The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 crossed the continent, from Oregon to South Carolina, and gave millions of people the chance to witness one of the most awe-inspiring events in the natural world.

But you had to be within the "path of totality", a narrow band across the earth's surface several thousand miles long but only about 70 miles wide. Outside that band you would only see a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse.

And there is no such thing as a "partial total eclipse", despite the impression blogs and the news media might give. I honestly think that's why so many people misunderstand the utter beauty of the spectacle; they may have seen a partial eclipse in the past that was total somewhere else, and even though they weren't in the path the news kept gushing about it being a total eclipse, so they assume they must have seen a total eclipse and just didn't find it all that impressive.


Posted by Dan 08/29/2017, revised 09/06/2017

Seven years ago, some girls on my football team suggested I join them at an event called the Danskin Women's Sprint Triathlon. I had recently completed an 8K (the furthest I'd ever run!) and I was ready for a new challenge. I already had a swimsuit, I just needed a bike.

The budget was tight, so I went for the cheapest secondhand bike with air in the tires - a GT Hybrid - and started biking the 7 miles to work on it. A co-worker, horrified by my new ride, admonished me, "You can't do a triathlon on THAT thing!"

I was genuinely bewildered.

A bike is a bike.
If it can go 7 miles, it can go 12.
What's the big deal?

Of course, I proved her wrong and I did do my triathlon on "THAT thing," finishing a respectable 368th place, thank you very much.

Every year I've returned (excepting the broken leg year) with a few more details refined, inching my way up in the ranks.
In 2005 (with a new, lighter secondhand bike) I came in 30th place. wow!
In 2007 (with an actual new bike) I cracked the top ten overall, coming in 8th!
In 2008 I made the leaderboard, in 5th place.

In 2009, I came in 3rd, one second behind speedy Stacy Kiefer, and then in 2010, we swapped spots - she came in 3rd to my 2nd.

This year, Stacy held the lead for awhile, making me chase her all the way to mile 8 of the bike course. Once I moved into 1st, the motorcycle escorts guided me in, red & blue lights flashing to announce the arrival of my mini-motorcade.

The run course out there may not have a single spot of shade, but it's filled with memories, from all the past years of the Danskin Women's races, then the Trek Women's races, and the Pleasant Prairie Triathlons too. This is the 10th time I've trotted alongside Lake Andrea, wishing I could just dive right back into that refreshing water and take a break from all this silly running business.

I remember the exact spot where, in 2004, I dumped a cup of water over my cotton T shirt and quickly learned that - while it's a clever way to cool off in dry climates like California - soaking your cotton clothing in midwestern humidity is rather like wrapping yourself in a sleeping bag on a hot day.

And I distinctly remember that glorious moment of victory 7 years ago when I saw the finish line come into view, and knew it was all mine.
well, 1st place or 368th place, it's still a grand moment.

Posted by Kim 07/12/2011, revised 07/15/2011

After only two days in Indonesia I am in love.

Shanks ponies into the jungle

Indonesia was apparently a very popular destination for tourists before Thailand took over and began drawing people to Southeast Asia. Because of this the tourist infrastructure is there but the islands are blissfully devoid of other tourists. From Malaysia we took a local ferry and made our way overnight by bus to Bukittinggi. For whatever reason it was decided that everyone on the bus should feel like it would be a white Christmas after all and the AC was on full blast all night. Quite ironically we crossed the equator on this stretch making the equator officially the coldest part of my trip. At one point Bukittinggi may have been overrun with tourists using it as a jump off for various treks and tours or just visiting the scenic town, but these days it has settled back into its own quiet existence.

Posted by nik 12/27/2008, revised 02/08/2009

Aaaalllriiight. It's been a while, eh? I've moved around a bit since the last time I wrote... I bet a lot of you didn't know that I've spent the last month in Europe. Well I did. At the end of July, I bought a last minute, on-a-whim ticket to London, and I've since spent a few weeks in Edinburgh, Scotland and a few weeks in France.

I haven't spent extended periods of time on the internet, so I've never gotten around to writing a blog about it all. But it's been quite an experience! I don't really know how to summarize the last month in this blog entry, nor do I have the energy to take on such a task, but I figure everyone likes looking at pictures, right?

So see the link to my photo album of England, Scotland, and France. Enjoy!

Me goofing around at the Eiffel Tower

My itinerary of the last month has looked like this:

• 1 night: London
  
• 2 weeks: Edinburgh, Scotland, with a 2-day trip to the Highlands
  
• 1 1/2 weeks: French countryside
  
• 1 week: Paris
  
• Currently, I have 1 1/2 weeks left in France, and I'm hoping to spend it in Bordeaux, where I have a couple friends I'm hoping to meet up with.

In 1 1/2 weeks, I catch a flight out of Paris to Bangkok, Thailand to meet up with Nik (my brother, for those of you unfamiliar with the family). Nik and I will then spend the next few months adventuring around SE Asia, eating great food, staying in bungalows on beautiful islands, lazing about in hammocks, doing some SCUBA diving, finding some great rock-climbing, and pretty much just living the life... for cheap! Yay!

So there you have it. If that update didn't suffice, feel free to email me! I'd much rather tell you more about it personally than sitting here trying to figure out how to describe the last 5 weeks for the general audience.

Posted by Whitney 08/24/2008, revised 08/24/2008