Channeling my inner roofing contractor
Back in October we had some trees come down in Hurricane Sandy:
We recently had the tree removed from our house (there was quite a waiting list for removal services). I had checked our attic and found a bit of leaking, so I called a roofing company that could re-roof the damaged face for a mere $3200. After doing a bit of research, I decided to replace the damaged shingles myself. The new shingles are a slightly different color, but it all went together well in the end. Since I was two stories above the ground, I used a friend’s climbing harness and rope. Safety first!
I also used a mallet to bend the gutters back into shape. Despite the cool weather, it was quite warm up on the roof. I wouldn’t want that job in July!
2012 Ride Stats
2,494 miles ridden, 177,300 feet of vertical climb, 161,752 calories burned. I focused in on climbing this year, which is why I have 2.5 times the climbing as last year. It was a great year!
Thanksgiving date
Since we had visited Assateague on our recent 2012 RV adventure, we decided not to go back for Thanksgiving as we had in previous years. Instead, since the kids were in school, Trish and I went for a little hike together:
We had a great time!
Colors of Fall
Nice leaf colors on a late October ride on Alpine Approach:
Early morning Harriman ride
I did a 5:30 – 7:30am ride in Harriman this morning. It’s nice to be able to ride 10 miles out and hit some great scenery.
Directional cell antenna for the RV
Our RV came with a TV antenna that can be raised, lowered, and rotated (demo video). I removed the TV antenna and installed a directional cell antenna:
The antenna connects to a 12V booster in the RV which has a flat antenna that phone is placed on. Using the phone’s signal meter, it looks like I’m getting a 40db gain relative to the phone’s internal antenna. This should help us stay in touch even when we’re out in the middle of nowhere.
51 years old and going strong
We took the boat out yesterday afternoon to Haverstraw Bay Park after a two-year hiatus. Still runs like a champ!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a plane and a Shuttle!
Ran down to Tallman Mountain to watch the shuttle fly up the Hudson river on its way to JFK airport and ultimately the Intrepid. Pity I didn’t find out about it sooner, I would have brought a camera along. All I had was my phone. The flyby was at about 1000 feet, so there was plenty to see:
Makes me wonder what seeing a launch must be like.
Roller skating on the Joseph B Clarke rail trail
It was just for a little while, but it was fun!
Hike to Pine Meadow Lake
We went on what turned out to be a long hike on Sunday. We started at Kakiat Park and headed up the Kakiat Trail. Mechel and Bala examine a waterfall:
Baila’s new boots were giving her heel blisters, so we put on a but of moleskin from the handy first aid kit:
Crossing under the power lines:
Grandpa and Grandma rocks (I think):
This reminds me of an album cover for some reason:
After fighting our way up the Kakiat trail through pretty broken terrain, we bailed out onto the gas line easement and hiked Torne Valley road towards the lake:
There was a bit of water in spots:
The lake at last:
The sun was setting fast, so I carried Baila for most of Torne Valley road. It took 2.5 hours to get to the lake, and only 1.5 hours to get back:
Walking the gas line easement:
RCC in the distance:
We made it back 10 minutes after sunset. Close call!
In the last half-mile, we passed a woman to whom we said hello but got no response. She was heading up the mountain as darkness fell. Here’s what turned out to have happened:
RAMAPO — Rescue personnel were called out to Kakiat County Park on Haverstraw Road on Sunday night to conduct a search for a local woman.
Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said the woman, described only as in her early 20s, was reported missing around 7 p.m. after she had an argument and went into the park property.
Police were gearing up for a major search — as many as 40 rescue personnel were gathered at the park’s pavilion and an aviation unit was about to be called-in — when the woman emerged from the Old Mill trail just after 8:30 p.m.
“As we we’re gearing up to put another search team into the woods she actually came out,” Falco said, later adding, “We would have stayed here all night.”
Members of the woman’s family were on the scene and after she was located and checked out by medics, she was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital. The woman was distraught but not seriously injured, Falco said.
The incident, first reported just after 7 p.m., drew a response from Rockland police fire and rescue units, some of which have deployed K-9 units and all-terrain vehicles to conduct the search.
Officials set up a command post near the park’s pavilion about 500 feet off Haverstraw Road. Beams from flashlights swung in the dark as police searched the wooded area.
Later, after the search had been called off, two officers could be seen inspecting the woman’s backpack. The contents were laid out on a picnic table: a jean-jacket and a bottle of seltzer water.
Here’s the route. 8.02 miles, 4 hours. 1,670 feet of climb. Max grade was 42.5%:
The kids were real troopers. We will have to leave a bit earlier next time.