Garmin Fenix 6 Pro

Originally purchased Fenix 6 Pro for $449 (sale price in November of 2021).  After 4.5 years, getting a replacement Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar for $172.50 is not horrible.  They are selling on ebay for $450 (original retail was $899).  So I am basically getting $277.50 for my Fenix 6 Pro.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/garmin-fenix7-review.html

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Serial Number

63N725383

Ordered November 2021

Support Center

Chat

Session started between Kolton and Sanjiv Gupta (7/12/2026)

Sanjiv Gupta:

My Fenix 6 Pro will not connect to my phone. I have tried Samsung S24 and iPhone 16 with no success. It has worked on and off in the past, but now it will not connect.

Kolton:

Hello. Please try the steps below and let me know what error message you get.

Kolton:

Go into your phone's bluetooth settings and forget the device

Go into the Garmin Connect app > More (bottom right corner) > Garmin Devices > Make sure it is only in the registered section and not the paired section

Hold the middle left button on your watch > Settings > Connectivity or Phone > Select "Pair phone" before you select " Add Device" in the next step

In your list of devices, tap "Add Device"

Sanjiv Gupta:

Pairing Failed

Sanjiv Gupta:

Try Again or Cancel; the phone app says Open Troubleshooting

Kolton:

Ok, thank you. I'm going to have you check something on the watch

Kolton:

Hold the middle left button > settings > system > about > scroll down 5-7 pages and look for ant/ble/bt. What is the number for that?

Sanjiv Gupta:

3391171394; software version 28.02

Kolton:

Were you able to find ant/ble/bt?

Sanjiv Gupta:

sorry yes, it is 6.15

Kolton:

Ok, thank you. What country are you located in?

Sanjiv Gupta:

United States

Kolton:

Thank you

Kolton:

It doesn't appear to be a software issue, but rather an internal hardware failure. I am going to see what replacement options are available

Sanjiv Gupta:

Thank you

Kolton:

Unfortunately it looks like we don't have anymore of the fenix 6 pro in stock. However, I can get you into a factory recertified fenix 7 sapphire solar for the out of warranty cost of $172.50

Sanjiv Gupta:

That would be fine. Will it be black?

Kolton:

Yes

Kolton:

We have 2 options to choose from for getting your device exchanged:

Standard Exchange - You would ship your device to us, and we would then ship out a replacement. The device is outside the warranty period, so the cost would be $172.50 USD + tax. It is about a 2 week turn around.

Immediate Exchange - We would ship out the replacement device first but there is an additional deposit required. With the deposit, the total would be $372.50 USD + tax. You would receive $200 USD + tax back, once your device is received and processed by the warehouse.

Which option would you prefer? Standard or Immediate? If you cannot see the Standard exchange option, scroll up on this message

Additionally, you can keep your watch band and charger. All we need is the watch itself.

Sanjiv Gupta:

Immediate Exchange

Kolton:

Ok I have sent the checkout link to your email

Kolton:

Cart Successfully Created

Web Order # 104914997454

You will receive an email from Garmin with a secure link to complete this service request. This ensures the protection and accuracy of your information.

Click the Complete Order button and follow the directions to checkout.

Upon completion, you will receive a confirmation email with the details of your transaction. Please review the shipping instructions within the email to return your product.

You will receive an additional email when your replacement product ships. Please return your defective product within 15 days.

This email link is valid for 60 days.

Sanjiv Gupta:

OK. I received the link. Once I complete the order. I will review the shipping instructions for the $200 refund.

Kolton:

Sounds good. After you get done filling out the billing and shipping info, then hit "place order", you wait about 1-2 mins and an additional email will be sent with a link for you to download the prepaid shipping label that you can take to a UPS drop-off store.

Kolton:

Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Kolton:

Automated message: Please type something to ensure we stay connected.

Sanjiv Gupta:

No. I am signing off. Thank you Kolton

59th Dive

I tried out the Shearwater Tern TX and Scubapro Go Sport fins today and liked them.  The AMOLED display on the dive watch was amazing and the fins did the job in a lower profile package than my Oceanic Viper fins.

My next upgrade will definitely be a BCD.  I paid $100 for a retired rental BCD back in 2013 and it has held up very well.  I think I am ready for the Cressi Start.  It retails for $270 and is currently $250 at Scuba.com.  I imagine I could get it for a similar price at Coral Key Scuba.  I will also get a couple of pairs of dive socks ($10?).

OTB Boots

I came across OTB Boots at Coral Key Scuba when I was picking up tank and weights for a Saturday fun dive.  They were an alternative to traditional booties with a more secure fit and more rugged sole for shore approaches.  Freddy had tested them several times and liked them enough to carry them at the store.

I decided to try them on and come to find out my current fins along with the other two pairs that I own are likely undersized for my current booties and even more so for my the OTB Boots.  Properly fitted fins should have the center of the ankle aligned with the opening of the toe pocket.  There are other techniques as well.

At any rate, I tried the 9.5 size on and really like them.  They are best worn with scuba socks.  The price seemed fair also at $200.  Freddy always throws out a 15% discount taking the price down to $170.

While I was researching the boots, primarily to figure out if they were neutrally buoyant, I found that they were on sale for $100.  This combined with a 10% first time customer and free shipping took my price down to $90 which is an amazing price.  I would always prefer to give my business to the local dive shop and even pay a 10-20% premium, but I could not justify shelling out another $80 plus another $13 in tax.

In addition to diving, I would like to use them for the Wellington Swim Run and any other active water sports, I find myself engaged in.

OTB Boots has the tagline of Bootmakers to the Good Guys.  The Abyss was the original On The Beach boot for Seal Teams and they have since expanded across a full spectrum of tactical foot ware.

Opioid of the Masses - 2016 - JD Vance

Taken from the Atlantic - July 5, 1976

Editor’s Note: This essay originally ran in 2016, shortly after its author published his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. We are republishing it on the occasion of its tenth anniversary, so that our readers can judge for themselves how well his assessment of the man he now serves as vice president has stood the test of time.

A few Saturdays ago, my wife and I spent the morning volunteering at a community garden in our San Francisco neighborhood. After a few hours of casual labor, we and the other volunteers dispersed to our respective destinations: tasty brunches, day trips to wine country, art-gallery tours. It was a perfectly normal day, by San Francisco standards.

That very same Saturday, in the small Ohio town where I grew up, four people overdosed on heroin. A local police lieutenant coolly summarized the banality of it all: “It’s not all that unusual for a 24-hour period here.” He was right: in Middletown, Ohio, that too is a perfectly normal day.

Folks back home speak of heroin like an apocalyptic invader, something that assailed the town mysteriously and without warning. Yet the truth is that heroin crept slowly into Middletown’s families and communities—not by invasion but by invitation.

Very few Americans are strangers to addiction. Shortly before I graduated from law school, I learned that my own mother lay comatose in a hospital, the consequence of an apparent heroin overdose. Yet heroin was only her latest drug of choice. Prescription opioids—“hillbilly heroin” some call it, to highlight its special appeal among white working-class folks like us—had already landed Mom in the hospital and cost our family dearly in the decade before her first taste of actual heroin. And before her own father gave up the bottle in middle age, he was a notoriously violent drunk. In our community, there has long been a large appetite to dull the pain; heroin is just the newest vehicle.

Of course, the pain itself has increased in recent years, and it comes from many places. Some of it is economic, as the factories that provided many U.S. towns and cities material security have downsized or altogether ceased to exist. Some of it is aesthetic, as the storefronts that once made American towns beautiful and vibrant gave way to cash-for-gold stores and payday lenders. Some of it is domestic, as rising divorce rates reveal home lives as dependable as steel-mill jobs. Some of it is political, as Americans watch from afar while a government machine that rarely tries to speak to them, and acts in their interests even less, sputters along. And some of it is cultural, from the legitimate humiliation of losing wars fought by the nation’s children to the illegitimate sense that some fall behind only because others jump ahead.

It enters minds, not through lungs or veins, but through eyes and ears, and its name is Donald Trump.

During this election season, it appears that many Americans have reached for a new pain reliever. It too, promises a quick escape from life’s cares, an easy solution to the mounting social problems of U.S. communities and culture. It demands nothing and requires little more than a modest presence and maybe a few enablers. It enters minds, not through lungs or veins, but through eyes and ears, and its name is Donald Trump.

Last Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, I met a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War at a local coffee shop. “I was lucky,” he told me. “At least I came home. A lot of my buddies didn’t. The thing is, the media still talks about us like we lost that war! I like to think my dead friends accomplished something.” Imagine, for that man, the vengeful joy of a Trump rally. That brief feeling of power, of defiance, of sending a message to the very political and media establishment that, for 45 years, has refused to listen. Trump brings power to those who hate their lack of it, and his message is tonic to communities that have felt nothing but decline for decades.

In some ways, Trump’s large, national coalition defies easy characterization. He draws from a broad base of good people: kind folks who open their homes and hearts to people of all colors and creeds, married couples with happy homes and families who live nearby, public servants who put their lives on the line to fight fires in their communities. Not all Trump voters spend their days searching for an analgesic.

Yet a common thread among Trump’s faithful, even among those whose individual circumstances remain unspoiled, is that they hail from broken communities. These are places where good jobs are impossible to come by. Where people have lost their faith and abandoned the churches of their parents and grandparents. Where the death rates of poor white people go up even as the death rates of all other groups go down. Where too many young people spend their days stoned instead of working and learning.

Many years ago, our neighbor (and my grandma’s old friend) in Middletown moved out and rented his house on a Section 8 voucher—a federal program that offers housing subsidies to low-income people. One of the first folks to move in called her landlord to report a leaky roof. By the time the landlord arrived, he discovered the woman naked on her couch. After calling him, she had started the water for a bath, gotten high, and passed out. Forget about the original leak, now much of the upstairs—including her and her children’s possessions—was completely destroyed. Not every Trump voter lives like this woman, but nearly every Trump voter knows someone who does.

Though the details differ, men and women like my neighbor represent, in the aggregate, a social crisis of historic proportions. There is no group of people hurtling more quickly to social decay. No group of people fears the future more, dies with such frequency from heroin, and exposes its children to such significant domestic chaos. Not long ago, a teacher who works with at-risk youth in my hometown told me, “We’re expected to be shepherds to these children, but they’re all raised by wolves.” And those wolves are here—not coming in from Mexico, not prowling the halls of power in Washington or Wall Street—but here in ordinary American communities and families and homes.

Trump’s promises are the needle in America’s collective vein.

What Trump offers is an easy escape from the pain. To every complex problem, he promises a simple solution. He can bring jobs back simply by punishing offshoring companies into submission. As he told a New Hampshire crowd—folks all too familiar with the opioid scourge—he can cure the addiction epidemic by building a Mexican wall and keeping the cartels out. He will spare the United States from humiliation and military defeat with indiscriminate bombing. It doesn’t matter that no credible military leader has endorsed his plan. He never offers details for how these plans will work, because he can’t. Trump’s promises are the needle in America’s collective vein.

The great tragedy is that many of the problems Trump identifies are real, and so many of the hurts he exploits demand serious thought and measured action—from governments, yes, but also from community leaders and individuals. Yet so long as people rely on that quick high, so long as wolves point their fingers at everyone but themselves, the nation delays a necessary reckoning. There is no self-reflection in the midst of a false euphoria. Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it.

I’m not sure when or how that realization arrives: maybe in a few months, when Trump loses the election; maybe in a few years, when his supporters realize that even with a President Trump, their homes and families are still domestic war zones, their newspapers’ obituaries continue to fill with the names of people who died too soon, and their faith in the American Dream continues to falter. But it will come, and when it does, I hope Americans cast their gaze to those with the most power to address so many of these problems: each other. And then, perhaps the nation will trade the quick high of “Make America Great Again” for real medicine.

About the Author

J. D. Vance

J. D. Vance is the vice president of the United States. He is the author of Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith and Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

Tactical Games

About once a year, I start to consider shooting sports and tactical games.  My history with firearms is pretty thin.  I was originally introduced to shooting in the Boy Scouts with a 22 rifle.  As an adult, I have owned handguns (357, 22, 380, 9mm), a shotgun (12ga for bird hunting), 22 rifle and some WWII rifles.  I have had some training including the Hunter Safety Course and Johnny Appleseed Course.  As far as practical shooting experience, in addition to bird hunting, I recall going to trap ranges in Indiana and Colorado.

I have also had range memberships on and off at Silver Bullet Shooting Range in Wheat Ridge, Boulder Rifle Club and most recently BluCore Shooting Center.

The on and off nature is primarily associated with cost and convenience.  Aside from 22LR ($0.10/round), ammunition is not cheap and typically between $0.30/round (9mm) and $1.00/round (357 magnum).  Reloading brass reduces the cost, but unless the volumes are significant it has seemed like more trouble than it is worth.  

I reloaded 357 brass for about a year and only made about 200 rounds.  I did not lose any money selling the set up and it was a fun little hobby.

Convenience has to do with driving to the range (15 minutes), checking in, setting up targets, sending 50 rounds down range ($25), paying for range time ($15-$20), packing up and heading home.  I always plan on going once a week or a couple of times/month, but it ends up being a few times per year.

In addition to firearms, I have really enjoyed archery, which is quieter, arrows are cheap and there are indoor and outdoor ranges close to the house.

As another alternative, I decided to purchase a laser pistol.  These are used in modern pentathlon and competitive ergshoot.  The set up is painless, free and a lot of fun.  However, since buying the set-up in March, I have only been shooting in the basement 3 times (about once/month).

My latest "want" is an AR-15 tactical games rifle.  I am primarily considering the American Defense Manufacturing UIC MOD-2 and the Geissele Super Duty.  Both are roughly in the $2000 range and well regarded brands with premium upper and lower assembly, barrel and triggers.  Out of the gate, I would likely start with Arken Optics LH-6 1-6x24 which should be good for shooting to 400 yards.  The Arken would be around $300.  

I developed a small sense of urgency, when I learned that after August 1, 2026, AR-15 purchases would require training and sign off by the county sheriff.  This seems quite reasonable to me.  Aside from the up front cost of the rifle, I would like to get some training anyway.  Ammunition is pretty reasonable at about $0.50/round for 223.  I would be chambering in 223 Wylde (the other alternative is 5.56 NATO).  The 223 Wylde can accommodate both, but 223 ammunition is typically cheaper.

I am still hem hawing and will hopefully pass on this purchase.  The last thing my household needs is more stuff.  Especially stuff that cannot be transported easily.

Competition Retrospective

While dabbling in a lot of individual and team sports over the years, I wanted to put together a little compendium inspired by the Massenomics crew who has competed in 20 different strength sports competitions.  My strength sports clocked in at (8) Strongman, Powerlifting and Highland Games events.  I could add another (8) Grip Sport events.  After that, most of my personal competition has been endurance sports (swim-bike-run) and the CrossFit Open.  I have dabbled in team sports in intramurals, corporate and rec leagues (basketball, softball, flag football).  I have recently tried Ultimate Frisbee and Hurling.  I have a well documented SCUBA history and have been skiing off and on since I moved to Colorado.

I have never participated in an Archery or Tennis tournament despite participating there also.

Strongman

• 2023 Littleton’s Strongest
• 2026 Beasts of Buckley

Powerlifting

• 2023 AFA
• 2023 Lakewood

Highland Games

• 2023 Colorado Scottish Festival
• 2023 Thornton Celtic Festival
• 2024 Elizabeth Celtic Festival
• 2024 Colorado Scottish Festival

Grip

• 2019 King Kong
• 2023 King Kong
• 2024 Rolling Hills Grip Challenge
• 2024 Dub’s Grip Challenge
• 2024 Rocky Mountain Grip Sport
• 2024 King Kong
• 2025 King Kong
• 2026 Worldwide Grip Battle

Other

• 2023 Tough Mudder
• 2023 Deka Mile
• 2024 Deka Mile
• 2025 Hyrox Las Vegas
• 2026 Deka.Fit
• 2026 Muddy Dash

Mono-structural Swim/Bike

• MS150 rides (Memphis, Estes, Colorado Springs)
• 2011 Racing Underground 1.2 mile OWS
• 2012 Racing Underground 1.2 mile OWS
• 2013 Denver Metric Century
• 2013 Cancer Sucks Swim
• 2014 Denver Half Century
• 2014 BAM Bare Bones Swim
• 2019 Winter Park Sunrise to Sunset MTB

Mountain Bike Race Series

• 2001 Hill Climb Kick-Off (Winter Park)
• 2001 Fruita Fat Tire Festival
• 2001 Rage In the Sage (Gunnison)
• 2001 Keystone

Countless running from mile to marathon

• 2002 Austin Marathon
• 1998 Bolder Boulder
• 2001 Bolder Boulder
• 2002 Bolder Boulder
• 2003 Bolder Boulder

Multisport

• 1989 Memphis In May Triathlon
• 2009 Stroke & Stride
• 2009 5430 Sprint
• 2009 Rattlesnake Sprint
• 2010 Stroke & Stride (2)
• 2010 5430 Sprint
• 2010 West Side Duathlon
• 2011 Stroke & Stride (2)
• 2011 Big Sky Duathlon
• 2012 Stroke & Stride (2)
• 2012 Westside Duathlon
• 2014 West Side Duathlon
• 2014 Summer Open Sprint
• 2014 Stroke & Stride
• 2014 YOLO Triathlon
• 2015 Stroke & Stride
• 2015 My Way or the Tri Way
• 2022 Littlefoot Triathlon
• 2023 Littlefoot Triathlon
• 2024 Littlefoot Triathlon

Muddy Dash

Muddy Dash 2026 is in the books.  Diya and I signed up for this race way back in December of 2025 and  have been looking forward to it for the past six months.  I dressed in old running shoes, my Kirkland swim trunks and a moisture wicking shirt.  Diya dressed similarly and we headed off ahead of schedule at 0730.

We arrived at Colorado National Speedway around 0830, were able to park ($20) and do late packet pickup ($5 each).  Then we took some pre-photos, dropped off a bag ($5) and made our way to the start line.  They were starting groups in waves of about 100-150 and it seemed like there were around 2,000 people total (finished, on course, waiting to start).

• We jogged to the first event which was a 50 meter sandbag run with roughly a 25 pound sandbag.
• We jogged to the second station which was a tire drag that we did together.  
• The third station was the first real taste of mud and it was a trough and short hill that needed to be navigated.  It was helpful to have a partner as footing was bad and several participants lost shoes.
• The next several stations were more of the same with various depths.
• One of the stations were intended to be crawled through on elbows (I walked through this one)
• The next unique station was a net that needed to be traveled under.  This was messier and a bottleneck on the course.
• This was followed by a tube slide into a mud pit.
• Then there was a series of three barricades that needed to be climbed over.
• Between stations there were also some "just for fun" things like long jump, tire flip, hopscotch and an angled wall.  The angled wall scared me the most.  It was a painted sheet of wood that looked extremely slippery when combined with my muddy joggers.

Finally we finished (around 1030 after a 0915 start) through some foam bubbles, picked up our drop big, took some pictures and made the mistake of getting in the shower line.  This was easily a 75 minute line to grab a hose with a trickle of water coming out.  People were getting carried away trying to get mud off of themselves.  Honestly the line moved more because people gave up than any other reason.

After a rinse, we changed at the car and made our way home (leaving around 1200).  The drive was a little longer, but pleasant enough (arriving around 1300).  In the future, I think I might just bring a couple of gallons of water and do a bucket shower rather than trying to manage that line.

Compared to Tough Mudder, it was much cheaper, less organized, pretty basic "obstacles" but a great fun atmosphere for participants of all ages and level of athleticism.

What made it great for me was completing it with Diya.  These shared experiences mean a lot to me and I am glad we both were safe and had fun!

Two tiers - Value Registrations started off free and continued to be so.  VIP Registration was $35.  Even with $20 parking, $5 late packet pick-up and $5 bag drop, this was a really inexpensive event.

2026 Deka.Fit Denver

I finally took on a full Deka.Fit.  Ten stations plus 10x500 meter runs.  I had a blast and this is an amazing race format for me.  It breaks up the running, can be accomplished without much disruption to my typical training and sports and has an ideal time domain.

6:45 - wake-up

7:45 - head to venue

8:30 - arrive, park, get in

9:00 - checked in and chill for a while, get the lay of the land, visit merch and booths

9:30 - start warming up for my 10 AM start

10:10 - start the race

11:30 - finish race and take some pictures

12:30 - home and into recovery mode (Normatec and Electrolytes)

The race went great.  I wore my Saucony Guide joggers, calf sleeves and knee sleeves.  I did not need the knee sleeves as the lunges were padded.

The runs were fine.  I forget how nice it is to run on a flat course.

1. Lunges - smooth and steady
2. Row - steady
3. Box step over - paced well, a couple of longer pauses
4. Med Ball sit-up - paced well, a couple of long pauses, was not comfortable hooking feet in
5. Ski Erg - good rest
6. Farmer's Carry - set weights down twice
7. Air Bike - slow recovery
8. Dead Ball - ball was larger in diameter than I trained with, but over obstacle was easier than over shoulder
9. Sled Push-Pull - easy, but my judge miscounted my reps and I did 125 meters.  Not a big deal.
10. Ram Burpees - easier than I expected and moved well.

I grabbed water 3 times, roughly every 20 minutes.  I ran the majority of the runs with walking into and out of the stations.  I finished in 1:14:41 which was in the ball park I expected.  I was guessing between 1:10 and 1:30 as I was unsure how my left achilles would feel.  It was fine.  I was just not conditioned.

I would definitely do this or a variation again.  Looking forward to seeing the pictures and race splites.