Yellowstone wrap-up and headed to Seattle

We spent almost a week in the Yellowstone area, taking in the natural sights and generally enjoying ourselves. This photo captures a sunset just before a full moon evening and is reflected off the top of the car for good measure.

As good the trip out to Yellowstone, so did the return go badly. A mechanical problem delayed the takeoff from Jackson, WY, and prevented us from making the connection flight. They rebooked us to another Boston flight, which promptly got canceled. The last flight of the evening was waaaaay overbooked, which meant staying a hotel night in Dallas. (Boooo!) Upon return, the extra day meant more lost time at work AND my car was towed to clear the way for street cleaning. I don't think there's a lesson in it all, unfortunately--just lameness.

Interested in seeing more Yellowstone photos? That's a service we happily provide.

-- Yellowstone Flickr Collection

Not content with merely getting out-of-state once this month, we're headed to Seattle tonight for PAX and games, games, games. It's also Labor Day weekend, so who knows what'll happen out there? At least the extra vacation day means some time to recover from the red-eye flight Sunday night.

Setting down in Yellowstone

We swept into Jackson Hole, Wyoming yesterday to join Matt's family for several days of geysers and awesome outdoor views. Got up at 2:30 AM local time for a quick series of flights, crashed in the afternoon, and are about to leave for the Mammoth Hot Springs on this Sunday morning. Vacations move quicker than one expects! Pictures to come as available...

Summer Olympics...Live from Beijing

We've seen a lot of great performances so far in this 29th (modern) Olympiad. Graceful and powerful gymnasts sailing through the air and landing without a bobble. Nice work, China! Long and sleek swimmers driving their bodies through the water to break world records, and their competition (sorry Team France). Go Team USA!!! But all of this insomnia from us late night spectators is a bit much...

When will it end? How can I make sure I don't miss my favorite events before it does end?
Well, the NY Times has a new tool to help you!
Their 2008_OLYMPICS_TRACKER.html

In my tracker, I've moved the rows for Triathlon, Beach Volleyball, and Cycling to the top of my list. I clicked into each sport and chose the specific rounds and events I wanted to add to My Favorites. (No more boring pre-qualifying rounds to keep me up late at night!) Then I went back to a few events I'd already missed and read the news about what made them great.

For example, the story about women's cycling Time Trials Gold medal winner Kristin (not Lance!) Armstrong's unexpected win. She had been training roads in Idaho that mirrored the course elevation profile in Beijing according to her GPS, and clearly, it worked. Or cyclist George Hincapie's long and storied career of professional cycling which has lasted over 15 years, many of those in Lance's shadow earning him the nickname Grandpa.

These are the stories worth reading in the Olympics, not the faux-drama about cyclists wearing face masks (that were given to the athletes by the IOC organizers) and then apologizing for insulting the host city. The air quality is clearly an issue, but it's the athletes I care about, not the gossip. Save that stuff, keep showing the good, hard competition. May the best athletes win and a great Olympics be had by all!

Brooklyn and NYC with Chelsea

More photos from our visit to Chelsea, Prospect Park, and the New Museum of art in NYC are in the Brooklyn, July 2008 photo set on flickr. Captions and stories behind each photo are in flickr -- run the slideshow or click through the set!

Mass State Triathlon

Last Sunday, just after returning from Brooklyn on Saturday, Matthew and I went out to Winchendon, Mass, for a triathlon. It was the Olympic Distance Mass State Triathlon and I raced in the Athena Division against only 5 others. Turns out that in spite of early rain, cloudy skies, and blistered feet (from bad sandals walking 3-4 miles in Brooklyn), I had a great race! I passed lots of people on the bike and run, making up 8 minutes on the first Athena exiting the swim. Here are some photos -- the complete set is on flickr:

from before the race, checking out the lake

from mid-race taking off on the bike

and from after the race with my first place Athena goods -- a new tech t-shirt!

Lastly, our team's president and other teammates cheer the Wheelworks Multsport team as we won our fifth consecutive USA Triathlon team champions in Massachusetts.