Posted on Jan 20, 2010 under Uncategorized |
I just wanted to let you all know about a great product that I’ve been using for a few months now that allows friends, loved ones and possibly emergency personnel to see where your at in real time while your riding, hiking, hunting, snowmobiling, driving……For some fun slip it in your teenagers car…just for fun of course. I plan on using mine for GC2010 so my millions of fans can track my progress (or lack thereof) across the state. If you get one get SPOT-1 because SPOT-2 doesn’t seem to have the bugs worked out yet.
http://www.findmespot.com/holiday/
The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger provides a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when you need it. Using 100% satellite technology, SPOT works virtually anywhere in the world, even where cell phones don’t – all with the push of a button.


SOS / 911: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your GPS location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.
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HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to the GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled or until the batteries are depleted. The Emergency Response Center notifies the appropriate emergency responders based on your GPS location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contacts about the receipt of a distress signal.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network it will still attempt to send a distress signal – without exact location – to GEOS, which will still notify your contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.
9-1-1 EMERGENCY SERVICES POWERED BY GEOS Search and Rescue
Help: In the event of a non-life threatening emergency, you can use this function to notify your personal contacts that you need assistance. Additional SPOT Assist services can be purchased and programmed to your Help button as well. When activated with SPOT Assist, the Help button will notify professional services either on the land or water. SPOT has partnered with national service providers to offer non-life threatening assistance.
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HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it along with the HELP message through the SPOT satellite network every five minutes for one hour or until cancelled. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network it will still attempt to send a HELP message – without exact location – to your personal contacts.
Check-in/OK: This feature allows you to let your friends and family know that all is OK with a pre-programmed message along with your GPS location. With a push of a button a message is sent via email or SMS to up to 10 pre-determined contacts and your waypoint is stored in your SPOT account for later reference. Your stored waypoints can be easily integrated into a SPOT Shared Page or SPOT Adventure account.
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HOW IT WORKS:
Once you have activated your SPOT Messenger and set up your account, you can change your contacts and customize your message at any time. When you push the Check-in/OK button, you send one pre-programmed message to your contacts. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
Custom Message: This feature allows you to let your friends and family now receive a custom message along with your GPS location with a push of a button. Use this feature as a secondary OK message or transfer your personal help alert to this message function if you are using a SPOT Assist service on your Help button.
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The Custom Message functions exactly like your Check-in/OK message You can also have access to your waypoints in your SPOT account so you can review your route at a later date. Or link your SPOT account to SPOT Adventures and save a map of your adventures using your SPOT waypoints, and enhance the story with photos and a blog.
HOW IT WORKS:
Once you have activated your SPOT Messenger and set up your account, you can change your contacts and customize your message at any time. When you push the Check-in/OK button, you send one pre-programmed message to your contacts. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
Track Progress: This feature allows you to send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in near real time using Google Maps. With your SPOT account you have the ability to set up a SPOT Shared Page which allows you to show your SPOT GPS locations to others on a Google Map.
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HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT acquires and sends your GPS coordinates to your SPOT account automatically every 10 minutes for 24 hours or until canceled. SPOT tracking must be reengaged to continue. Creating a SPOT Shared Page allows you to share your GPS route with your friends and family easily in near real time on the web through a personal link. You can make your Shared Page private or public. Your choice! Just share that url with your friends and family and they can easily track your adventures. You can also link your SPOT Messenger to SPOT Adventures, a social portal, where you can set up a profile and blog with others sharing their SPOT adventures.
Posted on Jan 19, 2010 under Uncategorized |
It’s still January so I can still wish you all a Happy New Year. The registrations for GC 2010 are starting to roll in. Seven months is plenty of time to get yourself ready…Hope to see you at the SD/WY border on Friday the 13th. Ride Safe.
Josh
Posted on Oct 20, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Gut Check participant Mike Dunlap has qualified from RAAM 2010! Visit his site http://mikeacrossamerica.com/ to find out more about RAAM and how you can help Mike accomplish his goal. Congratulations Mike.
Posted on Oct 05, 2009 under Uncategorized |
The following is an update to the GC rules regarding drafting:
“Drafting behind a motorized vehicle or a cyclist that is not a registered Gut Check participant is prohibited.”
Posted on Sep 25, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Registration is now open for the 2010 edition of the Highway 212 Gut Check. The Hell & Back division starts at NOON on Wednesday August 11th, 2010. The rest of us will roll out at high NOON Friday the 13th. I moved the time back a few hours from its normal 3PM MT start to NOON so us riders that like the comforts of a hotel room can “potentially” get to Faith or Gettysburg at a reasonable hour. So HIGH NOON (Mountain Time) it is. Which of course means you will have until HIGH NOON (Mountain Time) to make it to the SD/MN border. Take care and have a safe year.
Josh
Posted on Aug 11, 2009 under Uncategorized |
The 2009 Gut Check had a few firsts that I think deserve recognition:
Jason Harms: First participant with crohn’s or colitis to take part in and complete the solo ride.
Jessica Walker: First Female to participate and complete the solo ride.
Jeremy Thomas: First amputee to complete the solo ride.
Karl Krueger: First person to complete the Hell & Back ride.
It was a good year…hope to see you all back for another round of the Gut Check.
Posted on Aug 10, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Thus far the 2009 Gut Check, which took place this past weekend, has raised $5,588.00 for the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Two participants raised over a thousand dollars:
Jay Stevens: $1313.00
Jason Harms: $1300.00
Thank you Jay and Jason for your tremendous fund raising efforts. Thank you to all participants…Thank you to all who donated…Thank you to the support crews and all you do for your riders. Thank you everyone for spreading the word about this event and helping it to grow and get better each year.
The actual times and results of the 2009 Gut Check will be posted soon.
Posted on Aug 04, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Keith Frick (Casper WY) and Karl Krueger (Ethan SD) will roll away from the borders tomorrow to begin their Hell & Back journey. I wish them both safe travel.
Posted on Jul 30, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Please follow the following link to a map of the detour between Faulkton and Redfield. It is the same detour we had last year in that area. The road is a little rough in spots but there is very little traffic. This detour only adds about 3 miles onto the race whereas the D.O.T. detour would add about 20. I’ll take a few mile of rough road over 20 miles any day.
http://www.mapquest.com/mq/9-_SIE5AbYj4ff
Posted on Jul 22, 2009 under Uncategorized |
As a founding member of Mudd Butte Merger I would like you all to be aware that if at any point during your Solo journey you decide you have had enough fun I encourage you not to complete drop out of the race. You have put a lot of training into this (maybe not enough if your dropping…but hey I’ve been there) so you might as well complete the journey.
Team Mudd Butte Merger will accept anybody that wants to join our leapfrog team at anytime during the Gut Check. Some may call you a quitter but we prefer realist. You have made the realization that you did not train enough or whatever the case may be…Whatever…we don’t care…We are non-discriminatory and will welcome anybody that wants to merge.
Some of you first timers may think this is a ridicules proposition….talk to me in Faith…Looking forward to the race. See you in a few weeks.
Josh Ellis