Category: gymnastics

tenting World Gymnastics Championships

Worlds in Stuttgart was problematic as it coincided with a beer festival with 4 million attendees!

Not being able to get ANY accommodation at any reasonable price anywhere near the venue, I decided to tent.

I stayed at Campingground “Cannstatter Wasen” about 17 minutes walk from the competition.

As campgrounds go, it was lousy. But at 17 Euro / night, a bargain.

I tucked my Hubba under a concrete lip to keep the rain off.

Security was good. Showers hot. Laundry good.

I kept my worldly goods locked up at the competition media venue.

Happily the campground only got busy with drunken beer louts on weekends.

All in all, a good decision. I’ll tent again in future if accommodation is troublesome.

LAST NIGHT of the beer festival.
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Farewell Bermuda

I was back in the triangle helping out with the start of the new Gymnastics season.

I stayed in the Hawitt’s Pool House.

Always a treat to visit Bermuda, even in the (rare) hurricane season.

Last morning I did a light jog at dawn down.

cycling out of Seattle

July 8-9, 2019 – days 6-7.

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video

I enjoyed a day off the trail visiting friends in Port Townsend.

We had a breakfast meet-up. Then continued the reunion with Chris & Carrie hosting dinner on the deck of their new house. Teriyaki Tuna. Grilled pineapple. And much more.

On the morning of the 9th Diana and I went over to Fort Worden for coffee. Deer and bunnies graze everywhere in PT. 

NEW down by the harbour is a totem.

Doug’s retirement hobby / job is developing fitness monitoring apps. He’s much into solar energy, as well. 

His latest electric bike is the Elf 2fr.  It’s a superb product. 

Doug and Diane drove me to the Bainbridge ferry where they were picking up a friend arriving from SeaTac.

That ferry delivered me and my bike to downtown Seattle where Tam met me at Ivar’s.

Ivar’s is a Washington State institution.

In fact this was already my 3rd Ivar’s meal in Washington State. Love the place!

I’d come to Seattle in order to cycle the Burke-Gilman Trail, a 27-mile rail to trail.

University of Washington

It connects with a others including the Sammamish River Trail 10.9-mile.

About 8pm I wildcamped. Hoping it wasn’t going to rain too hard during the night. 

Watch today’s cycling route.

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video

cycling Victoria to Port Townsend, WA

July 6-7, 2019 – day 4-5.

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video

It was great to catch up with friends in Victoria, likely the best cycling city in Canada.

I stayed mostly on the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails.

One stop was the new Gymnastics club — Inspire Sports. Very impressive.

I happened past Michell Airpark, the local remote-control flying club. Models like this can cost thousands of dollars. They fly about 8 minutes.

Each August they host Victoria’s Largest Little Airshow, a charity event.

I caught a late ferry from Sidney delivering me to Anacortes on Fidalgo island just at dark.

Happily the Washington Park campground, up from the ferry landing, had hiker / cyclist campsites for $10. Free hot showers.

I’d hoped to get to the USA in time for the 4th of July.

Just missed it.

I’d cycled these islands on a previous trip so wasn’t much motivated to make a lot of stops. Also, my good weather was deteriorating.

I did do a short hike in Sharpe Park up to Sares Head Overlook.

The highlight — as it was last time I cycled here — was Deception Pass, a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island.

George Vancouver gave it the name “Deception” because it had misled him into thinking Whidbey Island was a peninsula.

I stopped at Deception Pass State Park for a bite to eat. And stumbled on to a new adventure sport — tree climbing.

A company called AdventureTerra was teaching a beginner course: 4 hours for $170. Looks like fun.

Cycling the islands is lovely, even in the rain.

It’s a short, easy ferry directly to Port Townsend. Victorian houses, much history and a vibe supportive of the environment and human rights.

Also wine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video

my CURRENT travel camera system

As of May 2019.

Two cameras. The iPhone can be remotely controlled by my Apple Watch 3.

I’m trying to use voice control as much as I can for the GoPro.

I have GoPro attachments on both bike helmet and bike handlebars as well.  All mounts can attach either GoPro or iPhone.

What’s lacking most is the ability to ZOOM with either camera. I MIGHT carry a small camera with zoom, as well. I like zoom for distant animal sightings. And for Gymnastics.

Rest in Peace John Smith

The memorial for John is being held today in Washington State.

I can’t be there.

But I’ll be thinking of him and his widow Linda. They ran NASA Gymnastics.

John was of the classiest gentlemen in Gymnastics. A quality guy.

He was not much older than me. Complications from early onset Alzheimer’s.