Personal Record

I've been hitting the gym at the Duluth Clinic Fitness and Therapy Center for about a year now and have been pretty satisfied with my progress for the most part. I've started getting a bit less satisfied since getting my cholesterol checked and finding it just over the line into the "bordeline high" category. However, my body composition numbers have shown some improvement, albeit, small. So I've switched from using the recumbent bike as my main cardio machine to varying the routine a bit to include an elliptical machine and swimming. Today I challenged myself in the pool and swam for a mile. That's 32 laps or 64 lengths of the pool. That is a big number for me. A little over a year ago when I first committed to getting into shape I went up to the pool at UMD and could barely complete 4 or 6 lengths. It was pretty frustrating. But today I swam a mile. I'm happy with that.

Taking the plunge

I finished my Nitrox certification course last night and since Superior Scuba Center has some great clearance sale prices on stuff, I took the plunge and bought a ton of gear. Jay is going to bench test the regulator set and get the alternate air source hooked up yet, but when he does, I’ll be ready (mostly) to go. Here is a run down of the big purchase:

• Dive Rite regulator system
  
• Dive Rite NiTek Duo computer
  
• Zeagle Ranger Ltd BCD
  
• Atomic Aquatics SS1 Alternate Inflator Regulator (SS1 review )
  
• Bare Velocity 3/2 full wetsuit (probably to be used mostly with my 2mm shorty on underneath.
  

North Coast Ski trip

Despite the cold weather, our ski trip to Lutsen Mountain went very well. I had to work Friday so I met the family at Hidden Cove on Friday night. They skied/snowboarded most of the day and had a great time. Nothing froze even though low temps for the day were likely in the teens below zero and the highs were probably in the single digits below. Saturday we all went and enjoyed a beautiful, frigid day on the mountain. The views of Lake Superior from the top of "Moose Mountain" were spectacular. I ended up having to buy a neoprene face mask since the thin polypropylene thing I had didn't block the wind at all. We spent much of our time (since everyone but Brennen had either never skied or hadn't been on the slopes for a very long time) on the easy hills on Ullr Mountain but we did ride the gondola over to Moose Mountain for a couple of longer, more challenging runs.



The view from our condo was wonderful as well. The big picture window looked out from the second floor onto a steaming Lake Superior. The photo is from the little gravel beach at the bottom of the hill. Sunlight in the morning was a welcome sight after too many long, dark winter days lately.

January Thaw

It was above freezing again this morning when I woke up and drove in to the gym. The fog created an eerie early morning scene. We are loosing our snowpack pretty fast this week. The forecast calls for cooler temperatures later in the week though so maybe we won't loose it all. I hope not. We are planning a weekend sking get-away up the shore in a couple of weeks. Snow will make that more fun.

The big task at work right now is reviewing grant applications. We received 31 proposals to Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program requesting almost $1.3 million for projects to protect, restore or enhance Minnesota's coastal area. The process involves internal DNR review, review by the Governor's Council on Minnesota's Coastal Program, and review by NOAA, our federal partner in the coastal program. It means a lot of meetings, most of which are pretty exhausting, but it is rewarding to be able to provide funding to some really great projects.

The picture for today is a view of Shovel Point at Tettegouche State Park from a 7-acre parcel that we were able to help purchase last year. It is now part of the park and the property will be restored and protected. The orange stuff all over the rocks is a lichen and its extensive coverage indicates that the rocks have not seen a lot of people trampling on them. Lichen does not hold up well to foot traffic. It is nice to see such a healthy patch at this site.

Blue Planet

So we got "Blue Planet" for Christmas this year. It is a nature documentary series by the BBC, the same folks that created the outstanding series: "Planet Earth". The Blue Planet series was done first and while it is not quiet as impressive as the later series, it is still very cool. It covers the wet majority of our world and a recent edition adds a 5th DVD to the set. We've only made it through a few episodes but I'm really enjoying it. Learning new stuff too. I'd never heard of brine pools before. Wow!

Get the DVD's and watch them. Then go dive or snorkel on a coral reef while you still can. It won't be long before they are gone. A couple of new studies paint a pretty bleak picture for the future of coral reefs. See a report on a study published in Science in Dec. here, or read the abstract from the journal online. Increases in acidity are also a threat from rising carbon dioxide. Another report (here) based on the same study suggests that changes in water chemistry, coupled with increasing water temperature will kill 98% of all coral reefs by 2050.

2008 is the International year of the Reef. So take action today. Even though coral reefs seem exotic and far away to those of us in the great white north, the ecological processes that happen there have profound impacts on us. There are a bunch of coral reef conservation organizations out there that are doing good work. Support one like the Coral Reef Alliance. And don't buy cheap farmed shrimp. Shrimp farms are destroying critical mangrove and reef ecosystems at a frightening rate. National Geographic magazine had a great article about the problem in a recent issue and it included their usual outstanding photography including this image of a landscape of shrimp farms in a former mangrove forest. Instead of buying shrimp, use the guide by Seafood Watch to find sustainable fish for your table.

Our blue planet is a wondrous place. Let's keep it that way.