Bikes, Cameras, (in)Action

As some of you've noticed that my posts have been impersonal lately, I will come clean: My talent for injury has triumphed once again. A few days after arriving in Vienna, I had a silly experience that resulted in a dislocated shoulderblade and injured ribs. The thing about injuries like this, is that nothing can be done about them; you just keep living your life until everything heals - while taking painkillers and anti-inflamatories. For the first week after it happened, I could not move my right arm above the elbow and I couldn't lean forward with the right side of my body. Now I can, but the pain is still there - especially after long days at work. Hopefully by next week I will be all mended and bike-ready.



To ease this pathetic state, I gifted myself a "new" camera (a Rolleicord Ia circa 1941, if that means anything to you). That's the one hanging around my neck with the twin lenses. The one in my hands is a Lumix 3 digital point-and-shoot. And yes, those are bicycles behind me. Ironic, isn't it? I have two bicycles at my disposal... once I have healed enough to ride them, which hopefully will be soon.



[image from Cycling is Good for You]

In other news, I will be getting together with Anna from Cycling Is Good for You once again tomorrow, to have a look at her new Retrovelo Paula - stay tuned!

Typically Belgian Cuisine: Mussels with fries and Flemish Beef Stew

So where to eat in Brugge?



For our late lunch-early dinner in Brugge (Bruges), Bru and I found this super cute and charming restaurant near the Dijver canal—‘Bistro Restaurant ‘t Lammetje’





I’ve been hankering for something typically Belgian, and in particular typically Flemish while Bru was ready to settle for something more mainstream which she did. It was actually her who found this cute restaurant. While I was busy taking pictures of the Dijver canal, she inspected the nearby inner square and came back to me enthusiastically announcing that she has found a restaurant where I can order Flemish stew.



My order: ‘Vlaamse Stoofkarbonaden’ (Flemish Beef Stew) + Leffe brown beer:





Her order: ‘Mosselen met friets’ in wine (Mussels with fries):





This was a really tasty and gorgeous late lunch-early dinner. 4.2 stars out of 5.



The beef stew was delightful and the meat almost melted on my tongue when I chewed on it. I do not mind eating meat when it is this good! While the mussels have huge meat in them and the spices and flavour were exactly how we wanted it to be. We shared our lunch together but I think I ended up eating more for my share of mussels. So greedy but I was quite hungry from the cold and for only having eaten a single hollow croissant the whole day. It was almost 5PM when we had this!



Trivia: Did you know that when you eat mussels in France and Belgium there is a very high probability that the mussels came from the Netherlands? Precisely in Zeeland, the heart of mussel farming in the country.



And it looks like the kitchen is upstairs, perhaps in the attic, because we saw this traditional pulley lift system that brings the food down and the used dishes up.





The restaurant has two food servers, one spoke Dutch who’d rather speak with me and the other who spoke French who’d rather speak with Bru. Bru has always something with waiters, they always seem to flirt with her especially when she starts speaking French, haha. Like when we were having lunch at the Royal Turenne Bistro in Le Marais, Parislast year.



Nevertheless, I think it’s about time that Bru works on her Dutch, however, living and working in Amsterdam is not helping at all.



FACT: Many expats-foreigners can survive without having to learn Dutch in Amsterdam for years, and even for the rest of their lives if they elect to stay here forever. I know individuals who’s been living in the city for 10-15 years and they only have these in their vocabulary: ‘ja-nee-goede morgen/middag/avond-dank je wel- alsjeblieft-gezellig!’



This changes though if you decide to live outside Amsterdam, because the pressure to speak the local language will get to you in time.

A New Season

The trees were just starting to bud a few days before I made this image and I was hoping, as I have for the past few years, that I would be able to find an image that would convey the beginning of green-up in the northwoods. The tree is a Mountain Maple, also sometimes referred to as Moose Maple. I found this composition while spending the morning watching a Ruffed Grouse perform his spring drumming ritual. In between drumming sessions the Grouse had walked off into the woods and while waiting for him to return I was looking around at the surroundings for possible images when I spotted this new little leaf poking out from the notch in the Maple. I trained my 100-400mm lens on the leaf and made this image.

Revisiting Captain Cave Man M7+

Several days ago I heard from Joel Torretti. Joel is a talented PA ice/rock climber that moved away for several years and recently returned to PA and is living up near State College. He was looking to get out and do some tooled climbing. He was excited to be making his first outing of the season. He made the 2.5 hour drive down to our neck of the woods to see what we could do. We checked out the conditions at several of the local areas, SCII and the So. C'ville rod and gun club. Both being not of great condition, we opted to go check out Lower Meadow Run in Ohiopyle. Not to my surprise, the ice was dismal for pure ice climbing. Not a big deal, we opted to get on the great mixed lines. We started on Anger Managment M5 as our warm up. After pumping on that one, Joel tried the obvious "project" line out the center of the cave. Still a project and to all who have tried it, you know why... The next climb we go on was Captain Caveman M7+ a new line that I TRed at the end of last season in much fatter conditions. Joel went first solving the near iceless start to the line. He made it up through the opening moves only to have a crampon slip of and send him into the air. He passed the rope and I tied in for my attempt. I was happy to see Joel smooth the bottom moves (I was a little uncertain that it would go with so little ice). I moved up through the opening making it to the large ledge on the left. I was happy to throw a heel and get a rest. I proceeded to make my way up through the overhanging rockband to the much appreciated ice. The top posed the problem that it was delaminating from the rock like mad. I gently made my way through this section using various dry moves as well as several very insecure ice sticks. I was glad to get it first go. It took me several days of work to get it last year (in much fatter conditions). Joel tied in and took a second go working through the moves and getting a good pump in the process. After our goes on CCM, we went over and did a few laps each on the ever fun Season Finale M6. It was a blast revisiting Captain Cave Man with Joel. Since getting it no falls, first go on TR, I'm really motivated to give it a whirl on the sharp end before it gets wired. Possibly this upcoming week I'll grow a set and do it. I'll be sure to post how it goes. It was a great day climbing with an old friend, I look forward to many great days out this season.

Joslin Family :: Grandma Responds to Irwin's Letter

If you haven't already done so, you may want to read the post Joslin Family :: First Contact before continuing. In that post, my grandmother corresponds with Edith Wessler and makes contact with her 2nd cousin, Irwin Joslin. Their correspondence continues... This letter was typewritten. It has been transcribed as written including spelling and typing errors. Click on the image to view a larger, readable version.

=+==+==+==+=

Box 27
North Webster, Ind. 46555
March 21, 1969

Mr. Irwin Joslin
1002 E. Tripp
Peoria, Ill. 61603

Dear Mr. Joslin,

I was so delighted to receive your letter of March 3rd as I had been hoping to hear from the Joslins in the west. I have so many interesting things to tell you of the family, that I hardly know where to begin.

You were right about the birthdate of your grandfather as my records show that he was born January 2, 1852. Then the record shows that Luther Joslin married Dorothy Elliot in 1876. Now may I make a suggestion? Could the above named Dorothy Elliot have died and your grandfather married Phoebe Dorcas some time later? I notice that your father, Virgil was born Feb. 1891. That is 15 years after the marriage record I have, I am having a copy made of the letter written by Andrew Joslin on Feb. 7, 1895 and sent to my grandmother. I will send this to you as soon as I can.

Now I shall tell you some of the things I know about our family, other than that which Mrs. Wessler has told you. The Goodrich family tree has been researched by a member of the family and it seems that they were from Wales and the line was traced back to several Kings(?). This is not of much interest to me as I expect some researcher made some money for this. However, the family was very interesting after coming to Indiana in 1834. They were of the first settlers. Abagail and her husband James Joslin had several children by that time. Lysander was 9 years old. He married Lydia Robison in Aug. 1843. They were both 18 years old. In the next 24 years they had 15 children. Now this was a big family by any standards and I know where the family lived and it was very poor land. They did not prosper financialy as can be understood. By 1877 four of their children were married and five had died. That year they took the 6 remaining children and went to Kansas. I have letters from them written in 1890 and 1894.

My grandmother kept in touch with Eliza, who died in 1885. Her decendents are in Iowa. She also wrote to Roxie Parkinson (their husbands were half brothers) and Madella Quillan and Ida Dressier. I have some old letters from these. Robert Quillan the author and columnist of the 30's was Della's son. Please ask any questions that you would like answered and I shall do my best to help.

Grandma Mellisa Brubaker had two sons, Charles Romain b. Aug. 1872 and Hale b1886. Charles Remain was my father. Hale died when only 25 years old and had not married. I have a brother William Hale Brubaker and a sister Jane Jacobs. I was born 1902, my sister 1903 and Bill 1905. I Have 5 children, 17 granchildren and 7 great-granchildren.

I do hope that you can come to Indiana some time. I know of only one Joslin family here, besides my family and that is the decendents of Lysander's sister, her granddaughter and I are very close friends. I shall send the copy as soon as I can.

Very sincerely yours,
[since this was grandma's carbon copy, there was no signature]

=+==+= Some Notes Regarding the Letter =+==+=

The confusion over Luther's wife was partially because the bible record stated that Luther had married Dorothy Elliot. Apparently grandma had not seen the Whitley County marriage record (Bk2 p521) which gives her name as Phebe D. Elliott. Also, in Irwin's first letter to grandma he simply wrote his grandmother's name as Phoebe Dorcas and my grandma interpreted that to mean her maiden name was Dorcas. Irwin's father, Virgil, was the fourth child of Luther and Phebe. Their first two children came rather quickly then there was a six year gap between the second and third as well as between the third and fourth child. Their fifth (and last) child was born two years after Virgil.

James and Abigail come to Whitley County in 1838 and they were among the first settlers in the county. That makes Lysander about 13 at the time rather than 9 years of age.

The sister of Lysander's that grandma mentions in the last paragraph was Emily Eliza Joslin Long and her close friend was her 2nd cousin once removed, Gladys Burnworth Moore, who was only 4 years older than grandma. Gladys was one of the "girls" that grandma played cards with on an almost weekly basis for many years. I don't recall ever having met Gladys, though my mother knew her too, so it is possible. I attended a Burnworth Family Reunion in the summer of .. after tracking down Gladys' two sons who live in Columbia City. One of Gladys' nieces, who also happened to live just two blocks away from me at the time, compiled a history of their branch of the Burnworth family. They knew that Emily's parents were James and Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin. She graciously loaned me her book so that I could make a copy. It was chock full of family pictures and obituaries, a real treasure!

Other posts in this series:

• Joslin Heritage Tour
• Joslin Family :: First Contact

Access, Openings, and the U.S. Army

Opportunity knocks with the park virtually closed. Over the past three weeks, I attended an emergency medical course with the U.S. Army at Ft. Lewis. Beyond the obvious benefit of training, it was a privilege to spend time with our soldiers. The training also explains why there have been few updates to the blog...

I continue to get questions about the best way to access the mountain (i.e. Paradise). For all practical purposes, getting to Paradise is almost impossible. Why? Because there is NO public access allowed along the road corridor above Longmire. That means if you have a trip to Paradise planned for later this winter or early spring, scale back your access expectations and consider other locations.

Access to White River isn't that bad, if you have a snow machine. One party rode into the campground, parked, and then snowshoed up to the Inter Glacier. To the right, a snowboarder breaks trail through Glacier Basin (image by Don Boutry). Perhaps some climbers will follow suit? And while we're discussing access to White River and Sunrise... the current thought is that the projected road openings will go as planned next spring. This is welcome news considering the delayed openings on HWY 123; it was totally severed and may not be fully repaired and re-opened until next fall!

Last week, NPS rangers discovered more facility damage to a few of the fire lookouts. Here is Fremont Lookout from the air. Note that the roof is missing. Similar damage was found at Gobblers Knob (the roof blew off and a wall collasped) but Tolmie and Shriner (the other lookouts in the park) survived OK.

The current talk points to an April 1st road re-opening to Longmire. That would make access to the Westside Road easier and more reliable. As for Paradise, they are cautiously predicting May 1st...

As for repairs, they just paved the road at Sunshine Point. Meanwhile, the road crew is installing more culverts at Kautz Creek. Another engineering obstacle remains at milepost 5, where the uphill lane is slumping towards the river. It may not look like much in this photo, but the embankment below is severely eroded by the Nisqually River.

You may have noticed that I am now managing the photos on Flickr and have finally started posting images in the flood folder. But using blogger for this purpose isn't that easy, so we'll see how much I can do with it...

Updated Route Conditions for Mount Rainier

Lots of climbing reports. Here's a scary image of Rainier's north face... A serac falls off the Liberty Cap Glacier down the Liberty Wall.

It was a very warm this weekend. Thankfully, most climbers had a great time and there were no accidents... Reports to follow soon (i.e. TONIGHT.)

Image by David Gottlieb

Festive Fun with Flats

One of my plans for the holidays had been to get in some practice changing tires. Problem is, I very rarely get flats. And let's face it: Taking a tire on and off for no reason just isn't the same as the real deal. So naturally I was delighted when, on my way home last night, my front tire went flat for real. It was a dark and stormy night, with heavy traffic and freezing rain, affording the perfect opportunity to practice road-side repairs. Alas, it happened just a block from my house. Weak of character, I opted for the comforts of home.




"Darling, guess what?" I shouted as I rolled the bike into our living-room. "I have a flat tire!"




"Oh my!" said my husband. "And it's a 650B with fenders no less. Are you going to fix it yourself?"




"Of course! This is the moment I've been waiting for."




Nodding eagerly, he opened a bottle of wine and made himself comfortable on our finest kitchen chair, in anticipation of the evening's entertainment.






Now I know you're wondering what wine goes best with this sort of thing. This is really a matter of personal taste. But generally speaking, if the tires are 650B I recommend red. It just so happened that we picked up a lovely Truro Zinfandel during our recent stay on Cape Cod. Not the pink one in the bottle shaped like a lighthouse, but the darker one in a regular bottle. Its smooth deliciousness makes the already relaxing process of fixing flats even sweeter.




Aside from the wine and a keen spectator prepared to critique your every movement, in a tire-changing situation it might also be helpful to have a floor pump and a spare inner tube handy, as well as some tools. If you have a fun bike with a bolt-on front wheel like I do, you will need something to unbolt it. A tire lever may also be useful.






But most importantly, if your bike has fenders, you will need a couch. After removing a wheel, you should not stand the bike on the floor, as this may bend the fender. And if you think bikes enjoy being hoisted up on a workstand, you are mistaken. Most bikes are afraid of heights, and getting them up there for reasons as small as fixing a flat is downright insensitive. Laying your bicycle down on the sofa will make it much more comfortable. It will also delight your spouse by showing them what a free-spirited, outside the box thinker you are.




Finally, you may want to have a copy of an appropriately inspirational poster or publication in sight as you work. This will remind you of why these bicycles are so darn charming, as you gingerly handle the delicate aluminum fenders and deflate your 650Bx42mm tire in order to fit it through the centerpull brake caliper.






Of course the most fascinating part of flat repair is finding its cause. Having never gotten a flat with Grand Bois Hetres previously, I was especially interested. Turned out the cause was a failed inner tube. This one had split right at the seam. It happens, even with the nicest tubes.




"It happens just often enough to remind us that we are never fully in control of our destinies," I sighed wistfully as I tested the front brake after re-connecting it.




My husband nodded, moving the wine away from me gently. "Well, looks like you did it."




"And it only took me a half hour this time!"




"Oh, hardly that!"




And isn't that what working on our bikes is all about? Struggling for self-reliance in a world of chaos and uncertainty. Using it as metaphor for life. Entertaining our loved ones. Look out world, soon I'll be able to fix a flat in 20 minutes!

Seeking Hidden Treasures

Denise at The Family Curator has issued a Treasure Hunt! A Challenge for Genea Bloggers. The premise of this two-part challenge is that we must select a destination (i.e. a box of "stuff"), make a plan (map and timeline), post the plan by September 30th, then tackle the project, and before October 20th, share our once-buried treasure with a second post.

The Destination: The box shown below. It is one of 30 or so unopened boxes in my garage. It was two years ago that I moved from a house to an apartment. Many of the boxes contain books, there just isn't enough room for them in the apartment. Anyway, this box measures 13" high, 16" wide, and 13" deep.

The Map: To be honest, I don't think there will be any genealogical treasures within, but it is labeled "Cards, Letters, Misc" and the lord only knows what is included in miscellaneous! So, I'll sort through everything to see what I have and determine whether it should be kept or if it should be discarded. I can only hope that it will contain something worthy of sharing!

The Timeline: Hopefully, I'll get to this next week, but obviously will get it done before the October 20th deadline. How's that for commitment? The biggest step was moving it from the garage into the apartment. It is sitting in a spot where I'll see it every day so I won't forget about the project.

A Night in the City

A Night in the City, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A few friends and I drove up from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco for Friday night and Saturday. Most definitely an awesome trip. This is the view last night from Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands - those lights on the otherwise dark hillside are car headlights.

Did Not Wearing a Helmet Save Gene Hackman's Life?

film still via the gothamist

As some may know, 81-year-old actor Gene Hackman was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in Florida last week. As the media has made a point to note again and again and again, Mr. Hackman was not wearing a helmet during the incident. It is now known that Mr. Hackman has survived the collision.



So... Does this mean that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life?



Don't answer that, I know what you are going to say: My God, of course not. That would be absurd. What an insane conclusion. Right? Well, don't worry, I agree. Of course the fact that a helmetless cyclist survived a collision does not mean that this favourable outcome resulted from them not having worn a helmet. An accurate way to describe the situation is that the two facts coincided: He was not wearing a helmet, and he survived the collision. As everyone who has studies the scientific method or statistic knows, correlation does not imply causation.



I am glad we are on the same page now about the absurdity of implying that Gene Hackman's lack of helmet saved his life. Because if you agree about this, then surely you will see the double-standard of finding it entirely logical when helmeted cyclists who survive collisions report that wearing a helmet saved their life. It is a powerful emotional argument, but logically, statistically, and scientifically, it is erroneous for the same reasons it would be erroneous to say that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life. If a cyclist wears a helmet and they emerge from a collision alive, that implies correlation, not causation.



Bicycle helmets have some protective properties under some conditions, but these properties are limited and do not extend to colliding with moving motor vehicles. Bicycle helmets also have some drawbacks, including their ability to cause rotational injuries. After reading lots and lots and lots of studies (the studies themselves, and not the media's digested, distorted, misquoted and sensetionalised versions of the studies), I believe that the evidence pertaining to bicycle helmet effectiveness is mixed and inconclusive. And this is talking about effectiveness itself, without even delving to the larger, social implications of the helmet debate. We are all scared of getting hurt while riding our bikes, and we would all like there to be a magic device or talisman that makes cycling safe. But it is erroneous and even dangerous to over-attribute protective qualities to the bicycle helmet. Personal accounts of surviving collisions are tremendously affecting, both for the person recounting their experience and for the listener or reader. And I by no means wish to undermine these accounts. But it is also important to recognise that as human beings, we are "wired" to be more susceptible to affecting narratives. Things that are not in fact logical make sense to us under emotionally charged conditions, and "a helmet saved my life" is a textbook example of that.



Be angry at me if you must for the title of this post and the things I write here. But also try to understand my point. Accepting emotional, subjective beliefs as evidence does not actually contribute to safety. It only contributes to a false sense of security, to hysteria, to witch hunts, and to the media now making it a point to state whether a cyclist hit by a motor vehicle was wearing a helmet or not, thus normalising the "blame the victim" mentality in reports of cyclist deaths and injuries. How did we let this happen? That is something we ought to think about very carefully.

Toddler Camping ..

Or should I call this Solstice camping? In years previous I would be looking for long one day trips to attempt on the longest day of the year. I mean just under 16 hours of daylight for Seattle. A trip up to BC should clock in with 15 more minutes if you needed it, but headlamps optional for a day with that much light.



Anyway, the three of us had no obligations for two days and opted to go camping. This should have happened earlier this year, but we couldn't get our act together. We made one camping attempt back in May in the backyard, but it was so bright out, and in the tent, that Mirabelle couldn't get with the concept of sleep. We took the van this time as it provides a darker sleeping space than any of our tents.



We opted for Snoqualmie Pass on the drive out as we were hoping to get a small hike in and a longer portion for her to sleep during. Mirabelle wasn't too much into a hike under the lifts at Summit West. She wasn't into the snow too much either. So after 10-15 minutes out of the car, we had a small snack and started driving. She slept almost all the way to Leavenworth.



We were in town and it was hot. Not scorching, but hot enough that we went to Riverside Park and let Mirabelle go in the Wenatchee River. She dropped/threw rocks in and then fetched them out for a while. The water was cold but she didn't seem to mind. Eventually she went all in and we took her shirt off. After a while we hiked around the park before returning to town to wander the streets and shops. After dinner we drove up the Icicle to 8 mile to camp.







At camp we settled in and had a walk over to Icicle River where Mirabelle threw Ponderosa cones in a bit before we headed back to retire for the evening.







Even with the ridiculous amount of light, we were under some big trees and able to get Mirabelle to sleep before the sun went down. (At least that is what I think.) I was asleep shortly afterward. Unfortunately, she arose shortly after the sun around 6:30am or so and wanted out. We got ready fairly quickly and had breakfast at the picnic table in our campsite before getting on the road to a hike.



Since we didn't wish to drive far, we tried the interpretive trails at the national fish hatchery. There was some interesting things to see in the hatchery itself including a stuffed black bear and bald eagle. Outside saw raising tanks and then watched some Yakima tribe members fishing for Chinook in the Icicle before heading out on the interpretive trail. We didn't get too far before we opted to turn around as Mirabelle was already showing signs of needing a nap. That was right after we saw a small animal that may have been just a mouse, but almost looked too small and a bit yellow. But I cannot imagine what else it could have been. Perhaps the yellowish coat is more of a localized variation with all the ponderosa needles lying on the forest floor?



We hurried back to the car and Mirabelle fell asleep on the way home. She woke up in the burbs, so there was no second hike of the day.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger - 1916

1916 - Eighth Reunion

[page 1]
The Phend reunion was held June 24, 1916 at the home of Will Phend. there were 61 present to enjoy the bountiful dinner and the good times following. Victor Phend spent his last day with his relatives before departing for the Mexican border.

The total expense of reunion for the year 1916, was $10 all made up in collection. No balance.
Officers for the ensuing year are as follows
Pres. Will Phend
Sec'y Mrs. Mary Phend
Treas. Jacob Phend

Following election of officers was prayer by Jacob Phend
A short talk by Chirst Phend
Oldest present Jacob Phend age 89 June 27 1916
Youngest Mary Alice Phend age 14 mo.
Blanche Evelyn Heckman age 15 mo.

[page 2]
Marriages -
Cecil Phend
Ivy Phend
Waldo Phend
Ivy Senff

Births
Delta Conrad
Cecil Phend. daughter 4th of April

[those who attended]
Mr & Mrs John Phend
Mr & Mrs Henry Phend
Gladys Phend
Bernice Phend
Donal Phend
Vergil Phend
Paul Phend
Gerald Phend
Mr & Mrs Christ Phend, Mary
Mr & Mrs W A Phend
Mr & Mrs F. A. Wehrly } LaMarr & Evelyn
Mr & Mrs Herly Phend
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Phend and Mary Alice.
Mr & Mrs Ivo Phend
Mr. & Mrs Harvey D. Senff
Lucile Senff, Arlena Senff.
Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Albert

[page 3]
Mr. & Mrs. Archie W. Senff
Wilbur R. Senff
Lulu Conrad
Lucile Conrad
Harley Conrad
Mabel Heckaman
Jacob J Phend
Jacob Phend Sr
John W. Miller
Mrs J. W. Miller
Violet Miller
Mr & Mrs Jacob E. Senff
Ruth Senff
Lawrence Senff
Hilda Senff

The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Middle Falls Trail overlooks

Yesterday I posted a picture of Middle Falls in Grand Portage State Park and mentioned the ridge-top overlooks that are along the trail. The photo aboveis taken from the part of the ridge that overlooks Lake Superior. Out in the lake on the left side of the photo you can see a portion of the Susie Islands archipelago, on the right edge of the photo is Hat Point. In between lies Wauswaugoning Bay and Francis Island. It sure is a beautiful view and is certainly worth the hike up the ridge!





































After taking in the view of Lake Superior, you can continue to the back side of the ridge for a view of the Pigeon River Valley (above photo). This view, in my opinion, is just as impressive and enjoyable to take in as the view toward the lake. Near the middle of the photo you can see the river as it makes its way toward Lake Superior. High Falls of the Pigeon River is just out of sight on the right edge of this photo. Remember, the Pigeon River is the border between the U.S. and Canada, so all of the land across the river from this viewpoint is in the province of Ontario, Canada! You can also see a glimpse of Lake Superior to the right. FYI - this trail makes for a wonderful fall color hike :-)

Rutland Water clockwise on foot

With Barry, Maureen, Gordon and Eddie. Harry in the afternoon. Cloudy, then one shower, then clear and even sunny. Pretty good underfoot. Lunch at Horse and Jockey, Manton.

Dramatic lighting over the Water

We started from Barnsdale car park and walked clockwise, via Whitwell, Sykes Lane, the dam, Normanton church, Normanton car park, Lyndon Nature reserve, Manton, and Egleton.

A very welcome pause for tea at the Egleton village hall.



We easily reached the pub by 1pm. Starting from Barnsdale at 9.40 am. We could have had a coffee stop!











Lots of martins and swifts, birdsong which I couldn't identify near Lyndon nature reserve.

Early Valentine's Day for us

Laura and I wanted to keep with our tradition of Valentine's day ice climbing, but the temps were already up to 45° today and tomorrow is calling for warmer and rain as is the rest of the week. We decided to make Valentines day come early this year. We headed out to see if we could get one last day of some big ice lines. Our intentions were to climb The Beast and possibly a new mixed gear line on the right side of the cliff that we noticed last week. It follows a fracture line up a blank steep wall for 40' to a flow that continues up another 90' or so to the large Called on Account of Security ledge. Well we went straight to The Beast to see if the bottom 30' came in enough to get on it. It actually got worse since last week, but I was willing to investigate. I started walking towardsbottom of the climb to see what I could make happen with the unconnected pencil pillars, when all of a sudden I hear some rockfall. 5 or 6 large basketball sized boulders were plummeting towards earth in Laura's direction. I barely had time to yell "RUN" and Laura had already noticed the panic in my eyes. She took off like a bullet away from the cliff. All I heard was the loud THUD sounds made by the rocks hitting the ground behind us. I was having flashbacks to a day we had at The Gun club several years ago when the large upper tier collapsed and showered us with an enormous amount of ice, large ice. I was extremely lucky to walk away with only some serious deep tissue damage and Laura with a huge bruise on her ass. We could have easily been killed by any number of chunks that came down that day. I still question how we made it through the shower without being pummeled. We stood there for a few minutes, debating if this was worth trying. More debris was falling every minute or so. I debated alternate starts, but all across the cliff it was raining rockfall. Not the little scree stuff that falls at the end of season. We're talking blocks. The air temperature was rising quick and making things worse. Since this was our Valentine's Day climb, we decided to stay a couple a little longer and abandon this wall and try one of the others. We hiked back up to Central and looked down to the right watching things fall all over. Our new mixed line was a seam strewn with smaller chunks and blocks that are usually held together by the ice. It was out of the question as water was now running down the seam assuring us that all the rock in the crack were rendered useless for protection. We were determined to get our V-day climb in so we just picked the biggest, driest, safest line we could find. It was so worth it. I climbed the line enjoying the funky 3D climbing and fresh ice this weeks cold weather formed. I finished the pitch and built an anchor to bring Laura up. She was grinning from ear to ear up until the crux. For that section she had a little more intent look and even called out a rare "watch me". She pulled through without hanging and finished in great style. We enjoyed the view from the top for a moment and quickly returned to to the ground to head out before we pushed our luck too far and ruined our V-day climb by one of us getting crushed. It was still early, so we opted to head to Ohiopyle.

Laura enjoying our Valentine's day climb here in SW PA

The belay offered a nice angle for photos

So much fun climbing ice together, Laura lovin' it!

Smiling through most of it!

My happy girlfriend, the worlds greatest climbing partner.

Happy Valentine's Day

Ohiopyle was interesting to say the least. We walked to the top of the Upper Meadow area. To our amazement we didn't see any ropes set up. I started to walk towards the top of the climbs to peer down. All of a sudden a tool with a rope attached to it came flying up over the top towards an exposed root. A guy was tossing the tool towards the root with the intentions of hooking it to assist him through the last several melting out moves. Crazy bathook antics for sure!

You can see the tool laying on the root ahead of my left foot.

We watched for a few minutes before deciding to leave before the sky started falling! All in all it was a great day and we fulfilled our Valentine's day climbing!(a day early)

Windswept Tree

Bicycles and Curb Appeal

One aspect of a bicycle that usually gets omitted from reviews, but I feel is nonetheless important, is "curb appeal" - how noticeable or attractive it is to passers-by (who are not usually bicycle aficionados) at first glance. I've had bicycles in my possession that, while considered excellent and gorgeous by those who know about bikes, are virtually invisible to "normal" people. And then there are bicycles that barely allow me to make it down the street without strangers asking about them.

While it may seem like a superficial thing to care about, the "curb appeal" factor can be important from several perspectives. From the manufacturer's and retailer's point of view, bicycles that are appealing even to those who are not into bikes have the potential to draw in new customers - who may then grow to become serious cycling enthusiasts as a result of the initial lure. From the customer's point a view, a bicycle that is admired by others in their community can enhance their feelings of satisfaction with the purchase and can even result in their riding more often. Even from the point of view of cycling activists, bicycles that are attractive enough to draw in non-cyclists are good news for the obvious reason that they will get more people cycling, or at least thinking about cycling.

On the other hand, some may specifically not want a bicycle with the so-called "curb appeal." Getting constantly approached and asked about one's bike by strangers is a negative thing for those who don't like to attract attention. There may also be a heightened concern of theft to worry about.

Either way, I feel that the extent to which a bicycle is appealing to and noticed by the general public is meaningful and worth mentioning when discussing bicycle design. Have you noticed the "curb appeal" of your bicycle?

Simple solutions, leash, sock and picks

When I start thinking I know what I am doing I usually get a lesson in humility.



Umbilicals? To connect the umbilical to the tools we have mini lockers, flat steel wire gates and a host of do-it-yourself solutions with all offer varying amounts of success. How hard does it really need to be? Not very it seems. For the home made ones just tie a big loop in the end and do the same. Easy on and off for the alpine where you may want to remove the umbilical all together. Thanks Jim for pointing out that obvious solution to my my overly jaded imagination.

















Boots that don't fit perfectly? Feet a little different in size? Not unusual for most folks.



How about using different thickness sock on each foot? It might just be the simple fix you require to get a better fit. Not one I have needed but so simple when it was pointed out to me I had to say, "duuuu, of course!" It is at least worth a try. Thanks for that idea!







Another one that seemed to escape me and most of my climbing mates. Sharpening tools? For most things including vertical ice and the majority of alpine mixed a razor sharp pick isn't required. In fact it is just a waste of good steel (and your hard earned cash) to always be sharpening and resharpening your picks.



I know, BTDT myself on numerous occasions. And until now I am generally loath to go on anything I think is difficult without a set of "properly sharpened" picks. This spring I decided to see just how much difference it really makes. Short of super cold or old hard and brittle ice I suspect it doesn't matter much. Now I intentionally sharpen my picks differently.



I think the ability to hook the tools easily is equally important as getting the initial stick.

With the best of the new tools hooking is easy and secure. Which allows us to worry less about the condition of the pick's tip. Much as we want to think it really does and I have been convinced it does for years.








Pick at the left is now 3.3mm and the newer one on the right is 3.1mm




The difference in how the picks actually climb in the majority of terrain I use them on is nil.























To make a point the two sets of picks below started out new and got some use.









The pair above was used on the first ascent of Dracula, Mt Foraker.





This pair was used on a solo ascent of the Cassin, Denali





As I said unless it is really hard and cold or just old ice the pick can be pretty well worn and still very usable. More so than you might first think. Certainly on a lot of the mixed we do by simply hooking you don't need a razor's edge on your pick. The first time you miss judge a placement and slam the pick into rock you'll end up with a dull edge anyway. The cutting edge of a splitting maul will last a lot longer than that of a scalpel. Each has their own place in the tool box. Best to know which you need for your specific job.



I still have picks I haven't touched with a file that get used on fat Canadian ice. Going a full season there without intentionally hitting rock is not unusual. They start out sharp from the factory and stay that way if I pay attention. I also have the pair of picks I climbed on in Chamonix last winter. Down into the teeth on those simply from wear on the hard granite and old black gully ice there. One is the rounded and shortened pick seen in the first picture. The pair look remarkably the same.









I used that pair of picks on several pure ice climbs this spring including the scariest lead I have been on in a while. Sticks are easy in the spring time slush :) The shape of my picks never once entered my mind.