced. Several people told me they liked it better than Da Vinci Code, I say no way.

Jolene picked up two books for me at the library. James Michener's Hawaii, and Bill Bryson's In A Sunburned Country. I was surprised to see how thick Hawaii was. I flipped to the end - 1130 pages! Not sure I want an epic right now. I read the first 10 pages as Michener waxed on about the island growing from a crack in the earth until it finally broke through the waves of the mighty Pacific - uh, I think this guy is too long-winded for my taste. The last long book I read was The Pillars Of The Earth, and it was fairly good but wore me out. I can read 3-4 books in the time it would take to read Hawaii and I'd rather have the variety. I'd consider listening to it as an audiobook, but the library doesn't have it and that would be at least 2 months of commuting.

A Sunburned Country has been delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's writing in A Short History Of Nearly Everything and he's even better with the more casual subject of traveling in Australia. I've already laughed out loud a few times.

I may have something interesting to blog about on Wednesday.

Video: Fall Moab - Fruita

2009-11-10T14:55:00.002-07:00

I didn't get the best footage, but here's what I did with it:

I was amazed Bob tried the rock drop on a fully rigid bike. And he almost landed it.

I enjoyed watching the guys try stuff over and over. Like a playground.

Laid-back mood for every ride. No hurry, even though all these guys are fast. Regrouped frequently. Help with mechanicals. Encouragement to try stunts, but no pressure. Just a good time out with the boys.

Fall Moab - Fruita Edition

2009-11-08T22:31:00.003-07:00

This weekend I was in Fruita mountain biking with the brethren. It was an excellent trip with sunny days in the 60s - hard to believe it's November.

Friday afternoon was a quick ride of the Horsethief loop. The drop in is rough. Eric and Erik give it a go.

Bob gave it a run.

Saturday we rode the Tabeguache (Lunch Loops) area. Up Eagle's Wing and made our way over and down Gunny then back up and down Holy Cross then back to the parking lot.

Regrouping on Eagle's Wing.

Our fearless (quite literally!) leader, Rocky.

Bob and Nick flew in from Seattle. The abundant sunshine was too much and they sought out a darker spot to remind them of home.

Fruita is rugged, so you get your share of hike-a-bikes.

We finished off Saturday with a quick run out to the 18 Road area. A moderate climb up Prime Cut then flying down the whoop-dee-doos and banked turns of Kessel Run.

Sunday we went back out to the Kokopelli area and took Mary's out to Steve's Loop then on the way back we took Wrangler.

Good riding and nice views out on Steve's.

On the way back home we stopped at Ray's Tavern for burgers and ate outside. (It is the place for everyone.)

Yes, this is an abbreviated report. After days of riding with fast guys through rugged terrain, I'm tired. Didn't have it in me to tell the tale.

I enjoyed the company. Thanks to all who made this happen.

I've got some good video I'll put together and post tomorrow.

Lunch Ride Gift

2009-11-04T19:06:00.004-07:00

68 degrees + 11 month + 12 PM = lunch ride

Not riding yesterday was a sin (warm, sunny, trails mostly dry). Fortunately I was given a second chance today.

I've been riding Corner Canyon a lot lately so I mixed it up by riding up Oak Hollow. The trail was in good shape and I even made the tight switchback (on the 2nd attempt).

I headed up Maple Hollow through the culvert. The deep pea gravel in the lower half had me pumping the pedals to churn through it. The upper half has a deep washed out channel but there is room to ride on the sides.

I chugged up the trail and made the tight switchback on the ridge/hillside (1st try this time). The climb was fantastic with dry trail and some good views (except for the smog in the valley).

At the place where the trail ended last time I rode it, I found it continued in a roughed-in state. I was able to ride some, but more often pushed or carried the bike.

I was surprised to see snow lurking in the shadows. The trail was muddy in places, but nothing bad.

I arrived at the downhill trail, Crack at this stunt (which I rode for kicks).

Which is right above the half pipe trench. The Mapple Hollow trail is visible on the other side. The roughed in section begins not far past the left edge of the photo. I was hike-a-biking for 150 yards or so.

I was looking forward to the downhill trail, but it was pretty muddy and chewed up. I was off the bike several times. But the lower stuff down in the gully was dry so I got some DH fun.

I finished off the ride by going back down Oak Hollow. A good ride on a sunny, warm gift of a day in November.

(And the frightening Halloween post gets pushed farther down, yeah.)

Recent Books

2009-11-03T21:33:00.012-07:00

Before I get to the books ... Tonight my wife said something she thought she'd never say: "Please do a blog post." What prompted this? The hideous photo of me dressed up for Halloween. I must admit, while it seemed funny at the time, post-Halloween it's disturbing. My chubby, pasty, hairy gut is an affront to all that is good and decent. (I can't believe I didn't get razzed in the comments for it.) The purpose of this post is to push the Halloween post down where it won't be seen.

Now to the books. I've read a few recently. Here are my reviews:

First a story. Last Fall I yearned for something new to read, so at lunch I stopped by a bookstore and asked a 50-something guy there what he recommended. Those of you who are more literary will probably view this as a rookie mistake. He showed me several books and I selected Founding Brothers. I immediately discovered this is not a light read. It's dense and precise. It's obvious the author knows this subject deeply and he works hard to craft each long sentence to convey the exact meaning and tone he intends. But this level of exactness is tiring and I put this book aside 4 times for other books. A less stuborn person would have dumped the book, but this book was my choice, and I paid money for it - not like some library loaner. So my pride compelled me to finish it. Well last week I finished it and I felt pleased I'd stuck with it. No, that's not true, I felt relieved to be done with it.
My twisted motivations aside, I'll try to give an impartial review. The author is obvious an expert in Revolutionary history. His ample command of language allows him to accurately convey his assembled picture of the scenes and the people involved. His insights into the events, motives, and personalities is fascinating. Consequently I gained a deeper understanding of a handful of key Revolutionary events. But the reading is slow going with long sentences filled with big words. Often I got to the end of a sentence only to realize I'd read the words but not soaked in the meaning, so I read it again. A good book, but it made me work and sometimes I resented that. Dug listened to the audiobook - that's the way to go as it would be a stimulating lecture.

From the title you'd expect this book to be a long, dry explanation of the big bang theory. But it's really a fascinating history of astronomy, cosmology, physics and other sciences that led to the theory of the big bang. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (disclaimer: I dig science), although the epilogue was a bit too philosophical. Also, some of the examples were not needed as the explanation was enough (but they are easy to skip).

Good writing, good story - I liked this book for what it is. Tough to do this kind of story without it being too sappy, sentimental, preachy - he mostly pulls it off. Some good ideas and food for thought.

We watched the made-for-TV movie based on this book with Jon Voight and it was pretty good.

I liked the staccato writing style, the Nazi Germany setting and the unconventional 3rd person storytelling. Is kindness all that really matters in life? Possibly.

It was a freezer book for dug, and I agree with that.

Now I'm reading Angels And Demons. Everyone I asked liked it. So far it's a roller coaster ride like The Da Vinci Code. I'll finish it in a month - yeah, I'm a slow reader. I need to try some audiobooks for the commute, as dug and Mark have recommended.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:20:00.004-07:00

Meet my Halloween persona - Wyatt Rash.

When I was in costume I tried to kiss my wife but she recoiled and pushed me away. Evidently this is NOT her type.

She was even less pleased by the influence I'm having on my son.

For the Hell-o-Ween night ride with the guys I'd prepared a few red-neck accessories. The old Trek helmet with lycra cover and a $1 flashlight was good for lighting up a full 2 feet ahead. And the camALEbak took care of my "hydration" needs. (I didn't wear these on the ride.)

Here's the sign I came up with for the ride. I found the pumpkin along the road on the way home from work - it was fate. I did the carving.

I only had time for these two photos before the ride started. I was impressed by all the good costumes.

For the race up the Water Tank road climb I pushed it, but not too hard - didn't want to be blown for the rest of the ride. (That's the story I'm sticking too.) I couldn't believe how fast the lead guys shot up the hill.

At the top I volunteered to run sweep, in honor of Dug, who some people said was there, but others said he wasn't.

Heading up the Belt trail was an awesome sight with all the lights marching up the hillside.

At the Altar a few riders decided to cut it short so they went down and I took off trying to catch the group, whose lights had just gone over the ride to the west.

It was a little eerie going solo. The clouds were moving across the sky alternately hiding and revealing the nearly full moon. There were occasionally sounds off in the brush. And at the ridge a purple ghost decoration was hanging from a tree. It was a perfect Halloween night.

At the puddle I saw the group, but couldn't catch them. Up on top I was surprised to see Kenny coming the other way - he was going back to look for his lost glasses.

On the downhill I settled into a good rhythm and enjoyed the nearly effortless flow. Certainly it helped that these are my home trails.

On the hillside above Dry Canyon I could see the group's lights down in the canyon. I made it down in time to catch the tail end of the group and Rick taking video.

The ride down Dry Canyon was sweet. The darkness makes the edges look more ominous. I heard a few people rode the pipe - I did not. The lead group went down the stairs, but I took the cutoff and joined the pack about ready to ride the final leg - the BST back to the parking lot.

I asked Rick if he wanted to lead out, he told me to go for it. I love this section of trail and my home court advantage allowed me to ride it pretty fast. I was still in a good groove and it flowed so smooth - I had a big grin on my face the whole time. And Rick was right behind me, motivating me to keep the pace up.

Many of us headed to Denny's for breakfast. I enjoyed the food and spending time laughing and talking. Then, well after midnight, we all went our separate ways in the dark - back home.

Halloween day I went out to mow the lawn and it was so nice I decided I HAD to go for a ride.

I went up the Water Tank road, up Betty and Belt, down Frank then out the road and down Dragon's Back, up the pipeline then down to Nunn's Park and over to the BST by Bridal Veil and took it up and out the canyon.

After crossing Squaw Peak road I usually go up, but this time I stayed on the old double-track looking for a trail I'd heard people mention. I found it and took it down to a little trail head park near the mouth of the canyon. It was a fun ride, but the switchbacks are tight and didn't make any of them. I'm still finding new trail, how sweet is that?

Here's the family dressed up for Halloween.

I took the ninja boy out trick-or-treating.

Here are our jack-o-lanterns. I did the flaming one. Soak a roll of toilet paper in kerosene and light. It's supposed to last an hour, but mine only lasted 20 minutes. Perhaps cheap toilet paper isn't even good for burning.

Photo Pun

2009-10-28T21:19:00.002-06:00

This photo is a visual pun. If you figure it out, give your answer in the comments.

I'm not sure why my daughter had that word painted on her forehead. Something to do with Halloween festivities at school.

Hints (the text below is white - to see it highlight it)

1. You need to know my daughter's name.

2. She is my youngest daughter.

3. You're looking for the name of an animal.

4. An animal the size of an elk.

5. The animal lives up north.

6. The animal is known for it's migration.

7. I'm out of hints.

New Stuff

2009-10-26T21:16:00.006-06:00

A quick night ride up in the foothills tonight. Up the Water Tank road, up Betty, went up past the Altar 20 yards then took a left on the new, roughed-in trail that goes west and generally follows Lament (very fun ride!), up Crank then took 051 (Lament) west/north, down Dry Canyon then back on BST. I had sunlight until Betty then turned on the bike lights. Dry Canyon in the dark looks scarier - over the edges it appears bottomless due to the ink-black shadows.

(Hey Sham-wow, why do I forget you live so close to me? We need to get together for some night rides, unless my slowness would drive you nuts.)

OK, on to the new stuff (sorry, no new bike stuff).

Last week I watched a 5 minute presentation about remote control flight on the cheap (presentation slides). I got so pumped I ordered the parts the next day. I picked up the airplane kit locally and built it Sunday (while I stayed home with my son who was acutely constipated, but I won't go there). I'm waiting for the radio, motor, batteries, servos and other bits to be shipped from a discount hobby store in Hong Kong.

The airplane I bought is a GWS Slow Stick. It's a cheap beginner plane that flies slow and steady. Years ago I flew R/C gliders at The Point. This plane is powered by an electric motor and it's docile and quiet enough I can fly it at the local park. I'll let the kids fly it too.

It was pretty easy to build - most of the parts are ready to go, just needed some assembly. I put the stickers only on the right side so when it's far away you can tell which way it's facing (trust me, it can be hard to tell from the ground sometimes).

CD in photo to show scale

Here's a Slow Stick (outfitted with pontoons) taking off from Lake Powell with a camera attached to show the bird's-eye-view:

Once I get comfortable flying this plane I'd be happy to let people take it for a spin. Let me know if you're interested.

This should make Mark happy:

I'm guessing I'll be eating In-N-Out burgers in November. This store is on State Street just north of 123rd South.

Finally, my old Moab sticker was dying.

So out with the old, in with the new Watcher sticker.

Will people think I belong to some new-age mason cult? I hope so.

Saturday A Bust

2009-10-25T22:46:00.002-06:00

If I would have known it was going to rain Saturday afternoon I would have gone for a ride in the morning. But work first so I bought new tires for my car and got it (and the van) inspected and registered. Oh, joy.

We were planning to attend the Bike Peddler season-end ride and BBQ. The rain nixed the ride for us and most of the others, except these two die-hards:

When they rolled in they were both so cold they could hardly talk and were shivering uncontrollably.

It rained off and on (and even a bit of hail), but the burgers were good and the fire was warm.

Josh (photo below far right) ran a little point series and the frozen mud man (photo above right) took the glorious trophy (next to Josh below).

But tomorrow looks OK and I'm going to try a mountain bike ride. I hope Corner Canyon isn't muddy.

Corner Canyon Double-Up

2009-10-22T22:52:00.002-06:00

Rode Corner Canyon again tonight - this time with Mark. Still good conditions.

A little different route: from equestrian center up Creekview, up Clarks, down Mistress, up Canyon Hollow and Brocks, down Brocks then up the upper part of Canyon Hollow, down the dirt road, down Ghost Falls (amazingly fast and fun), down Stairs and down Canyon Hollow.

The photos are from Mistress (Jamie, you better name that trail before Mistress sticks). The trail is settling in nicely. Still a bit rough, but that will smooth out. A few turns are wicked tight, maybe just need some tweaking. Already flows nice and will only get better.

Chatted with Brad in the parking lot. He was rolling a secret weapon cross bike that he'll unleash Saturday. And Brad's facial hair is full in - it would be rad if it were part of his Halloween costume.

Fallen Corner Canyon

2009-10-21T21:34:00.002-06:00

Changed clothes and left work at 5 to ride Corner Canyon.

The low 50s and blustery wind had a little sting to it.

Rode from the equestrian center up Corner Canyon, BST, Pipeline, South Ghost Falls, Canyon Hollow, Brock's Point.

Then up the old double-tracks to Jacob's Ladder.

It has been months since I last did Jacob's. Unfortunately the trail has taken a beating. Way more washboards (especially before the turns) and a few deep grooves. Hey, sKids, knock it off! It was still fun, just not as sweet.

I continued down Ghost Falls - wow!

Last week Jolene rode it with the girls and most of the leaves were still on the trees. Now most of the leaves are fallen, but the leaf carpet is fantastic. I think I slipped into a psychedelic trance a few times as I watched the technocolor trail. The trail was perfectly hard and tacky.

Ran into a UMB buddy, Jake, on the way down and we finished off with a run down Creekside.

Some good color in the sunset as the finale.

Saw a few PsychoCross guys doing laps - getting ready for the Draper race this Saturday. No way I would have traded my ride for that. I did the race last year on my mountain bike - felt pretty much like an ICup race, meh. The cross addicts tell me the bike makes a difference so perhaps I'll finagle a real cross bike and try again. I dunno, hard for me to give up the trails while they're still not snowed in.