Well … it’s been some time the past few days. Waitomo has some awesome caving, and the glow worms inhabiting them are a pretty incredible sight. Waitomo itself … as my new friend Billy Black says, “it’s a two-horse town, and one horse has died.”
That adds up to a lot of quiet, fresh air and clothes that reek of musty caves. The drive to Wellington took us past our old friend, Tongariro National Park. It was good to get a final glimpse of Mt. Ngaurahoe again. Lots of cool little towns between there and Wellington. I have a boatload of photos to share, so stick with me.
February, 2009:
Update from Wellington Airport
Awesome info coming …
Before I made my plans for New Zealand, I was infuriated by the lack of really specific info for tackling Mt. Ngauruhoe, aka Mount Doom. When I get back to my home computer, I am going to serve up a bomber of a post about this hike.
For now, take my word that this is an awesome, epic and unforgettable hike. Details and advice coming soon! And also photos that are seriously going to blow you away.
Oh, and the Waitomo Caves area glowworm cave tours are no slouches, either!
Three Shots from the New Pentax
From blog photos
I’m still getting used to my Pentax K100DS. It’s easy as pie with the modern lenses, but shooting with old manual-only lenses is a bit trickier. But part of the reason I picked this camera was its ability to use cool old lenses I could score on the cheap. Sounds like a good way to learn!
We had a cloudy morning here in Phoenix a few days ago, which made for a few nice shots before going to work. I think I need to work on my focusing a bit.
From blog photos
From blog photos
IMS Marathon – The Final Post
Alright, here’s the deal with the IMS Arizona Marathon. The race director said some of the pace folks using GPS receivers also noticed variations in the course length. But they’ve decided to let the results stand as they are since USATF certified it.
Now, apparently USATF is calculating the course length by having two people ride bicycles that somehow use their wheels to measure the course. The bicyclist and ex-shop rat in me doesn’t like that – there are simply too many variables involved in a bike tire versus the cold-blooded accuracy of a modern GPS receiver. Cruise missiles use GPS receivers for guidance, not tires (obviously!).
The race director did say that next year’s plans call for some adjustments to the course. I think that’s a reasonable compromise.
Either way, my wife and I still scored our personal records. So I can dig it. Good luck to ‘em next year, right?
A glitch in the IMS Marathon matrix
It seems there might be a controversy brewing about the IMS Arizona results. Word is the pace group leaders and other runners using GPS receivers are saying the marathon course was a full .25 miles long. That’s a quarter of a mile, and enough to really jack the times up by a good two minutes.
So far, the race director does not look very open to input from people in the know. She claims the Boston Marathon folks laid the course out, and she trusts them to be right on the money over the GPS receivers. Had it been a few receivers, I could see. Had it been a smaller fraction of a mile (like .05 miles), I could see. But this is not good.
Stay tuned for more …
