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

California International Triathlon was another USA Productions race, and I'm definitely liking their style. They are the perfect west coast complement to Race Day Events in Wisconsin. With a focus on the local triathlon community, they have a festive atmosphere which comes complete with generous contests & giveaways, a race director named Ryan, and best of all, a post race burrito. Who doesn't love a burrito?!

The venue in Pleasanton was excellent and all the morning logistics were stress-free. The parking area was right near transition, the lake was available for pre-race swim warm up, and there were even real bathrooms with no lines!

Shadow Cliffs Lake was a comfortable, mild temperature and I had a great swim! The water was smooth, and the sun was already up for the day, so no sunrise glare in my eyes.

I zipped up a smoking fast T1, a transition record for the day at 41 seconds.

The bike course was reasonably flat -- at least there were no beastly climbs. It was very well marked and well staffed, which I appreciated (at 22 miles per hour it's hard to thank the volunteers in person). The course was an out and back, so I got a good look at all the guys ahead of me. We started in different waves, but I was 13 back from the lead guy, so I focused on holding that position.

About 3/4 of the way through, the international course joined the sprint course and things got a lot more congested.

The entrance to T2 was a bit crowded, but I managed to slither through the herd of Sprint racers and close the deal on another record fast T2 time, handily beating all the women. Two of the guys completed transition in less than my 27 seconds, which there is no excuse for, since I'm not aware of any physiological advantage bestowed on males when it comes to putting on shoes. I will have to try harder next time.

I must have missed the memo on the run course description because I didn't realize it was a trail run until I got out there! I enjoy trail running, so I rolled with it, even though I was definitely in the wrong shoes for the job. My race flats are paper thin, so I felt every rock and pebble underfoot, and for some reason they all wanted to impale my tender arch in the same exact spot.

I like the challenge and variety offered by a hilly rocky trail, and it certainly takes my mind off of the exertion of racing (and perhaps also the pain in my foot), but I generally prefer flat pavement for running my fastest.

... Or do I?

I felt like I was having a decent run, and without any women ahead of me, I decided to see about closing the gap on some of those men who had passed me on the bike. Volunteers and aid stations were plentiful on this two loop course, and the water was delightfully cold. My spectathlete team found places along the course to pop out of the underbrush and cheer me on.

And I got to careen down the hills at top speed. I was having fun!


Posted by Kimberly 06/30/2015

It was immediately apparent that the $25 30 day visa in Indonesia was not long enough so we made an executive decision to stay for 31 days for a mere $20 extra. While in Sumatra we took a night boat to the remote Mentawai Islands south of Padang. There we stayed with a local Mentawai family and enjoyed jungle trekking and experienced traditional Mentawai medicine man rituals. It became apparent why all the medicine men are all so thin and wiry; the rituals go through the night and involve singing, chanting and dancing until you collapse from exhaustion. Then you repeat.

Mentawai medicine man dancing away evil spirits

Posted by nik 02/06/2009, revised 02/24/2009

Thank you everyone for all the letters and cards and mail you've been sending! I truly appreciate each and every one. Every time something shows up in the mailbox with my name on it, I grab it and run off excitedly to my room to give my full attention to my new treasure, like a squirrel running off to my tree with my prized acorn. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any squirrels around here. Do they exist in Australia?

Anyway, I love hearing from all of you back home, whether it's via snail mail or email. Thanks for keeping in touch! I get more mail now than I ever have before, it's great! I think my roommates are thoroughly envious. They can tell that I have awesome friends and family!

On a side note, I got Neil's pictures from the Blues Fest, so I've added more pictures to that album.

Posted by Whitney 04/01/2008