Speed is Everything

Here is another video clip of a young man who has set his sights on being the fastest mountaineer in the world.  It is very exciting to see a man who has set himself goals and is working to accomplish them in a timely manner.



Ueli Steck - The Swiss Machine from Mountain Hardwear on Vimeo.

Sea Kayaking - A Still Presentation

Found a nice slow and mellow slide show of dawn, dusk, and night photo's taken around the coast.  The video has a nice selection of photos and calm music.  I really enjoyed this.

Solent Sea Kayaking Winter 2010-2011 from Solent Sea Kayaking on Vimeo.

The Big Bike Build Continued

It has been a while since I talked about the road bike build.  The project is mostly finished.  When I say finished I mean everything is bought and on the bike.  A couple of mistakes were made in the purchasing of parts the first was a wrong crank and bottom bracket.  I had fully intended on making the bike a ten speed, ten chain rings on the rear sprocket, but for some reason I failed to look at the number of speeds the crank was rated for, in this case 6,7,8 speed.  The second wrong purchase was the rear derailleur I bought a SRAM instead of a Shimano, the rest of my drive train is Shimano.  The SRAM did not work correctly with the Shimano system and I had to buy a new derailleur. 

Once I got  everything on the bike I thought I would take it out for a test run, just up and down the street in front of my apartment.  Well, I did not quite get the rear derailleur adjusted correctly and the first time the shifter was moved the chain jumped the chain ring and got twisted up between the spokes and the top gear.  Guess what, two of the spokes broke, ouch.  So a 20ft ride was all I got out of the bike.  

Such is the way of things, nothing stays in perfect condition.  That is one of the laws of physics, entropy which says the instant something is put together is begins to degrade.  I should call the first law of David, once it comes to my possession it will be damaged.

Sobed Crosses Finish Line

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Thomas Coville's attempt to make the fastest sail around the world in "Around the world in less than 80 day?"  Well he finished on Thursday March 31, 2001.  Sadly he did not set a new record because of weather and the damage to his bow, caused by a collision with a Pilot Whale.  

Coville took 3 days, 10 hours, 43 minutes and 26 seconds longer than Francis Joyon, the current record holder.  He actual sailed faster the Joyon but because of the previous mentioned problems the average speed was not enough.  

Hopefully Coville will make another attempt at the sailing speed record sometime in the near future, it is fun to follow.

My baby's gone fishin'

Here is an interesting clip I found of a man out enjoying an afternoon kayak along a pier in Panama City, when a very large shark decides to swim by.  Makes the afternoon adventure a little more exciting and adds a little adrenaline and heart pounding action.    I found this on the Canoe and Kayak Magazine website.

The Indiana Jones Adventure

This Saturday the history channel ran a show about the Indiana Jones movies and the pursuit of knowledge called, "Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest."  Really it got me thinking about at least one of the reasons I like to get out and seek adventure.  In this case the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.  

This is not the only reason I like getting outdoors but it is certainly something I look forward to, going to new places to see things that I have never seen before.  Going out on the road does not only include a mountain to climb but a museum to visit.  Like last summer the return trip from Mt Adams included a stop at the Mary Hill Museum in Goldendale, Washington.  The museum has five different displays: Some of the material possession of Queen Mary of Rumania, a History of Sam Hill, an art museum including Rodin, a chess collection, and a Native American display.  Really more stuff than a one day expedition can cover.  

Sometimes getting outdoors can include seeking treasures.  Two examples I can think of are searching for fossils and gemstones.  A great place to look for treasure is in Saint Mary's, Idaho.  The Forest Service runs a site where the public can dig for India Star Garnets, there is only two places in the world these can be found, India and Idaho. 

The point here is that adventure does not always involve climbing a mountain or exploring the wilds of the Amazon it is getting out to find new places or learn new things to see what you have never seen before.  Part of adventure is to enrich your life with new knowledge because new knowledge can also bring about greater understanding. 

Prince joins Trek to North Pole

The second son to the British throne Prince Harry has joined wounded members of the military on a trek to the North Pole.  Their launching point is northern Norway.  The team is from the Walking with the Wounded charity and their purpose is the raise support for injured soldiers.

Prince Harry will train with the team for three days and then walk with them for two after which he will return to England to be the best man in his brothers wedding.  All you royal watchers out there will certainly be keeping an eye on that date.  

As many know he honorably served a stint in Afghanistan before the media found out and placed his life in danger by revealing the fact.  Now he is doing his part by supporting the wounded.