More Scary Things

This is poisonous...I'm sure of it!

But, it was tiny, only about 20" or so. I hear the little ones are the worst because they have no venom control. One bite, unload it all!

Ok...maybe it was a gopher snake...again.

But it looked mean! And I wasn't going to get close enough to see if it had round pupils or "cateyes".

And check this out! Gebhard and I were climbing Page Mill and I saw a big ass spider!

I think it was a Tarantula but I've never seen a Tarantula in the wild. Are they bad?

I flipped it off the road so it wouldn't get run over...dumb spider crossing a busy road.

Dog Logic

My Phanny thinks this way too....
I got a good laugh from this post
and thought you might also.

Happiness

"Last year, a team of researchers added a
novel twist to something known as a time-use
survey. Instead of simply asking people what
they had done over the course of their day,
as pollsters have been doing since the 1960s,
the researchers also asked how people felt
during each activity.

Were they happy?

Interested?

Tired?

Stressed?"

What they found was that:


Men

would rather visit/host friends or parents more than anything but drink.

Is that because hosting friends usually entails drinking?

And, visiting parents requires drinking?



Women

however, disliked visiting with parents
almost as much as working.
And, disliked spending time with parents more
than doing laundry or home repairs.

And, surprisingly
(at least to me)
women would rather
cook,
read,
use computer,
garden,
worship
or even exercise
than host friends?

Imagine how
happy
the world would be
if we spent more time in
cafes
and
bars!


The article was actually
about how much less happy
women are than men
while participating in the
same activities.

Work?

Been spending a little time in SoCal

Having some fun near the Salton Sea.

Time for a refill...or refuel.

Ahh...isn't the blue supposed to be on top and the brown on the bottom?

Through the Heads Up Display.

Snakes are Scary

I don't know much about snakes.

I am, however, fascinated by them.

But, I respect them also.


The one thing I do know is that all snakes are poisonous....well, maybe not all snakes.


This one is a Western Diamondback Rattler.

Deadly. Especially the little ones because they can't
control their venom as well as the adults.

When I leaned over it to take the picture, despite the obvious guts protruding from it, it lifted its head and tried to bite me.
Or maybe it just tried to ask for help...poor thing.

And, actually, I think it is a harmless gopher snake...but, rattler sounds much more ferocious! The first one is probably either a Glossy, a Leaf-nosed, or a Lyer...I don't know. And, for some reason the picture is not as good from the same phone?

I have my phone! I'll rant about that another time...maybe I'll get an iPhone!

Not a Joke

Just like the Marine Corps, don't take a minute to fix the problem and move the trip hazard, but contract to have a warning posted?

Where Have I Been?

Mt. Rainier

The Indians of the Pacific Northwest held in awe the snowcapped volcanoes of the Cascade Range. Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Hood, with their looming presence on the horizon, frequent cloud caps, rumbling avalanches, and terrifying eruptions, inspired numerous legends about the spirits that were thought to inhabit them. The Indians' legends told of fiery eruptions in the distant past, of vicious feuds when the mountains hurled rocks at one another, of a great flood when all the lowlands were inundated, killing all creatures except the pure ones which climbed to the mountain tops and ascended ropes of arrows into the sky. In the Indians' view, humans offended the mountain spirits at their peril.

Every time I fly out of Seattle I am awed by this huge rock poking out the top of the clouds.

One of these days I will have to visit it for fun!

Hotlanta

This weekend we have a couple big races.

It is important that I ride prior to big races (well, all races but especially big races!) otherwise I will be mostly worthless.

I am in Atlanta. It is hared to ride when I am in Atlanta cause I am supposed to be at work.

And, I have to be there early in the morning.

And, I am usually tired and hungry and in need of a beer
by the time work is over.

But, I have a team and I have to train so I can race well.

So I went to my handy Atlanta Group Rides web page and
found a group ride both yesterday and today.

I find it easier to push myself on group rides.

I think the groups no the safest roads to ride.

I like to be safe.

The group rides start at 6pm

6:00 PM

Partly Cloudy 99°F

100°F

7:00 PM

Partly Cloudy 97°F

99°F

99• feels like 100•
97• feels like 99•

It just felt HOT!

But I am thinking about how cool it is going to feel this weekend!

Weekend Forecast for Yolo, CA

Friday Aug 17 Sunny High 93°F Low 57°F Precip: 0% Wind: WSW at 8 mph UV Index: 9 Very High Humidity: 33% Sunrise: 6:22 AM Sunset: 7:59 PM Sunny skies. High 93F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday 18 Sunny High 92°F Low 57°F Precip: 10% Wind: WSW at 10 mph UV Index: 9 Very High Humidity: 33% Sunrise: 6:23 AM Sunset: 7:58 PM close details Sunny. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 50s.

Backward Posting

These pictures are from a hike we took the day after the District Criterium Championships in Minden. Which was before the next post about our trip to Puerta Vallarta...which was before the following post when I spent three days flying in and out of La Guardia (did you read it with the accent? La Gwadia) to include the day I spent 14 hours in the cockpit because of weather....aarrghhhh.

Anyway, this is the Loch Leven Lake trail near Tahoe. It was a wonderful hike (thanks for the suggestion Tony!). It was easy to get to the trailhead and then about a two hour walk to the upper lake. There are more pictures here.