Doing It All Outside

Snow Biking

2012-01-29T20:07:00.001-06:00

Quick afternoon ride at Blue Mounds State Park, video is pretty shaky guess I need a helmet cam.

Last Run of 2011

2011-12-31T18:48:00.002-06:00

Ended the year with a 10 mile run down the bike trail. Looking at my totals for the year I ran 897.76 miles and cycled 1172. My bike mileage is a bit pathetic compared to the past but I was hating road riding this year. Wish I had seen I was just short of 900 miles running, I could have gone longer this morning. 2012 mileage will only be zero until I get out tomorrow.

Snow Running

2011-12-22T11:37:00.000-06:00

Fresh snow on the ground for my long run this week. At first I wasn't excited but it turned out to be a great run. Shoveling the driveway made it clear it was going to be slippery running especially where the snow was cleared. While getting ready I decided to try adding screws to my old Saucony Kinvavas, 6 #6 by 3/8" per shoe and I was ready. With no route in mind I ended up on the bike trail heading west towards Blue Mounds. I'm prone to telling myself I'll turn around up ahead, and up ahead just keeps getting pushed further and further out of town. Finally just before 5 miles out from home I soaked one shoe in hidden slush, I still pushed it out to the full 5 so as to not have to make it up back in town.

157 days until my second marathon http://www.madisonfestivals.com/marathon/ Between now and then I plan to run a few shorter races. Up first a 5k in February http://www.winter-fest.com/site_pages/Information/fun-to-participate/Frosty-5K-Run-Walk.html . The March race will be the http://www.shamrock-shuffle.org/, unknown distance until Zack commits or bails on his 5k plan. He really wants the t-shirt and right now the plan is to run walk the course with him. The final pre-marathon race will be a 20k http://www.lakemonona20k.com/, this will be my third time around the lake. After the marathon it will be back to trail races, possibly the weekend after but no details are posted yet http://wisconsintrailruns.com/

No I haven't given up cycling, I'm debating trying to fit in a 165 mile trail ride the weekend before the Lake Monona race. Seems unlikely at this point

Kayak the Wisconsin River

2011-11-25T21:01:00.001-06:00

We headed out this fall to kayak a portion of the Wisconsin River. I had been hesitant to kayak this river since it is so wide, and portions have dangerous undertows. Chad finally convinced me to take a chance, and I read about the many and varied sections of this river to try. There are many sections that have rental canoe and kayak outfitters, and the river in those areas can get busy. Most outfitters were closed for the season when we went on our kayak trip. We tried to catch fall color, but missed it by going between two impressive color periods this year.

We left from a launch off of Highway 23 in Spring Green. This was Zack's first trip in his own kayak, but it went better than I expected. It helped that the tandem seat in Chad's kayak was filled with his folding bike used for shuttling the Jeep to the pull out location. Zack's kayak was tethered the whole time, but he still did a great job paddling on his own for a large portion of the trip.

There were many sand bars along the trip, one of which we used for a picnic lunch.

There were many river channels, and I was lucky that my phone had a signal along the route so we could check out the map before we headed down a channel that didn't go through. Near the end of the route the boys attempted to go through a small channel and got caught up. I won't begin to explain what happened, but Kevin got dumped in the water and his boat overturned. The bilge pump was finally used for it's intended purpose. I heard the stories about what happened, but will never know the truth. I was already headed down the right channel on the way to the take out when Zack came running across the sand bar to tell me what happened. Besides being wet, Kevin seemed just fine after the incident.

We pulled the kayaks out by Lone Rock, where Chad had previously placed the Jeep. After loading the kayaks we headed towards home, stopping for some food. We came across an old fashioned drive-in restaurant, Rumbleseats, in Spring Green. The food was good, and it was nice to have warm enough weather to still eat outside. We just had to be careful of the cow. It looked like a killer.

Zack's First Trail Run

2011-11-25T20:10:00.001-06:00

This fall we have had pretty good weather for Wisconsin. So far we have had one snowstorm, but most was melted by the next day. We have taken advantage of this nice weather by hiking, kayaking and trail running.

Zack had his first official trail run. I believe there was also one practice session beforehand as well. His excitement for the event had highs and lows. The one thing that got him up and out that day was the medal he would get for finishing. The run was the Indian Lake Trail Run, and I was supposed to do the 6K run that day as well. But I was in the first day of a tough cold, and there was no way I was going to make it around the course. I was able to switch my entry to Chad, and he was happy to run the race.

It was a little chilly that morning, but the kid's race was up first. Chad used it as a warm up, running with Zack around the course.

Chad (in orange jacket) and Zack starting the race

The route was about 1K, and it didn't take them too long to make it around. Zack did well and had fun, which is the most important thing.

Zack crossing the finish line

Zack and I hung out in the Jeep waiting for Chad to come back towards the finish of his race.

Chad (in green shirt) just after the start

Runners on course at the edge of Indian Lake

Chad was ahead of his expected pace and we almost missed him finishing. We had just enough time to bolt from the Jeep and snap a couple pictures of him finishing.

Around the parking and headed to the finish

Chad got a medal just like the one Zack received. Chad was 12th overall and 4th in his age group. They were both happy with their race.

Potholes Trail at Devils Lake State Park

2011-09-30T20:59:00.001-05:00

We went to Devil's Lake State Park to hike to gain more mileage towards our 10 mile goal for the year. The park has a special hiking club this year due to their centennial celebration.

The weather was cool, but it was still a beautiful day. We started with a picnic lunch of cheese and sausage by the lake.

Chad wanted to walk the Potholes Trail which highlighted special rock formations that we learned about at the Nature Center on another trip this summer. The potholes are formed by rocks spinning in water flow down the cliff and spinning smooth craters in the bedrock. In order to get to the Potholes Trail we went up the cliffs on the Balanced Rock Trail. In essence these two trails are staircases. Rock steps meandering up the entire way. The entire hike was about 1.5 miles, so it was a lot of steps. Zack had shaky legs by the end of the descent on the Potholes Trail.

The bluffs we climbed

Potholes

Climbing up, up, up...on Balanced Rock Trail

Bike Camping Trip

2011-09-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

One old Burley trailer and a newer bicycle camping area down the nearby bike trail lead to an overnight camping trip. Blue Mounds State Park was our destination, 7 miles by rail trail with gear in tow took close to an hour. We cheated and had dinner delivered by Jenny and Kevin, complete with s'mores. Zack and I burned the fire for awhile then played games on his iPod in the tent. The next morning we hiked to the lookout tower before breaking camp and heading home. Zack and I agreed we had a good time and would do another trip sometime.

Here are a few pictures.

Fire Ride: Tribute 2011

2011-09-07T20:55:00.001-05:00

I took a ride with my friend, Chris Rupp, who is biking across the country in remembrance of those firefighters who perished on 9/11/2001. You can check out his website: Fire Ride Tribute 2011. He started his ride in July in San Francisco, California. Keeping right on schedule, he arrived in Mount Horeb on August 23rd to a huge party with many local fire departments represented. I am super proud of Chris for committing to this ride and biking his heart out. He was not a "biker" before the ride; most of his training was indoor over the previous winter. He plans to get to New York tonight a couple days ahead of schedule.

When he was in the area at the end of August he had a couple of rest days in Mount Horeb before he was headed to Milwaukee. The route that day was going to be around 125 miles. I biked along with Chris for about 50 miles from Mount Horeb to the Trek headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Trek helped Chris out with a bike for his cross country ride. There were about 15 of us riding with Chris that day, one of the largest groups biking with him on his trip. Trek served all of us lunch in their cafeteria. The Trek chef put together the feast for the lunch stop and it was quite good. Chris was being kept to a tight schedule due to continuous fire truck escorts planned on the route, so there was little time to look around. I did snap several pictures while at the headquarters, and have a few from others.

Only stop on the ride at Fitchburg Fire Station, playing photographer for others

Lunch provided by the Trek chef

Chris received some goodies from Trek that were much needed

Bikes in Trek lobby

More of Trek lobby

Trek employee bike storage for those who commute or take rides at lunch. They have a mechanic that services the bikes

Hallway full of the same bike, team bikes maybe?


Getting ready to head out again post lunch

Chris headed out towards Milwaukee

Vacation Trip to Chicago

2011-08-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

Zack has been waiting to go to Chicago since school was still in session in the spring. He heard rumor from 2nd grade that at the Museum of Science and Industry you can make your own top. Months later we were finally able to go and fulfill his dream of his very own top.

We headed there first thing in the morning to hopefully beat the crowds at the Museum. Kevin and I saw the movie Tornado Alley in the huge IMAX theater soon after we arrived. While we were at the movie, Chad and Zack made the top in the Toymaker 2000. Zack's is actually a gyroscope and he was able to choose his color and watch the top being put together and packaged. It is engraved with the date we were there and his name. The mission was accomplished.

We poked around the rest of the museum. The Science Storms exhibits were new and pretty cool. There were a lot of hands on experiments we could do. We stayed until the kids were ready to go to the gift store and before they were too hungry.

A video projection where the butterflies land on your shadow. Zack liked to shoo them away.

Dress of the future where you can change the color non-stop

Zack's nose catching lightning

The rest of the trip centered around food. We went to Murphy's Red Hots for some Chicago dogs and Italian beef. The food was all great. The interior seating was quite small but there was a small crowd since it was later in the afternoon.

We stopped for dessert at ICream where you choose your flavor, color and mix-ins and the ice cream is created with liquid nitrogen. I was hoping for flavored hot pudding that Chad had last time we went, but it must be a seasonal winter item. I guess that just means a return trip will be necessary.

Wisconsin State Fair 2011

2011-08-22T23:45:00.000-05:00

Catching up a bit on the last few weeks. We have done a lot of stuff, and have been so busy that I haven't had time to post everything here.

We went to the Wisconsin State Fair to enjoy the animals, food, and sights. We checked out the rabbit barn so the kids could see the kinds of animals I kept when I was their age. Zack loved the rabbits, but we left them all there in the cages.


A young Dutch rabbit, just like I used to raise

After the rabbit barn we headed to draft horse wagon classes being judged. There was a lot of bling on all of the wagons and horses.

Next up was pig races. The pigs were all named after famous celebrities. I'm sure the celebrities would be proud, especially if their pigs were winners. There must have been a pretty good treat at the end because most of the pigs were running pretty fast.

My most enjoyable area at the fair is the Wisconsin Products Pavilion. In here are all the local food growers and producers associations offering their products to try. We had apple cider donuts, cherry crisp, ice cream, flavored milk, and loaded baked potatoes. I could have spent all day, but there was much more fair to experience.

We checked out the "as seen on TV" merchandise area, mostly because it was air conditioned. We also walked through the projects building with all the photography, fancy cakes, and flowers.

It was a hot day, but we saw a lot of things, and of course we brought home a 3 pack of the famous Cream Puffs. This year Kevin experienced a cream puff and ate the whole thing. We may have to upgrade to a 6 pack next year if Zack wants one.

Running in Sioux Falls

2011-08-17T22:40:00.002-05:00

A change in my normal work schedule had me sleeping in Sioux Falls, SD. I packed running gear figuring I'd get a run in before I could drive home. The front desk said Falls Park was worth the trip so I set off to see. 7 mile round trip run and yes the park was great. http://www.siouxfalls.com/fallsParkDetails.cfm

Trip up the Blue Mounds Hill

2011-07-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

Woke up this morning and felt like going on a bike ride. I was able to talk Zack into coming along with Chad and I as long it was to his favorite biking destination: Blue Mounds tower. He likes to bike the bike trail to the Blue Mounds State Park and up to the top of the hill. At the top is his choice of two towers to climb, one on either side of the mound.

The ride up the hill is hard, but I made it. Through sweat stinging my eyes, with no more gears left on my bike, but I made it. The climb up the tower felt good, there was a nice breeze above the trees.

Later in the day, after everyone was cleaned up, we headed into Madison for errands and supper. We ate at Ian's on State, probably our favorite pizza restaurant. Slices allow each of us to pick a different flavor, and their salads are customized with mix-ins and dressings applied at the requested strength. After supper, we took a walk around the State Capital. We spotted some baby rabbits snacking on grass about 4 feet from the sidewalk. They were so cute...

Birthday fun in the hot, hot shade

2011-07-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

Zack recently celebrated his 8th birthday.

For his birthday he wanted to get a Captain America Cherry Coolatta and to play miniature golf. So on Sunday we headed up to the closest Dunkin' Donuts, in Wisconsin Dells. It was a hot, hot day and we only hoped we wouldn't melt in the sun playing golf. The Dells were packed, lots of people at the numerous water parks and heavy traffic on the roads. We headed towards the mini golf businesses and remembered that Timber Falls was in the trees along the river. Perfect, there was a breeze and most of the course was in the shade. It was still hot, heat index in the 100s, but we survived 18 holes.

We headed to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts, this one was inside a gas station. They had poor advertising and we needed to ask if they had the Cherry Coolatta. Zack enjoyed it, I tried it. It was sweet, tart, very flavorful and very red.

Zack with red teeth and tongue

On the way home we stopped at Devil's Lake State Park to pick up a special geocaching packet for the park's centennial celebration. It was too hot to try any finds that day. We also stopped by a War Memorial along the highway by Sauk City. Chad wants a tank now.

Windy Cave Point, Take 2

2011-07-08T15:53:00.000-05:00

Heading out all loaded down with kayaks and bikes, Chad suggested one more stop before leaving Door County. The winds were strong again, and more sustained so he suggested Cave Point again. This time the waves certainly did not disappoint. The sun was shining, the waves huge, and crowds big. Others there must watch the wave conditions as well; and there were several photographers with professional equipment. The waves were too big to climb below and walk on the rocks. The spray went well over our heads standing on the upper cliffs. We finally were able to show the kids the extreme water show after many years of trying.

Door County Restaurants: Old and New Favorites

2011-07-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

We try to eat at the condo quite a bit so we aren't always eating out. But some places we just can't miss. We enjoyed our must go to restaurants early in our vacation. We ate at Bayside Tavern, breakfast at White Gull and soup at Summer Kitchen.

We also had pizza this year at Wild Tomato. We didn't go last year, but it was still just as good as we remembered. They have an extensive beer list and wood fired pizzas in addition to other items like salad, sandwiches and pasta. We had a really good appetizer of different types of breads served with spreads and dips. Kevin had a sandwich and the rest of us had pizza. We sat outside and did not notice any mosquitoes while we were there.

So good Zack cleaned his plate

For a new place to try, we checked out Fred and Fuzzy's Waterfront Bar and Grill for lunch. There had been some recent reviews that looked promising and the location is off the beaten trail which is right up our alley. It's down a long drive and surrounded by a cottage resort area that looked nice as well. I did not notice any indoor seating, there were tables with umbrellas and tables without. We chose one with, as the sun was hot that day. The tables are just plopped on the lawn by the lake. There is a dock, so you can pull your boat up and come on shore to eat. A couple of kayakers pulled up while we were eating. The food, I would describe as upscale bar. Lots of appetizers and sandwiches. I had one of their famous Door County Cherry Juice Margaritas. It was served on the rocks in a big glass, and was quite tasty. Zack had the kids Macaroni and Cheese bites, Chad and I both had Brisket Sliders and Kevin had an Italian Beef Sandwich. All were good, and we had leftovers to enjoy later in the week.

Zack wanted his picture with the hammerhead shark

Rainy Day on Washington Island

2011-07-07T18:45:00.000-05:00

The weatherman on TV in the morning said none of the rain on the radar was reaching the ground. OK, sure, we'll go with that. It was the last day in Door County and we needed to go the big island via the ferry. I mean, we already downloaded some caches and had a planned bike trip. We headed up the Door for the ferry landing then unloaded the bikes. The radar looked like the area of possible precipitation would pass while we were on the ferry. It did start raining shortly after the ferry set off for Washington Island, and it was not raining much when we offloaded. We headed north to our destination of Little Lake, the only inland lake on Washington Island. The lake edge is located 250 feet from Lake Michigan, separated by a cobblestone ridge left by the glaciers long ago.

Up in the same area is People's Park, a small park giving views of lake on the west side of Lake Michigan. It was here we stopped for a geocache and see the storms rolling in. It was also here that we first heard thunder. The storm looked south of us a bit, so we continued on.

Jacobsen Museum was nearby. It is a cool old log building housing historical artifacts from the area. We concentrated our search outside, where there were lots of maritime artifacts and the walkway to Little Lake.

crazy wide tree

Little Lake

See below

Hearing more and louder thunder, we hightailed it out of there and biked as quick as we could back to the ferry dock. The sky was getting pretty dark, and about halfway back the raindrops started falling. Much of the road back was tree lined so nobody got too wet since the rain was light as well. At the ferry dock we stopped at Island Pizza for bags of fries and slices of pizza. Soon after getting our table under the canopy the sky let loose and it began pouring. Lightning strikes could be seen out over the lake. We hung out eating lunch until the next ferry was close to boarding. The rain had subsided just before then and we boarded without getting wet. I guess timing is everything.

Kayak to Cana Island

2011-07-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

Another wonderful day in Door County gave us the opportunity to kayak to Cana Island. We left from Moonlight Bay, which is accessible from Reiboldt's Creek. There is a small gravel pull off for parking just before the culvert at the creek. There is a small grass launch area into the shallow creek. Stick to the small, deep channel to avoid bottoming out. Further out in the bay is a town launch as an option for the boats, but there is a launch fee per boat.

It is a very quiet paddle, we saw no one else at the launch or in the water on the kayak, other than a couple small fishing boats. There is another bay area to cross, so the closest line does take the kayaks further away from shore. It was a long paddle and Kevin did need a tow before getting to the island. You can also access the island, and tours of the lighthouse, by crossing a causeway. The causeway has been above water for years. Chad and I went many years ago when it was up to knee deep in cold water before we gave up and turned around. The island is a very photographed lighthouse in Door County, although I found the trees are growing quite high around the light house compared to others I have seen in the county.

Kayaking was a wonderful way to approach the island, and we took a break on the shore before heading back. Care must be taken when pulling on shore as there is a large shallow rock shelf that extends quite a ways out, which I suppose was the reason for the lighthouse placement.

The kids build one of the famous stacked rock towers

I really don't ~~like~~ get the stacked rocks and Chad and the kids know that

Geocaching Door County

2011-07-05T20:36:00.000-05:00

We spent a whole day making our way up the Door Peninsula geocaching. Our new photographer, Kevin, recorded the events of the day.

The caches took us to many tiny parks with awesome views, and we were successful with all our cache finds.

"It's not in the boat", says the captain

On top of this first bench support is the find

Egg Harbor Beach was this location

Small Park off Cottage Row, Fish Creek


Finally the find, we have searched this one before

Sunset Beach, Fish Creek

Fish Creek Park, quite a hike for this one

glimpse of container at busy Peninsula Park cache

Cache at base of tree in a town park on Garret Bay

Garret Bay - Kevin and I watched as Chad and Zack got wet and cold

Garret Bay with shipwreck Fleetwing just offshore in shallow water

Door Bluff Headlands County Park

One of two caches in this park, under the rocks

Windy Cave Point, Take 1

2011-07-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

Chad and I are always watching for a strong southerly wind in Door County so the waves are strong by Cave Point. Not of course for kayaking, but for tall waves crashing into the caves and cliffs. Chad and I have been there when the water is splashing over our heads on the upper cliffs.

We drove down to take a look when the gusts were up to 20 mph. The trees were really blowing in Egg Harbor when we left. I think they died down a little by the time we were at the lake side of the Door, but the waves were still sizable. We spent some time taking pictures and climbing on the rocks with the waves crashing. Then we headed for a hike down the shore towards Whitefish Dunes State Park. Zack wanted to be hit by a wave, that is until one actually came on shore. He repeated this over and over again.

Geocaching at Peninsula State Park

2011-07-04T16:51:00.001-05:00

The weather was marginal looking on the next day of our vacation; possible rain and windy. We decided to do a little geocaching for the day. First we needed to download some caches which required some wifi. We eventually found some at the Fish Creek Library, but on our search we stopped at Blue Horse Bistro. I splurged and ordered a Vacation Latte. Let's just say it was made with half-n-half which made it quite creamy and good. And it came with a smiley face.

Our caches for the day led us to Peninsula State Park that had some new caches and we cleared out a cache we couldn't find last year. With the windy day, it was blowing the mosquitoes around so we had fewer bites than normal. One of the caches was a multistep Ranger Rick cache. Zack was pretty excited about this one since he gets the magazine. The starting point was the Nature Center in the park which has a lot of neat displays inside. We checked these out after the final cache was found, since Zack had to reveal his solved puzzle from the caches to earn a prize from the Nature Center staff.

Chad and Zack also played an intense game of Bear and Fish checkers. Boy, it was a close one, but Chad finally backed Zack into a corner and won the game.

One of the other park caches was close by the Eagle Tower, so we climbed up for some views of the surrounding area.

Horseshoe Island in the background

In the bay towards Eprhraim

The cache was close to Eagle Terrace, downhill from the tower. It was a multi-step that required us to answer from information on a sign overlooking the view. After waiting for the area to clear of other visitors we went in for the kill.

Lunch for the day was another of our favorites, custom made sandwiches from Fish Creek Market, a quaint grocery store in downtown Fish Creek.

Swimming was a daily event at Meadow Ridge

2011-07-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

When we are up in Door County this time of year we stay at our timeshare at Meadow Ridge in Egg Harbor. They have a lot of amenities to offer owners including bike rentals, tennis courts, hiking trail, indoor/outdoor pool, movies, games, and more. This year we checked out a couple games, and that was a lot of fun.

It was a little chilly for the outdoor pool this year. Only Saturday was warm enough to use it, otherwise the kids swam inside in the heated pool. Here are some pictures of some of their hijinks this year in the pool.

Zack practicing for the Olympic synchronized swimming event

The pool was never very crowded when we went late afternoon

Kevin was sure he could weave the floatation devices together to stand up on them...

...but this is about how it ended every time

Kevin with his Backdraft-era William Baldwin hair style.

Zack wanted his hair pictured too. It's spiky!

Cave Point Kayak

2011-07-03T23:01:00.001-05:00

The next day, the winds were light and from the right direction for a kayak to Cave Point. We have done the trip before, and it is always fun. We packed up and headed out, finding a local kayak tour group at the launch site as well. The guide said they had a group out in the morning and found conditions great. It was pretty busy there at the Schauer Road launch, as after we had shoved off there were two more groups unloading.

Cave Point is a County Park in Door County, surrounded by Whitefish Dunes State Park. Cave Point has underwater caves with some areas you can kayak into. We took a pit stop out on the beach so Zack could get his feet wet. You can also pull the kayaks up to the rocks in front of the cliffs and climb out. Many people were at the park this day having picnics on the rocks, but in the lake it was not near as busy. Kayaking to Cave Point gives a nice, quiet viewpoint to the beautiful features of nature.

Beginning of our Door County Trip 2011

2011-07-03T22:50:00.002-05:00

We recently returned from our annual trip to Door County. The weather was nice, a little cool at times. It was certainly nicer than the heat wave and high humidity we came home to.

We planned bike riding, kayaking, hiking, geocaching, running, swimming, and much more for our trip. These next several posts will highlight what we did on our vacation.

Chad arrived on Saturday, a day later than the rest of us, since he had to work on Friday night. Once he was there, we headed to shop, eat, and poke around for the day.

We went to Hands On Art to make some fused glass garden stakes. You make the artwork one day then come back the next after they fire it overnight.

For supper we went to The English Inn, a new place for us. The food was very good; steaks, prime rib, pasta. Zack had a kiddie cocktail that came with a sword with cherries on it. After we ate, he entered a duel with the knights outside.

That evening, after supper, we headed into Egg Harbor for sunset at the park and GELATO, yum!

We get gelato at Double Delights. Zack likes to get Bacon Cheese popcorn there as well, but they were out this night.

Father's Day Bike Ride Around Lake Monona

2011-06-19T21:44:00.000-05:00

For Father's Day we took Chad for a bike ride. The same bike ride proposed last week. A ride around Lake Monona. Maybe the boys felt more obligated to do it since it was Father's Day, but I figured that they would enjoy it.

The weather was nice, mostly cloudy, not too hot or humid. The route we took was Capital City Trail from Monona Terrace to Waunona Way, Winnequah Road, then follow the bike route signs to Our ride was 14 miles total, and we took a stop halfway through at a soda fountain off the beaten trail, Monona Bait and Ice Cream Shop. They have Babcock Ice Cream, and the typical fountain treats like sundaes, ice cream sodas, flavored Cokes, and phosphates. There was a nice enclosed porch to sit on in the front of the building, or tables outside under a big tree. We chose outside at a picnic table to enjoy our treats. Chad got a free sundae for Father's Day, and everyone enjoyed their mid-ride treats. Across the street from the ice cream shop is a park with a beach on Lake Monona that was a quick stop before we restarted the ride.

On the ride the boys saw the back of Olbrich Gardens, and they want to make a trip there sometime. And they may even be talked into riding our bicycles to get there. After the ride and loading the bikes, slices at Ian's Pizza on State Street finished up our day out on the town.

Day out in Middleton

2011-06-18T22:40:00.000-05:00

After fire training and yard work, we headed in to a late lunch at Hubbard Diner in Middleton. We are on this kick of trying new restaurants and it's been working out pretty well. On Saturdays and Sundays Hubbard Diner has brunch until 3:00 pm. This means a couple of special items, and anything off the breakfast menu. Chad had a special egg scrambler, I had a black bean burger with salsa, sour cream and Monteray Jack cheese. Kevin had Mac n'Cheese and said it was better than the dish he likes at Bluephies in Madison. He said the sauce was creamier. Unfortunately we didn't have any room for their famous pies. We will have to go back another time.

Zack dressed in his swimsuit when we left home since the plan was to go to the Middleton Splash Park. We were there last Saturday, but the fountains were already off for the day. After lunch we headed over there. Zack had a bunch of time playing in fountains.

The kids were hungry for dessert after Zack was done in the Splash Park. Seeing the menu at Hubbard Diner, they had favorites they wanted to try. We headed back there for shakes. Kevin ordered a Dreamsicle Shake and Zack had some minty, cookie, chip kind of flavor. The kids liked the shakes but the straw was too narrow for Zack to suck up the cookie pieces effectively. Chad and I were still full from lunch so we went over to a cupcake shop around the corner, Bloom Bake Shop. The shelves were pretty well cleared out, but there were still some awesome flavors left. We picked up four cupcakes. Two Maple Bacon(yes, bacon), a Lime Coconut, and a Salted Chocolate Caramel. The staff was very friendly, and were working hard on baking more cupcakes to fill the shelves. They apologized for the limited selection, but we left very happy with our choices. The cupcakes were good, and Chad said they were the best cupcakes he has had from a bakery.

Mandatory Outdoor Day

2011-06-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today we made the kids go outside. It didn't matter what the activity was, but it was going to happen outdoors. The big kid decided that he did not want to go for a bike ride around Lake Monona and lunch in Madison. Sounded kind of nice to me, but....

Next idea, and one I figured they couldn't pass up, was to drive to Devils Lake State Park, have a picnic lunch, then hike up the bluffs and maybe catch some geocaches. Zack had no opinion, and Kevin said "I suppose" so we had a WINNER.

Since everyone has different preferences for sandwiches, lunch was the closest Milio's Sandwiches. The store in Baraboo was a combination gas station, Milio's, and grocery store. A FULL grocery store, not an expanded convenience store. Chad said he wished there were lots of these, as it would be the ultimate stop during a long bike ride. There was everything you needed, all in one place. We picked up subs, chips, drinks, and cookies. Kevin also wanted potato wedges out of the hot case at the grocery store, and he ate those in the car on the short drive to the state park.

Zack eating a Skinny Godfather minus cheese add Doritos?

After the picnic lunch, we packed the backpack and headed to the trails. Kevin wanted to carry the backpack, with all the drinks, camera, sunscreen, etc, etc, etc. Chad and I had no trouble letting him, and quickly adjusted the straps for him. He was like our pack mule, constantly being stopped along the hike so someone could dig the needed item out of the pack on his back.

We hiked the West Bluff Trail (1.4 miles) and the Tumbled Rocks Trail (1.0 miles). There were a lot of stairs on the climb up the bluff, but the views from the top were amazing as always. We found a couple geocaches, both pretty easy spots. Picked up a travel bug that we will move along.

Zack was cruising in his Vibram Five Fingers. On the way down the bluff he started running out ahead of me. I jogged to keep him in sight. This started a whole family run down the hill. Zack said his legs just felt like running. I worried that one of the kids would trip on the rocks or roots in the trail and land on their heads, but luckily everyone survived without injury. At one steep point, Zack yelled repeatedly, "I can't stop, my legs won't stop." There was nothing I could do, but it was just so funny that Kevin and I couldn't stop laughing as we all sprinted down the hill after him. I was surprised he did so well in the Five Fingers, but he did take a break once telling me his hips hurt. What? How does he even know hips? About 30 seconds and he was recovered.

Cool Dude

Zack needed to touch the water

Back to the beach at the north shore, then some treats at the camp store and we were headed home. The park is celebrating 100 years of existence as a state park this year. There are some special events, and we may head back up soon to try and complete some of them. One is a 10 mile hike log, that will earn each of us a special wooden nickle. The other is a geocache event that takes cachers to many historic sites throughout the park with a brochure of historic pictures to reflect with. Better get up there soon though, before the mosquitoes get too bad.

Hanging out in Madtown

2011-06-11T21:15:00.001-05:00

Kevin ditched us for a sleepover birthday party tonight, so the three of us headed into the big "Madtown" to run some errands and have some dinner. Chad suggested we try someplace new, and there are a lot of restaurants on the Capital Square that we never have been to. We ate at The Old Fashioned, a restaurant with food based on the food served at Wisconsin supper clubs and taverns. The restaurant was decorated with old beer signs and banners with pictures of cheese. Just walking in the door was all Wisconsin, with a refrigerated case at the hostess stand with various cheeses to buy.

We were seated on the second floor, just a couple small tables from large windows overlooking the state capital. The meal was good, and we all had ideas of more menu items to try the next time we come.

After dinner, the temperature didn't seem too bad, so we walked around the capital building. Zack was testing his five finger shoes in addition to challenging Chad to races. Some of the races were sprints and others were jumping challenges.

Is that Spiderman?

Check out that air!

We spotted a pretty view of Lake Mendota on the last side of the capital, which gave me the idea of heading over to the UW Memorial Union to have some Babcock Hall ice cream lakeside. It was a little cool to eat outside, but we found a table inside to finish our cold dessert at before heading out to walk along the lake.

The boys and I went to the Middle School production of Alice in Wonderland that some of Kevin's friends were in. The play was funny and the kids did a great job, especially with only two weeks of practice in the final weeks of school. I was reminded of this play as Zack sat on the chair on the Memorial Terrace. "Drink Me"

Small Zack

End of the School Year

2011-06-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

Already it's time for the end of the school year for the kids.

Last night was 8th grade graduation for Kevin. It was sure a night to remember. We headed over early to avoid getting rained on by the thunderstorm that was coming. The last couple days were super hot and humid, and the school gym was hot, sweaty box with well over a thousand people in it. The first set of speakers was just finished when the lights went out, flashed, and then the emergency generator kicked on with the emergency lighting. With no electricity for microphones, the school staff struggled to keep everyone's attention and continue the program. The 8th grade choir sang their song, and luckily had a piano for accompaniment. It was probably during this, that I heard the tornado siren. After the song, I saw a megaphone appear on stage and unpacked from the box, then quickly disappear. I'm guessing it didn't have batteries in it. The principal announced that the police said the tornado was not in the immediate area so we didn't have to take shelter. Comforting? Maybe not.

They did continue with speeches and then began handing out graduation certificates. You could barely hear the names, but just watched for your graduate to come up on stage. About two-thirds of the way through the 200ish graduates, the power came back on. The storm settled down and they opened the exit doors to the gym, providing at least a breeze through the area. The ceremony ended with a class video, then the graduates headed off for their dance with the time that was left. The ceremony ended up going 45 minutes longer than planned.

Today, was the last day of school. Zack finished up 2nd grade, the top grade at his school. Later this month that school will go over major renovations and new construction. To release the kids today, the teachers formed an arch for the kids to run through. Next year is 3rd grade and new school for Zack, and high school for Kevin.

Tomorrow We Run

2011-06-03T13:32:00.000-05:00

Took these photos a few weeks back, tomorrow we run these trails. No really that is the course, and I doubt I'll be charging up the stair like trail above after 10 miles.

Need some inspiration or just another reason to call runners crazy check out this upcoming film, http://www.ws100film.com/ .

Zack gets Vibrams

2011-05-26T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Zack got his first pair of Vibram Five Fingers. He has thought Chad's were cool for some time, and they just came out with kid's sized shoes. He actually was too big for the kid's size and has a nice new pair of all black Five Fingers. He is doing pretty good at putting them on by himself. Just needs help getting the heel up on the back after the toes are in. He even wore them to school for show and tell yesterday.

Chocolate Raspberry Roctane Review

2011-05-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

As previously posted, I received a special package from Gu on Saturday. One of the items was samples of their new Chocolate Raspberry Roctane. As a Roctane lover, in addition to a chocolate and raspberry flavor lover, I was excited to try out the new flavor. There was nothing on the Gu website on Saturday, but they now have the new flavor up and available.

I took one of the gels with me on the 2011 Urban Assault Madison race, and got around to trying it out after the ride. I was very impressed with the flavor. It addressed both flavor components equally in my opinion. The raspberry was not overpowering and tasted natural. This flavor is a great addition to the Roctane lineup, as there was no chocolate based flavor before.

Compared to other Roctane flavors I would rank this as one of my favorites. I have tried them all, in fact made my way through a Gu Sampler last year. The sampler is a great way to experience all the products and figure out what you like and dislike. The Cherry Lime Roctane was my most recent go to flavor. It was new and refreshing and combined a citrus component that I enjoy. The Pineapple is a great flavor, but I tend to use others since there is no caffeine component in this one. The Vanilla Orange filled the favorite spot prior to the introduction of the Cherry Lime. This flavor reminds me of a Dreamsicle. The Blueberry Pomegranate is not enjoyable. I feel there is an extremely fake taste to this one.

Which Roctane will I stock? I like to mix things up a bit, so I don't get bored with a flavor. I will continue to keep some Pineapple for those longer endurance activities when I don't need the continuous caffeine. My main purchases will be the Cherry Lime and the new Chocolate Raspberry. The weather on Sunday was cool, and in my experience, the chocolate flavors are not as enjoyable in the summer heat. I'll give it a try though, since the raspberry flavor may help this gel out a bit in that respect.

The opinions posted here are my honest review, and although Gu provided me with the promotional samples, they really have no idea who I am or that I have a blog. The products were provided as a "sorry" for a Gu Brew postage due snafu in the April Fools Day free sample promo. Thanks Gu Energy for all the samples. They were well worth the 90 cents I had to pay for postage on my first package.

Special present from Gu

2011-05-14T15:46:00.001-05:00

A special surprise showed up in the mail today. Gu Energy sent some Roctane gels to me after they sent some promotional Gu Brews in April. Those first items were free samples that arrived postage due. They offered to send some more of my favorite product samples to make up for the mistake. When the box of new samples arrived today it contained full size pouches of my favorite Cherry Lime Roctane along with a new flavor, Chocolate Raspberry Roctane. I am super excited to try this new Gu. I'll post a review after I try it, maybe tomorrow after the Urban Assault Ride.

Lake Monona Run

2011-05-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

I guess the proper title is still the Lake Monona 20k but that may need to change since they added a 5k this year. Jenny ran the 5k and took second place in her age group, 29.08 or click for details 5Km results. I ran the 20k for the second time with about the same result as last year, 1:48:59 20Km results. Finish line shot of Jen but you will have to click the link below http://smu.gs/mBXc9g

Up next for the two of us, the Urban Assault Ride then a trail run at Blue Mounds State Park. Also in the works is a camping trip by bicycle and a new kayak for Kevin is on a truck somewhere headed this way.

First Madison Farmer's Market trip of the year

2011-04-23T13:37:00.002-05:00

The whole family made our first trip to the farmer's market on the capital square today. Only about half of the vendors were there, but the weather is still cool. The ones important to the kids were there including the beef jerky and cheese curd stops.
As usual, Zack needed to make a pit stop at the capital bathrooms. They now have security checkpoints at the entrances so we had our bag of purchases checked and pockets emptied. Guess times are changing in Wisconsin.
And apparently the Blogger app for the Android phone doesn't like vertical pictures. Chad and I are still trying to figure it out, but no matter how we attach the picture from the phone it shows up sideways. And they can't be modified in the post once it's imported. So...just turn your head to the side to see a couple pictures from our trip.

Person to Person History

2011-04-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

Monday was on off day for our planned events. The museums we had on our "maybe list" were closed on Monday, so the morning was set aside for visiting the World Trade Center site and other downtown sites like Federal Hall, Wall Street, and famous churches.

We took an express subway train and came out right by Trinity Church, completed in 1846. It's a standout among the other buildings of Wall Street.

A few short blocks and we were at the massive construction site of World Trade Center. The area is more massive in person than I imagined. We planned to take a guided tour of the site but had a short while before the Tribute Center opened, so we peered in the windows next door at Ladder 10, one of many FDNY units destroyed on September 11th. Around the corner of the station was a firefighter memorial that we would find out more about on our tour. It depicts all the events and tasks that occurred on that day and was donated by a company who had offices in the World Trade Centers. One of this company's employees was a volunteer firefighter who gave his life helping others on that day.

We were one of the first in the door of the Tribute Center and had time to wander through the exhibits. Finishing early, Chad suggested we ask a helpful gentleman with a volunteer tag what his connection was with the events of September 11th. The theme of the Tribute Center is Person to Person History which involves those directly affected by the events sharing their stories with others. These volunteers have tags asking the visitor to ask them about their story. So we did, and this was the first of the amazing history I learned. This gentleman, Victor Guarnera, was the Chief Technical Advisor for Security at the World Trade Center. He left his office in the South Tower(first to collapse) and went to the Security Center in the North Tower(first hit) to help. He was one of the last ones out of the North Tower before it collapsed. To hear his story in his own words was priceless, and for him to volunteer to help others learn details of the tragedy is just amazing. He has written his account of the day and can be read on the National 911 Memorial website.

Our main tour guide did a great job giving us a tour of the Trade Center site and the area surrounding the site. She was out of the country at the time of the attacks, but was employed by the Port Authority. Pictures of the destruction and attacks were shown while looking at the construction that is in progress. Another guide walked with us holding a portable speaker for the main guide's microphone. Midway through the tour, this second guide told us her story, and it was devastating. Her name is Ann, and her husband John was a firefighter on FDNY Rescue 2 and was killed in the collapse. With two young daughters, her life was changed in an instant. Now almost 10 years after the event, she was telling her story to strangers and left the whole tour group speechless. After the tour ended at the Eleven Tears Memorial in the American Express Building, Chad and I thanked her for telling her story and after talking for a bit, she encouraged us to stop in and visit any fire station and stop by the FDNY Fire Zone.

The tour ended on the other side of the World Trade Center site from where we began, so we walked around the rest of the area and to St. Paul's Chapel. St. Paul's has survived imminent danger many times since it was constructed. Although right across the street from the Trade Center site, the church survived the collapses of the towers without even a broken window. The chapel was used as a collection site for rescuers during the recovery process. There are many displays still remaining from the memorials established in the days, weeks and months after the attacks including a display of patches from fire departments around the world.

We had checked in at FDNY Ten House after making it around the site, but were told to come back in a short bit so we headed to Federal Hall and Wall Street. The boys got the requisite stamps in their National Parks booklets and we were quickly headed back to the station. Ladder 10 was out but we were able to share some time with a couple firefighters from Engine 10 and buy some t-shirts for Chad and the kids. One of the firefighters was with Ten House in 2001 and he showed us some special memorials in the station and some pictures from that day. The station was damaged during the attacks and didn't reopen for two years.

Here are some pictures from our day:

World Trade Center construction site

The black structures behind the trees are fountains built in the footprints of the North & South towers

One World Trade Center(Freedom Tower) halfway up

Pool of Tears in the lobby of the American Express World Financial Center Building

St. Paul's Chapel has stood throughout history

St. Paul's Chapel

Police and Fire exhibit in St. Paul's Chapel

Ladder 10 "Still Standing"

The boys on Engine 10

Ten House Memorial to 9/11

Engine 10 door from 9/11/01

Who put this ding on the side of Engine 10?

Henry did it! Good thing they labeled it so Henry doesn't forget what he did.

Family takes on New York City

2011-04-04T16:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday started with someone's need to purchase a Nintendo 3DS. Since Chad and Kevin didn't stand in lines at midnight the next choice was to make it an experience and purchase the unit at the Nintendo World Store. Chad called and they opened early for the day due to the release of the new game system. We headed back to the subway and across to Rockefeller Center, effortlessly now that we were pros finding our way out of the underground. There were just a handful of people in the store and plenty of 3DSs to go around. Upstairs was a Nintendo museum with all the old game systems. Downstairs was Zack's favorite section, the Pokemon area. He had his picture taken with Pikachu, then picked out some Pokemon action figures to purchase.

After Chad ran the purchases back to the hotel, we headed to the Museum of the City of New York. Since we went to many Smithsonian museums in D.C. last year we figured the kids would not enjoy overdoing the museums again this year. None of the boys were interested in the art museums either. The New York Museum had some interesting content but unfortunately a large part of the museum was under renovation and closed. There was a good movie to watch and some home furnishings and stained glass from some of the New York mansions.

We had tickets for a tour at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in the afternoon. In order to get to the museum by public transportation we would need to transfer from subway to a crosstown bus. We took the subway to the Times Square station and emerged into a different world.

At the last museum and on our walk around Central Park to get to the subway there were not huge crowds of people, in fact only scattered groups. But walking into Times Square was a blast of neon and people, street vendors, lots of police. We found our bus stop on 42nd Street and stood in awe while we waited. Normal businesses like, Walgreens, Subway, McDonalds were supersized in neon lights. There was a Mini Cooper car, full size on a billboard. Definitely a different New York experience.

The Intrepid was hard to miss once we got to the end of the bus ride. It dwarfed a cruise ship parked at a nearby pier. Once inside we traded our etickets for lanyards in different colors representing different jobs on board the ship. It was fun to compare our choices. This ship has a very interesting and varied past. Everything about our tour was excellent and I would highly recommend one of the guided tours. We had a small group of 9 people in our tour and were able to go "behind the scenes" in several areas of the boat.

We took a plane elevator from the main floor to the top deck, where there is a large collection of foreign and American planes and helicopters. We went inside the roped off areas for up close and hands on looks at the machines. Zack sat in the front seat of a Coast Guard helicopter.

We were able to touch an A-12 Blackbird but not allowed to go past the landing gear, supposedly by CIA orders.

We were allowed into the restoration tent where the staff was working on two units. The one plane is being put together with pieces they find on ebay.

After our tour and bus trip back to Lexington Avenue, we picked up meat and cheese at a deli to make sandwiches on some leftover bagels from breakfast. Again, the food was good, but service at the deli was almost non-existent. After supper we checked out the rooftop at sunset and after dark.

Madison Shamrock Shuffle - 2011 - 10K

2011-04-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

my Madison Shamrock Shuffle - 2011 - 10K Run results

Found this missing post by Chad, at least it gives us credit for a blog post in March.

Vacation Begins: New York City

2011-04-03T15:53:00.001-05:00

Early Saturday morning we began our trip to the airport in Milwaukee. Chad worked Friday night and was back home with no sleep when we left just after 4:00 a.m. He was able to sleep some on the car ride to the airport, I was driving of course. We weren't sure how long to allow for security, so we planned for a couple hours at the airport.

I wasn't sure how the flight would go. The kids have never flown before, and Chad has only been in a puddle jumper for a short bit and was not really interested in flying. The airport experience went much better than I expected. We flew on Frontier Airlines, and I checked in online the night before and printed boarding passes. The bags were easily dropped at the desk, then on to security. There was a huge line formed at the gate, but because we had Classic Plus tickets we were able to bypass through our own check in line and breezed through security. After checking our gate location we relaxed in the Best Care Club. They had free snacks, drinks and a dark, relaxing place to wait.

We watched the planes outside being de-iced which was not encouraging. There was lake effect snow in Milwaukee all morning.

We boarded the plane on time and were just slightly held up by the de-icing process. Everything went smooth. Chad and the boys liked the snacks on the plane, and Kevin watched the gps TV channel which showed our speed and elevation during the flight. We landed on time and after collecting our baggage Chad called for the car I had arranged to take us to the hotel. I arranged a car service after reading online that the yellow cabs were about the same price but the drivers were horrible. We used Legends Limousine and reserved a sedan, but were happily surprised when a Cadillac Escalade pulled up for us. The driver got us to the hotel safely, the ride was really fast.

Our room at the Affinia Shelburne was not ready so we headed out in the big city to investigate.

Grand Central was just a few blocks away from the hotel and was the closest subway station. We would be using the subway to get around and after our experiences in Washington D.C. last year we knew that we needed to orient ourselves to the ticketing and trains before we needed to use it. Luckily we found it was very similar to the D.C. setup. We bought 7 day passes and then spent some time looking around Grand Central. It was a beautiful building, and we checked out the small Transit Museum there to learn some history of the building and subway system. There were many choices for food for a late lunch and the family decided on the Manhattan Chili Company. Everything we ordered was very good. We had dessert from a bakery on the first floor of the station and ate sitting on the floor of the main hall.

As we were leaving out the front door of Grand Central, we spotted a countdown timer and display for the new Nintendo 3DS that Kevin was expecting to buy in New York. The next day was the release but a special party was being held at midnight in a Best Buy store in downtown Manhattan. And yes, there was discussion and consideration of needing to go wait in line at midnight.

The hotel room was ready when we walked back, and that gave Chad and Kevin a chance to crash and sleep for awhile.

Our room was on the 14th floor and had a view of the Empire State Building. Zack and I checked out the rooftop of the building while the others slept. There is a lounge on the roof during the warm season, but hotel guests can go up there at anytime. Zack wanted to climb up on the benches and look over the edge, but I freaked out a little and told him he needed to keep his feet on the roof. We could see a lot of Midtown Manhattan from the roof, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

Once the other boys were awake we headed downstairs to the hotel restaurant, Rare. We began to notice some things about restaurants in New York City. They were expensive, service wasn't real great and there were no kids items or kids menu. This last item wasn't a huge issue because Chad and Zack were able to share an item off the menu of most places that served only large entrees. This restaurant featured steaks and gourmet burgers, both of which were ordered at the table and both of which were excellent. We also had a fry sampler which was great.

After dinner, no one was ready to call it a day in the "City that Never Sleeps" so we headed out for our first travel on the subway to Rockefeller Center.

One thing about the subways was that there many exits and depending on which one you took, you could end up a block away from where you thought you wanted to be. We stumbled upon the Top of the Rock entrance pretty quickly and headed up with little crowds. There was plenty to see on the clear night, but it was windy and cold so we didn't stay too long.

The kids also liked the Swarovski crystal displays. One was a large display on the top floors created to look like you were inside of a giant geode with changing colors. The other display was crystals hung from the ceiling in the entry foyer downstairs that were shaped like Rockefeller Center upside down.

Walking around Rockefeller Center outside, mostly because we were looking for the subway entrance, we saw the Lego Store, the skating rink, the Nintendo Store, and the Today Show Studio.

We found the subway and headed back to the hotel for a great night's rest to get ready for another day.

Snowshoeing Across the Lake

2011-02-26T16:08:00.000-06:00

All right, it may have been late in the season for snowshoeing. Chad laughed when I offered the idea to Zack. But there is still snow on the ground, in some places. Zack really enjoyed playing in the yard with his snowshoes a few weeks ago, the sun was finally out, and we all had the day off work or school. Zack jumped at the chance to go.

There are several parks in the area and all are wooded so I figured we would find OK conditions. The closest park looked pretty good, there was plenty of snow on the trail although it was pretty well packed down. The park also contained a small lake that we could cross to shortcut the trail. After getting on the snowshoes, we headed to the trails.

There were a lot of animal footprints to check out, Zack thought he saw bear tracks but I'm pretty sure they were from a large dog. We headed to the beach to sun ourselves before crossing the lake.

I think Zack was a little nervous crossing the lake at first, but if I went first that seemed to be better. We encountered more tracks going across the lake, and one was quite unusual since it seemed like a foot was dragging with each sequence. Zack, who is a footprint expert since he just covered the subject a couple weeks ago in Challenge Group, said this was the track of a fox, because the extra mark indicates such. Chad and I stared at each other and agreed because neither of us knew any different. Zack seemed confident so that was enough for us. Here is the fox track.

The other side of the lake was a haphazard trail and at times difficult but we all made it through.

It come out onto the main trail again near a rock grouping that we climbed because Zack said it was a great spot for a geocache. He took one look around the rocks, from a distance, and declared there were no caches here.

On we moved to back to the beach area, but this time we were in the shadows and it became a little chilly. I suggested a hot drink and cookies at the local chocolate shop, but the boys had other things in mind. They had to go back to the beach to try and break ice. They laughed and called me a girl when I objected, so I let them have a little fun before we headed to our snack.

Snowshoeing in the Yard

2011-02-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Last week we got a huge snowfall. School was closed the next day, people were stranded on the roads, and the village workers are still removing snow from the roads. Chad was even called off from work, and his trucks go out in more bad weather than the postal workers.

At 11:30 p.m. during the storm I ventured outside to clear the furnace vent pipes, as the huge drift out the kitchen window finally covered them over. Going out through the deck, the snow was up to my hips and my tracks covered in the blowing snow by the time I turned around to go back inside. The wind continued and the next afternoon the pipes were covered again. I certainly needed to clean the drift out again. The fire department had a call that day to a duplex with the carbon monoxide alarm sounding and we had to trudge to the back of the house to clear their pipes. Chad suggested I wear his snowshoes to clear the drifts and get back to the corner of the house without sinking into the snow. Zack came out with me, using his snowshoes and he had so much fun we stayed outside until the sun was setting.

Tribute to Chief Himsel

2011-02-01T18:34:00.001-06:00

I don't usually write too much about work on this blog, keeping the content to family and our activities. But this date holds significant meaning as one year ago today our fire department lost our Chief Chuck Himsel to a sudden cardiac death.

It was a tough time for our fire department and I organized a large scale fire department funeral within a week. Going on at the same time as funeral preparations was the production of a tribute video. The video production was done by another local Fire Chief, Aaron Harris of Middleton. The video played on continuous loop during the visitation and funeral luncheon at the fire station. There were many nationally known fire service members involved in the video in addition to local fire members including me. Chief Harris' goal was to have widespread coverage of the video to spread the word of rich fire department history and the heart of a true firefighter.

The video had final touches completed after the funeral, and just recently was posted on YouTube for all to see. Please watch:

Snow Ride

2011-01-28T12:33:00.000-06:00

8 miles on the bike trail. Actually I wish it was uphill both ways since it was hard to stay warm when not climbing. I'm not saying it was easy to go downhill, middle chain ring and largest cog. Oh how I'd like a Pugsley.

Zack's Lofty Experience

2011-01-09T19:31:00.000-06:00

The whole family made it to the ski hill today for the first time this season. The weather was good and we had plenty of time to do whatever we wanted. Chad's goal was to get Zack to go up the chair lift today. He started by walking up a longer run from the bottom to get used to the snow and the conditions. I wasn't sure he was going to go much farther than that so I headed over to Lift B to find Kevin. Kevin and I did a couple runs and were then surprised to see Chad and Zack walking towards us.

The plan was to go up the lift, but Zack needed to watch us go up first. Kevin and I waited at the top by the easy run for awhile but didn't see them coming. When we got to the bottom of the hill they were gone. Zack had made it to the top of the hill, and Chad said it didn't go too bad. They made it down the hill after awhile, but it was much better to have a stretch of downhill instead of Zack getting "too tired" from walking up the short bunny hill. He was tired and done by the time they made it down using a variety of techniques. Chad held him up, held his hand, held him from behind...all after too many falls gave Zack a sore butt.

A success, and I hope he was encouraged by the hill he made it down. On the way home he said he wouldn't go up the lift again, but we'll see...another day maybe.

Kevin continues to improve and really like his new board. He sure is expensive this year. New board, new snowboard boots, new winter boots, new winter shoes, all new jeans, and today a new winter jacket. The kid just keeps growing.

Catching up on the Holidays

2011-01-01T23:08:00.000-06:00

Just thought I would post some pictures from the last few weeks. The holidays have been busy, but we made it through. The weather has now turned icy cold after most of the snow was eaten by warm temperatures and rain the last couple days. It doesn't make for good conditions at the ski hill. We have yet to go down the hill this year, although Zack did some practicing in the backyard and Kevin has a school snowboarding trip coming up this next week.

Here is a video of Zack practicing.

We did make it to the sledding hill. Here is a picture of Chad and Zack on their first run.

Zack was big into Christmas this year. He finally got that R2D2 robot that was on his list last year too. R2 almost took a tumble down our stairs while he was out on patrol but Kevin saved him.

Zack also got a new sled for Christmas and he needed to try it out when we got home that night. He kept telling Chad "just one more time" and Zack asked him to take pictures until he got one just right.

I tried to use our camera to take some shots of the Christmas tree ornaments. I saw Pioneer Woman's Bokeh Contest and tried to make some of my own shots. The principal is that the close object is clear but the background lights are blurred so they show as just fuzzy circles of light. My first attempts did not go well but it looks cool.

This shot is the closest I had, but I think the problem is that the lights behind the ornament are too close for the adjustments that our point and shoot camera can handle. Chad is giving me some more pointers so I will practice throughout the year and be ready for when the tree goes up again.

Skipped the Run

2010-12-14T12:37:00.000-06:00

Since it was below zero when the boys got dropped off at school I decided to dig the snowshoes out. The nearby county park has a few miles of hilly trails so that was my destination. Once I got warmed up I was able to take some pictures, I need to get out when the sun isn't so intense to shot the snow.

I almost for got the Cliff Crunch bar that came in the mail, I'm sure it will be good eating. Too bad my first thought was what a waste of packaging material, I don't know how many they sent out as samples but that is a lot of paper. Maybe next time just send me a coupon via email ?

Winter Running

2010-12-07T13:51:00.000-06:00

Got out for 5 miles today, my first snow run this season. My Brooks Mach 11s worked alright but figured I should prepare for worse conditions. A trip to the hardware store to get sheet metal screws and five minutes and I'm set. I use #6 x 3/8" screws and base the pattern off of the wear on the shoe. I could probably skip the heel screws now that I land mid to fore foot but I'll take the cheap insurance.

Windshield Frost

2010-12-03T00:00:00.001-06:00

Figured I try shooting the ice on the windshield after work with my phone. Might get our first decent snow Friday night, guess I better wax the snowboards.

Swag Bag

2010-11-22T14:52:00.000-06:00

Stopped to pickup my bib for the Thanksgiving Day 10k. Too bad the temps will be in the twenties instead on the sixties like there are right now.

Just how far ?

2010-11-16T12:54:00.001-06:00

So last week I dragged out my Vibrams and went 3 miles and it hurt my calves. After a day on the bike I headed out twice more in the KSOs, 3.5 miles each time. I don't know how far I'll go in them but the 10k coming up might be my first race in them.

Motorola MOTOROKR review for running

2010-11-11T13:17:00.000-06:00

A question on twitter from @nigelrunner and a borrowed headset and I've got something to post about. I have not run with music since my marathon in May so having my ears covered was strange. I kept the music low so I could still hear and most of my run was on a rail trail anyway.

The headset is my son's Motorola MOTOROKR his is an older model but fit wise look the same. I paired the headset with my HTC Desire, he uses it with an Ipod Touch since our cat chewed up many pairs of wired ear buds. The headset fits behind your head and over the ears, it was snug on me but after a minute it was comfortable. Trying to get the photo below not so easy, shaved my head to show the headset better.

Anyway the run went well, I was expecting some bounce but it held tight once I was going. I chose to wear sunglasses just to see if it would work and it does. My running glasses have straight ear pieces so I tried a another pair of glasses at home and they fit as well. With the only drawback being I personally don't like both my ears covered I would say if you want to be cord free these are a good bet for running or walking.

Nice November Day

2010-11-10T11:25:00.001-06:00

Headed out on the road bike, after fixing a flat. Good cool weather except for the strong head wind coming home. Two drivers tried to see how close they could get as they passed. At least one older guy waved which almost erased the two jerks from my mind. Rear facing helmet cam in order ?

Phone post test

2010-11-08T12:13:00.001-06:00

Trying out posting right from my phone.

Fall Pumpkin Picking

2010-10-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

OK, that's not a pumpkin, but it was good. Cleaning out the camera and thinking back to what we have done the last couple of weeks I found this gem. We went out to brunch at Bluephie's a couple weeks ago and I had a Bloody Mary to go along with. This was an ultimate Wisconsin style Bloody Mary complete with bacon and cheese as garnish. With all the veggies it was a meal in itself. The rest of the meal was pretty good too.

We went to pick pumpkins "out of the patch" at our CSA farm, Middlebury Hills. There were lots to choose from and they had a pumpkin wash tank set up so we didn't have to take the field dirt home with us. There was a carving station set up, but we told the kids they better wait if they wanted their pumpkins presentable for Halloween.

Zack found a friendly face in the field

Which one did I pick? That orange one over on the right, or maybe that orange one.....

My birthday also came and went in the last couple weeks. There was lots of eating out, cakes and shopping. Here are a couple highlights:

We went to Ginza, a hibatchi restaurant. The show is great, and so is the food. The flaming onion is always one of the most spectacular.

Here is the cake I picked out, a pistachio chocolate cake from Whole Foods. Their desserts are always spectacular in decoration. The cake was super moist with multiple fillings, but it was quite sweet too with a thick white coating over the entire surface that was airbrushed with green and brown coloring.

Last Chance Fall Color

2010-10-26T12:36:00.001-05:00

I went out to the nearby county park to goof around with the camera. I had passed by the park on my bike earlier and with a wind storm on the way figured the trees would be bare by the weekend.

Here are a few of the shots I took.

Cross Ride

2010-10-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Went out for a ride on my Specialized Tricross SS and stopped to take a few shots of this cabin. My new phone is turning out to be pretty handy despite the not so pocketable size. Down the road I came across this group of goats eating every green thing inside the fence.

Fall Color Tour 2010

2010-10-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

We headed out last Saturday to check out the fall color. It was quite warm, up into the 80's which is completely NOT fall weather in Wisconsin. Some trees around us were changed so we traveled west in search of more. This was an impromptu trip, and Chad thought of the idea of going to Mill Bluff State Park. Zack wanted to go geocaching and with Chad's new smart phone we didn't even need to look up any coordinates before we left the house. I must admit I am addicted to his phone, it kept me very occupied on the trip. If a question came up about lunch, directions, information...I used the phone to look it up. It's magical!

We grabbed a late breakfast on the way out of town at Barriques. It was good, and I ordered a miel(espresso with milk, honey and spices) and it came with a design on top. Cool! We also picked up a cheese plate for lunch later. This turned out to be a huge disappointment. It was a bunch of bread rounds, half toasted with garlic, some cherry chutney, and ONLY 3 SMALL PIECES OF CHEESE. The size of the pieces was not much bigger than I would cut at home to put out on a plate. This IS Wisconsin, and I think I deserve more cheese...especially enough to go with the amount of bread. Otherwise, don't give me so much bread! It was dry bread too; Zack the bread lover wouldn't even eat it.

The color improved during the entire trip, and the state park had great color. Unfortunately, the park was closed for the season. You would think they would stay open until the end of October to allow visitors to have services while enjoying the views from the bluffs. The pump water still worked.

We parked along the road and headed up a trail that took us to the top of Mill Bluff. 223 stone steps took us to the top of the bluff, where we hung out for awhile and enjoyed the views.

We also thought the cache was up here since it was called Mill Bluff cache, but after checking out on top and then on a trail below the bluff we knew we would have to find another bluff on the other side of the interstate.

There is a train track that goes right across the road from the park. The kids heard a train coming and watched for it. Thinking I would get a cute picture of Zack watching the train go by, I waited as it got closer...then closer....then closer....then the train and it's horn got too loud for him and he sprinted in the other direction...

After eating our small lunch, we headed over to another area of the park and hunted the cache.

On the way home we stopped at a rather unusual ice cream shop in Mauston. It advertised 24 flavors of soft serve and they had that and so much more. Most of the menus were written with marker on construction paper. I had a coconut soft serve cone.

Since it was such a warm day I thought we should eat out on a patio for supper. We headed down to State Street to The Tiki Shack. Chad and I spotted this place earlier in the summer when we saw patrons outside eating buckets full of crab legs. State Street was hopping with people eating outside, post-game Badger fans hanging out, and high school kids dressed for Homecoming Dances on their way to their dinner destinations. Chad waited patiently(?) while I took a picture with his phone.

After dinner we cruised around the Capitol to further enjoy more of the day.

Door County Century - Her Story

2010-09-17T23:25:00.000-05:00

Chad's post pretty much sums up the trip. Here is a little extra from me...

This was my FIRST CENTURY! It was nice; end of the season, fairly flat, and in a beautiful area of Wisconsin.

The day before, we did some of our favorite Door County things. See Chad's post for a play-by-play!

Our hotel room was beautiful. It is the first floor suite in the picture with the porch out front.

There was a piano in the entry to the building. I think there were four suites all together in the house. The bed was super tall, but very comfortable.

I'm not sure Chad was as impressed with the fanciness, as he used the poster of the bed as a coat rack. The bathroom had a two person whirlpool(not used), and a wonderful shower with a great shower head. Yes, I do judge my hotel rooms by the shower head. This one had powerful jets and was tall enough I did not have to contort myself to rinse my hair. There were soft, comfy robes to slip into after the shower too.

We walked through downtown Fish Creek and picked up some fancy sparkling water to have with our other treats in the room. That is a Monster Cookie from the Pink Bakery in Egg Harbor. I think the thing weighed 2 pounds! That is a lot of frosting in there between two huge chocolate chip cookies.

Waking up in the morning, I jumped out of bed and turned on the in room fireplace to warm up. It was hard to leave the warm, wonderful room and head out into the cold early morning air. It was even harder to miss the breakfast included with the room, but we did get our on the ride snack here later.

The park in Sister Bay was a previously photographed family vacation stop, and it felt a little weird being here on bike. Most of our rest stops were quick as there was not much food to consume.

One of the strangest things I saw on the ride was a sign every mile. I haven't been on a ride before that did this. Kind of nice, I guess. You couldn't loose track of how much farther you had to go. The signs counted up in mileage until the 70 mile course joined back in and then it counted down in miles left to go.

Finally, the end came...

My first century was done, and it wasn't even bad at all.

Door County Century

2010-09-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

Why go 4 hours away from home to ride 100 miles on our tandem? Well Door County is one of our favorite places, the ride had good reviews and the route was flat compared to anything nearby.

So Saturday morning we left the boys with grandma and hit the road. It was raining a little but I left the bike uncovered since trash bags were the only option on hand. After a quick lunch on the way north we stopped to get our packets and check out the expo. Back at the car we found the sheet of paper in our packets informing us of required helmet stickers to make identification of trouble makers. I figure most drivers think all cyclists are reckless law breakers but would prefer the ride organizers at least feign a pro cyclist stance. Either way we were off to bigger, better things.

With the rain still coming down our options were shopping and eating our way around the small towns. We were shocked how busy places were since it wasn't fall color time yet. Zack had ordered popcorn, bacon cheese flavored to be exact. Double Delights has gelato as well so I had a small cup of pistachio while Jenny shopped. Up next was a farm market; they are all essentially the same. A large market offering fruit products, olive oils, snacks and wine. Jenny's favorite store Ecology Sports was up next to hunt for clothing deals. Successful, she left with a shirt and yet another pair of shoes. The boys got a book called Boom, Splat, Kablooey and I got to sign the receipt. Jenny wanted to take bread home so a stop at the Door County Bakery for a Corsica loaf was next. Most of the 7 pound loaf is now safely frozen for snacking through the winter. An early dinner was up next; soup at The Summer Kitchen in Sister Bay. This is one of our only remaining must stop places as the rest have either closed or suffered a loss of quality due to their success. Sweet potato fries and the soup buffet filled us up and we were hotel bound.

I guess it is an inn; The White Gull Inn in Fish Creek was our home for the night. Checking in was a bit odd with the lady escorting us to our room and giving a full tour. The worse part was turning down the morning coffee service since we had to be at the ride start by that time. Since the rain had stopped we wandered around Fish Creek looking at a few stores along the way. Just drinks and a cheap toy for the boys and shopping was done, back to our room. Jenny figured we should get a movie, free at the lobby and lots to pick from. She chose No Country for Old Men which is the most disturbing and confusing movie I've seen in years.

6:30 felt early Sunday but I had been waking up every few minutes anyway so I was up and dressed in 5 minutes. Where's Jenny ? Sitting by the fireplace eating more of the monster cookie from Pink Bakery in Egg Harbor. We didn't plan well for a pre-ride breakfast, as there was no food at the Inn until 7:30.

We got parked at the Fair Grounds and got rolling just before 8am but not until I scored a coffee sample near the start area. The route went up the bay side and returned on the lake side of the peninsula with rest stops every 15-18 miles. The first stop was at Murphy Park. Early, but it was the turn around and split for the 30 and 50 mile routes. Lots of doughnut holes but Jenny noted 3 grapes made up the fruit options. We had plans to stop back at the White Gull and get coffee and coffeecake with our breakfast certificate that came with our stay, so we just ate a little. Between Egg Harbor and Fish Creek we encountered a wide range of riders. First at what I would call a small hill we watched guys zig zag up and have to stop at the top to rest. Once out of ear shot, even Jenny made cracks which is normally my job. These people were in for at least 70 miles so one hill shouldn't be a big deal. Up next was the screamer, as we headed towards Fish Creek. There is a tight curve on a downhill but it was well marked with cones and manned with volunteers to warn riders. We needed none of it since this lady was screaming out every bit of road information she could. That was odd enough but the group she was with had just passed us and since she was at the back of the group(I suspect they were trying to drop her) her warnings could only be of use to me. It took all the restraint I had not to yell back "what I didn't hear you" instead we fell back out of ear shot.

What would turn out to be the best rest stop was next, back at the White Gull, coffee and coffee cake outside on the patio. Back on the bike we stopped at the main intersection in Fish Creek which was manned with two sheriff's officers. Since it's best to assume cyclists are ignorant we were informed that on coming traffic had the right of way, I nodded but at the same time the car with no stop sign stopped and without a thought I commented it would help if that driver knew he had the right of way. Guess I shouldn't have wasted all my restraint on the screaming lady.

We stopped at the Peninsula State Park rest stop to fill our bottles and noticed they had sandwiches. It was only about 10 am so that was odd and still no fruit. Off we went towards Ephraim and Sister Bay. Nothing exciting happened, just lots of riders enjoying the scenery. Sister Bay had the oddest stop of the ride with strawberry shortcake being the sole food offering. I was annoyed since it was 18 miles to the next stop and I had packed nothing to eat. Jenny was better prepared and had a couple of gels along to hold her over.

The trip back down the peninsula was more into the wind but we made good time thanks to the tandem. We made such good time that the Baileys Harbor stop had no food. This was more than an annoyance now; I was hungry. A ride van pulled in but was only a shuttle for drop outs so we left for Cave Point running on Gatorade. Turned out Cave Point had sandwiches. I think maybe only sandwiches but at least I got something to eat. We headed for the finish and got caught up in a group of guys, so got to draft off them for a few miles. Jenny and I had been passing people all afternoon but I was surprised we hung on with the race club so long. The final rest stop was at the Coast Guard station and we swung in for a look around. Pretzel rods, cheese spread and cups of cheese curds. So strange maybe they were catering to the large Illinois contingent.

Just 6 miles had us back at the car. We loaded up and changed clothes before heading for the post ride food. Pork sandwich, potato salad, beans and corn on the cob with cherry pie and ice cream for dessert. New Belgium Brewery supplied the beer. Fat Tire Ale which is either really good or I was just really thirsty. That only left a 4 hour drive back home, racing the clock to see the boys before bedtime.

The organizers sent out an apology for the food issues. Good luck to them next year I'm not planning a return trip just yet.

Bombay bicycle Club WSC 2010

2010-09-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

The Wright Stuff Century was held on Labor Day Sunday starting at Tyrol Basin outside of Mount Horeb, WI.This was my 5th consecutive year riding the WSC, the last two have been the 60ish mile option with Jenny on the tandem.So the weekend started with route marking Saturday morning. We've been marking a portion of the route for a few years and I expect that will continue.

Sunday morning started early and chilly, I think we were up at 6:30 and temps were in the low 50's. The Subaru was already loaded so once my mom came over ( thanks mom ) to wait for the boys to get up we were off to Tyrol. Packet pickup was quick and we hit the road around 8am. It wasn't long till I wished I had full finger gloves on, I was already wearing knickers and arm warmers. Jenny had frozen fingers as well despite being out of the wind behind me.

About 25 miles and 3 or 4 climbs later we hit the first rest stop. Bagels, fruit, cookies, hard boiled eggs and more were waiting. After the stop the routes split and ours hits a more significant climb, one of two before a mini rest stop in Ridgeway, WI. The two climbs aren't steep but are each well over a mile long. The routes were revamped for 2009 to reduce the climbing from "challenge event" type numbers but it is still far from flat. We stopped for a minute at the mini stop to top off our bottle and let Jenny stretch. One long downhill into the wind followed by another climb got us to the final rest stop before the ride finish back at Tyrol. A few snacks and some sitting in the shade primed us for the last miles. Jenny wanted to return via the 30 mike route finish instead since it is shaded and just as scenic so that's what we did.

One of my Fatcyclist jerseys

Back at Tyrol we loaded to tandem and swapped our jerseys for tee shirts before eating. This year the meal was Greek dishes, a salad with Feta and olives, gyros, and hummus. There was also a spinach and cheese in pastry thing that was good but I have no idea what it is called. I choked down half a beer while we discussed if the menu would be well received.

Next year back to the 100 mile route.

Still around

2010-09-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

Just been busy ...

Lots of miles on the schedule this month, at some point I'll try to write more.

Wiscosin State Fair and an Ice Road Trucker

2010-08-14T21:35:00.002-05:00

Today, we went to the Wisconsin State Fair with some friends. It has been a few years since we had visited, in fact Zack may have never been. Kevin was owed a funnel cake after missing out at our local art festival. For those who don't know, a funnel cake is a fried pancake of squiggled dough covered in powdered sugar. Fried foods seem to be a standard for fairs, and looking at a list of offered items of "food on a stick"(yes, there is a State Fair web page for food on a stick) there was just about everything available. Even fried cream cheese with bacon on a stick. We didn't see that offering during our visit but we did see this...

We saw some animals, then stopped in at the Wisconsin Products Pavilion. This has always been my favorite place to get food. Local producers and organizations offer a variety of samplings. We all shared some apple cider donuts, washed down with chocolate malt milk. I had a stuffed baked potato with choose your own toppings. Then we stopped and bought some maple sugar cotton candy. The rest of the fair is pretty much food and product vendors. There is a whole building of as seen on TV products. I was thankful for the air conditioning in the building. Kevin got tired feet part way through the aisles and he and I took a break in the hallway where state 4-H projects were displayed.

On the way back to the some of the food vendors we spotted a celebrity...

Alex Debogorski from the History Channel's Ice Road Truckers was at the fair meeting fans. The boys in the group all talked with Alex and got autographed pictures. Chad and Alex talked about the road conditions for semis in Wisconsin and how the ice can be more slippery here than on the Ice Road because of the temperature flucuation near the freezing point in Wisconsin.

Heading to eat, Kevin wanted spiral cut fried potatoes. He sprinkled BBQ seasoning on his.

Chad and I shared ribs and sour cream and chive fries.

Last stop for viewing was the rabbit and poultry barn that was closed in the morning.

Zack liked the baby rabbits in the cage with the mom. He didn't know that I showed rabbits at the State Fair when I was a kid. I'll have to show him the ribbons and pictures someday.

On the way home we grabbed a 6 pack of the famous State Fair Cream Puffs. Kevin snapped a picture of the "guarded" delivery trailer that transported the desserts to the satellite sales station. It went by quite often, so I'm sure a lot of cream puffs were sold today.

We dropped a couple off for my parents on the way home and enjoyed the rest later. I don't know why we thought we needed more fair food but they are quite good. Is it a conincidence that an amblance service is advertising on the box? I'm surprised one of the other sponsors wasn't a cardiac cath lab.

Deadliest Catch Breakfast

2010-08-12T13:32:00.000-05:00

After making traditional eggs benedict earlier this week, I had leftover hollandaise sauce. I used the rest for an awesome breakfast of King Crab Eggs Benedict. While Chad was out for a bike ride I steamed and picked crab from a bunch of crab legs and was just finishing breakfast prep after his shower. Sweet crab and tangy hollandaise was a perfect combination!

Taking the animals to the zoo

2010-08-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

We have been staying close to home for vacation. Experiencing things in the Madison area. Yesterday we went to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and had lunch on State Street. The Veterans Museum has a lot of cool displays and has free admission. Just across the street from the State Capital.

Today we went to the zoo.

There are new animal statues that are painted by various artists throughout the zoo. These guys had their picture taken by a cat with a cat on it.

The boys and I sat on a polar bear.

Zack wanted to ride the carousel, so the boys all went for a ride this time. I experimented with the camera trying to get good shots. I realized a rotating circular object on which people are moving in a different direction is hard to capture in an artsy way. Takes a lot more skill than I currently have. That and our camera speed sucks. By the time it captured one shot and processed the picture the boys were passed me. And they only go around so many times. Maybe next time I will try with Kevin's camera. It is much newer, and he has so many program settings that he probably has a "carousel" setting.

Grandma & Grandpa went on vacation and all I got was...poop!

2010-08-07T22:09:00.004-05:00

We came home from running errands today to find we had missed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. Zack and Kevin had surprises left on the back porch from Grandma and Grandpa's latest vacation.

Zack had...
Frog Droppings!

Kevin had...
Bear Poop!

The boys thought this was hilarious. Zack tried some droppings.

Here is a close up of the description. I wouldn't really let them eat poop.

Chad and I went out for a bike ride today before the anticipated heat and humidity of the weekend hit. We have to get some longer rides in because we just signed up for a 100 mile bike ride in September, the Door County Century. It is a flat ride compared to the roads around home, so I'm looking forward to completing this goal in Door County.

A week of vacation starts this week, so we're in the planning stages of things to do. No big trip, but hopefully lots of outdoor activities and maybe some day trips.

Planet Trek, Take 2!

2010-08-03T21:40:00.007-05:00

The boys liked the ride we did last year so much that they were waiting to repeat it again this year. Sunday looked like a good day to tackle this feat. This time Chad and I headed in with the Jeep to downtown Madison and parked it in front of a restaurant that we have been waiting to try, Bradbury's. We biked back home on the tandem to pick up the boys. We had a slow start getting them moving, because of course they were not ready to go when Chad and I picked them up.

The day was hot, but felt nice in the tree lined bike trail. There was also a breeze the helped too. We took pictures at each sign again, and were especially excited that the missing Uranus sign was back in place after last year's disappearance. John Nolen Drive was closed Sunday and was eerily quiet. It was cool to coast across the road with no traffic. There was a bike event on the road, but not many riders when we were around. At the Sun there was a sun dial instead of the flower planting they had last year. The kids tried it out, before we moved on. The Sun is close to Monona Terrace, and Chad thought they had a bike elevator. Of course we had to look for it and take it! The tandem/trail a bike rig didn't fit so Chad took it apart quick so the doors could close. It was neat to have our own elevator for bikes, and it took us up several levels and we were able to shoot across the Capitol square to the restaurant. It took us longer than we thought for the trip, but the restaurant serves until late afternoon. Chad had his meal picked out from their internet menu, the Blueberry and Lemon Curd crepes. I considered one of the savory crepes since I was pretty hungry after the 53 miles on bike. But I decided to go with the Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt crepes. A great choice. The kids had crepes with cinnamon sugar. Definetely a restaurant deserving of a repeat visit. Besides, they were out of the cold press coffee that I really wanted to try. Maybe next time.

16 years really ?

2010-07-22T03:10:00.005-05:00

The years blur together but some how Jenny and I have already been married for 16 years, add in 3 years of dating and we've been together more than half our lives. It's 3am as I type because this week has been a bit of a blur as well and I completely forgot it was the 22nd already. Too many questions about birthday party planning, work, fire calls and squeezing in some bike riding.

So here are a few pictures of where we started,

Two boys added along the way,

and this is what I'm lucky to have now, really glad I didn't take her almost running from my car after our first date as a bad sign.

Happy Anniversary

Gravel and Dirt

2010-07-19T10:01:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the expected high temps and humidity Jenny and I headed for the woods this weekend. We rolled out early on the local rail trail which connects to Blue Mounds State Park and the single track trails we wanted to ride.

Jenny got to buy some new pedals for Kevin's mountain bike. She rides platforms off-road but I suggested they might not be so much fun for the rail-trail. The new pedals are one side spd opposite side a platform and seemed to work out. The bearings are still tight and she had to turn the platform side up by hand quite often.

This was the first time on single track this year for both of us and it showed. I was able to clear some of the tough spots but nothing close to what I was doing last season. We both went down at different times, Jenny came home worse off since she landed in some gravel. I fell off the trail when I failed to unclip, turned out my cleat was very loose.

In the end we had fun but came home more beat up than we hoped. The only casualty was Jenny's gloves which we tried to replace but so far no luck. She did come home with a new pair of cycling shoes, good deal at 25% off, glad the first shop didn't have the right size.

Early Morning Ride

2010-07-10T15:19:00.006-05:00

Ok, so 7ish isn't that early except I got in bed just before 2am so it felt early. Two loops for a total of 30 miles, first round was with Jen along on her Klein second I went solo since she had a meeting.

Jenny goes for the emergency caffeine gel, turned out it just got a ride and dropped back at home. Real coffee is way better but from what I got via text messages she may have needed the gel to stay awake in her boring meeting.

My breakfast ride food choice is a bit less exciting, 365 brand fig cookies from Whole Foods. I hate gels and the cookies are cheap compared to "real" energy bars.

Quiet streets as we head west out of town so I'm out in the middle of the lane taking pictures.
More messing around in the street, look mom no hands.

A nice 2 mile downhill in the shade. Of course this downhill lead to 5 miles of winding uphill back into town. The climb is very gradual until the last mile which has one steep pitch followed by a pair of switchbacks.

Jenny laid down this patch of rubber doing a ~~burnout~~ skid.

A county park just outside the next village and the great view across the valley. The downhill from here is 3.5 miles and is way more fun than climbing it which takes me close to 30 minutes. On my way down I passed a couple I'd guess to be in their 60's headed up, hope I am still riding at that age.

Trail Tramper's Delight

2010-06-25T23:09:00.005-05:00

Here is more detail about Chad's experience on the trail to get the Jeep and trailer after our sunset kayak on vacation.

The trail that runs across the point to the launch is called Trail Tramper's Delight. This trail was NOT a delight for Chad. After the sunset kayak trip Chad was going to run back to the Nicolet Bay boat launch for the Jeep and trailer. The kids and I waited with the boats and made small talk with a fellow kayaker. Chad came back a short while later and the first words while I was carrying things to the Jeep was, "I think I broke a couple toes." What! It was pretty dark on the Trail Tramper's Delight trail, and Chad was running in his Vibram Five Fingers. He kicked or tripped on some unknown item on the trail and experienced instant pain. The pinky toe was swollen when we returned to the condo. He iced and elevated for awhile and by the next morning there were some pretty colors appearing.

It doesn't appear that anything is broken in the toe. His foot swelled pretty good and the coloring continued to darken for another day or so after the above picture. He doesn't know what he ran into so it's hard to know what caused the bruised stripe down the little toe. Hopefully it doesn't lay him up too long.

Sunset kayak from Nicolet Bay

2010-06-25T23:02:00.009-05:00

This trip was pushed off one day due to the storm that passed through last night. We headed out with time to get to Peninsula State Park and put in at the boat launch in Nicolet Bay. In order to catch the best view we planned to head out of the bay and around the point to the north side and in front of the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. The take out would be the kayak launch at the Tennison Bay Campground.

Kevin wanted to try out his sail again, and the wind was in the right direction to help push him into the boat launch. That is until we went around Welker's Point and the wind diminished to almost nothing.

The trip needed to come to a swift finish due to the sun setting behind a bank of clouds at the horizon. The trip timing would have been perfect if the clouds had not been there. Oh, well we still got some awesome pictures. A kind gentleman on the shore approached me after the take out and offered to email some pictures he took of us from shore. How wonderful! Here is a sampling of our pictures, some taken by Kevin!

Final Day in Door County

2010-06-25T22:13:00.005-05:00

Being the final full day in Door County, we of course tried to fit in all the things we didn't have a chance to do yet. The plan was for breakfast out, geocaching, biking, and a sunset kayak trip. There were some changes to the plan, but everyone had a good day.

Breakfast was at another new place to us. Julie's Park Cafe, right at the entrance to Peninsula State Park. The kids decided to eat outside, and we all ordered items that we liked very well. I had the Santa Fe Eggs which had hash browns, layered with black beans, eggs, salsa, and sour cream. This layered stack was then encircled with tortilla chips. Not a traditional breakfast, but it was tasty. We will definitely return again.

We then headed into the park to do a multi-stage cache. This may not have been the first one we attempted but was the longest and with the most stages. The excitement for the kids was that there was a prize from the ranger's station at the end. We did not have a trail map, but we managed. We got a little off track sometimes. Some of the caches were tough to spot, but everyone pitched in and helped out. There was a secret password in the last cache that we used at the ranger's station and the kids got to pick out special patches from the park. The trail was not busy, not too many mosquitoes, and the temperature was cool under the trees on this hot and humid day.

Zack is still my littlest guy and sometimes (when he is not acting like a teenager) still wants to hold my hand while walking.

Kevin, on the other hand, is Mr. Independent now. He did a good job leading the way solo.

After the cache, we were going to ride across the Door on bicycle to a coffee shop and cafe. The kids resisted, and eventually seeing that Chad and I were not going to talk them into it, we went down the street to the Egg Harbor Fun Park. We usually go mini-golfing each year, and this year they added go-carts. The winner of golfing...ME! By one point over Kevin.

He's got good form, but I think he missed something.

That's better.

Go-cart racing was won by Kevin. He was first out the gate just ahead of Zack and Chad. I'm not one to excel at this sport, so I just hung back and let them battle it out in front of me. Chad never got around Kevin, and claims Kevin was all over the track not leaving him any room to get around.

The sunset kayak trip was a go, but I will leave that for the next post.

Storm over Lake Michigan

2010-06-25T22:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the photos from Chad's phone that we took the night of the storm. We watched it come over the bay towards a county park just south of Egg Harbor. The colors were spectacular.

Rain Day

2010-06-23T21:22:00.004-05:00

Today was a rain day. The weather forecast called for scattered storms throughout the day. There were storms last night and the rain continued into the morning. The plan was to do our art creation and catch up on some shopping that we still wanted to do(OK, most of the shopping was things I wanted to do, but not all of it).

After breakfast we headed out to Hands On Art. We have gone for years, and our house and yard are filled with wonderful artwork we have created from pasta bowls to fused glass garden stakes. The kids wanted to do ceramic projects so Chad and I started out supervising. Then Chad suggested that I glaze some switch plate covers for my bathroom makeover project. Zack's project was a tiger figurine, and Kevin glazed a triple bowl for snacks in the basement. After the projects were done we wandered the grounds and looked at other ideas for next year.
After some shopping, we went into Fish Creek Market for sandwiches. This is another favorite meal stop for us. They have a great store with lots of upscale grocery products like sauces, oils and dips. In the back is a deli that offers custom made sandwiches with fresh sliced meats. Choices are available for all the sandwich components like, bread, meat, veggies, and cheese. We usually get the sandwiches and head to the nearby park by the Fish Creek Marina. Along with my sandwich I got a drink I had never seen before. Metromint, a chocolate mint water. Sound weird? The boys thought so, they laughed. But it was really good. It is water with mint and cocoa essence. No sweeteners, and the ingredient list is purified water, mint, and cocoa essence. That's it! It was refreshing, and reminded me of a grasshopper. I would definitely get it again, if I ever find it locally.

The sun had come out for the afternoon and we began to wonder if there was more rain coming. We went swimming and then Chad and I walked to the nearby Door County Outpost for some wine tasting. We sampled many great wines and came back with six bottles for home including a chocolate red wine. Not just hints of chocolate either, it looks like chocolate milk and tastes similar to Bailey's Irish Cream.

The plan for the evening was to do a sunset kayak off the shores of Peninsula State Park. Of course then the clouds rolled in, dark clouds. Checking the radar we saw a huge storm front coming in. Instead we headed slightly south to catch a geocache and watch the storm roll in from a county park. The sky was impressive but we forgot the camera. Chad took some photos with his phone but we have no way to get them off the mini SD card until we get home. I'll post those pictures later if they turned out. We ran straight into the storm on the drive back with pouring rain and tree branches blowing down. The brunt of the storm went to the north over Peninsula State Park and I felt lucky that I had a solid roof over my head for this storm. Hope all the campers out there are fairing well this week, it sure has been a wet one.

Door County Vacation Continues

2010-06-23T17:17:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we headed to Washington Island to spend some time biking. In my opinion biking is the best way to travel the island. You get right on the ferry with little time waiting in lines and costs a lot less than a car as well. For the price of one bike we can take the tandem with the trail-a-bike attached. Pretty good for transportation for three people.

The day was going to be hot and humid so going to the island with the cool lake breezes was ideal. We headed to see some new sights and geocaching led us to some. We checked out a bluff overview from a little used public access, and found a geocache in the woods. Mosquitoes are pretty non-existent so far this trip (fingers crossed).
After this stop we headed to Schoolhouse Beach with the rocks so rare there is a $250 fine for those caught pocketing them. The boys practiced skipping rocks and cooling off in the water.
Zack commandeered a pile of rocks and called it his territory which he guarded until it was time to move on.
The next stop was the food cart at Jackson Harbor which was a repeat visit from last year. The place was packed today, with the nearby picnic tables all full. There were also several painters setting up to create masterpieces of the water views across to Rock Island. The crowd also made it difficult to log a nearby cache, but we took care of that right as we were leaving.
We spent pretty much the whole day on the island and enjoyed the breezy ferry ride back to the mainland that helped to cool us off from our 23 mile ride.

Vacation in Door County begins

2010-06-21T19:56:00.006-05:00

We are up in Door County for our yearly escape to our timeshare unit. The weather has been all right so far, last year was so hot!

Sunday we stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. We have been going for years to the Summer Kitchen after getting a recommendation from a local working at a book store. The menu has changed over the years, but we keep going back for the soup bar. Each day they have five soups self-serve with bread and butter. You can get one cup, two cups, or a taster's cup allowing you to enjoy even more. All the plates and bowls are Fiestaware in assorted colors. Check out the stack of plates at the soup bar. Chad and I also order an Arnold Palmer to drink. This shows up more on menus now, but when Chad first had a glass years ago it was a rarity. The Arnold Palmer is half iced tea, half lemonade (the pink variety here). When they serve it at the Summer Kitchen it retains the cool layers. To eat, I usually get the two cups and that is enough to fill me up. A cup also comes along with most adult meals. My "old standby" is the Spicy Tomato Dill. I have purchased their cook book and will make this one at home occasionally. Chad and the boys had the Spicy Tomato this year and I helped myself to leftovers. I used my two cups for Creamy Mushroom with Rice. And this soup is thick and creamy! I bet it's made with heavy cream, and there are big chunks of mushrooms. Sorry mushroom haters, but I love it!

Sunday night we went to the outdoor theater, The Skyway Drive-In. We have contemplated going for years, but the double feature this time was good for all, so we headed there for the 9:00ish p.m. start time. The first movie was Toy Story 3, followed by Prince of Persia starting around 11:00 p.m. The adult admission was $7.00 so for two movies and the experience it was well worth it. We parked at a good distance to see out the windshield but it was still tough to see from the backseat. We didn't have the necessary gear for sitting outside. We used the FM radio for the sound, and there was surround sound going on. It was a late night though, and Kevin even wanted to give up before the end of the second movie. We told him to drink some Mountain Dew and keep going, as we were annoyed by other drivers leaving in the middle of the movie. Turns out we may not have been able to leave anyways as our Jeep battery was not charged enough to start when we left. Not sure if anything else was running but the radio, but next time we will be more careful or use the outdoor speakers. Thanks to the kindness of strangers we got a jump for our Jeep. There were handfuls of people in the same situation as us, and the couple that helped us out wanted nothing in return. They were doing the same as someone else who helped them out in the past.

Monday was started out with kayaking, after everyone was finally out of bed. Since this was the first time out this year, we started with something close by and easy. From the beach outside Egg Harbor we launched and cruised around the bay. The internet description has said there is a cave to kayak through on the south end of the bay, but we found nothing except for a bridge that was created over the breaker rock. Kevin did get a good chance to try out his kayak sail that was a school project last year. It was until this trip, untested. It worked great. It didn't bend over or fall apart, and it caught a bunch of air that Kevin said was propelling him forward. He didn't have to paddle much, just steer to keep on course. This sail will work well for Kevin, and Chad was jealous that he didn't have one. While Chad and I put gear away, the kids played around on the beach which was not packed like the one in Peninsula State Park usually gets this time of day.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing mixed with some geocaching by Jeep. Bike rides will wait for Tuesday as the sky is looking dark for our bike for gelato ride to Egg Harbor.

Wet Weekend

2010-06-16T11:13:00.005-05:00

Not a lot to write about, bad weather and prepping for Kevin to head to camp filled our weekend.

The rain started Saturday continuing on and off through Tuesday night, hope the the kids and the cabin at camp stayed dry. Saturday we went shopping twice once for last minute things Kevin needed and a second time after finding he had outgrown his sandals and raincoat. Not to be left out on the shopping Zack hit me up for yet another water bottle. This is why when our dividend check from REI shows up it is big enough to buy some nice gear.

Sunday Jenny and I got in a couple of miles in our VFFs before we had to take Kevin to camp. Google said the drive was about 2 hours and I loaded it into my iPod Touch since I have neither a GPS or smartphone. We had lunch in Boscobel,WI the A&W won the vote of the backseat, clean and fast. Fast that is once we figured out how to order for the phone at the table, only take out orders are taken at the counter. Then we were back on the road for another hour to find camp.

Camp drop off was interesting the Jeep was swarmed by very eager to meet us camp counselors who took Kevin's gear and pointed us towards registration. Oh how I wish we could have skipped the medicine drop off line, it took forever only to be told they had headache stuff on hand anyway. After putting money in an account Kevin can spend at the camp store we walked outside where Kevin meet his counselor and said bye to us. Huh that's it just bye no hug, good I guess I was worried he might be upset. The rest of us took a tour of the grounds on a horse drawn wagon where of course it started to rain again.

The week has been different for me since I can't go run or bike without Zack. This morning after work I ran 5 miles in the dark, not bad sure beat getting cooked in the sun. Sleep is over rate anyway...at least to a point.

Hope to have more to write about next week.

Are You Crazy ?

2010-06-10T07:19:00.007-05:00

My sanity gets questioned frequently by my coworkers when they hear about my cycling or running. This past Monday I had a meeting to attend at the union hall on the east side of Madison so why not go by bike and make it clear that yeah I might be.

The choice to ride was easy but which bike? I wasn't sure if I wanted to ride the rail trail into Madison or tackle more hills by taking the roads. The weather forecast mentioned a possibility of fog which helped me choose my Specialized Tricross for the rail trail. The fog wouldn't be an issue on the trail plus no cars except when crossing roads.

It turned out there was no fog and was rather cool when I dropped the boys at school. Once home it was a quick change into a jersey, arm warmers and shorts. Bike prep took a few minutes and I felt late when I hit the road. I really had no idea if I was late since I had not bothered to see just how far my ride was going to be. The rail trail was uneventful except for the flooded underpass, only 6 inches or so deep, I coasted and pumped the pedals to keep my feet dry. Once in Madison I headed downtown on a city path crossing by UW Madison and looping around to a new to me trail section. I think it was a portion of the Cap City Trail, very industrial area gave way to homes and local businesses. In my rush to be on time I missed seeing a lot but caught more on the way back later. I missed a path access at an intersection and just took the roads for the last few miles arriving 5 minutes late. 30 minutes of meeting and I was headed back home, found the trail section I had missed earlier. The trail from Fair Oaks Avenue to the Yahara river will need to be visited again. Lots to see and of course I had no good camera and my phone was tucked in a baggie in my jersey pocket. I got off track on a road section of the trail and suddenly was on Mifflin street headed to the Capital square.

View Larger Map
One minor sign miss lead to a short block of riding the wrong way on a one way street. Crossing one side of the square got me on State street, no cars allowed and lots of food choices. Well since I carry no lock for the bike I kept riding back through campus and onto the SW commuter bike path. My growing need of food had me off the trail to find coffee and a snack. Coffee shop found with bike rack and outdoor seating perfect.

View Larger Map
Well caffeinated I headed home via the most direct route of busy roads which means boring so that's all for this trip.

My inbound route from Google bicycle directions and the outbound route more or less. My bike was a Specialized Tricross Singlecross running a 42x16 gear and I used m y Garmin 305 to record the trip instead of a standalone bike computer.

Schools out after today so I hope to have some trips with the boys to write about soon.

Madison Marathon 2010

2010-06-03T07:11:00.006-05:00

Photo by Kevin, modified on his Nintendo DSi

5:12:09 chip time... what? All my training runs had me aimed at a 4 to 4:15 marathon, what did me in was the weather.

Before I could run I had to pick my race packet up at the marathon expo. The expo was held Friday and Saturday at the Dane County fairgrounds. Once I had all my stuff we looked around and found two things worth mention. First was that the cool tech shirts that had a route map all said "half marathon" on the front, no sale. Second Jenny was able to try on a pair of Vibram five fingers Bikilas, sold.

I woke up at 4:45am unable to sleep. A quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee while I checked the weather forecast one more time and it was time to get dressed and wake Jenny. The car was packed and ready with my gear plus Jenny's Cannondale mountain bike running slick tires. We hit the road around 5:45 and were parked by 6:15 a block from the starting line.

We got our gear sorted out and I hit the restroom line on the way to the square. After standing around for a bit I returned to the restroom line again then got lined up near the 4:20 pace group. Two times in the restroom might seem excessive but it kept me from being one of many guys headed for cover within the first few miles. The worst guy I saw ran off the street in the first mile to the hedge of an apartment complex, come on plan ahead or hold it!

I moved up to the 4:10 pace group deciding that would be fast enough and only slightly faster than my long training run pace. I was still in denial that the heat would do me in so on I ran. The first clue the heat and humidity was getting bad was my Headsweats hat started dripping on my neck after only 5 miles. Jenny was waiting along Breeze Terrace in the shade to take pictures and cheer me on. It was nice to finally find her, I knew what mile she planned to be in but not exactly where. She popped up again on campus at the corner on Charter St. and University Ave. I was two for two spotting her unlike when I missed her during the Lake Monona 20k.

The heat became more noticeable on the way out of downtown. I had taken a couple salt tablets followed by Tums long before I reached the route split at Tenny Park. Jenny and I almost missed each other as I ran by still with the 4:10 group. I'm not sure what happened but by mile 15 I was feeling terrible and questioning if I could finish. The aid stations and some spectators had ice and that kept me going in a ice, run, overheat, walk cycle back to Jenny at mile 20.

I had sent Jenny a text message that I was off pace and wanted to swap my Amphipod belt for my handheld bottle. She had responded but I had tucked phone away so didn't know where she was waiting. A quick gear swap and a few words and I continued on. The ice, run, walk cycle continued but the walks were getting longer and when I heard the clocks were stopped and was told to walk I was done running. Walking the last 4 miles took forever it seemed and when I went to run the last two blocks my legs were really against it. My parents along with Jenny and the boys were waiting just up the street. The boys jogged along on the sidewalk to the finish where I got my medal. A few pictures and we headed to the cars.

I was fried and glad to be done. The whole clock stopping thing turned out to be false which stinks because I would have pushed for a sub 5 hour had I known. Oh well there is always next time and I may have that race picked out already.

Jenny's Marathon recap

2010-06-02T20:23:00.009-05:00

No, I didn't run the Marathon this last weekend. But I did attend to support Chad, so I have a version to talk about.

Chad was pretty nervous before the marathon. It was supposed to be hot out the day of the Madison Marathon, and since his taper began there were no long distances run in the heat. He wasn't going to smile for any pictures on the square in downtown Madison before the run, so I've got nothing to show you. It was a beautiful morning, still cool out and the sun was shining. I was riding my bike to various race points to catch glimpses of Chad and help support him along the route. I could not easily cross the course by the square since there were many barricades, so I headed away from the area before the start gun went off. I heard the announcer calling out runner pace groups as they left the square and headed onto West Washington, so I stopped to take a picture there.
My first stop was going to be between 7 and 8 miles in, but on my ride over to that area I thought I may be able to catch the group just before 2 miles so I diverted there. I just missed the group Chad was running in, but I still had plenty of time to make it over to Camp Randall Stadium where I was going to hang out and wait. The half marathon group started 20 minutes after the marathon group and came running on the same portion of route where I was waiting. I think they were only a couple miles in to their run. I was playing with my camera while waiting for Chad and took some "art shots", I like to call them.
Chad and the boys weren't impressed with them but I think they are cool. I like the blurred effect of the legs, which was better on the first sets of runners since the legs in the later pictures were not going as fast.

After spotting Chad, still smiling, at this spot I booked it over to mile 10 coming down from Observatory Drive on campus. I tried out a Gu from the sampler pack, the Jet Blackberry. The first taste was a little strange, very fake fruit tasting. I guess I was just used to the chocolate and coffee flavored gels, or maybe I was expecting something that tasted more like jam. I don't know, but it did get better after that initial taste and I finished it off. I had also been drinking that morning to stay hydrated and it was at this point that I realized I didn't have a lock with me for my sweet ride. I really could have used a restroom, but didn't want to chance having the bike taken from me, so a poor decision was made and I stopped drinking water for the day. I was pretty dehydrated by the time I returned my bike to the car before the end of the marathon.

I headed on to mile 12 by Tenney Park where I was going to station myself until mile 20 looped back to the same area. I almost missed Chad here, as I had just put the bike against a tree and looked for a pace group and there he was running past. I yelled so he knew I was there, but didn't get any pictures. I did have to walk my bike some on the sidewalk to get to the park since the streets were closed and there were people on the sidewalk, so that must have slowed me down enough to be late. I also had to avoid hoses stretched across the sidewalks providing water mists for the runners as well as the Free Beer and Bloody Mary stand providing nourishment(?) for passing runners.

I walked around the corner and found a spot in the shade to wait until Chad's return. Luckily there were no bugs that I noticed in the park, so I had an enjoyable wait. The runners crossed this bridge out and back on the loop. This was a tough part of the course for Chad and many of the runners. They didn't look so happy coming off this loop. It was by now pretty hot out and I think that loop was in the sun. After seeing Chad here and swapping his water belt for the handheld bottle, I took off to the parking ramp to put my bike away.

I met up with the in-laws and the boys up on the square for the finish. The 4:10 pace group was just crossing the finish line when I got there, but Chad had fallen off this pace and I didn't figure I missed him. I couldn't fathom that he had sped back up in the heat. I then learned that the race had been red flagged and the announcer said the clock was stopped, all further results were unofficial and the runners were being encouraged to stop racing and return to the finish. I didn't know what Chad's plans were or how far back he was so we just waited. He had told me the day before that there was no way he was not finishing no matter if they closed the course. By the way, closing the course is not a common occurrence. They did it once before in 2006, but it is not usually this hot in Madison at the end of May. I heard from Chad at mile 25 and he was walking. He finished strong and was smiling at the end.

5 days to go

2010-05-25T07:26:00.003-05:00

In five days I'll be running the Madison marathon, it seems like forever since I started my training. I'm not nervous yet but expect sleeping Saturday night will be tough. My biggest concern for race day so far is being properly fueled without over doing it.

Yesterday I did 8 miles starting at 8:30am. I went out slow and never picked the pace up from just under a 10 minute pace. Turned out the temperature was 85 F when I got back in the house, I'm glad the forecast for Sunday is much cooler. I'll be resting and hydrating all week with only 9 more miles to run this week.

Once the marathon is over I'll be switching back to cycling more especially since the boys are asking to go ride. Zack made me commit to a date that we can ride into Madison again.

Short post today, gotta get the boys to school.

Porch Surprise

2010-05-20T21:47:00.005-05:00

The doorbell rang this afternoon and I got a pleasant surprise when I opened the door. UPS had left me a package. I should clarify that it shouldn't have been a surprise, since I ordered it last week, but since I had forgotten, it was a surprise.

Here is my porch surprise: A Gu Energy Sampler.

I typically use flavors like Chocolate, Espresso, and the previous holiday special Chocolate Mint, but I wanted to try some fruit flavors. This sampler gives a wonderful way to try out all the flavors. And some extra Gu brand items to try as well. I think I will like the Jet Blackberry, so that will probably be one of my first choices to try. I'll post back with my favorites.

For those of you who may have already tried and love Jet Blackberry there is another special on the Gu website, a Jet Blackberry 24-pack with a t-shirt from American Apparel. I have many American Apparel t-shirts and love the fit and fabric. They are all made in the USA.

And here's a cute picture of Zack in front of a recent spring shower rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow, but this one was hard to capture.

20 Miles on Mother's Day

2010-05-13T07:12:00.004-05:00

Setting my alarm for 6am sounded fine until it was midnight and I was just getting to bed. It was a fire call kept Jen and I up. Even a call that turned out to be nothing but drive out, sit blocking traffic, drive back to the station took an hour maybe more.

So at 6am I was up and out the door in 20 minutes even with a last minute gear change. It was 36 degrees but sunny so I went with shorts, a heavy short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, fleece hat and glove liners. Since I would be out for over 3 hours I took my Amphipod belt with a plan to refill at mile 10. Of course both my Garmin and iPod shuffle went along.

The run was an out and back on the rail trail, not much to say it went just as expected. I got out to my turn around point to find the water fountain missing. Okay I know it's all the same pipe but public bathroom sink water just makes me not want to drink, I topped up anyway and headed home.

Same trail different season.

I detoured once back in town to get the hours for the restaurant Jenny wanted to eat at for Mother's day brunch. I should have checked the menu, turns out they no longer have brunch type food. We bailed out heading instead to the coffee and chocolate shop for breakfast and hung out playing games on our iPod Touches. Very much not "doing it all outside" but we all had fun, some warmer weather would be nice to lure the boys back into outdoor activities. Zack is ready for a Planet Trek repeat after I pointed out the sign for Pluto was back in place near the trail.

All my runs now until the marathon will seem short by comparison. I'm confident I'll finish and am shooting for a 4:15 or better despite all the advice against time goals for a first marathon. Jenny will be riding her bike to meet me a few point along the marathon course so I hope to have better pictures for that post.

New Header Photo

2010-05-05T22:32:00.005-05:00

Finally I'm getting around to putting up a new photo for the header on this blog. Seems like it's already out of date. We all went several weeks ago to Blue Mounds State Park and took pictures and hiked. The kids did well on the hike.

Then they wanted to climb one of the towers. On the way we spotted a shelter canopy that looked rather odd. After descending the tower we took a closer look and it was not only crooked, but really short. I don't know if this was a strange design or they ran out of lumber when they were making it. Did they not follow measure twice, cut once? It gave us all a laugh and we headed home after stopping for some snacks along the way.

Lake Monona 20K

2010-05-04T07:10:00.012-05:00

So I guess Blogger hates me today so photos at the top.

Way back in December I saw an ad for this race, only $20 before end of 2009. I talked Jen into joining me and we signed up together. Jumping ahead four months last Saturday was race day. At 7:25 my alarm went off and panic follows, race time is 9am and I had 4 hours of sleep. Jen and I get the boys up, dressed and fed in record time. While Jenny went to drop them off with my parents I loaded her old Cannondale mountain bike on the Subaru. Due to a number of things Jen could not run, but she did ride most of the course in reverse to see me as I ran. Once we got rolling I calmed down as it was clear we had plenty of time.

We arrived with time to spare and made our way to the park. I needed a timing chip and restrooms. Jen was looking for a map of the route. I got my chip and we struck out on the rest, the lines at the porta-potties were too long it could wait. We made our way to the back of the starting area and then nerves sent me back to wait in line. I made it back for the race announcements and national anthem, and then we were off. There were 811 finishers and I think I had lined up behind 800 of them. No big deal chip timing evens that out right? Well it has in every other race but I guess "gun start" meant a single start time for everyone. This didn't really matter I had come to do a training run while I supported Jen in her first race over 10K.

So I didn't like the back row, I'm not fast but I'm faster than the back row. It took a bit for the pack to spread to where I could move up and I grabbed a few spots on every tiny hill that seemed to slow others down. Mile 1 went by in about 9 flat and I thought "too fast slow down", I was trying to slow down but continued to see my pace was in the high 8's on my Garmin. My big worry was I'd blow up before the end at that pace. I had skipped the first water stop since I was carrying my 12oz Amphipod bottle but stopped at mile 5ish to top it off. I passed by Jen without seeing her at the Monona Terrace. In my defense I thought she was only going to be at mile 10 and I was trying to maintain an even pace. At the 10K point I decided I felt fine and the near 9 minute pace would be fine. I stopped checking my watch and just ran. I also kept passing people which is way better than getting passed. At mile 10 I spotted Jen and swung by for a kiss as she was taking photos. Shortly after leaving the park Jen came by on her bike and yelled "looking good" which scared me since I didn't hear her approaching. At mile 11. something I thought I was done when the wind hit me but it ended quickly and I kept going. In the end I had passed about 475 people and was glad to be done.

We headed to the car to drop the bike and change shoes before heading for the food. We may as well have just stayed at the car because the line was too long and we bailed. Salad bar at Whole Foods and a quick stop at Berkeley Running Company instead to look for Five Fingers for Jen then we headed home.

I wrapped up my weekend with another run Monday morning. 14 miles in 2:11 to start my final big week of marathon training. Actually I never figured out if the long run begins or ends the week but it doesn't matter now. 20 miles this Sunday then taper until race day.

Rainy Run

2010-04-26T12:29:00.004-05:00

Sunday turned into long run day since the rest of the week would be too busy. Also doubted I should run 18 miles before going to work.

I set my alarm for 6am and had my gear laid out hoping the forecast for rain and wind wouldn't materialize. I woke up and crawled right back in bed, wind and rain could be heard in the bedroom. Worried I would not go later had me out and on the road 40 minutes later.

The rain had turned to mist but the wind was strong. I headed to the valley north of town that I figured would shelter me from the worst of the wind. After 3 miles the rain came back and I chose to push on instead of turning back towards town. I figured there would be no cutting short if I was not near home. I was to pick Jen up at mile 12 so she could get 6 or 7 miles and had made my way back to the rail trail heading into town before texting her that I'd be a bit later than planned. Eventually she responded that radar showed more rain on the way soon so she would go later. I made my way to town against the wind but no rain so far. A quick stop at the fire station and I headed east out of town on the rail trail. Three miles east all downhill then a u-turn and back up the same way. About a mile from home the rain started again. I had been trying to speed up and the rain provided motivation turning the last mile into my fastest of the day.

One sore heel and lots of tight muscles but overall not a bad 3 hours. Now for a easy week before my 20k race this Saturday.

Bring on the pains

2010-04-16T12:43:00.003-05:00

With 15 and 16 mile long runs the past two Mondays I've found my new weak point that will need to be addressed before the marathon, my butt hurts. I've been stretching a bunch or at least a bunch compared to the none I had been doing. I've figured out how to loosen up my hips/glutes, but I'm not sure the cause of the problem. I'm hoping it is related to bad form after I had blistered a toe on vacation and will pass. If it isn't that then I suspect I shorten my stride too much when holding my pace down so I can get the miles in. On the up side even with the pain I finished the 16 miles confident I'll be ready for 26.2 next month. I estimated my finish time at 4:15 on the registration form and am on target for that. I'd like to finish in under 4 hours but will need everything to go right for it to happen.

Looking beyond the marathon Jen and I have the Urban Assault Ride to prep for but before then I'm eyeballing a 75 mile mountain bike race. Could be a long day, could need a new bike, could forget about it in a month.

Last fall I wrote about the Vibram Five Finger shoe like things I had purchased. The running in them was brief due to my poor judgment of the time to toughen up my feet. So now that it is warm again I dug them out just to wear around. I'll run I'm them again but not until after the marathon. We did hike out at Blue Mounds Sunday and they worked well at least taking the edge off the sharp rocks, trail running on anything but dirt would hurt. If you want footwear that gets everyone's attention the Five Fingers will do it. I've never owned anything that got that many question or comments. Could be the blue camouflage in size 45 wasn't the stealth choice.