Pictures from outdoor exercise.
Options
Replies
-
4 -
Rode the lift 14 times. Almost 13,000 feet vertical. About three hours total time, but only one hour actually going downhill fast.
3 -
We got some snow. I've been xcountry skiing this year.
5 -
Crosscountry skiing is such good exercise!!
1 -
Looks like a fun day @sdereski!
I almost took my touring skis up to the mountains yesterday, but I knew I wouldn't likely use 'em. The weather was too nasty; barely frozen rain/snow mix. Drenched! As I passed the upper trails, I saw they hadn't even open - they don't open it up in stormy weather. It's about nine KM, and nice & quiet.
It was also quiet on the alpine side. There were so few people willing to brave the uber wet conditions. I still was able to get in about 10,000 feet of vertical in 12 runs over about three hours. "Oregon Powder" conditions. Ha.
At least I bought some new goggles on deep discount in the spring that are light enough I could ALMOST see the surface. Super flat light. Windy. Wet. My Skigee was also a good purchase. Silocone "wiper for your goggles." Clean them off each time I got off the lift, and they were COVERED again at the bottom. At one point, I could squeeze water from my gloves just by clenching my fist.
At least my shell layer kept me mostly dry. Some water sneaked in, I presume through a zipper. Either that or it was just sweat that didn't vent out from my chest. I should have brought a THIRD pair of gloves.4 -
I had never EVER done tropical diving before. I have been going to the California Channel Islands where I didn't have to wear a hood for some of the dives on the southern islands, but a 3mm wetsut? Wow.
Roatan! The water was 80 degrees. The last couple dive days were rain and wind, so we were cold on the boat. The last dive it actually felt good to jump in the water. My computer recorded minimum dive temperatures as surface temperatures. Ha!
The visibility was great. There were some drift dives on gentle currents. There was a river of Creole Wrasse that was out o site. There were squid. There were grouper. The coral was, on most sites, still quite healthy. There was grilled whole fish, ceviche to beat the band, and excellent fish tacos. Breakfast was HUGE every day including fresh ripe papaya and pineapple. Oh wow. And plenty of Salva Vida!
Sunset on the beach early in the trip before the rains came:
Grilled Whole Fish:
After the rains came:
Ceviche:
4 -
The diving was pretty good, too, but my camera is not very good.
Green sea turtle with remoras:
Spotfin butterflyfish:
Green moray:
Nassau grouper:
Sunny day on the boat:
Rainy day on the boat:
Evening on the beach:
4 -
Looks like a wonderful trip, @mtaratoot! Thank you for sharing the photos.
Curious: What are those on the plate with your ceviche? Plantain chips, or something like that?0 -
Looks like a wonderful trip, @mtaratoot! Thank you for sharing the photos.
Curious: What are those on the plate with your ceviche? Plantain chips, or something like that?
Yes; the Governor's Palace and the Grand Roatan Resort served plantain chips with their LARGE portions of ceviche. They were a mix of fish, shrimp, and conch. The place we stayed, Infinity Bay, and another place we ate, Beachers, serve tortilla chips.
The breakfast buffet at Infinity Bay had fried plantain chunks most days, but not every day. I ate a LOT of breakfast....
You can't get papaya like that here in the states. Or pineapple. Oh... maybe I'll save up some money to go back in a few years.
I even developed a taste or Salva Vida. I bet there's no way to get it here. That's ok. Back to craft beer! But I'd be happy for someone to throw me a "Life Saver."
2 -
@mtaratoot
If you liked Roatan, you're going to love Bonaire. My favorite Caribbean dive site to date, against which all others are measured.
Maybe Fiji will be better. It's on my bucket list. Just not in the near future.0 -
And you haven't eaten fish until you've had lionfish! (These are from my 2013 trip to Belize.)
Tasty and you're helping control an invasive species.
Lionfish FAQs2 -
We saw a few lionfish. If hunting were allowed, I'm sure someone in our group would have clobbered them. There's no spearing allowed in the Roatan Marine Park. I bet they have lionfish roundups as organized events, but in general - nope; can't do it.
What I found amazing is what color they look underwater (black) until you shine a light on them and they turn red.0 -
https://www.roatanmarinepark.org/invasive-species-reduction
"All spearfishing in a marine protected area is illegal in Honduras. However, with a Roatan Marine Park issued Bay Islands Lionfish Spearing License, visiting and local divers and free divers are legally allowed to use a Hawaiian sling or pole spear of up to 3 feet, only to hunt lionfish."
Ya might have to jump through a few legal loopholes but, in general, lionfish are open season 100% of the time everywhere in the Caribbean.1 -
Maybe next time. Although, I don't want to give up a dive day to go take a class just so I can clobber lionfish. I only saw about a half dozen of them. If I did shoot any, I'd leave them for the eels to eat.
I have a pole spear, but it's way longer than three feet. I think it would be fun to shoot a Hawai'ian sling. They look pretty neat. The pole spear is SO easy to reload, but you have to get pretty close to get a good shot. That reminds me: I should go to the jetty to get some rockfish.1 -
On our dives out to the Blue Hole at Belize (one dive at the Blue Hole, two dives at surrounding reefs), the dive master would spear lionfish and feed them to the large groupers that followed us (waiting for just such a handout), but he had to stop when the reef sharks showed up.2
-
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe side5 -
What a lovely picture! Thank you for sharing!0
-
I know some people who have run Victoria in kayaks. Sounds nuts, right? There's a line on extreme river right. Apparently, hippos are a real threat.0
-
We were exercising "physical separation" a.k.a., "social distancing," but I hate that term.
I hosted a little "happy hour" in the driveway yesterday. Four neighbors joined in, and we had a little fire in my fire pan. I also lit my Woodland Power Stove with the flame spreader inserted. Nice ambiance, but not much heat. They do sell ceramic logs that can make it look like a "real" fire and throw some radiant heat out. I have a propane outdoor space heater, but the regulator seems to be on the fritz.
I invited a few other friends, but kept the guest list under ten. As I invited people, I asked if they'd be coming, because if not, I could invite someone else.
Another neighbor had planned to host, but one of the couple got a bad headache, and if she was inside and we were standing outside, their dogs would bark incessantly. So I hosted again. As expected, G brought a Quarantini; I had one, too. S brought tall-boy PBR and Tapatio. Everyone else brought craft beer. I did end up opening a bottle of sparkling wine, and G's glass also kind of looked like a vintage champagne glass, so she had some too.
S went home to put on dry shoes, get another beer and also brought back their dried up christmas tree and tossed it on the fire. That was exciting.
K and M brought ping pong paddles and balls in a bucket of soap water. They tried to get people to play street-pong. So goofy.
We mostly kept ten or 12 feet apart, or more, at all times. It was nice we could still have some community and stay safe. It also made for a fun little video clip showing everyone standing around FAR apart.
2 -
The joy of social distancing. My neighbourhood has several seniors. I've offered assistance but so far everyone is doing well. Not sure that "proves" that social distancing works but we'll see...1
