Nite Rider Cherry Bomb Bike Light

As the days grow shorter and my schedule does not change, I find myself riding near and into dusk/ darkness more than I am comfortable with.

Solution: Some type of indicator to alert motorists, and other cyclists, to my presence.

I took some time to check out various models while at the local REI today and I ended up with the Cherry Bomb by Nite Rider. A quick perusal of internet reviews has cemented my choice. Here is a quick video of its features.

                                           (Sorry that this is sideways!)

I will be testing it out this week and hope to add to this review soon.


Have a good night.

-J

A man, A plan, Some cans.

So this newly acquired fondness for two-wheelin' is a great way to experience Ann Arbor at a slower pace, and also to see things that are barely visible to the person whizzing by in their car.

What do I experience you might ask? Both the good and the bad really; I get to see small wildlife contemplating whether to bolt across the road, and the remnants left by careless people who feel the need to discard their garbage wherever they feel fit.

While in Ann Arbor I don't see too much regular trash, I have become increasingly aware of large amounts of pop and beer cans that are strewn along the road. This has prompted me to take a proactive step toward cleaning things up and also putting a small dent in my grocery bill.

This week I found this little gem on sale:

It is a waste receptacle, the kind that you put behind your car seat. It is perfect: waterproof lining, washable, secures nicely and have a magnetic closure mechanism.

I simply strap it like so to my bike:

It straps on over my Topeak just perfectly. So far in the past few days I have found a little over $3 worth of cans. I carry an extra shopping sack to store the excess cans in.

People of Ann Arbor: keep throwing bottles out of your window, and thank you for the free food!

-J

Holy Hail! (and rain and lightning)

We had quite the storm here last night complete with sheets of rain, terrific winds and even some pretty decent sized hail!

Here are a few shots from the lightning that followed the mass of the storm. Videos will be coming later this afternoon.

Proposed Ann Arbor Whitewater Project (possibly) gets a little help?

(Question: why put such a pic with a post about whitewater? Answer: because this post is a little preachy, and is kind of walking the like (get it) between political advocacy and just pure excitement for an outdoor activity!)

This story from last October, regarding a possibly whitewater park on the Huron River, close to downtown Ann Arbor) really caught my attention: http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-park-advisory-commission-recommends-117-million-reconstruction-of-argo-dam-headrace/

However at the time it seemed rather pie in the sky, that is a lot of money, and not everyone would really be into that. (Side note: I think that there are a lot of people around here that would really dig something like this!)

I was reminded of this proposed park earlier this year when the City of Petoskey opened its own park: http://upnorthnewsandsports.blogspot.com/2011/05/petoskey-opens-whitewater-paddling-park.html. News of that park was very exciting. Face it, whitewater yakking is just something that just does not exist in this state.

So upon seeing this story: http://www.annarbor.com/news/dte-energy-offering-to-pay-for-whitewater-features-included-in-argo-dam-headrace-project/ which talks about DTE Energy footing the bill for the whitewater portion of the project, I was very pleased. This would be a very beneficial installment in the community.

Parks such as these offer local paddlers the opportunity to experience diverse conditions in an artificial (local) setting. They have the potential to bring people in to towns and area thus making new destinations for tourism. There is also a potential for new businesses to form as a result of whitewater parks; kayak rental/ sales shops, and an opportunity for persons with experience to give lessons on whitewater kayaking.

I really hope that I am around here long enough to see this plan come to fruition.

-J

Shots of homes

 Just putting up a few pictures of my trip home. More to come, those will be accompanied by stories!

-J

Baby Eagles!

If you have any interest for the outdoors this livecam is a must watch.

It is done by the Michigan Magazine people and it is just awesome. I try to have it on in the background when I am working so that I can sneak a peek every once in a while.

So far I have watched the chicks hatch this spring, the parents tear roadkill and fish to shreds and watched as the mother/ father made a wind break for their young  with their own bodies.

Definitely worth your time.

http://www.angelfire.com/mi/stutesman/eagle.html

-J

Michigan Biking News!

While poking around online I found a few articles concerning some bike projects that I thought might be interesting to you.

When I see these things starting up I get very excited because it means that people are going to be outside powering their recreation, getting healthy.

Blue Star Trail: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/08/blue_star_trail_will_allow_bic.html

Yet another new Mtn Bike Trail in Grand Rapids: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/08/new_6-mile_mountain_bike_trail.html

Hopefully trails and mtn bike parks such as these two will aid in making Michigan a diverse destination state!

We do have a little something for everyone.

Have a great week.

Loads of new posts coming.

-J

Is that a bird?

While partying in the backyard we found this giant moth on the ground! 

Call it Board-Sailing, or wind-surfing, I will just call it mildly difficult

With the rig strapped to the roof rack of Chelsea's Subaru we shot out to the beach.

After watching the videos I thought that it would be super easy; you just throw up the sail, hop right on and start looking good.

NOT!

As with everything this will definitely be a learning experience. I am really excited about it though.

Tomorrow we will head back out, however this time we are going to a smaller inland lake so that we don't have to fight the waves. Hopefully we have some sweet action shots tomorrow night!

For now the two of us are just relaxing and having a little backyard party!

Hope your Wednesday went well.

-J

Just two dudes, jumping off a dune

Thought I would upload a few pics of Matty and I jumping off of a little grass clump.

More to come soon.

Back in Nor-Mich and loving it. Expect to see new posts from all the usual places and a few new ones 

Yesterday my friend Matt came for a visit so I had to show him my new favorite spot, Old Baldy. After the half-mile barefoot hike we descended the face of the dune. The thrill of rushing down the dune, bounding almost weightless and at tremendous speeds is somewhat overshadowed when you finally reach the bottom by the sudden realization that lingered in the back of your head the whole way down, "oh my God, look how high we have to climb."

Though the ascent was challenging it was not impossible and I urge any of you who make your way out to the end of the trail to make the extra effort to let your inner child out by barreling down the sandy chute.

On another note, while walking around at nearby river we saw a few salmon. Maybe this week I could hook into my first one!

Wish me luck.

-J

(PS. Gosh it feels good to be done with this semester's classes)

I cannot wait until i get to feel the awesome waters of the big lake in a few days.