Getting out before sunrise is getting easier and easier. This morning was 31°F. Today was the first day this year when the ride in to work was in the dark. No light on the horizon. Several friends from the College Coffeehouse have escaped south for the winter and one more leaving for good in a couple of weeks. Most of the trees have lost all of their leaves like the birch trees in the picture on the left. We're losing daylight at about five minutes per day so sunrise this morning was at 8:07. More signs that winter is coming soon.
The last couple of days have been beautiful for riding with the afternoons warming up into the low 40s (°F). I must admit that I've gotten into the habit of not wearing my riding pants during the Summer with the sidecar rig. I guess I sort of figured that I probably wasn't going to fall over at a stop light. (I know, poor excuse) I only used them when it was raining. And with the lower fairings back on, my legs are still out of the wind so still plenty warm especially once they start getting heat off of the cylinders.
It's still nice enough out to go geocaching. There was a new one planted out on the university ski trails so I felt obligated to go find it. This was cache #143 for me and it was pretty easy using the iPhone gps. I couldn't pass up sharing this view from the trail. As you can see, the early morning clouds have cleared and we have another beautiful Fall day.
As part of a university technology event, our department planted several geocaches around the university. This new official cache was only about 200m from one of our un-official caches (pictured below). The students just need to find them and collect a poker chip from each and trade them in for some sort of prize.
Some updates:
The standing desk is in the raised position for about 5 hours per day. Not continuously but spread throughout the day. My ankle gets stiff if I sit too long and this doesn't happen when standing. Plus, I was forced to clean my office.
Over the last week, the bicycle has been ridden around campus two more times and the hills are still a pain (literally!) but it's getting easier. Regular shoes instead of work boots makes a big difference.
I really like the colors in that first shot.
ReplyDeleteWe've been waking to 36˚ with fog the last two morning. A tad chilly I must say.
The trees up there seem to have lost their leaves abruptly is it normally like that due to the change in temperatures and light or does it usually drag out a bit longer? I can't remember.
Thank you. After seeing the sunrise this morning, I had to try and capture it.
Delete36°F in the morning is pretty cold. That seems almost unusually cold this early in the year. And, no, the trees seem to shed their leaves over a couple of weeks. I'm not at all sure what triggers it.
Beautiful photos! I haven't looked to see what time sunrise is here, but I do know that it is getting later every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to put down the activity, this is genuine curiosity: Where is the challenge in geocaching? When I was in college, I went benchmark hunting with just a topographical map. I've meant to look for letterboxes, but never seem to remember to do it. So I get how fun it is to go out and find something, but with the GPS it almost seems like you can't fail. Do the caches just provide a destination for a fun outing? Is it like going on a self-guided tour, or is there some challenge to finding the boxes I'm not aware of?
Thank you! The challenge to geocaching is that the GPS will get you in the general area with the resolution around 16 ft in with a clear view to the sky or around 35 ft within a forest. The item you're looking for can be as large as an ammo box or as small as a cylinder ½" in diameter and about as long. The containers are usually camouflaged pretty well and not like the bright blue box for our un-official caches. We did that to make it easier for the students to find. Old film cans or pill bottles are popular containers and if it's painted and hanging in an evergreen tree, it's pretty hard to find. The GPS only gets you to the general area. I've found them in fake rocks, hollowed out bolts, tiny magnets stuck to the back of signs. One of the more difficult ones we found on a magnetic signs such as "No Smoking" or the ones labeling transformers or breaker panels.
DeleteMany times there is only a long strip of paper inside to sign and date to show that you've been there but at other times there are all sorts of treasures some serial numbered so they can be tracked as they travel around the world. You may be surprised how many of them are in your area.
Richard:
ReplyDeleteI am really liking your third photo. It's so inviting, sort of like wanting to ride a dual sport on that road.
we are also colder than normal for this time of year, but not as cold as in Corvallis. We got down to around 5°c yesterday (41°F)
What do you mean "forced to clean your office" ? Orders from up above ? or couldn't find something and had to sort things out ?
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
That is what most of the trails are like behind the university. Most are foot, bike or ski trails and motorized vehicles are not normally allowed. Obviously, they do use them for trail maintenance and for setting x-country ski tracks in the winter.
DeleteBy "forced to clean my office" was the old desk had to come out before the new one could go in. There wasn't enough room for both. And since I was sending the old desk to surplus, a lot of other stuff went as well such as CRT monitors.
Viewing the third photo actually gave me physical pain. I've been in the city too long...
ReplyDeleteThe last time I looked at a Letterboxing treasure it was filled with postcards, handwritten notes, trinkets, etc. More romantic than those chips. Prize or not.
Trees are just turning here now.
Sorry to cause you pain...
DeleteSince it's a technology event, we had to try and use some sort of technology. Plus checking on the caches is a great reason to walk in the woods! In the official geocaches, there are often travel bugs which people move from cache to cache and you can follow them around the world. Sometimes they have goals such as one I found that needed to go to Barrow, AK. It was started by a descendant of a support crew member on the Wiley Post/Will Rogers flight that crashed in Barrow.
http://fairbanksalaska.com/goldenheart/
ReplyDeleteI just found this great cam. I'll keep an eye on it for your snowfall!
The other popular cam is at the NewsMiner building which is about center screen, looking south towards the river. This is right on First Ave. downtown and I used to teach classes as an adjunct in about the same location as the camera.
DeleteI've watched that News cam for several years. Time for a new view! I like to watch cams in the dead of winter when it's the dead of winter here. Makes me feel less sorry for myself.
DeleteNice sunrise pic Richard!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLovely shots, Richard. And thanks for reminding me to get back to geo-cashing. Roland and I have started doing this as an incentive to get out walking/hiking during winter time.
ReplyDeleteGeocaching is a good reason to go out walking. It's cheap entertainment.
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