I had an educational experience in the pool at the gym the other night.
At a distant location of Gold’s Gym, I went through my normal workout and when I finished, I had a choice: elliptical or pool? I looked over at the cardio side of the gym and there were scores of sweating bodies that just looked like they had received the groovy news they were being audited by the IRS. I looked over at the pool, and there was not a soul to be found.
So in five minutes, I walked into the steam room for a little vasodilation (hot/cold treatment) and when I walked out, there were two other people swimming. Luckily, there are three lanes: Fast, Medium and Slow. They had been very gracious to let me have the “slow” lane so I could anonymously suck rocks while making lengths and laps.
I took 2 laps (4 lengths) in about 5 minutes with the least stressful technique of breaststroke, and thought I would spice things up a bit and perform my own medley with some freestyle. After one lap of an all-out effort, I immediately became exhausted and my heart was pounding about 1,000 mph. I have done my research, and swimming burns about 5 times more calories than running on a treadmill in an average 3o minutes to an hour. Swimming for an hour? I can’t imagine RUNNING for that long!
As I was about to take off for my sixth length, my leg was grabbed underwater, and I shot up and looked around. The girl next to me smiled and said, “Is that your inhaler?” I replied with an affirmation, and she asked very nicely if she could have a puff. She took two, actually. I asked her how many laps she had swam, and she said 10 laps. So mystery girl and her boyfriend were gracious enough to give me some serious pointers on how to improve my time and exercise while in the pool. Aquawoman had blown away my time and I asked how many laps she planned on swimming. “5,000 yards!” Okeysillydillydokey-o! Just to give you an idea of how far 5,000 yards really is, one length of the pool is 25 yards. That’s 100 laps. I guess it takes her 90 minutes to complete that. And she does this 3 times a week!
When else would I have an opportunity to receive some serious instruction from an asthmatic about increasing lungpower? I humbled myself and asked what she does to help her meet that goal. I guess I opened Pandora’s Box with this one. In about five minutes, she gave me some serious constructive criticism in my technique, my breathing, and she broke it down so I could understand it so well. She followed that up by saying that I potentially have a swimmer’s body, and that I move very well in the water for not having disciplined lessons in the last 20 years.
What I need to change: I need to expel about 80% of my air before I take another breath. I also need to rotate my hips so that I glide on top of the water. At an instant I realized how effortless it is for me to kick my legs in the process when I move my deep hip rotators (I get to be an Anatomy snob here, ha!) And she also told me to slooooooooow down and focus on the breathing aspect, and the endurance aspect and gave me a good game plan for every time I get in the pool. Basically, I should try and swim 4 laps in freestyle, then follow that up with 1 lap of breaststroke, then rest about 90 seconds. Take a puff, go another 4 freestyle then 1 in b-stroke. She has done this for the past 6 months, and her lungpower has increased tenfold.
I went back today and jumped in the pool and was able to do 25 laps. This isn’t bad, considering I had just completed Day 1 of my FC routine. And now, yes, I’m quite destroyed. But I’m so happy to be seeing progress with a fine New Year’s Resolution.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Lifeblood of the Rockies
I’m currently in a wrestling match with cabin fever, and its’ at its best right now while it boasts its ugly head and gives me nightmares for the next 4 months as I simultaneously marvel yet curse at the newly fallen snow. The kind-hearted, understanding side of me secretly chants “More! More! More snow!” meanwhile right after I repeat these words, my shoulder devil screams, “You fool! The more snow there is, the longer you have to wait until it melts and THEN you get to fish!” Ahhh, gotta love shoulder devils. Aren’t they just wonderful?
I grew up in Utah and though I spent two years of my life chasing people mostly on the plains and Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado, my thoughts have never left the mountains. I long to stand knee-deep upriver and merely gaze at pools as green as the Morning Glory pool of Yellowstone that house the demons of the deep, just waiting to blindside some annelid, sculpin or hexagenia. I often dream of runs that stretch for hundreds of yards and yet only boast one foot of depth where browns and bows stage for spawning and smaller fish compete in the food chain. I love to dapple a Ginger Quill in pocket water that is bursting forth out of a rock up some alpine canyon with voluminous effort. And I love the riffles that carry a Gros Ventre Chernobyl ant into a logjam, taunting the beautiful Snake River Cutt, tempting it with its rosy hues and black legs that seem absolutely irresistible to the indigenous salmonid. Our great Earth has much to offer us. I promise that if you have enough guts to take a voyage into the wilderness with a map, water and 4WD, you will be rewarded very kindly. And yes, I am willing to share these magnificent lands with you. I might even point you in the right direction. My love for these strange yet wonderful places are too close to my heart and assure me that I will never be able to leave the Rockies. My heart will be cloven in two.
Ahhh yes, the mighty and dusky Duchesne. This photo was taken after my friend Steve Hyans landed a beautiful brown trout that was in pre-spawn mode, and had an amazing rusty glow on its pectoral fins. I will never forget the beauty of that trout. Photo by Douglas Barnes.
This is a picture of the Salt River in Star Valley, Wyoming. I am stalking a large brown trout with a Golden Bullethead Stonefly in this shot. Alan Chidester took this photo. You should have seen him salivate at the afterglow of this sunset. Moments earlier, I spotted a 4 point buck in velvet, and his silhouette against this magenta-orange sky was unforgettable. He was a smart deer, for he was hanging out in the valley on the first day of the hunt. It was on Sept 28th that this photo was taken, the day before my birthday. We only caught 3 fish apiece that night, but none under 16 inches. That night I also had the worst case of burning legs from stinging nettle on the walk out. I knew I should have worn my waders!
I’m not telling where this photo is. It’s commonly known as “Secret Riffle” to those of us who know its whereabouts, but I will tell you that this was one of the most fun days of fishing I’ve ever had. Not one fish was over 14 inches, but if you could have seen the colors on these Colorado River Cutts and black-mouthed Brookies, you would gladly drive the 4 hours it takes to get to this totally wild canyon. We were driving through the Uintah Reservation for about 80 minutes and I had to pee so bad my EYES were watering. I have never been so relieved when I saw the National Forest sign and got out and let fly a stream that to this day will never be rivaled. This canyon is the kind of place you keep your wits and eyes about you. We were sure a bear or huge moose were lurking around every corner. It was Labor Day 2003, the first time I fished with Alan Chidester. I learned so much that it’s overwhelming for me to look back on it. We even found a knife that day. It was the first of many knives over the years. We always find knives in the river. Random?
Last but not least, this picture was taken on my birthday of 2004, on the Greys River in Wyoming. I fished that day with Al, and Geordie MacInnis. For the last 4 years I have made the effort to grace this beautiful corridor with my presence during the last week of September, which in my opinion is the most beautiful week of the year. Take note of the autumn colors of the cottonwoods, willows and young aspens. I will not sugar coat it, we didn’t catch a lot of fish that day. I caught one beautiful Snake River Cutt that was about 17 inches long and fatter than a pig, and he destroyed my fly with a few shakes of his enormous head. But wow, it was a beautiful day. And Al and I found some other great streams that day, none that can ever be rivaled to our knowledge. And we have covered the globe. One stream in particular in Wyoming is the perfect stream. I will never find its equal I am 99.9% certain.
Here is a parting shot of a river I found with my friend John Ryder Tanfield Brooks. We have vowed to never reveal its source, but I can give you a hint. It’s covered with rattlesnakes and the strangest looking brown trout I’ve ever seen. And yes, it’s in Utah. I saw a fish on John’s line that leapt 4 feet straight up that day. It was one in a million. The trout itself was only 13 inches long, but it looked like an Australian Black Marlin.
I love flyfishing. I will always love it. If heaven doesn’t have flyfishing, I’m not interested in going there.
I grew up in Utah and though I spent two years of my life chasing people mostly on the plains and Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado, my thoughts have never left the mountains. I long to stand knee-deep upriver and merely gaze at pools as green as the Morning Glory pool of Yellowstone that house the demons of the deep, just waiting to blindside some annelid, sculpin or hexagenia. I often dream of runs that stretch for hundreds of yards and yet only boast one foot of depth where browns and bows stage for spawning and smaller fish compete in the food chain. I love to dapple a Ginger Quill in pocket water that is bursting forth out of a rock up some alpine canyon with voluminous effort. And I love the riffles that carry a Gros Ventre Chernobyl ant into a logjam, taunting the beautiful Snake River Cutt, tempting it with its rosy hues and black legs that seem absolutely irresistible to the indigenous salmonid. Our great Earth has much to offer us. I promise that if you have enough guts to take a voyage into the wilderness with a map, water and 4WD, you will be rewarded very kindly. And yes, I am willing to share these magnificent lands with you. I might even point you in the right direction. My love for these strange yet wonderful places are too close to my heart and assure me that I will never be able to leave the Rockies. My heart will be cloven in two.
Ahhh yes, the mighty and dusky Duchesne. This photo was taken after my friend Steve Hyans landed a beautiful brown trout that was in pre-spawn mode, and had an amazing rusty glow on its pectoral fins. I will never forget the beauty of that trout. Photo by Douglas Barnes.
This is a picture of the Salt River in Star Valley, Wyoming. I am stalking a large brown trout with a Golden Bullethead Stonefly in this shot. Alan Chidester took this photo. You should have seen him salivate at the afterglow of this sunset. Moments earlier, I spotted a 4 point buck in velvet, and his silhouette against this magenta-orange sky was unforgettable. He was a smart deer, for he was hanging out in the valley on the first day of the hunt. It was on Sept 28th that this photo was taken, the day before my birthday. We only caught 3 fish apiece that night, but none under 16 inches. That night I also had the worst case of burning legs from stinging nettle on the walk out. I knew I should have worn my waders!
I’m not telling where this photo is. It’s commonly known as “Secret Riffle” to those of us who know its whereabouts, but I will tell you that this was one of the most fun days of fishing I’ve ever had. Not one fish was over 14 inches, but if you could have seen the colors on these Colorado River Cutts and black-mouthed Brookies, you would gladly drive the 4 hours it takes to get to this totally wild canyon. We were driving through the Uintah Reservation for about 80 minutes and I had to pee so bad my EYES were watering. I have never been so relieved when I saw the National Forest sign and got out and let fly a stream that to this day will never be rivaled. This canyon is the kind of place you keep your wits and eyes about you. We were sure a bear or huge moose were lurking around every corner. It was Labor Day 2003, the first time I fished with Alan Chidester. I learned so much that it’s overwhelming for me to look back on it. We even found a knife that day. It was the first of many knives over the years. We always find knives in the river. Random?
Last but not least, this picture was taken on my birthday of 2004, on the Greys River in Wyoming. I fished that day with Al, and Geordie MacInnis. For the last 4 years I have made the effort to grace this beautiful corridor with my presence during the last week of September, which in my opinion is the most beautiful week of the year. Take note of the autumn colors of the cottonwoods, willows and young aspens. I will not sugar coat it, we didn’t catch a lot of fish that day. I caught one beautiful Snake River Cutt that was about 17 inches long and fatter than a pig, and he destroyed my fly with a few shakes of his enormous head. But wow, it was a beautiful day. And Al and I found some other great streams that day, none that can ever be rivaled to our knowledge. And we have covered the globe. One stream in particular in Wyoming is the perfect stream. I will never find its equal I am 99.9% certain.
Here is a parting shot of a river I found with my friend John Ryder Tanfield Brooks. We have vowed to never reveal its source, but I can give you a hint. It’s covered with rattlesnakes and the strangest looking brown trout I’ve ever seen. And yes, it’s in Utah. I saw a fish on John’s line that leapt 4 feet straight up that day. It was one in a million. The trout itself was only 13 inches long, but it looked like an Australian Black Marlin.
I love flyfishing. I will always love it. If heaven doesn’t have flyfishing, I’m not interested in going there.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
A Zoo Fit For A King
There are two things I miss the most about Nebraska. One is a raven-haired gun totin’ sharpshootin, blue eyed future Olympic Biathlete (now if we can JUST get her on some skiis!), the other is the Henry Doorly Zoo.
I never knew I would be as impressed at the accomplishment than that of the HD Zoo. That animals in captivity could be so well cared for was beyond my comprehension. For the record, I am sitting on the fence when it comes to zoos in general. In this day and age, many of the wild animals of the world are disappearing from their natural environs, and they are being stowed away in cages for the enjoyment of other people for the rest of their lives. Many of their lands are becoming OUR lands and therefore the indigenous species take a backseat while we troll for oil, diamonds and other natural resources we believe will help us achieve whatever goals we have (defiling Mother Earth by extracting the fossil fuels our friends the dinosaurs left for us so we can drive fast @ NASCAR (and I will write about this silly “sport” another time with more pessimistic energy than an angry hornets nest)) , and pillaging rhinoceros horn for sexual aphrodisiacs). At the same time, the change to these wild lands is inevitable, so why not provide the best “home away from home” that we can offer to these local natives we have displaced for the viewing pleasure of all who may walk this way?
And I do suggest going out of your comfort zone and making a voyage to the East African savannah and seeing these animals for your own viewing pleasure. I have done it, and it was worth all the money in the world to see a cheetah bring down a Grant’s gazelle after a 60 mph chase. I was also treated with the spectacle of two lionesses putting the hurt down on a Cape buffalo during a rainstorm while sliding through the mud in a large matatu. I was listening to Enya on my headphones. How’s that for random?
Apparently Henry Doorly was the chairman of the World Publishing Company and his incredibly generous wife Margaret donated $750K in 1963 (which is about $4.5 million these days) and had it named in honor of her husband, but really this is beside the point. But hey, thanks Margie!
We spent the perfect zoo day on a grey balmy Thursday with low clouds and about 50 degrees outside. There were maybe 200 other people at the zoo that day. Perfect. The zoo itself is roughly 150 acres, holds over 17,000 animals, almost 1,000 different species, houses the largest Big Cat complex in North America, and the areas that deserve my greatest attention are 1) The Desert Dome, 2) Lied Jungle 3) Kingdoms of the Night 4) The Aquarium.
Seriously folks, if you ever head this way, plan to spend a day at the HD Zoo. It’s right across the street from Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the World Series of College Baseball. And it’s right on the western shore of the Mighty Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska.
This is the view I had while flying into Omaha. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard someone say “That’s the zoo!” The Desert Dome is the world's largest indoor desert at around 42,000 ft (0.96 acres).
Here is another view of the inside. The dome is 137 feet above the main level and 230 feet in diameter. WOW. You have got to see this amazing architectural achievement because it takes your breath away from a mile away!
The Kingdoms of the Night is Tee’s favorite. Imagine walking across bridges over water, with an ambience comparable to that of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, and throw in opossums, alligators, bats in 70 foot cave, and a 16 foot bottomless pit I almost walked right into! There are beaver dams and large snapping turtles cruising through the world’s largest indoor swamp, and all the while you can hear the animal sounds in the dark.
The Lied Jungle was the first exhibit we saw, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s the largest indoor rainforest in the world, and the building spans over 1.5 acres. The rainforest animals of the 6 major continents are displayed. Among my favorite are the otters, 11 foot crocodile (which I’ve been told has displayed a habit of escaping its pool), and the Clouded Leopard. There are waterfalls, rope bridges to cross and many a wild bird flying through this exhibit. I believe it took us 90 minutes to walk through the whole place!
This is the Aquarium. We were treated to views of cruising Sand Tiger sharks, stingrays, and also a few sea turtles. I love the jellyfish tank, and was also pleasantly surprised to see the weedy sea dragon! I had read about them and had seen them in rare pictures in National Geographic, but to see them up close was an amazing treat! Oh, and I saw seahorses, which are closely related to these crazy weedy sea dragons. I HAVE to include a picture of this wacky specimen.
Oh, what a wonderful way to spend a day in Omaha. The weather was nice, the company was great, and I love it at the HD Zoo. Good job, Omaha! And thanks, Tee! This has to be the best zoo experience ever. In my opinion it ranks higher than the San Diego and the Sydney Zoo.
And a parting shot. This guy was pretty amazing to watch. I can’t even IMAGINE running into a pack of African Wild Dogs the next time I visit Africa!
I never knew I would be as impressed at the accomplishment than that of the HD Zoo. That animals in captivity could be so well cared for was beyond my comprehension. For the record, I am sitting on the fence when it comes to zoos in general. In this day and age, many of the wild animals of the world are disappearing from their natural environs, and they are being stowed away in cages for the enjoyment of other people for the rest of their lives. Many of their lands are becoming OUR lands and therefore the indigenous species take a backseat while we troll for oil, diamonds and other natural resources we believe will help us achieve whatever goals we have (defiling Mother Earth by extracting the fossil fuels our friends the dinosaurs left for us so we can drive fast @ NASCAR (and I will write about this silly “sport” another time with more pessimistic energy than an angry hornets nest)) , and pillaging rhinoceros horn for sexual aphrodisiacs). At the same time, the change to these wild lands is inevitable, so why not provide the best “home away from home” that we can offer to these local natives we have displaced for the viewing pleasure of all who may walk this way?
And I do suggest going out of your comfort zone and making a voyage to the East African savannah and seeing these animals for your own viewing pleasure. I have done it, and it was worth all the money in the world to see a cheetah bring down a Grant’s gazelle after a 60 mph chase. I was also treated with the spectacle of two lionesses putting the hurt down on a Cape buffalo during a rainstorm while sliding through the mud in a large matatu. I was listening to Enya on my headphones. How’s that for random?
Apparently Henry Doorly was the chairman of the World Publishing Company and his incredibly generous wife Margaret donated $750K in 1963 (which is about $4.5 million these days) and had it named in honor of her husband, but really this is beside the point. But hey, thanks Margie!
We spent the perfect zoo day on a grey balmy Thursday with low clouds and about 50 degrees outside. There were maybe 200 other people at the zoo that day. Perfect. The zoo itself is roughly 150 acres, holds over 17,000 animals, almost 1,000 different species, houses the largest Big Cat complex in North America, and the areas that deserve my greatest attention are 1) The Desert Dome, 2) Lied Jungle 3) Kingdoms of the Night 4) The Aquarium.
Seriously folks, if you ever head this way, plan to spend a day at the HD Zoo. It’s right across the street from Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the World Series of College Baseball. And it’s right on the western shore of the Mighty Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska.
This is the view I had while flying into Omaha. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard someone say “That’s the zoo!” The Desert Dome is the world's largest indoor desert at around 42,000 ft (0.96 acres).
Here is another view of the inside. The dome is 137 feet above the main level and 230 feet in diameter. WOW. You have got to see this amazing architectural achievement because it takes your breath away from a mile away!
The Kingdoms of the Night is Tee’s favorite. Imagine walking across bridges over water, with an ambience comparable to that of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, and throw in opossums, alligators, bats in 70 foot cave, and a 16 foot bottomless pit I almost walked right into! There are beaver dams and large snapping turtles cruising through the world’s largest indoor swamp, and all the while you can hear the animal sounds in the dark.
The Lied Jungle was the first exhibit we saw, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s the largest indoor rainforest in the world, and the building spans over 1.5 acres. The rainforest animals of the 6 major continents are displayed. Among my favorite are the otters, 11 foot crocodile (which I’ve been told has displayed a habit of escaping its pool), and the Clouded Leopard. There are waterfalls, rope bridges to cross and many a wild bird flying through this exhibit. I believe it took us 90 minutes to walk through the whole place!
This is the Aquarium. We were treated to views of cruising Sand Tiger sharks, stingrays, and also a few sea turtles. I love the jellyfish tank, and was also pleasantly surprised to see the weedy sea dragon! I had read about them and had seen them in rare pictures in National Geographic, but to see them up close was an amazing treat! Oh, and I saw seahorses, which are closely related to these crazy weedy sea dragons. I HAVE to include a picture of this wacky specimen.
Oh, what a wonderful way to spend a day in Omaha. The weather was nice, the company was great, and I love it at the HD Zoo. Good job, Omaha! And thanks, Tee! This has to be the best zoo experience ever. In my opinion it ranks higher than the San Diego and the Sydney Zoo.
And a parting shot. This guy was pretty amazing to watch. I can’t even IMAGINE running into a pack of African Wild Dogs the next time I visit Africa!
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