10.5 minutes of Glory!!

Connor and I went for a bike ride along the Greenway tonight. Nearing the conclusion of the 10-mile loop, he asked...

CONNOR
How long do you think I can go no hands dad?

ME
I don't know. How long do you think you can go?

CONNOR
I bet I can go 10 minutes.

ME
(in a gently challenging voice)
Alright, let's see you do it then.

--

So Connor started riding no hands as we passed under the Point Bridge. He made it all the way to Lincoln Park, down along the river, through Lincoln Golf Course, and finally had to grab the handles after dropping over a curb in the process of getting off the greenway trail. He went up and down hills, around corners, and past many people all while going NO HANDS!!

The boy is a cycling stud!!

I could not stop grinning at his feat! I can barely last 5-10 seconds no hands, so what Connor did amazed me, and continues to amaze me! Awesome ride son!!


Connor checking to see how far behind dad is.


Short segment of "no hands," just to get warmed up for the main event...


No hands/victory salute!

54-Hole Weekend

Did some marathoning golf this past weekend.

Two rounds of 18-hole golf at the Lemmon Country Club, Lemmon SD. All I have to say about that course is no one, NO ONE, has the right to get upset at you for driving a cart on THOSE fairways!

Sunday we played a round of 18 holes at the Mott Golf Course. It's a beautiful, small town course out here in SW ND. Plays very nice. I did not play nice. I played like bullpuckee!

My playing partner Kale is getting better every round. He thumped me on one 9-hole round.

Here are some pics at Mott, after an intense 20-minute thunderstorm.


Me getting ready to tee off.









Kale hitting into the storm.

Bully!!

We had a rain day on the UND archeological field school today, so I went over to the Bully Pulpit Golf Course, outside of Medora, to play 18 holes. Front 9 carded a 44 -- YAY!! Back 9 I carded a 60. Boo hoo! Must've been abducted by aliens, or something...


Hole 14, Park. Beautiful valley surrounded by badlands ridges.








Hole 16, Par 4. You can see the Little Missouri River off in the distance.








Another view of the Par 4, 16th hole.










Playing partner, and field school student, Kale hitting out of the rough on the Par 5, 17th hole.

Bike Ride - TRNP South Unit Loop

Today I rode the ca. 35-mi paved road loop through the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Temps were in the upper 70s I'd guess, with sunny skies, and light breezes out of the south. I did the counter-clockwise version of the loop, so that I could tackle the flat part at the end when I was already tired; otherwise, I'd have to tackle the biggest meanest climbs when I was gassed.

Here's the route, courtesy of MapMyRide.com:





Me.
Sweating.
In my Team Type 1 jersey.
And in my wicked cool new Oakley sunglasses that I love so very very much.




View of badlands along the roadway.








Prairie dog town mounds next to the road, in the Little Missouri River valley bottoms.







In terms of my diabetes, here's what I did.

• Turned my basal rate down to 60% at 10:04 am. 10:30am blood glucose (BG) test was 110 mg/dl. Looking good so far.
• Started the ride at 11:15 am, ended at 2:00pm. 2:45 hours:minutes total ride time.
• Heart rate monitor said I burned 2606 calories, 30% of which were fat calories.
• Maximum Heart Rate was 203 beats/min (110% of my prior measured maximum!)
• Average HR was 147 bpm (80% of previous max).
• During the ride, I took on 149 carbs/650 calories: 4 servings gatorade, 10 glucose tablets, 2 granola bars.
• Immediate post-ride BG was 110 mg/dl. Success!!
• At 4:37 pm (2.5 hours post-ride), my BG was 113 mg/dl. Success continues!!

The ride was hard and great at the same time. I was really gassed by the time I rolled back into Medora. Highlights:

• saw a few bison at a safe distance (none were right next to the road),
• Saw quite a few wild horses. Even rode through a group of six grazing on the road side. No photo, sorry...had to enjoy the moment.
• I got passed by a couple of guys on road bikes. One blew past me on an uphill, second slowly passed me. We chatted for a few moments. And then they were gone. Oh yes, I forgot: these guys had just finished a loop when I was leaving to start my ride. So when they hammered past me...THEY WERE ON THEIR SECOND TRIP THROUGH THE PARK!!

Archeology and such...

Archeological self portrait. Doing survey work in northeast North Dakota near a coulee FULL of water.






Me doing survey work in the badlands in an area once part of Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch, in the Little Missouri River valley.








Sometimes, you have to wait for a flower to open its petals. And if it doesn't open it petals tonight...

Memorial Day Weekend Family Fun - Day 3 (Monday)

On Monday, we did the back-country gravel road drive into the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND. This was T.R.'s principal ranch in the 1880s, when he was in the cattle business of then-Dakota Territory. He stated that (I paraphrase) if it weren't for his time in Dakota Territory, he would never have been president. The UND Archeological Field School will doing a precision mapping project here in about a week. So we came out for a visit so the kids could see T.R.'s place, and so I could do a little recon.

Kids hanging out, literally, at the entrance gate to the Elkhorn Ranch.







Emma hanging out, literally, at the interpretive sign area next to the former cabin at the Elkhorn Ranch.







CATTLE POOP!!








Kids hanging out on the fieldstone foundation stones of T.R.'s cabin.







Grace being presidential, or goofy, whilst standing on a foundation stone of the cabin.










Emma posing on a cabin foundation fieldstone.











Connor and Carrie at a corner of the barn, which was archeologically excavated back in the 1950s. A cement post was placed, in 1959, to mark the building corner.









Grace showing off a cement corner post she found while exploring.








The gang in front of a site datum placed in 1959. We are probably the first people to see this since 1959, or at least the first to see it and recognize its archeological importance. This will help the fieldschool tie the original map work, from the 1959 excavations, into our modern, high-tech map. If you want something done right, you better get a TEXAS A&M AGGIE to do it!



View of the Badlands behind (west) of T.R.'s cabin. He took some photos of his ranch place back in the 1880s, and you can see these very hills today!

Memorial Day Weekend Family Fun - Day 2 (Sunday)

On Sunday, we headed up to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND.


Gotta start a good trip with a picnic lunch. We didn't have to protect our pic-a-nic basket from Yogi Bear, but there was a herd of buffalo a few hundred yards away.


Roadside geology lesson for Grace. Mike pontificating and gesturing wildly, as usual.


Taking a break during a hike along the south rim. Photo by Grace!


Mike explaining Little Missouri River valley geology to Emma. Or maybe I'm pointing out some buffalo down on the valley floor. I forget.


Seriously cute girl named Emma.


BUFFALO POOP!!


Cute ladies at the end of the hike. Grace and Connor are nowhere to been seen, as they've taken the lead down the trail!


Serious cute attitude!!


CCC overlook shelter. The winds were howling!


Grace and I ventured down to the CCC overlook to check out the views. You can gauge the wind speed by looking at her ponytail...


View of the Little Missouri River valley, as taken from the CCC overlook.


Lots of hiking equals tired kids.

Memorial Day Weekend Family Fun - Day 1 (Saturday)

Carrie brought the family out for an extended visit over, and beyond, the Memorial Day weekend. We visited all 3 portions of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND. On Saturday, we did the South Unit of TRNP.


Cute family standing in the way of the scenic vista at the Painted Canyon overlook.

The kids about to head down a trail at the Scoria Point overlook.

Emma being cute, as usual. She was very proud of herself for climbing up the side of a butte and finding this rock to pose on for a photo!


Buffalo, bison, or tetanka.

Prairie dog, or "flickertail." Very cute. Their "dog town" burrows cover huge portions of the Little Missouri River valley bottoms in the South Unit.

Wild horses. The ladies always fawn over wild horses!

Kids tuckered out after some serious hiking and butte climbing!

Carrie and me being cute and snuggly. She makes it easy to be a snuggler...love ya babe!

Tutanka and "Big Dogs"

The UND Archeological Field School visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit today. Here are some photos. Lots of buffalo out there today!