Davos 2022

I learned about skiing in Davos as a corporate spouse, tagging along in prior years during the World Economic Forum. In those relatively recent but bygone days, WEF took place in January, and its attendees and their entourages snapped up all the accomodations for miles around. That meant particularly empty ski slopes, and I enjoyed two trips there, skiing in blissful solitude.

After a couple of years off, WEF returned this year, but in May. Meanwhile, back in February, I was trying to plan a ski trip somewhere in the US, but the lodging and lift prices, as well as air fare (whether in dollars or miles) were a bit pricey (read: ridiculous) for my taste. “Hmm, what about Davos?” I decided on a bit of a whim to check for mileage award availability. IAD-ZRH nonstop for 60k miles and $12 in fees. Hmm. What about hotel? Six nights, single room in Davos by the station, $300, with breakfast. Not per night – six nights. Hmm. How about lift passes? Stowe or Killington, weekend day pass $175+. Davos, entire region, five days, $300.

That was, as we say, that.

 

Tuesday Ride

Looked like rain this afternoon, but it cleared up by around five pm so I decided to go for my regular weekday ride, about 22 miles down Beach Drive and back via Ross Drive, Broadbranch, and through Chevy Chase Section Four and Bethesda back home.

Weekday 22 mile loop

Today I’m trying out posting from my phone, grabbing a few screenshots and a photo and writing a bit of text, all in preparation for a longer bike trip later this month.

Today’s ride stats

To help prepare for the trip I’m shooting for about 100 miles a week. This week I got in an extra ride on the holiday weekend.

Weekly stats

Lots of deer and rabbits out on these warm Summer days. Here’s a friend from today.

Deer along Beach Drive checking me out.

360 Camera Experiments

Starting to prepare for my bike trip (Passau to Wien along the Danube), so I’m trying some experiments with my Insta360 One X2 camera.

For today, I rode my usual ‘longer’ route, down the Beach Drive/Rock Creek cycle trail and back up the Capital Crescent trail. It was a bit cloudy this morning and the recent (torrential!) rains left quite a bit of mud and detritus on the road and the cycle trail.

Downed tree along the Capital Crescent trail. There was a newly-trod narrow path around the side (left side of photo)

Here’s the first video, a short sequence along the Georgetown waterfront by Key Bridge. 360 cameras take video in all directions at once, and you can reframe, pan, and zoom in the editing app after the fact. Some of the effects can be a little dizzying, but it’s fun to try to make interesting shots.

Cycling around the Georgetown waterfront.

Next up is a segment along Beach Drive. Here, the camera is mounted on my helmet, for a drone-like vantage point. You can see the mud on the road from what must have been quite a flood in Rock Creek.

Muddy Beach Drive

The last video was taken along K Street NW under the Whitehurst Freeway, ending with a view of Rosslyn and the Key Bridge. There’s a really bad, old joke about Jimmy Carter and Key Bridge, Rosslyn, etc. But I’ll spare y’all.

K Street NW

Finally here are a couple of photos from the One X2. They’re based on the same 360 shot, reframed and lightly adjusted for better exposure/contrast.

Key Bridge. One X2 photo.
Panoramic shot from the One X2. Full Image

Next up, perhaps some low-light shots or music?

Beach!

Cosmo

Sooo, we couldn’t take our planned holiday this Summer, but I am happy that I’m getting a vacation – a nice chance to relax, get some exercise, play a little music, and enjoy some delicious cocktails and sea food. 
I’ve been on a FB hiatus for July, you know, because FB is a force for evil and not good, and today I decided to take a break from Twitter as well. I subscribe to some great publications, from the Atlantic to the Washington Post, so I’ll stick to them for a week or so and have a brief respite from the firehose of doom and authoritarianism of which I’ve seen altogether too much of late.

Meanwhile had a very nice and flat, breezy of rather hot run today…

Today’s run

And a lovely cosmopolitan…

Cosmo

And recorded a song…

Here’s the music setup:

Folks here along the Delaware/Maryland seashore are well distanced, wearing masks inside every place I’ve been, and just generally doing their thing.

All in all, not a bad way to spend some time – I’m quite thankful to have a place to go and a job to which I can return.

UA/UX 7681 IAD-DFW

View from seat 1A.

Boarding was the typical IAD A-terminal mob scene. Today's special? Boarding two flights, not just via one gate (very common at the IAD A gates), but by only one of the two doors. Already one girl fled this plane after discovering that it was bound for DFW, not ELM!

I think if I were to end up going to the wrong city, other things being equal, I'd rather end up in Dallas than Elmira!