Zebra Longwings

Zebra Longwings, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Zebra longwing butterflies at the Golden Gate Park Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco.

They're hosting a live butterfly exhibit right now...

Regarding Mercedes

While going through my grandmother's papers (again) this weekend, I found this picture, probably taken on the same day as the one at the bottom of this post.

Mae was the adopted daughter of William James Dunfee and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Walker. Jane is my grandmother's sister, Hazlette is my grandmother, and Mercides is the object of my quest in unraveling a little mystery. It's a guess, but I'd say the picture was taken about 1918-1920.

And, another clue, which just goes to show that it pays to look at all of those little scraps of paper! The problem is though, that I don't know when the note was written, but from what I can tell, it was in the late 1960s or early 1970s that Grandma started working on her genealogy. I'm pretty sure that the ACPL (Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne) has some Detroit City Directories. One of these days I'll get to the library...

The note reads:

This is Mercedes
Name & address
Mrs. A. Vinet
13822 French Rd
Detroit 34 -

Nothing Could Be Finer Than...

The out-of-state kids arrived safely from 3 states, but they didn’t fly to Texas. These seashells, farmstand tomatoes & Carolina peaches are souvenirs we brought back from a combined family reunion, vacation & anniversary celebration held on the Carolina Coast.

Philo & I drove east on Interstate 10 to meet with our four children and their families at a town where we’ve stayed 8 times over the past 30 years. We were last there in 1994 - it was always a magical place, and thank heavens, things have not changed much!

While our family jumped in the surf, made sandcastles, played beach volleyball, watched pelicans and dolphins, enjoyed seafood dinners and witnessed hatchling Loggerhead turtles make their way to the ocean, back in Austin our wonderful friends, neighbors and Divas watered our plants & kept our containers, young trees, shrubs and perennials alive.

Since we came home, instead of leaning over to pick up seashells on the beach, I’ve been picking up pecans by the bucketful from the ground under the pecan trees. Some nuts were undeveloped, shed by the trees in response to the drought, some were bitten, half-eaten and thrown around by the squirrels. I don’t think the trees themselves are in danger, since the leaves are green. These trees did the same thing last September - in the middle of the night we were wakened over and over by a hearing a thunk on the roof, followed by a rolling sound, then a thud as the nut hit the ground. It was unnerving at first, but it eventually became one of those comfortable, usual, recognizable sounds – your brain just says, ‘Pecan falling’ and lets you stay sleep.

One very nice and totally unexpected surprise was that this crinum-type lily put up a flower stalk which is just starting to show pink buds. It might be Amarcrinum 'Fred Howard' bought in March .. from Plant Delights Nursery, or it might be an unnamed crinum bought at an Austin Men's Garden Club sale in Spring ... Both lilies grew for years in large deck pots, where they developed into multiple bulbs. Once we moved here, the bulbs were planted in the ground, but the tags were lost and the individual bulbs were mixed up. Whatever the name, I'm thrilled to see it bloom!

Now What Are Those Dogs Up TO?

Ponies watching the dogs.

After the Rain

A reminder of the allure of the tropics.

Can We Have It All? The Mirage of the Perfect Bicycle

This post has been long in the making, its birth finally inspired by the plight of a fellow velo-bloggerist - whose story I will use as a case study here. Taking care to keep her identity hidden, I shall refer to my fellow velo-bloggerist as "Dee".



[image: "Dee" rides cargo trike]

Case Study: Dee and Her Search for "The Bike"

Dee lives in the suburbs. She rides an enormous cargo trike, in which she carts around two children, groceries, drycleaning, sleds, and whatever else the day might bring. Being young, fit and vivacious, Dee hungers for a personal bike - one she could ride on her own with joyful abandon. Her husband agrees that she must have such a bike, and a reasonable budget has been allocated. All seems rosy ...until Dee tries to decide what bike to get. Let's see, what are her criteria? She wears mainly dressy clothing, she plans to ride the bike in all seasons, and she always carries a bag when she is out and about. An upright sitting position, internal gear hub, enclosed hub brakes, a chaincase, and a good basket set-up would be ideal.

["Dee" completes triathalon]



But wait. Dee also dreams of going on longer, zippier rides on this bike, in hilly areas. Perhaps try touring some time. She wants to keep up with her husband when he is on his carbon fiber road bike. She wants speed when she feels like it. And did I mention she has completed a triathalon? All this brings a different bike to mind: derailleur gearing, handlebars that allow for a variety of hand positions, lighter weight.

If you know about bikes, you can already see the problem here. The two "ideals" for the different styles of riding she plans to do, are in conflict with one another. The heavy loop frame, North Road handlebars and the internal gear hub that will protect Dee's ivory silk trousers as she pedals elegantly to her meeting in town, will not get her up hills alongside her husband's roadbike. Likewise, the sporty geometry and derailleur gearing that will allow her to glide uphill on those long rides, will not be kind to her dressy outfits once she is back to her town life. Not to mention that derailleur gearing is a pain to maintain in the winter season, and the caliper brakes that come with sporty bikes do not work as well in poor weather as enclosed hub brakes. As Dee shops around, goes on various test rides, and continues to weigh her criteria, she realises that she cannot have both sets of features on the same bike. What is she to do?

["Dee" wears elegant duds]



Here is a list of what, in my view, are the options available to a person in Dee's position:

A. Recognise that you need two bicycles rather than one: you need a city bike and a sporty bike. Adjust your budget, your manufacturer(s) of choice, or your purchasing timeline accordingly.

B. Determine what kind of cycling you will be doing most: city or sporty? Based on this, buy a bicycle that is ideal for that type of cycling, recognising that whenever you will be doing the other type, you will be riding a less than ideal bike and it may be difficult.

C. Try to find a bicycle that you see as the best possible combination of some city features and some sporty features.

Based on anecdotal evidence, my impression is that many people in Dee's position are naturally drawn towards Option C. Option A seems financially prohibitive. Option B seems scary, because it involves accepting that you will not be able to do some of the things you want to do on the one bike you're getting. Option C appears to make sense: It seems like a sensible idea to get a bicycle that lets you do some of this and some of that.

However, I think that Option C is often a mistake, and that those who choose it may ultimately be unhappy. A bicycle that has some city features and some sporty features is not "the best of both worlds" as we wishfully think, but rather, a compromise. Let's say Dee finds a bicycle with upright geometry and derailleur gearing. A comfortable bicycle that can handle hills, right? Well, yes, that sounds reasonable. But what about riding it in the city wearing those flowing silk trousers? And what about caring for that derailleur in the winter? During times like these, Dee will be wishing she'd gotten a "real" city bike. And what about those long rides, when her hands will begin to go numb because of the North Roads' limited hand positions? Well, during times like those she'll be wishing that she'd gotten a "real" sporty bike.



Essentially, "kind of good for both" means ideal for neither. That is my main caveat against buying "compromise bikes", especially if you plan to spend a great deal of money on the bicycle and rest all of your hopes and dreams on it.



While at first glance it might not seem possible that you can afford Option A, there are most definitely ways to do it. One suggestion, is to buy the dominant bicycle (for the style of riding you will be doing most) new, and the supplementary bicycle (for the style of riding you will be doing less of) vintage. This is the route I went when I bought a new Pashley for the city (retail price: $1200) and a vintage Motobecane for sporty rides (typical C-List price: $150). The extra cost of the Motobecane was marginal, but my needs were pretty much satisfied between those two bikes. A year later, you can save up and upgrade by replacing that second vintage bike with a new bike, if you feel that's necessary.



The main point that I hope to bring across here, is that the idea of that one bike that is perfect for every kind of cycling is a fiction - a dream that's as futile to chase as our own shadow. There is no such thing as the perfect bicycle, only the perfect bicycle of its kind. Versatility is good, but there is a fine line between versatility and compromise. It is up to you to decide where that line lies.

Dragontail Peak

Dragontail Peak and Colchuck Lake.











Giant boulders at the South end of the lake.

The Serpentine Arete starts on the left, then goes to the right of the dark area.




Mark on the crux of the climb.
















The Colchuck Glacier.



Colchuck Lake from the summit of Dragontail Peak.

Tropical Lushness

A bright ti plant stands out in the midst of tropical foliage.

Don't Mess

Come to Rainier and see the "Biggest scissors you’ve ever seen.” It’s true. More people are impressed by these scissors than they are with the flowers, glaciers or the entire mountain! The conditions are excellent up here and after being inspired by “The Scissors” many climbers summited in the last week.
We’ve had a few wet and cloudy days down low lately, but the upper mountain has remained nice. The freezing level has stayed around 11,000' and is forecast to drop to 8,000' early this week, followed by high pressure and warmer temperatures.

As for general route beta, we would have used our scissors to span the crevasse pictured below, but instead there has been a ladder placed across it. The crossing shown is around 13,800' on the Disappointment Cleaver route. The guide services maintain ladders and other fixed gear at times along the DC. Before using any fixed gear you find, take a moment to check it out and not just assume the other guy made it safe.


If you recall last year the lower sections of the mountain were already melting out and exposing bare ice. Not the case this year, which means you should be here enjoying these terrific late season conditions. Come see our scissors and then get out and crush it!

Port Angeles

A few miles above Lake Crescent we came to the city of Port Angeles. Port Angeles is one of the northern most citys in Washington. From there you can catch a ferry, cross Strait of Juan de Fuca, and dock in Victoria, Canada. Regretably we did not have the time to take the ferry to Canada. I will save that trip for another time. (Remember it is another country, and now you need a passport to go there. Even for just a day visit.) In this photo you can see one of the ferrys. They were huge. We wern't able to get real close but did get some shots as some came in on there return from Canada. We visited some gift shops, had a bite to eat, and decided we would spend the night in Port Angeles as it was to late in the day to see Hurricane Ridge in Olympic Park, which was to be the high point of the whole trip.

Finally some real ice in South western Pennsylvania

The south western Pennsylvania woods are finally looking like winter

Laura and I decided to take our chances and head into Sunday School Crag to try and climb one of the new lines I found last week. It was a warmish 29° when we left the house and made our way up to the parking area. Upon arrival it was 23° which made me feel more optimistic that the line would have held over the warmer days this past week.

Parking area for Sunday School Crag

During our hike in to the climbs we were breaking through the crust that the recent ice storm left in its wake. I knew this recent ice crusting might be of some concern on the lines we were going to try and attempt. Sunday School Crag is the most alpine like crags of south western PA.

Coming out of the woods and into the crag

The temps are always colder, the wind is always howling and is usually downright uncomfortable. The ice lines are a lot more committing than most other local crags, with traditional gear being involved in most ascents. Most lines I've climbed here commonly involve some sort of barely held together limestone choss with varying thicknesses of verglas beteween sections of ice pillars and runnels. In other words some seriously fun climbing that might make you stain your drawers and then smile about it after its done.

On the way in we scoped out some of the lines. Here's a couple we want to try in the near future.

Laura below one of several unclimbed lines we eyed

One of the top options for the day!

Not sure if I should be excited or terrified for this one.

Either way its an incredible looking mixed climb that I want to try.

After checking all the other options, we headed to the long alpine looking corner route I found last week. I was really hoping it was in. I had thought about it all week and couldn't wait to get on it. We rounded the corner and it came into view and was looking at least as good as it did last week. I was afraid that the water might have started to wash it out from behind. The temperatures must have been quite a bit colder here that at our house. The climb had very little water running off of it and looked as if it were good to go. The climbs to the right were running hard with water and were dropping some rather large chunks of ice.

Standing near the bottom of our chosen climb

The climbs to right on this wall were running hard and dropping ice

We didn't waste much time. I've never been on this line and had seen it for the first time last week. I looked it over and scoped out a potential line and racked up accordingly. Going ground up is always a little more exciting and I find over-racking is better than under. The line looked a little boney so it was mostly 13cm screws. I also racked some quick draws, a few runners, screamers, a half rack of nuts, and 3 cams. Plus belay coat and gloves, belay device, thread tool, cordage, spare biners, a 22cm screw for a thread if necessary/possible. I recently received a set of the new Petzl dry T rated picks (which is a whole other post in itself). I'd been anxiously waiting to try them on an "ice" route. I resisted the temptation to take them dry tooling and dull the hell out of them over the past couple of weeks. Also new was a shiny pair of Grivel G4 crampons, complements of Rob "Griz" Ginieczki for helping with the second revision of Ice Climbing Pennsylvania (available for purchase soon). All this new gear to try and on a new line, How cool! I'd used the previous versions of the Rambo's over the years and always liked their rigid frame for pure ice. My last pair were hijacked by Laura (who likes them a lot as well) and I just hadn't replaced them when Griz surprised me with these. Thanks again Griz.

Racked and excited to get on some real ice!

The climb was well... Awesome! What a great first ice route of the season. It went well. The ice was mostly very thin. There were plenty "eyelids" on the bulges from the ice storm as expected. Lots of new ice and snow to be cleared as I ascended the runnels that flowed down the 200' cliff. Even with a "soft" swing attitude today I still managed to put falcons beaks on both of my new picks. They performed well and I can say that the new picks perform better on ice than the old Astro picks that I loved so much. Now that I've used them on an ice route I can go out and trash them at will. I have a few more sets coming my way. I'm definately NOT a fan of the new washer design that has now made changing picks in the field a big pain in the ass. Right up there with Grivel's three bolt system. The crampons were sweet as expected! Grivel has the rigid design and point configuration nailed. The extra weight seems to help drive them into the ice with much more authority than the Petzl Darts I've become used to.

We named the line Late Bloomer. We thought it a fitting name for our current season being the worst ice season in area history. Climbing this line today almost made me forget how unproductive local ice has been this season. I'm a little hesitant to grade the line. I'm sure it'll be much easier during a normal season of cold, producing plentiful ice. Today it felt like a commiting WI4+ in lean condition. Protection was a little sparse and I would not recommend this climb for the budding WI4 leader. What it lacked in vertical sections it made up for in sparse protection and lack of ice. Here's the photos of us on the climb.

Starting up the line it got thin early on

Short thin pillars with a few mixed moves, very alpine feeling

I'm in the middle of the photo, Giving scale to the climb

Just another day in the Pennsylvania alpine

Laura moving over a lower angle snow/ice slab

Even enough ice for a V thread rap!

Laura is all smiles on this one!

Late Bloomer WI4+

South Western Pennsylvania

Is there more? There's always more here in SWPA

The End!

So south western Pennsylvania ice season has officially begun for us. Who knows if February will contain colder temps and provide us with more lines to try this year. Hopefully it does. Keep checking back for all our PA climbing nonsense. With some luck we'll be able to send a few more of the new lines at this crag. I hope everyone got as lucky as we did this weekend! What a blast... cant wait to get back for more!

Rains and Dirt Roads

This is what happens when we get our rains in New Mexico on our dirt roads. The water flooding down the roads causes lots of erousion and make ruts and ditches in the road and sometimes washs them out to where they are completely impassable until the wind comes, drys out the sand and blows sand back into the damage that was done. Or else man and heavy equipment repair it so it can happen again during the next rain storm.

Acadia :: Jordan Pond and The Bubbles

A visit to Acadia National Park is not considered complete unless you take in Jordan Pond and 'the Bubbles' which dominate the view on the northern end.



We walked along the southern shore on Thursday (September 13th) on our way to one of the carriage roads and again on Saturday (September 15th) while waiting for our scheduled carriage ride.



The two days could not have been much different - Thursday was a beautiful day with deep blue skies and lots of sunshine while Saturday was cloudy and overcast with the threat of rain looming over us.






Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.





Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.

Goldfields on Figueroa

Goldfields on Figueroa, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Here are some goldfields up on the slopes of Figueroa Mountain in Santa Barbara County. The mountain is spectacular, with beautiful displays of wildflowers.