Five-Spot

The interesting flowers of baby five-spot, Nemophilia maculata.

Crowded

I heard there were some 600 balloons registered for the fiesta. I have not heard exactly how many went up yesterday, nor how many people attended. I did hear that there were some 25,000 cars in the parking lot at some time during the morning.
The morning was perfect, but the afternoon turned into a sand storm with lots of wind, followed by a rain that kept the balloons from doing the evening balloon glow, and then a harder rain during the night, (we had 1 and a half inches in our rain gage) caused a cancellation in this mornings mass ascension. But I heard the this evening the balloon glow was supposed to go. So if you don't like crowds don't go.

The Huffman/Hoffman Kinexxion :: Detrick

According to “The Henry R. Baldwin Genealogical Records” Didrich Hoffman was “born June 23, 1751 and died Mar. 10, 1826 age 74 yrs. 8 mos. 13 days” and was buried in Washingtonville Cemetery - the same cemetery where John and Catherine Hoffman are buried. On a visit to the cemetery in October .. I was unable to find any of their stones.



Samuel Hoffman and John Hoffman were named administrators of the estate of Detrick Hoffman who died intestate. His estate was valued at $263.14 on May 12, 1826 when the inventory was submitted to the probate court.



Detrick's wife, Susanna was still living when Detrick died and received her Widow's Distribution on May 12, 1826.








Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) FHL film 2032459

Columbiana County, Ohio

A Schedule of the provisions and other property allowed to Susannah Hoffman Widow of Detrich Hoffman late of Salem Township Columbiana County Deceased for her Support for one year by us the Subscribers duly appointed appraisersers to the Estate of the Sd Deceased to wit:

one lot of meat, one hog, a Small lot of Kitchen furniture, one Cow, twenty Bushels of wheat, five Dollars in money, eight Bushels of oats, three lbs of Wool, one bushel and a half of Salt, a lot of Soap, twenty lbs of Sugar, two twiled bags

We the Subscribers do certify that the foregoing is a correct Schedule of property allowed to the above named Widow given under our hand this 12th day of May 1826.



George Wirick, John Yoder, Andrew Altman } Appraisers

The final account dated March 12, 1828 indicated that there was a balance in the estate of $586.392 to be distributed to the heirs, according to law. However, the heirs were not named.



On my visit to Columbiana County last July there was a file on Detick Hoffman at the Columbiana County Archives, which included a transcription of a Petition for Partition published on September 29, 1832 in the Ohio Patriot of New Lisbon. The library in New Lisbon has the Ohio Patriot on microfilm. The printer on the microfilm reader was out of order and the image on the screen was quite dark so the photo that I got of the article isn't that great, but after a bit of enhancement, it is readable...








The Ohio Patriot. September 29, 1832. Page 1.

The State of Ohio,

Columbiana county, ss

Common Pleas, Vacation after August Term, 1832.

Petition for Partition.

John Hoffman,

vs.

Samuel Hoffman,

Daniel Coler and Elizabeth, his wife,

John Swarts and Margaret his wife,

Henry Hoffman,

Samuel Hoffman,

Jacob Hoffman,

Abraham Hoffman,

Samuel Fox,

Edward Rhodes and Sarah his wife.

The petitioner this day filed his petition in the office of the clerk of said court, setting forth, that said petitioner and the defendants are entitled, as heirs at law to Detrick Hoffman, late of said county, deceased, to twenty-seven acres of land, being a part of the north west quarter of section 12, township 15, range 3, and praying the court to cause the one-sixth part of said land to be separated and set off to him in severally. Said petition will be presented to said court for hearing at the next term, commencing on the 15th of October next.



Fisher A. Blocksom, Att'y for petitioner.

August 23, 1832 – 31s6w

The key element here is that there are 10 people named in the Petition for Partition but John was requesting his “one-sixth part of said land” indicating that there were only 6 children of Detrick Hoffman.



It was more than a little frustrating when I was unable to locate the deed record, assuming that the land was sold. The only other record I found relating to the partition of the land was the following record in a Common Pleas Journal at the Columbiana County Area Archives.








Common Pleas Journal (v7 p512) April Term 1833, 4th day, 2nd of May

Samuel John Hoffman vs Samuel Hoffman} Petition for Partition. Writ of Partition returned that the frieholders therein named upon actual view of the premises were of the opinion that the land could not be divided according to the demand of said writ without a manifest injury to the value thereof. They therefore appraised the Same at $280; which return is here now approved, and no one or more of the parties concerned electing to take the said Estate at the aforesaid appraised value, the Court at the instance of the Demandant order that the said Lands & tenements be sold at public auction by the Shff. who held the inquisition, or his Successor, according to law that [?????] accordingly.

Through evaluation of various records (primarily Columbiana County census and marriage records as well as several deeds) and information from another researcher who contacted me late last year (he's a descendant of Michael Hoffman), we believe the relationships of the individuals listed in the Petition for Partition are as follows:

• John, Samuel, Jacob, and Abraham - children of Detrick


• Elizabeth wife of Daniel Coler, Margaret wife of John Swarts, Henry Hoffman, and Samuel Hoffman - children of Michael & Mary (Coy) Hoffman


• Samuel Fox and Sarah wife of Edward Rhodes - children of Phillip and Susanna (Hoffman) Fox

Various undocumented “sources” give Berks County, Pennsylvania as the birth place of John Hoffman. The manuscript on microfilm of “Church record of Zion's or Spiess's Reformed and Lutheran Church, Upper Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1845” copied by William J. Hinke, July 1921. Typed April 1944 shows the following births for children of Dietrich/Diedrich Hoffman (the mother of the children wasn't given):

• Henry b. Dec. 14, 1777, bapt. Febr. 20, 1778


• John b. June 22, (1778)


• John Michael b. Mar. 10, 1782


• Samuel b. Apr. 6, 1785 bapt. May 29, 1785.

The son Henry was not named as one of the heirs of Dietrich. It's likely that he died young or perhaps as an adult without issue.



In 1997 John T. Humphrey published “Pennsylvania Births: Berks County 1710-1780” and a second volume for the years 1781-1800. All four of the above named children of Dietrich Hoffman are included in these books with the same dates – with the exception of John. The Humphrey book gives John's date of birth as 09 Nov 1778. According to the cemetery transcriptions noted in the 2nd post in this series “my” John Hoffman was born in November 1779. I don't know if the Zion-Spiess Church records have been microfilmed, they are not at the Family History Library.



It is rather slim evidence but based on the following, I'm going to go along with other researchers, for now, and say that John Hoffman who was married to Catherine Coy is the son of Dietrich Hoffman:

• They lived in close proximity to each other near Washingtonville in Columbiana County, Ohio. Dietrich lived in Salem Township and John in Green Township (which later became part of Mahoning County).


• They are both buried in Washingtonville Cemetery.


• Michael Hoffman married Mary Coy, sister of Catherine Coy.


• John had four sons: Samuel, Henry, Jacob, and John. The first three were presumably named after his brothers. Why couldn't he have named a son Dietrich?


• John had five daughters: Mary, Susannah, Elizabeth, Margaret, Catharine, Hannah, and Sarah. The first daughter, Mary, was presumably named after his wife's mother. The second daughter, Susannah, was presumably named after his presumed mother, Susannah Alder. Elizabeth and Sarah are also the names of his two (presumed) sisters.

Obviously, additional research needs to be done... One of the items in the inventory of the estate of Dietrich Hoffman was “one German Bible” which was purchased by Samuel Hoffman during the estate sale. Where is that bible today?



I'll be posting some of the documents from the estate files of John and Dietrich as well as the few documents that have been found on several sons of Dietrich. Hopefully, if any descendants or anyone else researching the Hoffman family find these posts they will contact me at kinexxions “at” gmail “dot” com.

Ceci N'est Pas une Bicyclette: a Peek at the Brooks Two Wheel Display

Has anyone else noticed that mystery bike Brooks of England uses to display their wares? You know the one - It's army green and you can see glimpses of it in their catalogues and advertisements, though never enough to identify what the bike is? Turns out, Harris Cyclery now has one of these up on display. Last time I was there, they were kind enough to get it down and even let me drag it outside for some photos - extracting a promise that I wouldn't attempt to ride it.






Because you see, it is not a bicycle. It is a two wheel display ("Warning: Do not ride!") What makes it unridable is mainly the lack of brakes, though I suppose there might be other issues. It felt very bike-like to roll.






Usually this bicycle is laden with panniers and stuff in the basket, so being able to examine it bare was quite a treat. It is an odd bike with no manufacturer markings I could find.Lugged steel frame with unicrown fork. Same colour of powdercoat as the Bella Ciao I used to have. Step-through frame, the top tube at a slightly shallower angle that the downtube. Fenders, rack and chaincase powdercoated to match. And of course Brooks saddle, grips and basket.






The Brooks advertising panel is painted on a thin sheet of metal and affixed between the top and down tubes.Notice that the clips holding the banner in place are part of the frame. The head lugs are unusually filigree-esque for a transport bike, but there is nothing fancy about the frame otherwise.






The rear rack resembles the rack on the Bobbin Birdie.






The chaincase looks identical to those used by Abici.






The wire and wood Hoxton basket affixes to the handlebars via a quick-release system.






The leather washers on the handle are a nice touch.






The obvious benefit of the Brooks "Two Wheel Display" is that it allows them to demonstrate their products on an actual bike, without associating themselves with any particular bicycle manufacturer. I do wish the bike was ridable though. In general, it would be neat if bikes with advertising panels came back into style: Local shops could use them for errands, advertising their business along the way. I still don't know what exactly the Brooks bike is, when it appeared, how many of them are out there, etc. - but it was fun to examine it up close.

New Irishtown Mixed Route, Dirty-T M4+

Laura Hahn seconding the new route Dirty-T M4+

Laura and I put up a new mixed line at Irishtown. Its located a hundred feet or so left of Dynamite. There is a line of ice in between the two mixed lines named Pale Wildwood Ice Tower - WI4. Its not quite in yet, but should be touching down by mid next week. Dirty T M4+. It climbs up through some ledges and face passing 3 bolts. Climb up through a small overlap to the ice and finish it up with turf to the trees. Lots of fun climbing for almost anyone. Great introduction for the climber looking to combine rock and ice.

Pulling up onto the ice

Top of the ice section

Turf to the top

The route name came from all the dirt that came off of the cliff and ended up all over me. It started out with me being clean and the route being dirty and ended with me being dirty and the route being clean. Enjoy!

Dirty deeds done dirt cheap

Ancient ice tool used by the Irishtownian ice climbing tribe

The Feel of the Road

I never gave much thought to the feel of pavement until I started cycling in Ireland last spring. Then I noticed the difference straight away: The tarmac, as they call it in the British Isles, felt distinctly softer than the asphalt in my part of the US. Having lived for years in the UK before I was a cyclist, I'd somehow never noticed this. But on a bike it was difficult not to. I could feel a give in the road's surface under my tires. It was also more porous, gravely in texture. Feeling more resistance than I'd come to expect from pavement, I kept wondering whether my tires had gone flat, or whether something was mechanically amiss with the folding bike I was riding.Later I learned that the roads in Ireland are a kind of chipseal. The differences I sensed were real.




Being back this summer, and with a skinny-tire roadbike this time, the characteristics of the Irish roads feel even more pronounced. The softness and the rough texture make me exert more effort to achieve the same speed as in the US. I would place the experience as somewhere between riding on pavement and riding on tightly packed gravel.




When the tarmac is freshly laid or repaired, the top layer can be quite loose. It also loosens easily after stretches of bad weather.Cornering on such sections without realising what you're dealing with can be dangerous.




There are other interesting effects. Once I did a long distance ride in a75°F"heatwave." On the return leg around 4pm, I noticed that the road in front of mewas glistening, getting shinier and more liquid-looking by the minute - almost as if it were melting. I thought to myself "Nah, can't be. I must be tired and imagining things." Next things I know, viscous clumps of tar were sticking to my tires and clogging my brakes. I had to pull over and scrape the gooey black chunks off, then use a stick to knock the hardened clumps out of the brake calipers. Then I sat in the shade and waited for an hour, until the road cooled off enough to continue home. To my relief, the following day everyone was talking about the melting tarmac, so at least I did not hallucinate the surreal experience. I guess the tarmac here is not rated to withstand such boiling temperatures!




If you're riding a harsh-feeling bike on Irish roads, you'll know it. The rough texture exaggerates the jarring sensations of road buzz. When I tried a friend's racing bike, my hands were vibrating so much I could not believe it. "Oh it's like riding on razor blades, to be sure," he laughed. I stroked my own bike with renewed appreciation.




Once I do get used to the roads here, the roads in the US feel unnaturally hard and smooth in comparison, and readjusting to them takes some time as well. As for the New England potholes... well, that is a topic that deserves its own post, possibly in poem form.

The Rewards of a Closer Look

There are bicycles that strike you as unique from the first glance, and then there are those that sneak up on you. When Ed showed me the rando bike he'd put together from a refurbished Miyata frameset, it seemed like a nice enough classic build. Fenders, racks, leather, twine. But on closer inspection,all sorts of curious features emerged.






First I noticed the unusual front rack mount. A small DIY bracket at the front curled under and bolted onto the fender.






Initially I assumed this was to add extra stability to the rack. But then I realised the real function of this bracket - in addition to another one extending from the fork crown - was to hold up the fender. Or, more accurately, the front part of the fender.






I had seen split fenders before, but what struck me about these was how subtle they were, how utterly integrated into the overall design of the bike. The split was something I noticed only after my eye led me to it as it moved from one end of the rack to the other.






The tires are 700Cx28mm Gran Compe ENE Ciclo (brown, with tan sidewalls) and Ed was determined to make them fit along with the fenders. The split accomplishes this despite the lack of sufficient clearances under the brake bridge and fork crown.






Both the front and rear racks were recycled from older bikes, and I noticed that the rear one was stamped "Jim Blackburn." This prompted me to look into the history of Blackburn Racks, and indeed they were once called by the name of the founder. The vintage racks - now quite sought after - used a single bracket design to connect to the brake bridge, whereas the Blackburns in current production use a two bracket design to connect to seat stay braze-ons. I also found an interesting article describing Jim Blackburn's contributions to research in weight distribution for loaded touring.






The components seemed like a random mix, until Ed explained that he was going for a Suntour-inspired build: mostly vintage Japanese (but no Shimano), with some modern VO and Dia Compe sprinkled in. While such a thing would never have occurred to me, gathering components that made sense within this paradigm had been an important part of putting the bike together, a game he'd enjoyed playing.






The more we talked about the bike, the more of these things I discovered. Subtle details, hidden meanings. What looked like "just" a nice bicycle at first glance became fascinatingly personal.And that's the thing about bikes. We don't really know what they mean, or represent to the owner. We don't know what the story behind each one is, until we ask. Maybe that's why I still can't seem to walk past a bicycle without a closer look, or at least a second glance.

Greetings From... South Carolina

Huntington Beach State Park

November 18, ..

November 18, ..

November 19, ..

A Tropical "Paradise"

Here is my tropical fountain at night surrounded with plumerias, cycads, pygmy date palms, and an Abyssinian banana.

La Sportiva GTR and the Dynafit Broad Peak

Skimo or "Edged Alpinism" gear?














For many who enjoy ski mountaineering and are concerned about performance versesweightthe Dynafit Broad Peak ski is a known quantity.



Nate covers the high pointswell here:

http://wilsonalpine.blogspot.com//02/steep-chalk-at-village.html



Total review at Wild Snow:

"Dynafit’s other new ski, the Broad Peak (112/74/96 in 167 cm), is Stoke’s opposite. Built for edge hold when you encounter conditions such as white ice during ski descents of big peaks, the ski is still said to handle varied conditions, as a board of this sort would have to. My take is that the Broad Peak is a quiver ski. You’d own it if you want something that’ll help you survive steep icy terrain you might encounter during spring ski descents and that sort of thing — or if you’re heading out for a quick blast up and down Broad Peak before your morning espresso."







Broad Peak Spec sheet:

Dimensions:	112 / 74 / 96 mm
Turn Radius:	(dual radius) [167cm] 17.7 / 17.1m
Profile:	traditional camber
Construction:	sandwich
Core:	paulownia, beech and bamboo stringers, carbon reinforcement
Base:	sintered graphite
Tail:	flat
weight per pair	1142g/ 5lb

Weight *per ski* with a Dynafit Low Tech Race (Ti heel spring) 1300g/ 2# 13.5oz

the pair with bindings = 5# 12oz









The La Sportiva GTR Spec sheet:



Size(cm):168cm

Radius(m): 22

Dimensions:

114 / 82 / 104 mm

Camber(mm):7



Tip Rocker(mm):192



Weight(g): 1230g per ski (verified)



3lb 1oz per ski with TRAB low tech race binding, (steel heel spring)



Weight *per ski* with a TRABlow tech race (steelheel spring) 1389g/ 3# 1oz

The pair with bindings = 6# 2oz







Dynafi LowTech Race binding comes in at 234g/8.3oz

Trab Race binding comes in at 282g/9.9oz






Dynafit Low Tech Race heel on the Broad Peak ski




Broad Peak ready to ski 5# 12oz

GTRready to ski 6# 2oz



bindings? 1.6 oz difference for the pair.



Most already know how good the Broad Peak is. Great ski on hard snow and ice. Light weight and easy to carry. I've skied them a lot of places and in every snow condition I can imagine. It is better on hard snow obviously than in knee deep powder. But the BP will ski anything you are capable of skiing is my take on it. The steepest skiing and the longest tours I have done were allon my pair of Broad Peaks.



But one too many ridesover the handle bars on the Broad Peak in deep soft snow made me think that a little more modern and widerski design, if I could keep the weight down, might be a worthy investment.



*pause for station identification*

I need to pause here for just a moment. I've been getting lazy and have not kept up on reviews of the gear I am using this winter and spring. I mentioned this ski toBrian over at :



http://www.getstrongergolonger.com/



So hesoonhad a pair in his capable hands as well.Brian skis more in a week than I likely do in a season. The only race where I willbeat Brianis to this review and the comparison of these two skis. We are both getting a chance to ski on the newest Dynafit Nanga Parbat and Cho Oyu shortly. So more to come on technical skis like the twodescribed here. Be sure to watch Brian's blog in the near future for his reviews of all these ski.



Back to the comparison/review.



The GTR has a very modern, slightly rockered tip, good camber under foot and I think most importantly a little more width than the Broad Peak. While it will float a tiny bit better and makes manky snow a little easier to ski, the down side is it is a little softer under footand not as good on really hard surfaces IMO. But so far in really poor snow conditions this has be a workman like ski. Which means I have nothing bad to say about it. That may not mean a lot but the conditions I have skied to date with the GTR have been dismal. More side stepping and kick turns than I care to recount. Nice that the ski will turn once you have he opportunity to get it done.



My customcut narrow skins used on the GTR weigh in at exactly what my BP skis do. But the Broad Peak factory Speed Skin is full coverage. Both climb well. Edge to the Broad Peak there.



To be honest I had thought my entire package of either ski and skin was closer than the 6oz on the scale shows. 6 oz means so little on a full day tour. It is less than a full cup of water.



Half dozen of one 6 of the other.



The question remains..."which ski do you think is better?"



The first comment I think needs addressing is, I don't think either of these skis is a quiver skis. Bare with me for a moment on my reasoning here.



Skimo or "Edged Alpinism" gear?



I do have a quiver of skis. I also have a "quiver" of ice tools. But in actuality I don't have as big of quiver of either as one might first think.



For technical tools these days I have Nomics.One technical tool that serves many different types of terrain. Of course I have other axes/tools. But one technical tool that I use.



Same with skis pretty much. I have one ski that I consider a really technical tool. That is the Broad Peak. And now the recent purchase of the GTRmakeit two.



Either ski could easily replace the other IMO. But *THE* technical ski is one I will not easily be without. If you practice"Edged Alpinism" I'd suspect you have a ski that is similar to one of these two TOOLS. Two is not much of a quiver.



A fewof the best SkiMo or "Edged Alpinism" web sites? At some point it isn't "just" skiing any more.



http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/



http://slc-samurai.blogspot.com/



http://jasondorais.blogspot.com/



http://theoutsideout.blogspot.com/



If I dared ski some of the stuff shown on these web sites, I would pull outa technical tool. That would beone or another ski of this typethat I own at the moment. Both of these skis are good tools. But I don't look at them as ski as much as I look at them as just another piece of alpine climbing kit. Just as I view an axe or crampon or a harness, these aresimply tools.



I think part of this selection of gear is matching boots to skis. Obviously I am using the lightest binding I can get to save weight. I and others trust these lwt bindings every where in and out of the "no fall zone". They are a given now for "edged alpinism".



I use both the TLT5 Performance and the Mtn version of the same boot. But there are other, lighter,high performance boots in several versions including those from Scarpa. You can save a tiny bit of weight by ditching the tongue and power strap on the TLT and even more by using a lighter, full on (exensive) race boot with little loss of performance on these technical skis. The original Palau liner of the Performance or the Intuition Pro Tour Liner will save some weight as well in the TLT.



I really like the more progressive flex of the TLT Mountain compared to the carbon cuffed TLT Performance. Something to thing about if you are looking for new LWT boots.



My point is you don't need mondo ski and boots for this kind of stuff. And a poor selection of heavy gear and the wrong clothing choices will drastically cut your likelihood of success on many projects.



It is easy to say, "boots" are your most important piece of gear." And they might well be. But it is the system of technical ski, lwt boot and race bindings that really make this system so efficient and a joy to use in the mountains. Doesn't matter if you are doing "edged alpinism" of skiing some super fun, summer snow field with your dog.



As an example of a "heavier" but very similar system my 177cm Huascaran (113mm @ the boot) and a slightly heavier "race" Dynafirt Speed Superlight bindingweights in at 8# 12oz for the pair and another 5oz for their skis.A full three more pounds of the pair of ski, binding and skins. That is a lot of extra weight on a skin track.



These light technical skis are both stellar skis to get it done on. At the moment I am swayed by the slightly wider GTR for my fun. And the tiny bit more lift and ease on the turns that the width and rocker brings. But I have the BP in the back of my mind every time I have to ski orside slip through a nasty patch of ice and wonder if the BP might have well allowed me a little more security there.



TRAB, Atomic, Elan, Haganand a host of other rando and rando race skis brandsare out there. Check out the other blogs if this kind of ski interests you. See if you can mate up your own system for best effect. I have little interest in true rando race skis. But one or two steps up from the 65mm under foot race ski does interst me.






snowing and spitting rain here yesterday @ 6000'

Figueroa Flowers

Figueroa Flowers, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Sky lupine and California poppies mixed together on a steep slope of Figueroa Mountain. This mountain is truly incredible - the displays of wildflowers were awe-inspiring.

Photo ops?

As many of you might have noticed my photos have recently (may be always) been pretty dismal.



I like the mast head photo here at Cold Thistle to inspire and peak your imagination. So it never has a photo credit or a description. It might well be a road cut in Montana or the North face of the Eiger. Your guess!



If any of you have a photo that you think should be on the mast head for a week or two...and it gets you excited about being back in the mountains send it along via email to rdburns@cnw.com in jpeg format.I'll add it to the collection. At some point you will likely see it show cased here.



Photos like the one belowsimply get me stoked and off my chair! Where skiing meets climbing! Be sure to double click on this one for full effect.






Photo courtesy of Trevor Hunt and http://www.coaststeepskier.com/wphome/

Tombstone Tuesday :: Robert Quillen and His Wives

The remains of Robert Quillen and his second wife, Marcelle Babb, reside in a mausoleum at Cannon Memorial Park in Fountain Inn, Greenville County, South Carolina. He was the son of James Downey and Mandella (Joslin) Quillen and a grandson of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin. Robert was my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

For some reason, being in the mausoleum was a bit of a 'disturbing' experience for me. One of the custodians of the cemetery unlocked the building and went in with me to find the Quillen vault, and I'm glad he was there. It was dark inside, even with the lights on, and was just plain creepy. I get goose bumps just looking at these pictures and thinking about it. I have no such qualms about going to a cemetery and spending hours there. Perhaps it is the confined space of the building and the closeness of the remains that bothers me...

The Quillen crypt is the middle one in the photo above.

QUILLEN
MARCELLE BABB / JANUARY 16, 1898 / JUNE 9, 1971
ROBERT / MARCH 25, 1887 / DECEMBER 9, 1948

Robert's first wife, Miss Donnie Cox, is buried in the Fountain Inn Municipal Cemetery, Greeneville County, South Carolina in the same plot as his parents, J.D. and Della (Joslin) Quillen.

MISS DONNIE / WIFE OF / ROBERT QUILLEN / 1882 - 1922

For My Northern Friends :: Spring is on the Way!

Wednesday, March 30th - - Even though the calendar says it is Spring, it seems as though Winter still has a tight grip on parts of our nation. Just this past Monday I awoke to find several inches of snow on the ground – and I was in Springfield, Missouri.



Yesterday I was driving west through Alabama. It was a little cold (in the 50s) and dreary, with cloudy skies and drizzling rain. Eventually, the rain stopped. As I traveled along the Natchez Trace in northeast Mississippi I was greeted by an ever-increasing array of green. Yes, it is true. I do believe that Spring has arrived – at least in parts of the south!











Note to Babs: I made a right turn before reaching Birmingham. Changed my mind about going to Pensacola! Are you surprised?



Note to anyone else: US Route 278 in Alabama (from Cullman to Hamilton) is not a road you want to take if you are in a hurry! Lots of hills and curves on that two-lane highway! I wasn't in a hurry so it was an enjoyable drive.



And, yes, I'm Back on the Road Again!!



Westward Ho!

Big Bend :: The Window

The day gradually warmed up after the “big snow” on Tuesday but overnight it got even colder than the night before, dropping to a chilling 15 degrees. All of the windows were frosted over. But I had been forewarned, dressing in several layers and wrapped within the sleeping bag I stayed warm all night. The new hiking socks made with “smart wool” kept my feet toasty all night too. But the chill of the morning air was shocking so I turned on the van and let it run for about 15 minutes, I needed some warm air!

About 7:30 I decided it was better to move around rather than sit still so I decided to take the short hike to The Window. Short being a relative term, the trail from the campground is about 2 1/2 miles. If you start from the lodge trailhead you add 6/10 of a mile and a 480 foot descent (which means you have a 480 foot ascent on the way back, ugh). Even from the campground there is a 500 foot descent. Since I was already at the campground, that's where I started from.

About half way to the destination, the little “V” between the sharp peak and the rounded one, it had warmed up considerably. The drop in elevation helped but so did the sun reflecting off the walls of the surrounding mountain sides.

The Window is the exit point for all rain water from the Basin to the desert. As you get closer to the Window, about the last half-mile or so, the trail becomes solid stone that has been eroded by the force of the water flowing over it. There were several areas with pools of standing water.

The end of the trail. When it rains the water flows off the edge 200 feet to the desert floor below. I imagine it is quite an impressive waterfall when there is a lot of rain. On certain days of the year the sun can be seen setting between the opening of the “v” between the two rocks in the center.

The bedrock has been worn smooth, not only by the force of the water flowing over it but also by the many hikers who walk out to the edge. I wasn't quite that brave and only ventured to within 10 feet or so of the edge. The bedrock was quite slippery even though it wasn't wet.

I couldn't get a picture of the full height of the rock on either side, but the view was impressive.

And the obligatory self-portrait at the end of the trail. Perhaps it was because of the other hikes I had taken but this was by far the easiest trail I had been on. Except for a few spots, notably at the beginning, the trail descends gradually so it is a much easier trek back than the other trails.

Photographs taken February 24, ..