The Blog Within

With the temperature hitting 60º this afternoon, I decided it was a great day to see if it is feasible to ride my bike to work at the new office.

Since I’ve now ridden the southern part of the Cherry Creek Trail a bazillion times, I figured I would save some time and energy and drive to the kids’ school at Jordan and E470 and ride north by northwest from there. 24 miles later I was really glad I made that choice!

Here is the GPS track of my return trip: (I didn’t bother to run it for the trip to the office)

Normally bike commuting involves about an 8 hour break between the trip out and the return. Turning around and coming right back was definitely a challenge I’m not used to!

Heading north from C2E took me on a part of the Cherry Creek Trail I have never seen before. It is very scenic, even in January, with amazing views of the rockies as a bonus. The Cherry Creek Trail peters out at about Otero St and from there the way leads along Jordan Rd until the border of Cherry Creek State Park, at which point the road continues as dirt, but is blocked by a gate and a sign that says, in effect, never mind the fact that there is a perfectly good road here, go away. I ducked the gate and road it anyway. After about 100 yards it becomes paved again, and legal to be on. Here there is another sign for the southbound traveler spreading the same good will and cheer, but this time offers a detour to another segment of the Cherry Creek Trail. On the return trip I broke the law again, because I wasn’t sure what would become of me if I took the trail. After checking GoogleMaps at home it seems that the trail makes a very small loop around to a side street, so I will use then when I ride this way again, rather than get shot by the secret park police.

Proceeding north on Jordan takes a nice route up through the park, long, but nice. It finally turns west at Cherry Creek Reservoir and eventually hits a street that heads south to Belleview, which is where I needed to be.

Once on Belleview, it was pretty quick to get to my office building, even with going a block north on DTC Blvd when I didn’t technically need to.

Coming back, I took Ulster all the way down to Belleview and then headed east. This route has several nasty intersections, so at rush hour I might be inclined to go around the extra block of DTC Blvd after all.

As scenic as the route b the lake was, I don’t like to add extra miles just for the heck of it, so on the way back I found a nifty shortcut that saved off a whole mile.

The rest of the trip was on the same route as the trip in.

Yes, I am starting a new job, but just like the title says, it found me, I didn’t find it. I wasn’t even looking for a job, as I’ve been enjoying my time at Quantum, but right at a time where they are struggling financially this opportunity came along. At Quantum I work in level 3 tech support, which is admittedly a little boring, but now I will be running a data center for Fidelity National Financial. It should be challenging and stimulating, and the Provident timing is just icing on the cake.

Because judging by the 2008 election map…

Several months ago CodeWeavers, a company that makes compatability software for running Windows applications on Linux and Mac, announced the Lame Duck Challenge. 

It turns out one of the challenges has been met (a drop in gas prices) so on Tuesday, 10/28/08, you can get a free copy of their CrossOver software for Linux or Mac for free, with support!

A message from the CodeWeavers CEO, Jeremy White

Read the full press release here, and then don’t forget to hit the site tomorrow for your free software!

The seasonal end of practical bike commuting is rapidly approaching, and I am looking forward to making some modifications to the old Specialized Rockhopper hardtail in order to transform it into the perfect full time commuter bike for next spring. This assumes, of course, the acquisition of a full suspension mountain bike…

With over 1,000 miles of paved commuting this summer, as well as offroad adventures to Slickrock Bike Trail, Klondike Bluffs, Monarch Crest Trail and Kenosha Pass, this bike has cheerfully handled everything I’ve thrown at it, but it is time to move up to a full suspension model for off road and let this bike live out its days as the daily workhorse.

When I originally considered bike commuting, my intention was to buy a cyclocross bike, but lacking the funds, I made do and bought smooth tires for the Rockhopper and swapped them out for weekend offroad trips. This method works, but it is a huge pain in the butt! I have enjoyed bike commuting enough that I want to do it again next summer, but I want to have dedicated bikes for dedicated tasks, so…

The Rockhopper has turned out to be an excellent commuter, and it already has a gel cross-country racing saddle, pannier rack, bottle holders, a cycling computer and Bontrager Hard Case street tires. Currently my back wheel and front brake are in need of replacement, and since I need to replace them anyway, why not upgrade! Here’s what I’m considering:

 

Wheels:

Forté Terramax Wheelset (Performance Bike – $119.98/pair)
These are the “store-brand” wheels from Performance Bike. For daily commuting they should be adequate, and they come with disc brake compatible hubs!

 

Brakes:

Forté Mechanical Disc Brakes (Performance Bikes – $69.99)
Also store-brand, these mechanical disc brakes should handle everything encountered on a daily commute, we’re not descending Mt Evans here after all, and since they are mechanical they can interface with my current brake levers. I like my levers, which Shimano saw fit to integrate with my shifters, and I have no interest in replacing the whole mess when it works just fine.

 

Front Fork:

Salsa CroMoto Fork ($99.00)
The OEM Manitou Axel fork that came with this bike is complete crap, and the Marzocchi MX Comp that replaced it will most likely find its way onto the new mountain bike. Since as a commuter this bike will live mostly on pavement, a fully rigid front fork should be just the thing. This one has tabs for disc brakes, and is height-corrected to replace the OEM 80mm suspension fork. 

 

Rear Derailleur:

Shimano Deore RD-M531 (Performance Bikes – $54.99)
My OEM Shimano rear derailleur is acting a little tired. I also replaced the OEM 11-30t cassette with an 11-32t model, and the derailleur is technically able to handle only up to the original 30t cog. This derailleur should fit the bill quite nicely.

 

Lights:

Planet Bike, Blaze 1W & Blinky 5 (Amazon & REI – $31.00 & $15.00)
For the inevitable late night of work, or late season, short daylight morning rides, front and rear lights are a necessity. (And in Colorado, they are required by law) This headlight is one of the brightest AA models available, and when combined with my headlamp, it should be all the light I’ll need. The tallight mounts directly the designated tab on my pannier rack.

 

Laptop Bag: 

Cannondale Cypod (Nashbar – $69.99)
This summer I have gotten away with leaving my laptop at work, but I really should take it home with me, in case I decide to work from home on short notice or something. I already have a decent trunk bag for clothes and shower items, and my camelback holds snacks, tools, spare parts, wallet, etc. This bag has a built-in padded sleeve for a laptop, as well as some misc pockets for power cords and such. I looked at it for $109.99 at Treads, my LBS, but I see Nashbar has it on sale for $69.99!

So now you know my plans for the perfect commuter bike setup. The gas I’ve saved by bike commuting most of this summer should easily cover the cost of all of these items, unless of course some of them find their way under the tree this Christmas…

[Edit] This GPS is no longer functional. There is a known issue where a lithium battery soldered to the main board eventually loses its charge and at first the unit will no longer store settings or track info, and eventually will not acquire a GPS fix at all. I have a acquired a new GPS with similar functionality that I like even better, stay tuned for details!

As promised, here are the details of the new GPS thingy.

Overview

There are a number of GPS options on the market these days, but there is one feature that sets this one apart: internal track logging. What this means is that the GPS can log your waypoints as you travel, and store them in its internal memory, without requiring a connection to a laptop, phone or PDA. So for cycling, hiking or jogging where navigation is not required,  you can literally turn it on and throw it in a backpack, and then upload your waypoint data to a computer for further processing later. DeLorme claims battery life of about 9 hours with no bluetooth connected. I’m getting about 5-6 with mine, so I will most likely be ordering a new battery.

For management and navigation, the Blue Logger can connect to a cell phone or laptop via bluetooth only, it has no USB connection at all. If your PC does not have a bluetooth adapter, not to worry! A USB bluetooth adapter can be purchased for $10.00 or less.

Details

I purchased my Blue Logger  for $30 via Craigslist, and it came with only the AC charger. I’ve also seen them on eBay for $30-$50 with variations of the original accessories. You can also, for now, still purchase them new directly from DeLorme, via their Earthmate website. The unit is available with no mapping software for $130.00, or for varying prices with different mapping software. They also have a variety of accessories available.

That being said, you should know that there is a huge selection of free software that will allow you to interface with the Blue Logger, should you decide to pick one up used from Craigslist or eBay! Below is what I have settled on for use with mine, and there are others out there if you google “gps software.”

Hardware

If, like I did, you got one that is missing a charger or other accessory, you can purchase them as needed:

• AC Charger – $10.00

• Car Charger – $19.99 or $5.99 (It uses the same charger as a number of older PDA’s like the iPaq 3000 series)

• Spare Battery – $29.99 (very handy to have an extra, or as a replacement for the OEM if you bought used)

• External Antenna – $32.95 (Mine has excellent reception here in Colorado, I’ve had no need for the extra antenna)

• USB Bluetooth Adapter – $12.99 or $5.99 (I bought the $12.99 model on sale locally for $9.99 and it works great. Geeks.com tends to have better prices, but their inventory changes so keep checking back)

To operate the Blue Logger, hold down the power button until the red LED lights up, then release it quickly. The flashing blue light indicates it is ready for a bluetooth connection, and the flashing green light indicates it has a satellite lock. If the satellite LED turns to solid red, the battery is running low. Once the unit is turned on, toss it in your backpack, pocket or whatever and it will happily log away.

PC Software

In order to use your GPS in a meaningful way, you will need some software for it. Specifically, you will need the Blue Logger Manager application in order to adjust the settings and retrieve the logs from your GPS. DeLorme has it available for free here. If they should ever take that link down, I have saved a copy of it here. This software is for Windows, and I have also run it in Linux via Wine. Use of the application is fairly straightforward, and DeLorme has documentation for it here. With the management application, you can enable logging, and set the parameters for how it will mark waypoints when it logs. Once this is set and enabled, any time the GPS is powered on and has a GPS lock, it will log until it either loses the GPS lock or is powered off.

After you have logged a trip, the resulting data can be processed and displayed a number of ways. In order to retrieve the data from the GPS, use the management application described above, and save the data to your PC as a .gpl file. This file can then be converted to a standard .gpx file with the program GPSBabel. Usage of this program is simple. Open the program and browse to your .gpl file, set the format of the input file to DeLorme GPL, browse to where you want to save the converted file and give it a name, select the checkboxes for Waypoints and Tracks and select GPX XML for the output file format:

**Please note: the default location for the .gpl files is
C:\DeLorme Docs\GPSLogs

When all the necessary selections have been made, click the ‘Let’s Go’ Button. When this completes, the .gpx output file is ready to be used by other programs.

One program that can open .gpx files directly is Google Earth, available for free here. After you have installed Google Earth, run it, and then from the ‘File’ menu, choose open. Set the file type to ‘Gps (*.gpx *.loc) and then browse to where the .gpx output file from the previous step was saved.

Select the file and click ‘Open’ and the route extracted from the GPS will be displayed in Google earth:

In Google Earth, there is a plethora of options to play with. Explore and have fun!

Online GPX processing

In addition to viewing your trip data in Google Earth, there are also several online tools with interesting features. For a quick and easy view of a saved trip, try http://utrack.crempa.net Click browse to choose your .gpx file, select your options and then click Generate Report. Your map will be displayed on an interactive Google map, accompanied by elevation, speed charts and other statistical analysis.

**Please note: by default, GPSBabel will output a GPX 1.0 formatted file, which contains speed information recorded in KM/H by the GPS unit. uTrack will import this data directly as KM/H, but will label it MPH if that is what you selected. In order to correct this, when converting the file to .gpx, go to the options menu and select ‘Output: GPX XML’ and in the resulting dialog box, check the box for ‘Target GPX version for output’ and enter 1.1.

Click OK and then output your .gpx file as described above. The resulting GPX 1.1 file will not include speed data from the GPS unit, and then uTrack will calculate it, correctly, from the waypoints of your track. While uTrack is good for quick viewing of your trip data, it would be even more cool to be able to save your trips permanently and display them on your own blog or website, like this.

This functionality is facilitated by TrimbleOutdoors by signing up for a free account. After you create your account, go to the Map My Story link and click on ‘Import Now’ under Option #3. This will walk you through their gpx import wizard, after which can save and share your trip, as well as grab the code for embedding your trip into your own site!

**Please note: As per the GPX 1.0 issue mentioned above, TrimbleOutdoors cannot import a GPX 1.0 file at all, it will just hang. You must output it as a 1.1 file for it to work!

Mobile Software

Because the Blue Logger is an NMEA compliant bluetooth GPS device, it can also interface with bluetooth enabled PDA’s and smartphones. In order to do this you will need some software. For turn-by-turn navigation, the best mobile software hands down is TomTom Navigator. It does cost money, but if you already have the phone and a bluetooth GPS, the software is cheaper than a typical car based unit, and you can also use it walking, cycling, on a motorcycle, etc. I use this software with my Blue Logger and a Palm Centro and it is FANTASTIC! I have a Lowrance car-based GPS that I bought for $200, and this blows it away both for accuracy and ease of use.

If your needs don’t require turn based navigation, but perhaps you’re into geocaching or you are off road, ther are several other free applications worth checking out:

cotoGPS – A GPS program for Palm Powered Devices. It shows all important information and is useful for any Geocaching tours!

Where Am I – A Google Maps Mobile companion tool for Palm OS. If you want to bind your bluetooth GPS receiver with Google Maps, then this tool is for you. This applpication does not enable turn based navigation with Google maps, but it can let you pinpoint your current position for the purpose of getting directions.

Navegador – Navegador is a GPS enabled application that collects real time information and provides an easy and compact navigation solution. It has some very basic mapping features, sort of like the old school handhel Garmins with user defined waypoints and saved locations with customizable icons.

I use cotoGPS and Navegador on my Centro and they work well. Jen’s Treo 650 has a data plan, and Where Am I works on hers and Google Maps.

The bottom line is that for $30.00, this GPS has proven to be one of the coolest gadgets I have ever bought. It accompanies me on all my cycling adventures so that I can make my own route maps, elevation charts, etc. And when combined with my Palm Phone, it makes an incredibly robust mobile navigation solution! If you see one for cheap on eBay or Craigslist, grab it, but even at the full price of $130.00 from DeLorme, its internal logging capabilities make it a solid purchase!

YAWN….

For years I have gotten the same breakfast item at McDonalds: Value Meal #10 – Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel.

This past Saturday, we made our semi-regular weekend morning visit to the Golden Arches which, like most of them in Colorado,  is being fitted with a shameless Starbucks knock-off. To my surprise, my beloved #10 meal had an “unavailable” sheet of paper taped over it, so I asked the manager if they were just out or if that meal was being discontinued. She informed me it was being discontinued permanently!

I can’t imagine what McDonalds is thinking with this decision. Casual observation seemed to indicate that this was an enormously popular meal option, and there is nothing else on the breakfast menu that is similar to it. As for me, my future weekend fast-food breakfast plans are now utterly ruined.

From now on, I will have to go to Chick-fil-A as their Chicken, Egg & Cheese Bagel is excellent. It’s just a bummer that I’ll have to drive further out of my way to get it, and it costs more.

So to you McDonalds: kudos on being clever enough build your little cafe thingy and cash in on the closure of several hundred Starbucks locations. But as for cancelling the breakfast bagel sandwich…what on earth were you thinking?!?