MS 150

So Kimber completed the BP MS 150 for the first time. The MS 150 is a charitable bike ride from Houston to Austin over two days. The overnight stop is La Grange Texas. Depending on the route you choose, total mileage can be from 150 miles to around 180 miles. The ride raises money for research to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and to improve treatment and care for those who have multiple sclerosis. About 130 people from Marathon ride each year and a total of 13,000 people ride. Marathon riders raised $150,000 for the National MS Society. Here is a picture of Kimber on the first day. She wore her only short sleeve jersey from Norway.


It is a challenging ride. You can start in Houston, Katy or Waller. Katy is the most popular start. Waller second. Houston is the longest day for the those who start there. They ride 100 miles to get to La Grange. The start was nice, well controlled and the ride in general was well supported. Most riders were courteous and friendly. There were some who were exhibiting dangerous behavior. One of the main challenges was the volume of traffic at rest stops. And some of the entries and exits to the rest stops were scary to me, consisting of loose rocks and gravel. But there was plenty of food, water, facilities, and bike repair if needed. Also the road on the first day was not in very good shape. It was very rough in many places so I was completely worn out when I finally got to La Grange. But my awesome support team (Kirk and Sidney) were there cheering me on. We stayed at a hotel in Bastrop overnight. Most people sleep at the campgrounds in group tents in La Grange. But I simply don’t camp. Plus with Kirk and Sidney, we really needed beds. It worked out well because then I could relax a little the next morning and get on my bike right at the hotel to continue my ride. Below is a picture from the second day. I am actually feeling really good.

I was early so I had most of the road mostly to myself, seeing only the fastest riders pass me by. It was a lovely flat and smooth road up to about 5 miles out of Austin. Then it got hilly and windy. But it was such an amazing feeling to ride into Austin. Both personally to know you completed something like this, and as something you could give. The ride isn’t about speed or racing. It is a ride to support a cause that affects many people. Most riders ride in honor of or in memory of someone with MS. Below is one of the professional photos taken during the ride. What a great picture. Congratulations to all the riders for whom this was a challenge. It was a worthy challenge for a great cause. Someone's life will be a little better because you rode!


Kirk and Sidney were up to well, what Kirk and Sidney do. Play, eat and take pictures. An occasional cheer for mom and taking care of her when she is finished. Sidney managed to find some fun.








Kirk and I are talking about doing it together next year. We can’t take Sidney until she is 12 though so she will have to say with a friend. But it would be a nice chance for Kirk and I to do something good together.








And for the funny bit which accompanies many of our posts. First a picture iconic of Texas. A lost boot.






After the ride is a big party. And no one wants to stink for the party so they bring in shower trucks. I had never seen such a thing before. But my eye caught this sign of course.

The New Norway Office

Kimber has been to Norway twice this year and she thought it might be fun to show the progress of the new building Marathon will be moving into in less than a year. When we moved to Norway, the office was in the center of Stavanger. However, a new office building was being completed basically next door to our apartment in Hinna. Below are two pictures of the first Hinna building. We have posted other pictures but these two are unique. They are taken from our back patio and from the terrace above the shared area of our apartment in Norway. These are views we will never have again!



In October 2009, Marathon announced they would be moving to the building being completed near our apartment. This meant Kimber’s commute was 2 minutes, even underground if needed due to bad weather starting in January 2010. The working environment required some adjustment as we all went from offices to open floor plan, and nearly quadrupled in number over the next 5 months as we took over operation of Alvheim from Maersk. Below is the aerial view of the area where our apartment was located. Take note of the pier on the lower left of the photograph. It becomes the subject of the rest of the story.



This new building is temporary however. Right after this building was finished, construction began on a building that would be located on the pier close to our apartment and near the Condeep. The picture below shows the pier as it was used prior to construction. These are ferrys offloading for a soccer game.



The next picture shows the pier as construction began. The entire interior of the pier was jack-hammered or dug out.

A structure of concrete walls was built on the interior, then clean fill placed inside the vaults created by the walls. Then the combination of walls and fill was overlayed with concrete. Finally the basement (garage) and first floor went down. All of the buildings floors are poured concrete much like the building we are in now.

Next building construction began. The next series of pictures shows progress of the building by floors and overall completion. You are only seeing a small part of the building in these pictures. It is the part that is over the pier. But always in the background is the Condeep to provide perspective. The building actually extends over the pier as well as the length of the three apartment blocks it is beside. But I can't capture all of that in one shot. The pictures below are from October and December 2010.


The building is on the other side of our former apartment from the current office building. Still a nice commute if we were still living there. It will have a great view as well from some sides, overlooking the Fjord. The last two pictures are from this year. They are March and June of 2011. So here is the comprehensive history of the Marathon Hinna Offices.

First Long Ride as a Family

So we purchased a tandem bike. It isn’t high end but it shifts and rides well. We attach the trail-a-bike to the back under my seat and away we go. Now the other problem we had was transporting this bike around. A tandem is longer than a car is wide so we couldn’t really carry it on a traditional bike carrier. It would fit in the Prius with the wheels removed and handle bar turned and Sidney’s seat and the passenger seat down. But then what good is the bike without the riders. So we found this neat contraption that you mount on the top of the car. It has a pull out U shaped mechanism that extends off the back of the roof of the car. The front wheel is removed from the bike and the y thing attached to the front of the U shaped piece and bolted in place. Then you extend the back as far as you need to and lift the back wheel into the trough. A strap secures the back wheel. Kirk can basically load the bike himself although it is easier with two. Sidney’s trail-a-bike goes on the other side in the rack on top and the wheel in the middle. It leaves plenty of room for us and all the things we need inside. We have used it to haul the bike to the park and up to Whaler.

So we took the tandem out the first time to George Bush Park. We rode about 22 miles that day just testing out how the bike felt and making sure Sidney did OK. George Bush Park is a great park here in Houston with baseball fields, soccer fields, shooting range, equestrian center and maybe 15 miles of paved bike trails. It connects into another park called… which offers several more miles of bikeway off of the roads and in some pleasant areas. We have seen turkey, deer, cardinals and many bugs and other birds. It is a real treat to have such a space available in the city and just a few minutes from home.


Our next adventure on the tandem with trail-a-bike was a 55 mile ride to see the wild flowers that bloom here in the spring. We did that ride at the end of March. The flowers weren’t spectacular because we have been in a severe drought. But it was still lovely. The ride was well supported with stops every 8 to 10 miles. The day was rather windy but stayed cloudy so it wasn’t hot. I don’t think Sidney pedaled much but she managed to stay on the bike all day. Oh and she has her own little pair of bike shorts. She received tons of encouragement from the other riders around her. The most wonderful part of the ride was the support and encouragement she received but also that she gave back. She would always cheer the bike riders around us or sing for them. She was the youngest participant that we saw. I am proud of her both that she did such a long ride with us but that she is such a positive person. Hopefully these are the things that will keep her wanting to ride and do healthy and fun activities.

Sorry It Has Been So Long

So we haven’t been very good at maintaining the blog. It isn’t because we don’t want to, but we are crazy busy. The fact that we are both working full time and Sidney is in school has taken a hit on our free time. Add maintaining the house, commuting, swim lessons, and Kimber’s travel and we can barely keep our head above water.

So Kimber has a number of blog posts to put up. There is one about Norway and describing the progress of the new office building and the other latest Norway Adventures. There is one about our first long ride as a family on our "new to us" tandem. Another is about Kimber’s general travel. One will be about the MS150 and finally one about the house, our new furniture, and our adventures around Houston.