Archive for August, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
On Day Eight we finally arrived in the mountains. Most of the day was spent on the plateau, but about halfway between Riez and Moustiers we began to see views down into the canyon that separates the plateau from the mountains. We also glimpsed the bright-blue Lac de Ste-Croix far below to the south. Right before descending the plateau we met a couple in their 40's from the Netherlands who were hiking the same route as us. These were the first people we met who were hiking the GR4....
Continue Reading August 17th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Our second day on the GR4 was the toughest of the trip. We were tired from our first full day of hiking with fully loaded packs, and the distance we covered was quite a bit longer than the first day. We walked out of Camping Verdon Parc around nine a.m. and began the trek to Riez. Our first stop was the village of Saint-Martin de Bromes, a tiny hamlet perched on a hill that was largely empty on a Sunday morning. It was here that we witnessed preparation for that important French tradition, the Sunday afternoon family dinner. At several homes I saw the owners setting up large tables in their garages or downstairs rooms in anticipation of this weekly event....
Continue Reading August 16th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Our first day on the GR4 started out on the highway headed east from Manosque. This was frankly my least favorite part of the entire trip. The road was busy and there was little shoulder for walking. We walked out of town and across the Durance River, then began working our way into the hills toward Greoux-les-Bains. The trail left the highway and we found ourselves in the middle of a rally car race, with little European cars banging their way down the rough dirt track. There were also some telephone company employees out laying line or some such thing. As soon as we ascended into the hills things got better. An old chateau, beautiful poppy fields, the dusty, stony trail…. picture perfect Provence. The trail to Greoux was not too challenging and we arrived at this resort town sweaty but not exhausted....
Continue Reading August 16th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Here's Kayla's journal for our fifth day of traveling in France:
Today we left Cassis at 8 a.m. and were lucky to catch a bus (€5,40 for both of us) to Marseille. We got off at Rond Point du Prado and took the metro to Gare St. Charles. We bought our train tickets to Manosque for €29 which left at 1:35, so by the time we finished our late breakfast we had three hours or so to explore Marseille. This time we actually saw some of the city instead of just the metro! We mailed a postcard, stopped at a bookstore to find our GR4 book (to no avail), then found an internet place for €2 per hour where we spent 30 minutes. We then walked down a dirty, noisy construction zone to the port and back. This city had so much garbage in the streets. I’ve seen women begging for money as well as older men. There were also a lot of North Africans in town. So many people out it’s crazy. A lot of people smoke—young beautiful women addicted to cigarettes—yuck! Even some smoke with their little kids around....
Continue Reading August 16th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
This morning I finished reading Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. About four years ago I listened to an audio version of this novel. I remember I was riding the bus to work when I came to the end of the book. I'm pretty sure I spent the rest of the day depressed.
The beautiful thing about this book is not how it makes you feel, but how powerful it is in making you feel what the author intends you to feel. You don't get a lot of comfort from most of Hemingway's writings. They reveal the raw, brutal world of humanity in which lonely souls drift, seeking happiness amidst the unavoidable death and suffering that await us all....
Continue Reading August 15th, 2006
I picked this tip up from a coworker, who found it at Lifehacker.com.
This allows you to create in-cell bar or point charts using a simple formula instead of Excel's normal chart features. In my mind, the problem with Excel's charts is that they do not integrate well with the worksheet. In most cases I have a large data table and I am giving the user the option to chart a couple of datasets from the larger table. I want the entire table displayed, and the chart displayed so that the columns in the bar chart align perfectly with the data in the table. So you end up spending too much time getting the chart aligned, only to have it derail as soon as you change something in the chart....
Continue Reading August 14th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
We had a great weekend with family. On Friday morning I rode the Centennial Trail with my brother, then met up with Nate and Monica from Seattle. On Sunday we went over to my cousin Robin's house to see their new baby (Hyrum Harrison) and meet up with my parents and Aunt Darlene and Uncle Gary. The kids had a great time and the food was excellent.
Here are some photos....
Continue Reading August 10th, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
If we needed any proof that Hyrum and Jeremiah are growing up, we had it this last week. Hyrum's big accomplishment was taking off the training wheels and learning how to ride his bike on our driveway. Since then, he has been begging me to take him on bike rides every night.
Jeremiah's latest progress is his new "big bed". Kayla finally took down the crib and set up the other half of the bunk bed. It's been great.... except now he gets out of his bed at night a lot more! Progress always has its price....
Continue Reading August 10th, 2006
It's been a few years since I've participated in a real road cycling event. My one and only claim to prowess at cycling is BAK (Bike Across Kansas) where for a week in 2002 I rode across Kansas state--the long way, from Colorado to Missouri. My faithful friend throughout the event was a purple Bianchi road bike that I bought in Utah for $200. The bike is still with me and I'm getting it tuned up and ready for another nice ride, though this time just for one day....
Continue Reading August 3rd, 2006
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Last Saturday I paddled from the Yaak River campground near Troy, Montana down to the Twin Rivers Canyon Resort where the Kootenai joins the Moyie. I used Paddle Routes of the Inland Northwest as my guide. Everything was accurate except the book said six hours to complete the trip and it only took me three. I was paddling steadily the entire time so that probably accounts for the difference--if you allowed the current to control your speed I wouldn't be surprised if it did take six hours....
Continue Reading August 3rd, 2006
Next Posts
