Date: July 29, 2006

Two primary things to report on  this week are 1) Zach is still not walking by himself fully and 2) there has been some progress on the garage. Now with Zach, he is ever so close to independently walking and every day I think he is going to master it. So far though he takes five to 10 steps and then starts crawling again. I am thinking of starting to coach him and entice him to walk more. He learned to roll over and crawl so quickly I guess my expectations may be a little high. Anyway, will keep you all posted on progress. Garage made a little more progress. The walls got poured and the cement waterproofed. They should backfill and start framing next week. They say they are still on track to complete by labor day.

Rick came over today and we went for a two hour ride through Limbaugh canyon just west of Monument. Tough ride and I was suffering. Hadn't ridden since the beginning of the week so the legs were a little out of it. After the ride we spent some time and put a new tire on Rick's motorcycle. His very first tire change. I had the easy job of supervising and just telling him if what he was doing was right or wrong. Anyway, he got everything right and got the tire put back on.

The plan right now is to get to the motocross track for a while tomorrow. I plan to bring the camera this time so you all can check things out.

That's it for the week. Until next time....Mike

 

Date: July 21, 2006

On Saturday I participated in a company golf tournament. And as luck would have it we won!! It was a best ball tournament and we ended the round eight under par. This was mostly due to a real good golfer on our team. I have never seen anyone hit the ball as far as he can. 300 yards plus. We were always chipping. It was lots of fun and I received $50 for the win. The weather on Saturday was 100 degrees plus. Golf was fine but after golf a friend from work and I did an hour and half mountain bike ride. The initial climb is straight up and I have yet to conquer it in anything less than granny gear. I almost made it but shifted down on the last corner. Ever so close. I will just need to keep trying.

Zachery is ever so close to walking. I think any day he will get it but so far it is a step here and there and then back to crawling. We did see first blood last night. He fell forward and hit our end table and then bounced back and hit the back of his head on the hard wood floor. Thud, thud. He cut is gum a little and got a fat lip but after a few minutes of crying he was back to normal. Strong little guy.

The garage made some progress this week. The footings were poured and the walls were formed. They inspect on Monday and then pour the walls on Tuesday. They can then start framing and progress will really pick up then. The weather has caused some delays this week but they should be complete by labor day. As a result of the progress I need to take the motorcycles up to Rick's this weekend as the garage wall will be coming down and I do not want the bikes stolen.

Rick and I plan to get the new Honda out on Sunday so I will give a ride report next time.

That's it for this week. Until next time....Mike

 

 

Date: July 14, 2006

Pretty quiet week around here. The rain finally stopped falling around Monday and things are finally starting to get dried out. The constant rain brought back memories of Minnesota. Very seldom do we get rain that lasts for a full day and this system lasted for a full week. Going a week without the sun was different and reinforced why we live here. Now the weather is getting nice and warm. Ok that might be an understatement as it is suppose to be near 100 degrees in Denver over the weekend. Here it might make the 90's but should not be too bad. With the basement finished we can just hang out where it is nice and cool. I will take the heat over the rain.

As a result of all the rain, there was little to no progress made on the garage addition. I am hoping they make good progress next week as I really want it completed by labor day weekend. Once they make more progress, I will snap some pictures.

Well Zach went to the doctor on Saturday and he did not have strep. He was diagnosed with a virus that was making his throat sore. He did really well and now seems to be 100%. Still hasn't cut that tooth yet though. He is turning into a little helper however. Closing doors that we leave open, picking things up off the floor and delivering them to us and he really likes to help Linda with the dishes as you can see here. How old does he need to be prior to mowing the yard?

Rick came down last Saturday to help put the new Honda together. We got the carb rejetted for altitude and it started after about 15 kicks. Linda and Zach were impressed. Zach even got into the act by making sure that the handle bars were in the correct location. Throttle response was much better than my KTM and I could really tell the weight difference lifting it up onto the stand. Since it was raining all weekend we did not get a chance to get out and test it on the track. I am busy this weekend as well so it will need to wait until next weekend. Bummer. Cannot wait to see how it flies.

I did get two bicycle rides in this week. I did road rides to mix things up a little bit and I had an itch to hit the road after watching the Tour de France. I play golf tomorrow in a company tournament and then I go for mountain bike ride after. With the heat forecasted to be around 100 degrees, riding should be fun.

That's it for this week. Until next time....Mike

 

 

Date: July 7, 2006

The July fourth weekend was great. It was nice to have four days off. I took advantage! On Saturday we went for a 3 hour mountain bike ride. Nothing to intense, just a short ride near Monument. Has some climbing though as this profile shows. Here is the 3D view from my GPS. The mountain in the middle of the screen is Mt. Herman. Ride requires climbing around Mt. Herman on the road and then descending along a power line. Fun ride and a good ride to stretch the legs. On Sunday, Linda, Zach and I went to see Body Worlds II at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Very interesting. Linda really enjoyed seeing the exhibit as it has been since grad school since she has dissected a human. I tried to quiz her often on what muscle I was pointing at and she nailed everyone. Then again, how would I know if she was wrong? Zach just liked people watching. One of the more interesting pieces was an exhibit that showed a normal lung compared to a smoker's lung. I doubt if I need to explain the difference. On Monday Rick and I did a 4 hour mountain bike ride near Pueblo. This is the annual killer ride. Take a look at this profile and elevation. It is only 14 miles total up and back but took 4 hours. With single track like this and when it opens up on top it is well worth it. Coming down is a blast too though it is very technical in spots. Rick can ride most all of it, I walk those real technical sections. It is a very fun and tough ride. Cannot wait until next year. On Tuesday I went golfing for the first time this year. Shot a 91 and was happy with that. No complaints since I only golf a couple of times a year now. Later in the day, we had some friends over for steaks and drinks and celebrated the country's birthday. No fireworks this year as Zach is still a little young, but we are looking forward to next year.

In other news, the new motorbike came this week and I picked up today. Still in the truck though. Rick is coming in the morning to help unload it so I can assemble, re-jet and get it started. Cannot wait to get out and ride it. Maybe Sunday if the weather cooperates. Speaking of weather, I have never seen so much rain as we have had over the last week. Every day it is rainy and there are storms. In fact it is storming as I write this. Reminds me of weeks back in Minnesota. This weekend is suppose to be more of the same. One positive element is that most of the fire bands have been lifted. Down side is that I will have to mow the yard for the second time this year.

The contractor started on the garage addition as well this week. Just a little bit longer and I will have a place for the new bike. Not sure how I am going to fit it in the garage right now. Linda just laughs because there is so much stuff in there. Not sure what I would do if Rick didn't keep one of my snowmobiles at his house.

Zach is getting his first molar. This is a pleasant treat as he is crabby all the time. On top of that he has strep throat we think. Rick called on Thursday to say he was at the doctor and diagnosed with strep so we started watching Zach closely. Linda called the nurse and she was told that youngsters under the age of two seldom get it. Well we take him to the doctor tomorrow. Poor little guy. Hopefully he gets some good sleep tonight and his tooth cuts as well so he can be back to his normal happy self.

That's it for this week. Until next time....Mike

 

 

 

Date:  July 1, 2006

This is the first journal. I thought I would start one because the site was getting a little stale and I wanted some content that people would come back to. The plan right now is to update weekly but will have to see how that goes. If you ever have any comments just select the "contact us" link at the bottom of the iSchmitz home page.

This week I made the decision to get a better motocross bike. The KTM I have currently is just too heavy for the track. Because time is more limited now, it is easier to just go to the track and ride for a couple of hours. The new Honda will be about 50 lbs lighter than the KTM and it should be much more enjoyable taking it around the track. Hopefully I will also pick up a little speed as Rick is getting very fast. The decision I need to make now is if I should hold onto the KTM or sell it. I still enjoy riding the trails and the KTM works great there. Bigger gas tank and softer suspension as well as electric start and the mandatory spark arrester. I think I will hold onto it awhile and see if I get out on the trails anymore this year. If not, I will sell it this fall or in the spring.

Linda and I just had the basement finished and it turned out great! Zach now has a place to crawl around that is not as hard as the hard wood floors on the main level. The contractor is planning to start the new garage stall this coming week as well. I cannot wait as there is zero room remaining and with a new motorcycle coming I really need the room. It will be wonderful to have space to work on the motorbikes, snowmobiles and mountain bikes. Did I say I cannot wait!! I will keep you all posted as construction progresses.

Rick and I did a great mountain bike ride the Saturday before Father's day. Roughly three hours of climbing to get things going. Here is the profile of ride. Bottom axis is miles and vertical axis is elevation. Lots of great climbing rewarded with an hour of very cool downhill. Here is the GPS route overlaid on a satellite image. It was a beautiful day for a ride as we got ready to go. Here is a shot of Rick half way up the climb. Here is a stream we crossed and view up the trail we were riding. All in all, a great ride.

The day after that ride was Father's day. So Linda took Zach and I to a park in Colorado Springs for a little picnic. Zach got his first view of some live ducks. He loved to watch them go after the bread crumbs that Linda brought along. You can see by another picture that these ducks were not shy. Zach also got his first swing on a swing set. Grins were everywhere!! It turned into the best first father's day ever.

Not much else happened this past week. I did get in two mountain bike rides after work which helped with my fitness. A little sore from the motocross ride this past Sunday but got the legs stretched out during the ride. The long upcoming weekend will be nice. We have a 2+ hour mountain bike ride planned for Saturday and another one for Monday that will be 4+ hours. On Sunday Linda, Zach and I are heading to Body World up at the Denver Science Museum. That should be very interesting. Tuesday the 4th will be some golf. This will be my first time golfing this year. Will be interesting to see how it goes.

Until next time...Mike