Firbush Point on Loch Tay

Familiar Vista?  Its not West Marin, but Loch Tay in the center of Scotland

Before exam week began about 2 weeks ago, a group of students assembled by the Plesance Center for Sport and Exercise. It was a Friday, and as the sun set we were ushered into a utility van and driven North towards the dead-center of Scotland. After the 2 hour journey we emerged into another world of mist and mountains, sheep and rocky crags. This place starkly contrasted the dank and smokey streets of Edinburgh. Here there were more bicycles than cars, and many other things that I hadn't seen since California: catamarans! I brought my bike along and got a ride in during the following morning. During the ride, I saw modest brick and stone houses, walls and make shift fences were the only human contribution to the rugged landscape. Later that day I was given the opportunity to helm the Dart 16 on Loch Tay, and winds developed from the West to keep us moving.

Dart 16: single trapeze, Poly Propylene (Bullet Proof) hulls

The second day featured a few of us mountain biking and the remainder kayaking, canoeing and wind-surfing.  I was part of the wind-surfing crew, and we were mostly successful in getting up despite the meager wind.

Heightened Security, New Bike

New Bike with 4 new locks attached (for a total of 5)  Can you spot them all?

All of this focus on locks took my attention to what I was locking the bike to...

Upon closer inspection, the entire bar could be removed by using a simple "monkey wrench" or socket set!!

So the saga of measures and countermeasures continue. I think that with enough locks, I can deter theft, but the weakest link is really my complacency as I've now learned time and again. What is the balance that will allow me to keep my possessions from being taken?

Singing with the 2012 MBA Class

We had a blast on Thursday night, as we sang our cares away.  Thanks to Lucca for setting this event up, and managing the logistics of booking to singing-rooms.  I was impressed by the vocal talents of my classmates, especially when the canned-music cut off and Linda and Anna sang acapella songs from their native countries.  (China and Ukraine)  

Good times now that Semester 1a exams are finished



Best Buds



Theft in Edinburgh

An unfortunate part of being a tourist destination is that many people (like myself apparently) come unprepared for theft.  My bicycle was stolen from the foyer area of the apartment where I am currently staying, and I had carelessly left it unlocked to the bannister of the stairs in front of the apartment itself. (Bonnington Mills near Leith)  The outer door to the foyer was left unlocked... I came home last night at about 1am to find a helmet in the parking lot.  I didn't recognize it as my helmet immediately, but upon entering foyer, I noticed my bike was gone like being hit by a ton of medieval stone.  My bike shoes and pump were there, and they looked quite bare and useless without their complement, my Rocky Mountain Solo 30 road bike.  (See picture below)  Please contact me via the phone number below if you see this bike whizzing around the area.  I fear that chances for recovery are low, but it is a rare bicycle for this area, and should stand out.  (Rocky Mountain typically makes mountain bikes, and road bikes are not common for them to begin with...)

Call with any information regarding this theft:  0131 531 0459

Solo 30, a great road bike lost to theft in Edinburgh

Sudanese Lunch (Coffee Etc.)

I'm glad that I tried this place--it is good and not prohibitively expensive.  The owner was pretty friendly, and I enjoyed my falafel wrap.  What I ordered ran about £3.75, or about $6.00

It kept me going for a few hours, and had a spicy sauce that I enjoyed.  Cappicino here is £1.50, or about $2.40.

The location can't be beat--right across the street from the Informatics building here on the central campus.

Yacht Clubs around Edinburgh

There are two yacht clubs that I can recommend so far:  Royal Forth and Port Edgar.  Both have racing, although PEYC seems busier over the winter racing season.  A rough map showing each club's location is below.  Port Edgar can be reached by bike trail from central Edinburgh but beware:  the bike trails are mixed in quality and sign-age is spotty at best.  I budget about 1 hour of travel time to travel the 10 or so miles, much less than I would budget on the farm roads around Davis!  (easily twice as long to travel here due to road sharing with cars, stop lights and so on...)

Bike Storage at Potterrow

The campus is guarding against bike theft by providing several "secure cycle storage" facilities, which allow entry based on swiping University cards.  The facilities have roofs, although the walls are fenced to allow wind to blow right through.  Some kind folks even left their extra floor pumps in there so that you can pump up your presta or schraeder valve tires!  This has helped me out more than once...   

Potterrow is one of the more popular ones, and a map of the facility is above (X marks the spot).

The University also maintains a list of shower facilities on its biking website.  Each green cyclist below represents a different secure store location.