Desmond Howard, one of Michigan's 30 inductees, was inducted in the most recent class. They displayed the 2011 inductees on the ramp leading in to the main exhibit areas.
Friday, July 29, 2011
College Football Hall of Fame
Today, my dad took me to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend. It's the second time I've been there. The first wasn't too long after it opened in 1995. It's slated to move to to Atlanta in 2013. I wanted to visit before it did. It hasn't changed too much since my first visit. We watched the stadium show and walked around the exhibits, spending a lot of time in the earlier section finding the plaques for names we recognized—Walter Camp, Amos Stagg, and Jim Thorpe to name a few.
Desmond Howard, one of Michigan's 30 inductees, was inducted in the most recent class. They displayed the 2011 inductees on the ramp leading in to the main exhibit areas.
Desmond Howard, one of Michigan's 30 inductees, was inducted in the most recent class. They displayed the 2011 inductees on the ramp leading in to the main exhibit areas.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Dowagiac
Today, I embarked on my first ride since last Wednesday's scorcher. Conditions were a million times better and I didn't ride quite as far. I rode northeast to the next major town, Dowagiac, where I bought some refreshments, which I ate on the nearby campus of Southwestern Michigan College. I attended a few classes at this community college while high school and almost matriculated there post-secondary before my last minute admission to Michigan.
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From SMC, I started riding back to Niles. Along the way, I saw a crop duster working on a field off Pokagon Highway. This wasn't a rickety old plane like the one from North by Northwest, but a modern machine designed for the purpose. I was quite a sight to watch it make pass after passing, banking high in the air between each, and swooping down to just above tassel-height each time.
Trip Statistics
Length: 46.9 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours 52 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 33 minutes
Avg. Speed: 12.1 MPH
Max. Speed: 25.9 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 58 RPM
Total Ascent: 1,300 ft.
Max Elev.: 864 ft.
Elevation Profile
Full Screen Version
From SMC, I started riding back to Niles. Along the way, I saw a crop duster working on a field off Pokagon Highway. This wasn't a rickety old plane like the one from North by Northwest, but a modern machine designed for the purpose. I was quite a sight to watch it make pass after passing, banking high in the air between each, and swooping down to just above tassel-height each time.
Trip Statistics
Length: 46.9 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours 52 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 33 minutes
Avg. Speed: 12.1 MPH
Max. Speed: 25.9 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 58 RPM
Total Ascent: 1,300 ft.
Max Elev.: 864 ft.
Elevation Profile
Downtown Dowagiac
Southwestern Michigan College
Wildflower Field
Crop Duster
Saint Joe
After mowing the lawn, my mom offered to treat me to lunch in St. Joe, an offer I couldn't refuse. It's a great lakeside town just a short drive from Niles. It holds a lot of great memories for me. Right now, I'm enjoying a short walk out to the end of the pier at the mouth of the St. Joe river.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
New Buffalo
Last Wednesday, I hopped on my bike for the first time in nearly a month. I'd been looking forward to getting out and riding through some old haunts. The last couple times I've been able to do so, I really enjoyed myself. This last ride was not so enjoyable. Everything about it was hot: the temperature, the breeze, the water, the ice store where I stopped for refreshment. I waited a couple days since getting back from Florida to venture out. The weather was steamy hot the whole time. I finally got tired of waiting.
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Not by design did the ride passed through three"New" towns: New Carlisle, New Buffalo, and New Troy. I was intent on reaching Lake Michigan and New Buffalo is the closest point from Niles. The other towns drew me as likely places to find refreshment. The last, New Troy, was especially replenishing. It's is such a small town I was not even sure I'd find nourishment, but I did at a well-named establishment no less. It wasn't a pleasant ride by any stretch. I rode slower than my normally slow pace and stayed well hydrated. After it was over, I felt good for having completed a lengthy ride under difficult conditions.
Trip Statistics
Length: 67 miles
Ride Time: 7 hours 6 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 13 minutes
Avg. Speed: 9.4 MPH
Max. Speed: 28.8 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 54 RPM
Total Ascent: 2,100 ft.
Max Elev.: 849 ft.
Elevation Profile
Full Screen Version
Not by design did the ride passed through three"New" towns: New Carlisle, New Buffalo, and New Troy. I was intent on reaching Lake Michigan and New Buffalo is the closest point from Niles. The other towns drew me as likely places to find refreshment. The last, New Troy, was especially replenishing. It's is such a small town I was not even sure I'd find nourishment, but I did at a well-named establishment no less. It wasn't a pleasant ride by any stretch. I rode slower than my normally slow pace and stayed well hydrated. After it was over, I felt good for having completed a lengthy ride under difficult conditions.
Trip Statistics
Length: 67 miles
Ride Time: 7 hours 6 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 13 minutes
Avg. Speed: 9.4 MPH
Max. Speed: 28.8 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 54 RPM
Total Ascent: 2,100 ft.
Max Elev.: 849 ft.
Elevation Profile
I couldn't resist riding through the irrigation spray to cool down a little.
Lake Michigan. I didn't go in, but I bet even the water was hot.
Mill Road
Molly's Corner
STS-135 Shuttle Launch Recap
Since I kept posting while on the road, a long narrative of my recent trip to see the shuttle launch would be redundant, but I did want to include one wrap-up post with map, statistics and a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. Each pine on the map includes a brief description for each notable stop I made along the way.
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Statistics
Miles: 4,694
Days: 13
States: 17
New (never before visited) States: 3 (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas)
Total Counties: 170
New Counties: 144
Pictures Taken: 539
Pictures Archived: 250
Fuel: 142.6 gallons
MPG: 32.9
Cost: $1,860.09
Full Screen Version
Statistics
Miles: 4,694
Days: 13
States: 17
New (never before visited) States: 3 (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas)
Total Counties: 170
New Counties: 144
Pictures Taken: 539
Pictures Archived: 250
Fuel: 142.6 gallons
MPG: 32.9
Cost: $1,860.09
Biltmore Mansion
Seaside, Florida
French Quarter New Orleans
Oak Alley Plantation
Sunset in Natchez
Graceland
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