Heat wave and route condition updates

The temperatures at Paradise hovered in the high 70's all day today while Camp Muir fixated in the mid-50's. For the past couple of days it's been VERY warm, and those trends are going to continue. This sort of news is great for sunbathing but not so great for the snowpack.

There has been quite a bit of upper-mountain action over the past week. Dan McCann of UT recently ripped the Disappointment Cleaver on tele-boards (see that line in the lower center of this photo? It's his!). And rumor has it, some gnarly NW skiers are headed for the Mowich Face this weekend!

More climbing updates can be found on the Emmons, DC and Ptarmigan Ridge routes. As for the Emmons, there was some interesting action on the Inter Glacier approach, proving that you could be killed while hiking to high camp! In other words, be "heads up" for the possibility of massive rockfall and snowslides. [Ed.: stratovolcanoes are "geologic junkpiles]

In other photographic news, Eric Simonson, with Paul Baugher piloting the airplane, provided the aerial image of the upper DC , Ingraham and Emmons. Climbing ranger Stoney Richards took a number of GREAT route images on the following lines: Gib Ledges and Gib Chute, Ptarmigan Ridge, Mowich Face and South Tahoma Headwall. Check them out in the updated route reports!

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1936)

The 27th Annual Phend & Fisher reunion was held at Nappanee Aug 30th 1936

It was moved and seconded to have the reunion at the same place next year.

Officers elected were
Pres. Henry Phend
Sec & Tr Bob Bechtel

1935 Bal 2.00
out for cards 1.60
[balance] .40
collection 2.28
[balance] 2.68
For Pavillion 2.50
Bal[ance] .18

The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Northern Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. The events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Magic Light in the Snowy Forest

Earlier this week after photographing an AMAZING sunrise at Horseshoe Bay on Lake Superior I was walking back to the car when I came across this scene. About 4 inches of light, fluffy snow had fallen the previous night and every now and then a wind gust would kick up and blow snow from the trees. When I saw the sunlight shining through this part of the forest I instantly knew the shot I wanted to get. I set up my tripod and waited for another gust of wind. I didn't have to wait long. About two minutes after I was set up the wind came up and blew a bunch of snow from the trees down into the light. It was a magical scene and I'm glad I was there to photograph it!

Lees Ferry

Early on the morning of Wednesday June 2nd, I left Jacob Lake and headed east on Alternate US 89 passing by the Vermillion Cliffs and on to Lees Ferry.

The Colorado River at Lees Ferry.

It was surprising how calm the river was here. Just around that bend up ahead is the Paria Riffle. Too small to be called a rapid, it is the first turbulence that rafters encounter on their journey down the river and through the Grand Canyon.

These outfitters were making preparations for a trip through The Canyon. That's something I've always wanted to do, but you need to plan about a year in advance and I'm just not very good about planning things too far ahead.

Looking back towards Lees Ferry (a mile or so around the bend) from the Navajo Bridge.

Giving Thanks to Those Who Gave All

As the weekend winds down, it is hoped that All Americans have stopped for a brief moment to remember the reason for this holiday that we celebrate - Memorial Day. It has become a time of picnics, of sporting events, and the official start of summer but the real reason for Memorial day (which should actually be celebrated on May 30th) is to honor the Soldiers and Sailors of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard who died in battle or while in service to their country.



As I began writing this post, it was 3:00 pm. The time designated for a "Moment of Silence" to remember the fallen. Did you remember them?








Leavenworth National Cemetery. Leavenworth, Kansas. Photo taken May 6, ...







A little worn, but still flying proudly. Because of those who gave everything.

Thank You.

Wordless Wednesday :: Two by Two

Taken at Lake Itasca, Minnesota in the quickly fading light of dusk.

Spring Arrives

Spring Arrives, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Spring has arrived, and with it, so have the baby blue eyes. These flowers were on Mt. Diablo.

Wildflowers may be good this year as recent heavy rains have drenched the landscape, and now that the sun is out things are starting to bloom. We'll see what happens...

All things Rainier...

More information about the climbing routes and access to them is starting to pour in from our vast network of contributors (you could be one too)... And from the latest reports, getting up and down the Glacier Basin trail won't be so easy this year. Today, the NPS trail-crew leader said, "My initial impressions, given the several feet of snow, is that the route will be impassable to most people and will likely require the full replacement of about one mile of trail." There's more on the Glacier Basin trail in the Updated Route Conditions.

The Seattle PI (in the Getaway Section) did a nice feature on spring access to Mt Rainier. The story covers what's happening, safety, and what visitors may expect once the park reopens. But the best part of the story is that they managed to tag this blog as "all things Rainier." Nice!

Last week, I revisited Camp Muir for the first time in three months. Things there seemed as normal as ever when it comes to spring access... However, things will be different this summer with the new guide services on the mountain. The most notable change will be that the NPS ranger station is moving to the Cook Shack (which is much more centrally located in camp). Also worth noting are the changes to what guide service will be operating out of what facility... AND that there will be a few new weatherports at Camp Muir... When the dust settles on the plan, I'll post more information. In the meantime, the reservation office has been quite busy churning out permits. If you've submitted a climbing reservation, there is a good chance that your confirmation is already in the mail. Pictured right is Seattle Times photogragher Erika Shultz, image by Mike Gauthier.

In other mountaineering news, Phil Ershler (longtime guide for International Mountain Guides) and his wife Susan recently released a book about their quest for the seven summits. In 2002, they became the first known couple to complete the circuit. The Seattle PI did a really nice piece about them, and some of the trials and tribulations, that went on behind the scenes.

Late Summer Fog, Susie Islands

Susie Islands and fog in late August. Rock of Ages Lighthouse (part of Isle Royale National Park) can be seen in the distance on the horizon.

Selling City Bikes: NYC Case Studies

While in New York City last week, I had a chance to visit two bicycle shops specialising in transportational cycling: Hudson Urban Bicycles (HUB)and Adeline Adeline. These visits were great, but they also evoked some envy. Why do we not have shops like this in Boston? Seriously, there is not a single bike shop in town catering specifically and exclusively to urban transport. A few shops do stock transportation bicycles, but the selection is limited. When I ask why they do not offer more I am told there is no demand. Baffling, because I know for a fact that both New York and Portland, ME(not to mention a number of online retailers) receive a steady stream of Boston customers because there is no local supply.



Based on my observations over the recent years, I do not think there is in fact a lack of demand. But it seems that bike shops that specialise in transportation may be in a better position to sell city bikes than bike shops that are diversified. Visiting Adeline and HUB in New York underscored this idea.






I would say that for shops selling transportation bicycles, location is key. Adeline Adeline is on a small and quiet street in TriBeCa. Hudson Urban Bicycles is on an equally small and quiet street in the West Village. In both cases, there are bike lanes literally just out the door, with protected greenways nearby. This sort of thing is absolutely crucial for beginners looking to test ride some bikes, which is precisely the category many potential customers fall into. They would like to ride in the city, but quite possibly they have never actually done so before. Their first cycling experience in ages might very well be this test ride outside of the bike shop. It makes a huge difference whether the space outside the shop is beginner-friendly.




When I was shopping for my first bicycle in the Spring of , I was not confident on a bike at all and could not yet imagine riding in traffic. I found it impossible to properly test ride a bike in almost any local shop, because the spaces outside were not beginner-friendly. While it's hard for established shops to change that reality, a new shop devoted specifically to city bikes can choose their space with access to infrastructure in mind.






Appropriately informed staff are important to selling transportation bicycles as well. In typical bike shops, most sales staff tend to be avid road cyclists, many of them racers. I have listened to quite a few steer customers by default toward cyclocross bikes with drop bars for commuting. I have also witnessed sales staff actively discourage customers from getting bikes with step-through frames or internally geared hubs, citing performance drawbacks. They did not even ask the customers how long their commute would be before saying such things.




While hanging out at HUB, I watched the owner talking to a couple who was new to cycling, and as they chatted I could see that couple grow more relaxed about the prospect of riding in the city. In shops that do not focus on transportation per se, I often observe the opposite happening: The longer a potential customer talks to a member of staff about commuting, the more concerned their facial expression grows. The "information" they are receiving is obviously scary and confusing. Bike shops that sell many types of bicycles cannot usually afford to hire separate sales staff to handle the city bikes.






No less important is the atmosphere inside the shop. The interiors of Adeline and HUB are heavenly microcosms - worlds where transportation cycling is normal, cool, intuitive, safe, and has an obvious place in everyday life. And the creation of such an atmosphere is a huge public service as far as I am concerned. Even if the customer walks out the door without buying a bike, they will still walk away with the impression that transportation cycling is fun and, above all, normal. They will be more likely to come back, or at least to keep cycling in mind as a valid possibility.When city bikes are mixed together with all sorts of other types of bikes on one cluttered floor space, it is impossible to achieve this kind of ambiance; it is impossible to communicate this message. I do think it's possible for diversified bike shops to present transportation cycling in a similar light by designating a special area to them, and then staging this area as if it were its own boutique. But in actuality this is seldom done.





Several members of the bicycle industry have mentioned to me now that it is easier to start a dedicated city bike boutique in a town that already has a dozen bike shops than it is to get existing shops to carry city bikes. And I have seen plenty of evidence to support this. Aside from the issues already mentioned, existing bike shops tend to err on the conservative side and stick with what they know. Even if they delve into city bikes, they are not going to start carrying 5 new brands right away; they might start with one or two. But that might not be sufficient to be truly effective. Hopefully, some brave entrepreneurs will start transportation-specific bike shops in Boston soon, as well as in every other city that is ready for them.





In the meantime, I may just have to keep visiting NYC for test rides. During this visit alone I test rode four bikes, and there were plenty of others to try. There were also other city bike stores to explore had I not run out of time, most notably Bicycle Habitat and Rolling Orange. For anyone visiting New York, I recommend having a look at those, in addition toAdeline AdelineandHudson Urban Bicycles (HUB).






Aside from bicycles, Adeline specialises in exquisite accessories the likes of which you might not find elsewhere: the latest in bicycle bags, jewelry, books, unusual clothing. HUB on the other hand, boasts an entire show room of vintage bikes in refurbished condition, including loads of pre-1970s English 3-speeds - some with original lighting! I enjoyed visiting both shops, and will be posting reviews of the Achielle, Retrovelo and Jensen bicycles soon.

SC II - first real ice routes of the season

Sunday we went to SC-II. It was seriously cold. Temps were below 0° and the wind was howling like crazy. It was Laura and I, Joel Toretti and PA Matt, CO Matt and his wife Rebecca. We were greeted by the howling winds at the Cliffs parking area. Upon hiking in, we found that the cold temperatures had locked up most of the water. There is still some water running and with the forecast calling for the lower 20's, the water will be flowing again in no time. Climbs are looking good. Laura and I climbed Called on Account of Security which was bonded much better than several days prior. The climb is a little thin at the bottom, but gets better as you go up. FYI There's a V thread backed up by a screw at the P1 Belay for lowering from there. P2 wasn't quite formed up yet. Joel tried to get on The Awakening, but the climb was very brittle and the temps were a little less than favorable for gear placement. They opted to drop a TR on the right central and run laps. Matt and Rebecca opted to head out earlier due to the cold. We ended the day around 3:00. It was a good day and we made some new ice climbing friends. I was glad to get up Called despite the temps and thin, brittle ice. Here's a few photos from the day.

House Plants

Everyone in our family has always liked houseplants. Houseplants are plants that do well in the house. Many of the plants commonly seen outdoors don't do well in the house, and many houseplants won't do well outside but there are the exceptions as some do well both places. I got my love of plants from my mom and my grandmothers. My dad liked them but wouldn't have cared for them if Mom didn't. I was able to get some jobs in plant nurseries were I learned more about houseplants. I have always had some. At times there have been lots of plants and at other times only a few. Recently my sister came for a short visit and brought several big plants that she had been caring for since our mom passed away. One of them is the big Ponytail Palm or Elephant Foot Tree shown in the first photo. I remember when my uncle gave it to my mom and it wasn't more than 6 inches tall. That was about 35 years ago.Now it is about 6 feet tall. These plants originally come from a desert in Mexico so do well as houseplants since they don't need very much water. In fact they only need water about once a month. Its probably one of the easiest plants to care for as long as you don't over water it. If you do it will rot and die. When I looked on the internet I found it is difficult to start baby plants and it takes a male and a female to bloom and make seed. I don't know which this one is. I did see some photos that made this one look tiny.







Another plant she had that was Mom's is the euphoria shown in the last photo. This does have thrones on the edges of the almost 3 sided stalks but it is a succlent as it has a few leaves along those same edges. It, too, wants to be very dry, but it does stick if not careful and if handled wrong does have a white sap that leaks from it that can be irriting to some peoples skin. It is sometimes called a Milk Tree because of the white sap. But it not milk as we think of it. This plant, too, is about 35 years old. It is easy to take cutting from this one to make more plants.

The Final Scanning Spree!

Ten days ago I began the final push to get the last of the family pictures scanned. This scanning project was actually started in mid-April of last year. Four months later I reported that I was nearly done with my own pictures and my Mother's albums, except for those of my sister's family, which my niece was going to sort and organize. My original goal had been to have them scanned by the end of March of this year. In January she handed the box of pictures over to me but then I got sick and the best laid plans were put aside. . . Only two months behind schedule, but the family picture project is finally finished. Yaaay!

Actual time spent scanning during those ten days was 30 hours and probably just as much time spent doing a final sort of the pictures, trimming them, attaching them to acid free card stock, and adding a brief caption (who was in the picture and a date). This scanning spree generated 1233 image files that now consume 1821mb (1.8gb) of my hard drive. Most of these photos were snapshots 3x5" or smaller so they were each scanned at 600 dpi using the Canon CanoScan LiDE 90 scanner. No color corrections or contrast adjustments were done during scanning. The goal was simply to get them scanned!

After scanning, the completed pages were inserted into plastic protective pages and put into 3-ring binders, which took a few more hours ;-) The albums were delivered to my Mother yesterday afternoon. She was very happy to get them back and I am extremely happy to be done with them!!!

This picture of my sister, taken in 1954, certainly needs some retouching done on it, which may be beyond my current abilities. Thank goodness, most of the other pictures were in much better condition than this one.

This little cutie, my sister's grandson, graduated from 8th grade tonight. He'll be 15 in October and is now nearly 6' tall. He towers over most of the kids in his class.

Unsupported Handlebar-Mounted Bags

I get a lot of reader questions about front bags, and particularly about whether I've found a good way to carry a bag on the handlebars without using additional support. Short answer: In my experience, it depends on the bike, on how much weight is being carried, and on how the bag is attached to the bars. These factors interact with varied results.






On roadbikes, I have tried carrying unsupported loads on the handlebars using several methods. Bags attached with straps are appealing, because they do not require permanent hardware installation. However, on longer and/or faster rides I find it difficult to keep them from sliding along the handlebars, no matter how tight the straps and how light the load. If the bag slides when I lean on a turn at high speed, it feels distracting and disconcerting, even if it is too light to affect steering.




A few manufacturers have come up with hardware to address this, including the Nitto Bar Sack Rack, the Brooks Cornwall system, andthe Rixen & Kaul KlickFix adapter. The latter I've had a chance to investigate on Pamela Blalock's bikes - who uses it on most of her roadbikes.





TheKlickFix adapter is mounted on the handlebars and remains there when the bag is detached. It is compatible with many bags from different manufacturers, the most popular being the waterproof Ortlieb bags, available in a variety of sizes. This is a very stable system for carrying unsupported weight on the handlebars, and it worked for me with light loads: I felt zero movement. However, when I added my DSLR camera (between 2 and 3lb with lens), I found that I had poor control of the steering. I reported this to the bag's owner, who confirmed that she does not carry that much weight in a handlebar bag on this or on any of her other roadbikes; she uses this system to store lightweight items only.




Of course, it is not clear whether having the weight lower and supported by a rear rack would make any difference on the specific bike I rode. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it very well could. On the other hand, I have seen touring bikes with large, heavily laden bags attached to the bars using this same method, ridden successfully. So the bike does play a role, as, no doubt, does rider sensitivity to high/ unsupported loads.






With upright city bikes - especially heavily built ones - there is generally more tolerance. I have ridden such bikes with all manner of baskets and bags attached to the handlebars without lower support, and for short distances it's been fine if the weight is only a few pounds. I've even managed to attach my Po Campo pannierto the handebars of a Raleigh DL-1, and ride with this setup with 5lb+ of weight in the bag. The bag does slide side to side and affects steering a bit, but since I am not riding fast or cornering aggressively, it doesn't bother me. The heavier the load, the more likely it is to become problematic. And then again, there are those who simply hang heavy shopping bags off their handlebarsand blithely pedal away.




The general consensus is that carrying weight high on the handlebars and without additional lower support is not ideal. A stable system such as the R&K KlickFix adaptor is probably your best bet, but still there are limits to how much weight will feel comfortable.If you have a success story, do share.Personally, in the absence of a front rack, I prefer to carry weight at the rear of the bike.

On The Road Again

The Sun rises on our new adventuresWe join friends for a last breakfast



My partner in crime - PamPatty the manager and her husband GlenOur first stop is at Falcon State ParkView of the Falcon Dam and ResevoirThe Prickly Pear were in bloom



We thought all was going well, until we left Falcon Park and the RV started to sputter and stall out. We limped our way to Laredo and pulled into a Pilot Truck Stop. Gary replaced the fuel filter and added some Dry Gas hoping that would do the trick.

I guess Gary will never ask me to back up the RVagain!We spent the night at Pilot which was next to some railroad tracks which crossed the road - so everytime a train came by it blasted it's horn - glad I sleep with earplugs!Headed out the next morning and all seemed well until we got hit with a stone and put a chip in the RV windshield. We already had 2 cracks in the Tracker windshield while down here and had 2 other windshields damaged in previous trips through Texas. How much for a bullet proof windshield?

Just has we approached the Walmart in Del Rio, TX the sputtering and stalling began again.

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n



More Later,

Melissa and Gary

St Patrick's Day Weekend Fun

My schedule has changed so I now have one weekend day off each week. That has been a wonderful thing and it worked out very well this past weekend where we had lots of things scheduled. Saturday night Rich and Donna invited us over for dinner. Tom and Karen joined us. Karen brought the shamrock above.



I thought I had pictures of the food, but somehow I don't. We had chicken kabobs, potato salad, another salad that was a slaw salad, potato skins and dessert and Margaritas. Everything was delicious!! Along with the great food, we had fun getting to know each other better. I loved hearing more stories about how each of us met and became engaged. We had a great time!



Sunday Nathan and I slept in and then took one of those Sunday drives and this is one of the things we saw:





It's hard to see exactly what it is from my pictures but it was a truck with a seat like they have on the airboat rides on the back. Too funny!



After our Sunday drive, we stopped and picked up pizza and headed to Rene and Mira's rig where Bob and Vicki joined us. They added Ceaser salad, drinks and strawberry shortcake to make it another great dinner.



We went to see some of their Alaska trip pictures. We always love spending time with both of the couples and to get them together is a double treat. Their pictures were incredible and the scenery they captured was amazing.



We left in the middle of this to go and see Mike Thomas perform here at the park. I have been to one of his shows before and really enjoyed it. This was Nathan's first time seeing him perform. He enjoyed it too.



We then went back to see the rest of the pictures and chat for some time afterwards. Weekends like this are perfection for me! Loved all that we did and hope to have more time with our pickleball friends before they all head out.

What About the Movies?

"Okay. But what about the movies?"




"What about them?.."




It is one of those circuitous conversations about whether bikes stand a chance in mainstream culture. The kind of conversation that inevitably raises the point that American cities are not Amsterdam. Or Copenhagen. Before moving on to differences in fuel prices, weather conditions, standards in hygiene and typical commuting distances. Quick to tire of this topic, I sip my wine - inserting the occasional comment on autopilot. But now this movie thing is a new twist and I perk up.




"Can you imagine bikes instead of cars in movies? I mean, that would be ridiculous!"




We run through the gamut of pop culture classics that would not be the same carless. James Bond. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Back to the Future. Pulp Fiction. The list goes on. Re-imagining some of these with bikes replacing cars proves a great source of entertainment. National Lampoon's Vacation with the dead grandma strapped onto a longtail cargo bike. Law and Order SVU, with Olivia and Stabler as bike cops (okay so that's a TV show, but still).




But it's not just about specific movies. It's entire scenarios, concepts. The summer road trip. The iconic car chase. The drive-in and the drive-through. The dead body in the trunk. Romantic joyrides in convertibles. Disastrous family vacations. High school students cruising aimlessly as they come of age in towns where no one understands them. Tragic couples, well-dressed and adulterous, exchanging looks of yearning in the dim light of the dashboard. Secret agents and mobsters getting in and out of each other's sedans in abandoned lots under rusty bridges. The entire kitsch horror genre that relies on teenagers smooching in the back seat, oblivious to the crouching axe murderers ready to prey upon them. And of course there is that scene, where the sleek black Porsche (or maybe it's a BMW) pulls up and, as the driver comes around to get the door, the camera zooms in on a pair of women's legs stepping out - just the legs, in stiletto heels and perhaps black fishnet stockings - a moment in which we, the viewers, know that the creature who emerges will be beautiful and mysterious and utterly unattainable - destined to become the main character's love interest.




Do you mean to take this - all this - away from us and replace it with bikes? that sporty, politically-correct contraption devoid of sex, drama and suspense? That is the panicked subtext of all this movie talk.It is almost as if we're discussing the possibility of some big, bad Bike Lobby censor editing out cars from all our favourite films and TV shows.






I never know what to say to those who view bike culture as threatening to car culture, and this is no exception. Look, I don't want my Ferris Bueller and Pulp Fiction ruined with bikes either. Jokes aside, it's absurd to imagine bikes in existing films where the cultural context for them is all wrong. Just like it's absurd to imagine films with period-inappropriate clothing, dwellings or slang. But if bikes become more normalised in society over time, things will change - not forcefully, but organically. Bike-centered cultural scripts will emerge and take root, upon which scenarios of future films could be based - complete with naturally-occuring sex, drama and suspense. It does not seem like such a difficult concept to me.




And the thing is, Vincent's suit in Pulp Fiction aside, it's not all black and white. Don't you remember, when they were talking in the car, how he'd just gotten back from Amsterdam? If you think about it, he probably rode a bike there. In that suit and everything. Briefcase full of drug money dangling off the handlebars of a borrowed opafiets, a miniskirted lady-friend perched on the rear rack... Okay, so it's not in the movie. It was 1994 after all; they didn't want to shock the American public with bikes. But it's implied, okay? Subtly implied. It sets the groundwork.




And with that image, everyone seems appeased. Maybe the movies are safe after all.

Yellow Lillies

Some photos of the yellow lillies that I grew on my sunroom this spring. These have grown from their bulbs, and bloomed and gone, but the orange ones have barely started to grow. Wonder what the difference was since I bought at the same store, same brand and planted at the same time? Well at least these were pretty.