Archive for November 2008

It’s amazing what Michigan Tech students do for our world, but something became very apparent to me today; they make MY life more exciting on a daily basis. Over lunch I went an walked around campus a bit and the place was deserted. It’s one of those things you take for granted until its gone. I know it sounds a little weird, but I wanted to sit on the steps of a building and cry…..but then I realized they’ll be back next week :). I snapped the below shots of our empty campus today.

Empty bike racks in front of one of the most used buildings on campus.

Empty walkways.

COME BACK SAFE everyone, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Kyle

The Huskies will be in action every day this weekend, starting with a big night tonight at the Student Development Complex. The men’s basketball team will be taking on Alma at 5:00 pm, followed by Husky hockey versus number 11 Minnesota State at 7:07 pm. The volleyball team will also be in action at the NCAA Midwest regional tournament at Grand Valley, they will play Saginaw Valley State University.

Saturday the action continues with a hockey re-match at 7:07 pm. The women’s basketball team will be out of town at Minnesota State Moorhead.

The action wraps up Sunday with men’s basketball at 1:00 pm. If you’re in town, come cheer on the Huskies!

After a fun-filled night of drywalling a room in my house, I decided to take a walk with the dog on Mont Ripley. Once Buster and I walked outside, we got a nice little surprise: a half full parking lot a tons of people on the hill!

BoardSport Technologies is one of our 28 enterprise teams on campus. Their focus is to build skis, snowboards, wakeboards, and snow park features for Mont Ripley. This is a team who’s passion for their sports of skiing and snowboarding runs very deep, hence the reason they were the first ones on the hill. GO THEM! I’m sure not all 20 or so students were involved with the enterprise, but hopefully that tells you a little bit about the energy, drive, and sheer desire of our students. As always, I snapped a couple shots for your viewing pleasure.

Things are looking good for winter around here, no doubt. Rumor has it that the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Trails are now open, which is GREAT news for those interested in using that world class facility.

More news from Houghton soon.
Kyle

Living close to the ski hill has it’s perks, no doubt. Saturday night while hanging with some friends and sampling some of the finer things in life (see sushi photo below), we began to hear this faint roar from outside. The roar was a very welcome one to many of our ears, especially those of us who are skiers or snowboarders; snow guns.

Sushi kicked the night off

We all took a little break from the sushi and checked out the action.

Night shot of a spewing snow gun

We all stood rather patiently as the small frozen particles of water shot out of the cannon at a rate fast enough to fillet a fish. After a few minutes of watching the action, we decided that it was time to finish up the sushi.

The next morning I had a little more time (and some daylight) to walk up the ski hill. This is when it hit me; I LOVE TO SKI. It’s a feeling that is so indescribable for me (and many of my friends). Skiing is a true escape, an amazing excitement that only this sport can offer. I started to picture myself looking down some of my favorite runs at Mont Ripley. My moment of trailing thought even sent a few chills down my spine as my mind wandered even further. I started to think about that feeling I get when I point my tips downhill, roll my knees and ankles to initiate a turn, and feel my skis, body, and mind fighting gravity. For many of us that ski, it’s so much more than a feeling. It’s an escape. It’s a freedom unlike any other. It’s controlled chaos. It’s an entirely different world. If someone was walking next to me that I didn’t know, they would have been freaked by the silly smile on my face. This is the time of year my wife finds me rather difficult to deal with, and who can blame her. I don’t think about anything but getting on the snow. Is that selfish of me? I don’t know. But what I DO know is that I can’t help it.

So for all you young ones out there reading that have yet to meet their future partner in life, use caution when dating skiers or snowboarders :). Or better yet, come join us. Maybe you’ll feel the same rush.

Patches

Mont Ripley in its own world

Full steam (or snow) ahead

An icy layer

See you all on the slopes!

Kyle

On Thursday, November 6 Michigan Tech (yet again) had the privilege of hosting the YES! Expo at Ford Field in Detroit. For those of you that don’t know, YES stands for “Youth Engineering and Science”, and for the roughly 15,000 middle and high school students that attended, it was an amazingly informative and eventful day. It was (unfortunately for the 0-9 Lions) the most exciting event Ford Field has seen this fall (sorry Lions fans, had to throw that in there).

This post is really about the journey from campus to Detroit and back, so for those of you thinking about attending Michigan Tech from that area, you’ll some of the things we liked about our trip (and some of the things we miss about our home in Houghton).

Buster the dog (and stuffed bunny), not happy about my departure.

When I was crossing the bridge to head to campus, I was treated to an amazing sun rise over campus and the water that surrounds it.

Before we knew it, we had made it to the Mackinaw Bridge, one of the most amazing engineering accomplishments in recent history. One thing we should all note; one of the lead engineers on this project was a Michigan Tech graduate.

7-11 Slurpies......full of yum.

A sunset from the freeway somewhere around Flint. The landscape is SO much different here (corn versus trees).

Purtyness from the car window

Some of the team posing in front of an advertisement that actually makes me want a cold Pepsi.

(L to R) Master Pete, Erin, Ali, and John

Running out of the tunnel was kind of fun (in a re-living my childhood kind of way).

I couldn’t imagine having to perform anything if each one of these seats was occupied by a human. I don’t think I’d even be able to walk, let alone throw, kick, catch, or even run after a football. What an amazing stadium.

View from the field

There really isn’t a bad seat in the place. This is the view from a little further than halfway up. In case you’re wondering, that guy in the gray shirt is NOT chasing me, it’s my boss (he’d never catch me anyway).

The mad rush after the doors open! Keep in mind, these students get at least half a day off, so needless to say they’re excited. They get all KINDS of free stuff, too, so it’s a pretty exciting day for them.

Happenings on the field.

The name says it all.

This place was packed!

YES! Jumbotron exposure.

On the way back, we were a bit tired and called it a night in Mackinaw City.

Mighty Mac at night.

I have to admit, Mackinaw City is quite eery this time of year. I decided to take a walk after we arrived in town, and aside from a car every five minutes, I really didn’t see much. All I could hear were my footsteps and a very faint sound of the amazing Lake Michigan joining Lake Huron. I could see silhouettes of a couple of docked freighters, and many of the ferries that take passengers to Mackinac Island were beached for the winter. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out, I felt as if all 29 crew members of the Edmund were hanging with me. Edmund sunk 33 years ago today, by the way.

Empty streets in Mackinaw.

This sign was posted on just about every restaraunt door.

Anybody for a dip off the Pier?

All in all, it was an amazing trip and such a fun experience. We returned home to some cooler weather and even some snow on Sunday, so it won’t be long!