Driving As a Cyclist

Until last week I had not been behind the wheel of a car since 2007. ButI knew this day would come - the day I would want to drive again.




Over my years as a driver, the cars I've owned have always had automatic transmission - I never learned how to drive manual. When I mention this to an Irish friend, he shakes his head and roars with laughter. "Automatic!"He says it as if the word itself, used in relation to cars, is amusing in its absurdity."Automatic?! Okay, so you never learned to drive properly in the first place. Well come on - I'll learn ya!"




And just like that, I am in the driver's seat. I feel ready for this, looking forward not only to being behind the wheel after such a long time, but specifically to trying the manual gear-shifting. And the funny thing is - this enthusiasm comesfrombeing a cyclist, not in spite of it.





The 8 mile stretch of Benone Beach is like an unpaved extension of the road. Cautiously I maneuver the rickety Saab along the sand, my left hand on the gear shift knob, my senses heightened, trying to listen to the engine's sounds and feel the give in the clutch.



Things do not go as badly as I thought they might. I am not stalling out. I press the correct pedals. My hand is getting used to the positions of the gears, so that I can shift without looking. Operating the gear box makes sense, having gotten used to the concept and feel of gears on the bike. When the gear is too high, the car makes a straining noise - not unlike a cyclist grinding along at a painfully low cadence. When the gear is too low, the car feels as if it is spinning out, unable to pick up speed efficiently. It is not a perfect analogy by any means, but it is just enough to make sense. And I can feel that with some practice this will become intuitive.



I think of driving now differently than I did 5 years ago. Cycling is a very physical activity, and it has made me more viscerally aware of the mechanics involved in operating a vehicle. I think of driving as a serious skill, rather than a perfunctory action. When in the passenger's seatI now find myself more aware of the driver's technique and degree of control under different road surface conditions and speeds.Having worked so hard to learn how to handle my bike on winding mountain roads, I appreciate the handling skills involved in operating all vehicles - be they motorcycles, tractors or cars.Some of the people I know here are extremely skilled drivers, and I must admit that riding with them is exciting. I am impressed with the smoothness and precision with which they operate their complicated, heavy 4-wheel motorised vehicles. And if I do drive myself, I aspire to aim for the same degree of proficiency.

"Urban" Girls.

Fourhigh poweredgirls from Urban Climbtake on the weekendhigh traffic area of"Has it got a Chevy Motor?" 24 at Coolum Cave.



















On any Sunday, "Chevy Motorists" arebumper to bumpercruising their way slowly up,

and taking the fast lane down,Coolum's Route No. "1"

More punters have run out of fuel, pulled over for a break,or just crashed and burned on this popular tourist drive than anywhere up and down this sunny coast.

jjobrienclimbing was there to get the traffic report.



Danger - steep grade ahead-45 degrees.









Flaming redhead Bochere Rand stops the weekend traffic in layered pea green and fuchsia.







Searching for the road ahead.





 Bo wasn't always an Urban Girl.

Here's the dirt:

Self confessed Country music tragic and equestrian, her home town of Bellingin NSW is equally famous for dairy and hippies.







History note: The jjobrienclimbing Kombi (not real name) could often be found parked by the Bellingin River in the early eighties,

and not for the dairy.











Tara puts her foot down andlays some rubberfor the sloper. This sloper has sent more people flying than ...





Ontarian Tara Davidson fesses up tohaving a shoe thing. Me too. Is it Volleys for you too?

She'sbackand energised from a tour of Rocklands Sth. Africa. Fav Oz crag: Frog.

Drum and Bass and Jazz, hey lets compare notes. I'm still loving Thomas Marriott















Huong Nguyen is famous fora high voltagesmile that could power an electric car.





There's the smile.













Quietly ferociousHigh torque - high traction.

Trina Lat: Drum and Bass follower,cook, chocolate lover. Sounds familiar, me, me, me again.Look out for the Trina Lat - Physiotherapist shingle coming soon.Senior beat consultants from jjobrienclimbing recommend KongkastHong Kong's Drum and Bass Podcast to all climbers who like their beats hard and complex.



Climbers, this is why I never let Trina climb on my rope.Teeth alert.

Started climbing in the Philippines, I must go someday, now her fav crags are Brooyar and Coolum Cave.









Weekend Chevy Motorists.

jj

Update from Salt Lake City :: One Month

Yep! A month ago today I arrived in Salt Lake City. The time has literally flown by. A lot has been accomplished – over 300 microfilms and 40 books (and 1 microfiche) have been pulled and viewed. Of course some of them only for a few minutes and others for a longer period of time, depending upon what the film contained. It's been exhilarating and exasperating – depending upon what was found or not found.



Various documents (wills, estate records, deed records, tax records, baptism records, etc.) on 25 different surnames – not all types of documents for every surname, more on some than others, but something for each surname. Some things were expected (I “knew” about them) but some new things have been found too. I'm at the point now where the “low hanging fruit” has been obtained and will be entering “new” territory next week, exploring surnames and locations that I've not done much research on previously.



One of the earliest documents found is the 1739 Land Warrant issued to Andreas Brinker. Born on July 9, 1699 in Rümikon-Elsau, Zürich, Switzerland as Andreas Brungger, he was married to Regula Hester in 1721 and they had six children, five of whom were born in Swizerland. On June 28, 1735 Andreas and his family arrived in Philadelphia onboard the ship “Mary” having sailed from Liverpool, England. They settled in Saucon, Bucks County in what would become Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Andreas and Regula are my 7th great grandparents.





Land Warrant of Andreas Brinker, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Family History Library microfilm 021686 scanned November 1, ...

By the Proprietaries.

Pennsylvania, SS. Whereas Andreas Brinker of the County of Bucks hath requested that We would allow him to take up Fifty acres of Land Situate between to Hills adjoining George Hertzley at Sacoon in the said County of Bucks for which he agrees to pay to our Use, within the Term of six Months from the Date hereof, at the Rate of Fifteen Pounds Ten Shillings, current Money of this Province, for every Hundred Acres; and also to pay the yearly Quit-rent of one Half-penny Sterling for every Acre thereof, to us, our Heirs and Assigns for ever: These are there to authorize and require you to survey, or cause to be surveyed unto the said Andreas Brinker at the Place aforesaid, according to the Method of Townships appointed, the said Quantity of Fifty Acres, if not already surveyed or appropriated, and make Return thereof into the Secretary's Office, in order for Confirmation; for which this shall be your sufficient Warrant: Which Warrant and Survey, in case the said Andreas Brinker fulfil the above Agreement within six Months from the Date hereof, shall be valid, otherwise void. Given under my Hand, and the Seal of the Land-Office, by Virtue of certain Powers from the said Proprietaries, at Philadelphia, this Fifth Day of March Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and thirty nine. Signed Thos Penn



To Benj Eastburn, Surveyor General.

[Written on the left side]

To George Palmer DS

Execute this and make Return of Survey into the Surv Gen'l office as Soon as possible.

for John Sukins Esq

Edw Lynch

Beauty in the Morning

Each morning the beauty of the morning glories help me get started on another day. I have about 4 different areas where there is hundreds of blossoms each day. Sadly they are all gone by evening but I know another group of them will be there to greet me the next morning. I love this blue color but also have other shades of blue and some purple. Morning glories have always been one of my favorite flowers not only because of their beauty but because they are so easy to grow. They are an anual and do have to be replanted each spring but grow fast, with little fertilizer and not as much water as a lot of other flowers. One group decided to grow up into my Bradford Pear tree. A Bradford pear is an ornimental pear meaning it has beautiful white flowers in the spring but no fruit.

What happened to all of the winter climbers?

This winter has delivered some rather amazing weather and snow conditions. As we've noted, Mount Rainier has seen its fair share of extended snowstorms and extreme avalanche conditions. But lately, that trend hasn’t been the case. Over the past few weeks, the mountain has largely been blessed with beautiful days and clear nights. Swarms of visitors have been making the most of these sunny skies, warmer temps and rather calm weather. Ski and snowshoe trails lace the Paradise area and virtually every prominent vista has a few down-hill tracks below them.

Even the boot and ski track up to Camp Muir has been pretty deep on recent weekends. But what’s noticeable is the lack of boot and ski tracks venturing beyond Camp Muir. With only a few weeks left in March and the remaining days of winter rapidly slipping away, we’re wondering "What happened to all of winter climbers?"

During the last "normal" winter '05-'06 (loosely defined as Dec 1 March 31) 185 climbers attempted the summit on Mount Rainier. This winter ('07-'08) our climbing attendance has precipitously dropped to a lowly 42 attempts! One wonders, is this a trend? After reviewing the past six years (with the exception of last winter when the primary road was entirely closed), the next lowest attendance was '03-'04 when only 104 climbers attempted to summit. That number is more than double what we're seeing this year. So what gives?

Of the 42 climbers this winter, only 6 have been successful (a 14.3% success rate). That success rate falls within the historic average during the same time range (Dec 1 – March 30). The winter high on Mount Rainier was 23.3% during the '06-'07 season (oddly enough when the road was closed) and the low was 1.6% in '05-'06.

The big story, however, is the notable drop in the number of climbers attempting the summit. This data backs up the anecdotal observations of those who frequent the Park. They say that people are just not coming in as large numbers as they used to. With the exception of a few busy weekends this winter, the park has not seen the overall visitation that is normally expected.

Taking into account this season’s well publicized avalanche concerns, this is somewhat understandable. Let’s face it, December 2007 and most of have been a tough year for positive Rainier press… The winter started with one avalanche fatality and was promptly followed by numerous road closures and other warnings about how high and extreme avalanche conditions were. Certainly, the media picked up the tempo. There was plenty of coverage in every major newspaper including even the New York Times.

At the main visitor centers, the most common questions received relate to the weather and avalanche conditions. Many people are calling to check if "the Mountain" is even ‘OPEN’. YES, "the Mountain" is "OPEN" and by all accounts "the Mountain" is looking pretty darn good on these recent clear days.

So, here are those climbers stats for the past few winters. These cover December 1 - March 31. By the way, we normally consider winter attempts from Dec 21 to March 20 (or whatever the exact "winter" season is).

2007- - 42 climbers - 6 summited
2006-2007 - 17 climbers - 4 summited
2005-2006 - 185 climbers - 3 summited
2004-2005 - 208 climbers - 32 summited
2003-2004 - 104 climbers - 4 summited
2002-2003 - 230 climbers - 36 summited
2001-2002 - 137 climbers - 14 summited

As a reminder, the uphill gate at Longmire closes nightly at 5:30 pm. The downhill gate closes the road at 7:00 pm. Generally, the Longmire gate re-opens every morning after the road has been cleared of snow. Sometimes that's as early as 8 am, but during storms, it can be as late as noon! Call the NPS general information line at (360) 569-2211 and select #1 for road and weather conditions. If you’re coming up to climb, check out the registration page too. Keep in mind that there is NO self registration this winter.

Thanks to Monica Magari for her help with crafting much of this post! Photo of Eben Reckord heading towards the upper Nisqually Icefall by Ben Kurdt.

Durability of Unusual Finishes: Chrome Plating and Clear Powdercoat

This winter I've been riding some bikes with unusual finishes. My main ride is a clear powdercoated Brompton. There are also two chrome-plated bikes in my possession at the moment: a vintage Raleigh Tourist and a modern Bella Ciao. The idea of riding these bikes on salted winter roads has been met with some concern, and I've been asked to comment on how they are holding up.




To start with, I just want to say that chrome plating and clear powder coat are entirely different finishes, and I am by no means placing them in the same category. But the one thing they have in common is that they are unusual, which invites curiosity about their durability compared to paint.Unfortunately, I cannot address that question meaningfully. I didn't have the heart to experiment with the beautiful finishes, so I've been cleaning the bikes after every salty ride this winter. But in truth I am not sure how much this extra care is warranted.




When it comes to the chrome plated bikes, I am actually surprised by the concern for their durability. Chrome plating might be pretty, but its real purpose - as I understand it - is to make the frame more resistant to corrosion. Therefore, a chrome plated frame should require less, not more maintenance than a painted or powdercoated frame. Issues of cost aside, chrome plating should make for an excellent and entirely appropriate winter bike finish. For what it's worth, my chrome Raleigh Tourist is a 33-year-old bike that was well-ridden by its previous owner. The chromed frame shows less wear than a typical painted frame from that era, though a similar degree of component wear.




Clear powdercoat is a different story. Generally speaking, powdercoat is considered to be a more durable finish than liquid paint, which makes it a preferred choice for winter bikes. But clear powdercoat is tricky and may not be reliably rust-proof. Owners of clear-coated bikes have reported problems with corrosion. Rivendell used to offer clear-coated frames, but no longer does. Brompton at some point reformulated their raw lacquer finish to address corrosion issues. Today there are owners of clear-coated Bromptons who ride them in winter, and dealers seem to feel this is perfectly fine to do. I do not see any signs of rust on mine so far, although again - I've been cleaning it.I would notintentionally choose a clear powdercoat finish for a winter bike.




All things considered, I feel that (pigmented) powdercoat and liquid paint are more practical choices for a bike finish. Chrome plating is expensive and difficult to do properly. Clear powdercoat is reputed to be less durable.




Then again, there are bikes that do perfectly well with no finish at all. As an experiment, Henry Cutler of WorkCycles left his personal Fr8frame unpainted. For three years the bike was stored outdoors in Amsterdam's rainy saltwater climate. Over time the frame has developed a patina of surface rust, but it remains structurally fine. Go figure!

Sharing the Road: Notes from Rural Northern Ireland

Traffic is different here. I have shared the country roads with everyone and everything - from cars to oversized trucks, to tractors, horses, cows, other cyclists, runners and pedestrians. Some go very fast, some go very slow, some go somewhere in between. Many of the roads are narrow, winding, with no shoulders - oftentimes with barely room for a full sized lane in each direction. Situations frequently arise when travelers are in each other's way. An old truck putters along below the speed limit. A herd of cows is moved from one pasture to another. A jogger runs wearing earphones. A cyclist takes the lane on a winding descent.A pony and trap race is in progress on a Sunday afternoon. At the same time, the roads are teeming with fast sports cars,long distance lorries, and sedans full of people rushing to and from work in one of the industrial parks or factories nearby. With the limited space, this mix sounds like a recipe for disaster - or at least regular incidents of road rage. But I have seen no signs of that yet. On the contrary, road users across the spectrum are eerily patient and courteous.




I noticed it at first as a cyclist. Out on my bike every day, and sometimes at peak commuting times, I am never made to feel as if my presence on the roads is inconveniencing anyone - even though technically, sometimes it is. But if I am in the way, drivers will simply pass me, or wait until they can. They genuinely don't seem bothered. Sometimes a driver will wave as they pass - not in a hyper-friendly sort of way, but more like in casual acknowledgement of my presence.




Riding as a passenger in a car with locals offered a glimpse of the driver's perspective. Whenever we had to slow down for another road user, that was exactly what the driver did - without altering his emotional state or breaking stride in the conversation we were all having inside the car. There was no impatience, no eye-rolling, no "Jeez, what's this guy doing stopped in the middle of the road?" on the driver's or other passengers' part. Put simply, they did not seem to process slower road users as inconveniences or obstacles.




It would be tempting to explain this attitude as country manners or something specific to "Irishness" - except being here in the midst of it, that doesn't feel like it.The attitude is more matter of fact than friendly or polite. There seems to be a system in place that road users implicitly acknowledge being a part of. Cooperation is necessary for the system to work, and everyone understands that.




Is this system really so different from what goes on in congested cities and chaotic suburbs? In some ways yes, but in other ways not so much. I am not sure whether planners interested in road sharing dynamics ever look at areas like this one for ideas. But I propose they should; it might yield some unexpected insights.

Cloud Galaxy

Last night we headed out to try and do some photography of the annual Perseid meteor shower. For about the past week we have been seeing quite a few meteors streaking through the sky each night, but last night was supposed to be the "peak" of the shower. We stayed out from about 10:30 PM until 3:00 AM and while we did see a lot of meteors, it didn't seem to be quite as many as last year. The view of the Milky Way Galaxy is what really stole the show. We started off our evening at Paradise Beach just south of Judge Magney State Park and the view of the Milky Way over Lake Superior was tremendous. As we sat and enjoyed the view we heard wolves howling off in the distance. A couple of hours later we packed up and headed to one of the fire towers in Grand Portage. When we got there, however, a very large cloud bank was moving in from the west and we were only able to get a few shots in before the Milky Way was completely obscured by the clouds. In this photo you can see the edge of the cloud along the bottom of the photo. I thought it made for a pretty interesting image to show that cloud advancing over the Milky Way with the fire tower in the foreground. It was a fun night outside, and to go along with hearing the wolves we also saw a pine marten and a small rabbit, both of which ran down the road in front of us at different times. So, not only a good night for stargazing but also a good night for wildlife!

The Village of Eastport

Tuesday, September 18th - - So many things are "the eastern-most" thing here in Maine - the eastern-most campground, the eastern-most town, the eastern-most point, etc. The Village of Eastport lays claim to being the eastern-most port in the United States. It was one of the places that I was told that I "had" to visit - a quaint little fishing town that is the epitome of all Maine fishing towns.



What I found was a quiet little town. Quaint, to be sure, with little shops selling a variety of artistic and crafty goods. And, of course, the harbor filled with boats.

More spring "skiing", The Mallory, Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix

"Bruno said it’s an adventure, it’s like a journey in another world. It’s a long decent and you have to stay focus the all time there is not a lot of margin for error."









Pictures and comments here:

http://www.lucapandolfi.com//05/aiguille-du-midi-north-face-mallory-16-05-/



scrub it 01 from julien regnier on Vimeo.





Thanks to the http://chamonixinsider.com/for the links and a heads up on these.

Spongy black fungus

What the heck is that thing?



I don't know, but it sure looks weird.



Back home at the computer, it's Tom Volk to the rescue again.

This is a specialized type of Sooty mold, Scorias spongiosa, that appears only on Beech trees.

Here's another page about it.

I first learned about sooty mold when I took the Master Gardener course. Certain plant-sucking insects excrete honeydew, a delightful name for what really amounts to sugary poop. The sooty mold lives off of it, and that's the black stuff you see on leaves (and other things).

I hadn't realized they came in such specialized varieties, though.

Making Fruit boots for hard mixed climbing?

Now is a good time to put some thought into Fruit boots if it is something that interests you for next winter's mixedseason.













I'll have a review on the newest Boreal Ice Mutantmodel later on as fall approaches and the temps drop.









But nothing like thinking ahead. The fun I was havingin myhome made pair is why I searched out a commercial pair. One caution? You'll want your boot crampon combo to come in at around 2# total per foot to really take advantage of a lwt technical combo. BD raptors come in at 10oz per foot. That leaves you with 22oz per boot before you bolt the cramponon. More than one climberis just using the front half of the crampon so that candrop some weight as well.



http://bigfootmountainguides.com//03/03/how-to-make-mixed-climbing-boots/







http://climbs2high.blogspot.com//11/new-project-fruit-boots.html







http://rockandice.com/articles/how-to-climb/article/359-make-fruit-boots-do-it-yourself-crampons

Balloons from many Countries

The International Balloon Fiesta is called that because they have many balloons come over from other countries to participate in the fiesta. This one was the only one I saw that I could really tell was from another country because I couldn't read the writing on it. I suppect Germany but I could be wrong.

Petzl hammers, one last time!

Seen on some of the most experienced Petzl tools in the world. And much more still to come this season. A truly classic and well tested design worthy of the Nomic.






Summit ice slopes, N. Face of the Eiger and CT hammers.




The current productionrun of CT hammers is not readyyet. But will be sent for heat treat midDecember . Likely the last batch I will produce.Certainly the last batch till at least fall of .They are anothergeneration better and even more user friendly! No dicking
around on the fit. Simply bolt them on with the current Petzl picks. A new
stronger and more durable design. These willfit perfectly on the old or new
Noimcs. They willalso fit on the new Quarks and new Ergo with the current production picks. Milled one at a time from tool steel and then heat treated to specific hammer hardness. Full head coverage,4mm thick and only 32g per hammer with little effect on the tools balance and swing weight.



NOTE! October 22, the last batch was being mailed out.....inventory lasted till Nov. 9. The current production runwill be ready late Dec or early Jan . Best to pre-order if you
want hammers this season. No additional shipping charges for
International orders. Everyone pays the same $7.50 no matter where you are in the world.

Nomic/Petzl options

1 hammer $60.00 USD 2 hammers $120.00 USD 4 hammers $225.00 USD

Lake Crescent

After leaving the Hoh Forest and River we went north, again, for a very pleasent drive along Lake Crescent. It seems to be a long, sort-of narrow lake as you make the drive along it on the highway. It shimmers and looks like it has jewels in it in light to deep blues and greens. The lake is a glacier lake carved out by a glacier many many long years ago. I simply could not get over the colors in the lake. It was so clear and beautiful. But we were lucky that we had a nice blue sky making for a bright day to bring out the colors. I had never seen glacier waters before and now I understood why everyone raved about them. There were mountains all around the edge of the lake making for wonderful photos.

Mystery Photo #8

This is the seventh post (and 8th photo) in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information. Click on the "Mystery Photo" label at the bottom of the post to see all of the photographs in this series. As always, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Paper photograph on card stock. 2 3/8 x 4 1/16. Printed on back: Frank A. Place, Photographer, Warsaw, Ind. Also, perhaps, another of those "hidden mother" photos? Looks to me like the background has been retouched.

Okay, even though we all know what can happen when you assume something, an assumption is going to be made that this is a photograph of one of the grandchildren of Charles and Susanna Bray Wiseman. In the previous post I suggested that the baby in that picture was Nathaniel Howard Wiseman, born July 18, 1884. He was the 2nd grandchild of Charles and Susanna. The first was Ethol Walter Scott, born April 7, 1884 in Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana and the son of Susanna Wiseman and James Scott. I don't think the previous picture was of Ethol because they lived in Vevay, in the southeastern part of Indiana. It's my opinion that the above photograph is of the 3rd grandchild who was Charles Wilson Wiseman, born September 20, 1886 and the son of Amanda Alexander and Samuel Bray Wiseman though it could be Smith Wiseman, born February 27, 1888 and also the son of Sam and Amanda.

The pictures below are from my father and were identified (from left to right) as Ethol Scott, Howard Wiseman, Smith and Charles Wiseman.