Words to Live by…
Posted: June 9, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Gaping Void Leave a comment »
http://www.gapingvoid.com/
Latta Plantation Park
Posted: June 9, 2009 Filed under: Hiking, Outdoor Recreation | Tags: Charlotte, Hiking, Latta, Outdoor Recreation 1 Comment »I went out to Latta Plantation Park with the family this weekend – The Park is an interesting area just outside of downtown Charlotte on the shores of Mountain Island Lake. The park itself has a lot of history. In the mid 1700′s it was a homestead for the Hawes family. Starting in the 1800′s it was a Plantation owned by James Latta, an Irish Immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1785. You can still visit his grave in the park and see some of the original plantation buildings, including the slave quarters.
We visited primarily for the nature preserve and the hiking. Most of the trails are designed with the nearby equestrian center in mind, so they are wide gravel affairs. While this detracts considerably from the wilderness feel of the area, the horses kept our daughter entertained the whole time. Also, there are several hiking-only side trails that allow you to get off the big horse thoroughfares.
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- Hi!
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- The Three of us
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- Mountain Island Lake
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- On the Trail
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- Heading Down Split Rock Trail
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- Nap Time
In addition to the trails, the equestrian center, the historic plantation, and the nature center, Latta also has a Raptor Center. Overall , it’s an amazing family park only a few minutes from downtown Charlotte. Here’s the map:
View Larger Map
Backcountry.com Adds a New Private Brand
Posted: June 3, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »It looks like Backcountry.com is launching a private brand for their cycling website, RealCyclist.com. According to the press release I received yesterday, CUTTER is, “Named in recognition of the gritty, underdog spirit of the Cutters team in Breaking Away, Cutter recognizes that urban riders are also the underdogs. From apparel to tools and locks, Cutter’s goal is to manufacture the goods that encourage and help you successfully battle traffic jams, taxi drivers, jaywalkers, the elements, criminal elements and the unenlightened during your daily commute.”
The line is actually very good. Here are a couple of photos:
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- Cutter Knickers – Cycling Softshell with style
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- Cutter Cyclical Jacket – eVent with some crazy styling
Backcountry.com already sells a few pieces under their own self-named private label, but this appears to be their first foray into premium private branded merchandise. They appear to have hopes to sell it into other retailers as well. Again from the press release: “
To launch, Cutter brand products are sold exclusively through www.RealCyclist.com but will expand into other outlets in the near future. Baby steps.”
Dick’s SG tried to do this not too long ago by licensing a few brands, like Nike ACG. Their goal was to rais the price points of thier private label merchandise and generate even higher margins. To make a long story short, it didn’t work and they abandoned the tactic. The world of online retail may be different, and the high-end bike consumer is definately different, so there are a lot of variables at play here. If nothing else, it will be interesting to watch this progress.
-KV
Out of Office
Posted: June 2, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: business, humor Leave a comment »A great out of office message from one of our potential clients:
I am out of the office. I will be completely out of email, phone, and carrier pigeon contact for that time because I will be out in the woods in a vain attempt to catch large fish. Once back in civilization, I will try to respond to your email as quickly as possible.
Best Home Gym
Posted: June 1, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »8a.nu has a pretty incredible thread going on asking for submissions for the best home climbing gym in the world. Some of the photos posted are impressive, to say the least. Here are a few:
Check out the full thread HERE
