Ice!

The ice storm last night made our street nice and shiny today. Schools are cancelled today, making this officially one of the prettier chapters of Snowpocalypse 2016.

Grandfather Mountain

Like most folks who have office jobs, I do many different things from day to day. Some days I write code.  Some days I fix broken software.  Some days I create documentation.  Some days it seems I do nothing but attend meetings.

Some days, and these days are rare, mind you, some days I get into a luxury bus with my entire team and head up into the mountains for a picnic, and some hiking.

Some days it is very easy to go to work.

A couple weeks ago our team did just that - headed to Grandfather Mountain for a picnic, and taking in some scenery.

Grandfather Mountain lies in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about an hour from where I live.  It is an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which means lots of land, and lots of animals, both in the wild, and in captivity.

They have a small zoo on site, featuring animals found in the area, like this bald eagle.

Also, this black bear.

At the very top of Grandfather Mountain is a stunning overlook. It offers almost a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains, and one of then highest peaks in the area.

To get to that overlook, one crosses a swinging bridge, that is 1 mile (5128ft) above sea level, and 80ft above the valley it crosses.

One last view of the area before we go - highlighting the incredible beauty, and sweeping views of the area.

It is easy to see why these mountains got the name Blue Ridge, eh?

So that was how I started my first work week in October.  How did yours go?

Hiking A Fire Road

I have not been on a proper adventure since I got back from Nevada almost 3 weeks ago.

That trip was amazing, but I have not had a chance to decompress since then.  I've realized recently that being an introvert means I need some alone time after a super-intense social activity, and I had not had the chance to get that, so I was feeling an abnormal amount of stress - for no real reason other then my brain works that way.

What I really needed was to head off by myself, and spend some time exploring the world - preferably in the mountains (which, fortunately, is an easy thing to do in these parts).

So after Church this morning, I loaded my gear, and Bailey The Wonder Puppy into the Geovan of Destiny, and headed off to hike an old fire road near Old Fort NC.

The road is used by rangers to access the deeper parts of Pisgah National Forest, which is a woodland that takes up a large swath of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  This particular road winds its way along a ridge line.  When its not in use by the rangers, it makes a great hiking trail.

It also provides some stunning views, which I took every opportunity to enjoy.

The above photo was taken with my DSLR using the remote control app on my smart phone.  Isn't technology wonderful?

Also wonderful is the in-camera panorama setting.   I just need to keep the shutter pressed down, and move the camera in an arc, and magic happens:

You can see the trail I was hiking on the left.

I hiked about 2.5 miles down the road, grabbing some geocaches as I went along (I found 10 in total). On the way back I took some more photos with my camera.  Since I was alone, and nature wasn't super photogenic (spring had barely reached the mountains) I used Bailey as a model.  I'd let her wander ahead, then call her back and take photos of her running (note: its great having a model that works for jerky).

As I was coming back, I heard a train running thru the valley below.  The train must have been passing by for almost a half hour.  However by the time I got to a place where I could see the track, it was disappearing into the trees.

Spring has hit the foothills where I live, and life is starting to bloom (I've even mowed the lawn once, and it needs another one), but its barely begun in the mountains.  These flowers were the few bits of new growth I saw.

After the 5 mile hike, I started to drive home.  However as I was navigating the really slow, windy roads, I realized that I was not really relishing hitting the highway. So I took the long way round and stuck with side roads all the way home.  It took an extra hour (I may have detoured a bit here and there), but the long slow drive whilst listening to some great driving tunes, really picked up my spirits.

This adventure was just what the doctor ordered, which makes this a very good day.

Scenes From A Snow Commute

 I love winter.  I can't get enough of it.  This is mostly due to the fact that here in North Carolina I only get 5% of the winter that I had gotten used to having when I was growing up in Canada.

Also because I get to mix it with my other passions that I have developed since I've moved to North Carolina. In this case, cycling.

Not to mention the world gets very pretty when its covered in a nice layer of fluffy white stuff.

Last night was one of the few snowfalls we have gotten this year, so I was anxious to get up this morning, hop on my bike, and ride to work.

I only brought along my cell phone (a Moto X) to capture some of the views.  It isn't my best camera, but it ended up performing better than expected.

So, in no particular order, are some scenes from my wintery commute to work.  We'll start with this old house that sits at an intersection in my neighbourhood.

This is Lower Creek Baptist Church.  Normally I turn just before I get to this church, but I decided to drive by to see it all decked out in snow and frost.

This shot is looking up the hill on Powell Street.  At the top of the hill is the back of Lower Creek Baptist Church.  At the bottom, where I took this shot from, is the entrance to the Greenway - the local bike path I use for part of my commute.

My bike, dubbed the Geobike Of Destiny, at a trail marker along the Greenway.

If you stood where the bike is in the above photos, and looked right, you'd see this next scene.  It is the trees beside United Presbyterian Church.  I love the look of the snow covered trees.

This is the corner of Harper Ave and Pennton Ave. (the truck is on Harper).  From the end of the Greenway, I take Pennton Ave most of the way to work.

This is the town snow plow (as far as I know it is the only one, tho I could be wrong).  This shot was taken further down Pennton Ave.

This is the entrance to the Greenway.  For reference, I was in the middle of this crosswalk when I took the photo of Powell Ave (scroll up a few photos).   My route takes me the opposite way, however.

This last shot is taken from the Greenway, looking back from where I come from.  This part of the Greenway skirts around a corn field.   As you can see from my tire tracks I was the first person to use the Greenway this morning.

So that was my adventure for the morning. Because I left the house early I also arrived at work early (tho not as early as expected as I ended up stopping for a lot of photos).  It ended up being an awesome ride, and will satisfy me until the next snow fall, which may not be until next year.

Snow Days? I laugh at thee!

Apparently, due to roads too dangerous to drive cars on, schools in Caldwell County North Carolina are closed today.

I guess this is another good reason why everyone should get a bike.

NC Gravity Games 2013

Science.  Speed. Competition. Suspense. Drama. Gravitational force exploitation. Hotdogs. These are just some of the sites and sounds at the NC Gravity Games that were held in Lenoir NC today.

The Gravity Games is a downhill soapbox derby held for local kids groups.  Mostly schools, but the local police, fire department, and Girl Guides also had their own cars.

My parents are in town so we all headed downtown to watch some of the action.

Since it is likely you all in blogosphere land missed the live action, the following is some pictures from the day,  starting with a car racing down the track after leaving the starting gate.

Most of the racers went in groups of two.  The first to the finish line went to the next round.  The last went for popsicles.
Zekey and Papa watching all the action.

Appalachian State University had some telescopes set up so people could view sun flares and sunspots safely.  Debbie is looking for sunspots, and Abigail is looking for goldfish crackers.

The local PD set up a roadside radar speed sign so they can see how fast the cars were going.  Some topped 21 MPH, this one did 20. The finish line is in the background.

A modified car in the custom class.  Most cars in the races were unpowered, but this class was allowed a small electrical assist, such as an electric drill.

The Rules Of The Road: A Plea for Sanity on North Carolina Roadways

Greetings fair North Carolinians.

  I have had the pleasure of living in western North Carolina for the past 25 months, and for the most part I have had a great time.  The landscape is beautiful, the culture has a lot of character, and the people are fantastically nice.  You are also, however, some of the worst drivers I have ever shared a road with.  Seriously, no joke, y'all are horrible behind the wheel.  This is coming from someone who has driven in Taiwan and Honduras.  You are not as crazy as Chinese and Honduran drivers, but you are more dangerous.  The difference?  In Taiwan you expect chaos and sudden changes from fellow drivers sharing the roads, and you learn to adapt.  In North America you expect order, that rules will be followed, and one should not expect chaos at every turn.  In North Carolina you get the worst of both these worlds.

  Don't fret, my North Carolinian friends! This post is a small refresher course that will help you remember some of the contents of the North Carolina New Drivers Handbook, and some friendly advice that will help correct some of the major (understatement) mistakes I've seen (frequently) while driving on your very fine roads.  Worry not! Sane driving can be a label used to describe you once again!

So, lets begin:

• Signalling.  You may not be aware of this, but in your car there are little blinking lights at the front and back on both sides of the vehicle.  These are usually controlled by a little stick protruding from the left side of the steering column.  Go ahead, try it.  Move it up and down. Get used to the blinking sound.  Thrill at the shiny lights coming from the corners of your car.
  
  You will notice that if you move the stick up, the lights on the right side of the car will start to blink.  If you move it down, the left side will blink.  Those blinking lights are called turn signals. It is OK to use these signals.  Using them does not hurt them.  It does not cost extra money to use them.  They are not there for decoration. They are useful. Using them is good.  Good is, well, good.  Be good, for goodness sake.
  
  According to your state drivers license handbook you are required to use your turn signals every time you switch lanes.  Yep thats right! Every. Single. Time.  Turning left at the intersection?  Put on your left turn signal.  Turning right into Bojangles?  Use the right turn signal.  Merging into another lane? Signal! Heading onto an off-ramp? Signal!  Turning into a driveway? Signal.
  
  I think you get the point, but just to underline the general concept here, let me be clear:  Signalling IS A GOOD THING.  Do it!.
  
• Speaking of merging into lanes, it is a grand idea to check your blind spots, as well as signalling, BEFORE you start the merge, and if there is a car already in the lane, STAY IN YOUR LANE!  I cannot stress this enough.  Physics states that two solid bodies cannot share the same physical space without a lot of crunching and screaming going on.  To be clear, crunching and screaming is bad.  Don't be bad.
  
  To underline the problem here, I have been driving for a while now, and on some of the busiest highways in the world.  The only time someone has tried to merge into my car was once outside Cincinnati Ohio, and 3 times on 321 going from Lenoir to Hickory.  This is not a good ratio for y'all.
  
• When you are turning you should always turn into the closest lane and then move over to other lanes as required (see the next point).  Yep, one should not switch lanes in the middle of the intersection.  That often leads to the violations of physical space mentioned above, and that violation is still bad.
  
• Lastly, and this is indeed a plea for sanity, when you are driving down multi lane highways you may see signs that say "Slow traffic keep right".  What this should indicate to you is that slow traffic should keep right.  I know its a stretch, but if you read it a few times you can get the general gist of the signs message.  This means that if you are not actually passing another car, you should be in the right lane.  If you are in the left lane and someone comes up behind you, flashing his lights, and swearing loudly at you, you are in the wrong lane.  This is your queue to signal and merge into the next closest lane to the right (and repeat if there are three or more lanes).  To be clear, it is NOT ok to go 10 mph below the speed limit and camp out in the left lane.  No one likes a slow camper. 

Please remember that I love you, North Carolina.  You are some of the most fantastic people I have ever met.  You just have some issues when it comes to operating motor vehicles in a sane manner, bless your hearts.  Hopefully you will read this post and see it as a gently reminder to obey those rules of the road and become a safer driver.  Also hopefully you are not driving when you read this :)

Just to show there are no hard feelings, here is a funny picture of a cat for your amusement:

Be safe out there!