Big Bend Road Trip - Day 3

Route:	Palestine, TX -to- Buda, TX
Miles Today:	264
Total Miles:	1,352

A much shorter day, but very minimal Interstate highway riding as we took back roads or state highways the whole day. The fact that we are in Texas was made clear because of the oil pumps working away in the fields right next to the cattle. If you have never left the east coast, these pumps look like this:


A lot of these were idle, perhaps because the oil is gone by now. A few were pumping away very slowly. I do not know the technology behind these things, but I will have to look it up.

Buda, Texas is just south of Austin, so we are in Longhorn country in more ways than one.

Observations from the road:

• Saw a street sign for Union Chapel Road. My parents live directly off an identically named road in Robeson County, NC.
  
• Cow pastures in Texas can be much larger than those back East. Not all of them were much bigger than a Virginia field, but a few were very huge.
• There is Armadillo road kill in Texas too.

Had dinner at the famous Salt Lick Bar-B-Que restaurant in Driftwood.

Big Bend Road Trip - Day 2

Route:	Tuscaloosa, AL -to- Palestine, TX
Miles Today:	544
Total Miles:	1,088

A little hard to believe, but after a second 10-hour day in the saddle, we rode the same mileage. It's not noted above, but we rode the same distance down the tenth of a mile.

I was wrong about Alabama. There was no western speed trap like what we rolled through on the Eastern state line. 70 all the way. Today, I was on the lookout for things that clearly indicated that we were heading west:

• Armadillo road kill in Louisiana - Not a common sight on the East Coast.
• Seeing a sign that read "Mississippi River" - Note that the mighty Mississippi was not nearly as broad as I had assumed. I resisted the urge to break into Rush (Tom Sawyer) as I was crossing the bridge.
  
• Seeing the land go flat as a board once we crossed the river into Louisiana.
• Louisiana has brown highways.
  
• The mile markers count down as you head West, so it was more than a little strange to see a mile marker that read '625' miles. That's the distance until I-20 merges with I-10, not the state line. Texas is a BIG state.
• Stopped at a gas station and we were told that Bonnie and Clyde were killed just a few miles down the road.
• Saw a Texas Longhorn in a field somewhere in Texas.
  

Today marked our first exit from I-20 and we got on the road in South Carolina. This was the last of the big travel days and tomorrow we start to look around the Lone Star state. Dad also recorded a few riding videos with his new bike-mounted camera, so I will have to post them later.

Big Bend Road Trip - Day 1

Route:	Pembroke, NC -to- Tuscaloosa, AL
Miles Today:	544
Total Miles:	544

Just finished the first day on the road to Big Bend National Park in Texas. 544 miles later, I have made it to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which of course, is the home of the Crimson Tide and Big Al. I did not make it to the University and will not do so tomorrow, so I may have missed my only chance to walk on the campus of a national champion football program.

I had a bike change today, and that's taking a little to get used to. Lots of miles on I-20 today, but the plan is to put the miles on the first part of the trip and get out to Texas as early as we can. Another big day tomorrow and then things settle down.

A few observations from the road:

• Interstate 20 has more road gators that I have ever seen on any road anywhere. This was even more apparent in Georgia. I guess they don't clean their roads in GA.
• I added the following states to the list of "States I have ridden a motorcycle in": South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama.
• This is the first time I have ever been to Alabama.
• I knew that I was in Alabama when I saw 2 kids next to the hotel trying to shoot something out of a tree with a BB gun.
• After dinner, I walked out of the restaurant and ran into 4 men discussing whether or not someone was going to be red-shirted next year. Subject: Alabama Football. Apparently this subject is common down here.
  
• Saw a few things today I have never seen before. A large C-Band satellite dish lying just off the road (Alabama) and a Harley rider riding in the East bound lane with no shirt on (Georgia).
• The first 35 miles in Alabama had a 55mph speed limit. A big change when you leave Georgia's 70 mph limit. Alabama Po-Po were EVERYWHERE. After 35 miles, speed limit jumped back to 70 mph. They must need money in Alabama. If I am right, we will see the same thing when we leave the state in the morning.
  
• 10 Hours on a bike is hard for a professional desk jockey.
• I saw the spectacle of Talledega Superspeedway from I-20. Big doesn't even begin to describe it.
• I crossed the Chattahootchie River and it took me a while to remember the Alan Jackson song.

The clerk at the hotel looked at me odd when I told her the story of how Tuscaloosa got its name. Briefly, the founders of the then unnamed Alabama town took a break from naming deliberations and went to the circus for a break. During the opening parade, an aging pachyderm at the end of the parade was noticed by an Italian migrant worker. He took note of the dangling tusk of the old elephant and shouted "Look, Tusk a loose-a!" The town founders heard the exclamation and the rest is history. The clerk just said "I hadn't heard that."

A little piece of history

Some years ago I ran across a picture on the Internet that clearly showed our house in Adak, Alaska. We lived on Adak Island from 1976-1978. What made the picture really interesting is that it was taken just after we left the island. There are a few visual clues to attest to this, but it turned out to be quite a find. I have added a few annotations to the picture to highlight a few points. Clicking on the picture will make it easier to pick out the details.

Annotation	Description
1	This is the house that we lived in. Note that it is a duplex and we lived on the left when looking from the front. The duplex units shared a washer/dryer unit in a hallway behind the garage. I cannot remember if the garage was a single unit or two walled units. The little gray boxes are snow blockers and the windows open into them. This design allows the windows to be opened despite being covered in snow. As shown here, we lived in the Kuluk housing division.
2	This the major reason that I can date this photo. The yellow GMC Jimmy with the white roof belonged to our neighbor, Joe Quenga. The Quenga's major contribution to the Clark family history is that they introduced us to Red Rice.
3	These are the snow fences located just behind our house. They were placed there to keep the snow in check. Adak's nickname was "Birthplace of the Winds". This only makes sense if you have lived there. The wind blows constantly and if left unchecked, drifts to tremendous depths. The window of my room on the rear of the house was regularly covered by snow drifts in the winter, despite the presence of the fences. To illustrate the degree to which Chuck and I had to entertain ourselves, I would hit rocks over the snow fence while standing just to the left of our house. I would do this for hours and I never ran out of rocks.
4	We had a major storm during our time there and the winds reached such speeds (+140 knots) that this very dumpster was rolled across the street like a tumbleweed. I'll never experience wind like that again. Chuck, Dad and I ventured out into the wind that night and Chuck lacked the ability to stand in it. Dad held his hand and he waved in the wind like a flag. You had to be there.
5	The only real organized activity that we had as kids was baseball. The fields were here. Looking at the picture as a whole, you will notice very little grass. Lawnmowers were unnecessary and the baseball field had no grass whatsoever. Welcome to the land of the gravel infield.
6	The Exchange and the Commissary were located here in a combined building. For civilians, the Exchange was a general retail store and the Commissary was a grocery store.

The base, Adak Naval Station, has since been closed and the island is essentially uninhabited. I did run across a set of pictures taken in July 2006 that show the island in its current state. Take a look at the following picture of the Bering Theater. In 1976, 30 years before this picture was taken, I saw Rocky here. I guess it has seen better days.

Photo of the Day - Beverly Hillbillies Dog

I managed to run across this tonight. It seems that a dog was originally written into the popular television show, The Beverly Hillbillies. It never quite made it to final production, but I did find the following picture of the dog. I think that the show missed a big opportunity here.

Photo of the Day - Dog Abuse

The picture below was taken at this year's Westminster Dog Show. The dog in the woman's lap is a long haired Dachshund, but it's problems do not end there. In this candid photo we see the owner and dog just after their time in the ring. Here, the angry owner is in the middle of beating the daylights out of her dog. She has raised a fist to her losing dog and has managed to maintain a wry smile the whole time. Dog Shows are serious business.

Photo of the Day - If you think we were snowed in, think again

We are in the midst of a record-breaking accumulative snowfall this year in Northern Virginia and I have heard several complaints from friends and neighbors about the amount of snow and all of the shoveling, etc. Before we call the waambulance, let's remember that we are in VIRGINIA, i.e., the Southern United States. Let's just be thankful that we don't live in Switzerland like the poor bastard below.


Now that's some snow!

Phoot of the Day - Retarded Dachshunds

This is obviously a shot taken during a weiner dog race. It cracks me up to see these maniacal weiners who lack the ability to stay in their lanes. It looks like a jailbreak from a dog lunatic asylum.

Kara's Surgery

Kara made it through her foot surgery with no permanent damage. She was in the hospital in order to get a protruding bone shaved down and her ligaments moved into optimal position. She went completely under for the procedure and all went well. She is at home and dead asleep (for now). Next up, the right foot.

NC State retired jerseys

I recently posted an entry that listed all of the retired jerseys for the UNC-Ch basketball program. Several people have asked me what jerseys have been retired for the NC State program. The answer, of course, is one. NC State has retired number 44, brought to national prominence by the inimitable David Thompson.

I made light in my earlier post that UNC-Ch has 6 criteria, one of which must be met in order to be considered for jersey retirement. NC State also has criteria for jersey retirement, but in classic NC State form, it is a much simpler list. In order to have your jersey retired at NC State, you must be considered the "Greatest Player in ACC History". NC State's list is much more impressive.

Who is the greatest player in the history of UNC-Ch basketball?

Today, Taylor Hansberry became the 8th player in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Ch) history to have his jersey retired. The current list includes:

NC	Jack Cobb	1926
20	George Glamack	1941
10	Lennie Rosenbluth	1957
12	Phil Ford	1978
52	James Worthy	1983
23	Michael Jordan	1984
33	Antawn Jamison	1998
50	Tyler Hansbrough	2010

I did a little research this evening and discovered that UNC-Ch has a set of criteria, one of which must be be met in order for a jersey to be retired. They are:

• Associated Press Player of the Year
• Oscar Robertson Trophy, formerly known as the United States Broadcasters Association National Player of the Year
• National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year
• Sporting News Player of the Year
• John R. Wooden Award
• Naismith College Player of the Year

An interesting tidbit I found during this rather boring endeavor was that during the 2007-2008 season, Hansberry won all 6 awards, making his jersey retirement a foregone conclusion. As far as I know, Hansberry is the only UNC-Ch player to do this. Logically, this makes him the greatest basketball player to ever don the baby-blues.

That is a fairly amazing accomplishment considering the number of nationally known players that have played basketball for the Tarheels. I never would have thought that such an obscure player would stand head and shoulders above all others, outshining other UNC-Ch players such as Steve Hale, Ranzino Smith, that white guy that threw Dean Smith out of his office, Danny Manning, that douchebag that broke his wrist at LSU, Bobby Hurley, and the Rubber Man. Wow.

Helpful Web Links

In the course of my online life, I have accumulated a key set of links that I come back to time and time again. I thought it best to record these for posterity in the event that a reader will need something like this and possibly share their own.

Digital Photography
DPReview - This is the best place to go for reviews, specs, and forums related to digital cameras.
Digital Photography Tutorials - Nice set of tutorials on issues related to digital imaging, particularly for thise with DLSRs.

Acronyms
Acronym Finder - If it's not here, then it's not anywhere.

Book Resources
Book Finder - Especially helpful if the book is out of print.
Book Army - Looking for a review?

Dictionaries
dict.org - My favorite dictionary and the fastest to look something up.
dictionary.com - Good secondary resource, especially if you are looking for a more modern source.
hyperdictionary - Good source for multiple lookups

Motorcycle Parts
Yamaha Parts Catalog - If you need a part for your Yamaha, it's here. The best parts catalog interface I have run across. Complete down to any bolt on any bike.

Conversions
Unit Conversions - Convert any unit to another.
File Conversion - Quick way to convert files when the usual stuff (i.e., Handbrake) isn't handy.

Skeeter (1991 - January 26, 2010)

Today marks the end of another matriarch's reign in the Clark household. Skeeter Anne had complications related to kidney failure, very limited eyesight and the loss of significant muscle tissue and had to be put to sleep this afternoon. Just like with Pepper, Tracy and I were on hand for the final moment. Skeeter managed to last another year longer than Pepper did and died at the ripe old age of 18.

A long life for any dog, the 18 years exceeded the current lifespan of any Clark child, non of whom can remember a day of their lives when Skeeter was not around.

Skeeter was born in Maryland to a co-worker of Tracy's that brought the puppies to work. She was the only female of the litter and by far the smallest. Her mother was an Eskimo dog, but the father's breed was never determined. As such, Skeeter bore little resemblance to her litter mates in both size and color. In fact, she was born gray and developed the blonde hair after she turned a year old.

We will all miss her.

NCSU vs UNC-Ch Football Tailgating Party (v2009)

We just got back from the Thanksgiving Weekend Tailgating Party hosted by my Uncle Mike (Mike Clark) for the annual in-state throwdown between the NCSU Wolfpack and the UNC-Ch Tarheels. The catered event featured attendance by the whole Clark Clan and made for a very good time. Thanks to Uncle Mike for laying out the green for another year.

We got to the party tent early and the kids spent a fair amount of time bouncing from tent to ten in the Fan Zone looking for all the free stuff. I am not sure what they came away with, but they all were sporting tote bags full of swag before we ate.

As expected, Chuck showed up draped in Carolina Blue, but the sea of red from the parking lot served to minimize the offensive attire.

Dawa and David brought little Hunter to the party and it was the first time that Tracy and I had a chance to see him. Tracy grabbed him as soon as she saw him and just gobbled him up. He was very well behaved and seemed engaged the whole time.

Ché and Natalie also made the event, despite Natalie's proximity to her due date and it was a little hard to believe how much Elle has grown since I last saw here.

The game proved to be worth the hype. It was in-state rivalry weekend all around the nation and State had their work cut out for them. The Carolina Tarheels were ranked #24 in the polls and State had a single victory in the ACC all year. Despite the fact that the Wolfpack entered the game with two consecutive victories over the Tarheels, things looked grim. Things went according to plan and the Tarheels went into halftime with a 24-14 lead. Tracy and the girls went back to the Party Tent to hang out, but I stayed in the stands with Dad and Chuck and was there for the big comeback in the second half. The Wolfpack ground out the second half and walked away with the 28-27 victory.

I took pictures and you can see the album via the attached link.


2009 NCSU Tailgate

The Big Orange Machine Rolls On

Last night, Kellie's only true passion, competition cheerleading, added another chapter to her life as the BDHS Tigers hosted the first annual Evergreen District championship. Last year the Northwestern District added new members and BDHS splintered off into the new division. The new district has a mere five teams, but this meant that the lady Tigers would face new competition on their hopeful path to the State Championship in Richmond.

One of the new district members, Liberty High School, was the same school that pasted BDHS on Friday night 65-0. The cheerleaders had front row seats to the slaughter and clearly felt that, while paybacks are a bitch, sometimes you have it coming. The Liberty Eagles went first and laid down what looked to me to be a more than competitive routine. Clearly our girls had their work cut out for them.

The Tigers went third, but I did not really get to see the routine because I was acting in my usual role as second-string unofficial team photographer. This meant that I enjoyed my usual view of the performance through the viewfinder on my Nikon. This doesn't allow for the best view of the event and I later learned that they had dropped a stunt. Dropping a stunt means that a girl was lifted into the air and fell down before planned. This is a big blow to the team's score and to add insult to injury, the routine's music was skipping throughout the performance. I was worried, for no other reason that I perceived this event to be their easiest competition yet this year. A quick look to the coach demeanor showed little worry on her part and she is normally a very good indicator of the final outcome.

She was right because when the Tigers' final score was tallied, their additional points for their level of difficulty overcame the drop and they placed first by a relatively comfortable margin. This was a close call for a team that has dominated the competition this year, but realizes that mistakes in the coming weeks will be be very costly as the level of competition rises.

Position	Team	Score
1st	Brentsville District Tigers	238
2nd	Liberty Eagles	228
3rd	Kettle Run Cougars	202

Are you ready for some football?

I went to the Monday Night Football game in Landover, MD last night and was among the disappointed fans who saw the Redskins get filleted by the Eagles. The game was so bad that the highlight of the evening happened in our section and was far more entertaining than the game. This is a sad state of affairs, especially when you find out what I am talking about. Read on.

In the 3rd quarter, 4 Redskins fans (I would have preferred that they were Eagles fans in this story, but alas they were not) caused a bit of a stir. Two fans, also Skins fans, departed their seats to go grab some frosty beverages. One of the aforementioned Gang of Four took this opportunity to relieve himself on the vacant seats. Yes, he peed in the stands. He managed to do this without any attention from the surrounding fans who were engaged in the game. Well, almost managed, because a young woman in front of them turned around and witnessed the exposed anatomy and stream of urine.

Soon after, the fans returned to their seats, where they were informed by the young woman of the events that had transpired in their absence. Needless to say, this was "discussed", and at length. I had a Philly fan next to me that was appalled by the events and I never thought I would see a Philly fan upset at anything that happened at a game. If you know Eagles fans, this might make more sense.

Regardless, this whole affair transpired less than 4 feet away, so I had a front row seat. Security was summoned and the 4 a-holes moved to another part of the section. Unfortunately for them, there was no lack of people willing to point them out to Security and all four were removed.

Yes, this was far more engaging than the game, which puts this season in a new light. I took young Trey McCormick to the game with me, but I never mentioned this to him and I don't know if he picked up on the events beyond the fact that 10 people were yelling at each other for an entire quarter of play.

The funniest line of the "discussion" came from one of the 2 victims when asked by his girlfriend why he didn't just kick their asses. He replied that he "wasn't going to get locked up in PG County". A wise man indeed.

Lumbees and Knives

Last Friday night, Tracy and I went to a local bar to hear some live music, enjoy some satisfying beverages and engage in a little adult conversation. While there, we were introduced to a couple we hadn't met before. After a round of introductions, the common ground of North Carolina was quickly established. After revealing that I had a brother who live in Lumberton, the female half of the new couple revealed that she was a member of the Lumberton police force for three years when she also lived in Lumberton. She didn't seem to exude any sort of law enforcement aura, but I paid that no mind and the evening continued.

Later that evening, I was twirling a butter knife in my hand when she piped up and asked someone to take it away from me. When asked why, she declared that there was nothing worse that a Lum with a knife. At this moment, I realized that she had lived in Robeson County because she knew. How else would she arrive at this venerable truth?

Operating System Venn Diagram

The following diagram is not my invention, but has stuck with me since I saw it. I think that this perfectly describes the the three major consumer operating systems in use today. Each of the choices touch two of the major characteristics of an operating system.


A quick look at the diagram will tell you what kind of user you are. Note that the very center portion of the diagram cannot be currently achieved. It's a genuine question whether or not the center portion is even a goal. For example, look at the Linux cross sections in the diagram above. I realize that it sounds counter-intuitive, but Linux users do not want an operating system that is easy to use. Power and control are disproportional to ease of use and these types of users are all about power at any cost. Another example; Mac users are deprived of a great deal of customization in the interest of a uniform interface. If you allow customization, then you complicate the user interface and it becomes less easy.

Ever get the feeling you don't fit in?

Lately I have. Computers, Networks, Communications; These topics are very near and dear to my heart and represent the one of the few areas in which I can confidently speak as an expert. The thing that makes me somewhat uneasy is that what I consider a quality product in these areas has proven to be exactly what Joe Public does not want.

It is a little disconcerting to use and interact with certain products or environments that you feel are clearly superior, only to watch them suffer horrible deaths in the marketplace.

Product	Public Perception	Denny
Windows	Most widely used operating system in the world.	The lowest quality operating system ever built.
Macintosh	Easiest to use operating system in the world.	Looks great, but suffers horribly from a designed lack of customization. Apple's way or the highway.
Linux	Never heard of it.	Greatest operating system ever built.
iPhone	Greatest telephone ever made.	Walled garden. Great so long as you don't mind the handcuffs.
Palm Pre	Taking in the Marketplace	The greatest communication device build by man.

The list goes on and on. Always living life on the sidelines.

Where have the rivalries gone?

For my entire adult life, I have maintained that my two favorite sports teams (Washington Redskins and the NC State Wolfpack) had two very distinct rivals, the Dallas Cowboy and the UNC Tarheels. I have honored these rivalries by faithfully despising these two foes and ridiculing them at every opportunity. However, recent events have led me to question whether a rivalry actually exists and more importantly, whether these teams are worthy of my attention.

NC State - University of North Carolina

Tobacco road is filled with the detritus from the hate and discontent that existed between these two universities. When I was a student and NC State in the 1980's, there was little doubt who our rival was. UNC was simply the most despised entity to ever compete in the ACC. I have maintained this stance in the intervening 25 years, but now I wonder if it's valid. At a televised basketball game in February of this year, several of the UNC faithful were wearing shirts emblazoned with the words "NC State is not our rival". I even made mention of this slogan in a blog entry earlier this year. Since then, I have discussed this point with UNC faithful and they clearly feel that their true rival is Duke rather than the Wolfpack.

Washington Redskins - Dallas Cowboys

I have always felt that this was the greatest rivalry in the NFL as it represented a real-world Cowboys and Indians conflict. What could be better than that? During the glory days of the 1980's Redskins fans could be heard chanting "We want Dallas" because a Redskins drive to the Superbowl wasn't really valid unless it steamrolled through Dallas. This sentiment was recently struck a heavy blow when the Cowboys opened their new stadium. It seemed that the Cowboys wanted to make a splash with a big game and they petitioned the NFL for a date with the NY Giants. The Giants? Are they serious? Several interviews with the Cowboys players revealed that they hate the Giants more then anybody else. Guess what? Your most hated team is your rival. The fact that the 'Boys invited NY instead of Washington speaks volumes.

I strongly believe that the players, students, and Alumni decide who their rivals are; not the media, and certainly not the past. That said, from this day forward, the UNC Tarheels and the Dallas Cowboys are no longer worthy of my attention. I will repay their indifference to my teams with my own. From this point forward, I will no longer concern myself with the outcome of a contest between these teams. It's now just another game. Time seems to have played out the importance of these games and I will follow suit. Screw 'em.

2009 Brentsville Relays

Today, Austin competed in the Brentsville Cross-Country Relays held at the High School. There were 40 high schools represented today and while that may sound like a lot, it has been downsized from the 75 teams that arrived last year. The town of Nokesville simply could not handle the volume.

The format is a 2.5K (1.5 Mile) course that would its way around the school grounds. The Varsity and JV runners compete in a 5 runner, 5 lap relay race. Austin's team competed in one of two 'Extras" race for the developing runners. Austin ran well and finished the course in 10min10sec.

I wanted to get a feel for the course, so I competed in the parents/coach "Open". It's the first time that I have really felt old as the course was very difficult to run at speed, even my speed. I ran with a friend/neighbor, Chris, who despite running a half marathon this morning, was still forced to wait up for me. If that wasn't enough, I completed the single lap in 12min52sec. That's nearly 3 minutes slower than my son. The only good news was I did not finish last.

Kara also ran in the Middle School race.

Austin may have found his "thing". He loved the event and had made lofty goals to get faster and move up the runner's hierarchy. He told Tracy this evening that he "loved" running.

Meanwhile, Austin has fully recovered ... and I haven't.


Pictures

Rossi's Suprising Reaction

Valentino Rossi - The King of Kings, the GOAT, has recently been quite outspoken on the decision by MotoGP to switch from 990cc of engine displacement to 800cc. One would think that Rossi would applaud the move since it has benefited his career and financial status in a positive way. Rossi remains the most popular motorcycle racer to ever swing a leg over a bike and commands the largest salary ever paid to a 2-wheel pilot.

He is also the only rider to successfully make the transition between the two bikes. Nicky Hayden, the 2006 champion, and the last 990cc champion has never had a whiff of the top rostrum spot since the transition. Casey Stoner, the 2007 champion, who is currently tied with Rossi for the lead in 800cc wins, never won a race on the 990s. This leaves Rossi as the only rider to continue his winning ways across the two classes. Naturally, Rossi would seem to be the first in line to praise the Yamaha 800cc bike, which Wayne Rainey recently praised as the greatest GP motorcycle ever rolled onto a track. He isn't. Rossi is well known for his distaste for changing the status quo. He was very outspoken when the 500cc 2-strokes were retired in favor of the big 990cc 4-stroke because he found the 4-strokes too easy to ride. Rossi likes a challenge because it enables him to separate from the pack. The easier a bike is to ride, the closer a lesser rider can get to him.

Rossi has won a title on 500s, the 990s, and is the current 800cc champion, but has chafed at every transition. His latest comments indicate that he considers the 800s to be the least favorable of all the bikes.

In his own words:

“The 990 motorcycle was 'rough' and wild, but with a great motor and a lot power. The 800 is worse, simply worse, it is the same motorcycle with less power. I was very sad at the beginning, now it has improved, yes... But the power from the 990 made it a lot more fun."

“With the 800... I believe that the 800 are the biggest mistake the world championship has made in the last 15 years. We have lost a great part of the spectacle and part of this is because electronics have advanced so much."

“For me the manufacturers committed a great error when they changed to 800cc. The 990s were better in every way.”

Here a couple of stats that reinforce what Rossi is trying to say:

1. No Satellite rider has ever won a 800cc race. Zero wins. If this keeps up, they won't bother to race.
2. There were 14 different 990cc winners vice 7 different winners on the 800s.

The plan was to lower the cost of entry and improve safety by switching to a smaller displacement bike. It has failed on both accounts. The decrease in horsepower lead to tremendous R&D costs for the electronic control systems so the bikes can be ridden with little concern for keeping the throttle WFO in the turns. The satellite teams are always a generation in electronics behind the factory boys and that explains why they simply cannot compete. The safety improvements never arrived because to compensate for the lack of low end grunt, the riders are forced to carry tremendously higher corner entry speeds and simply crash at higher speeds than ever before. The 250cc high corner entry riding style has slanted the winners towards former 250 riders and away from the back-it-in, tire smoking riders like Nicky Hayden.

To prove my last point, let's look at the list of 800cc winners:

Valentino Rossi: Former 250cc Champion
Jorge Lorenzo: Former 250cc Champion
Casey Stoner: Former 250cc Champion Runner-up
Loris Capirossi: Former 2500cc Champion
Dani Pedrosa: Former 2500cc Champion
Andrea Dovizioso: Former 250cc Champion Runner-up
Chris Vermeulen: World Superbike Champion

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that there is a 2500cc bias to this list. In fact, Vermeulen's lone victory came in a field-leveling wet race that more or less puts an asterisk next to his name. All of the incoming new talent is from the 2500cc class (Bautista/Simoncelli) and the AMA and SBK guys are ignored. The lone exception is Ben Spies who appears poised to make the leap to MotoGP next season.

I think it's time to go back to the big bikes and let the best riders win rather than the best electronics package. The bad news is that Rossi would probably dominate ever more than he does now.

3rd Week in September

A lot of things going on this week in the Clark household. Austin ran in his first Cross Country meet on Wednesday. I am going to post his time so we have a history for him to compare himself to. He ran the 5K in 23:15 to set a baseline time for the year. The qualifying runs are only 2 miles so they don't compare to the actual race distance. He will be running in the Brentsville Relays this weekend in the wildcard race, so I will have another time for you next week.

Kellie just cheered her third football of the season and cheering seems to be one of many things this year's team needs. They are currently 0-3 after a heartbreaking loss to Skyline High School last night. Final score 34-20, but the game was broken wide open in the final minutes and was far closer than the final score would indicate.

Tracy continues to run the apparel sales for the Booster Club, so if you want the latest and greatest in Tiger Wear, give her a call.

Yesterday, young James Austin celebrated his 15th birthday. I kicked off the celebration by taking he and his buddies to a celebratory lunch at Hooters followed by a family/neighborhood cookie/ice cream party. I remain somewhat shocked that someone as youthful as myself can have a second child reach the ripe age of 15, but stranger things have happened.

9/11 Remembrance

I stumbled across this

http://revver.com/video/59686/september-11-2001-what-we-saw/

today. I had never seen this video before today and it offers a somewhat personal view of the events of that day.

Michael Jordan - Basketball Hall of Fame

In the coming days or weeks, Michael Jordan will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Those of you who know me may be wondering why I would care why an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is joining the illustrious brotherhood of roundball. Truth is, I don't care at all. What has captured my attention in this instance is MJ's choice to speak at his induction. The choice that MJ made is a curious one that belies the man's apparent mental deficiencies. In other words, I have never considered Mr. Jordan to be the sharpest knife in the drawer and his collegiate academic record stands in clear evidence of this claim.

Despite establishing his legacy and making his fortune in the National Basketball Association, Jordan did not select a former NBA teammate or coach to make his formal introduction to the Hall,but instead chose another player who was equally famous as an ACC alumnus.

Michael Jordan played his collegiate basketball at the major university in Orange County, North Carolina. There were several famous teammates and coaches who accompanied Jordan during his stay at the Orange County University. Let's take a quick look at some of the notable names to see if any of them made the cut:

Dean Smith: Mr. Smith was the head basketball coach during Jordan's entire collegiate career. Dean Smith is quite well known within the State of North Carolina for his long and somewhat distinguished career at UNC-CH. Was Dean chosen to represent MJ as the shaper of the NBA star's early career?

NO.

Sam "The Rubber Man" Perkins: A teammate of Jordan's for 3 years and known for his ability to tie his shoes without bending his waist might qualify as the Jordan presenter. Did he?

NO.

James Worthy: Worthy played with Jordan on the 1982 ACC Champion team, but only for that year. Did the glory of besting all comers on the 1982 ACC Tournament make James worthy of the honor? (Pun intended)

NO.

Matt Doherty: Better known as the White Doherty, Matt also played with MJ for three years. He also later became famous as the UNC-CH coach who threw Dean Smith out of his office in the athletic department. Was Michael able to overlook this discretion and choose Matt as his presenter?

NO.

Brad Daugherty: The current NASCAR broadcaster, aka the Black Doherty/Daugherty, played with MJ during his final 3 years as a member of the Powder Blue Boys. Did this long tenure elevate him for consideration for the HOF dais?

NO.

Steve "Vidal Sassoon" Hale: Hale, much more famous for his beautifully manicured locks than his basketball skills, also played with MJ for 3 years. Did Steve offer enough hair care tips to impress Jordan?

NO.

Kenny "LSU" Smith: Kenny Smith, famous for trying to take it to the house at LSU in 1984 and coming away a little worse for the wear, played in the NBA and went on to an undistinguished career as a broadcaster. This body of work may have been influential enough to sway Mike to select him. After all, Kenny did show MJ how not to go into the paint. Was this enough?

NO.

Scottie Pippen: The most famous #2 man to ever play for the Bulls. Scottie and Michael conquered the NBA world together. Surely, MJ's sidekick for so many years earned a spot on the podium with him, right?

NO.

Phil "Zen" Jackson: Jackson lead the Bulls to every one of their Championships. Phil's leadership and station in life as MJ's mentor surely makes him eligible for the induction ceremony.

NO.

Dennis Rodman: No mystery here, no one wants to put this crazy bastard in front of a microphone, so ...

NO.

If all of these notable players and coaches never captured the attention of Jordan as he down-selected for his HOF celebration, who did he pick?

A little background before we unveil the mystery man. Michael Jordan was a much better professional basketball player than he was a collegiate player. Conventional wisdom has always stated that he was held back by an über-conservative college coach that did not know what to do with him and simply forced players into his system rather than the other way around. I believe that Jordan simply had talents that were better suited to the more open pro game and he shined because of it. In contrast, the man that Jordan selected to speak on his behalf in the coming days was a world-beater in college and although he had very notable flashes of brilliance at the next level remained far more famous for his collegiate exploits.

Michael Jordan, the favorite son of Orange County denizens around the globe selected David Thompson as his presenter. David Thompson is simply the best player ever to step on a court in an ACC game. This is not subject to discussion. Despite the Jordan heroics trumpeted by the FOBB (Fans of the Baby Blue), Michael was simply never Thompson's equal at the collegiate level. You can cut the irony with a knife because we all know that Thompson never played with Jordan, and he certainly didn't play at UNC-CH. That's right campers, Thompson played at a rival school, North Carolina State University, and remains the pride of Wolfpack fans through the land.

Before today, I would have been absolutely, 100% convinced that these facts were lost on Jordan, but, as sometimes happens, I was wrong. It seems that MJ knows his basketball history and despite his education, knows basketball royalty when he sees it. One must wonder what the UNC-CH faithful think about this turn of events. Thompson paved the way for later stars such as Jordan and perhaps Jordan is displaying his loyalty to the great basketball players in North Carolina (The State, not the University) with this selection. I venture to suggest that the FOBB will see this as a slap in the face of their special little club, but not enough of one to turn their backs on the favorite son.

I applaud Jordan's decision and stand surprised at the decision, if for no other reason than he appears not to be as dumb as his choice of college would indicate.

Motorcycle Roadracing Nicknames

Like any sport, the world of motorcycle racing is full of nicknames for the most popular riders. Those of who follow the sport use the nicknames almost without thinking about it, so here is a handy guide to the most popular names, including riders of old.

The Doctor: Valentino Rossi
Kentucky Kid/Trick Daddy: Nicky Hayden
Tommy Gun: Tommy Hayden
Countryboy: Roger Lee Hayden
Eboz: Eric Bostrom
Texas Tornado: Colin Edwards
34: Kevin Schwantz
Roman Emperor/Mad Max: Max Biaggi
Elbowz: Ben Spies
King: Kenny Roberts
Steady Eddie: Eddie Lawson
Samarai of Slide/Nitro Nori/Haga-san: Noriyuki Haga
Fast Freddie: Freddie Spencer
Mike the Bike: Mike Hailwood
Hopper: John Hopkins
The Flying Finn: Mika Kallio
Foggy: Carl Fogarty
Ago: Giacomo Agostini
Foggy: Carl Fogarty
Mugger: Karl Muggeridge
Spiderman: Rubén Xaus
The Stalker: Chris Walker
The Chief: Scott Russell

That's all I can remember for now.

MotoGP - Silly Season is over

This year marked an unusually turbulent end of season guessing game concerning who goes where in the MotoGP paddock. Rumors flew around the possibility of Jorge Lorenzo going to Ducati, Dani Pedrosa going to Ducati, Nicky Hayden riding the Yamaha, the possibility of Mika Kallio taking Nicky's Ducati seat, the possibility of Ben Spies arriving in MotoGP, etc, etc.

In the end, none of the big names went anywhere and status quo was maintained. Lorenzo stayed at Yahama, Hayden was retained by Ducati, and Dani Pedrosa will again ride the Honda. Alex De Angelis was rewarded for his career high Indy finish (2nd) by getting fired, and it remains to be seen if the Texas Tornado (Colin Edwards) and James Toseland will remain on the Tech 3 Yamaha squad.

Big Ben coming to MotoGP remains the only real item of interest on the plate.

Indianapolis - 2009

Once again, the Clarks made the cross-country trip to the Temple of Speed to see the best motorcycle racers in the world, hear the ear-splitting roar of an unmuffled 800cc four stroke, see the impossible lean angles, watch the 2-wheel power slides, and soak in the glory that is MotoGP. To top it all off, it was even dry this year.

This year's highlights:

• We met Dad, Uncle Mike and Ché in Charleston, WV and rode in from there as a group.
• Telling Uncle Mike and Ché the story of Austin's new shoes. Austin was complaining about his size 6 shoes hurting his feet and Tracy told him to stop complaining. When he was sized for his cross-country shoes, he actually wears a size 8 1/2. They got a big kick out of this and called her several times to rub it in.
• Listening to the distinctive sound of the Ducati MotoGP bike. If this thing is that loud from the stands, how loud is it when you are 5 feet behind it?
• You can watch races on TV all you want, but there are things you cannot see on TV. For example, both of the Pramac Ducati team riders were trying to ride behind Rossi during warmups. Rossi repeatedly slowed up to let them by and they slowed as well to stay behind him. In fact, throughout the weekend, Rossi came out of the pits last in order to prevent this type of scenario.
  
• Austin seeing his first Flat Track race. Flat Track is the only truly American form of bike racing and several of the MotoGP stars showed up to watch the race. Valentino Rossi even took the time to address the crowd.
• Ron M. would have loved the flat track bikes, because the weapon of choice is a Harley Davidson XR750. The venerable XR750 was introduced in 1972 and ceased production in 1980. It remains the dominant bike in dirt track racing today. It was not, however, the only twin there. Ducati and KTM had riders in the race as well. Hondas seemed to dominate the singles events.
• I noticed that all the Harley's ran their chain on the right side of the bike, while the other manufactures ran the chain on the left. My bike's chain is on the left, so seeing it on the right simply looks weird. Sort of like seeing the gear shift lever on a Norton on the right.
  
• Watching a horrific accident in the Flat Track race where a rider was catapulted over the retaining fence and left the track. Broken disc in his back.
• Watching King Kenny Roberts throw caution to the wind and drop the hammer on his 1975 TZ750 for a few serious hot laps. The TZ50 was raced only once in the 1975 Indy Mile and is widely considered the most unmanageable and dangerous dirt tracker ever ridden in competition. Roberts did not practice before the event, he just jumped on the beast and roared around the track like he owned the place. Kenny got completely sideways on the track and showed everybody that the old man still has it. Note: If you know anything about motorcycles, consider that the TZ750 is a 2-stroke engine, on dirt no less, and you can begin to understand why even the King found the beast intimidating. Two strokes have no power band. The power hits all at once. The thing had so much power that it spun the wheels on the rim when Kenny roared down the straight to win the iconic 1975 race.
• Watching Dani Pedrosa take pole position in a runaway qualifying session that saw Dani as the only rider to drop into the 1:37s. Although he seemed to be the man to beat in the race, Dani would drop the bike right in front us while leading the race, negating any chance he had to win.
• Watching Nicky Hayden "making it wide" as he slid into the last few corners to keep Dovizioso at bay and take his first podium on the Ducati this year. Easily the best battle to watch during the race as Jorge Lorenzo disappeared for the easy win. Nicky is riding for his job, so this may help.
  
• Seeing Valentino inexplicable drop the bike in turn one while fighting Jorge Lorenzo for the lead. It was the Doctor's first DNF in 2 years.
• The two riders most represented by the fans were Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. Rossi is the most well-known motorcycle racer in the world and Hayden is the favorite American.
• Ché and I saw one of Hayden's most fervent fans. She was wearing a T-Shirt that said "I would rather be riding Nicky".
• Ché and I also saw "Silicon Sally" in the merchandise tent.
  
• We saw a guy riding a Pink sportbike when we left the Track on Friday night. Very strange choice of colors. It also had several dangling parts to it and all the front fairing pieces were conspicuously absent.
  
• Rossi might be the most popular rider, but the prices at his merchandise tent were jaw dropping. $45 for a hat. Wow.
• The new VMax has to be seen in person. The best way to describe it is "an engine with wheels". It is 1700cc and looks bigger.
• The new BMW sportbike is definitely not the typical BMW. Very out of the box and very comparable to the Japanese sportbikes. Should be interesting to follow.
• I don't really care for the new R1. Yamaha need to put covers on the headlights. It looks like they are missing. Looks aside, the sound of the new R1 is head turning. Very twin-like with the new uneven firing order.
  
• The new Ducati 848/1098/1198 bikes look badass. The Italians can make a good looking machine.
• There were two old guys working a booth in the vendor area with a sign that read "Pictures with us are OK". I regret not getting a picture with them.
• I did take a picture of Austin with the Ducati girls on Ducati Island.
  
• 76,000 fans at Sunday's race. For a bike race in the US, this is nothing short of amazing.
• Another amazing thing. At Indy you can park right outside the gate for as little as $10. There are houses that sit less than a quarter mile from the gate and a mere 100 feet from the track. IMS is not in the middle of nowhere. It is essentially downtown.
  
• We booked our hotel for next year and found out before we left the city that is already completely booked for next year.
• Even after visiting the place last year, the sheer size of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway still impresses. I still can't get over how the city envelopes the track.
• Say what you want about about Ducati, but if you buy one, you enter a special club. Every race track has their own "Ducati Island" where Ducati owners enjoy their own tent city, separate vending area, special parking, and reserved seating for the race.
  

Cut and Paste

When the iPhone came out, seasoned smart phone users were a little shocked at the lack of any cut and paste options. The Apple faithful didn't seem to mind very much, but the hardcore techies had more than a little fun at Apple's expense. Keep in mind that the Treo and the Blackberries of the world had had this feature for a few years when the iPhone debuted.

When the Palm Pre was announced, they made a big deal that the Pre would include a Cut and Paste function from day one and a big sigh of of relief came from the Palm faithful.

Meanwhile, Apple released a new software update in June and Cut and Paste has finally made it to the iPhone. iPhone users were now on a par (with regard to text handling) with the rest of the world.

Now the tables have been turned. Apple took their time and did it right. The iPhone's Cut and Paste functionality is a 2x4 across the faces of the other phone vendors. Despite drawing first blood, the Pre's Cut and Paste option falls miserably short of the iPhone. Palm should take careful note and make an update of their own as soon as possible.

Kara & the Jonas Brothers

Kara just returned tonight from a weekend in Charlotte, NC. She went with her Aunt Jennifer to see the Jonas Brothers in concert. Jennifer scored seats in the 6th row, so Kara had probably the best concert seats she will ever have. She also had the opportunity to see Jordan Sparks (of American Idol fame).

Kara has yet to get her "travel legs" yet because the 9 hour trip each way was basically her limit for a day. When asked how the trip home was, all she said was "it took forever".

VIR Day Two

DMG really screwed the pooch on this one. All weekend the published schedule was an approximation at best, and the situation simply went into overdrive today. The superbike race started 2.5 hours later than than scheduled. Having seen all the sites the day before, Austin and I simply sat most of the day.

Superstock Race: A little bit of a crashfest and Austin certainly enjoyed the action here, but the highlight of the race was seeing Roger Lee Hayden backing in right at us on Turn 5. He was trying an overtaking maneuver that didn't quite work, but to see him save the bike after a slide like that was simply magical.

Superbike Race: Josh Hayes and the Yamaha R1 proved that Saturday was no fluke. Josh gapped the field and ran away with the win. Interestingly enough, when I was explaining the difference in sound produced by the different engine types and configuration, Austin pointed out the strange sound of the R1. I had missed it, but the R1 has a really unique sound for an inline four cylinder engine. It sounds very twin-like and was my first experience with the new Yamaha uneven firing order. It obviously works because Spies has taken that bike to a new level. Yamaha is really sitting in the cat bird's seat this year, especially in international competition.

VIR Day One

Austin and I arrived last night after the track closed,so we went straight to the hotel. Austin was itching to go to the opening of the District 9 movie,so we had a late dinner and saw the movie. I thought the trailer was much better than the actual movie, but Austin loved it.

This morning we headed to the track and caught the first Superbike race.

Today's highlights:

- The women who are dating, married to, or otherwise attached to motorcycle riders are crazy hot. Guys like us attract the hottest women. In fact, the only types of guys that do better than us as a group are rich guys, really good looking guys, funny guys, and guys in positions of power.

- Attendance looked down this year as well as the number of vendors.

- I went to the 'Arai Guy' who has been at every race I have ever attended, but they did not have the Hopper Monster helmet for me to look at. This turned out to be my good fortune as you will see later.

- Saw the new Nicky Hayden Ducati 848 replica. True fans will remember that Nicky ran this paint scheme at Laguna this year. Eye Candy doean't begin to describe this bike. I was very impressed that Ducati is selling this bike for only $500 more than the standard model. It looked to be worth it, because you got more than a paint job as this version comes with some Superbike spec internals, i.e. internal aluminum cam chain.

- Talked to Earl Hayden again and we had a discussion about the MotoGP Brno qualifying. Earl said that he had already seen the qualifying and didn't want to ruin it for me. I told him that I would prefer to tell everybody that I heard the results from him. So, according to Earl, Nicky qualified 8th. Mika Kallio is stepping into the other factory bike in Stoner's absence. This is important because Nicky and Mika are auditioning for the second factory bike next year. Mika has been ahead of Nicky on both practice session so far, but it seems that Nicky pipped him in the Q session after Mika crashed. A little race within the race to keep an eye on.

- Stopped at a small local cycle shop's booth and saw that they had the Arai Hopper Monster helmet in my size for a very nice price. I asked to see the helmet and they dropped a hundred off the helmet on the spot. I ended up getting last year's model for almost half the price of a 2010 model. Makes no difference to me as I will gladly take the older version with the savings.

- If we believe him, this is Mat Mladin's last race weekend, so it was good to see him on the track again. He was soundly beaten by Josh Hayes, but I am betting that he was points racing today and will let it all hang out tomorrow now that he has clinched the title.

- It's times like this that I wish I had a better camera.

- During the stunt show, I caught a T-Shirt from the air cannon. This marks the second item I have won from the Stunt Show. In 2007, I caught a hat thrown into the crowd.

Topsail Beach - Day 5

The goal today was to take some action shots at the beach with Kellie and Chelsea. I let them do what they wanted and followed them around.

Kellie in the middle of a back handspring.

Austin joins the party.

Kellie and Austin in a rare moment when they act like they know each other.

Here's the beach house. Notice the direct access to the beach. In this shot, we are stay

Chelsea performing an arabesque.

Kellie doing a toe touch. My trigger finger was just a little late on this one.

Tracy and the girls.

Kellie smiling on the beach.

Kara and Andie just before we went to dinner. All 5 girls had on matching dresses and drew their share of comments.

"Where are all the hot chicks?"

Kara and Andie modeling their new airbrushed shirts. These were drawn freehand in the local beach store.

The happy couple later that night

All the kids hanging out after dinner.

Kellie and Chelsea - Not camera shy.

Topsail Beach - Day 4

I did not venture to the beach during the day as I was suffering from a bad case of sunburn also known by its Latin term Assus Burntupus. I did get the opportunity to try out the new flash gun for some beach shots in the evening.

I'll touch this one up later, but straight off the camera, it managed to capture the sunset tones in the background.

Tracy with the girls down by the water.

Here's me with the girls (Andie & Kara) in the same place.

Here's the last shot taken in the dying light.

Topsail Beach - Day 3

Not much to report on today. I was pretty burned up from the first day, so I took it easy. The good news is that I did take a few pictures today. You will find Kellie noticeably absent as she was sleeping the whole time the camera was out. She should be out tomorrow.

Kara

Austin - Relaxing in the sun

Kara - Strutting down the beach

Kara - Action Shot

Kara & Andie running

Takeoff!