Climbers Climbin'

So it seems like we are in the middle of an extraordinary stretch of good weather for late April in the PNW. Some motivated people have been making the best of it and getting out for some really fun looking climbs. Rangers have been mostly in pre-season training and prep work so thanks to those who sent in some conditions updates and photos, we will continue to live vicariously through your reports until we hit the mountain full time in a couple of weeks. Check out recent beta on the Ingraham Direct, Fuhrer Finger, and Muir Snowfield posted in our conditions page.

Climber on the Fuhrer Finger - Photo by the Next Adventure crew

If you are heading up for any overnight stays on the mountain make sure you register for a permit. Self registration is still available all hours at the Paradise Old Station but the Climbing Information Center will be open this coming weekend May 4th and 5th from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Stop by to say hello, talk to a ranger and get any last minute info you need for your trip. Also remember if you are parking overnight at Paradise the overnight parking is in the lower parking lot. Please follow the signs to keep your car and wallet out of trouble.



For those of you wanting to access other areas of the park, it looks like Cayuse Pass (SR 410/123) will be opening this Friday May 3. Chinook pass is still a few weeks out so don't try to go to Yakima this way yet. The road to WR campground is still closed to vehicles but should be mostly clear for those who want to bicycle in for an Emmons climb.



For those of you who want to know if its sunny at 10,000' the Muir webcam is back in operation!

North and South Fowl Lakes

For quite a while now I've known about a road that goes to a boat access on North Fowl Lake on the Canadian side of the lake, but never knew just how to get there. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Thunder Bay and on my way home I took some time to drive the logging roads and try to find the route to North Fowl Lake. It was actually fairly easy to find (of course, I had a GPS with me so I knew how far away from the river I was. This made it easier to find the route, even though the GPS didn't show any of the roads that I was on). I arrived at the North Fowl shoreline just in time to make the sunset image seen above. As I watched the sun go down I could hear several loons calling from across the lake. Loons are always a treat to hear, but their call is so much more magical when accompanied by a beautiful sunset.



(Above: The sand spit that separates North Fowl from South Fowl)

Now that I knew how to access these two lakes by road, I couldn't wait to get my kayak out on them. So, the next day I crossed the border back into Canada with my kayak and headed back to the boat landing on North Fowl. I spent the whole afternoon and early evening paddling on the lakes, wandering my way around, exploring the shoreline and the many wild rice beds that occupy the lakes. By the time I made it back to the landing I had been on the lakes for about 5 hours and covered over 10 miles. It sure was a great day!



(Above: Launching into the surf on South Fowl Lake)



(Above: "Goose Rock", South Fowl Lake)



(Above and below: I recently purchased a Canon G10 camera and an Aquapac underwater bag for it, with the intention of using it as my primary camera when I am out in the kayak. I also have several ideas for underwater images... one of them being the image below, which is an underwater view of wild rice on North Fowl Lake)

How Big?

This photo give a perspective on just how big Teakettle Rock is compared to a man and his dog. Actually Lee and Tuffee.

The visitor

Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).




The whole of it.




Jasmine really thought she should be involved.

The Bear Run trail run challenge

The welcome sign behind the barn - maps located here

I've lived in Southwestern PA all my life, but have yet to explore the trails of Bear Run Nature Reservein Mill Run. Its located on Route 381 between Normalville and Ohiopyle. I've had no particular reason for not going, I guess there were always other places being explored. Several climbing buddies even told me of some climbing that exists here. I always thought of checking it out as I sped by on the way to one of the normal destinations, but never did. This past spring Laura and I stopped and walked a short section of the trails while birding. I must say the birding was good, Hemlocks amazing, and the forested trails very inviting.





Yesterday I had to work in the morning but my afternoon was free. I wanted to go run and started discussing options with Laura. She brought up the idea of trying Bear Run. At Bear Run none of the individual trails are over 3 miles, but together they add up to about 20 interconnected miles. For the backpackers out there, they also offer a few campsites for overnight trips. Registration is easy right at the parking lot behind the barn. It was time to map an interesting route. I read a little about the trails online while Laura started getting out maps and books with additional information. After studying the options for a while, I settled on running the perimeter of the whole trail system. This run would end up being about 11.5 +/- miles and a great distance for some higher speed running. It looked easy to follow on paper, at each intersection, turn right. I'm not sure about other areas, but locally some trails are blazed and work well most of the year, but summer months can bring on thick vegetation which blocks the view of blazes and chokes out "established" trails turning them into navigational nonsense. I was hoping this wasn't the case at such a popular area.I pulled into Bear Run and parked in the lot at the trail head (TH) behind the main barn building. There are paper maps available right at the parking lot to help guide you on this journey if you feel like giving it a whirl. Being somewhat unfamiliar with the trails, I picked up two just in case one got ruined or lost. I really didn't feel like stumbling out at midnight on a short distance, training run. Especially since I was starting later in the day. The trails are mostly marked with upright posts at the intersections. They display the trail name and direction of travel arrows to make things easier...

Starting point of route, Registration Board at the trail head

Here's the route: Clock starts at the registration board - (TH) kiosk. Start on Arbutus, turning right onto Wintergreen, follow Wintergreen about a mile to the intersection with Warbler. At the end of Warbler, turn right onto Hemlock (a little chin scratching, blaze hunting was done several times on this one), follow Hemlock to a confusing downhill intersection at the campsite. (Hint) From the campsite basically make a quick switchback right onto the logging road (Bear Run trail.) Its blazed red/maroon, although you'll have to travel several hundred yards to find one. Many are hidden behind new growth along this section. Just after the turn you'll encounter some awesome boulders right on the trail (hint, hint to any climbing friends still reading).Follow the (I'm guessing seldom used?) Bear Run trail to the intersection with Tulip Tree trail (freshly blazed red), but unmarked I believe. Turn right and follow this incredible, rocky, freshly revamped trail to the intersection of Laurel Run trail. Follow Laurel Run trail all the way to a crossing at route 381. Cross the hardtop road and continue on Laurel Run to Peninsula trail. This intersection is tricky so pay attention or you'll add an out and back hill climb to your run too. Near the end of Peninsula trail, you'll come to Paradise Overlook (a rock outcropping that offers a view of the Youghiogheny River below. From there follow the trail uphill to a gravel road. Turn left onto the gravel road(Tissue trail)and follow it back to route 381. The entrance to Bear Run (the starting point) is across the road. Finish the run at the same sign where you began.

Paradise Overlook

My first try at this run was 1:47:21. I was off trail several times, referenced my map too much, stopped for a couple photos, yet ran my ass off to set a benchmark for myself and others. My experience was top notch and I highly recommend it to trail runners looking for new places to venture. Seemed like hard work despite its shorter distance. Route finding proved to be a little more difficult than I expected. Now knowing the route I look forward to trying this one again. There's some long moderate hills, short steep hills, high speed technical rocks on (my favorite part) Tulip Tree trail. Thick sections, Stinging Nettles, even an oozing deer carcass that currently requires a surprise long jump! All kinds of trail goodies. I really enjoyed the many types of forest , wildlife and vegetation that you encounter on this run. As I ran I identified birds by call to pass the time. I heard Black-throated Blue warbler, Black-Throated Green warbler, Wood Thrush, Veery, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, American Robin, Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow, Eastern Wood Pewee, and Red-bellied woodpecker. Others were present I'm sure, these are what I remembered.




If you happen to try this one, please share your experience. I'm sure someone can run this much faster (I'm surely going to try). I hope to get other runners motivated to come give it their all. How fast can this be done? A friendly challenge if you will... Come try it, you won't be sorry! (printable trail map)

One of the Lucky 30%

Sunday afternoon (August 8th) I met up with Sue and Fred as planned. The next morning, despite gloomy, overcast weather we drove the 15 miles of the Denali National Park Highway that is open to vehicular traffic, out to Savage River. To our delight and amazement, a few miles into the park the cloud cover broke up and the sun came out as did the blue skies!

It is said that only about 30% of the people who visit the park actually get to see “The Mountain” (also known as Mount McKinley or Denali). I'm happy to say that Sue, Fred, and I are amongst the lucky few!

This was taken at the nine-mile marker, which is the first place within the park where “The Mountain” becomes visible. That white blob in the middle of the picture (behind the blue-gray mountain peaks) is Denali, about 70 miles away.

Maybe this one is a little better? A couple of miles down the road (and with the aid of the zoom lens).

A little two-mile trail at Savage River was a very pleasant walk and even though there were other people around you sensed the remoteness.

This fellow, a Hoary Marmot, was right alongside the trail. When it caught sight of us it scurried up the hill. Its coloration allowed it to blend amazingly well into the hillside along with the rocks. (This is an enlargement from the zoomed-in image. We were about 100 feet away from it.)

The Savage River Trail (photo taken on the way back, looking to the west). The hardest part of this hike was enduring the cold, stiff wind that was blowing!

Looking toward the east, where we had been.

The Savage River, looking west, from the middle of the highway bridge.

There is also a short but very steep trail at Savage River that leads up to a large rock outcropping, which also happens to provide a great view of Denali. (The Mountain is hidden from view at the river level by the nearer hills.)

Looking east down the Savage River Valley.

Denali from the top of the short trail.

Sue and Fred on the trail back down to the river.

Our second “wildlife” sighting of the day was shortly after leaving the trail parking lot. These three Caribou were in the middle of the Savage River, quite a ways away. (This is a small portion of a zoomed-in image.)

All-in-all, it was a good day at Denali – we saw The Mountain and Wildlife too!

Be sure to check Sue's blog for additional photos!

Bruce Gordon Was Nice to Me

I spotted him in the shadows, at the back of the exhibition hall. It was unexpected. This was Interbike after all, not NAHBS. But there he was, behind a big beautiful red bike with Bruce Gordon decals, underneath a banner with the mysterious word SOPWAMTOS (which, I soon learn, is the Society of People Who Actually Make Their Own Sh!t). A broad-shoulderd, slightly slouchy, gray-haired man with the face of a Soviet literary dissident circa the 1960s. I would give anything to have the writing skills to describe Bruce Gordon's facial features and expression. But alas, I must struggle. Coyly suspicious? Exuberantly grumpy? Playfully defiant? Something like that.






If you don't already know, Bruce Gordon is a framebuilder out in Petaluma, California. One of the best, they say. One of those guys who has been at it for decades, one of the legends. At a loss for words from the bizarre charm of his physical presence, I blurt out something generic about being pleased to meet him. In reply he laughs with a bitterness that is masterful in its combination of sincerity and theatrics. "If I could go back and do something else with my life, trust me I would!" he snorts. "So... want a bike?" Out of curiosity I ask about the wait list. "I am all caught up," he says, "no wait list. You can go ahead and write that on your blog" (the last word is accompanied by a playfully-scornful - or maybe not so playfully, this is ambiguous by design - roll of the eyes. But who cares. Bruce Gordon has no wait list? Okay, I will write that.)








Next we discuss his famousDangerous Pointy Brakes, which I'd recently tried on one of Pamela Blalock's bikes and discovered to be surprisingly functional (unlike most other cantis I've tried). He was pleased to hear this. For a small fortune the brakes could be mine. Alas I had neither the required sum, nor a bike on which these superior brakes could go. But yes, I would mention them on my "blog."






What can I say. I could have moved along at that point. But I don't know when to quit. And no, that's not even it. In truth, I was a little smitten. I wanted this man to keep talking. I wanted to study his face and figure out what or whom it reminded me of.






So I stuck around, touched the bike, asked questions. He quickly grew suspicious of how much I seemed to know about frame geometry and such. "Oh don't tell me. You're planning to become a framebuilder!" I assured him that I was not, but confessed that I might be building a frame for myself shortly. Nothing serious. Just to give it a try. But becoming a framebuilder, no. I understand the amount of training that requires; I know that earning a living that way is next to impossible. "You're damn right it's impossible." And thus began a speech about the horrors and deceptions of the pipe dream of becoming a framebuilder that claims hopeful innocents of my generation by the dozen. Bruce Gordon's opinion on the matter is basically a more extreme version ofthis. "If I could save just one young person from becoming a framebuilder, I would die happy," he tells me. I believe him, and promise to never become a framebuilder.






He eyes me with sadness and shakes his head. He asks what I used to do for a living before the tragedy of succumbing to bikes. I tell him briefly, and soon we are talking about bikes as one would talk about a disease. He tells me some personal stuff, I reciprocate. We commiserate. Before I know it, the conversation begins to resemble the sort of jaded, weepy, vodka-fueled exchange that takes place at around 3 in the morning. Except this is Interbike, high noon, and I am sober.






The following day, I walked by the booth again and gave Bruce Gordon an uncertain wave. I genuinely did not think he'd remember me; it was as if our conversation the day before had been something I'd imagined. But he did remember. And then he gave me this pin. It's a limited edition. The regular one reads "Bruce Gordon was rude to me."




And that is my story of meeting Bruce Gordon. You should buy one of his bikes. I hear they are good and he's all caught up on his wait list.

An Oldie but Goody Brompton

Do older Bromptons qualify as "vintage" bikes? With production dating back to the late 1980s, many would consider them too young for that status. But to me, the vintage vs modern distinction is more about a bike's feel than birth year. Vintage bikes just have that that special something that sets them apart from modern ones - even if the looks are similar. In that vein, I would consider the gem of a bike I am riding in Northern Ireland vintage: A first generation Brompton built in 1993,loaned to me by local collector Chris Sharp.Back home I ride a Brompton as well, so in a way it was a seamless transition. All the more reason the differences are so noticeable.





And one major difference is fit. Early Bromptons were a bit less stretched out (shorter "unitube") than the ones in current production. The change was made in 2004, when an extra 20mm were added to the length. For me, this makes the older bike a better fit than my own. Riding it feels like someone has magically shrunk my bike ever so slightly, putting me in a more natural position.





Another difference is the ride quality: The older bike feels "softer." I wonder whether a change to the tubing was made at some point. The wheels or other components could also be responsible for the difference in feel.





Notice, for instance, the bar across the handlebars. These were added to the early Bromptons as stiffeners: The early production bars were too flexible, known to occasionally warp or break.





The fold of the older bike is the same, with the exception that the rear triangle does not lock in place when fully unfolded (the rear frame clip was introduced in 2007). This makes it more difficult to pick up and carry or even move the bike in an unfolded state; the rear starts folding under as soon as it lifts off the ground.





The components are a bit outdated - with bottle generator, not too strong halogen lights, an older drivetrain, and brakes not as grippy as modern ones. But everything functions smoothly and has held up well after two decades of frequent use.






The older drivetrain works excellently and is pretty interesting. The hub is a "Sturmey Archer 5 Star Gear System," controlled via dual shifters. The way this is explained to me, it is actually two hubs in one: a 2-speed, controlled by the left shifter, and a 3-speed, controlled by the right shifter. The resulting gearing is a 5-speed rather than 6, because one gear (neutral) is redundant.






While Brompton did not offer a lowered gearing option in 1993 as it does now, it was possible to achieve this aftermarket by replacing the chainring on the Stronglight crankset, which is what the bike's owner did here. The gear range works nicely on hilly terrain, including on the 10% pitch I encounter on the way home from town.





One surprise to me was that this bike came with a front block: I hadn't realised the first generation Bromptons already had them. The block looks identical to the one on my own bike, so it should be compatible with current production bags and baskets. But the bag on this bike is original.





I have never seen mentions or even pictures of the original front bags before, so I thought this might interest Brompton enthusiasts. Made of a thin lightweight canvas, the bag is about the size of a small rucksack. Zipper closure in the front, with two zip-up pockets in the rear. Blue, with red thread and zippers. Small red logo on the front. Not much structure to it, so there has been some sagging and stretching over the years. But aside from the stuck front zipper, the bag is perfectly intact and functional.





The rear rack is also pretty useful. The integrated bungee cords have remained firm after two decades of use, and hold parcels secure over bumpy roads. I don't have a rear rack on my own bike, but this older one looks the same as the new ones I've seen.





I am staying in a rural area here. When I need to go into town for errands, I get around on the Brompton. It's a 7 mile round trip, with an uphill stretch and a gentle descent in each direction. This bike has been the perfect little vehicle so far: swift, compact and comfortable, with plenty of carry capacity. The handling is pretty much identical to my own Brompton at home, as is the easy ability to throw stuff in the front bag. It's neat how littlethe basic design of the Brompton has changed over the years. Any tweaks along the way have mostly been been improvements, such as component upgrades and stronger hinges. But I must admit, I will miss the way this older Brompton fits me, as well as its "vintagey" ride quality.



Any owners of early Bromptons out there? Curious what you think of them compared to the newer versions.

The Princess spectator

watching the boats on the Charles river at twilight after a long ride...

Owls, Bears, Bicycles

In the Co-Habitant's words, our tree ended up looking "very organic," decorated with golden berries, wooden forest animals and round ornaments in shades of copper and gold. The bicycles seem to like it.

Happy holidays and enjoy your winter break!

Gourd in Tree

the morning glories weren't the only vine that grew up into a tree. I had a gourd vine grow up into one of my redbud trees. I knew the vine was growing up the tree but hadn't seen any gourd on it. The tree leaves hid the little gourds so well I didn't see them until they were quite large. About a foot tall. I hope the tree can handle the weight. They look like odd decorations hanging in the tree - about 5 in all. And I have about 20 more growing on the ground where they belong.

Creatures of the Night

As others are noticing, summer is slowly ending and darkness is descending earlier and earlier each day. Today I spent most of the daylight hours working on a difficult photo shoot(nothing to do with bikes) that in the end may or may not have been successful. Let me tell you... even if you love photography, it can be frustrating. Spontaneous pictures are fun, but when you have to get something just so or the whole project is no good, and there is a timeline, and you are working with medium format film photography... well, it can get just a tad stressful. I got home after dark and with every fiber of my body felt that I had to ride the Gazelle toclear my head. So I rode in slow motion to a cafe, drank coffee while staring out the window, and rode back. I felt better.



The bottle dynamo lighting on the Gazelleis not the brightest, but for now I think it will do. And I like the soothing, barely audible swishing/hissing/whistling sound that the bottle makes as it rubs the tire. Riding along and listening to it, I feel such a direct connection between myself and the light that illuminates the road. That's me, making light with my feet... how nice that is. (Andwhen such thoughts run through my mind, I know that I must be tired!)



From a more practical perspective, I will eventually need to either supplement the existing dynamo with LED lights, or upgrade to a stronger system. I have been considering the Dymotec 6. Any experiences with it or suggestions for alternatives? Autumn is coming, and increasingly this bicycle will become a creature of the night. Just imagine the tire sidewall singing this to the dynamo bottle...

RootsTech :: Day Two

It was another busy and mind-boggling day at RootsTech. I didn't do much socializing since I attended presentations all day long!



As with yesterday, the keynote address was impressive with a nearly full room of attentive genealogists. Given by an enthusiastic and very dynamic speaker - Josh Coates – the topic was “Exabytes, Social Clouds, and Other Monstrosities.”



I've never tried Voice Recognition Software but after listening to Luana Darby in “Can You Hear Me Now? Voice Recognition Software and Genealogy” I may just have to give it a try! Someday. (I'm not sure my little netbook is capable of effectively using the software.) I have a lot of obituaries, deeds, wills, and estate files that need transcribing and it seems it may be easier to read/dictate them into the computer rather than trying to type up the documents myself! The obits could probably be done by scanning then doing OCR on them but that always seems to require some cleaning up of the text. It seems that Voice Recognition Software has come a long way in the last 10 years or so. The software still requires “training” to your voice and your manner of speaking but she says the accuracy is quite good.



Jill Ball did a great job directing the panel in “Genealogy 2.0: International Panelists Discuss Their Use of Social Media to Connect With Cousins, Collaborate on Projects, Discuss Issues, Market and Promote Genealogy Services and Perform Acts of Genealogical Kindness.” Jill, Amy Coffin, and Audrey Collins offered up examples and opinions on the various topics listed in the title of the presentation.



I seem to be attending sessions on topics where I have limited knowledge. Kinexxions is on blogger but I went to the presentation on Understanding WordPress by Amy Johnson Crow. Each platform has it's pros and cons and since I've got five years worth of posts on blogger, I don't think I'll be switching it over to WordPress. However, I would certainly consider using WordPress for a new blog – if I ever decide to start another one!



My last presentation for today was “Google's Toolbar and Genealogy” by David Barney. I learned so much during this presentation that my head was spinning! If you get a chance, I highly recommend watching this one when it becomes available on FamilySearch. It should be available soon along with the keynote addresses and other sessions.



I didn't take any photos today other than the one below...





Elyse Doerflinger and Michele Goodrum were “caught” doing what many other genealogists did after the sessions were over for the day! Michele is holding a wand scanner that she had been using to scan pages of a book – she says it works great once you get the hang of working with it.



As you can see, the place was pretty busy. I decided not to attempt any research since I'll be staying in Salt Lake City for a while after the conference is over. I also opted to not stay for the viewing of “Who Do You Think You Are?” though I did watch the show from the comfort of my motel room!

Softies

Cute Niece #1 has realized that her Nana can't say "no". My Mom excels at anything involving a needle and thread. So even though she'd never sewn things from kids' drawings, Cute Niece didn't see any reason why she shouldn't try. So she did.


"It's a softie!" I told them. I explained about the Month of Softies group craft project I'd read about on the blog Small Hands.


I just love the lopsided ears. "He's not supposed to have a tail," Cute Niece informed me.

Myself, I follow a predictable pattern when it comes to sewing projects:
1) I get excited about an idea for something.
2) I read several books about it.
3) I buy more supplies than I will ever need or use.
4) I take an overly long time making just one.
5) I never make it again.

---
Edited to add:
My sister called.
"I can't believe you forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"That your Cute Niece actually designed a three-legged dog. Named Tripod. You didn't mention that part. But you can see it in the picture if you know what you're looking for."
"Whoops."