Interloper

Who invited him to this meeting?!

What Happens to a Tree

We go to the mountains and cut firewood every fall to use in our wood burning stove over the winter. The first photos show the trees as they look while growing.







The next photos show the tree after it dies. So why does it die? No one really knows why one tree dies and the ones next to it don't. Maybe it didn't get enough water. Maybe to much. Maybe it was struck my lightning or burned in a fire. Or just lived out it's life span. This one was a aspen tree. After it died the upper part fell off.







Then someone comes along and cuts up the part laying on the ground. Rules say you can only get the 'dead and down' wood. The part that was still standing we arn't allowed to take. Many birds and other wildlife could use it.











Then the chunks of wood are loaded into a pickup and brought home.




Here is a photo of the pile of wood after it thrown off the pickup and then we split it with the log splitter, (we are to old for using an ax any more) and afterward it will be stacked in the wood shed so it won't get wet if it should rain or snow. (you can see the woodshed behind the wood pile)






If a piece of wood is very lucky it will not be burned. If it looks like a good piece that can be turned into something pretty on the lathe that is what happens. This piece will be a vase eventually. It was still to green to finish at this point. It will have to dry for a while before being sanded and a finish put on it.

Christmas morning at Hollow Rock

I finally made it out to do some sunrise shooting on Christmas Day, and had a wonderful morning for it! Nice wave action and beautiful clouds made for some rewarding shooting.

Seoul street food: Grilled Squid

Yesterday Dutchman and I were in Itaewon, a really cool and trendy neighbourhood in Yongsan-gu, Seoul and I bought my first street food—‘Grilled Squid’!







They were grilled directly on coal.







Yummy! They are going at 3,000 KRW a pack (about EUR 2).









Will be posting more street food stuff soon!

Bicycle Shopping: What Do We Expect?

Last week, I wrote about my sister's search for a basic, comfortable roadbike and in the post I explained that she is looking for a "normal" bike - That is, for a bike that is neither vintage, nor classic, nor lugged, nor artisanal - just a regular bike in the sense that one could walk into a bicycle shop off the street and buy it for a reasonable price. Once again I thank you all for the feedback, which was immensely helpful, and I will post an update regarding what bike she ends up getting. But on a separate note, I was intrigued by the category of replies that "pathologized" the way I described my sister's criteria - a few even questioning whether she ought to be buying a bike at all under the circumstances. Those comments made me think about expectations when it comes to bicycle shopping. And frankly, I think that "we" - i.e. those of us who are "into" bicycles, and especially into classic and vintage bicycles - can be out of touch with what people who "just want a bike" expect. Here are some of my observations about first time bike buyers' expectations that I've gathered from personal conversations and reader emails over the past two years:



It's toocomplicated

I think it is accurate to say that most people off to buy their first bicycle as an adult initially expect for the experience to be fairly simple. They envision being able to walk into a bike shop, to ask for some advice, and to walk out with a nice shiny bike. And I don't think that this attitude makes them "lazy" or "not committed to cycling." I think it is an entirely normal and healthy attitude. Unfortunately, hopes for simplicity are all too frequently crushed as bicycle shopping turns frustrating. The bicycles suggested at bike shops are often uncomfortable or otherwise unappealing, and the customer does not know how to express what exactly does not feel right. Purchasing a bicycle should be simple. But I believe that both bicycle shops and the industry at large are out of touch with what customers actually need.



It's too expensive

I receive lots of emails from people looking to buy their first bike, and the figure $500 comes up over and over again as theupperlimit of their budget - regardless of how well off the person is. While that expectation is unrealistic, I think that from the customer's point of view - assuming that they are not familiar with the industry - it is reasonable. Once they get to know the market a little better, chances are that they will come to terms with spending considerably more on a bike than they initially expected to. I blame this discrepancy on the industry and not on the customer being "cheap." In theory, large manufacturers could churn out attractive and functional bikes for $500, but for a variety of reasons, they do not.



I don't want to be a bike expert, I just want to rideI hear this one repeatedly, and I agree. Wanting to buy a bike should not require one to become an expert in bikes first. There is a difference between cycling and being "into bicycles," and it is perfectly normal to be the former without becoming the latter.

The fact is, that those of us who enjoy customising bicycles, building up bicycles from the frame up, hunting for rare parts and refurbishing vintage bikes, seeking out unique and unusual bicycles that are only available in specialty shops, and so on... are not in the majority, and I think we need to respect that. Most people - even those who are excited about cycling - just want to go to a "regular" bike shop, buy a bike, ride it without problems, and fiddle as little with it as possible. There is nothing wrong with that, and I think it would be misguided of me to try and convince everyone I meet that my preferences are "better." And in fact I don't think they are better; they are just different.



I would venture to say that a large percentage of would-be cyclists in North America are turned off from cycling by the discrepancy between their expectations and their actual experiences, when it comes to buying their first bicycle. And it seems to me that rather than blame the "victim," it would be more useful to rethink how the bicycle industry approaches potential customers. I have spoken to way too many people at this point who've told me that they'd love to cycle but are having terrible luck finding a bike. And that just isn't right.

On the road to Cayo Coco: Cuba espresso stop and the causeway

When you are driving for longer hours you need some caffeine to keep awake and concentrate on the road. So we decided its about time for another stopover, and this time we want to take some of the famous Cuban espresso. We found this roadside ‘comida’ restaurant and they are selling Cuban coffee for CUC$1.











Done with the coffee (so little in a big glass) and we have 2 more hours to go to reach the keys!



Then we finally reached the causeway to Cayo Coco. This reminds me of the causeway to Marken (Netherlands). Now this man-made causeway linking mainland Cuba to the Cayos (keys) is approximately 27 kilometres long. The whole thing is so cool considering that Cuba is a relatively poor country, they still managed to build this up.







We are almost there!

Sunset Arch

When we were done hiking Coyote Gulch we headed for our next planned adventure of the day, which was a sunset hike to Sunset Arch! We had read about and seen photos of Sunset Arch in the guide book that we had and knew it was something we didn't want to miss. The hike was described as easy but without any marked trail so we were hoping this would mean we might have it to ourselves. Sure enough, we did! We ended up not see a single other soul in our time to and fromthe arch. It was wonderful!


As we left the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch trailhead we turned left and continued down Hole in the Rock road until we reached 40 Mile Ridge Road, then we followed this road about 4 miles to a marked trailhead on the left. This trailhead was for a different hike, and our book recommended hiking from there to Sunset Arch, which was in the opposite direction from the trailhead. We instead opted to backtrack along 40 Mile Ridge Road to a spot we had seen on the way in that looked like it would make a good campsite (you can camp pretty much anywhere as long as it is an area that has already been disturbed by humans). We found our spot and it was indeed a terrific place to camp. After setting up our camp and relaxing for a few minutes we got our gear ready, plugged the coordinates for the arch into our GPS unit (the coordinates were provided in our guide book), and off we went across the open desert right from our campsite.







We couldn't see the arch from our campsite, but we knew which way to go thanks to the GPS. After walking about 3/4 of a mile across the desert we got our first glimpse of the arch, still over a quarter of a mile away. It was fascinating to see from a distance, and we wondered just how big it would be once we got up close to it. We kept walking towards the arch and reached the base of it a few minutes later, 1.15 miles from our campsite. Indeed, it was much bigger than we thought it would be when viewing it from a quarter mile away! The arch was mind-boggling, just standing there all by itself surrounded by nothing but relatively flat desert. We spent about an hour admiring and photographing the arch, then just after sunset we headed back to our campsite, arriving just as it was starting to get really dark. Jessica prepared a delicious meal over the camp stove then we washed up and crawled into the tent to get some much-needed rest before the next adventure which awaited us the following morning: Willow Gulch and Broken Bow Arch!

Zion National Park :: Revisited

Tuesday, November 29th - - Since there was quite a bit of snow at Bryce Canyon, I left there in early afternoon and drove the relatively short distance to Zion National Park. They had recently closed all of the campgrounds in the park except for one loop, which is normally for RVs only and has electrical hookups. There weren't a lot of campers when I arrived but by evening the loop was filling up.



Wednesday, November 30th - - As it turned out, I really didn't need heat during the night but it was nice to have it in the morning to take the chill out of the air. The road through Zion Canyon is normally closed to traffic during the summer season but I took advantage of the opportunity to drive through since the road was open.







Of course I had to get a photo of Angel's Landing. I still find it hard to believe that I actually made it to the top!





It was a short visit but very pleasant nevertheless. Though not much I've done could compare to my visit there last year.

First Ascent of Kang Nachugo by Climbing Rangers

In mid-September, one of our lead climbing rangers, David Gottlieb, took off for Kathmandu on a climbing trip through the Himalayas. David's climbing partner, Joe Puryear, is a previous Mt. Rainier climbing ranger and friend. Their goal was a first ascent of Kang Nachugo (6,735 meters), found within the Himalayan Valley of Rolwaling. Joe set up a climbing blog, so that friends, fellow climbers, and family can stay up-to-date on their progress. We all waited patiently for news of their climb and verification of their safety. Thankfully, a post on October 25th stated simply that they were successful and were safe. Their blog now has a full trip report, complemented by some amazing pictures - definitely worth a full read-through. We just want to say "Congratulations" to both Joe and David, while wishing them safe travels home. We hope to see you on the Mountain soon!

Rotterdam: you are not my cup of tea

Many not so nice things have been said and done about Rotterdam—‘lelijke stad’, industrial city, ‘just’ modern boring buildings, ‘ongezellig’, there is no real center, no character, so un-Dutch and the Nazis bombed the city mercilessly during World War II which culminated into the Dutch surrendering to the Third Reich. Much of Rotterdam did not escape the war; it was destroyed and the city had to be rebuilt. Gone are the pretty gabled old Dutch houses, the real Rotterdam is gone. Because of this, the image of the city have always struggled. It was so bad that local tourism launched several campaigns to promote it years ago hoping to change its representation to an inviting, hip and trendy place to be.



Rotterdam's modern shopping center in the underpass on a rainy Saturday afternoon.





If there is abstract art, there is abstract architecture. Piet Blom's (Dutch architect) Cubic Houses (Kubus Woning) - these are real apartments with real people and families living here, and one of the apartments is a museum. Very 1980's, very Rubiks Cube isn't it? I was told that if you are inside the museum you will get disoriented for a minute. Didn't have enough time to check out the museum so when I am back, this is high up in my agenda.



The 'Pencil Building' and a bit of camwhoring with MadamE inside a shop. Girls and mirrors =)



Personally, I’ve been to Rotterdam a few times and one of those few times I’ve been there, this was with the Dutchman back in the early days, we did this touristy 'Harbour Tour' along the massive Rotterdam haven, alleged to be the biggest in the world. Unfortunately, we were only shown a tiny fraction of the whole trading marvel as it was explained in the audio that it would take days to survey the entire port area. Well, we don’t want to be staring at forklifts, cranes and containers for days so that's a good idea. It was pretty impressive though, business wise. Rotterdam harbour is one of the top moneymakers in the country (and those speeding cameras too!). For those who know a bit of the past, the Dutch have always been the (rogue) traders in man's history.


Anyway, I went down to Rotterdam the other week meeting an old friend, MadamE who reluctantly moved from Amsterdam to the terrain of the Feyenoords. Her husband filled me in about their Ajax buff daughters making friends with a few Ajax neighbors down the building. That is chilling. To be an Ajax aficionada in Feyenoord infested ground. Info: Ajax is Amsterdam's football club and Feyenoord is Rotterdams'; they are sworn enemies.

I don’t know but Rottedam is just not my cup of tea?



Sigh—I think I have loooong been jaded about charming, time-honoured and elegant European cities artistically inspired by its own extravagant flagship of period artists that when I see Rotterdam—with its modern tall buildings, cemented roads, the lack of a main 'gezellig' square and just the random ‘werkzaamheden’ (construction works) around the city make me lose my appetite to further explore its environs. This I find sad because I know there is so much to see and learn of Rotterdam.

I will definitely come back another time and will try to look for more interesting things to see and do, and positive things to say thereafter.

Some important facts: Rotterdam belongs to the South Holland (Zuid Holland) province. 46% of the city's population of 600,000+ are foreigners or are of non-Dutch origin. It takes less than an hour to travel by train and car from Rotterdam to Utrecht or Amsterdam.
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Happy little creek

Happy little creek at different times of the year, from the same vantage point (approximately):


Late March.


Mid-April.


Now. (Pre-Katrina.)


Flood stage, early April.

Balloons from many Countries

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

Skiers crossing West Bearskin Lake

I spent yesterday afternoon along the Gunflint Trail in Northeast Minnesota, and it was a chilly and blustery winter day. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a Moose cow and calf that have been seen hanging around the mid-trail area. I did not see the Moose, but I did get a lot of other shots that I like. As I drove past West Bearskin Lake on Clearwater Road I noticed two skiers in the distance, crossing the lake. The wind was kicking up the snow behind them. It looked like a miserably cold lake crossing, which I thought made for an interesting picture.

Kasie Cat

Kasie resting after her ordeal.

Morning Glory Tower

This is part of the tower of morning glories in my garden. I originally had them on a 15-foot pole, but they kept growing to the top, so I put in some bamboo extensions the other day. They are already twining up!

Sunflower