How will climate change affect our National Parks?

The topic of climate change took exceptional relevance here at Mount Rainier after the floods and wind in November of 2006 caused significant damage throughout the park(check out the Mt. Rainier N.P. report documenting the flood's damage), forcing our gates to close. This was not the first storm that hit this park hard, nor will it be the last. There is a high likelihood that future storms will cause similar damage (if not worse) and climate change will have as-of-yet even greater undetermined impacts on the park's resources. The result of this event and uncertainty brings into question the ability of the federal government to sustain long term access to places such as Mount Rainier from an economic and ecological standpoint. Obviously, this issue has implications for us all - recreationalists, admirers, climbers, skiiers, and just anyone living in a town near the park.

How will climate change affect Mount Rainier National Park? Well, this is the question that many are beginning to ask. You can be a part of this discussion on Wednesday, September 3, along with a panel of experts in climate change, outdoor recreation, economics, wildlife and roads and trail construction (among others). The evening's event, co-hosted by the Washington Parks and Forests Coalition, is titled, "The Way In: The Future of Access to Northwest National Parks". Panelists will focus on global climate change and how it will affect our national parks, especially Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades National Parks. This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

This event is co-hosted by the organizations from the Washington Parks and Forests Coalition, which include National Parks Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association, and the Student Conservation Association. For more information, contact David Graves at dgraves@npca.org or 206.903.1444 x25.

The Center of US

Saturday, May 7th - - The above sign is located on U.S. Highway 36 in north-central Kansas. Several miles northwest is the small, rather desolate and forlorn looking town of Lebanon and a little further to the northwest of Lebanon is the Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States.





Going up... on Kansas 191



And over. At the end of the road is “The Center” of the U.S.



This new little chapel seats four. The original was destroyed in .. by a speeding car.



The official marker denotes the spot.



The flag really needs to be replaced. A strong wind was blowing as I'm guessing it does much of the time.





Lebanon has souvenirs?

A Look at Rivet Saddles

When I last corresponded with Debra Banks, she was off to ride the Texas Rando Stampede 1200 - a 750 mile brevet that she would go on to complete in 85 hours. Naturally Deb did this on a Rivet: a waterproof, slotted leather saddle of her own design.




While Rivet saddles are fairly new to the scene, Deb's experience in the industry goes back to her time at Selle Anatomica. In her own words:

Tom Milton, the founder of Selle An-Atomica was my sweetie and after his untimely death, I ran SAA for a year while his estate was being settled. His family took over the company and I ventured out on my own to form Rivet Cycle Works.

At the moment, Rivet offers three basic models of saddles in different widths. Each is available in a range of colours, and with a choice of cro-moly or titanium rails. We discussed my trying one for review and settled on the Pearl.






Named after Pearl Pass in the Rocky Mountains, the Rivet Pearl saddle was optimised for long distance comfort and support. As Debra explains, this does not mean these saddles are solely for long distance riders. Rather, if a cyclist experiences saddle discomfort when attempting longer rides, it was designed with addressing this in mind. The Pearl model features bag loops for attaching a full sized saddlebag.






Measuring 170mm at the rear, the width of the Pearl is equivalent to that of Selle Anatomica saddles. However, the shape and structure are quite different. In fact, while Rivet saddles may invite comparisons to Selle Anatomica because of the shared history, I find them to have more differences than similarities. The list of similarities is short: Both are slotted, and both are made of waterproofed leather in largely the same range of colours. However, the form and feel have little in common.






The first thing I noticed about the Pearl before fitting it on my bike was how tall it was. The height, or depth of a saddle is not a spec that all manufacturerslist, but it matters. While the Pearl's leather upper is in itself shallow, the rails are pretty deep. Installing it in place of my Berthoud Touring saddle, my seatpost had to be lowered almost a full cm to compensate. Selle Anatomica saddles are even shallower than Berthoud, so the difference there would be greater still. I am not comfortable providing exact figures, because height is difficult to measure and I don't want to misinform. But basically it's Selle Anatomica < Berthoud Touring < Rivet Pearl, with just under 1cm of difference in height between each.






It occurs to me that the purpose of the deep rail design on the Pearl might be to avoid any chance of the leather hitting the rails should it stretch over time. There is certainly no danger of that.The wrap-around tab on the underside further reduces tension loss.






According to Debra, Rivet saddles can take about 300 miles to break in, during which time they may also stretch. The tension screw should be used to regulate tension - not just in the event of stretching, but also to find the tension that works best for the rider's anatomy.






The purpose of the slot on Rivet saddles is "to relieve pressure and help to re-distribute pressure to other areas, depending on how the rider sits on the saddle." The Rivet slot is a bit longer than the slot on the Brooks Imperial line of saddles, and considerably shorter than Selle Anatomica's.






The edges of the Pearl's sitting surface are crisply delineated, rather than rounded, which gives it a sculptural look. The "R"-embossed rivets add textural interest. The Burgundy colour, pictured here, is a deep brown with a magenta tint (and, from what I can tell, identical to Selle Anatomica's Mahogany).






For waterproofing, a chemical agent is mixed into the tanning process (a different process than what is used for vegetable tanned leather). To increase firmness and minimise sagging, a second layer of leather is laminated to the upper piece. The leather for Rivet is sourced from Wisconsin, then sent to Taiwan, where the saddles are made by a master craftsman. Rails and other frame parts are sourced from Taiwan. The saddles are assembled there and then shipped worldwide.








With the demo Pearl on my roadbike, I rode around the neighbourhood and determined that the standard (highest) tension felt pretty good. The rear felt just about right at my sitbones. The transition from rear to nose felt just a tad wider than what I normally ride. With this initial assessment I felt comfortable enough to try a long ride.




I tested the Pearl on an informal 100K. Including my ride to and from, it was an 87 mile day in the saddle. For me, the Pearl out of the box did not require a break-in period. I experienced no soreness over the course of this distance. The leather felt quite stiff, but suppler than my hard-as-a-rock Berthoud. Compared to a Selle Anatomica, the "hammocking" action was subtle, and I could not discern independent movement between the two sides separated by the slot.The curvature and surface of the Pearl's rear felt very comfortable as the miles rolled on. Once in a while I could feel the ridges of the slot toward the front. It was not enough to cause chafing in the course of the distance I did, but I wanted to note that I could feel them. What did cause chafing - and this started around mile 60 - were the sides of the saddle in that transitional part that tapers toward the nose. Given the location and nature of the chafing, this was not a breaking-in issue or a tension issue, but a structural issue - the Pearl model is slightly too wide for me in the rear-to-nose transition, which caused chafing to my inner thighs over time. Having received my feedback, Debra agrees with this diagnosis and suggests I try the narrower Independence model to compare.






As we all know, preferences in saddle shape, size and feel are highly personal. It is always good to have options and variety. Designed by an experienced randonneuse, the saddles from Rivet Cycle Works are a welcome addition to Brooks, Berthoud and Selle Anatomica. The Pearl model is priced at $150 with cro-moly rails and $250 with titanium rails. In addition to saddles, Rivet also offers handlebar tape, mudflaps, and other goods. I wish Deb all the best with the business, as well as in her cycling adventures.

Just Taking it Easy...

It has been a week since my return. My timing was terrible (that's not exactly the word that went through my mind, but this is a “family friendly” blog). Somehow I had forgotten that it was Labor Day weekend, in both the U.S. and Canada (though there it was Labour Day). And I probably should also have looked a little closer at the map for a different port of entry... getting onto I-5 after crossing into the States was not a good decision on my part.

After I left Hope on Friday morning (September 3rd) there was a considerable amount of traffic on Highway One – it did, after all, go to Vancouver. It may see strange, but I was totally unprepared, psychologically, for all of the businesses and the stores and the amount of traffic on Interstate Five! It wasn't exactly culture-shock, more like sensory overload. Too much all at once. It didn't take long before my nerves were shot!

Almost on the verge of Panic, I exited onto the first highway I saw that would take me away from there – Washington State Road 20. I got through the heaviest traffic area and on past Sedro Woolley. The first State Park that I came to had a “Campground Full” sign, the second park was closed, the third one didn't have a campground. Not good. Then I got to the little town of Rockport. And they have a Municipal Park with a beautiful campground along the river. All of the RV sites were taken but there were still a few tent sites available. Lucky me! It was early afternoon but I stopped for the night anyway. No telling what, if anything, would be available on down the road. It took a while for my nerves to get settled. A nice hot shower helped immensely as did sitting down by the river and watching the water flow by.

Saturday morning, looking at the map, I realized that if I continued east on State Route 20, I'd be going through the Cascade Mountain Range and through the middle of North Cascades National Park. Neither of which would be bad, by any means, but I needed internet access and/or a cell phone signal. So it was back towards Sedro Woolley.

With my errands completed, and because the clouds had blocked out the sun, I decided to go south a short ways on I-5 to Everett and pick up U.S. Route 2, which is a scenic highway through the southern Cascades and Wenatchee Mountains. When I got over Thompson Pass, the clouds disappeared and I saw sunshine and blue skies once again. It was a beautiful drive though I took no pictures to prove it! The landscape changed as I drove east on the other side of the mountains. Fewer trees, brown hillsides, open vistas.

Near Wenatchee U.S. 2 joins up with U.S. 97 and turns north, following the Columbia River, so I did too. Highways run along both sides of the river, I stayed on the west side on the “alternate” route and stopped at the small town of Entiat where there was a municipal park and campground alongside the river. It was almost perfect. Large trees shaded the campground and dotted the riverside. Two nights I spent there, soaking up the sunshine and basking in the warm temperatures (low 70s) and light breeze, generally just taking it easy.

The view from my campsite, looking northeast.
Looking southeast.
From the north side of the park, looking toward the west. The campground was nestled amongst the trees on the western shore.

Ride Fast or Ride Far?

When I first started trying to increase the milage of my rides, I was advised to keep my average speed down on longer distances. "You can ride fast, or you can ride far," I was told. This advice seemed perfectly logical. The faster you ride, the sooner you'll get tired, right?



But my own experience stubbornly contradicted this piece of wisdom. I grew suspicious when, over the past two years, intentionally keeping my speed down only seemed to make me miserableon longer rides. So this summer I experimented. On some long rides I rode at whatever speed felt natural in the moment (whee!). On others I intentionally kept my speed in check. I felt better after the rides where I maintained a higher speed.



At first this discovery confused me. And then all at once, it made sense. The "fast or far" dichotomy fails to account for one crucial factor: time spent on the bike. Let's say you are doing a 100 mile ride. At an average rolling speed of 14mph, you will spend 7.14 hours on the bike. At an average rolling speed of 12mph, you will spend 8.33 hours on the bike. That's more than an hour of extra bike time! An entire extra hour of pedaling, of leaning forward, of gripping the handlebars, of chafing against the saddle. These things can wear you out just as much as the pedaling effort itself.



My point here is not that one should attempt a century ride with the zeal of a racer, but that it helps to look at a situation from multiple angles and to factor in your own strengths and weaknesses. As it turns out, I can ride faster than I've been giving myself credit. And as my body struggles to cope with longer times in the saddle, riding faster is getting me further. YMMV.

Grand Canyon :: OMG, Look at the Bright Angel Trail...

The morning after our return from Indian Gardens (Wednesday, April 15th) we took a walking “tour” of some of the lodges and other historical buildings on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is a trail that goes most of the length of the South Rim and we walked a short ways along it to the Trail View Overlook, which gives a very nice (putting it mildly) look at the Bright Angel Trail.

The Trail from the rim. At the top, just a little left of center you can see several lodges. The one at the rim is the Bright Angel Lodge and the trailhead is to it's right as you are looking at the picture.

You'll have to trust me on this... The 1.5-mile rest-house is a short distance to the left of that longest pointy shadow. The 3-mile rest-house is at the far end of the trail on the lower left.

Enlarged view of the previous photo, showing the 1.5 mile rest-house in the upper center of the photo. Actually, those are the restrooms, the rest-house is tucked away in the side of the Canyon, next to that shadow.

The 3-mile rest-house is near the center of the picture, where the trail makes a sharp turn back, just above the “black spot” which is a steep cliff. Indian Gardens is barely visible on the far left (that clump of green trees).

Enlarged view of the previous photo, showing the 3-mile rest-house (the small clump of trees where the trail splits to go out to the overlook and the restrooms).

And finally, the trail into Indian Gardens and on out to Plateau Point. Of course, the Bright Angel trail continues on down to the River and the Phantom Ranch area. Where the Plateau Point trail veers to the left, the Bright Angel trail goes to the right.

I must say that when I saw these views I was amazed and in awe of the fact that I had actually hiked that trail. I told Sue and Fred that if I had seen this before Tuesday morning, it is highly likely that I would not have made the trek. It was scary looking at the depth and the switchbacks and I wasn't sure of my abilities. I really don't know whether I would have done it or not. I'm very glad that we hiked it and it is something that I'll remember for a long time to come. And I now have greater confidence in my abilities to hike somewhat more difficult trails than I have been doing!


Other posts in this series:

• Grand Canyon :: Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens (part 1)
• Grand Canyon :: Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens (part 2)
• Grand Canyon :: Indian Gardens to Plateau Point (part 3)
• Grand Canyon :: From Indian Gardens to The Rim (part 4)

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Blueberry Crumb Bars, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A delicious recipe I came across at nookandpantry.blogspot.com/. These bars have warm blueberries on the inside with a crumbly, sweet, and buttery crust. They are easy to make and very satisfying. Try them!

*I would, however, use more sugar than the recipe at Nook & Pantry called for.

Skiggy

This is Skiggy trying to be a scarey Halloween cat. Skiggy is 15 years old and my favorite cat. I raised him and his brothers on a bottle after their mom died when they were a week old. Skiggy is the last one.

Beachcombing #1

Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, Texas
February 17, ..

More Thoughts on Tandem Riding

I hoped that I'd get over my tandem fever by now, but instead I have only grown more curious. So when local tandemnist Matt O'Keefe offered to take me on an early morning ride, I was there with bells on.Matt and his wife Susi have been riding tandem for years. They have one for the city and one for sport, both of which Matt -production managerat Seven Cycles,and welder at Merlin prior to that -built himself.



A former mountain bike racer, Matt's attitude to cycling is "the less pavement, the better." When we set off, he suggested we do an unpaved loop instead of going on the road. I had no objections.



I was actually very interested in the logistics of how a tandem would work where we were going. The thing about dirt roads in the Boston suburbs, is that they are more like trails: For the most part not technical, but quite narrow - at times claustrophobically so, with a path through the woodsjust wide enough to fit a single bike. They can also be twisty.I was curious how a tandem could be wrangled around corners through some of the trickier spots.



But neither the tight turns along the narrow parts of the path nor the sharply zig-zagging boardwalks across bogs were a problem: Matt steered the long machine with precision through gravel, dirt, mud and sand, over ruts and ditches, and around tight corners. Tandems really can go anywhere! The experience from the stoker's seat was fantastic. All I had to do was pedal, and the huge bike did all this cool stuff under Matt's captaining.



In this vein, I keep mulling over the idea that tandems are a great way to expose cyclists to styles of riding they are not yet comfortable with on their own. They could be a tool not only for couples and friends of disparate abilities, but also for cycling clubs and various organised events. For instance, I can imagine a club event where experienced tandem captains offer stoker spots for tours through gorgeous but tricky terrain. Or a tandem race, with stoker positions open to cyclists who would not race on their own. Just a thought, but it could be great fun... Then again, it could turn out like this. Either way, I am in!

The 6th of the 6th

Randy's latest bit of Saturday Night Fun is to "go to your My Pictures folder (or the equivalent) and pick out the 6th item in that folder. Then pick out the 6th item in that folder, and so forth, until you get to an actual picture." Then, "post that picture to your blog with an explanation of what the picture depicts, including place and date."

The sixth photo in the sixth folder of the sixth folder of my "Image Files" folder was taken at my grandpa's house in December 1954 and my sister Terry was just learning to walk. Mom has always said "It was her first step" but who knows. A rather appropriate picture though, seeing as how today (January 31st) is her birthday. . .

Austin Maker Faire

Maker Faire is billed as the World's Largest DIY Festival - and it's back in Austin for a second time this weekend. Philo gets Make Magazine - he was at the first Austin Maker Faire last year while I worked with the Divas of the Dirt. I'm sure glad I went this time!

Who wouldn't want to see lofty electric guitars played when pedal power spins them past a stationary pick? The kids were lined up for a chance at this 'ride'.

Wind and pedals ruled outside the main building - with Kites flying in the perfect blue sky while one odd contraption after another was tried out in the Bike Zoo - the 80-foot White Snake, hooked-on-bikes and more.


After playing the pedal guitar, kids took turns pedaling to spin bike frames around like a carnival ride. Some had trouble getting the rhythm but these two girls made an impressive team.
The New York Times called Maker Faire, "A wondrous thing: the gathering of folks from all walks of life who blend science, technology, craft, and art to make things goofy and grand."



When we went inside the Show Barn we saw an enormous Robot suspended from the ceiling - goofy or grand? Maybe a little of each! This Mantis was one piece of the amazing metal art produced by blacksmiths working on a 1200°F forge.
One of the cool things at the Austin Modders booth was this computer case. I loved the idea of being able to see inside the computer as it worked.
The Arts and Crafts included jewelry, bookbinding, scents, bead makers, fabrics, fashion and yarn - did you know there was an Austin Lacemakers' Guild?

It was pretty cool to see replicas of robots from Star Wars at booths

But even cooler to see delighted children turn around and see R2D2 roll up next to them.Philo says he comes for the science, technology and art, but I suspect that Fire Plugs shooting Flames may be an even stronger reason.
Actually, I could not resist the Ring of Fire either!
In the Food Makers area there was actual food to taste, eat and buy (Torchy's Taco's!) and booths for The Green Corn Project, Permaculture, and Organic Landscaping. You can find an array of foods from pastries to hummus to vegan hand-pounded chocolate to the turkey legs enjoyed by these guys, who were kind enough to pose for a garden blogger. My husband wished he'd seen the turkey legs first and joined the Carnivore Club.

None of my photos of the wonderful, musical Tesla Coils came out, darn it. I didn't even take photos of the Life Sized Mousetrap game, intricate Lego layouts, the robotic shop tools, innovative musical instruments, art cars, musical groups, Rocket launching guys, the treadle-powered Land Boat, Hula Hoops, Green living exhibits and what for many people may be the main event - a series of RoboGames competitions held in the arena building inside a separate, bulletproof see-through arena with bleachers and announcer on loudspeakers.You have one more chance to get there - Maker Faire continues tomorrow from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane, Austin, Texas. My plan is to collapse on the sofa with a DVD and rest up for another event tomorrow.

Philo took some video of the Singing Tesla Coils... sooner or later I hope it appears HERE.


If it doesn't show up - or to see all our videos - use this link to Annie and Philo's YouTube Station.

Edited Sunday AM: Here's a look at the Ring of Fire: