Pirates of Nassau Museum

We can't seem to visit any place without hitting at least one museum during our visit, so it is no surprise we had to do the same here. This little museum was lots of fun, starting out with the hilarious tour guide. Here he is encouraging me to take a picture of his "booty":



The museum was a little pricey for what it offered ($12 for adults) but we did learn a lot about pirates while we were there so I'd still recommend it.



From their website:



The
Golden Age of Piracy lasted for thirty years, from 1690 to
1720 and Nassau was at its heart. Here was a tropical pirate
paradise which attracted the greatest concentration of pirates
ever seen in the New World.


Nassau
was well suited as a pirate base of operations, its waters
were too shallow for a large man-of-war but deep enough for
the fast shallow draft vessels favoured by pirates. From their
snug harbour they could employ their hit and run tactics to
full effect; they devastated merchant shipping that plied the
trade routes just a short sail away. Their pirate gold and
goods formed the basis of a thriving community that attracted
rogues, merchants and wild women from far and wide.



It was
said that when a pirate slept he did not dream of going to
heaven but instead to return to his favourite port of Nassau
on New Providence Island.


Now you
can join them when you explore Pirates of Nassau, an new
interactive museum of Piracy in the heart of this historic
city.





My favorite part was learning about female pirates. They sounded pretty fierce. It was a fun visit and added to our already interesting day.

Yosemite National Park

After spending Christmas in San Francisco I drove on to Yosemite National Park, which is a few hours away from San Francisco. I arrived in Yosemite in the late afternoon on Christmas Day, with enough time to scout a location to shoot for sunset. Even on Christmas Day there were quite a few visitors in the park. Luckily I was able to find a location that I had all to myself when it came time to start making images. There was snow when I arrived at the park and it looked like it had fallen a couple of days earlier. It was a fairly mild evening with temperatures hovering in the mid-30's, which made for some beautiful fog that hovered just off the ground throughout the floor of the valley. The fog also meant that the trees and shrubs were all covered in frost.





After the sun had set I drove around for a little while looking for locations to do some star shooting once it was dark enough. I found a couple more fantastic spots and as soon as the stars became visible, I was shooting again. I had a wonderful time shooting the stars in Yosemite Valley, and I have a feeling that is something that not many people have done. I have seen many images of Yosemite, but only one or two night-time images. There was a little bit of moonlight which provided some nice illumination on the rocky cliffs. The moonlight wasn't bright enough to wash out the stars, though. And boy, let me tell you.... rarely have I seen a sky so full of stars! It was an incredible night, one I will not soon forget!





I returned to Yosemite again the following day, but the conditions for photography were less than favorable. It was a chilly, damp day with gray skies. I ended up driving around some more on the park roads to some areas that I hadn't seen the day before, but I really didn't take any pictures. I also visited the Ansel Adams Gallery, which is located near the park's visitor center. The gallery is definitely worth a visit. They have some really amazing framed prints of some of Ansel's most famous images, as well as images by other photographers that are well worth a look. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you ever find yourself in Yosemite!

Visiting Rich and Donna at The Villages

We planned to take a trip to visit Rich and Donna the weekend that we were visited by the tropical storm, so we moved it to this past weekend. It was well worth the wait! We have only been to The Villages to visit when we were buying pickleball paddles and we did not even begin to truly see all this interesting place has to offer.



I decided while there that if I did not love to travel, this place would be where I could easily settle in and never want to leave again. The place is beautiful. Everything is manicured, perfectly decorated and laid out in a well planned, easily navigated fashion.



There is more to do here than I could ever fit in during my lifetime and most of it is things I love to do, like pickleball. There are reasonably priced restaurants, stores, movie theaters and town squares with entertainment every single night of the year. There are recreation centers full of every fun thing you can imagine to do! We might just have to be part time residents at some point and travel part of the year!



During our visit, we were able to play pickleball both days. Donna and I played at one place, the guys played at another. We had not played in months so it was great to play again. In the afternoon, the guys played again while we girls did other things. The first afternoon we went to play Bunco, which I had not played before. I loved it. Donna introduced me to So You Think You Can Dance so the second afternoon we watched some of those shows, which I loved! We also had happy hour and frozen yogurt. We visited both town squares, had a boat ride and learned more about The Villages history and ate at great restaurants. We were spoiled rotten and I loved every minute of it.



We were able to cram in so much and yet the weekend flew by way too fast. We ate dinner together before we had to head back home, and as was everything else during our trip: it was wonderful. Great food and great entertainment.







Thank you again Rich and Donna for such a wonderful weekend! We hope we can squeeze in that one more trip before you head back to Wauchula!

Autumn view of Grand Portage Bay from Mt. Rose

Our fall color season seemed to pass in the blink of an eye this year. I didn't do nearly the amount of fall color shooting that I've done in past years, but I did manage to get out and find some beautiful scenes to photograph. One of my favorite examples is this scene from the summit of the Mt. Rose hiking trail in Grand Portage National Monument. It was a windy day when I made this shot, and the lines of waves coming in off Lake Superior gave additional character to the water that I found intriguing. If you've never done the Mt. Rose trail, you should do it sometime. It's a beautiful hike with a very rewarding (as you can see here) view from the summit.

Lazy Week in Gloucester

We are settling back into a routine with Austin being back home with us. I got my staples out and am finally feeling somewhat normal. Ava is thrilled to have another guy around which means I have been bumped down to third on the list of people she adores. We bought an island to put in the space where our dining room table was. Beyond that we are doing the normal, everyday things in life like laundry.



In other words, it has been a very laid back, lazy kind of a week. We are loving our campsite still even though it has rained quite a bit so we haven't sat outside like we normally would.

Pannier Mounting Systems Compared: Ortlieb, Arkel, Basil and Fastrider

As I've mentioned earlier, I am considering getting a custom commuter pannier made to accommodate all of my bikes, including those with short chainstays and small racks. And I've been looking at different quick-release mounting systems in attempts to determine which one would be most suitable for such a project. I'd already tried Basil and Fastrider panniers, but not many others. So I stopped by the Wheelworks, in Somerville, MA and asked to examine and photograph the panniers they had in stock, which they most graciously allowed me to do. I now bring you a comparison of several different mounting systems, which I hope you will find useful.



Ortlieb panniers are made in Germany. They are waterproof, rugged and distinctly utilitarian-looking. I found myself attracted to this neon-yellow pannier and I think it actually looks kind of good on my Gazelle. But still, overall the design is not really for me.



The mounting system, on the other hand, is fantastic. Most of the currently produced Ortlieb panniers use the QuickLock2 (QL2) system, which accommodates the stout tubing of traditional Dutch and Roadster racks, and is extremely simple to use.



The QL2 mounting system consists of a top rail with hooks and a lower support hook - both of which are adjustable without the need for tools.



The top hooks release automatically when you pull the handle, and close around the rack's tubing when you let go of the handle. The placement of the hooks on the rail can be easily adjusted, as can the position of the rail itself. This comes in handy for those planning to use the same pannier on multiple bikes with different racks: Depending on the spacing of the perpendicular slats on the rack, and depending on the length of the bike's chainstays, the adjustability allows you to control the pannier's positioning. While the top hooks alone are enough to secure the pannier to the rack, the lower hook will prevent it from moving altogether. If only this great system was attached to more classic-looking bags! How about an olive satchel with brown trim, Ortlieb?



Arkel panniers are made in Quebec, Canada. The look is similarly utilitarian, though the styling is distinctly different from that of Ortlieb. The design of the bags doesn't really speak to me, but again these things are a matter of taste. While Ortlieb makes it difficult to purchase their complete mounting kit, Arkel sells it readily - which makes it a good resource for those looking to make custom panniers with a reliable and well tested mounting system.



Arkel's Cam-Lock attachment system works similarly to Ortlieb's QL2, in that there is a top rail with adjustable hooks that release via lifting the handle, and a lower hook added for stability. However, the hardware is aluminum (Ortlieb's is plastic), and the lower hook is attached via a bungee cord. Tools are required to adjust the position of the hooks on the track. To my eye, the Arkel system looks kind of rough in comparison to Ortlieb and takes a bit longer to figure out. Also, the aluminum hooks have sharp-ish edges and I could see them scratching up the paint on a rack.



However, the bigger problem is that the Arkel hooks are not large enough to fit over the tubing of my Gazelle's rack. I am certainly glad to have discovered this before having a custom pannier made using this mounting system. Looks like Arkel is just not an option for me.



I have already described how the DutchFastrider panniers work in my review of the one I own, but will reiterate here - as well as say that the more I use this pannier, the more I appreciate its design.



The Fastrider mounting system features 3 heavy duty hooks that are plastic with metal bolts and springs. The central hook closes all the way around the rack's tubing, and the two outside hooks are for additional weight support. While the distance between hooks is not adjustable, the outside hooks pivot - which means that they can be mounted even on the curved portions of a rack, allowing for greater versatility of placement.



Here is what I mean by that. Notice that the left hook is attached to the curved rear portion of the small constructeur rack quite comfortably. Though there is no additional lower support hook like in the Ortlieb or Arkel systems, I find Fastrider's 3 hook attachment to be quite secure, with minimal swaying. For a commuting pannier, it is certainly sufficient. And the hooks are versatile enough to fit both skinny and stout rack tubing - perfect! Unfortunately, Fastrider products are not widely available in North America at the moment. The Bicycle Muse carries a few of the shopper panniers, but not the entire line.



Basil, on the other hand, is a Dutch manufacturer whose panniers are now easily available in North America. Their bags range from classic to utilitarian to quirky and they offer a great deal of choice.



This is what the mounting system looks like: Two hooks that may be either alloy or plastic (I can't tell) with a strip of velcro in the middle.The hooks are wide, non-pivotable, and the distance between them is not adjustable - which makes them incompatible with some racks. Like on the Fastrider, there is no lower support hook - which, again, I think is just fine for commuting if the upper hooks are sufficiently secure.



I also like it that the Basil's system is designed with a zipper flap that covers the hooks when they are not being used. The panniers look like regular bags when not on the bike, and the hooks won't catch on your clothing as you carry them.



But to be honest, I find it difficult to trust the Basil mounting system, because it seems to me that their design causes the hooks to be stressed every time they are used: The hooks have to be spread when attached to the rack, and spread again when detached.Is that not bound to cause fatigue when done over and over again? It does not help that I saw a couple of Basil panniers with broken hooks in local bike shops back in and have read comments from a few owners reporting the same experience (see, for example, here and here). To be fair, the majority of Basil owners I know are happy with their panniers. But I'd have a difficult time trusting my laptop to their mounting system.



Another brand of panniers I've been seeing lately is Bontrager- an American manufacturer affiliated with Trek.Their city pannier (above) resembles the Basil Mirtemodel, and features a similar mounting system.



As I understand it, these hooks will only fit Bontrager racks, or racks with similar tubing.



And finally, there is the hooks + bungee system used by OYB (see review here). Swift Industries, Axiom, and Jandd use similar configurations, but with larger hooks.



This system consists of two open metal top hooks that attach to the rack's platform, and a bungeed S-hook that attaches to a lower part of the rack. All three hooks must be used in order for the pannier to hold up securely, as the top hooks don't wrap all the way around the rack's tubing.



Depending on the size of the hooks, they may or may not fit your rack's tubing. Since both the hooks and bungees are readily obtainable in a hardware store, this method can be a great DIY solution. But keep in mind that if you use small hooks and a thin bungee cord, the system will not support a great deal of weight.



I know that there are other quick-release pannier mounting systems out there, and if you have one to recommend (or one to warn against), your comments would be most welcome. We all have different requirements and preferences that will inform what we consider to be our ideal system, and for me the best option seems to be Ortlieb, followed by Fastrider. Their mounting systems are easy to use, secure, and will fit racks with a variety of tubing diameters - from heavy duty transport racks to skinny constructeur contraptions. If I were making a pannier from scratch, I'd try to get my hands on either their mounting kits... though looking into it, this has proven to be no easy task! Ortlieb sells some, but not all of the parts needed to assemble a full QL2 kit, and I've not yet been able to determine whether Fastrider sells just the hooks alone. Will keep you updated with news on that front, and in the meanwhile I hope this comparison has been helpful.



Thank you again to theWheelworksfor allowing me to photograph the Ortlieb, Arkel, and Bontrager panniers.

Flower Vase

I don't know anything about this flower vase that mother had except that it says 'handpainted in Japan' on the bottom