11/11/11

Moorhead boy, who lives at 11th Street and 11th Avenue, turns 11 on 11/11/11

Auspicious date also plays part in wedding planning
FARGO – 11/11/11: Good luck or the end of the world? It depends on whom you ask. For 10-year-old Gunner Parr, he’s hoping for the former as he turns 11 on this once-a-century day. By: Wendy Reuer, INFORUM

Gunner Parr not only has a birthday on 11-11-11, but he also lives at the intersection of 11th Street and 11th Avenue North in Moorhead. Dave Wallis / The Forum

FARGO – 11/11/11: Good luck or the end of the world?
It depends on whom you ask.
For 10-year-old Gunner Parr, he’s hoping for the former as he turns 11 on this once-a-century day.
It wasn’t long after Gunner was born that his grandmothers found how special his golden birthday would likely be.
“We were in the hospital, and we said to each other, ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s going to be popular on his 11th birthday,’ ” said great-grandmother Betty Cannon.
His mother, Nichole Parr, said the family is planning a weekend celebration complete with a surprise for Gunner and his fifth-grade class at Robert Asp Elementary School.
Gunner Parr said he thinks the unique birthday has been a sign of good luck – which would make sense.
An old adage says it is good luck to make a wish when clocks read 11:11. The origin and reasoning of the clock-watching command is unclear.

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I wished my brother-in-law Paul a happy birthday yesterday via Facebook, and he wrote that it was too bad he wasn't 11 like the kid in the above article. Turning 11 on 11/11/11? How cool is that? Gunner also has 11 brothers and 11 sisters. Just kidding, I made that up. Anyway, I hope you had a great day, Paul. And if you hear what the surprise was for the 5th graders at Robert Asp Elementary, let me know.

perspective

I was looking through some pictures from rides through the Colorado Rockies and was struck by how one's perspective changes how you see something. There was a picture of the elevation sign on McClure Pass that read 8755 feet. When you live at something just over 1000 feet that seems like a respectable elevation. And the ride up McClure though short, can be a little steep. I remember on a Bicycle Tour of Colorado a few years ago, seeing folks walking their bikes through the steepest portions. And while I didn't think it was that steep, it was work. So I have a respect for McClure Pass even though it "only" takes you to 8755 feet.

When McClure Pass was announced as part of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour for 2011, I looked forward to a short, challenging climb, followed by a pretty amazing descent on the way to Hotchkiss. I wasn't disappointed. The climb features some of the best scenery around, and I took advantage of several photo opportunities.  And as is the case with many rides for me, the descent was better than I remembered.

But, the fact that McClure Pass was on the fifth day of riding, and after back-to-back days where we climbed  Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass, 8755 feet seemed a lot less difficult. It's all about perspective, how you look at things. I like the view from a bicycle.

btc

Late last week, the Bicyle Tour of Colorado announced their route for 2012. The tour runs from June 17-23 and starts and finishes in Fort Collins, CO. I've never ridden in this part of Colorado, so I know nothing about the route except what BTC tells me, and what I can find on the web. Another interesting feature of this route is that one whole day, and parts of two others are spent in Wyoming! I'm sure that those will be beautiful days, so that's not a deal breaker.

This isn't the epic, many hard days with great climbs kind of route that BTC has used in years past. From Fort Collins to Laramie, WY features some climbing, but no high passes. Laramie to Saratoga goes over Snowy Range Pass at 10,840 feet. Before heading back into Colorado riders will climb Battle Pass at 9,955 feet. The day before the rest day in Steamboat Springs features 44 miles and gains only slightly more than 500 feet. From Steamboat Springs riders will tackle Rabbit Ears Pass at 9,426 feet, and the last day features a small climb over Cameron Pass at 10,276 feet before a long downhill into Fort Collins.

colorado bike racing

My buddy, Clay, got to be in Colorado during the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and posted about it with some great action shots at Clay's Cycling Blog. Go check out the action. I've got to see that myself one of these years.

biking around kansas

Quite different from Biking Across Kansas. I had a couple hours to ride today and headed for one of my new favorites routes. It's a favorite because it offers bike lanes where the traffic is higher, and gets me to a spot about 10 miles from home in a roundabout fashion. Out and back ends up at a little more than 23 miles, and there are a few opportunities for side loops or figure-eights that can add some scenic miles fro a 25-30 miles loop if you have the time and are in the mood.

 After only 5 miles I can stop to admire this girl on her rural oasis in the middle of dozens of new subdivisions. If you're looking for a garage sale or a giant kid, this area is for you. After going west about 4 miles, I spend the next 6 miles going north, then west, then north, then west.....

This guy has startled me before. He's kind of cute, but makes a big noise. He was very cooperative today though,  as I tried to get a good picture. Maybe our relationship is growing.

I've driven by the intersection of two highways several times and never knew Honeywell was there, but if you get on the road less traveled, especially on a bike, you get to see so much more.

The roundabout ahead is the point where I turn around and head back the way I came, or take a right, head east, and make it a loop. If I have the time and the weather is good, I throw in one of those loops, and keep on riding. I've also used part of this route to get farther west or south to make it an even longer ride.