Family Time in St. Clair

Today some of my family came over to St. Clair to visit with us. My older sister Lisa and two of her children, Katelyn and Dillon, came. My mom came with my niece and nephew, Kyanna and David. And my cousin Balinda came too. I haven't had a chance to visit with Balinda in about ten years so it was a real treat to catch up with her. They have a fifth-wheel and travel too, so we are going to try to coordinate something together. We taught them to play Mexican train and we had a hard time quitting once we got into it. It was a really wonderful day!

Vintage Raleigh Comes Home

My nice Co-Habitant picked up the Raleigh from my parents' house! He reports that the bicycle is in operational condition: It is structurally sound. The tires hold air. The brakes work well. The hub is fine, and only the shifter requires adjustment. The saddle needs some care and the chain is rusty, but otherwise all is in great shape. This bike is about 40 years old and had been lying in the garage abandoned for the past 20. Amazing! You can read more about it here.

My only concern now, is the size. You can see in the photo how small the bike looks next to a 6'1" male body. I am 5'7" -- will it be a good fit? It will be a little sad if after all this excitement, the Raleigh will be too small for me.

Flying to Geneve

Hi, I’m flying to Geneve, Switzerland tomorrow early morning for work. Will be staying there for a week. Will be busy so no sightseeing really unless after work hours. We shall see.

For now I am faced at packing and I am not really in the mood to pack. I guess it’s easier this time as I am bringing business suits, so it’s easy to pick them as they are pairs compared to when travelling for pleasure where you have to think of the mixing and matching thing. I used to like packing, now I am dreading it.

It’s going to be an early morning drive to the airport. YAWN. I hope I can get up early. I’m reminding myself to eat breakfast at home, at 5AM—I don’t like sandwiches for breakfast and KLM serves them for their short distance flights. I’ll have coffee though at the airport and tea during the flight.

See you in Geneve, Switzerland.

Advice from Fixed Gear Experts? And a Look at MKS Stream Pedals

I have been riding my Francesco Moser roadbike as a fixed gear since July. I love this bicycle and ride it considerably more than I thought I would. For an aggressive roadbike, it is puzzlingly comfortable and easy. My bicycle handling skills have improved thanks to this bike and I have grown very attached to it.



But here is the problem - or rather what I keep hoping is not a problem, and would like your opinion about: The frame has a low bottom bracket. In our innocence, we did not notice this when we were building it up, and I don't even think the person who gave me the frame noticed quite how low it was. The bike originally came with skinny tubulars, but we fitted the frame with 700C wheels and 28mm tires - which raises the bottom bracket off the ground more than originally.



The cranks are 165mm, which is already as short as I can reasonably go with here, and just recently I switched the pedals (originally MKS"Touring") to the narrower MKS"Stream". All of this has helped ward off "pedal strike," but I still worry whether it is safe. A couple of people have taken one look and told me that I should get a different bike, with an expression of concern on their faces. Others have told me that it's not too bad and there should be no problem as long as I am not too aggressive on turns and don't take it on the velodrome.



So my question: Is there an objective way to tell? How high should the bottom bracket be off the ground in order for a fixed gear bike to be "safe"? And "aggressive on turns" seems like such a subjective concept. I think of myself as a bad cyclist and I think of my speed as slow - but I am not sure how to quantify these things. Once I get going, I like to ride 15-18mph on this bike. But I am consciously very careful on corners and slow down on them due to paranoia over this issue.



So far, the MKS "Stream"pedals (purchased from Cambridge Bicycle) seem to have made a big difference, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that perhaps they solved the problem. This is what the lean of the bike used to be in order to get pedal strike, but the Streams have improved things considerably.



Here are the MKS"Touring" (left) vs the MKS"Stream" (right) pedals side by side. As you can see, they are very similar except for the size.



TheMKSStreams are basically touring-style pedals that are the size of track pedals. They are comfortable and accept both toe clips and Power Grips. I was worried that my feet might feel cramped on them, but I have felt absolutely no discomfort so far.



Here is another size comparison.



And notice the difference in teeth. The Streams are more grippy.



The ride quality with the new pedals feels the same as previously, with the benefit of additional "room to breathe" on turns. But is it enough? If I do need to start thinking about a new frame,I doubt that I can find something as good as theMoser (Columbus tubing, Italian quality) in anything resembling a reasonable price range. My best bets are probably to look into Mercian or to wait for the Rivendell "Simpleone". And if you can recommend a vintage model that resembles the Moser in ride quality but has a higher bottom bracket, I am of course all ears. I do not want a new fixed gear roadbike. I love this one and would prefer to ride it forever. I just want to know whether that is a good idea.

Fluffy Clouds

Yesterday the fluffy clouds looked like they were so close that you could reach up and pull them out of the sky and use them for a pillow.

Happy Hour at the Zukas

We love a good Happy Hour and we really love them when they are hosted by someone as fun as John and Shelly. They threw the first Happy Hour of at their place, which was conveniently located right in front of the pickleball courts.



As usual, there was tons of food and lots of fun friends. John entertained us by teaching us a game that started with "the moon is round".



Some of us tried to figure out the trick behind this unique game.











You can see the crowd trying to figure it out too:



After that, John and Julia entertained us with a joke each.







Since we were right there, some of us headed over to play some pickleball. I didn't get any pictures but you can see them on Rich and Donna's Blog. It was a great night!

Summit, Camp Muir, Guiding, Bureaucracy

Two separate teams reached the summit of Mount Rainier last week! Such a feat wouldn't normally make blog headlines but with the park closed, it's fun to hear about anyone who gets anywhere near Columbia Crest. The details? Two men ascended the Emmons Glacier, and a RMI guided team climbed the Disappointment Cleaver. There are more photos and descriptions of the Glacier Basin Trail too (and it's not "that" bad).

Helicopters ferried loads to and from Camp Muir last Friday. The primary push is to support the new mountaineering guided concessions as they prepare for the summer. Those familiar with Camp Muir will note a change in who operates out of what buildings. The client shelter (eastern 2/3 of the big rectangle building in the lower right photo) will house RMI. The Gombu (west 1/3 of the same building, different entrance) will be shared by AAI and IMG on alternating nights. The NPS will move out of the Butler Shelter and into the Cook Shack (rock hut in the lower left). RMI will gain use of the Butler Shelter as a storage and cooking facility. All three of the guide services will have access to an independent weatherport on the Cowlitz Glacier.

There are a lot of changes with regard to guided operations on the mountain. Here are a few key elements:

• Along the Camp Muir corridor, RMI can lead 24 clients and guides per night. AAI and IMG are allowed 12. This is an overall reduction of 11 "guided related climbers" per night when compared to previous years.
• On the Emmons Glacier, each guide service can lead one trip per week, for a total of 120 clients and guides per year. There is no commercial guiding allowed on Friday and Saturday night.
• The same is true for the Kautz Glacier route, only each guide service is limited to 80 clients and guides total per year.
• There is NO commercial guiding from Success Cleaver west and north to Ptarmigan Ridge.
• Independent climbers will note a reduced number of guides and clients on the Muir routes during the summer. They will note a mid week increase of clients and guides on the Emmons Glacier route. Almost all of the western half of the mountain is closed to commercial activity, so there's plenty of room to stretch out.

On a completely unrelated note, you can download an electronic version of the Climbing Registration Card. If you want to save a little time in the ranger station, fill the Climbing Registration Card out completely ahead of time and bring it with you when you come to register.

Spinning Under the Christmas Tree

This post, "Spinning Under the Christmas Tree", was written for my blogspot blog called The Transplantable Rose by Annie in Austin.

April was nine months ago - that's how long it's been since I posted one of our YouTube music videos. That one was "Greened House" - a song parody of "Greensleeves" - this one is an original holiday song from my copyrighted collection of more than a dozen songs, many connected to gardening in Austin, which fit together to tell a story.

In my long-in-progress pipe dream of a musical play the songs are sung by different characters and there should be many different voices. Until I can figure out how to persuade some of you to come over to my house to sing or play musical instruments you just get Annie, a piano, and some guitar riffs from a friend.

This simple little Christmas song has been in the works for awhile - an ode to an Austin holiday tradition that started over 40 years ago, when the Zilker Park tree was first constructed, using a replica of one of our famous Moontowers as the center pole for a huge tree of lights. People soon figured out that looking up while spinning under the lights was a lot of fun.



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Spinning, Spinning, Spinning Underneath the Christmas Tree

The Zilker Tree has a separate tree lighting ceremony early in December, but once the Trail of Lights begins a week later [this year it started on the 10th], it's part of that festival.

No one shows a movie now without outtakes... this photo of a Funnel Cake did not make the Director's cut, but was delicious.

The enormous fire pit didn't make the video either! It would have been decorative but not functional for most of the past week, with record high temperatures up to 80 degrees F. We're not experiencing the dangerous ice and winter weather that has the Midwest in its grip, but even our comparatively warm forty-degree evenings make a fire welcome at the end of the trail.

This post, "Spinning Under the Christmas Tree", was written for my blogspot blog called The Transplantable Rose by Annie in Austin.

Washingtonia Duo

A pair of very tall Mexican fan palms.

What happened to all of the winter climbers?

This winter has delivered some rather amazing weather and snow conditions. As we've noted, Mount Rainier has seen its fair share of extended snowstorms and extreme avalanche conditions. But lately, that trend hasn’t been the case. Over the past few weeks, the mountain has largely been blessed with beautiful days and clear nights. Swarms of visitors have been making the most of these sunny skies, warmer temps and rather calm weather. Ski and snowshoe trails lace the Paradise area and virtually every prominent vista has a few down-hill tracks below them.

Even the boot and ski track up to Camp Muir has been pretty deep on recent weekends. But what’s noticeable is the lack of boot and ski tracks venturing beyond Camp Muir. With only a few weeks left in March and the remaining days of winter rapidly slipping away, we’re wondering "What happened to all of winter climbers?"

During the last "normal" winter '05-'06 (loosely defined as Dec 1 March 31) 185 climbers attempted the summit on Mount Rainier. This winter ('07-'08) our climbing attendance has precipitously dropped to a lowly 42 attempts! One wonders, is this a trend? After reviewing the past six years (with the exception of last winter when the primary road was entirely closed), the next lowest attendance was '03-'04 when only 104 climbers attempted to summit. That number is more than double what we're seeing this year. So what gives?

Of the 42 climbers this winter, only 6 have been successful (a 14.3% success rate). That success rate falls within the historic average during the same time range (Dec 1 – March 30). The winter high on Mount Rainier was 23.3% during the '06-'07 season (oddly enough when the road was closed) and the low was 1.6% in '05-'06.

The big story, however, is the notable drop in the number of climbers attempting the summit. This data backs up the anecdotal observations of those who frequent the Park. They say that people are just not coming in as large numbers as they used to. With the exception of a few busy weekends this winter, the park has not seen the overall visitation that is normally expected.

Taking into account this season’s well publicized avalanche concerns, this is somewhat understandable. Let’s face it, December 2007 and most of have been a tough year for positive Rainier press… The winter started with one avalanche fatality and was promptly followed by numerous road closures and other warnings about how high and extreme avalanche conditions were. Certainly, the media picked up the tempo. There was plenty of coverage in every major newspaper including even the New York Times.

At the main visitor centers, the most common questions received relate to the weather and avalanche conditions. Many people are calling to check if "the Mountain" is even ‘OPEN’. YES, "the Mountain" is "OPEN" and by all accounts "the Mountain" is looking pretty darn good on these recent clear days.

So, here are those climbers stats for the past few winters. These cover December 1 - March 31. By the way, we normally consider winter attempts from Dec 21 to March 20 (or whatever the exact "winter" season is).

2007- - 42 climbers - 6 summited
2006-2007 - 17 climbers - 4 summited
2005-2006 - 185 climbers - 3 summited
2004-2005 - 208 climbers - 32 summited
2003-2004 - 104 climbers - 4 summited
2002-2003 - 230 climbers - 36 summited
2001-2002 - 137 climbers - 14 summited

As a reminder, the uphill gate at Longmire closes nightly at 5:30 pm. The downhill gate closes the road at 7:00 pm. Generally, the Longmire gate re-opens every morning after the road has been cleared of snow. Sometimes that's as early as 8 am, but during storms, it can be as late as noon! Call the NPS general information line at (360) 569-2211 and select #1 for road and weather conditions. If you’re coming up to climb, check out the registration page too. Keep in mind that there is NO self registration this winter.

Thanks to Monica Magari for her help with crafting much of this post! Photo of Eben Reckord heading towards the upper Nisqually Icefall by Ben Kurdt.

Drinking and Cycling

Yesterday I did a 40 mile ride in 97 degree heat and high humidity. As someone who is sensitive to hot weather, normally I would not go outdoors on such a day at all. But when the temperature is like this on a daily basis, the choice is either to stop riding or find a way to deal with it. One experienced cyclist I know suggested drinking large amounts of water starting early in the morning, and then a dose of coconut water right before the ride itself. I did just that, and it helped: I was able to do the ride without feeling faint or headachy. Earlier in the week I tried to do the same ride and turned back 15 minutes later, nursing a migraine for the remainder of the day. I don't know how much the hydration regimen had to do with the improvement, but it made me curious about the relationship between drinking and cycling.

Take, for example, water: I've always been one of those weird people who doesn't like the taste of water and does not usually feel thirsty, so drinking so much of it was an entirely new concept when I began cycling. At first I had to practically force myself to do it, but at some point it started to become more natural and I developed the thirst mechanism I hitherto lacked. Those who've known me for a while are surprised that I now actually crave water, even when off the bike.

On the other hand, juice and energy drinks make me feel sick when I cycle. They are too sweet and I only feel more thirsty afterward. Things like Gatorade and weird chemical energy powders I just can't take at all - it goes straight to my head and makes me feel dizzy, as well as leaves a disgusting taste in my mouth. So in order to regain electrolytes, I've been eating bananas and putting a tiny bit of salt in my water. Coconut water was suggested as an alternative, and I was surprised to read about its electrolyte content: It is basically a natural sportsdrink. I still find it slightly too sweet and the aftertaste a little weird, but manageable - and it seems to work.

Then there is the question of coffee. I am addicted and drink more cups per day than I care to count. I like to drink coffee before a ride, because it makes me feel more energetic. However, some warn against doing this - claiming that it's bad for the heart to have coffee right before exercise. Are cyclists who caffeinate dooming themselves to early heart attacks? Seems unlikely to me, but I do wonder sometimes as I drink my nth cup.

And finally, alcohol. I am not a big drinker by any means, but I like an occasional white wine or martini. Sadly, I've discovered that I can't drink if I plan to go on strenuous rides, not even a little bit. Maybe I am worse at processing alcohol than most people, but if I have a martini in the evening and then try to go cycling the next morning, I can smell the gin coming out of my pores and just don't feel 100% on the bike. That's after just one drink. I cannot imagine how some cyclists manage to guzzle beer during races, or stop for lunch with wine in the middle of long ride; I can't do it.

What's your practice with regard to water, energy drinks, coffee and alcohol when cycling?

Red Yucca Blossom

This is a close up of a red yucca buds that are not good open yet.

Let’s go for a ride with OVI…

To gorgeous Granada!!! So we’ve just collected our rental car that was special delivered to us at our hotel, and now we are on the road! I was actually getting worried when all the rent-a-car shops we’ve visited didn’t have a car available for us until we hit our luck. August is a terrible month to rent cars because most cars are taken, its high season obviously and the agency we’ve hit our luck with says he blames it on the Italians.

On the road, we see for the first time the exquisite countryside views of Andalusia. It reminds me of Crete, Greece for its rolling valleys of olive tree plantations and white-washed villages and Nevada, USA as well for the dessert-like expanse and the rock mountains.


Now, to help us get to our destination (Granada) in time we have my trusted ‘Free’ OVI Maps on my Nokia Mini N97 mobile phone. No need to buy or rent a GPS with the car when traveling, it’s on my Nokia phone! I can drive or walk to my set destination, there is a canned version of Lonely Planet and Michelin, as well as handy apps like weather and events. I am not a gadget geek so I have yet to really tinker around on these functionalities; so far I mainly use the ‘drive to destination’ thing.

So my OVI review:

(1) I used Route66 with my defunct Nokia Navigator phone so I had to get used to with the OVI Maps layout.
(2) Very easy to set a destination if going to a place. No need for a ‘specific’ address like in Route66, I just write—Granada and the GPS automatically picks it up leading me to the core center of the city.
(3) Sometimes the voice and map timing is delayed (maybe 5-10 seconds) with the actual driving position. It’s annoying when you are in an intersection and you don’t know if you should turn right, left or go straight!
(4) I love it when the GPS announces that I am driving above speed limit and especially when it’s warning me of a traffic camera ahead!
(5) GPS loses satellite connection if driving on a street flanked with buildings (at least 8-storey and up buildings) on both sides. A problem in the cities with tall buildings side by side.

OK, we’ve just arrived in Granada, the city known for its hip nightlife and the infamous Alhambra, and now looking for parking. See you on next entry.

Mixte Lovers, Rejoice: VO Prepares a Little Something

Some of you know that I have been considering a custom bike for next spring. It has been a somewhat tortured search, because of my pickiness when it comes to things like lugs and stylistic detail. Basically, I want the mixte to have the classic twin lateral stays (as opposed to a single top tube), and I want it to be fully lugged (which is nearly impossible to achieve nowadays, as mixte lugs are no longer made). To get the kind of bicycle I want, I basically had three choices : (1) to go with a builder who can hand-make the lugs, (2) to go with a builder who can alter lugs meant for diamond frames into mixte lugs, or (3) to find a builder who has a stash of NOS (new old stock) mixte lugs that they would be willing to use. All three choices are rather costly, and I am not sure whether I am in a position to commit those kinds of funds to the purchase of a bicycle. A more economical option like Rivendell was not possible, because although beautifully lugged, their mixtes are the type with the single top tube.

[image from Velo-Orange]

Enter Velo Orange, which announced in their recent blog entry the release of a fully lugged mixte with twin lateral stays. Thank you, Mr. Kulczycki! The photo above is a prototype frame.

[image from Velo-Orange]

Here is a close-up of the lugs. The projected price is $700 for the frame and fork (!), and the anticipated delivery date is January . Three sizes will be available: 50cm, 54cm, and 57cm, making it accessible for both short and tall riders.

What I love about this frame:
. the lugs,
. the classic construction with the twin stays,
. the choice in sizing (54cm should be just perfect for me),
. the 700c wheels (larger than the wheels on the Betty Foy, which I found too small)
. and the excellent price.

What I don't love so much:
. the colour (if I order it, I would definitely get custom colour or have it repainted),
. the way the rear stays connect to the seat tube (I think this could be more elegantly done),
. and the fact that, like the Rivendell Betty Foy, it is made in the far East.

So what do you think? Regardless of whether I decide to go for this bike, I am very excited that this product has appeared on the market. Now, if only I can persuade VO to alter the rear stay connexions and change the production colour...

Sauce and we aint talking Pizza!

Should be obvious that I never tire of looking at me ;-) Really I need a better set of models or some friends because this is getting embarrassinglyold.I'm trying to get these three locals to model for me but haven't heard back yet.May be it was the low pay or the obviously stolen photo? I'll have to ask again.





Fred, Saucy?





I am still trying to get organized and stuff put away and seeing what is missing from either being lost,stolen or just not deliveredyet fromthis trip.



Couple of Buffs are gone, a bunch of climbing gear, some clothing and one favorite hat. But thankfully not my Sauce! Bought this thing inBozeman @ Northern Lights during the'11 Ice fest. $30...not cheap but I liked the colors and the detailing. No clue who the company was or where they were until a hour or so ago.



By the numbers:

Chill Toque, $30.00

The Chill Toque is a fleece lined hat. Designed for warmth in cold weather, this is the warmest piece in the Sauce collection.



•Perfect for casual winter wear and low intensity winter activity

•The swirl closure, unique to Sauce Headwear, provides an escape for excess heat.

•The fleece lined headband, and double layer Meryl® upper will wick moisture and provide resistance to wind.



The Chill Toque is available in two sizes.

•Small/Medium for women with average or small heads and youth.

•Medium/Large for men or women who prefer a looser fit.



http://www.sauceheadwear.com/main.php



I have climbed some init and skied a bunch in it.







Awesome colors, nice size, thicknessand warmth. Only down side is the black took a beating in the sun's UVover the last few months, Dec thru March. But I liked the hat enough (and more than one person wanted it) that I went looking for another. Hard to find in the right color and size this time of yearso I went to the source of Sauce, Shayla. Got what I needed. Another loud and brightly colored print that won't fade in the sun is on the way.



Shayla is one of the poor Canadian immigrants trying to make her way in the cold commercial American outdoor industry. She is one of us...a skier. Cool hats.Worth the coin and if you can keep your light fingered friends away from them shouldlast a long time. Couple of models available and they make freak'in head bands as well! Everyone needs a new hat!



Hard to believe but I am just writing about gear I really liked and used a lot this winter. The Sauce "Chill Toque" (Canadian for hat, knucklehead) was one of the few.



And yes, the new Ergos are sweet!