Wiley in the Trash

Our kitten Wiley decided to play in a little trash can the other day. He looked so cute I had to take his picture.

SNOW... and more flood damage photos

In the newspapers, NPS officials predict road openings as late as Christmas, but cautiously hope it will happen sooner. At this time, it's difficult to tell just how long it will take to get things ready. Another complication is the ongoing Paradise construction project. The contractors had planned to work continuously this Fall and this isn't helping. In the meantime, I'm cheering for the road, electric and water treatment crews who are hustling to get things reopened.

It snowed in Longmire Friday night. It was only a few inches, but enough to ignite those enthusiastic dreams of pristine mountaineering and great backcountry runs. Paradise measured 18 inches of new snow Saturday and 21 more today, Sunday! The National Weather Service is calling for another storm, which has already started off colder.

Here are a few extra images that I didn't weave into the blog earlier. To the left is the only road into the Kautz Helibase. This one may not be so easy to repair, because some of the creeks have changed their course and now flow down road corridors.

The main image above is of Longmire from the air. You can note that the river's flow has decreased, that there are a number of recently uprooted large trees and new log jams, and that the river came very close to taking out the Emergency Operations Center.

As for creeks that change their courses, the main one of concern so far is Kautz Creek. It jumped its main channel about a mile above the road, and now runs through the forest as seen in this aerial photo. Note the dry creek bed where it once flowed. You can also see the younger forest as compared to the older growth.

Not a Typical DL-1

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to befriend some very serious bicycle collectors. And I understand enough about how they operate to know it is unlikely that I will ever be one of them. I have a strong aversion to online auctions. I am unwilling to spend my weekends traveling across state lines to visit bike swaps and barn sales. Space is an issue. Andmost importantly, my tastes in bikes are too varied. But if there is one bicycle in which my interest has remained consistent, it is the Raleigh DL-1 Lady's Tourist.




I acquired my first one in - a run of the mill 1973 model in so-so condition - and "frankenbiked" it into a working city steed which I still ride today. The second Lady's Tourist was practically forced into my hands half a year later. The 1930s model was covered in surface rust and I did not want it. Where would I keep the filthy thing? But the gentleman who offered it insisted I was the rightful owner: "Take it. It is completely intact and that rust can be removed. You won't regret it." He was correct. It is a historically significant treasure that I look forward to carefully restoring some day.





At that point I knew that I would have a collection of DL-1s in the future; it was just a matter of time and luck. I did not intend to buy up random Raleigh Tourists; I was interested in specific things.An all-original model from the 1940s-50s was one of them. A pre-1930s model was another. And then there was the one that seemed least likely to surface: the chrome Tourist. But two years later, surface it did - in the hands of a collector in Germany, who did not want it for himself and promptly offered it to me. I was not prepared, but a chance like this does not come along often and after a feverish correspondence the bike was mine. The machine arrived completely disassembled and packed into a standard sized box in the most expert manner I've ever seen. It took us some time to put it back together, but finally we managed and here it is: a chromeRaleigh DL-1 Lady's Tourist.



The proportions of the 22" frame are identical to my 1973 bike. The hub is stamped 1980. "Raleigh Nottingham" headbadge. Most of the parts are original. The amount of wear suggests the previous owner rode it for years on a regular basis, but did not store it outdoors.





Aside from their eye-catching finish, what makes chrome DL-1s interesting is that historically they are somewhat of an enigma. On several occasions, Raleigh released limited edition All-Chrome versions of their roadster models. Originally these were made only for dealers as demos or display models. In later decades chromed editions began appearing in catalogues.In theory it is possible to find a chromed Raleigh roadster from any number of decades, made for any number of markets. The best known of these today is the Boss Bike - a balloon tire chromed Superbe Roadster produced for Raleigh's African market in the 1970s. There was also a chromed DL-1 produced for the German market through the late 1970s and early '80s. My bike is an example of the latter.






One very cool thing about the bike is the locking fork. Unfortunately, the key is missing. I will look into whether it's possible to get a duplicate made.




Also missing is the observation insert on the chaincase. The rear of the chaincase is slightly crumpled, but we are working on fixing that. The bike needs new cotters, and the headset could use repacking or replacing. Otherwise there is no damage.





A couple of things are not original, such as these newer tires (which ride great). The headlight and bottle generator are missing, though I do have the original tail light.





I initially thought these pedals were not original, but have since seen similar ones on other chromed Raleighs. The seller sent me these along with a set of the more typical Raleigh platform rubber pedals, but these are nicer and less than half the weight.






It looks like the grips were replaced by the previous owner after the originals wore out. The fit isn't quite right, but they feel and look fine, so I will keep them until I can find a better alternative. Late 1970s - early '80s Sturmey Archer trigger shifter.





The bolted rear triangle and fork ends are identical in design to my standard 1973 DL-1.





The rod brakes, however, are a little different. I need to take close-ups of the other bike for a comparison. They need new brake pads, but work reasonably well in the meantime. The rear one is stronger than the front.





My understanding is that originally these bikes came with Brooks B33 saddles, but it was missing here. The seller included a spare from his personal collection, which is a brown Brooks "Champion B66 S.T.R." This is a long-nosed men's saddle, most comparable to today's Flyer model. I would love to get a shorter nosed model for this bike, and if anyone would like to trade let me know.






I am still just getting to know this bike and not sure what I will do with it in the immediate future. Putting it in storage was my plan, but I rode it and it feels too nice to put away just yet.





For now I will get the cotters replaced and see what else needs adjusting. There is a local vintage bike show coming up in August and I might take it there if the timing works out.






While this bicycle is rare by virtue of being unusual (I only know of two other lady's chrome DL-1s in existence - one of themhere), the late vintage and used condition don't make it especially valuable in collectors' terms. It is, however, historically significant - serving as an example of Raleigh's chrome finish and late-production DL-1 models. I can hardly believe my luck in getting my hands on one of these.




More information on chrome Raleighs can be found here. And a good source of information on DL-1s in general is the author of this blog. Also worth visiting is Velo Ulli's collection - his focus is on pre-1920s bikes and it's glorious eye candy. It's always good to know collectors whose interests are different from yours... that way they can pass those unwanted bikes they pick up onto you!

Front Loads: What's Your Take?

We were photographing an ANT bicycle in our studio last weekend, and afterward I took it out for a quick spin. This ANT was a cro-moly Lady Roadster with an enormous front rack and basket. Looking at the bike, I was anticipating how it was going to feel riding with that set-up, and based on my experiences with similarly equipped city bikes I did not think I'd enjoy it. Typically, when a bike has a large, front-mounted basket or crate, I find the front end to be somewhat unwieldy even when the basket is empty; I have a harder time than usual keeping the front wheel stable at slow speeds, and even when walking the bike, the front end sort of tends to wander.





However, the ANT bike did not have this problem, and I pretty much forgot about the basket as soon as I got on. This is similar to how I feel about the large rack-mounted handlebar bag on my Rivendell, but again these are the exceptions rather than the norm. Normally I dislike front loads. So what is special about the ANT and the Rivendell compared to other bicycles I've tried with similar set-ups? Some say that low trail geometry works well for front loads, but neither of these bikes is low trail.





Others say that it has to do with how the weight is supported.The ANT front rack is secured to the fork at the front axle and at the fork crown, which certainly makes it stable. However, I have tried other bikes with racks secured both to the fork and to the frame itself, and some of those have felt awkward. Stable in the sense that they don't sway, sure - but still awkward as far as the handling of the bicycle goes. It almost seems random - a hit or miss sort of thing, wherebyANT and Rivendell just happen to have stumbled on a geometry that works with front loads.





Oh, I give up! The more I learn about bicycle geometry, the more I realise that I don't really know anything. But having tried this ANT,I am considering experimenting with a front load on one of my transportation bicycles again. What has been your experience - have you noticed any patterns as far as which front load set-ups work and which do not?

Nathan and Daryl in the Tournament

After watching these two play this last week, I knew that they would do well.

I would not have wanted to be playing against them.

They played tough, fierce games against the competition.

They ended up in the championship game. They won their bracket. Woohoo! WTG, guys!

A Most Excellent Adventure :: Humpback Whales!

Friday, August 27th - - On my way to Juneau on the Alaska Ferry on Wednesday several people offered their opinions on the best tours there. The overwhelming consensus was that the Tracy Arm Cruise to the Sawyer Glaciers with the Adventure Bound was the absolute best. So the first thing I did when I got to Juneau was to stop by their office, which was very easy to find, and make my reservation.

Our cruise was aboard the little boat on the left, which is owned by Steve and Winona Weber. Steve is also the Captain of the boat and he promised us it was going to be a great day – especially since it was his birthday!

Departure was right on time at eight o'clock. Not quite filled to capacity there were about 40 passengers onboard. As you can see, it was another cloudy-gray day and we all had our fingers crossed just hoping that it would not rain.

Because of the overcast skies, the first portion of the cruise was a little dreary. The clouds generally covered the mountain tops, or rather they hovered over them and everything was rather grayish and dull looking. Some of us would occasionally go outside for a little while but when the boat was moving at full speed it was very cold.

Not quite an hour into the cruise, Captain Steve made a sharp turn to starboard (right) and broadcast over the loudspeaker that whales had been sighted. He went on to say that he usually doesn't stop for whale sightings on the way to the glaciers but that these were too good to pass by.

Everyone was excited. We couldn't see them in front of us yet but could tell that the Captain was excited too. After what seemed like a long time, but in actuality was only about 15 minutes, the boat slowed down. Still in the distance up ahead we could see three whales spouting off. Wondering why he didn't go closer, we were directed to look to the right and there was a pod of seven Humpback whales – and they weren't very far away! We had all been so intent on looking at what was ahead of us that no one had seen the second group of whales.

They were amazing. After about ten minutes they disappeared beneath the surface of the water. When they resurfaced, Steve moved closer towards them. The first group of three that we had seen had moved south while these seven were going north. Then we saw another group of three coming towards us. Several times the whales went beneath the surface and each time Steve went after them. At one time the whales were quite close to the boat. It was so much fun watching them. It was incredible. None of the whales breached – jumped up out of the water – but they were so cool to watch. Everyone was on the outside decks, moving around, trying to get the best shot. You could feel the excitement.

Three in a row.
Going down.
They were so close together! One spouting and another going down.
They were coming right towards us! But they turned before they got closer.
Three of them together.
A few more tail flips...

Then there were at least four of them together!
Huge and amazing!
And then they were gone... Awesome!
We spent about half an hour with the whales and when they came up the last time they were way, way off in the distance. Steve turned the boat around and we resumed our journey to the glaciers. It was one of those “WOW” moments (many times over). Talking with several other passengers, one of them made the comment that nothing could top that! But he was to be proven wrong...

'Tis the Season!

Today was the first time we've ridden our roadbikes since December, and it was a wonderful 27 mile ride. The weather was not as nice as we'd hoped (very windy and the temperature10°F lower than the forecast promised), but at least the snow was gone. I wore two layers of wool, thin gloves and a hat. Other than my nose running, all was good. Using the trainer over the winter certainly paid off, and I did not feel as out of shape as I'd anticipated. The trainer has also taught me to use lower gearing and spin faster. While it's been somewhat annoying to "reprogram" my style of cycling, I think it's ultimately better for me in the long run.



I took theBianchi onthe start-of-the-season ride, because Iwas excited to finally test it for real - going as fast as I wanted without worrying about ice patches. I am now more impressed than ever with its handling. It is faster than my other bikes - which may very well be from the more leaned forward position it places me in, but the difference is noticeable. It is also more comfortable than any other roadbike I've ridden with the exception of my Rivendell. The positioning feels just right, and the ride is cushy over bumps. Since the roads are completely messed up from the snow right now, I got to test this aspect of ride quality more than I would have liked, and it really was great. My problem with roadbikes that feel harsh over pot holes is twofold: First, it's painful. And second, it's difficult to control the bike if it bounces, especially with narrow tires. So when a bike is able to "swallow" pot holes and road bumps, it makes me feel a great deal safer and more confident. Not sure whether it's the tubing, the geometry, or the wheels of the Bianchi that are responsible for the great ride quality (it's not the tires, because at least 2 other bikes fitted with identical tires felt worse), but whatever it is, I'm glad.



Though my ideal standover height would be 2cm lower, I don't feel that the top tube clearance on the 54cm (center-to-center) frame is a problem. There is a gray cable that runs along the top of the toptube, and that contacts my inseam. But the toptube itself does not - there is probably 5mm of room there.



One benefit to riding this larger frame, is that there is no toe overlap. Were I to fit this bicycle with fenders, there would be - but as is, my foot clears the front wheel completely even during the most extreme turns possible (I've experimented). This is another aspect of the bike that makes me feel confident on it. I can handle toe-overlap on bikes that I know have it, but when given a choice I prefer no overlap.



The Co-Habitant was back on his Motobecane as well, and we were well matched speed-wise with me on the Bianchi. And I know what you're thinking: That poor man, riding the same beat up old roadbike while I luxuriate in choice. What can I say - I agree. Believe it or not he has been impossible to convince that he needs a new bike... until now. It is very likely indeed that he will have a new steed this summer, but I will leave the details a mystery for now. In the meanwhile, I'm just glad that both the weather and our work schedules have finally cooperated and we were able to ride together again. Hurray for spring!

Cypress Swamp Trail

I love this trail at Highland Hammocks Park. It is a really unique trail, winding through a swamp with Cypress trees. My favorite part is the catwalk/boardwalk type of path that you walk along.



It starts out as a wide path, big enough for two to walk along. Then at some point it becomes more narrow and only has handrails on the one side. It spans some creepy dark water where I hyperventilate if I think about it too much.



If I have not shared this yet, I can sometimes have a pretty serious water phobia. Or to be more accurate, I can be phobic about bodies of water that do not allow you to see what creatures are inside of them. I cross this section pretty quickly if at all possible.



This trip I reminded Nathan that I like to move quickly here and he stopped and blocked the walkway to ask me if I want to go around him. I think I shrieked something like OMG...keep walking! I am not going around you where I could fall right into the water and who knows what can get me...are you trying to kill me or something!?! I think he smirked inside but he was smart enough to keep walking so we could get past this part.



There are benches where people leave their mark.



There are areas that have me thinking surely the faeries live here!




Most of the areas get you so up close to your surroundings, it allows you to fully experience what exactly is in this section of the park. All of the areas are beautiful. It is just a really cool way to experience nature.


Even with the creepy part, I really do enjoy this trail for a nature walk!

Cassi and her Feather