The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[bradfordkay]

I am sure that it is good for leg strength. When I was running cross country in high school, one of the schools in our league was Blue Ridge School (VA), whose campus was located 4 miles from the AT. Their race course went up a steep slope to an old ski tow rope tower, down that slope and then back up it before descending once more and recrossing a small creek we had splashed through before the climb. I liked the uphill part but my knees did not like the downhill portion.

In the summer of 1980 I rode over from Athens to visit a friend Jimmy Sturwold, whose family lived at the top of Mt Alto Rd. (For you forumites, that is a bicycle ride from Athens to Rome in one day! - okay, this is Athens and Rome, Georgia which are only 125 miles apart so it isn't as impressive as those of you who live in Europe thought). The next day we hiked up to the reservoir for some swimming, which is the only time I've been up on the mountain behind Berry College.

[Canoerebel]

125 miles in a day is stiff. 125 miles in rolling terrain with plenty of short, steep climbs is incredibly tough.

But imagine doing it today, with 2017 North Metro traffic compared to 1980 countryside travel!

[bradfordkay]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

125 miles in a day is stiff. 125 miles in rolling terrain with plenty of short, steep climbs is incredibly tough.

But imagine doing it today, with 2017 North Metro traffic compared to 1980 countryside travel!

Road riding is a lot more dangerous now than it was when I was younger, this is true. This is why I am a big advocate of the rails to trails initiatives (like the Silver Comet Trail from Smyrna to Anniston, Alabama). Trails like that give cyclists a safe place to get their exercise while not contributing to road congestion. I use a local one to get well out into the rural part of my county where the other roads are less busy.

You forgot to mention having that 125 mile ride finish at the top of Mt Alto! And this all happened on the July 4 weekend... 102+ degrees Fahrenheit!

For the return I decided to go north of Lake Lanier, turning the ride into a 152 mile ride. Not a great decision... but the roads were lower traffic.

[Canoerebel]

I mountain bike here. I have a variety of tough routes with names like The Chainsaw, The Blow Torth, Weed Whacker, Gap to Gap, etc. Those are my names - kinda like naming AE operations. Most of those are tough, rocky climbs. In July and August, that's stout going (as you well know).

[bradfordkay]

Mountain biking was one of the reasons I moved out here, but as I get older I am less enamored with it. The body just doesn't heal as quickly any more... So I stick to road riding, hiking and the occasional cross country skiing, with an emphasis on road riding as it is a great way to stay in shape for the others without having to go too far away by car.

I started mountain biking at the UGA Botanical Gardens before they banned the activity there. After that I would go up to the Lake Russell Recreation (and Game Management) Area for weekend rides. Forumites would be interested to learn that Currahee Mountain is located there.

Shortly after that I got the chance to move west, and Olympia was my choice. Capital State Forest just outside of town has 150 miles of single track trails to ride, ranging from 300' elevation to 3600' (it takes about eight miles to gain that elevation). There is a local group, Friends of Capital Forest, who are mountain bikers who put in a lot of trail maintenance there which is becoming even more important as these trails have been getting heavy use the past ten years. Again, less so by me because of a lessening desire to beat myself up.

[bradfordkay]

Of course, the hiking out here in the summer is spectacular:

[Canoerebel]

I've done a lot of hiking in the West, but not enough. I suppose even if I am able to travel and hike for the next 20 or 30 years, as I hope, I won't have enough time. The West is spectacular.

Hiking in the East may be just as spectacular, though in a different way. Same with hiking in the South, with one big difference: I do it here year around.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I've done a lot of hiking in the West, but not enough. I suppose even if I am able to travel and hike for the next 20 or 30 years, as I hope, I won't have enough time. The West is spectacular.

Hiking in the East may be just as spectacular, though in a different way. Same with hiking in the South, with one big difference: I do it here year around.

If you're hardcore, you can do it year-round up here, too.

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

If you're hardcore, you can do it year-round up here, too.

True, my boy and I are always getting into trouble in them thar hills...

[bradfordkay]

That is what cross country skiing or snowshoeing is all about, though the river valleys of the Olympics and the coast are rarely snowbound. You just need good raingear there.

Back when I lived in Georgia, my roommate, his twin brother and I had a tradition of doing a three to four day hiking trip every New Year's. I recall it being pretty crowded up at Shining Rock Wilderness one year, but a couple of years later Mt Roger's Recreation Area was empty of other hikers (as was the Roan Mountain section of the AT the year in between). The Roan Mountain/Greasy Knob hike has the distinction of being one conducted when the nighttime temps were dropping into negative numbers (Fahrenheit) - so, yes, you can get extreme conditions in the southeastern Appalachians.

[Canoerebel]

Brad, that's Roan Mountain four posts up. My son, Jackson, is standing on the rock on Jane Bald or Round Bald, looking back at Roan, which we had climbed earlier that day. The photo was taken in early August 2015.

[Encircled]

Our mountains over here are tiddly in comparison

[Canoerebel]

Weird anomaly today at Vaitupu, where Allied invasion of atoll doesn't trigger a shock attack. I think this must be a code error, because I can't think of any other reason the shock attack wasn't triggered.

A small Allied unit landed at nearby Funafuti, triggering a successful shock attack. But the Marine CD unit that landed at Vaitupu (in good shape!) didn't. The enemy unit doesn't seem to have any combat power, but I don't think that prevents the shock attack.

More later.

[Canoerebel]

Another anomaly today:

[Canoerebel]

Today was a busy day across the map. I'll post in detail later. But here's another numbers thing that caught my eyes.

Yesterday, 2.5 years into the game, the Allies finally - at long last! - took the lead in points for ships sunk. A landmark event!

It lasted one day. Today an IJ sub picked off CVE Chenango. John's retaken the lead, drat him!

[paullus99]

He is using his subs rather aggressively - but given his circumstances, it's the right play on his part.

I will say, his lack of reaction to losing, for all intents, the bulk of the Philippines is somewhat out of character. Though his side operations in the Celebes & Burma speak volumes to his need to "do something." Even if in doing something, he's losing the strategic equation.

[Canoerebel]

Plenty in SigInt today.

[ny59giants]

With your position on the SE peninsula of Luzon, I would have massive number of subs on both sides of Formosa. He has to get that oil from DEA/SRA to Japan. He may unload at Hong Kong, but I would be serious about sinking his precious TKs.

[Canoerebel]

If you put a massive number of subs on both sides of Formosa, you'd lose a massive number of subs. By 1944, Japanese air ASW is lethal to subs. In just about every game I've followed, the Allied player has had to morph his sub strategy in '43 as a result. That's what happened to me. John's air ASW is tough, so I've pulled my subs back or placed them in holes in John's patrol coverage.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Weird anomaly today at Vaitupu, where Allied invasion of atoll doesn't trigger a shock attack. I think this must be a code error, because I can't think of any other reason the shock attack wasn't triggered.

A small Allied unit landed at nearby Funafuti, triggering a successful shock attack. But the Marine CD unit that landed at Vaitupu (in good shape!) didn't. The enemy unit doesn't seem to have any combat power, but I don't think that prevents the shock attack.

More later.

I've had this happen, but only when the defenders are already extremely worn down or have no AV.