Long Island Sunset

As its name implies, Long Island is a very LONG but narrow island in the Susie Islands. Only about 100 feet wide at its widest point, it is roughly one half-mile in length. This photo was taken at sunset over the East end of Long Island.

Cabin Creek ..

Jennifer woke up with a sore throat so we cancelled our plan to ski at Lake Wenatchee and camp in Leavenworth. She was still interested in doing something so we went to Cabin Creek once again. We have found it smart that if you are not going to get there first thing in the morning that it is a good idea to wait until Noon to get there. That way the morning people are leaving and there are less people out on the trails. We also managed to get the best weather (no rain) that we have had at Cabin Creek all year. We did one loop and called it a day so Jennifer wouldn't get too run down. The groom was a bit tracked out but the snow was soft and forgiving. I fell once going uphill when I didn't spread my skis enough. Other than that it was a good time.

Not quite blue skies, but no precip

Riding a 1940s Mercian

One of my most vivid memories from Northern Ireland is standing outside Chris Sharp's house, staring at a dozen Mercian bicycles lined up on the front lawn. The rainbow of their frames stood out in vivid contrast to the wall of dark pine trees behind and the gray skies overhead.






Rain was coming down - slowly at first, then in earnest. Fog set in. As water dripped from the frames and a milky mist began to surround us, it looked as if someone had spilled tubes of paint onto the lawn. What a sight.





Since the time he was old enough to save up for his first roadbike, Chris Sharp has been accumulating Mercians. There is just something about them he enjoys and feels is special. A familiar story!





Several decades later, his Mercian collection includes road, touring and track bikes, a mixte, and several time trial machines, as well as catalogues and paraphernalia from the early days of the Mercian Cycles shop.





The magnificent spread I saw on the lawn was not his entire collection; there is more in storage and elsewhere. But it was nonetheless stunning and provided beautiful examples of the legendary machines throughout the years.






Chris Sharp's bikes do not get babied. They see rain, they are taken to events, they get ridden by him and others. Which did I want to ride? How about the earliest example, a machine from the 1940s? Never mind the downpour and the fog.






Considering that Mercian Cycles set up shop in 1946, seeing this early machine was rather exciting. Chris's brother Keith was curious to try it, though I was reluctant - imagine crashing something like this!





Though the exact year of the bicycle's production is unknown, most likely it is 1947. The paint and components are not original; the bike underwent several cosmetic changes in the course of its existence. The frame itself however has remained unaltered. Chris bought the bicycle in Derby, England - from Mercian Cycles directly when the shop was under its previous ownership. The current restoration was done by Mercian, and the build was done by Chris using vintage English components.







It is a shame that the original paint and decals could not be preserved. The original head badge would have looked like this.





But the original lugwork can still be admired.






I love the older fork crowns as well.






Though cosmetically battered over the years, the frame itself had remained in good condition and the restored bike is entirely ridable.





Chris had it set up as a fixed gear for himself, but had put a freewheel on it to make it easier for others to test ride. The size is just about perfect for the Sharp brothers.






Keith Sharp is a bicycle racer and rides mostly modern machines, though appreciates his brother's vintage collection. He had never ridden this particular Mercian before, but loved it when he tried it. "The ride quality! It is very comfortable, you really must ride it!" I confess that it took a bit of convincing to get me on this bike. It was too large for me and I was unsure that I'd be able to use the brake levers effectively. Also, it was raining! But finally, my curiosity to learn what one of the earliest Mercians ever made felt like on the road won over and I tried it.






Very glad I did - what a bicycle. Yes, there is something about the ride quality. A steady, comfortable and almost effortless ride, gliding over rough road surfaces and yearning for uphill stretches. The bike was surprisingly easy to maneuver despite being too large for me. Once I started riding it, I wanted to keep going. It also felt oddly similar to my own Mercian back home. It makes no sense to believe that there is a distinct ride quality associated with Mercians that spans decades of production, despite the generational change of builders and the use of different tubing and geometry. And yet the Mercian owners and collectors I've spoken to quietly believe this, while conceding that its unlikelihood. I do not plan to collect Mercian bicycles, but I enjoy learning about their history and interacting with their enthusiastic owners. It was a treat to ride a Mercian of 1940s vintage - one of the earliest made. More pictures here.

Raindrop

I took this photo after our rain last Friday morning. You can see some of the other tree branchs in the raindrop

QuickFix

An imaging program came with my computer. It doesn't do much, but it has one button that I've enjoyed playing with recently: QuickFix. Most of the time it just slightly changes the hue or the contrast. Every now and then it makes art.

It changes this redbud leaf



into this exotic jungle creature.



Occasionally it takes ho-hum flower shots



and produces surprising results.



And sometimes it gives you



super-sneaky crawdad spy vision!



I'm off to a soapmakers' gathering tomorrow. Smell ya later.

Ice

Not alot to see at the start of the New Year but things can only get better........

Winter 4.0

In the final weeks of my thoughts were full of everything that's happened over the past year and my dominant emotion was depletion. Two days ago I finally finished making a bicycle frame, and the experience took its toll: Getting so completely absorbed in something at which I am so completely mediocre led me to question my sanity. This train of thought then spread from framebuilding to cycling itself. My progress on the bike has not been impressive by any standard, making it both funny and ridiculous that I am so utterly into it. I also could not help but question what would happen if and when I finally move beyond the constant struggle to both understand the bicycle and master riding it. Will it no longer be absorbing? Will the excitement and wonder eventually fade?




In the midst of all this brooding, it began to snow. It snowed and snowed all through the night, and the next morning I ventured outside. On a Sunday the plowing had been minimal. Side streets crunched with hard-packed snow. Grassy lots offered vast, undisturbed snowscapes. Modest city parks turned into enchanted forests. I wandered around by bike through the preternaturally white landscape. As my face began to tingle from the frost, my head cleared. Slip-sliding my way through the at once familiar and unfamiliar streets, everything began to make sense. I abandoned my attempts to take stock and draw conclusions. I stopped thinking about the past year and started looking forward to the year ahead. This is my fourth winter cycling, and yet everything feels utterly new, utterly exciting.




Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you, as always, for reading.




---

In keeping with the New Year's Eve cocktail tradition, I offer you:




The First Snow Ride

Ethereal gin

St Germain liqueur

Lindt white chocolate

eggwhite

ice




In a cocktail shaker, mix 2 parts gin and 1 part St. Germaine over ice. Pour (hold the ice) into a cold cocktail glass. Whip 1 eggwhite until super-frothy. Finely shred white chocolate and sprinkle the flakes into the froth. Add mixture to the drink's surface. Serve and enjoy the ride!

It's Not Over...

I was so looking forward to spending the rest of the year on the beaches of Padre Island in South Texas, soaking up the nice, warm sunshine! And traveling further west again to explore places that I missed the last time through... but sometimes, life throws you a curve ball, and "plans" change.

The Journey has made a U-turn and is on Indefinite Hold. After several very nice days in the Texarkana, Texas area (one day was in the mid-70s!!), I'm back in Indiana.

I'm fine – it's my Mother – she has some medical problems that are far more serious than we were originally told. She goes to the doctor on Wednesday for a scope to determine the size of a tumor in her colon and to take samples to send off to see if it is cancer. We probably won't know anything definite until after Christmas. Once we know what it is we will know what course of action needs to be taken. And we'll do what needs to be done. And hope and pray for a positive outcome.

In the meantime, I'll have the wonderful memories of the many fantastic places I've been these past 15 months and the dreams of the places yet to be seen... It's Not Over!


Big Lagoon State Park, Pensacola, FloridaNovember 18, ..

Picture Perfect day for a paddle!

Yesterday Jessica and I spent the morning paddling the shoreline of Esther Lake up the Arrowhead Trail in northeast Minnesota. It was a spectacular morning to be on the water and as we were making our way back to the boat ramp these postcard-perfect clouds were rolling in, making for some beautiful scenes to photograph.

Wordless Wednesday :: Another Hoosier Farm

Noble County, Indiana. Summer of 1982.Sepia toned infrared photograph.Copyright © 1982/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Indiana National Guard Unit 1907

This photo was probably taken about 1907. Hale Brubaker, in the middle of the back row (the fellow without a hat) was a member of Company G, 3rd Regiment, Indiana National Guard. He was a First Lieutenant at the time he left the unit in 1908 to attend law school at Columbia University in New York City. Click on the picture to enlarge it to see the details. It is obviously a posed photo made to look like a candid shot.

Success, failures and a happy thrashing to all!

Since my return to rock climbing this past summer, Laura and I have been very busy doing crag work and climbing as much as possible. My shoulder injury from last winters rail antics at 7 Springs seemed to take forever to heal into climbable shape. Starting slow and climbing mostly on 5.11 and under seemed to be working at improving my weak shoulder. After only a short time back and feeling a better I upped the stakes and decided to tryPinch Me I'm Dreaming a 5.12+ mixed gear line at The Knobs in Dunbar, PA. The climb went pretty well, except that I aggravated my shoulder during the ascent. Once again I eased back down to vast amounts of sub 5.10's and easing into 11's for the past several months trying to heal it more. I've since recovered enough and managed to climb a few easy 12's without more injury and am feeling OK, but definitely not 100%. I really want to get back into projecting routes and being able to push harder, but I've been nervous about further injury and destroying myself for ice season. Yesterday Laura and I decided to ride into River's End Crag and climb there for a few hours. We climbed several climbs and I decided it was time to see how healed I was. I decided to drop a rope on Sludge Factory a 5.12+ that I've yet to red point. I figured the top rope was best that way I could safely test my shoulders thresholds without over doing it due to red point determination. I've only tried the route a few days since equipping it back in late . Its seen a couple of ascents that I know of and is a solid route for the grade. To date the best I've done is one hang it. There are two very distinct cruxes on this route. One is making it past the first bolt, the second is surmounting the large overhang at the top. In past efforts the top crux has been my Kryptonite. I'm usually so pumped that hanging in for the last clip is not within my abilities and off flying I usually go waiting to hit the ledge below. Yesterday was just the opposite. The bottom crux rocked my world in every conceivable fashion and the upper went without a hitch despite needing a good brushing. I hope this is the sign of better things to come. I've been waiting patiently trying not to hurt myself, but I really miss working near my limits. I've been recently given the pleasure of watching people on our new routes and have throughly enjoyed seeing both success and failure. Not failure because I'm glad they didn't succeed, but glad in a sense that I remembered how much fun failing can be. Failing means you get to have more days perfecting sections that are "tricky" for you, which in turn makes you a more fluid climber. I haven't met a climber that doesn't like success. The more effort, the sweeter the success. Even after the greatest successes I've found that the "send high" is only a short lived moment of glory that is quickly eclipsed by the next line looking to smack you down. Yesterday was just that for me, the fun part... working the line... getting beat by it and getting to come back and try again another day. Failing just means another day of climbing!

Equipping Sludge Factory in

One of the amazing events I recently witnessed was Laura having a great break through this past week. After being dejected by the crux start ofDeliverance5.11+ at Bruner Run on many attempts, she worked out an inspiring sequence that proves that short folks CAN do this line. Using obscure stemming and showing extreme flexibility, she managed to get a clean send. It was quite funny how convinced she was that it was "impossible for her". She declared that it was a line that she'd never get due to the long reach. Only by pure determination and serious effort was she rewarded with the realization that she could send harder lines... Her display of cranking convinced me that I needed to get back to trying harder despite my shoulder. To put the plan in motion, I'm declaring war on Sludge Factory after a couple rest days. Then its on with Devil's Doorway a project route thatI put anchors on Monday. Its a hard line that repeatedly spit me off years ago when I was a stronger climber. Will I ever send it? Hopefully...or not. Getting to try it once again without injury will be reward enough for me! Happy Climbing



On another note be sure to check out the Ohiopyle climbing guide I've put together in blog form. You can find it on the menu at the top of my page! I'm also working on updating my old Breakneck information and making it available. If you find these useful, drop me a comment. I'd be happy to create guides for other SWPA crags if y'all would like them.

Orcas Island ..

In a stroke of luck I had off for two days while my father in law would be camping in the San Juan Islands. So Jennifer and I hatched the plan to join them on Orcas Island.



After Jennifer got home from work on Sunday we packed up and drove up with the intention of Mirabelle sleeping in the car. It worked and soon we she was running around on the Ferry having the time of her life, interacting with others, and enjoying the wind and views.



After the hour boat ride, a reasonable car ride got us to our campsite in Moran State Park. We had grand ambitions of heading to the summit of Mount Constitution for the sunset, but by the time we were done preparing dinner, we were all ready to call it a day. Our guests would be meeting us the following morning and we wanted to be ready.



I awoke early and went for a hike near the campground while waiting for them to wake up. When I got back we had breakfast and then attempted to hike to Cascade Falls from our campground. We stopped a tenth of a mile short of the falls at a small waterfall where Mirabelle got to play with rocks and leaves before we headed back to the campground.



At the campground we found our relatives and hatched the plan to drive to the false summit of Mount Constitution and hike to the summit to give Mirabelle a nice nap, and conserve energy so she could walk down the trail. Mirabelle slept from early on to the Summit Lake and then proceeded to do her own hiking for most of the final mile on her own. Making the hike a bit longer than anticipated to reach the summit.







We stayed a while on the summit taking in the fantastic views while Mirabelle played with a new friend on the rocks.






Mountain Lake and beyond






Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters group



Then Mirabelle got into the pack for the significantly shorter hike back to the car. We then drove into town (Eastsound) and had dinner before retiring to camp.



The following morning we were leaving, so we opted for a short hike to the beach at Obstruction Pass State Park. Mirabelle did the hike in by herself, and played/explored on the beach while we explored and took dips in the refreshing water.



Then we made a quick hike back to the car and an even quicker ride back to the ferry to be on time at the dock.



This was Mirabelle's first two night camping trip and she loved it! Hopefully we'll get a few more trips in the next weeks before it may get too cold for her.

More on rockered skis...

This is a good read. Should be no surprise why I like the La Sportiva Hi5 so much...with a 410cm of rocker ontips on my 188s. The lwt weight and straight tail profileI like even better in the back country.



http://skitheory.blogspot.com//08/dps-wailer-112-rp-ski-review.html



Not everything is rockered on this list some simply have an early rise tip which isn't the same as rockered but it makesdecent comparison, I think. All are great ski in my opinion



Mustagh SL 187cm 6lb 9oz 122-88-111 early rise tip



Aspect 186cm 7 lb 2 oz* 130 / 90 / 117 trad tip profile



Drift 186 cm 7 lb 10 oz 138/ 100/ 123 early rise tip



Hi5 188cm 8lb 10oz* 135 / 105 / 125 410mm rockered tip, straight andsquarecut tail



Stoke 191cm 7 lb 14oz 134 / 108 / 122 early rise tip





Wailer Carbon 190cm 8lb* 141/ 112 / 128 450mm rocker tip and 400mm rockered tail



Megawatt 188cm 11 lb 4 oz 151-125-131 rockered tip and semi rockeredtail



* actual weights of my skis, not the factory numbers





For a side country and liftski I'll have a review up onthe DPS Wailer 112 Carbon when the snow flies again.













More on my thoughts of another seriously fun rockered ski.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//06/la-sportiva-hi5-skis.html

The Dunes in the Morning

Wednesday, May 11th - - The temperature didn't get as low as I had feared it might but it was a blustery 40 degrees when I awoke at 6:30 this morning and saw heavy clouds hovering over the area. The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain. With the cold and gloomy prospects for the weather, I decided to move on with the hope that one day I will return. Off in the far distance, to the southwest in the valley beyond The Dunes, there was sunshine. Some scattered clouds too, but not like the gray clouds overhead.





The Dunes are held captive by the Sangre de Christo Mountains. The campground is to the right of where the dunes drop off (just right of the center of the photo). The sun was coming over the mountain on the right and maybe it would have burned off the clouds and fog, but then again maybe not.





The sun came through the clouds briefly on my way out of the park. I love how the light moves over The Dunes.





A closer look, half in light and half in shadow.



The shape of The Dunes mimic the peaks of the mountains behind them.



To my amazement and delight, this image brings it all together... the light, The Dunes, the mountains, the clouds, the moment. There for an instant. Then it was gone. I stood in awe as the sun rolled over the dunes. It was incredible to watch.

Recent activity

Recent searching led us to this interesting looking line.

Fun days ahead! The crack moving left after the ice appears to be

solid and should take gear all the way to the top. Is it possible

to have too many projects?

We've been climbing a good bit. Several days with Ray Burnsworth A.K.A. Wildfilm Productions. He's been shooting some incredible footage on several recent outings. Should be seeing some really cool stuff from him soon. He's been really psyched and working hard to highlight the climbing offered here in SWPA. I've been continuing work on several projects while Laura has been getting on the sharp end more. We've discovered a great way to help one another accomplish personal climbing goals. We've been alternating "personal days" which is a day that is only focused on one person's training or goals. That way the belay slave gets a rest day for their "personal day" to follow. Some days are hard and some are easy, but most of all we've been pushing each other to climb stronger and smiling while being miserable and sore.



So far it's been a good season despite the couple warm ups that caused some serious damage. Things are finally getting back to normal at the smaller crags. Water is seeping and the flows are forming nicely and getting fat. The Big Climbs are in a state of funk that is challenging to say the least. Most of them are very aerated and spooky. Currently they're formed like early season climbs, which is expectedly hollow and difficult to protect. Amplify that with exposure to near 50 degree temperatures (two near melt outs), its made things WILD to say the least. This weekend when it rapidly dropped to zero from above freezing things became almost no fun at all. Notice that I said almost. Looking back it was fun. Its not everyday that we get the chance to climb such scary stuff. Might as well enjoy it while we can! After all... this is climbing in SWPA, make the most you can out of nothing.



Saturday 1/22/Some nice folks we met from VA last weekend decided to return to PA to sample some more ice. We met them at Lower Meadow Run to show them around. We led Hemlock with an icicle start. It's barely touching down, but with some gentle climbing it supported us up to the better ice and eventually solid rock gear. Fred from Exkursion was there with some friends that were new to ice. They were climbing away and having a great day. The weather was sunny and made the chilly day feel very comfortable. By afternoon the ice was soft and everyone was spent. We joined the VA folks for dinner at NY Pizza and Pasta after climbing. They spent the night at The Melody Motor Lodge in Connellsville. Many visiting climbers seem to enjoy staying here. Rooms are warm and reasonable, breakfast is right next door at Ed's and climbing is only minutes away. What more could you ask for?

Sunday 1/23/The temperature hovered just above zero which quickly chilled our hands and feet. With poor conditions and cold temps, Laura and I jumped on the Infinite WI5. I climbed about 1/2 of it and lowered off to rewarm my frozen hands. I went up a second time reaching a reasonable high point where I could safely lower off. Conditions were not favorable for pushing too hard. Our friends from VA were in town again. They made an attempt of Called on account of Security WI4. They made it to the center pillar and made the decision to call it quits and top rope the lower portion. Maybe next weekend things will be looking up. Unfortunately the left wall isn't showing much hope. The new additions Mad Rocket WI5+and Double A WI6 are far from being "IN". On a positive note The Beast WI5+ is making an appearance for the 2nd year in a row. Currently it's about the most promising looking line on the left wall.

On approach, the first view

Galen belaying Sean on Called on Account of Security WI4

Tuesday 1/25/

Today it was Laura's day and she chose to go to Lower Meadow Run. She's recently made a clean go of Season Finale M6. She's been after it a for quite a while now. After a few tries this season she did it with no falls. She wanted to try it again and I wanted to try out the new pocket camera I purchased for shooting seconds coming up. I'd like to get away from lugging a body/lens combo up routes. I've not been very pleased with any pocket camera I've tried so far. This time I'm trying the NIKON S8100. The size is nice. Its small and light, reasonably fast and cheap (almost disposable). Seemed worth a try. Here are a few of the images we shot today. Not bad for a point and shoot.

Supporting the park we frequent

checking Laura's screw placements

Pulling over the crux bulge

Look out guys, Laura shows how its done

For any taker who want the novelty of climbing

Cucumber Falls WI2+. This is as "IN" as I've seen

it in years. Go get it while its still up! P.S. Don't expect gear