Saturday 12/11 conditions check

Here's a few photos from our drive to check conditions. 38° and sunny. Tommorrow calls for rain. Then the temps are to drop into the teens and single digits again. Season is underway.

Overview of local conditions

Early season taunting of the SICK-le



Duomatic on the Danube: the Sturmey Archer 2-Speed Kick Shift Hub

Over the weekend I rode a bicycle with a Sturmey Archer Duomatic hub - complemented with a front SAhub, which I thought looked rather nice.

You may recognise the bicycle as a Bella Ciao - It is a Neorealista model in "Sabbia Frizzante," which is a sort of sparkly champagne colour that just stops short of being gold.



Matthias Maier, one of the persons behind Bella Ciao, came down from Berlin and brought the bike to their Vienna dealer, Citybiker, where I was able to try it. Here is a nice picture of Matthias at one of my favourite cafes; it was nice to finally meet.



The unusual 2-speed hub is becoming popular for city cycling, and I was curious to try it. Vienna and Boston are both mostly flat until you get to the outskirts, but sometimes a single speed does not feel quite enough - making the Duomatic an appealing option.



The hub works via coaster-brake action: You push back with your feet lightly to shift gears (both to upshift and to downshift), and you push back harder to brake.



The thing that confused me initially, is that there appears to be no way to engage the coaster brake without first shifting to a different gear. That means that if you're in the lower gear already and want to brake, you will be switching into a higher gear right beforehand - and then starting in a high gear from a stop. However, I soon realised that I can simply switch back to the lower gear while stopped by tapping the pedal backwards gently with my foot. The bike does not have to be rolling in order to shift, and it takes very little pressure to do it.



While cycling, shifting gears with my feet did take some getting used to. It's very easy to do - just a little backward tap - which is actually the problem. Those who've been riding coaster brake bikes for some time are accustomed to "feathering" the brake with their feet, and this has become an automatic motion for me. However, with the Duomatic hub that feathering motion is what shifts gears, so initially I found myself constantly switching gears without meaning to. I'd try to slow down, only to find myself in a different gear, and would then have to quickly back-tap again to regain my previous rhythm.



Having said that, I would describe learning how to operate the Duomatic hub as fun, rather than annoying. The fact that I was able to actually ride the bike through the very busy city center and intersections while navigating around tourists and cars made that clear. It was like nothing I'd experienced before, and of course it was disconcerting to find myself switching gears by accident - but also rather exciting to be able to both brake and shift with my feet.



I did make liberal use of the front brake at first, which, thankfully works very well on this bike.



It took me about an hour to get comfortable with the drivetrain. I decided to ride on the Danube Canal bikepath for a while, which would allow plenty of room to accelerate. I cycled all the way to the edge of Vienna and back, and by the time I returned to the center I felt like a Duomatic "expert." Of course when I got on my own bike later, I kept trying to shift gears with my feet - but never mind!



While I found the Duomatic fun, the real question is whether it's plausible as an actual everyday system. Overall, I'd give it a conditional yes, the conditions being that (1) you like bikes with coaster brakes. If you dislike them, then you will hate this hub, since it requires using your feet constantly. And (2) you are willing to accept a learning curve. No matter what system you're currently using, it will take your brain a little while to adjust to this one.In addition, I suggest that you consider the gearing carefully. Since the hub offers only two speeds, you can set it up as standard and low, or standard and high. The bicycle I rode had the latter setup, which I thought would be optimal for me - but wasn't. In practice, I would have found it more convenient to have a standard gear and a lower gear - but perhaps with the gearing slightly higher overall. That should be as simple as replacing a cog.



I know that some are considering the Sturmey ArcherDuomatic for fixed gear frames that do not have a rear brake bridge. Personally I would only do this if you are planning to set up the bike with upright handlebars, as a roadbike position is very awkward with a coaster brake. It's up to you of course, but at least try it first. For myself, I see the Duomatic as very feasible for an upright city bike, and the lack of shifters on the handlebars is appealing. My feet are stronger than my hands, so this work nicely for me. But there is no doubt that this is an eccentric drivetrain, and not the sort of thing I'd enthusiastically recommend to everyone. Find a way to try it, if at all possible: You might love it - but if not, you'll at least experience something new. Many thanks to Bella Ciao and Citybiker in Vienna for making it possible for me to try the Duomatic.

Goodbye Camaguey and off to Bayamo!

We slept very well in Camaguey. We liked our room, colonial styled yet simple, and I made sure that the air-conditioning is blowing on my side of the bed and not on Blondine’s. She cannot handle the air-conditioning while I cannot sleep without it. This is the dilemma we always have when travelling together which is quite odd.

Blondine, who is born in the Netherlands have low tolerance with the cold weather. She is always bundled up at 15C when we go out and cannot handle too much air-conditioning otherwise she will get sick. While I, born and bred in the tropics prefer to go out at 15C (as long as it’s not too windy) without a coat and will not survive the night if it’s too warm in the bedroom. I prefer the air-conditioning blowing on my face and body. Odd, I know.

Breakfast at Camino de Hierro Hotel in Camaguey consists of papaya shake and fresh tropical fruits: guava, pineapple and mango. Then we had some omelette as well.

Across the hotel we saw young students waiting for the rain to stop.

We woke up quite early the next day and had our breakfast before 8 in the morning. We were first served with fruits and a papaya fruit shake. Then we had omelette and some bread. Healthy start for the day I must say.

After breakfast we went to the bank and withdrew money against our Mastercard credit cards. The transaction went smooth and quick. We were actually a bit worried that the same problem at Sancti Spiritus will occur (no connection with Havana), but everything went on as planned.

Funnily, the cashier at the bank asked Blondine to sign on the paper several times because her signature varies greatly from her other signatures. This is (backward) banking in Cuba which means lots of paper trail and signature samples matching each other. Reminds me of the Philippines 15 years ago when I worked at a large IT multinational there. I was managing the payment solutions product line and my customers are the top 20 banks of the country. Back then, there were more banks and mergers are not heard of. I used to sit down with managers and executives discussing about paper trail and how to eliminate this through digitalization. It was a difficult and tedious subject because many banks then were not ready. I am sure the situation in the Philippines now has changed. Here in the Netherlands banking has become teller-less and paperless, and I love it.

Our next main destination is Santiago de Cuba located at the southern tip of the country, and is the second largest city of Cuba. However, we will have a stopover at Bayamo for lunch and a quick city tour.

Click here to check our route: Cuban Road Trip

Manuevering our way around Camaguey. Finding our way out of the city to the main road without a street-detailed map is always a challenge.

Finally, we are on the main road to Bayamo!

While on the way to Bayamo, we encountered this charming Paladar Paraiso 672 along the highway. Here, we stopped for some coffee break. Camaguey to Bayamo is about 3 hours so this was a timely break in our journey.

I ordered the usual black Cuban coffee while Blondine had hers with some milk. She did not like the milk in it. I think in Cuba you better stick to drinking pure coffee with a bit of sugar. You can get good coffee in Cuba almost everywhere. And do trust me because I know good coffee.

This is one of the few nice pitstops in Cuba. CUC$1 for coffee. Take note this is between Camaguey and Bayamo.

Another Indian Lake Sunset

Friday, August 5th - - As I drove “home” to the campground at Indian Lake after spending much of the day at my “private” beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the clouds began gathering. Rain was forecast for Saturday and it looked like it was coming sooner than predicted. I made it back to the campground in time for a stroll along the shore of Indian Lake at sunset.





The ducks (there were others not pictured) were enjoying the water at sunset, bathed in the golden glow of the fading light.



Like most everyone else, I generally take sunset pictures with the camera in “landscape” or horizontal orientation. Because the clouds were so dramatic, along with the reflections in the water, I decided to do a series of “portrait” shots or with a vertical orientation... Enjoy!

Crowbait

Here we are in the driveway. And ole' crowbait decided to let lose a big fart and scare himself so that he started crowhopping for a few seconds. I wasn't expecting that.

Cumberland Island :: Dungeness

The morning of Sunday, December 27, .. was another chilly, gray, gloomy, overcast morning; the same as the three previous mornings. I had been hoping for at least a little sunshine and a slightly warmer day but, based on its beginnings, I didn't think that was going to happen. Saturday I had gone to St. Marys to check out the town and find out about the ferry going to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Good thing I did, as reservations are recommended!

So the reservations were made, but not paid. I could still decide not to go. However, I figured with the way the weather had been, it was as good a day as any!

After a short drive into St. Marys, then paying the fees ($17 for the ferry and $8 for the National Park Entrance, the latter was covered by my wonderful National Parks Pass), and listening to a short orientation lecture, I boarded the ferry with the other passengers. I was amazed by the number of people with camping gear, it seemed like about half the people on-board were campers. The campsites on the island are primitive. The only facilities available are showers and restrooms and those only in the main campground areas. You're completely on your own in the backcountry. Whether they are staying in the campground or backcountry, everything that is needed by the camper has to be brought in by them and anything they bring in has to leave with them. I'm not quite prepared, yet, for that kind of camping, especially when the temperatures dip down below the 30s overnight!

There was a heated cabin area on the ferry where some passengers sat during the 45 minute ride out to the island but many, myself included, opted to sit outside in the cool morning air. Refreshing is how some might have described it. Most of the day-trippers like myself disembarked at the Dungeness Dock on the south end of the island while the rest went on to the Sea Camp Dock a mile to the north, where it was a short trek to the campground.

In order to learn a little about the history of the island and its inhabitants, I opted to take the Ranger Guided Tour of the Dungeness Trail. I've since found several websites that give more detailed information and they have added considerably to what I learned that day. Links to those websites will be listed at the end of this post. The Ranger who gave the tour was very knowledgeable and entertaining as well.

The Dungeness Trail leads you to the Dungeness Mansion, or rather, to the ruins of the second Dungeness Mansion. The first Mansion, four-stories high and huge, was begun in 1796 by the widow of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene and her second husband, Phineas Miller. The mansion was completed in 1803. Shortly thereafter Dungeness became a mecca for the early Georgian high society. After the Civil War the Mansion was not maintained. It fell into disrepair and in 1866 burned to the ground.

About 1880-81 Thomas Carnegie (a brother and partner of Andrew Carnegie) purchased much of Cumberland Island. With his wife, Lucy, Thomas built the second Dungeness Mansion where the first had been. It was a 59 room Scottish-style castle complete with turrets, a pool house, 40 outbuildings, a golf course, and acres of manicured gardens. Thomas Carnegie died in 1886 leaving his wife Lucy with nine children. Over the years, four other mansions were built further north on the Island for use by the children. The house at Plum Orchard has been restored and is open for tours twice a month. It happened to be open the day I was there but I chose to explore the southern end of the Island rather than view the house.

The second Dungeness was used through 1929 then it sat vacant for 30 years. In 1959, it too burned to the ground. All that remains of that magnificent mansion are a few walls, standing like sentinels, guarding the past. Some day, they too will fall.

Left side of the Dungeness Ruins, from the front.

Dungeness Ruins from the front-left corner.

Dungeness Ruins from the rear-left corner.

Dungeness Ruins. Window detail.

The remains of the recreation building.

The Tabby house, which stands off to the right side of the Dungeness Ruins is the oldest house on the Island. Tabby is a kind of concrete made of oyster shells, lime and sand. Built around 1800, it dates from the time of the first Dungeness Mansion. It was the only building in the area that was spared by the Carnegie's when they built the second Dungeness.

To be continued...

See these websites for more information on the history of Cumberland Island and the National Seashore:

• National Park Service
• Outdoor Places
• CNN Article (Posted in 1998, but still valid.)
• Wikipedia

Take Me Home Tonight

One thing you can count on in life is that it is full of surprises. And while the idea of the unexpected makes us nervous, it also makes us hopeful - For just as trouble can be waiting around the corner, so can excitement and adventure.

Last night I met Jacqueline... and took her home!

Apologies for the unflattering photo, but it was dark. Jacqueline is a beautiful vintage Waffenrad, which is an Austrian manufacturer no longer in business (more about that once I have some pictures of the bike in daylight). The bicycle is on loan from the collector Wolfgang Höfler, who also runs Vienna Active Tours and is involved in a variety of local bicycle-related projects. He is the one who named her Jacqueline. This bicycle is completely upright and very comfortable, which is why I can ride her despite not having entirely recovered from my injuries yet.

I picked up Jacqueline on Saturday night, and was nervous about riding home across Vienna for the first time. I considered taking the bike on the U-Bahn, but then decided to just go for it and cycle. The foldable basket-panniers even fit my huge laptop bag.

It was a 25 minute ride home, and I had no trouble at all. Figuring out the route was much easier than I anticipated, as was navigating the intersections and other quirks of the bike-path system.

And yes, this was playing in my head as I flew through the night-lit city. It was interesting to notice how much more lighter Vienna is at night than Boston; I never really paid attention to this before. The dynamo headlight and tail light on Jacqueline are dim compared to the set-up I have on my bikes at home, but they are more than sufficient here.

Jacqueline after I dragged her into the hallway of my building. She is tired and delighted.

So am I!

I was worried about cycling after having just recovered from pneumonia, but the Waffenrad requires very little effort to pedal - it just rolls. I wasn't even out of breath when I got home. It is a similar ride to my Raleigh DL-1, but not quite the same. I am not sure yet whether I will use this bicycle for transportation, or just to cycle around a bit in my free time - it depends how I'm feeling. And speaking of that, I suddely feel much, much better.