Miss Landmine exhibition in Oslo

Dutchman and I visited the controversial Miss Landmine exhibition in the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum in Akershus Fortress (Oslo) featuring the candidates from Cambodia. The project is currently banned by the Cambodian government just last 28 August , a week away from the pageant opening date to be held in Phnom Penh. Officials say that the beauty pageant will destroy the dignity and honour of the disabled, especially the women. A taboo.



Here are some of the contestants below:





Cambodia is clearly not yet healed from its tragic past. But being Asian myself, I can also see the other side of the coin why the Cambodian officials refuse to go along with. In Asian culture a disabled beauty pageant can indeed be seen as a mockery. Asian people in general are respectful, traditional and sensitive, meaning they can easily be offended. They are also a very superstitious lot that tend to put meanings into almost everything.



In addition there are still thousands of undetonated landmines in the Cambodian countryside that kills and maims unsuspecting civilians each year. Obviously this is a much greater, more critical and lingering problem the country needs to solve.





Some of the press clippings about the controversial Miss Landmine contest collected and exhibited at the event.

The goal for Miss Landmine beauty contest is to raise awareness about global landmine contamination, the dangers posed for the unexploded landmines, identify the position and identity of the rest of the landmine survivors and enhance the self worth of the participants.

I voted for a candidate online but I will not tell who.

Click here to view the Miss Landmine magazine with the fotos of the contestants: Miss Landmine Magazine and click here to vote: Vote for Miss Landmine

Thoughts of Summer

Thoughts of Summer, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

I know California is not cold, especially compared to the rest of the country (and much of the world). But I think it's safe to say that many of us are longing for warm spring and summer days.

Thankfully, those days will soon be here: spring is only 2 weeks away!

Carradice Barley: a Lovely Saddlebag

Carradice bags have been made in England since the 1930s using traditional designs and methods. The bags in the traditional series are hand-sewn, with the name of the person who made each bag written on an inside label. Ours were made by Christine. I find the Carradice Barley ideal for daily use, because it is classic, attractive, durable, compact, and versatile.



Classic and Attractive

When buying a classic bicycle or restoring a vintage one, it is difficult to find a suitable saddlebag. The timeless elegance of the Carradice Barley makes it perfect for this purpose. With its traditional construction and subdued colour schemes (available in black or olive-green), it is beautifully understated. The Barley looks as great on a sleek and minimalist diamond-frame roadbike, as it does on an exuberant loop-frame lady's bike, as it does on a mixte. It will match any frame colour and will complement any set-up without overwhelming it. It does not sag when empty, and does not bulge when overstuffed.



Durable

The bag is made of strong, waterproof cotton duck with leather straps and reinforcements, a light wooden attachment plank under the lid, and a protective double layer of cotton duck on the bottom. The materials and craftsmanship are of high quality.



Compact

One thing I love about the Barley, is that it is small enough to use as a daily saddlebag without feeling bulky or looking like you are touring, and at the same time it is extremely roomy. The smallest saddlebag from Carradice's traditional "Originals" line, it measures 8" vertically, 8" horizontally, and 16" across including pockets -- and has a 7 liter capacity. (If you are looking for a larger bag, the next steps up are the Nelson and the Nelson Longflap; those are for proper touring.)



Inside the bag as pictured on this photo, I have: a rolled-up cable lock, a rain poncho, a saddle-cover, a hat, a cardigan, a pair of flip-flops, sunscreen, baby powder, bandaging tape, a paperback book, an apple, a small bottle of mineral water, 2 small packets of peanut butter, a digital camera, a set of keys, and a mobile phone. The side pockets are especially convenient for storing the mobile phone and camera when I am on my roadbike (which has no front basket) for easy access without getting off the bike. A small waterbottle and candybar will fit in the pockets as well.



Versatile

The Barley allows two different attachment methods (the photo above shows them both). If your saddle is adjusted fairly low and you have a rear rack, you can install the bag so that it sits horizontally on your rack. To do this, the leather straps at the top are connected to the bag loops at the back of the saddle, and the strap on the bottom is connected to the rack.



Here is the attachment to the bag-loops at the back of the saddle.



And here is the attachment to the rack.



If your saddle is raised fairly high and/or if you do not have a rear rack, the bag can also be installed at an angle, where the top straps connect to the bag-loops at the back of the saddle, and the bottom strap wraps around the seating post, as shown on the photo above. The bag is designed to accommodate either method and looks great either way.



Drawbacks?

My only cautionary note, is that the light attachment loop (the black strip of material under the Carradice logo) is awkwardly placed: When the bag is installed in the horizontal position, it points too far up, while in the angled position, it points too far down. So instead, we attach our tail light to the leather placket above the black loop. That serves as the perfect attachment point; the angle is just right.



Where to Buy

You can also buy online from a variety of shopsor fromCarradice directly. Stock can be limited at times, but hunting these bags down is worth the effort.

Dinner Is Served

Chiricahua National Monument

If you should happen to be driving along Interstate 10 in southeast Arizona, you need to turn south onto highway 186 in Wilcox. Your destination is a little over 30 miles through the desert, uphill. It is the same terrain you have been driving through from Texas and New Mexico and you're wondering why or how this will be any different. But when you reach the little road that takes you into a canyon, you enter a different world. A delightful, surprising one.

There was green grass. And trees. Not just the little scrub bushes but real trees. And it was cool. And there was a stream with flowing water. Of course, it was early spring. There had been a lot of snow during the winter and it was melting. The first time in many years that there had actually been water flowing in Bonita Creek, according to one of the Park Rangers.

This fascinating place is Chiricahua National Monument. I had never heard of it until I saw a sign on the Interstate. I'm so glad that I took that road. The campground was pleasant with some sun making its way through the trees. It was refreshing to return to after several hours of hiking the trails, which were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

My Campsite.

The Erickson/Riggs home at Faraway Ranch, Bonita Canyon.
In 1887, this remote canyon became the home of Neil and Emma Erickson. Swedish emigrants, they met at Fort Craig, New Mexico. He was a sergeant in the Army and she was a a maid and companion to the Colonel's wife. Neil was often away from home, working, and Emma tended to the children and the ranch. In 1903 he became a forest ranger, which took him further away from Bonita Canyon. In 1917, the eldest daughter, Lillian, began inviting guests to the ranch and it became the getaway destination. Her husband, Ed Riggs, became foreman of a CCC Camp and helped build the trails used by visitors today. They did an amazing job on the trails. Faraway Ranch is now a part of Chiricahua National Monument.

Beyond Bonita Canyon are the mountains. The trails wind through the incredible rock formations – pillars and balancing rocks galore! It is a wondrous place, indeed.

Metropolitan

The weather here has been awful since I've returned from Vienna. So while I've used my bicycle to get where I need to go, the long "welcome home" ride I fantasized about does not seem to be in the cards. Stretches like this remind me to take advantage of good weather whenever possible, and so I offer these photos from one of the nicer cycling days we had at the beginning of the month.



These photos were taken in front of the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Mass., which is a local landmark of sorts and has been functioning since 1917.



We do not usually have a good reason to visit this area, but I was intrigued by the Vassar Street bike path controversy that I had read about on Chic Cyclist and I wanted to show it to the Co-Habitant. To summarise, the Vassar Street path is criticised because it is "European style" - running mostly on the sidewalk and therefore conflicting with both pedestrian traffic and with the cars that frequently pull in and out of the various parking lots that cross the path. Compared to what I had been expecting, the path is actually not so bad in person. In fact, it is set up like a typical bike path in Vienna. The main issue is that cyclists must keep to a fairly low speed in order to ride on the path safely during peak traffic times - and Americans are simply not used to cycling at such low speeds and continue to ride at a brisk pace.



I am not certain what my stance is on the Vassar Street critique; it is a complicated issue. But I do enjoy cycling through the MIT/ Cambridgeport neighborhood during non-traffic hours. When these streets are empty, I feel that the personalities of all the warehouses and industrial sites and contemporary constructions really come out, and the abandoned urban landscape becomes "communicative". Is it all in my head? Maybe so. But that does not make the experience any less interesting.

Updated Route Condtions for Mount Rainier

I added some thorough updates to our route condition page. Dan Aylward, Chad Kellogg and Tim Matsui climbed Ptarmigan Ridge last week. Meanwhile, climbing rangers Paul Charlton and Tom "house of" Payne climbed Liberty Ridge, Kautz Glacier and Little Tahoma (all in in one week!!) It seems that the upper mountain is holding together nicely for some of the more technical routes.

Photo by Tim Matsui, Dan Aylward leads into some rock bands low on Ptarmigan Ridge.