Yucca Blossoms

Close up of some yucca blossoms.

Desert View

From this side of the tree you can look west across the desert. You can see several cholla cactus through the tree fork. The other side of the tree looks at the dirt road that goes by the tree and the houses that are in the developement that started about five years ago. It makes me wonder just how long this tree looked upon desert and distant mountains until progress now makes it look at houses.

My new boat!

Well, after 10 years of wanting a kayak I was finally able to get one! I went down to Duluth this week and picked up a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 165. I could barely contain my excitement as I drove back from Duluth with the kayak on top of the car. This evening I went for my first paddle in the new boat.



It was a sublime evening on the bay, perfect for trying out the boat and getting a feel for it. I was just going to goof around right in front of the house with it, but it was so nice I decided to actually "circumnavigate" the bay with it. The first thing I noticed was how much easier it glides through the water compared to my canoe. I played around for a little while in front of the house, practicing turning and getting used to the feel and balance of the boat. Then I headed over to the Hat Point Marina and paddled up to the Isle Royale ferry "Wenonah", which looks positively gargantuan from the seat of a kayak! Next, I headed for Pete's Island. After only about 10 minutes of paddling, I was at the island (I thought it would take longer to get there!). I landed and got out for a minute to stretch my legs (not used to the sitting position yet!).



For the next leg of my "trial paddle", I went from Pete's Island to "The Pines", a picnic area on the east side of Grand Portage National Monument. As I crossed the bay there was a gentle swell rolling into the bay and every now and then one of the swells would give me a little push, causing my speed to increase. As the boat rose and fell on the backs of these swells, it was a wonderful feeling. It felt like I could feel the lake breathing. I can tell I'm going to love this sport! This wasn't my first time kayaking, but it had been awhile so the sensations all felt new again. After reaching the pines, I turned and followed the shoreline back to my house. This part of the bay is very shallow and almost entirely sand bottom. It was fun gliding along and watching the ripples in the sand as they passed beneath the boat. When I got back to my place, my brother was sitting there waiting for me. He had seen me paddling and wanted to give the boat a quick try. I pulled up parallel to shore and in my haste to climb out, promptly tipped over on the lakeside of the boat and got completely wet. Oh, well! I also got to try out my new bilge pump :-) I can't wait until the next outing!

Patagonia Rover approach shoe give away?

Ya, I got a free pair of shoes this morning. Two pair actually. One for me to test and write up and a 2nd pair to give to one of you.



Now I of course have never wonanything in my life.....other than stuff I worked hard at to earn.



You on the other hand can get a free pair of shoes, in your size too! Simply tell me why you should get them and not my wife or my buddy Dave,in the comment section below for all of us to read.



The catch? Ya gotta be a registered member of the blog to get them and write me that story. I'll then pick the story that most impresses me for what ever reason that moves my fancy that day.That ONE writer will get onefree pair of the new Patagonia shoes! Kinda cool, right?



The shoe? More to come, but a seriously minimalistic approach shoe. Light weight and rigged to easily carry. If I can't actually climb SCW in them (and some could easy enough) it sure would make getting off the thing much easier.



Patagonia's spiel:



The Mountain Mobility collection includes performance footwear informed by the Patagonia athletes’ need for highly functional and versatile footwear in the mountains, be it ultra runners who go vertical or climbing ambassadors who need to shed weight without compromising performance. The Rover (and what I have and will be giving away) combines the best qualities of a minimalist trail runner with a lightweight approach shoe. Designed to feel the terrain, the Rover utilizes a to-the-toe variable lacing system to improve footing for vertical endeavors and comfort for jarring descents. The proprietary dual-zone outsole has climbing rubber in forefoot for high performance grip combined with deeper lugs, and burlier rubber in the mid to rear foot for increased traction on loose terrain as well as increased durability. The abrasion-resistant air mesh and synthetic leather upper wraps the

foot, while a self-centering stretch gusseted tongue keeps debris out. A soft flexing 4mm drop midsole provides a natural foot strike and an ESS forefoot plate protects the foot from rugged terrain.



My 2 minute take prior to a full review? A real, no chit,minimalistic running/approach shoe. And you will feel the terrain through these! If that is your thing..and it is mine for the most part, should be a goodfit. Pun intended.



Certainly a take off of the the Munson last I think. More here:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//12/russell-moccasin-co-and-minimalist.html



This is not a cush shoe. If all that appeals to youthese should fill a spot in your gear room. More to come. Available at retail by lateNov. '13 I am being told.



Now tell me YOUR story!

Tree & Houses

In this photo you can see the old juniper tree with a dirt road behind it and the houses in the housing development that is near it. It is such a shame to see this ancint piece of history being threatened by development. There is a dirt trail on this side of the tree where I found the tracks of motercycles and ATV's, and I saw lots of trash; mostly beer cans and bottles; in the area right around it, which I picked up. The tree is surviving but it doesn't look as healthy as it did 25 years ago when I first saw it. Every time I go by there I am afraid I will find that progress has destroyed this beautiful, and still living conifer.

Strange Magic! And a Saddle Conundrum

How on Earth can one bicycle handle like a stately city bike one moment, and like a fast touring bike the next? I have no idea, but I have just experienced it.



At slow speeds, the Royal H. mixte rides like a vintage 3-speed: stable, easy, upright. So nicely it performed as a city bike, that I was almost reluctant to take it on a "real ride" - having gotten used to doing those kinds of rides on road bikes with drop bars. But once out of the city, the bicycle was magically transformed into... I don't even know what, because I haven't ridden a bike quite like it before!



This beauty handled the40 mile ride through the hills of Concord and Lexington as if it were a casual cruise to the beach. We rode fast, but I didn't feel the speed. We climbed hills, but I didn't feel the strain of the climb.



When wrapped as I have them, thePorteur handlebars offer 3 distinct positions: upright when held at the edges, slightly leaned forward when held further down, and more aggressively leaned forward when held at the corners. And the bicycle responds to changes in hand positions very nicely. The Silver shifters installed onto Paul's Thumbies (more about this ordeal later!) are as easy to use as Sturmey Archer trigger shifters. And my positioning on the bike is so utterly perfect that I feel no pressure on my hands whether I am upright or leaned forward.The ride quality - namely its versatility - is strangely magical. I have never met a bicycle that can go from stately to aggressive at the drop of a hat before.



The mixte is not 100% finished yet, though pretty darn close: We still need to install the lights, and the front rack in these pictures is not the one that will ultimately be on it. Butmost importantly, I am not sure what to do about the saddle: Because my position alternates between upright and leaned over, it's hard to decide whether a more narrow saddle would be appropriate or a wider one, and whether springs or no springs. In the pictures, that is a Brooks B17 S borrowed from one of my roadbikes - but I am not certain that it feels right on this bike. What saddle do you have on your mixte, and how do you like it?

Bike Fit: A Case of Evolving Preferences?

Last weekend we finally picked up my Francesco Moser fixed gear roadbike from Harris Cyclery, where it sat most of the winter after getting its bottom bracket replaced. I haven't been on this bicycle since December, riding the slightly-too-big-for-me Bianchi instead. And now that the Moser is back, guess what? It feels small! I was warned that this would happen once I got used to a larger frame, but it's still hard to believe. How can I feel cramped on a bike that felt "perfect" last year?



In addition to having a shorter top tube than the Bianchi, the Moser is also set up with a shorter stem. The difference between thetotal distance from the seat post to the handlebars on the two bikes is 3cm - which seems like a small number, but feels quite otherwise, at least to me. The handlebars on the Moser are also set quite a bit lower, which I think contributes to the cramped sensation. Combined with the lower bottom bracket, I almost feel like an adult on a miniature pony when I mount the smaller bike after the larger one.Would a longer stem alone solve this, or have I "outgrown" the frame itself?At the moment, both myBianchi(with a 55cm top tube and 8mm stem) and myRivendell(with a 57.5cm top tube and 6mm stem) feel just right, but how can I trust that "just right" feeling when it keeps changing?



It is said that preferences in bike fit "evolve" over time. But does there eventually come a point when they stabilise? How many times in your cycling history has your idea of comfortable bike fit changed?

Patchwork Quilt

The problem of translating sensation and experience into words. Or any communicative form for that matter. Human have struggled with it since... well, since always it seems like. We've dedicated entire disciplines to it. We approach it with art. We approach it with science. We approach it with philosophy, and all manner of things in between. And still we cannot simply show our inner world to others.




Know what I mean?




Arguably, the answer is no. Always no, even if we say yes and believe it. We never, ever really know what somebody else means. We are clever and we guess. Or we model it on ourselves, try thoughts, ideas, images and even emotions on for size. But in the process it becomes once again our experience, not the other's.




Maybe now I've confused you and you feel comfortable saying no. "No, I have no idea what you mean."




Good.




Look. We all need to make sense of experience.And in doing so, it's tempting and convenient to plug it into a template -a template where the experience is transformed into an archetypical story.




Like - OMG I was all unsure of myself. Can I do a 200K? I mean it's so hard, I don't know. But wait... I trained and I did it! Yay!




Although that's a little brief. Let's get the village involved.




So I trained, and my friends were like "We believe in you!" and I was like "Aw you guys!"




Okay, but still a little thin. So hang on, let's add some uncertainty.




Oh no, it's the week before the ride and I overtrained?..




Yes, like that. But perhaps more panic.




Oh no, it's the week before The Ride and I overtrained!




Enter the comments, that post-post-postmodern Greek Chorus.




Chorus 1: You overtrained, oh no!

Chorus 2: You overtrained, I told you so!

Chorus 3: Now you must rest before you go!




Oh gosh, whatever will happen? Will I make it? Be sure to read tomorrow and find out!




I have a bad feeling...




Whenever I say or think that now, Carmela Soprano appears in my head. She wears a tight beige cashmere sweater. Her hair is in a French twist.




I've got a bad feeling (New Jersey accent, thick mascara, eyes full of meaning). Yesthis is what I mean.




Carmela: Tell me, what is this bad feeling?




OMG you read my blog?




Carmela: No, not really. But you know, I was thinking of getting in shape, being more active. Biking to the hair salon.




Oh but that's wonderful! ...Have you tried a Bella Ciao Neorealista?




We hug and share a delicious pastry. Then she rides away.




That feeling of being in a pre-determined script.My inner experience forced into training-diary vocab and follow-along storylines. It's all wrong.




Know what I mean?




Chorus 1:Yes

Chorus 2: No

Chorus 3: Will you ever review a budget bike?




Huh?




Chorus 3:Oops, wrong post.




Oh ok.




Cycling.Something is changing. There is wilting and blossoming and quiet and explosions of sound. I try to think of a better way to explain.

The 2 Hour Commute

For the past week I have been spending every day at Mike Flanigan's workshop in semi-rural Holliston, MA. The place is 25 miles from my house and I decided to experiment with getting there by bike. This took about 2 hours, which is a pretty long commute. I then tried using other modes of transportation. To my surprise, the trip ended up being the same in duration. Here is a comparison:




Somerville-Holliston, via Roadbike (a loaded Rawland):

I left the house at 6:30am. The route I planned was a direct one, which I figured would be low traffic this early in the morning. And it was, for the first, suburban leg of the trip. After that I expected the road to get even nicer, as it grew more rural. What I did not count on, was that it would also become narrower and busier. Riding through Wellesley, Natick and Sherborn via Rt 16 in the morning was terrifying; I would not recommend it. The winding road is one lane in each direction with no shoulder. Lots of trucks drive at high speeds. I tried to stay calm, kept my line, and hoped for the best - but I would not repeat this trip intentionally. There are alternative routes that are longer and hillier, but safer. Once I entered Holliston, things improved and the last mile of the trip was pretty nice. I arrived 2 hours after I left the house, including a coffee stop along the way.






Somerville-Holliston, via Brompton + Train:

I left the house at 6:30am and cycled to the closest T-Station. From there I took the subway to South Station in Boston and the commuter rail to Framingham. The commuter train takes about 40 minutes. There is WiFi, and I used it to check my email. I disembarked in Framingham, and from there it was another 6 miles to my destination. I cycled on the main road again, simply because I had no time for a more circuitous route. This road actually wasn't too bad, save for one chaotic stripmall-esque intersection, which I walked across. There are a couple of climbs on the way, but they felt fine in my bike's lowest gear. I arrived at Mike's shop 2 hours after I left the house.






Somerville-Holliston, via Train + Car:

When a snowstorm descended upon us, Mike suggested I take the train without my bike, and he would pick me up at the station in his van. Weakened from all the sawing and filing I'd been doing, I wimped out and did just that. I left the house at 6:30am and walked to the T station, then took the subway and commuter rail to Framingham. The train was late and slower than usual, as tends to happen in bad weather. When I arrived, Mike picked me up in his warm and cozy van. There was some commuter traffic on the drive from the station to his workshop. We arrived over 2 hours after I left the house.Later, I spoke to an acquaintance who commutes from Holliston to Somerville by car. In theory, the drive should take about an hour. But in practice, the traffic in the morning and evening is so bad that it takes at least an hour and a half each way, sometimes longer.






If I had to deal with this commute on a regular basis, I think my preferred mode of transport would be train + Brompton. This would allow me to remain self-reliant, to carry a huge amount of stuff in my front bag, and to get some work done on the train while still squeezing in 12 miles of riding in the course of the day. Every so often it would also be nice to do the roadbike trip, but it would mean setting off even earlier in order to do the longer, safer route. Driving for 1.5+ hours in a car each way would be my least preferred method, but might nonetheless be necessary in winter: I am not tough enough to cycle on those hilly, narrow rural roads in snow and ice, especially in the dark.




A 25 mile commute is not abnormal in North America; in fact it is probably fairly typical. It's hard to believe that 7 years ago I was doing it myself, spending hours a day in my car.Doing it by bike would have been unimaginable back then, an absurdity. Now? Well, to tell the truth, it did not feel normal commuting for that long on a bike. But neither did it feel normal any other way. It's just too long of a ride/drive to be doing twice a day, every day, out of necessity, in all weather conditions. That's my take on the 2 hour commute. I am grateful to not have one these days.

A Gift From a Stranger :: Dressler Family Photograph

A few days ago I received a pleasant surprise, delivered to my email inbox. Normally, I don't open email messages with attachments from someone I don't know but the subject of the email enticed me and I thought it would be okay. The subject? "Four Generation Picture of John Jr., John Gilbert, Joseph and Arthur Dressler."

The email was from Marla Duncan who is a great granddaughter of Anna Ellen Dressler. Anna was a sister to John Gilbert Dressler, who was the first husband of Ida Joslin. She had found my blog post on Ida Joslin Dressler Lewis and the letters Ida had written to her sister, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, (May 1, 1899, November 1934, December 1934, January 1935, Fall of 1936). So, Marla isn't related to me in any way (at least, not that we know of). Even though the people in the picture aren't my ancestors (half of them are related though), I'm still excited to be able to add it to my family history documents.

Marla didn't have any information on Joseph, other than what was written on the back of the photograph. She was thrilled with the information I had posted and thought I'd enjoy having the photograph. Oh, yeah! She said, "I feel like a kid in a candy store!!" Marla has graciously given me permission to post the picture and include her name in this post. It is nice to be able to publicly acknowledge her. Thank you, Marla.

That is why I write about my family history and post it here and elsewhere on the Internet. Not just the ancestors, but about the siblings as well. If you don't put it "out there" no one is going to find it! And I firmly believe that descendants of siblings of our ancestors hold many of the clues we are missing in the search for our family history.

Four generations of Dressler men. Clockwise starting with the young man standing in the back: Joseph, John, Arthur, and John Dressler.

Written on the reverse:
Joseph Dressler son of John Dressler born at Dorrance Ks.
John Dressler son of of John & Sarah Dressler.
John Dressler - Mothers father, born in Pennsylvania, Dec. 3rd 1818. 92 I believe on this date of picture.
Arthur Dressler son of Joe & Belva Dressler, born in Dorrance Ks. Now of Mountainair, New Mexico.(In lower right corner): Gertrudes Picture

=+==+=

Joseph Gilbert Dressler, the young man standing in the center of the picture, is my 1st cousin 3 times removed. His mother, Ida Joslin, and my 2nd great grandmother, Malissa Joslin, were sisters and they were two of the 15 children of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin.

The only clue I had regarding the whereabouts of Joseph Dressler was in Ida's obituary which stated that a son, Joseph, lived in New Mexico. The letters written by Ida provided some clues as well. When the census indexes became available online it was a relatively simple task to locate him. In September .., a query to the webmaster of the Torrance County, New Mexico website put me in contact with a grandson of Joseph Dressler. I sent him the information I had found but never heard back from him. And then, as often happens, life got in the way of research, and I never followed up.

From my .. conversations with the grandson of Joe I learned:

Joe and Belva had two sons and a daughter: Chester, Arthur and Lola. Chester and his wife Pearl had one son, Eugene (Gene). Arthur had two daughters and Lola married Irvin Taylor and had two sons.

Joe Dressler's real mother left him and his Dad when Joe was about three years old and he never had any contact with her again until after his Dad died. The grandchildren do not know the name of either Joe's father or mother. After Joe's father died the mother came to see Joe and he thought maybe she even came to New Mexico at least once, maybe twice. When she died Joe went to Kansas and took care of the arrangements. Joe was the only child she ever had, but he never had much contact with her. Joe just never talked about his family. Belva talked about hers a lot and her maiden name was Roe. She was Republican and Joe was a very strong Democrat. Joe was the probate judge for Torrance County for several years.

A portion of a letter from Ida to Malissa in the fall of 1936:

...I guess it made you sadder to bid your boy goodbye forever. I don't know as I will ever see Joe again although he always says he will come when he can get away from his farm. I wrote him it would be too late if he kept putting it off but I know its hard to get away from the farm. He is not well. Neither is his wife. Just working themselves to death - children all worried. Still they don't seem to know how to let up. They always say - "just one more year" - but they keep right on. The youngest boy, with his family, lives on Joes farm. He built a house for him. The other one not far away but Lolo is the one Be--- wants near her but she is a long way off. Only comes every year but she seems happy with her husband and two boys. Guess she won't have any more. I hope not. The youngest is 3 ½ - the other one 6 - going to Kindergarten. Lolo gives them a good start as she taught school several terms before she married Ervin.

=+==+=

Joseph Gilbert Dressler was born February 24, 1885 in Kansas (in Dorrance, according to the photograph) and was the son of John Gilbert and Ida Blanch (Joslin) Dressler.

Joe is listed in the household of John G. Dressler in the 1880 census (Plymouth Township, Russell County, Kansas page 72): Joseph G. Dressler, son, 15 years old, born Feb. 1885 in Kansas. His father was born in Pennsylvania and his mother was born in Indiana.

In the 1910 census, Joseph G. Dressler was found in Dorrance City, Plymouth Township, Russell County, Kansas (page 80B/3B). He is 25 years old and has been married for 6 years. His wife, Belvie L., is 25 years old, has 2 children (both living). Residing with them are their 4 year old son Arthur and daughter Lola, who is 3 years old. Also in their household was his 36 year old brother-in-law William Roe and his 21 year old cousin (female) Ollie Mackle.

In 1920, Joe and family were found in Precinct 17, Jaramillo, Torrance County, New Mexico (page 268/1A). Joseph G. Dressler, owns his home, is 35 years old and married. Also in the household were his wife Belva L., 35; son Arthur G., 14 6/12; daughter Lola L., 12; and son Chester E., 10 7/12.

They were still living in Torrance County in 1930 (Ewing Precinct 17, page 84) but by now the children were out on their own. Joe was 45 years old, he was first married at age 19. He was born in Kansas, his father was born in Pennsylvania, and his mother was born in Indiana. His occupation was listed as a general farm laborer. Listed with him was his wife Belva R., age 45.

Joseph and Belva are buried in Mountainair Cemetery, Torrance County, New Mexico. According to the tombstone picture, Joseph was born February 24, 1885 and died December 15, 1961. Belva was born March 21, 1885 and died January 9, 1967.

=+==+=

Arthur has not been found in the 1930 census. There is a record on the SSDI that shows an Arthur Dressler whose social security card was issued in New Mexico. He was born July 26, 1905 [probably Dorrance, Russell County, Kansas] and died in March 1976. His last residence was listed as Thousand Oaks, Ventura County, California. A search of the California Death Index, 1940-1997 on ancestry shows that Arthur G Dressler was born July 26, 1905 in Kansas and died March 20, 1976 in Los Angeles.

The California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 on ancestry has an entry for Arthur G Dressler, age 56, born about 1905. Married on November 11, 1961 in Los Angeles to Viola M, age 47, born about 1914. Her surname is given as Clark on one page and Hucke on another.

=+==+=

Lola Dressler and Irvin Taylor were found in the 1930 census in Township 5, Inyo County, California (page 288): He rents their home for $12.50, they own a Radio. He is 28 years old and was married at age 28. He was born in Texas and works as a laborer at a Clay Mill. His wife, Lola E., is 23 years old, was married at age 22, and was born in Kansas. No occupation is given.

The family listed just before Lola and Irvin was that of 26 year old Cyrus O. Taylor who was born in Texas. Presumably a brother of Irvin.

A search of the California Death Index, 1940-1997 on ancestry resulted in a match for Lola Elnore Taylor, born January 20, 1907 in Kansas. She died March 1, 1983 in Los Angeles. Her mother's maiden name was Roe and her father's surname was Dressler.

In the letter, mentioned above, from the fall of 1936 we find that Lola has two boys: the youngest is 3 ½ and the other one was 6 years old.

A check on WorldConnect found Lola Dressler born January 20, 1907 in Kansas and died March 1, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. She married Samuel Irvin Taylor. He was born May 4, 1901 in Edwards County, Texas and died April 18, 1975 in Kern County, California. His parents were Arris Samuel Taylor and Laura Clazona Roberts. No sources were given.

=+==+=

Chester Dressler was located in the 1930 census in Ewing Precinct 17, Torrance County, New Mexico (page 84). He was 20 years old, was married at age 19, born in Kansas, and was a general farm laborer. His wife, Pearl, was 20 years old and born in Oklahoma.

The SSDI shows that Chester was born June 6, 1910 and died in April 1983. His last residence and last benefit was listed as Mountainair, Torrance County, New Mexico. His social security card was issued in New Mexico. Chester lived on the family farm and it was his son with whom I made a brief contact back in ...

=+==+=

Mountain Meadow

The 'Thanking Your Bicycle' Give-Away!

Have you thanked your bicycle lately? Just think of all the wonderful things our velocipedian friends have done for us! Surely they deserve a little thanks?To inspire you, I have prepared a little give-away for the Thanksgiving holiday.



As a small "thank you" to my readers, I will be giving away a hand-knitted"cycling hat" - made especially for the recipient, in their size. The hat will be 100% wool - a soft wool that feels nice against your skin, densely knitted to protect against the wind. The shape is as pictured above and also here. It covers the ears, and can either be worn on its own or (and I am 98% sure about this) will fit under a helmet. The pattern will be stripey - using whatever colours spontaneously come to mind out of what I have available. If the recipient is male, I can make "manly coloured" stripes as well. And if you hate a particular colour, you can request that I not include it. The finishing at the top of the hat is as shown in the picture above. Just a simple, fun and (hopefully) useful hat, custom made for you by me.



If you would like to be considered for the "Thanking Your Bicycle Give-Away," here are the guidelines:

Please write a thank you note to your bicycle in the "Remarks" section of this post.

Description of your bicycle and a links to pictures are a bonus, but not required.

If you have multiple bicycles, multiple entries are eligible. One entry per bicycle.

Entries should be posted between the start of Wednesday, November 24th and the end of Friday, November 26th.

International entriesare eligible from all corners of the world with reliably functional postal systems.

Shipping will be taken care of.

Recipient will be announced Sunday, November 28th.

Thank you for reading Lovely Bicycle, and enjoy!

Ice Blue Sky

Here's an abstract ice shot from earlier this week. I found this piece of ice along the shoreline of the Grand Marais harbor, then held it up against the sky and took a picture of it. The overall size of the ice from left to right was about 18 inches. Ice is fascinating and I never tire of photographing it!

Road Becomes Cycling Path

Every Sunday from April to October, a stretch of Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Mass. is closed to motorists to create "Riverbend Park" -- a car-free road for the use of cyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders and pedestrians.

Today was the second time we went. The route is rather short (I think it is a 1-mile stretch?), but we wanted to support the initiative. The lanes are wide, so we were able to ride next to each other and talk. It was nice, though tamer than the kind of cycling we usually do. Once you get used to cycling in traffic and/or for long stretches, this sort of ride can feel restrictive.

I know that something similar to this event exists in Chicago and other cities. Do you make it a point to go to yours? Do you see these as beneficial?

Cycling and Suffering

In my view, the most unfortunate myth about cycling for transportation is that it is difficult. Understandably, this is how non-cyclists often perceive it - due to the overabundance of athletic cyclists and heavily armoured utility cyclists on the roads in comparison to cyclists who look like regular people. But even among the "everyday cyclists", I feel that there is a tendency to focus on the challenging aspects of riding a bike in a way that takes pride in these challenges and thereby dwells on them: the pain of cycling uphill, the heroics of cycling in cold weather, the battle of cycling in traffic... Come on, be fair! Cycling is fun and convenient, giving us the most independence and flexibility of all other transport options. Compared to the poor drivers stuck in traffic and the users of public transportpushing their ways through overcrowded buses, we coast through life with smiles on our faces.



[image via BostonBiker.org]

Reading Boston Bikerthis week, I was reminded of my all time favourite misrepresentation of cycling's "difficulties": Our love of exaggerating thefortitude of cycling in the rain.On cycling blogs, we often read stories that describe a non-cyclist asking a cyclist, "But what do you do when it rains?" and the cyclist replying "I get wet!" After this exchange is retold in the blog post, the author will then muse about how people nowadays are out of touch with the elements, and how ridiculous it is that "the car culture" has taught us to fear getting rained on. This, however, is simply untrue. Car culture did not teach us to dislike getting rained on. Seeking protection from the elements is a natural impulse that has been with us pretty much forever. In non-car-oriented societies people still use umbrellas and hide under awnings. Cave people sought shelter in caves. It is completely normal not to want to get rained on on the way to work or a date, so that we can both arrive in dignity and not come down with the flu the next day.



[image viaBostonBiker.org]

Cyclists however, sometimes seem to experience pride from getting soaking wet in the rain, and this pride translates into projecting an intimidating image to those who do not ride a bike. The non-cyclist is given to understand, that in order to embrace cycling they must accept the idea that getting wet is "normal" rather than something to be avoided... In other words, to accept an idea that goes against people's natural instincts since the dawn of civilization.



I don't know about you. But when a non-cyclist asks me what I do when it rains, I reply that I wear a raincoat. When a non-cyclist asks me about hills, I explain that I switch to a lower gear and pedaling gets easy again. And when a non-cyclist asks me whether I am scared of traffic, I point out that it was less scary than driving once I got used to it. And all of these things are true. Why tell them I am suffering, when I am not?

Of Hills and Vintage Gear Shifters

Though I knew that the "outer Cape" (from Eastham to Provincetown) is hilly, I did not realise just how hilly until we began to explore it on bicycles. Those rolling hills with regular 100ft elevation changes really begin to take a toll - especially if you are riding the bicycle as a single speed as I have been doing with Marianne.

Marianne looks wearily at the road ahead: "Please learn to use the shifters!"

I have mentioned before that I find the vintage shifters troublesome and never use them, riding this bike instead in one very versatile gear that gets me comfortably through the Boston area terrain. Well, after one evening on the coastal road on the outer Cape, it became clear that this "versatile gear" was definitely not sufficient for these parts.

My problems with these shifters were multiple:

. The vintage shifter levers are very stiff and difficult for me to move. It takes a lot of physical effort to make them budge.

. The levers are located on the stem of the bicycle (see photo above), forcing me to take a hand off the handlebars and keep it off for the entire time I am fiddling with them - which is a long time, because of the previous issue.

. They are friction shifters, so it is not clear when one gear switches to another. I am not the best-coordinated person in the world, and frankly I find it difficult to pedal in a straight line, keep my sense of balance with only one hand on the handlebars, and play around with the levers at the same time - especially when going uphill, with cars speeding past me.

Perhaps you can understand why I have been using the bicycle as a singlespeed. Well, now that this was no longer an option, I had no choice but to learn to switch gears. I was finally able to do this by putting my left hand on the middle of the handlebars (right above the stem) for balance, and then reaching over with my thumb and forefinger to grab the right shifter, which controls the rear derailleur. I understand that it is generally bad practice to move the right shifter lever with the left hand, but trust me - there is no way I can take my right hand off the handlebars on this bicycle.

So - thanks to the hills, I have learned how to shift gears on Marianne. I still find friction shifting confusing, but my ability to "feel the gears" continues to improve with practice. One additional problem, is that there does not seem to be a mechanism in place to stop the chain from going past the lowest gear and slipping off the cog when downshifting. I will have to get this looked at when I return to Boston, since I do not know how to adjust a derailleur. For now, I just try to be careful and not downshift that far.

Honestly, I am finding it difficult to love derailleurs - so many problems compared to hubs. Still, having experienced these hills, I realise that they are a necessity. I have not yet decided whether my hypothetical future custom mixte will have indexed or friction shifters, but the shifters will definitely be placed in a way that does not require me to take my hands off the handlebars.

Jefferson Ohio From My Window

Pinched Moon

I was leaving work today when I noticed the full moon rising over the Pigeon River. The moon was so big and clear that I had to take a picture of it. This Birch tree is right behind our visitor center at work and I noticed that the moon was lining up with the tree and it looked like two fingers "pinching" the moon. Pretty cool :-)