Last year, I did a pretty sweet photo essay called Mom’s Yard. It was a small collection of clouds and flowers, …and the dog.
This year, I have a smaller photo essay called Mom’s Yard Part II. 
Enjoy.
Mom’s Yard Part II – A Photo Essay
Categories: Photo Essays
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Getting Back into Riding after the Flu
Last weekend, I decided to join some Mid-State Chapter people at Highland Recreation Area for a mountain bike ride. I was still sick, but I felt tremendously better than I had for most of the week.
The guys were sweet, to say the least. They would ride ahead of me, stop, and wait, even though I told them just to keep going. My friend, Jon, even rode behind me and chatted for a while. Keep in mind that I felt like I was dying and climbing brought about super heavy breathing and a bit of that fuzzy feeling in my head. Once we hit the entrance of the B loop. I told the guys to go ahead, and that I would ride D loop and wait for them in the parking lot.
Two of the guys did all four loops, and they were pretty tired by the time they reached the D loop. They worked on their crashing skills and got a few scrapes that they showed off while Jon cooked some hot dogs and brats.
I did over 9 miles, that day. It was difficult, but I did it. I also chose to take a few more days off of riding.
Friday, I went to Island Lake Recreation Area with my parents to ride the bicycle paths. I rode to Kensington Park and did the bicycle path around the lake. On my way back to the trailhead parking lot at ILRA, mom called me and told me that she and dad where also doing the Kensington bike path, so I finished the ILRA bike path and turned around to go find them.
I did almost 30 miles, that day. It was a pretty good ride and I felt pretty good. I also learned that when coming off of a bad illness, it’s probably best to forego the difficult mountain bike trails in favor of gentler road riding.
Mountain Bikers Are Safe as Vandeman Sits in Jail
Michael Vandeman, 67, assaulted a mountain biker with a handsaw on a University of California-Berkeley fire road on April 18, 2010.
Vandeman is a radical environmentalist who believes that forests should be closed off to humans, especially mountain bikers. He cites studies that “prove” that mountain bikers damage the environment, and ignores studies that show that mountain bikers have no more of an impact than hikers, and that hikers often have more of an impact on the surrounding environment because they are more likely to leave the trail.
To gain an understanding of Mr. Vandeman, check out his websites:
- Wildlife Need Habitat Off-Limits to Humans
- A pictorial overview of “Wildlife Need Habitat Off-Limits to Humans.”
- Mike Vandeman’s Environmental Letters, Articles, and Book Reviews
According to Henry K. Lee’s article for the San Francisco Chronicle, “Tools used in Berkeley Hills bike rage case,” the handsaw incident is one of many assaults on mountain bikers. On June 19, 2009, Vandeman used a sharp tool to puncture a cyclist’s tire. Lee reported that Vandeman “angrily yelled at the victim regarding his bicycle ruining the trail and the environment.” Together with the handsaw assault, Vandeman faced charges of vandalism and assault.
Vandeman is well-known to mountain bikers from his attacks on many Internet forums and chat rooms. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance published “The Mike Vandeman Frequently Asked Questions.” It includes lots of fun and interesting information such as:
He hates mountain biking, and wants it banned. It conflicts with his desire to hike on trails he wants to himself. He doesn’t want you mountain biking past him when he’s hiking, and really gets pissed when it happens on a hiker only trail.
The alliance advises that ignoring Mike’s attacks is the best solution, but they recognize that “Some of his posts are so obviously out of whack you’ll just *have* to reply, if for no other reason, than to get it out of your system.”
Vandeman found one of my Examiner.com articles, “Mountain biking 101: How to get women into the sport,” and left the following comment:
Exactly the point! Journalism is not for “promoting” mountain biking. It is for presenting an unbiased look at events. For some reason (money?), Diane Ursu wants us to believe that mountain biking is a harmless, fun activity, when the truth is that it is a very environmentally destructive activity that is extremely dangerous for participants, wildlife, and other trail users. Serious injuries and even deaths are quite common!: home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtb_dangerous.
According to the KTVU.com article, “Berkeley Man Charged in Handsaw Attack on Bicyclists,” from June 3, Vandeman’s bail has been set at $12,500.
KTVU further reports:
UC Berkeley police are still seeking information about other possible incidents involving Vandeman. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department’s criminal investigation bureau at (510) 642-0472 or (510) 642-6760.
Categories: Advocacy
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Tags: Advocacy, Michael Vandeman
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Zinc Oxide and Acne
I’ve noticed that my skin has been fairly clear over the last few weeks. This is important because I usually have horrible breakouts, especially just prior to that special time of the month that only women experience. 
I’ve been doing some research on the benefits of zinc oxide in relation to skin health. This research started with poison ivy treatment. I think I may have my first case of contact dermatitis in response to poison ivy exposure. We’ll see. I don’t have the classic poison ivy rash, and the timing is a bit off in comparison to my last known exposure to poison ivy, so I will be doing a spot test when my current itchy spots clear.
Zinc taken orally is known to relieve acne. I did not know this. Topical zinc, especially zinc oxide, is beneficial to the skin and may also relieve acne. In fact, it is suspected to minimize acne scarring.
Tuesday, I decided to stop using Lidocaine–commonly known as hydrocortisone–in favor of Desitin. Mom first used Desitin for my diaper rash in the very early days of Di. Desitin was also the miracle drug of choice for bee and wasp stings as well as burns. To this day, Desitin resides in the Ursu medicine cabinet in the absence of any baby Ursu.
Desitin is working wonders for my itchy spots, so I decided to take a peek at the main ingredient. It is zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is the key ingredient in Calamine lotion. In fact, zinc oxide is mixed with a small amount of iron(III) oxide to make Calamine.
What do poison ivy, Desitin, and zinc oxide have to do with my clearer skin? Research. While doing my zinc oxide research, I discovered that insulin-controlling diets are said to help control acne. I’ve been on an insulin-controlling diet–The Zone. This is the same diet that has contributed to a 10-pound weight loss and my improved cycling performance. My Zone status has been somewhat stagnant since I got sick, but I’ve been doing alright throughout my diseased state. In addition, I am thinking about testing zinc oxide for acne control. 
Categories: Alternative Health
| Tags: Acne, Desitin, The Zone, Zinc Oxide
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Devoid of Di
Many wonderful, mountain biking-related opportunities occurred this past weekend:
- National Trails Day;
- High Country Pathway ride and camping trip;
- Hanson Hills CPS race.
I did not participate in any of these events. It’s really quite sad.
I’ve participated in National Trails Day activities since I began doing trail work in 2007. I was absent, this past weekend. I was supposed to go to the High Country Pathway ride and possibly show up at Hanson Hills to cheer on some friends. Again, I was absent. Why?
Well.
I’ve been sick. 
I started out with general crabbiness on Monday and Tuesday. I don’t know if that is related to my illness, but it really isn’t far-fetched. I was still feeling out of sorts. Wednesday, I began having some very mild symptoms, and those symptoms convinced me that I was coming down with something on Thursday. Friday, the symptoms worsened, and I told my friend, Jon, that I would not be joining him, Ali, Glen, and Brad on the HCP ride. 
Saturday took the cake – at least it did at the time. I woke up and slowly walked into the family room at a snail’s pace. I had no energy and I felt like death warmed over…at least I thought so; then Sunday happened. It was a repeat of Saturday, only I felt worse that morning.
Monday, I felt a little better, which is a good thing. You see, I had to get up at 6:00 a.m. so I could shower and take my mom to her doctor’s appointment at Michigan State because I know the campus. I hopped in the shower and was only too happy to get cleaned up, because I was pretty sure I had the stale funk of a typical hospital patient by Monday morning.
After I finished sudsing up and putting conditioner in my hair, I grabbed the shower hose to rinse off. At the commencement of operation rinse-off, I suddenly felt a whoosh of light-headedness combined with that whooshing sound one hears when passing out becomes a great possibility.
I rinsed as fast as I could, and hastily got out of the shower, grabbed my towel, and half-wrapped it around my body as I ran to my room. I sprawled the towel out on the floor and laid on it while propping my feet on the dresser. I was pretty sure that passing out was a reality, but I managed to escape that fate. Instead, I lay there listening to the somewhat-alarming whooshing sound, wishing it would go away. It subsided after a couple of minutes, but I still heard a little whoosh and had a little of that odd feeling for the next couple of hours.
When it was time to go, I told mom she had to drive. Yup – I banned myself from driving for the day.
I’m still sick, today. I certainly have more energy. In fact, I was able to write this post, which was something I was completely unable to do, this weekend. I still have a cough, I still feel sick, and I feel fluid in my right ear. It sucks.
The bad news is that I think I might have to decline Jon’s demand, as per our Friday phone call, to show up at this coming weekend’s Addison Oaks camping trip. We’ll see.
That’s my sob story, and I’m sticking to it.
Categories: Illness
| Tags: Illness
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Washed Up, Washed Out, Whateva!
The Poto is a trail with contradictory reputations.
“It’s the best trail in Lower Michigan!” This statement often comes from people who probably have not ridden some of the best trails in Lower Michigan, and many of Lower Michigan’s trails have fans who say this about their favorite trails.
“It’s okaaaaay, 
very eroded. You’d like such-and-such better.” Of course, every trail also has a group of riders that don’t appreciate that trail.
Hm.
A cool rocky section near the beginning of the Poto.
Glen, Ali, and I rode the Poto, Sunday. I have a few comments.
- The Poto was nothing like what I expected;
- The Poto was hard-packed with minimal loose areas from erosion;
- Really, the only obvious evidence of erosion were the root steps;
- There is a significant [enough] number of Lower Michigan mountain bikers who don’t like real mountain biking, but prefer trails that are likened to paved bike paths;
- This trail was frickin’ awesome!
Ali and I discussed the trail after our ride and we both had the same reaction: after what we had heard about the Poto, we didn’t expect much, but were shocked – in a good way – by how fun and well-built this trail was.
Zack, Glen, and Ali.
The Poto is an intermediate trail (big surprise, there ) with much different characteristics than the other intermediate trails I’ve ridden. This trail is >>>FAST and flowy. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities to gain crazy speeds only to have an “oh shit” moment because of root placements or sand; from my experience, this is more prevalent on the second half of the trail. As I said, it is an intermediate trail, but certain trail features cause it to lean towards advanced. Experience and good bike-handling skills are useful with this trail.
The climbs are fun. They hurt. They’re steep. Some of them require great, tight steering ability while climbing. Some of them require that you be able to pop your tire up onto a root and not spin out when the rear tire hits it.
Turtle playing on the Poto.
I can see how sand can become an issue with this trail throughout the summer. I think this is from where the bad reputation comes. Having said that, the Poto may be more similar to Yankee Springs in the sense that it is best for early-season and post-rain rides.
The Poto is the type of trail that always keeps you thinking. If you get too comfortable, something will pop up that will take you down.
Categories: Trail Reviews
| Tags: Mountain Biking, Potawatomi, Poto
| 1 comment
Animals – A Photo Essay
I’ve seen a lot of animals, this month. They’re all pretty cute and, therefore, picture-worthy.
Enjoy!
A frog hiding by the garage door.
A frog on my tent at Yankee Springs.
A giant frog that kept hiding under the car at our Yankee Springs camp. He was LOUD!
Turtle at the Poto.
Geese crossing the road in Milford.
Geese crossing the road in Plymouth.
A moth hanging out on the window.
A puppy resting after the Fort Custer Stampede.
Greyhounds. Ha ha – had to throw that one in there. 
Categories: Photo Essays
| Tags: Frog, Geese, Puppy, Turtle
| 1 comment
Racing Greyhound Bowling Party – A Photo Essay
The Racing Greyhounds had a fund-raising bowling party, on Friday. It was a wacky night.
It was obvious that this was a bike party.
A match between Shakey, My Name is Mud, Di bear, and some random dude. No, seriously. We didn’t have four people, so Ali put in “Some Random Dude.” We grabbed a different guy for each frame.
Some random dude.
It is worth noting that Some Random Dude totally whooped our butts.
Bruce.
The Many Faces of Glen
Notice how Ali looks good in every picture. She is one of those people. The rest of us just look silly.
BALLZ!
I had a brilliant idea! I decided to line up all of the balls so the holes were pointing forward like little faces. At first, Ali thought I was nuts, but she quickly joined in to help me capture their surprised, little looks. Ali is completely responsible for providing these little guys with some fashion sense.
Miami dance.
Categories: Photo Essays
| Tags: Bowling, Racing Greyhounds
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In the Zone
I was pleasantly surprised on Wednesday – truly surprised. I was heading into East Lansing to see a friend play at a local brew pub. It’s a nicer place, so I could dress up a little bit.
I decided to try on some denim shorts that haven’t fit me since last year, after the massive weight gain of Fall/Winter 2009-2010 (we’re talking 30 pounds). Wednesday, the shorts fit, and they were even a little too loose. This would not normally be a problem because I could just throw on a belt, but the particular style of these shorts didn’t go too well with the tunic that I was wearing.
Hmmm…
Enter other, smaller, denim shorts. I was shocked. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t even zip these things up. Wednesday, I was wearing them out on the town. You have no idea how happy this made me.
I started my special diet on Sunday, May 9. It was the weekend after the Fort Custer Stampede, when I DNFed because I just wasn’t feeling it. I felt like crap. I looked like crap. I needed to do something about it.
On May 9, in the middle of the day, I started my new diet and headed out for an aggressive hill workout on the bike. It was a new beginning.
Now, almost two weeks later, I am feeling much better, my clothes are starting to fit, and I’m getting faster and stronger on the bike. My legs are starting to look good, again. Here are some simple stats:
- 8 pounds lost;
- 1.5 inches lost around the hips;
- 1.75 inches lost around the waist;
- Body fat is down 4.3%;
- 12 pounds of fat lost;
- 4 pounds of muscle gained.
This is with several cheat days scattered throughout. For example, I had a few evenings out with beer. That definitely throws things off balance, but I’ll explain that later.
For those of you who are curious, Weight Watchers was no longer working for me. I decided to try The Zone, which has produced excellent results, thus far.
Categories: Weight Loss
| Tags: The Zone, Weight Loss
| 1 comment
Marquette South Trails for Sale?
The City of Marquette is holding a public meeting tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at Lakeview Arena to discuss the future of the Heartwood Forestland that contains the Marquette South Trails. The city is considering zoning parcels of land within the forest for development in an effort to increase Marquette’s tax base.
Read more at my Examiner.com page: Marquette considering closing parts of the Marquette South Trails for development.
And now the part you all love – PICTURES!
The freeride trail, Flow, would be preserved under the new plan.
This part of the Carp River Loop would be developed.
The Gorge-ous trail would be preserved as it is along a waterway.
Don’t forget to visit my Examiner article. Do it! NOW!
Categories: Advocacy
| Tags: Advocacy, Marquette South Trails
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