Sprint at George Mason University on July 1 – raining a good part of the time. Had to dry everything out after. Good thing that it was a three day weekend…
And, thank you to Trish for drying out and sorting the orienteering bags! (Photo courtesy of Trish as well!)
Last minute effort – a banner for the WPFG. Mostly happy with it. Shouldn’t wait to the last minute for these things.
Bartered race timing for the use of the frame to hold the sign.
It looked pretty darn good! (Photos courtesy of Trish Strat)
White course with Lailah – we covered over two miles with some detours to walk on the boardwalk and look at the marsh. Lailah ran lots and said that she was having fun. Cookies from Amy helped. She only asked to be picked up once, and that was near the end when we were walking across a field where the grass was a little high. I picked her up for a couple of feet but then encouraged to finish on her own, and she did.
I picked up the camera on the way back before doing the last three controls. Wish I had had it sooner.
Proud and tickled.
Lailah didn’t like the tree branches that she had to reach through for this one.
I told Lailah we were looking for 15o. She said that o wasn’t a number, and asked if it was really 0. Made me laugh.
Lailah checking the codes – this one wasn’t ours.
Ah, Stuart’s Hill at Manassas – always a bit windy in the shelter since it is surrounded by open fields, and today was super windy at around 20-25 mph. So, I happily set up in the van and dealt with people out of the back. Comfortable as long as you didn’t have two doors open.
Thanks to Tori for remembering, despite the fact that I only mentioned it in passing a week+ ago, that I was working alone today and arriving early to go out. After she got back, I headed out on Brown, though not really with my heart in it at all. After struggling to find the first control, I noticed that my foot was really hurting (need to try other shoes) and that Cynthia, who was on Yellow, was having issues getting her 7 year old Enid to go along with her around the course. At this point, I decided to head back and take Enid with me, so with bag of treats in hand, I headed back, though Enid was resistant, since she just wanted to sit there and eat treats. So, I picked her up and carried her back, and we totally bonded.
I may have to get me a beagle.
I also watched Samantha for a while, who also resistant to coming with me, but she was harder to corral, darting around behind a car. After getting her back to my area, she played with my phone for a while and declared my car a mess.
The park proved to be a great place for exploring nature, and here is Anna with a turtle, and Nicole with a bag of dirty water. I can only assume that there was something swimming around in there. Enid also wanted to be in the picture.
So, the orienteering didn’t go so well, but my time outside of the van was enjoyable, having more interactions than I have had in a while, including a nice conversation with Peggy.
Thanks to Tori (and Jon) who made it possible, and to all of my friends, both old and new.
Another October A-Meet, this time in Mountain Lakes Park in Westchester County, NY.
Stayed in the wonderful Laural Cottage, courtesy of the most excellent meet director, G. C.
There was a small pond outside the back door, and I relived a part of my childhood by taking a rowboat out for a spin.
For the event itself, I spent a bit of time putting out the O-Lynx radio controls. The woods were wonderful!
The TV results displays are looking quite good with the O-Lynx results display.
And, since we were in the same place for two nights, I left the displays setup overnight, just covering the TVs. OK, when the wind was howling during the night, I was a bit nervous, but all was well in the morning.
A good event, and I would will work with HVO/WCOC again in the future.
Hitting the road for Rochester, New York area for the 2014 US Nationals (Sprint, Middle, Long Orienteering Championships).
The schedule was:
Sprint – Friday – Genesee Valley Park
Long – Saturday – Letchworth State Park
Middle – Sunday – Letchworth State Park
Will it all fit into the O’Mobile?
Not quite. Had to go to the overflow space on the top.
Stayed at Jellystone Campground in a cabin. Thin walls, but it had three bedrooms, one for each of Amy, Sandy, and me. Perfect place to stay, though we weren’t around very much, getting an early start each day.
Took time to meet the local guy…
Was almost run off the road by another one…
Had a great shelter to set up in at Letchworth SP.
Made for easy unloading and loading.
The results displays are four tv sets these days.
Last three photos courtesy of Alexis R.
Cute cabin – no bathroom
Amy getting it all to fit in the O’Mobile
Finish Arch
Go Control with O-Lynx
Results Display – last use of the screens
Besides the usual accolades about the scenery, and the people, or whatever, here is a varied list of other good things about the trip, in no particular order.
1. Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 Very Purple – size 10
I needed a pair of shoes with traction but without metal studs, and these seemed to fit the bill. Little did I know that the Very Purple color would be considered to be SO **bright**, but I guess it is, since the color has been much talked about, both here and abroad. After getting past the color, the grip was admired as well.
I wore them a half dozen times in December, so I knew I could stand them for the trip, and, indeed, they turned out to be the perfect shoe for the varied New Zealand terrain. I had taken my Ice Bugs but never took them out of the bag.
I should note that the Speedcross does not serve me as well on the steeper, leaf covered hills behind my house, so I still need the Ice Bugs for most of the local orienteering maps. Continue reading
Wide awake with no place to go, well, at least not for a couple of hours. 🙂
This morning, I was greeted by Catherine’s cat, Nadia, looking to wrestle a bit. Fortunately, I was warned that she plays rough, though not enough warning that I didn’t get scratched.
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Description: One of the original STB maps (2010), remapped to issom standard for 2013 with some new and very interesting additions. Havelock North Village is a very fast area made up of urban, industrial, school, and park terrain. Very appropriate for the 6th stage as you’ll definitely need that 6th gear to make up time on your rivals on this map!
Had to set up in the rain and wind, and it didn’t look good for a festive finale to the Sprint the Bay, and for the trip to New Zealand on the whole. It cooled off quickly.
Some people will wear anything when they are cold.
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