Daytona Beach

To be honest...I'm not a beach person. However, on days like today when there is an all day winter snow warning and my drive-way is waiting for me to clear it of the almost 6 inches of snow...Not to mention the knee high drifts that need attention...It's easy to let one's mind wonder to warmer days past and future.

These photos were taken a few years ago on Daytona Beach. The boardwalk shown has a great seafood diner. It's simple fish sandwich and fries is comfort food at its best and unhealthiest. Daytona isn't nearly my favorite place to visit, but when I do, the diner provides one of the tourist town's highlights.

Tarantula

Tarantula are a group of hairy and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified.

The tarantula pictured above scared the heck out of my Aunt Jean, my wife, and myself while walking down a dirt path while in Belize last month. My Aunt saw it first and then screamed. My wife and I were not far behind.

Later, after retelling our near death experience to a local tour guide. He assured us that very few people die from tarantula bites. He explained the best thing to do after getting bit is to calm down and take a nap. I don't know about you, but I would find it very difficult not to over react after getting bit by a monster of a spider.

"Motor"-bike

Near the end of last summer I was in Kenosha WI for work. While driving around with a co-worker I saw a bicyclist weaving in and out of traffic. Two things struck me. The first being the bicyclist was an older gentleman. The second was that this older gentleman may be the fastest bicyclist I've ever seen. In and out of traffic he went passing cars with ease.

Later in the day when my co-worker and I came back to the hotel I was staying I noticed a bicycle chained to the front porch of the inn. I noticed the bike immediately as the bicycle I witnessed breaking speed records in downtown Kenosha earlier in the afternoon.

As I approached the bicycle to check it out I immediately noticed its secret...it was a "motor"-bike...Literally, a motor-bike. As I was admiring the sweet machine the owner of the bicycle came out of the hotel. He said he built the motor-bike himself. He explained that old age had not been kind to his knees and he couldn't stand not riding his bicycle. Although he doesn't peddle as much as he once did...He still is able to spend lots of time as his bicycle. Very cool.

Mount Rushmore

Over the past decade Mount Rushmore has made several "Top 10 Most Over-Rated Tourist Attractions of America" lists. I first visited this national monument as a small child. At that time I thought it was pretty cool.

On a recent trip out west I decided to take a side trip to see the carved mountain side as an adult. I literally spent an entire 10 minutes looking at the monument and visiting the gift shop....and I took this picture. Mount Rushmore deserves to be considered as one of the 10 most over-rated tourist attractions in the United States.

Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs is located 50 miles south of Tampa, FL. The small Greek village is known for harvesting natural sponges from the ocean, Greek restaurants, and suburb bakeries.

The town is very nice. One can easily spend a day walking through the city. Note the top picture, a salty old sailor is washing newly harvested sponges.

Is there a better way to go?

I can hope this is the way I leave this Earth...several years from now.

Photo taken in a trinket shop, Bourbon St, New Orleans.

Effigy Mounds

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located near Harper's Ferry IA. The park is located on the Mississippi River. Views of the great river and its valley are abundant. The trails are well marked and gives its trekkers a good workout while winding them up and down the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi.

Sturgeon Bay Canal

These photos were taken in late October while on a yacht cruising from Sturgeon Bay into Lake Michigan via the Sturgeon Bay Canal. I was given the opportunity to drive the yacht through the canal. It was easy and therefore feel I'm ready to sail the high seas and oceans of the world.

Para-sailing

If you've never para sailed, I'd recommend it.

This photo of Liz and I was taken by my Aunt Sandy in Tampa. Second only to Ansel Adams, Aunt Sandy is one of the greatest photographers of our generation. Her work can be seen in photo galleries in the Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire WI area.

Moon Over Vegas

My boss took these great photos while in Nevada a few months ago. He and his wife took a raft/boat trip down the Colorado River just below the Hoover Dam. While floating down the river they spotted 2 bighorn sheep.

Sepia Scnenery

For the first time I used the sepia color setting while taking photos on my bicycle rides. The above photos were taken outside of Columbus WI.

Silo Signage

The above silos can be seen along Hwy 19 between Sun Prairie and Marshall WI. Over the summer I counted well over 50 of these "stone" silos on or near my bike route. To be honest I have no idea what they are made of. All of these silos had 2 things in common. Even if they were on working farms, they did not seem to be in use. At some point over the farming seasons they feel prey to more modern silos that were probably cheaper to maintain. The second thing they had in common was the carved or imprinted "FH Reifsnider" markings. Of silos that I could get to, the dates ranged from 1913-1917. I tried doing an Internet search, but couldn't find anything.

Other than storage, I don't know what they could be used for today. As evident of the worn "Miller" sign, these old silos had short lived uses as billboards...but that use eventually succumbed to modern signage.

Sunflowers: 2008

This year's sunflower crop was in a different field...about a half mile from where they were last year. Who knows if there will be a 2009 crop as last year and this year where the first time that I've seen a field of bright sunflowers along my bike route. If the farmer(s) decides to plant a 2009 crop...they can be seen in August along Hwy K.

Daytona Birds

When visiting Daytona Beach, not only can you see pelicans guarding the sandy beaches, but you can also see them dive-bomb into the ocean attacking their next aquatic meal. I don't know what kind of bird is pictured on top.

Devils Lake State Park

There is probably never a bad time to visit Devils Lake State park. However, one of the best times to plan your visit is during October when the Fall foliage is at it grandest. These photos were taken last Fall as we hiked around the lake.

• Devils lake became a state park in 1911 and was Wisconsin's first area to be names a state park.
• 1.2-1.4 million visitors tour the park each year...more than any other state park in Wisconsin.
• The park consists of 10,000 acres.
  
  
  
  

Wild-Flowers or Weeds?

These photos were taken on the "Happy Valley/Columbus Loop" throughout the summer. I completed this 40.4 mile loop 50-55 times over the summer months. I've never been much into "official bicycle training". My philosophy has always been to pedal as far as humanly possible until the bike ride refrains from being enjoyable. Although this philosophy may seem prehistoric, it has served me well over the years.

Are the above wildflowers or weeds? Although unknown, they did provide a good amount of scenery over the hot summer months as well as a welcome rest from the saddle while taking their picture.

My New Favorite Trout Stream?

Rock Creek might be my new favorite trout stream. It has the three characteristics that I look for in a good trout stream.



Scenery...Rock Creek is a gorgeous trout stream. Its golden waters trickle through the Lolo National Forest in western Montana. The stream provides the angler with countless runs and pools filled with rainbow, brown, brook, cut-throat, and bull trout...Not to mention a good supply of whitefish. The Montana record for whitefish is 21 inches. My brother-in-law above was pretty confident that his whitefish pictured above was near or past that record.



Numbers...For two days over Labor Day Weekend we caught well over 100 fish. There were several times that I fished the same run/pool for 2 hours or more due to the fact that I continued catching fish. Why switch spots when your prey is fighting amongst themselves to gobble your fly? We caught several large rainbows and browns. Although we caught some small trout I would estimate the average size was 16-20 inches. We all experience slow fishing days. I would think a slow day on Rock Creek would still produce 15-20 trout.



Solitude...We fished Rock Creek near Philipsburg MT, about 80 miles southeast of Missoula. A narrow gravel road runs along Rock Creek for about 40 miles. We concentrated our efforts on a 5 mile stretch. We came in contact with only a few other fly-fisherman. With 40 miles of stream to choose from...its easy to get the feeling that you are in a "secret spot" that no one knows about. Even if you are not interested in fishing I would suggest driving this gravel road as its in good shape and would be a great opportunity to view wild life. On the way back to camp on our second day we came upon a moose crossing the road.