Supermoon 2013 will rise in the weekend night sky!

The largest full moon of 2013, a so-called "SUPERMOON," will light up the night sky this weekend, but there's more to this lunar delight than meets the eye.

On Sunday, June 23, at 7 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT), the moon will arrive at perigee — the point in its orbit its orbit bringing it closest to Earth), a distance of 221,824 miles. Now the moon typically reaches perigee once each month (and on some occasions twice), with their respective distances to Earth varying by 3 percent.

But Sunday's lunar perigee will be the moon's closest to Earth of 2013. And 32 minutes later, the moon will officially turn full. The close timing of the moon's perigee and its full phase are what will bring about the biggest full moon of the year, a celestial event popularly defined by some as a "SUPERMOON."

You can watch a free webcast of 2013 Supermoon full moon on SPACE.com on Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 June 24), courtesy of the skywatching website Slooh Space Camera.

While the exact time of the full moon theoretically lasts just a moment, that moment is imperceptible to casual observers. The moon will appear full a couple of days before and after the actual full moon most will speak of seeing the nearly full moon as "full": the shaded strip is so narrow, and changing in apparent width so slowly, that it is hard for the naked eye to tell in a casual glance whether it’s present or on which side it is.

During Sunday's Supermoon, the moon will appear about 12.2 percent larger than it will look on Jan. 16, 2014, when it will be farthest from the Earth during its apogee.
Supermoon's big tides.

In addition, the near coincidence of Sunday's full moon with perigee will result in a dramatically large range of high and low ocean tides. The highest tides will not, however, coincide with the perigee moon but will actually lag by up to a couple of days depending on the specific coastal location.

For example, for New York City, high water (6.3 feet) at The Battery comes at 8:58 p.m. EDT on Sunday, or more than 12 hours after perigee. From Cape Fear, N.C., the highest tide (6.5 feet) will be attained at 9:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, while at Boston Harbor a peak tide height of 12.3 feet comes at 12:48 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, almost 2 days after the time of perigee.

Any coastal storm at sea around this time will almost certainly aggravate coastal flooding problems. Such an extreme tide is known as a perigean spring tide, the word spring being derived from the German springen, meaning to "spring up," and is not — as is often mistaken — a reference to the spring season.

Spring tides occur when the moon is either at full or new phase. At these times the moon and sun form a line with the Earth, so their tidal effects add together (the sun exerts a little less than half the tidal force of the moon.) "Neap tides," on the other hand, occur when the moon is at first and last quarter and works at cross-purposes with the sun. At these times tides are week.

Tidal force varies as the inverse cube of an object's distance. We have already noted that this month the moon is 12.2 percent closer at perigee than at apogee. Therefore it will exert 42 percent more tidal force at this full moon compared to the spring tides for the full moon that will coincide with apogee next January. Huge moon at moonrise.

Usually the variation of the moon's distance is not readily apparent to observers viewing the moon directly. Or is it?

When the perigee moon lies close to the horizon it can appear absolutely enormous. That is when the famous "moon illusion" combines with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging moon looks incredibly large when hovering near to trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The fact that the moon will be much closer than usual this weekend will only serve to amplify this strange effect.

So a perigee moon, either rising in the east at sunset or dropping down in the west at sunrise might seem to make the moon appear so close that it almost appears that you could touch it. You can check out this out for yourself by first noting the times for moonrise and moonset for your area by going to this website of moonrise times by the U.S. Navy Oceanography Portal.

Happy moon-gazing!

"MYTH" - You will eventually get hurt or killed on a motorcycle.

"MYTH" - You will eventually get hurt or killed on a motorcycle.

If you don't come from a motorcycle family and decide that you want to learn to ride a motorcycle, usually you get lots of advice from your family. They will tell you, "Motorcycles are dangerous." They'll call them murder-cycles or donor-cycles. They'll remind you that, "Uncle Ed got killed on a motorcycle. You stay away from motorcycles. You'll get killed too."

Now a certain amount of caution is OK so long as it's constructive. They fail to mention that there are many old riders on the road who have been riding 35-60 years and are still alive.

They don't know about all the advances in safety in the last 20 years. Bikes now have disc brakes. Some even have ABS brakes. Most riders are getting trained to ride safely through the programs of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).

If you come from a motorcycle family, you're still not home free. They will encourage you to ride but they may give you bad advice or worse yet, try to teach you to ride. Don't ever let a loved one teach you to ride. Worst of all is learning totally on your own.

Take my advice. Level the odds by learning all you can about the proper way to ride a motorcycle. Let the MSF teach you. Then get an experienced trusted friend who is also MSF trained to go out with you as you practice. Wear protective apparel and a helmet. You CAN learn to be a safe rider and manage the risks of riding. So to every one out there "ENJOY THE RIDE"
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                 ..... TINY.....
                         

                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                              

 

Travel Tip #15: CHUCKLE!

A day without laughter is a day wasted! - Charlie Chaplain

I sat down at the computer this morning with the intention of planning out my next trip to the Chicago/ Milwaukee area. But as usual an hour latter I had achieved no planning and found my self cruising facebook.

What do you say was the cause of this great distraction?

MY EMPLOYEES!

At Long Ride Shields - (A company I started in college) my staff have been using humor to their advantage and have gotten us from 500 all the way to 19k Likes - Just by using funny pictures. 

I spent the last hour laughing at all the funny pictures my employees had been posting over the last few months.

Here is the FB page for those interested enough to read the comments and pictures.

LONG RIDE SHIELDS FACE BOOK PAGE

I had forgotten how healthy a little laughter can be, and then I started to think about how a simple chuckle or finding the funny in an otherwise serious moment can help us relax, regroup and re-think.

When traveling as a road warrior I think a little laughter can go a long way.... So next time you are out and about exploring the world - Find Something to laugh at- you might just enjoy yourself!

MY BOSS CRASHED HIS BIKE!

LRS BIKER DOWN!

You all know Matt Gardner, the owner of Long Ride Shields. Well, his Dad, Guy Gardner had been wanting to come out and join us on our rides, so last summer he went out and got his motorcycle license. He passed the class quite easily, but hadn’t had much practice from then until now.

LRS had an upcoming motorcycle event coming up called Ride for the Tatas, and we were all going to be there. As the date came closer and closer, I knew Guy needed a lot more practice before he was going to ride with a large group. So, we all set out one Saturday for a nice long ride into California to some great scenic, winding roads near Markleeville.

All was going great. Guy was doing really well with us. The first half of our ride was pretty strait foreword with limited bends in the road. After lunch, we set out to some more winding roads into Markleeville. My wife and I were riding up the rear. We had 2 other riders in front of us, then Guy, and then Matt in the lead.

As I approached the top of a hill, and started curving downward to the left, I noticed 2 of our riders pulled off to the shoulder and I knew it right then...... Guy was down. There they were, struggling with Guys Sportster, trying to pick it up out of the ditch. And there was Guy, sitting on the hill on the side of the road. I was scared for him. I stopped as fast as I can, jumped off and immediately went to help the other two riders with the Sportster. My wife, Kim went straight to Guy and began checking him over.

Chunk my bosses skin 

Guy was lucky. In the end, he had some bad road rash on his forearm, a broken wrist and quite a few thorns from the bush he went straight into, stuck into him pretty deep. All in all, he was okay and in fine spirits.
Matt who had been in front noticed that we weren't behind him and soon rolled up to see his dad laying in a ditch, Luckily he had a first aid kit on his bike, and Kim began cleaning him up best she could. The bike was an unrideable mess. Forks are bent pretty bad. Fender bent. Turn signal shattered. Oil all over. The oil cap had come off during the crash and was nowhere to be found.

A person who lived in a nearby town was driving by and we flagged him down. We needed a phone and had no cell phone reception where we were. He was kind enough to take Guy into town so he could call his wife to come get him. My wife road with, and they were off. We all followed and ended up in town at the local fire department. There, he took an ambulance to the hospital toget properly patched up. A decision that haunts him now as this experience cost him over 4 thousand dollars. Kim and I decided to ride back to the crash site to be sure the bike got picked up by the tow company. Once getting there, I was determined to find that oil cap and began searching again. Just when I was about to give up, there is was, buried deep, in the ground behind the thorn bush that had left many thorns in Guy’s arms and legs.

Guy was fine. He did have to return to the hospital later that night to get more thorns removed that were so deep, he needed to be cut to get them out.

So, why did this crash happen? Obviously, Guy is a beginner, but was doing very well. Guy knew what he had done wrong. He was unable to make the bike turn in the corner because he was going too fast and was braking in the corner. In the end, he went straight into the embankment. He was lucky. The bike can be fixed. Things could have been a lot worse. A tough lesson to learn the hard way.
This got us to thinking. What are the most common causes of motorcycle accidents? I’m certain this is one of them. A friend of Guys is a Sheriff in Jefferson county and wrote an article regarding this information. I’d like to share this article with you all and to remind you to be safe out there!
Motorcycle's have limits. Know them.    - James F.   Manager at Long Ride Shields


By Sheriff Ted Mink
 
When you earn your motorcycle endorsement the letter "M" is stamped on your driver's license right next to height, as if 'motorcycle' was just another part of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition. You see, cars deceive us into thinking we're safe, and in control. The air-conditioning fans murmur a sense of tranquility. Motorcycles tell us we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride.

In Jeffco

Since January 2011, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has responded to 44 serious injury, or fatal, motorcycle crashes. Of those:

98% were rider error
75% occurred in the foothills
70% were caused by excessive speed or failing to negotiate a turn
40% of all fatal motorcycle accidents involved unendorsed riders
14% were DUI related

In 2013, Jefferson County has already had two fatalities; one on Hwy 74 between Morrison and Evergreen, and one on Hwy 72 in Coal Creek Canyon.  Hwy 74 was caused by the rider failing to negotiate a corner and the Hwy 72 accident was caused by excessive speed.

As a result, our motorcycle traffic unit is increasing their accident reduction efforts. Comprised of six highly trained deputies, the traffic unit is proactively exploring the issues and working towards solutions. They recognize that even a seasoned rider must know their limits.

Top Ten Motorcycle Safety Tips:

Eye contact. Never assume others see you. Always try to make eye contact with drivers who may be about to pull into your path.

Read 'vehicle language'. Even when drivers, cyclists and pedestrians see you approaching, they often misjudge your distance and speed. Don't rely on them.

Turning left. Getting hit by an oncoming vehicle while turning left is the most common type of motorcycle crash. Watch your mirrors.

Be cautious of hazardous road conditions. Wet roads, fluid spills, sand, gravel, highway sealant, railroad tracks, and potholes reduce traction and may cause falls.

Take it easy on curves. You could overshoot or cross the center line into oncoming traffic. Slow down and choose the correct lane position before entering a curve.

Wear a good helmet. Helmets prevent head injuries in 67% of crashes. Helmets must meet current CDOT safety standards. Avoid buying a used helmet, especially one that has been in a previous accident.

Be visible. Avoid blind spots and always use headlights day or night. Wear bright, reflective clothing.
Protective gear. Gear can provide some protection during a crash, as w
ell as shield you from weather and debris. Wear protective eye and face gear. Never ride in lightweight pants or shorts.

Keep your distance. No one likes a tailgater. Keep a safe distance between your bike and other vehicles.

Use both brakes. When braking use both brakes at the same time by applying them slowly and steadily.

Worlds largest double barrel shotgun!

I just returned home from my little trip down to the Bay area.

I Love california, but hate.... Hate..... HATE! Traffic.

I was stuck in traffic for no less than 8 hours today.


I didnt see Bigfoot as I had hopped, but I did manage to catch the worlds largest double barrel shotgun on camera.

It was good to see the city again, and visiting with my clients was very successful.

I was a little jealous of my co worker who slept while I drove.... HE ALSO SNORED!  I had half a mind to fall asleep at the wheel just to teach him a lesson..... My own lesson would have been counter-productivity 101. We were out the door at 4:30 am and got home about 8Pm

It seems like any little fender bender has the potential to ruin everyones day!

That's just life I guess.

WOW THERE'S SOME GUNS!

Heading over the beautiful bridge.... SF off to the right.

Stuck in traffic.... AWESOME!

MORE TRAFFIC


At-least the sierras were pretty!