Wind Turbine Resistance

It begins! The resistance I predicted that would come to the Grand Rapids Water Departments desire to put up two commercial size wind turbines on their lake front facility property has begun!

Not in my backyard! Give me a break!

In the Wednesday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, a Letter to the Editor is expressing dismay concerning noise and light flicker issues. The couple that signed the letter mention that these machines make noise and we should be very concerned about that.

The couple that has expressed this concern live in a $2,000,000 lake front home just north of Lake Michigan Drive on the west side of Lake Shore Drive, south of Grand Haven, Michigan. Their home will be approximately 4000 feet away from the installation site for these two wind turbines. They will have no view of the turbines from their home as there is a small rise with large oak trees between them and the water treatment plant. The turbine site is at a lower elevation south of the water treatment plant.

One study published by the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts (www.ceere.org/rerl) recommends a wind turbine noise study be completed and published if there will be residences within a distance of three times the blade tip height of the site of the turbine. For this particular installation that would be a distance of 900 feet. My guess as to the likely site described in the press release would put the closest home at further than 2300 feet from the turbines. Almost three times the distance above what would be recommended for a study.

Some other considerations for this resistance is the ambient noise that will exist at this site. The roadway that runs north and south on the west side of the water treatment plant has a 55 mile per hour speed limit. At times such as normal going to and coming home from work there is considerable traffic on this road. Truck traffic is restricted to minimal use on this road by the Grand Haven Township.

The most significant source of ambient noise at this site, that would cancel any and all noise generated by these wind turbines, is the sound of Lake Michigan's waves coming ashore on the beach. This wave noise results in a roar that can be heard for quite some distance from the beach. The location of this particular couples home is within 100 feet of the beach. Noise generated by waves and the wind blowing unabated from the Lake results in a roar that would drown out any downwind sources of the magnitude generated by these wind turbines.

Another issue they complain about is "light flicker". This is a result of the light from the sun shining at a low angle, such as sunrise and sunset, through the blades causing a flickering shadow striking a residence. This can be very annoying for the home owner. There are three homes to the east of the proposed site that may have a "light flicker" problem. I don't have the capability to determine if this will be a problem at this site. The homes are approximately 2300 feet away, at minimum, and the wind turbines will be approximately 300 feet tall. From very rough calculations, the sun would be lower then 7 degrees above the horizon to cause a shadow to fall across these homes. With the local vegetation and the lake front dune, which at this area is not very high, this may or may not be an issue.

What really amazes me is the resistance to wind turbines with little or no experience or thought as to other noise or environmental issues.

Vehicle travel on Lake Shore Drive is especially heavy during the summer months. This is especially of greater concern during these months as windows are more likely to be open. The current popularity with Harley Davidson motorcycles is one of particular concern. The term "Rolling Thunder" is one that is applied with particular pride by the motor cycling crowd with regard to these machines. The louder the better. They even use the argument that it is safer if they are loud because more people are aware of them. Where is the resistance to this noise? Are current noise regulations enforced concerning these vehicles? Obviously not!



The current season brings to the fore front another annoying noise. Leaf blowers! The prevalence of these extremely loud devices and their constant use by landscape maintenance crews and home owners is much more of an issue then the wind turbines.



This area has an excellent example of what the wind turbine installation is trying to mitigate. We have the Consumers Power Campbell Coal Fired Electric Generating facility just south of the GR Water Treatment Plant. This plant is a 1440 MW base load generating plant. The base load designation means that it is running the majority of the time. This facility has provided the area with many millions of dollars of taxes to provide services for the people living in this area.

The generating facility is almost hidden behind the mountain of coal that is burned at this site.

Unfortunately, this generation process burns coal. Lots of it! Over 5 million tons of coal every year. This results in long trains running through the city of Holland that most people that live in this area have experienced. Consumers Power has spent millions of dollars to reduce the amount of effluent going out the smoke stacks. This does not reduce the carbon dioxide resulting from the process. Additionally, the stacks are built very high to distribute the particulate matter and other effluents over a greater area. Is this what we want, more of this?



The resistance expressed in the Letter to the Editor appears to be a reiteration of ignorant self serving resistance to any change. The demand for electricity is growing daily. Do we want to do everything possible to implement alternative generation systems or do we want to build more coal burning plants?

The policies that have been adopted by the city of Grand Rapids to investigate and implement any alternative that proves feasible to get to 100% renewable energy sources should be celebrated and supported, not vilified for effects that are not relevant.

Thank you Grand Rapids for your efforts! An information and comment meeting will be held at the Grand Haven Township Hall on November 30, 2009 at 6pm to 8pm.

The Hilly Hundred

John Muir told us: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you... while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

Well, we didn't exactly hit the mountains but we found some steep hills in southern Indiana. A friend, Tim, the owner of Rock & Road bike shop, and I, loaded up his VW Euro-van and headed south Friday evening. We had heard all about a ride near Bloomington, in Elletsville, Indiana, called the Hilly Hundred. It is a two day event with a fifty mile loop on Saturday and a different fifty mile loop on Sunday.



Along with several other regular riders from the Grand Haven area, we decided to make a weekend of the trip. Since the rides were "only" fifty miles there would be college football to watch in the afternoon on Saturday (& beer).

The start of this great adventure did not go so well. The trip down was made in torrential rain for almost the entire trip. The deluge stopped just south of Indianapolis. Our arrival at the venue required us to watch a safety video and check in. Tim and I were going to camp at the Ellettsville High School, where the rides would start on both days. We completed the check-in and proceeded over to our camp site. To say the ground was wet would be misleading, to say it was flowing would probably describe it better. We managed to find spots that were not completely underwater and pitched out tents. I mentioned to Tim I hoped my Thermorest mattress would float me above the wetness. As it turned out the tents did a great job, it was only our feet in the bike shoes that suffered. Why do those things have holes in the bottom?



The Saturday ride turned out to be a challenge in more ways then the hills. More rain moved in Friday night and it was still misting at 9am when we launched on the ride. Since it was raining I did not bring my camera. I was also a little nervous concerning the advertised gradient of the hills we would be riding. In the Grand Haven area, the maximum grade we encounter is about 9% on 5-Mile Hill. We would see 18% on Saturday and 23% on Sunday. My bike has a 39-26 low gear. Most people rode with a triple crank set.



The Saturday ride starts out with a short hill with a 12% grade. This was wet and covered with leaves. Twice I came to an abrupt halt when my back wheel spun out on the slippery surface. Once we got over that hill, conditions improved, at least the roads were a bit cleaner.

Both days have rest stops and lunch at 10-15 mile intervals. This is way generous! The food was great at all rest stops and fried chicken was served for both lunches. You could have made a real pig of yourself, but then you would be hauling more "stuff" up over the hills.

After lunch, Tim and I got hooked up with a group of 6 college students from Indiana University doing the Hilly Hundred as a training ride. Great fun, riding up and down the hills as a group. We were really moving along averaging about 40kph on the flats and stomping up the hills.

The last big climb of the day, Water Tower Hill, did me in and I was spit out the back of the group. This is billed as a 0.8 mile 17% grade climb. It was! I did manage to catch the group on the back side as they slowed near the end. I thanked them for dragging the "old man" around on their ride. What fun!

We spent our afternoon and evening in Bloomington, Indiana, watching football, University of Michigan and Penn State and fueling (& beer) for the next day. Unfortunately, Michigan was pummeled by Penn State.

The camping Saturday night was much better then the night before, as the deluge had subsided. The stars were out but we were tired so went to bed by 10pm. I was awakened in the night by some coyotes howling at the neighborhood dogs.

Sunday dawned nicely, with a bit of clouds and a great sunrise. Our group managed to get together at 9am for the start.



Along with 5500 of our best friends and bike riders.



Both days amazed me that there can be that many people in one place all riding their bikes at the same time. At almost no time on these fifty mile rides were you out of sight of many others. This was a truly eclectic group. All manner of bike, gear, clothing and ages and gender.



One of the longest climbs, is the Bean Blossom Hill. This one goes on for about 2 miles and has a 17% maximum. Most of the hill is a much more reasonable grade.


This is the view at the climax of this hill.

There is a screaming downhill after this climb. This downhill was the one really scary part of the ride, not so much the downhill itself, but one rider in the group I was in went off the edge of the road at around 35mph. He did a great job of keeping it under control and getting back on the road in an upright manner.

Lunch came at about 28 miles on Sunday.



Does this bagel make my face look fat?


The crowds at the rest stops and lunch were much heavier on Sunday, probably due to the improved weather.



Our group rode together for a while after lunch in anticipation of the crux move of this tour.

The Mt. Tabor climb.

This is a short wall billed as 0.2 mile and 20%, with 23% on the inside of the turn at the top. It was that and there was traffic, bikes and cars. The lead up to this climb has a nice down grade for several miles so I was flying along not really thinking about this climb. All of a sudden, the road ducks into some woods and seems to go straight up.

I geared down and started cranking. People were falling out all over, this bad boy was steep. I got into the surge forward, then pedal rhythm, until a car from behind and a car ahead tried to do the hill at the same time. The car coming up from behind passed me, then the car coming down, which had stopped at the top, all of a sudden started down the barely two lane road filled with, I am guessing, about a hundred riders and now two cars. The car that was going up that just passed me, decided it needed to get over for the downhill traffic, so it just made a turn to the right, placing it at about 45 degrees across the road and stopped. This left me with about 12 inches between the ditch and the bumper to get by. If I had stopped at that point it would have meant walking the rest of the way up. I was not going to do that! I did make it by and then took the path right up the center so that would not happen again. Success!

Holy crap, that thing was steep. I made it up onto the grass at the top of the hill to take a photo of Tim coming behind me, while my heart rate dropped below humming bird speed.


Tim is sneaking by in the left side of the photo on the orange/black Giant.

After this climb we rode along a ridge until just before Stinesville. This was great fun flying down the hill into this little village. The turns were mostly 90 degree and they had placed hay bales on the outside of the corners to cut down on the carnage. I loved it. I was chasing Tim down this hill right on his tail as we flew through the corners, free of the big crowds we had been riding in most of the day.

In a nice little park adjacent to the stream that runs through Stinesville, was the last rest stop. We took a short break here to replenish our water and a poddy break. Right out of the chute is Mt. Carmel Road hill. That was tough after stopping, then having to start climbing right away.

The last ten miles was into the wind and kind of rolling. That was tough. Tim and I did manage to grab on to a small group and do a pace line rotation into the wind.

The last big effort is a re-do of Water Tower Hill. Yep, you have to do that twice! It is a definite challenge, especially after two days of this stuff for us flat-landers. I was getting tired but managed to keep the tempo going and surprised myself getting over the top nicely.

The rest of the ride, as they say, is all down-hill. Well, not really, but its not bad.


I made it back to the campsite and sat down for a nice break.

This is a great ride in a very nice area of the country. The organization was superb, the food was great (need coffee at the rest stops) and the company was a lot of fun.

I love scampering up and down those hills, when you feel the need for speed, you have to get up before you get down.

For those who care to see the pain that was generated graphically, check out my GPS tracks at: Saturday: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17116641 and Sunday: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17116631

Lies!

Either these companies think Americans are stupid or they are incredibly naive.

Why does a study by the insurance companies, that they funded, conclude that the cost of insurance will go up if the Congress passes a Health Reform Bill? Because the exact opposite is probably true! They are trying to scare people into opposition of the Bill.

Why does a Petroleum Institute of America media campaign called EnergyCitizens.org claim that, if the current climate bill passes Congress, energy costs (oil) will go up and jobs will be lost? Because the exact opposite is probably true! They are trying to scare people into opposition of the bill.

Watch the videos on EnergyCitizens.org. The real meaning of EnergyCitizen is EnergyHog! Continue to do as you please. Use it now before someone else uses it up.

These tactics are so transparent as to be ridiculous.

I am tired of them.

If you cannot come up with a valid solution, slam the ideas presented by others. Don't try and work together to make things better for all, consider only yourselves. Short term greed is much better then long term prosperity.

Grand Haven Township Wind Turbines

In the Wednesday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, an exciting announcement was made concerning a new alternative energy installation. The Grand Rapids Water Filtration plant has contacted the Grand Haven Township administration about installing two 1.5-2 MW wind turbines at their facility about 5 miles south of the city of Grand Haven. Their intention is to use these machines to provide an alternative energy source of power for the filtration plant.

Grand Rapids owns approximately 48 acres of land on the south east corner of Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan Drive. The installation of the two turbines would be about a half mile from either of these roads. The area is one of forested rolling land with a small creek on the southern border. The visual impact of the turbines, which would stand about 300 feet tall would be minimal in this location. The turbines would be visible from either road but the overall impact would be minimal as far as sound and shadow from the operation of the machines.

Unfortunately, there will be resistance to this project. In the recent past there have already been letters to the Tribune editors, expressing reluctance to having this type of activity going on "in their backyard", and questioning the effectiveness of alternative energy in general.
Wind turbines do not run at full capacity 365 days a year. But neither do conventional energy plants. In countries like Denmark, wind already meets one-fifth of the population’s total energy needs – and Denmark has achieved this using less than 20 percent of its actual wind resources. On very windy days, Denmark gets all of its electricity from the country’s 5,000 wind turbines.
If this type of application of alternative energy can be used to reduce the need for additional fossil fuel power plants, the amount of greenhouse gases and effluents put into the air can be reduced. We have three huge coal-fired plants within 10 miles of Grand Haven. The Campbell plant, to the south, burns 5 million tons of coal per year, the Cobb plant, to the north, burns 1 million tons of coal per year and additional natural gas, and the Grand Haven plant burns about 200,000 tons of coal per year. That is an amazing amount of effluent and CO2 into the air just in this immediate area. We have all noticed the huge stacks that are associated with this activity. Another impact on this immediate area is the water from Lake Michigan, the Grand River and Muskegon Lake that is used to cool these facilities. What ultimate impact this has on our supply of drinking water can only be guessed.

The question is not if CO2 emissions should be reduced, but how. Fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas produce CO2, while other technologies leave behind hazardous waste for future generations. Coal and nuclear power plants require large amounts of clean water – already a diminishing resource.

Do we want more of this?

Wind is clean. It doesn’t produce CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. And it doesn’t use up our already scarce drinking water. It just produces energy.

We have an opportunity to participate in the reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels. The wind is everywhere. There is an unlimited supply – and it’s free.

Wind power is a sustainable, predictable and clean source of energy. Michigan has a base of manufacturing that can easily participate in this modern energy market. Our demand for energy is greater every day.

Will we embrace this concept or fight against it? I hope we fully embrace and encourage the growth of alternative energy!

Chrysler Fiat

I just finished reading an article by Tom Krisher of the AP in the Grand Haven Tribune.

Mr. Kirsher discussed the problems that the new Chrysler Fiat alliance must over come to be successful. One of the issues was the Americanization of any models that may be used imported or produced for the US market based on Fiat models.

He mentioned that Americans are put off by the "stiff" suspensions, "firm" seats and not enough cup holders. This is one reason small cars will never catch-on or be popular in the US.

Who wants to drive a small car that handles like a marshmallow so the "ride" is smooth? For years the design concept of "road isolation" has brought us the likes of the Crown Victoria, along with Buicks, Cadillacs, and Lincolns. These cars are perfect examples of living rooms on wheels. These cars are not meant to be driven, they are for riding in. When you turn one of these loosely sprung wonders, you must anticipate the maneuver well in advance so the weight can be shifted smoothly. I remember the first time I drove a new Chrysler Neon (Hi!). I thought I would sink out of sight in the foam seat and the handling was like driving a boat. Wallowing around corners, nose diving under braking, and generally mushy.

Driving a well designed small car with supportive firm seats is a joy. You have confidence that the vehicle will perform what you want it to do even in emergency situations.

I will never understand the un-supportive foam seats that are found in most American cars. These seats do not provide proper seating support for spending time at the wheel and remaining alert. If any maneuvers are attempted that cause any sideways forces, such as entering a cloverleaf highway on ramp, you feel like you are sliding into the door instead of being held in position. I can understand the reason behind the foam seats, they are cheap!

Driving is not a love or a task that is viewed as important. Notice how the average driver is slumped to one side, with their wrist lackadaisically draped over the steering wheel. We have all heard the debate over texting, talking on the phone messing with the iPod, windshield view blocked by GPS. So many things to do other then drive the car.

Americans "love" their cars only because there is no alternative. So we have grown to demand cars that are more like sitting in front of the TV at home. Automatic transmissions, built in GPS so we can be told how to get places, "Sync" systems to more easily talk and read emails, electronic stability control so we don't have to be responsible for maintaining control of our vehicle, and size matters to keep us safe.

It has been mentioned that there has been a "real" change in the buying habits of the motoring American: no more supersize! I don't believe it for a minute!

Ah, traffic!

It always amazes me driving in America!
The standard answer to traffic problems is throw up a stop sign.
No one feels any responsibility to anyone else on the road. "Rush Hour" is a time for snoozing, drinking coffee, talking on the phone, texting, and generally spacing out. I have always been one that thinks its rude to inhibit others on the road! If the speed limit is 55mph try and at least go that speed. If you have thirty cars behind you and you are doing 10 mph under the limit, you are rude!
Another fun one, on the limited access highways, is merging with the brake pedal. You can cannot merge into traffic by slowing down! Its even more amusing when the person next to you in the right lane is also slowing down to let you in! Coming down the entrance ramp, punch it, get up to speed, then try to merge in. Don't think you are going to lazily cruise down the ramp and move smoothly into traffic that is doing 20mph faster then you.
I have always viewed driving as a task that should be "grasped firmly with two hands, and done well". In America its a conundrum, supposedly we love our cars, but hate driving. The truth of this can be seen in the massive SUVs and trucks the vast majority of Americans want to drive and then the lackadaisical manner in which we drive them. The wrist draped casually over the top of the steering wheel is not a position that garners effective evasive action. The same goes for the "rolling thunder" riders with their feet spread out on the cruising pegs, no where near the back brake or shifters.
The responsibility issue goes to all other tasks that driving requires. Not signaling your intentions is a task that has been reduced to optional at best. Oh, yeah, if you are already in the left turn lane, turning on your left turn signal at that point is not telling me anything. Slamming on your brakes and flipping on the turn signal at the same time also does not tell me what you are GOING to do it tells me what you are doing. Your actions have already spelled that out! The turn signal becomes redundant at that point.
My rant for the day is over, be safe out there!

Ludington Invitational CC

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Originally uploaded by cyoas55

The Grand Haven High School girls gave a great performance at the Ludington Invitational Cross Country Meet this last Saturday. On a brilliant day in mid-September, the team provided the fans and families with a perfect performance, placing GH girls in the top 5 spots to score the minimum of 15 points.
This season has proven to be a real test for the GH girls after losing some very capable seniors last year. All of the girls have just stepped up their training and desire and filled those shoes so far this year.
It is always exciting to watch the girls compete against each other and themselves to grow and improve their confidence in themselves.
As Dr. Seuss once said, "Oh, the places you'll go!"

Foggy September Day

I'm back in Kalamazoo again today for a class in Industrial Fluid Power. The drive down was a foggy one. In and out of the dense fog made for a surreal ride in the little Echo. I am always amazed at those that think the headlights on their vehicle are for their benefit only. Once its light enough for them to remain on the road without them they could care less if you can see them coming out of a, I mean the, fog.

Its been an interesting couple of weeks here at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College. I have learned several interesting things so far: I am now a Cougar, long hand division will yield different results then the calculator, and the traffic getting into the parking lot is amazing.
The KVCC mascot is a cougar. This struck me as kind of humorous considering all the comedy based on this on SNL and even a TV show now.
Mathematics or in this case simple algebra has always intrigued me. At times I have beaten myself up because I could not solve a specific problem but as a general rule I have not had much trouble with math. Both of the classes I am now taking involve some simple algebra to solve some pretty straightforward problems. Electricity is constantly using Ohm's Law which relies on E=IR (Voltage = Current times Resistance), and fluid power is F=PA (Force = Pressure times Area). In one of our Electricity problems we were doing some problems that involved dividing some figures with positive and negative exponents. One suggestion that was arrived at by long hand division was not what the rest of the class got by calculator. It was then stated that sometimes the "manual" method yields different results then the calculator. I loved it.
The parking situation here at KVCC seems to be a direct demonstration of the theory that as the economy turns bad people return to school. I am telling you, getting off the highway and turning south to drive the last half mile to the campus is a total traffic jam every time I come here. As a rule, I have been driving by in the right lane, instead of trying to make the immediate left turn into the parking lot, and proceeding to the west side of campus to get in the lot at that almost unused entrance. I park in the southwest corner of the lot mere moments from the door to the Student Commons area. Amazing!
Otherwise, the experience so far has been great! The two professors I have are interesting and engaging. I have been able to ride on the Kal-Haven Trail one day, and the drive down is pleasant as I can listen to NPR coming and going. The Echo has proven very capable and has been averaging about 42 mpg for the trips.
My one day ride on the Kal-Haven Trail was quite interesting. The overall impression is that the trail is quite flat. That was proven wrong! My ride began at the eastern terminus parking lot on the west side of US131 in the NW corner of Kalamazoo. Another connector trail proceeds down into Kalamazoo. I do mean down! I was on my mountain bike with large flat tread tires pumped up to about 50 psi. This was to accommodate the slag gravel that is used as the riding surface on the Kal-Haven Trail. the Trali down into Kalamazoo is paved and for the most part is separated from the regular road way. From the parking lot to the end of the trail near the center of Kalamazoo is approximately 7 miles, I covered this fairly quickly. I thought I was doing really well until I turned around and started back west. My heart rate was up a bit more then I thought it should be for the speed I was going, especially considering the first part of the trip. I have been using a Garmin Edge GPS bike computer so I took a minute to check the elevation chart. Holy Crap! I turns out that the trail is downhill almost the entire way from the parking lot to the end in Kalamazoo. The grade, since it was an old railway, was quite gentle, usually around 2%, so not really noticeable unless you were really paying attention. It got my attention on the way back, up hill all the way. It really more psychological then anything, because there does not appear to be a real grade just an unrelenting drag on your effort.
I made it back to the parking lot and proceeded west, past the old caboose that is used a kiosk. I was now riding on the slag surface of the old railway. The riding is quite delightful as you are usually enclosed under a canopy of trees and quite sheltered from the sun and wind. The conditions were nice in that the day before we got some rain which wetted down the usually very dusty surface. I have ridden this trail from the west end before, where the entire bottom half of the bike is gray from the dust that accumulates from the trail.
I encountered the same issue as riding into Kalamazoo! After riding almost to Bloomingdale, I turned around and started heading back. The last three miles of the trail are exactly like the trail on the east side of the parking lot. I managed to find the highest spot on the trail to start, which requires that you go up hill back to the beginning. The grade that is the usual engineering requirement for the railroads is kind of disguised when you are on a bike in the tunnel of trees cruising along.
It is a great ride though for an afternoon cruise and for camping along the trail. The trail is actually a Michigan State Park and has several campsites that can be used along its length.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

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Originally uploaded by cyoas55

The last couple of weeks have been frustrating for my knee pain. It has progressed to the point where I had another MRI last Friday. This required another trip to the Orthopedic Surgeon for a consult on my "degenerative" and "arthritic" knee condition.

I am somewhat depressed about all this as it seems like there will be no fix, just the downward slide. I guess I am not 18 any more. I am not happy with that fact.

The weekend I spent riding up and down the hills of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore perhaps aggravated it and is now resulting in the increase in the pain.

The riding in the National Park area is great because the roads are in excellent condition and for the most part have paved shoulders. I love the challenge of the climb up and the flying down the backside. One really great climb takes you up almost 650 feet from the shore of Glen Lake heading south. From the peak of this hill it is another 5 miles along M-22 into Empire mostly downhill. Flying down the road!

The visit to the OS resulted in a discussion concerning cutting into my knee with the scope for shaving and clipping. I am not ready for that yet. Since once the cartilage is taken out, it does not grow back. I did opt for a cortisone shot into the knee synovial capsule. I was not prepared for this. I guess I am a wimp. I don't mind the occasional injection but this was going to go way in there.

The worst part was when I kind of tensed up during the insertion. The doctor told me I had to relax my quads so he could move the needle around. OK, that makes it easier.

Well, its now been about two days since the injection. The knee is swollen but the pain seems to have subsided. I will wait one more day and then try a ride on Tuesday.

I hope this improves before the ski season gets here!

Riding the Waves at Lake Michigan

My Hotness and her Mary!
Originally uploaded by cyoas55

This was an excellent day at the Buchanan Street beach on Lake Michigan just south of Grand Haven. The wind was blowing nicely out of the SW giving us some great waves for body surfing.

The public beach access is restricted to the same width as the road that ends at the Lake. The throngs are constricted between two bright orange plastic fences. It gives everyone that togetherness feeling. Especially when it is windy and the towels filled with sand are shaken out to the enjoyment of all those down wind.

The Lake was in great shape today. Mid-70's temperature and 4-5 foot waves. The current going north up the shore felt like it was about 4-5 knots. When you are working your way out through the waves to get to the head of the waves you have to dig your toes and fingers into the sand of the Lake bottom. It does a good job of cleaning any dirt that may be under your nails.

Many waves were ridden. One I got to just a little late and rose up to the top of the curl. I then was slammed to the bottom in the shallow sand bar where the waves break. Oh, that hurt!

I think we were at the beach for over 7 hours.

Lake Michigan in the summer! Take it while you can get it.

Crash!

I managed to put myself into the dirt rather nicely on a recent trip to Fort Custer Recreation Area!

Matt and I traveled down to Kalamazoo, Michigan to watch Andrea and Mackenzie play Lacrosse. After the game was finished we were to do some riding at the Fort Custer Recreation Area mountain bike trails.

I had never been there before and was quite excited as I have heard some good things about the riding there. It is a really nice set of four loops that have ability ratings that will satisfy all but the most radical hucksters. We rode three of the loops that have a nice variety of terrain that is usually on the technical side so the speed is kept to the low side. There are a couple of nice lakes that the trail goes by with excellent views.

On the first loop we did a constructed obstacle is presented for your enjoyment. It consists of a large table that is about four feet off the ground with various ramps going up and down. The first time around I was a little bit to the right of the down ramp I chose. No problem though, we continued on easily.

Then on our last loop lap we decided to do the first one over again. As we came up to the ramps and table, traveling as fast if not faster then the first lap, I thought, I better go left a little to get on the down ramp better. That didn't work! My front wheel just missed the left edge of the ramp. My right fork tip caught the edge though. This caused me to slam down onto the ground sideways. Most of the initial impact was to my head and helmet which plowed up about 10 pounds of dirt. My hands and left knee managed to get quite mangled in the process. Cracked the helmet in three places. Bummer.

The next night, my left hand ring finger began to swell up. I had a heck of a time trying to get my wedding ring off so the swelling would not get worse. I iced my hand for a long time, ibuprophen, and then with some baby oil, I manged to yank off the ring. I think I broke or cracked the lower phalange of that finger as it is still swollen and I cannot get thee ring back on. I have resorted to using my old dog tag chain and wearing it around my neck.

I have secured a new Giro Ionis helmet. It is awesome. Fits my head much better then the smashed Atmos and is much more quiet while riding.

Perhaps a lesson has been learned about chasing 22 year olds through the woods? Naw!

Summer is Progressing!

Summer is Michigan is always a variable affair. We are now mid-way through August and we have heat! I think we have had the AC on only about three days this whole summer. Amazing!

The great fun activities of the area have come upon us and we have conquered them! The Coast Guard Festival was an event that seems to just get bigger every year. We managed to attend the parade and a great party in the evening for the fire works.



Later in the evening we made it to a friend's house up above the river and the Dairy Treat to party and watch the fire works. This trip was accomplished on the bikes with the ehlp of our lights. Its a great way to gt around on the last Saturday of the Festival as the traffic is so bad it takes hours to get everyone out of town after ward. It takes us about 20 minutes to ride home. Cool!



It seems now that August is here its all about getting ready for school to begin. The athletes are in training, the band is practicing and the side walk sale are on down town.

Perhaps some better economic news will give us a boost in the job market. More soon!

A Chilly Summer!

Today its raining and about 60 degrees. Another day in Michigan paradise.

This is a shot from the Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon, Michigan. On a nice day in June this beach would be jammed. Not today.

It seems that summer just refuses to arrive. Hopefully, this weekend it will shine upon us. The National Weather Service is predicting some fine weather in the mid-70's. Finally!

On the job front here in Michigan, it is still rather gloomy. The latest issue concerning Chrysler's sale to Fiat has been allowed to go forward. The upper management of Chrysler has been replaced by the CEO of Fiat, the dealership ranks have been trimmed drastically, and the labor contracts renegotiated.

I still don't understand.

One commentary mentioned the current offerings were still heavy into the SUV and truck market, with few if any new vehicles in the immediate works for better fuel efficiency. The thought was mentioned that regardless of the market mix of vehicles, and the desire of the consumer to purchase these vehicles, could the consumer afford them?

It seems to me there is still the culture of huge in this country. The only thing holding people back from continuing on the same old road of bigger is better is the economy and the unstable fuel prices. If fuel stays near $2.00 a gallon, there is no question in my mind that SUVs and trucks will remain King.

All you have to do is read one review of a "smaller" car to realize no one in the current American auto industry gets it. An article I read the other day, I think it was on the Ford Focus, stated that the ride was harsh. Its a small car, it doesn't weigh 5000 pounds and have tires that come mid-way up my chest. Perhaps another reason its ride is harsh is because the roads in this state are so bad.

The design standard for "luxury" cars in North America is based on the concept of "road isolation". Eliminate all outside disturbances from the experience of "driving". This would include noise, road feel, shifting, and performance. The only thing that is left is the feeling of floating. Don't try to complete any evasive actions as the body will roll on the suspension like a breaching whale. But its got a smooth ride.

How can a Cadillac and a Mercedes be in the same luxury category? One has seats of foam that you sink into like a marshmallow, with a ride that eliminates all road feedback. The other has firm well supportive seats, with handling that gives confidence at speeds called insane her in the US.

I have dealt directly with several of the "Big 3's" assembly plant for quite some time. This was supplying parts that were either provided as bulk, same parts in totes, or sequenced as the the vehicles were to be assembled on the line. The only feeling I ever got when I was in the plants was one of arrogance and intimidation. It was all about how the only reason more cars and trucks weren't being sold was because of the suppliers.



I happened to see this poster on despair.com web site yesterday. I thought it was quite truthful. My experiences have for the most part been ones that included threats, intimidation, humiliation and disrespect. Plant managers would tell me they had never seen anything worse then the door handle that happened to arrive at their plant with a 0.8 mm dirt speck in the paint. Oh, and by the way that was noticed after the vehicle had made it through their entire assembly process. I've been screamed at, forced to sort thousands of parts for one dirt speck in the paint, threatened with line shutdown if we did not immediately comply with their demands, and treated disrespectfully when evidence leads to determine the assembly plant caused the problem in the first place.

This goes along with their marketing process also. One of Ford's only selling auto lines, the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr, (again why do they need three) is entirely assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico. One third of the Chevy Suburbans were assembled in Mexico. The Chrysler PT Cruiser, and the Dodge Journey are made in Toluca Mexico.

But all the advertising tells us to "buy American". Many of my friends say they have to "buy American" because one or more of their family works for one of the "big Three".

I have never purchased a vehicle from GM, Ford or Chrysler. At this point I have no plans or desire to either. I have never owned anything other then a four cylinder engine until I purchased a used Subaru Forester. I don't haul huge trailers, I have no need to drive around alone in a 7-8 passenger vehicle for the one trip out of 1000 that might include 7 or 8 people.

Then there is the "safety" issue. I think one of the reasons that there is the impression that people need to protect themselves while driving is that there is no perceived need to drive well. So, the notion is that I must protect myself from the other guy that is drunk, talking on the cell phone, texting, reading, running red lights, or just generally bored with the whole affair. Driving is not viewed as a task that requires great attention or discipline. Hence the lackadaisical draping of the wrist over the top of the steering wheel while traveling 80 mph down the highway.

Put yourself in a vehicle that handles well, pay attention, don't drive like an idiot and perhaps there would be less need for behemoths.



There seems to be a need for a drastic change. We continue to see the unemployment rate at its highest level in 25 years, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits for at least a week is at 6.8 million, the highest number since 1967.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the auto industry. I predict an immediate return to traditional business as usual if fuel prices stay low. This country as a whole is so polarized in our vies of what needs to be done to help boost the overall economy. The world economy has become one of globalization. Most of the corporations are world wide in pursuit of profits, including the "big 3". One of the newest trends is alternative energy, the US is losing out on that push also. The US is way behind in pursuing the use of these new methods and the distribution of energy. Many other countries are way ahead of us.

In this state of Michigan, one of the large energy producers, Consumers Energy, is pursuing building another coal fired plant, when all indications are that there are methods of producing energy by alternative means readily available. I can't understand the desire to have a 600 foot smoke stack spewing effluent instead of some wind mills. I see no logical comparison.

We shall see.

My Girls!

I love all my Girls!

They are awesome!

They try new things!

They have fun!

They are smart!

They are athletes!






One of the good things that Nixon did was to sign into legislation Title XI, which gave equality to women's athletics. The expanded opportunities for the women in this country to participate and excel is unfathomable.

I have watched as every one of "my Girls" has found their challenge, be it running, lacrosse, crew, skiing, biking or others to come.

These opportunities would not have been offered if not for that change in policy implemented in the Title XI.

This change has benefited many athletes across the country. I want to see participation not an exclusive club we are for the most part on the outside just watching.

I especially enjoy knowing that it has enriched our lives to share these opportunities. All "my Girls" have and are making new life long friends that were found through this love of their sport. That is a bond that is unique in that it is formed by shared hardships and struggles to make goals and succeed. The memories of work outs, the pains, the joys, the defeats and the wins give them all more strength and self worth that carries over in to all aspects of their lives.

They know they can do anything they want to do. And they will!

It is truly satisfying to see the opportunities provided, and taken, that over half of our population have embraced. Being surrounded by "My Girls" it makes it all the more satisfying to see them happy and successful in those pursuits.

Bike Riding in Michigan

Our Memorial Day Holiday weekend in the Traverse City Leelanau County area was a great time. The partial contingent of the Sole Sistas all had a successful Bayshore Half Marathon. All completed the course under their 2 hour goal. The weather was incredible for camping, running and riding.
Craig, the Younger, and I managed to do a ride around Torch Lake in the afternoon of the girls running race. This was a nice undulating ride with some fast sections and a couple of easy hills. The hot tub and the beers after the ride made for a good day.
To refuel the entire group, with kids, went to Pearl's restaurant in Elk Rapids for some Cajun Crawfish dinner. Pearl's is a fun and popular place for food and drinks in the north. The food is good and the New Orleans style music is great.

Later on that evening, I was enlisted as the "designated driver" for the "after race" celebration. The three Sole Sistas" had a really good time traveling to some of the local Elk Rapids pubs. I will say that the celebration was complete and full.

Herself and I traveled back to our campsite at the Platte River campground of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. As I have said before, this is a great place to camp for its isolation and the night sounds of the critters, birds and the wind.
After sleeping in late on Sunday, we had a very nice brunch at the L'chaim Deli in Beulah. This place is a real jewel in a relatively desolate area for good eats.

Our Sunday saw some rest for Julie and a delightful ride in the Park for me. I love riding in this area because the vast majority of the roads are maintained by the federal funds from the Park. The examples of the roads that are maintained locally are really bad in many cases. The Park roads usually have paved shoulders and seem to be repaired well when there are issues.

Julie wanted to spend some time relaxing on the beach of Lake Michigan. I dropped her at the Esch Road beach and started a ride from there. This is a tough place to start from as you are essentially at the Lake level and then have a rather steep road to immediately tackle. I then traveled north through Empire, via Wilco Road. This route takes you up the back side of the Empire Bluffs with a fun ride down the hill through the woods into Empire. It is a bit tricky as this section of the raod has been "chip sealed", which does not repair the road, it merely covers up the defects and makes them almost impossible to see.

I stopped shortly at the Park HQ for a water bottle fillup. Again heading north toward the Glen Lakes I ran into some road construction. The detour shunted everyone from M22 onto M109 to get around the West side of the lake. This is required because the bridge across the "narrows" is being replaced. The detour was fun as you go up over a large rise and then get some 35-40 mph cruising down the back. As I got down to the west side of Glen Lake I turned east. This road takes you right along the shore of the lake until turning up hill toward Inspiration Point.

The climb up to Inspiration Point is a nice challenge that gets you way up over the east part of Glen Lake with a nice view of North Manitou Island and the two parts of Glen Lake. I missed a shot of a Bald Eagle soaring by just as I arrived at the turnout. The ride down the back of Inspiration Point is much steeper then the ride up. This results in a 45 mph cruise through a couple of nice turns and then out onto the flats beyond. I love it!

The rest of the ride took me on a counterclockwise tour of Glen Lake. This is on M22 and M109. The road travels through Glen Arbor, a nice northern Michigan destination for summer and winter activities, and then west past the Dune Climb and the DH Day farm buildings. The large barn and other buildings have been preserved by the Park to demonstrate the farming history that took place in an earlier time.

My ride back through Empire took me back up to Empire Bluffs in the opposite direction which I had traveled earlier. The climb is one that gradually gets steeper toward the top and wanders back and forth through a tunnel of trees.

The wind had picked up out o the NW while I was riding. This provided a helpful push back to the campground for a shower and some rest.

Our evening was capped by a nice Mexican dinner at the Roadhaus in Benzonia. A nice camp fire was our nightcap for a fun day in the north.

On Monday, we broke camp and decided to take an easy cruise home. It always amazes me the size of some of the "camping" trailers you see on the road.


Tuesday was a rain day to provide some sustenance for the growing grass, flowers and trees. Wednesday I went for a ride on Lakeshore Drive south of Grand Haven.
Part of this route is used for our Thursday evening Rock&Road group rides. As is usual in Michigan the asphalt roads take a beating from the weather. The resulting holes in the pavement cause the typical flat tires if the riders in the lead do not adequately warn or steer the group around the obstacles.

I want to make one point very clear: all pictures of the road conditions on this post are the result of tax payer funded work that has been conducted in the last two weeks. These are not photos of "stuff" that is awaiting repair, these have all just been "repaired".

What annoys me is the seeming lackadaisical method used by the road crews to "repair" these holes. In the week before the Memorial Day holiday, the Ottawa County Road Crews were out doing their "cold patch" repair. As anyone that has driven in Michigan knows, this consists of typically taking a shovel full of the heated cold patch material and tossing it in the general direction of the hole in the pavement. Then the rest of the job, packing the patch material, is left to the passing traffic to take care of. This results in haphazard bumps, depressions and a patch work of marginal effectiveness.
As can be seen from the included photos some holes are filled and others are ignored. One hole will be "filled" and another right next to it will not be. So, in effect the work was wasted.

On my ride on Wednesday, after the holiday weekend, I again rode the Lakeshore Drive down toward Holland. This time, I noticed, the shoulders of the road, had been "pulled". This activity is supposed to renew the gravel shoulder back to the level of the pavement surface. This erosion of the gravel shoulder is caused by many things such as vehicles failing to remain on the road, mail delivery, general water erosion and subsidence.

The "pulling" of the shoulders is completed with the large road commission trucks with a blade under it and a gravel dumper in the back. This work is usually, or should I say supposed to, accompanied be a rotary broom truck. The first blade truck "pulls" gravel from the outside of the shoulder in addition to adding the quantity if needed. Then the broom truck cleans the "pulled" gravel off the road surface.

In my totally unscientific analysis of this process, it seems the rotary broom truck is broken and not used probably 75% of the time. This results in gravel being left on the right hand one third to one half, or mare of the road surface. This is then left to the other traffic, and weather to remove from the road surface.

As you can imagine, riding a bicycle on this type of road surface is dangerous at best. At other times when dry gravel is applied to the road shoulders, driver visibility is reduced and vehicle damage from the resulting flying debris occurs.
I have always wondered why this activity is not conducted in a more consistent manner. Sections of the road will end up as huge areas of haphazard patch material. The holes are filled in an entirely arbitrary manner with unpacked shovel fulls of patch material applied in a manner that does not take into account the size or the shape of the defect. The "pulled" shoulders are treated in a similar manner. The obvious poor work of leaving large quantities of gravel on the road surface, is also demonstrated by its arbitrary application. It seems the only criteria to the work is that the trucks covered the distance, spread some of their gravel or cold patch, then made it back to the road commission barn at quitting time.

This type of work on the roads of this state and county, has been going on for years. There seems to be no considered plan or reason for "repair" or replacement. The pot holes that form are haphazardly filled then reform as soon as it rains again. Roads are ground up and repaved to fall apart in a couple of years because the underlying problems are not taken care of. A good example of this will be Sheldon Road in Grand Haven. The southern few blocks of this road were just ground off and repaved. The underlying structure of this section consists of a narrow two lane road that was poured concrete before the road was widened and curb and gutter was added. This has resulted in the typical transference of the joints in the concrete and the edges of the concrete road surface showing through to the surface of the asphalt that was used to pave over and widen the road. This mess was just ground down a little bit and repaved. I would bet that within a year, these issues will be seen again.

Another example is the road I live on. It is a cul de sac with approximately 14 homes on it. Last year we received a letter stating there was some federal government money available to upgrade some of the poor streets in the county to acceptable standards. This was done on a township level of government. Our road had some minor cracking of the pavement and a patch about 4 feet by 10 feet that had been patched ineffectively a number of times. If the small area had been cut out and repaired effectively, instead of standing back and throwing a shovel full of cold patch at it occasionally, the other repaving could have been avoided. As a result, our road was ground down, all the storm sewers and manholes were raised up and the road repaved. All this while less then a quarter mile north of our road, Warner Street remains gravel.

This type of mismanagement, poor planning, expend the funds before someone else does, lackadaisical work which seems to reward speed over safety, quality and longevity needs to be reviewed. This economy cannot afford to pay for haphazard work that then needs to be redone almost as soon as the original work is completed.

Its probably one reason the SUV culture has flourished in this country: because the roads are so bad you need an "off-road" vehicle to drive on them. Try riding a bike on them!





Be careful out there, watch out for the holes.

The Official Start of Summer!

We are up in Traverse City for a Memorial Day weekend of running, biking and beer drinking.

Herself, Amy, and Carrie are all on the bus heading out to the start of the Bayshore Half Marathon on Mission Point. Its quite a production to get this race going. A full marathon starts at the Traverse City Central High School and goes out onto the Peninsula and does a loop back to the High School stadium. The Half Marathon starts out at the half way point of the full version, thus the buses. The finish is quite cool in the football track stadium of the school.

The weather is perfect for running as the skies are a bit cloudy and the temperature is about 52 degrees F. Their start is at 7am so I am anticipating a 9am or thereabouts finish. So I have a little time to get caffeined up and then head over there to see the finish.

We drove up north on Friday taking a leisurely cruise. Our accommodations are at the lovely Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore Platte River camp ground. We reserved a walk in site several weeks ago. The camp sites in the walk in area are great. They are quite spread out with only minimal views of the other campsites from each site.

The tough part of the day is that the race starts at 7am so we had to get up at 4:30am to get to the race venue and get the girls on the bus out to their start. Out drive over from the campground was on M72. Until we were about 5 miles out from TC the only movement seen was several deer. These were "honked" at so they would clear the way for the Subaru.

Our camping experiences over the last several years have lead us to this area and we continue to return. It seems, to us, the Michigan State parks are overcrowded, under staffed, noisy and not maintained well. Our last two trips, one to Orchard Beach State Park north of Manistee and to Muskegon State Park have ended badly. Orchard Beach is a lovely site perched up on top of a high bluff right on Lake Michigan. The Park is an old orchard that is now owned by the State. We have spent many nights there with beach and bike activities available. Muskegon State Park is on the north side of Muskegon Lake on the point formed by the small lake and Lake Michigan.

Out trip to Orchard Beach ended bad because of a camping neighbor's fire and dog. It would seem the campers were accompanied by friends that had another site several places down from them. They arrived, set up their tent, started a roaring fire, tied their dog to the tree at the back of our two sites and proceeded down the road to their friends place. It was quite windy and the sparks from the fire were flying all over. The fire was left completely unattended. The worst part was the dog could see where they were. Not with him! It began to produce the most annoying high pitched howl I have heard from an animal that was not mortally wounded. It probably thought it had been abandoned.

The owner came back to the site to fetch a round of beers and started to leave again. Herself mentioned very politely to the woman that their dog was missing them. She stated quite flatly that the dog was alright. Herself mentioned that the dog was howling quite loudly while they were away. She also mentioned their fire was not attended and was blowing around. Their response was to turn and walk away. We contemplated speaking with a ranger but thought why should we pursue that avenue. These people just don't get it. It is go camping and do exactly as you please regardless of what affect you have on others. The final outcome was at about 11pm we packed up and left.

We have not returned.

The Muskegon Sate Park trip was quite delightful, with several of Herself's co-workers spending some time camping, eating and "wineing". The problem arose when the State, our awesome senators and representatives decided to not come to an agreement on the State budget. So, on the last day of the fiscal year, the State claimed it was out of money and forced everyone out of the park early. All State facilities had to be vacated. Stupid!

But on to better things.

Craig, the Younger, and I are going for a ride around Torch Lake later today. After the girls have been collected and cheered to the finish, they will be brought over to Amy's parent's house on Elk Lake. There they will hot tub, nap and relax while the two Craigs ride.

Then it is on to Pearl's for dinner.

I am excited for the weekend as there should be more biking on Sunday, then the cruise back on Monday. We are to be at my sister's for awesome ribs to celebrate our nephew Mac's birthday.

Its three minutes until the starting gun goes off for the girls and I am about out of coffee, so I better head back to the Traverse City High School.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend. Celebrate those that have suffered the ultimate sacrifice for us to provide this country and many others around the world with the Freedoms we enjoy today. Contemplate peace!

Its Not About Fun! (Well, maybe just a little!)

"May your trails be crooked, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds, May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottoes of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you - beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."
-Edward Abbey

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you... while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
- John Muir

Sometimes I have a difficult time explaining why I put myself through some of the experiences I have found. It is the "whoaness" that results from the hard won summit, the "A" group ride I managed to hang on to, the freezing night in the tent, the steep and long mountain road, the flying downhill ride, and the 10 knot reach across the empty Lake. Its not found in a video game, it has to be earned.

Where most people glide down the hill, I rode up it. Where some drive their jeeps, I rode my mountain bike. It is the near collision with a white tail while riding the trails, the quick photo of a moose hiking Isle Royale, the stars in the middle of Lake Michigan, and the end of the 50 km VASA. Its a test, its all a test.

I enjoy the challenge, the solitude, the quiet, the view. Earning the speed, the endurance, the peak, the run!


You have to be out in it to experience it, there is no reading about how someone else did it, it has to be done first hand.

My best advice, go do it!

Michigan Spring!

Spring in Michigan is always a surprise. One minute the sun is shining and its nice and warm, the next minute the huge wet snow flakes are hitting you in the eye, if you go outside.

One thing for sure, regardless of the weather, the sports must go on. The track and lacrosse seasons are well under way. There have been track meets and lacrosse matches in the sun and in the rain. This year the lacrosse players have full status as a varsity sport, elevated from a club sport.

The track meet with Rockford High School a couple of days ago was delightful. Nice and warm, with lots of spectators. I went to the Forest Hills vs. Grand Haven Lacrosse match on Monday evening, it was raining and about 35 degrees.

I enjoy watching the teams competing at their sports. They all seem to enjoy their time together and at practices.

Some of the action at the track meet includes a start for the hurdles and the start for the 1600m run.
The new facility at Grand Haven is great for both sports. The track is superb and the lacrosse action is on a shared soccer field behind the bleachers for the main stadium. Both the main stadium and the soccer/lacrosse fields are of great artificial turf.