California :: Moving On

My stay with Kathryn Doyle was a very pleasant and much needed “break” and I am indebted to her and her husband for their hospitality. I was also able to finally view the television series “American Faces” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” and thought that they were both well done and quite interesting. Thank you very much, Kathryn!

Leaving Oakland, I took the much despised Interstates south, heading for a rendezvous with my friends Sue and Fred at the Grand Canyon. Sue also happens to be my 3rd cousin once removed. Her great-grandfather, Luther Marion Joslin (1852-1930) was a brother of my great-great-grandmother Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower (1849-1937). They were the children of Lysander and Lydia Robison Joslin. Sue's uncle, Irwin Joslin, was the first to make contact with our branch of the family (in 1968).

I allowed several days for the drive from Oakland to the Grand Canyon – it was much further than I had thought, about 850 miles. I didn't make any sightseeing stops along the way except for a slight detour to the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, however I didn't take the time to walk any of the trails. It was almost impossible to get a good close-up shot of the poppies because of the wind, but they were absolutely gorgeous!






Photographs taken on April 8, ...

Adding, but not taking away

More of the above technique required



A lot of life seems to go like this - adding more new things to do, but not removing anything. So there is less and less time. Work counts as one of those things that ‘has to be added’, especially if you are self employed. Time for family, friends and leisure (in my case climbing) counts as one of those things that ‘has to be sacrificed’. Too many sacrifices in a row create a bit of a crisis. And for me, thats what’s happened now.



Over the past three or four years, I’ve worked more and more and more. And every piece of added work has made me less happy. Thats not to say I don’t enjoy the work. I enjoy all of the things I do. But not the balance of them. There’s just too much of one ingredient thats blotting out everything else. Bit of a mess.



So now I just cannot continue at this pace of getting up and working straight through to the wee hours every day of my life, trying to fit in training and life on the end. Along the slide of this slippery slope I’ve forgotten what options I have for replacing new activities for old, rather than just adding, and generally fitting everything in better.



Like any big and deep change I’m going to have to be pretty firm about it. I’m hoping it follows the pattern of other really important changes that you know are the right and necessary thing to do; the hardest thing to initiate the move and the easiest thing to finish it.

Cutting the Tree

We decided that since we wanted to get one more load of firewood we would also cut us a Christmas tree this year. We stopped at the Jemez Ranger Station to buy the permit to cut the tree then went up the mountain to cut wood. After we had the wood loaded we searched till we found the perfect little tree and cut it and loaded it on top of the wood to bring it home.

Did Not Wearing a Helmet Save Gene Hackman's Life?

film still via the gothamist

As some may know, 81-year-old actor Gene Hackman was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in Florida last week. As the media has made a point to note again and again and again, Mr. Hackman was not wearing a helmet during the incident. It is now known that Mr. Hackman has survived the collision.



So... Does this mean that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life?



Don't answer that, I know what you are going to say: My God, of course not. That would be absurd. What an insane conclusion. Right? Well, don't worry, I agree. Of course the fact that a helmetless cyclist survived a collision does not mean that this favourable outcome resulted from them not having worn a helmet. An accurate way to describe the situation is that the two facts coincided: He was not wearing a helmet, and he survived the collision. As everyone who has studies the scientific method or statistic knows, correlation does not imply causation.



I am glad we are on the same page now about the absurdity of implying that Gene Hackman's lack of helmet saved his life. Because if you agree about this, then surely you will see the double-standard of finding it entirely logical when helmeted cyclists who survive collisions report that wearing a helmet saved their life. It is a powerful emotional argument, but logically, statistically, and scientifically, it is erroneous for the same reasons it would be erroneous to say that not wearing a helmet saved Gene Hackman's life. If a cyclist wears a helmet and they emerge from a collision alive, that implies correlation, not causation.



Bicycle helmets have some protective properties under some conditions, but these properties are limited and do not extend to colliding with moving motor vehicles. Bicycle helmets also have some drawbacks, including their ability to cause rotational injuries. After reading lots and lots and lots of studies (the studies themselves, and not the media's digested, distorted, misquoted and sensetionalised versions of the studies), I believe that the evidence pertaining to bicycle helmet effectiveness is mixed and inconclusive. And this is talking about effectiveness itself, without even delving to the larger, social implications of the helmet debate. We are all scared of getting hurt while riding our bikes, and we would all like there to be a magic device or talisman that makes cycling safe. But it is erroneous and even dangerous to over-attribute protective qualities to the bicycle helmet. Personal accounts of surviving collisions are tremendously affecting, both for the person recounting their experience and for the listener or reader. And I by no means wish to undermine these accounts. But it is also important to recognise that as human beings, we are "wired" to be more susceptible to affecting narratives. Things that are not in fact logical make sense to us under emotionally charged conditions, and "a helmet saved my life" is a textbook example of that.



Be angry at me if you must for the title of this post and the things I write here. But also try to understand my point. Accepting emotional, subjective beliefs as evidence does not actually contribute to safety. It only contributes to a false sense of security, to hysteria, to witch hunts, and to the media now making it a point to state whether a cyclist hit by a motor vehicle was wearing a helmet or not, thus normalising the "blame the victim" mentality in reports of cyclist deaths and injuries. How did we let this happen? That is something we ought to think about very carefully.

Southeast Aurora

Fromthis pastweekend's incredibly awesome geomagnetic storm. You know it's an excellent display of the northern lights when the best views are no longer to the north! This particular formation of the Aurora was actually emanating up from the southeast horizon! This was a 20 second exposure taken at ISO 1600 with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and Canon EF 17-40mm lens.

SWPA ice conditions

I spent a couple hours this AM checking Laurel Highlands ice conditions for you icehounds.I've got somegreat news... Conditions are still sweet! Read on.

Ohiopyle State Park Lower Meadow Run is looking good and has survived the couple warm days. Plenty of ice to be climbed this weekend. Get on it while it lasts. Here are the lines as walking in on the approach trail.

Season Finale area looking good and climbable.

Hemlock L & R both very nice

Main Flow on the left is fat and the mixed lines are in perfect condition for sends

Didn't check the Upper Meadow Ampitheater on the parking side, but I'm guessing its in good shape too!

Cucumber FallsMore for novelty. Even when formed, the 12' of climbing after the cone isn't worth doing and quite dangerous.Here's what it looks like today. Not this season!

HIGH VOLUME WATER...

Irishtown is looking a lot better than it did last week when we were there. Its fat and blue ready to be screwed.This is the best its looked in years.

Mouth of Madness WI4+looking good. Top might be a little thin. Take your shorties!

Newer tomixed?This climbis for you! The Prow WI3+, M4 We did it last week, great fun. Topout left. Sling the bent tree in the middle (seemed to work well). Take a few small TCU's for the rock between ice. Great Turf shots at the top.

Looking out of the mine opening at the back side of Mouth of Madness, PA's version of the Mica Mine. Its possible to climb upsidedown for hundreds of yards. (Yo! Will Gadd where are you?)

Here's another shot of the futuristic roof 40' upfrom the aliens on the floor!

Melting Mount Rushmore inice aliens... Am I reaching on this one? Its MY blog...

The other areas in SWPA...

Beast WallThe Beast WI5+/6appears to be "in" Monsta WI5+/6looking a little"dicey". The right var. looking safer. left looking more balls out! (to me at least) Could build a little more by the weekend. I'd love to try Monsta!

Looking up the lines Monsta topout in upper left corner, The Beast on the right.



Right WallFrom Left to Right, G-Gully WI4+, Final Obligation WI5, The Awakening WI5, Unamed/Graded Torretti line, World of Pain WI5+, Called on Account of Security WI4R All routesin reasonable condition after the warm.

Infinite AreaShot from far away, sorry for the quality. The left line is The Infinite WI5 looking incredible. The SICK-le WI6 M5/6appears to have a fracture at the lip. Way too scary for me! I saw it come crashing down(extremely close up) once. That was more than enough! I'll wait...again

Well thats my photo report on the areas I visited. Hope it helps in your planning. This may be our last weekend in the area, so get on it while its fat. If you have any questions, please get in touch. If you have conditions reports, photosyou think are rad.Anythingyou'd like to share, getit to me. I'dbe happy to post it up for others to see. Thanks and hope to see you out there! -Tim

Godspeed, Lucy 3-Speed!

Today I said Good-Bye to one of my bicycles, Lucy 3-Speed. I loved having her, but I simply could not keep so many bicycles in my apartment - or sustain the financial expenditure of restoring them. Given that I now have the DL-1 - my dream vintage Raleigh - the Lady's Sports was redundant and I had to set her free. But it makes me happy that she has found a new loving home!

I rode Lucy to Open Bicycle, where I met up with the lovely lady who will be her new guardian. I need to check whether it is all right to post a photo of her and Lucy here; they look great together. Amazingly, the new owner lives in the same city and state as my parents - so Lucy is in fact going back to her home town!

I attached this Basil wicker basket to the rear rack and transported it to the shop as well. It is a handlebar basket that I bought new but decided not to install on my Pashley. Hopefully it will also find a new owner who will love it. This was a big "De-clutter the Art Studio from Bicycle-Related Items" day. But what is in the basket, you ask?

Oh just a few vintage Brooks B72 saddles! I have accumulated these over the past year and they had to go as well - don't need 3 extra saddles! They do look beautiful piled up in the wicker basket.

I am happy that I've been able to let go of these things, because I really never wanted to become a hoarder/collector. I love bicycles and bicycle accessories, but I am looking for a few that are perfect for me, rather than for a "stable". Maybe some day, when I have a house with a barn and more money. But for now, Godspeed!

Nate Wallace?

Fall Helicopter Flights

The days where climbing rangers "dig deep" have finally arrived. It's time for the fall flights, where all of the human waste accumulated at both high camps, and in blue bags around the mountain, is removed. Propane tanks, construction materials, and rescue equipment are also flown around the mountain and staged for the winter.

Even though fall flights are here, autumn hardly seems to have rolled in. "Record breaking highs" have been in the recreational forecast the last couple of days, and there has even been a "red-flag" warning for fire danger inside the park. Climbers have still been summitting via the Disappointment Cleaver, Emmons/Winthrop, and the Kautz Glacier route.

Snow melting and revealing hard glacial ice around the mountain can present new challenges for climbers. Consider bringing both snow AND ice protection for crevasse rescue. Don't be afraid to throw the sharp crampons in the backpack either. Enjoy the views as the colors start to change around the park - see you on the mountain!

Keeping Your Bike Outdoors

Last week I finally turned my Gazelleinto an outdoor bicycle. It has become clear to me over time that parking a transportation bike where it is easily accessible - instead of maneuvering it in and out of doors and up and down stairs every time I need to go somewhere - increases its utility tremendously. Dutch transport bikes in particular were simply not designed to be kept inside apartments. They are heavy, unwieldy and also durable - with all their delicate parts covered from the elements. And while theft is a concern,I think that our fear of it - when it comes to heavy transportation bikes - is disproportional to its actual risk.Bike theft in the US is not nearly as bad as in places like the Netherlands and Denmark, yet in those places bikes are kept outdoors 24/7.Plus, I seriously doubt that a 45lb clunker would be on a bicycle thief's priority list. Why chose fear over convenience when statistics are on our side?



That is not to say that precautions should not be taken: My first order of business was to get one of those huge, heavy chains. I deliberated overAbusvs.Kryptoniteand received feedback both for and against each of them. In the end, I think that either chain is sufficient. I choseKryptonitebecause a local bike shophad them in stock. The chain is thick and the system is easy to use.



I keep the chain wrapped around an iron rail in a convenient spot at the back of our house. When the bike is parked there, I chain it up. When I use the bike, I leave the chain behind.The key to the little U-Lock that connects thechain is attached to my housekeys, and we have spares at home.



The space next to the railing is cramped, making it impossible to wrap the chain around the frame. So instead, I wrap it around the bicycle's rear wheel. If you are familiar with classic Dutch bikes (full chaincase, dressguards, bolted rear triangle), you will know that removing a rear wheel on these babies requires tools and takes about a half hour - so locking up this way is not much riskier than chaining it through the frame. I also put a cable lock through the frame and front wheel (the cable lock goes with me when I take the bike out). While no lock-up method is 100% secure, I feel comfortable with mine. I weighed the utility of this arrangement against what I perceive to be the risk of theft, and to me it's worth it.



One thing I still need to get is a heavy-duty waterproof saddle cover; ideally something that doesn't look expensive. I have a bunch from Brooks and Rivendell, but they either do not fit the huge saddle properly or are not entirely waterproof. Any saddle cover suggestions for a Brooks B66?



It is not my intent to suggest that everyone ought to keep their bike outdoors. Judge for yourself based on how much extra utility you think you would get from that, as well as how comfortable you are with leaving it out. If you do decide to go that route, I suggest a good chain, a plan for saddle protection (it willrain if you leave it uncovered overnight!), and a lock-up ritual that does not end up being too fussy and time consuming. Do you lock your bike outdoors?

The Bruggelen Hike

Last month Dutchman and I went with the Dutch family on a weekend hike in Bruggelen near Apeldoorn (Gelderland provincie) in the eastern part of the Netherlands. We first had some tea, coffee and tart in a restaurant where we parked the cars. It was a beautiful day; dry, not so cold, very little wind and the sun is up. A totally different day compared to the day before that was raining cats and dogs, I was already a bit worried that the hike will be cancelled but the weather forecast promised for a great day on Sunday and it did!


These fotos were taken just before entering Bruggelen forest in Beekbergen, we came across a manege and it looks like the horse likes me! lol


Progressing with the hike here, the forest lays quietly on a bed of bright red orange dried leaves, so beautiful! There were many needle-like trees in Bruggelen forest.


Mushrooms, acorns and dried autumn leaves...


A button red mushroom with white spots, I tried recollecting where I have seen red mushrooms with white spots, something like a cartoon show, then I just realized it was 'Super Mario' (Mario Brothers) and the mushroom kingdom, haha. I used to play the video game Super Mario like crazy in the early eighties.


Here is another red mushroom with lesser white spots that we spotted. The pole in the middle foto is part of a vast network of colour-coded directions in the forest. Next pole shows that we should watch out for dogs and horses as we are walking on their trails.


And good enough, we saw a couple of people on horses and this one is the most impressive, a little horse carriage, they were going so fast! We also came upon a group, a Dog club walking their dogs in the forest.


Beautiful forest in Bruggelen... I look a bit tired here, we have walked four hours already...


Almost there! I love the yellow colours of the plants and trees in this foto and the greyish blue dramatic backdrop of the skies.

More fotos can be found here: Bruggelen in Beekbergen, Apeldoorn - The Netherlands

Somehow we lost our tracks in the forest but found our way after asking a couple of people along the way. The three-hour hike became an almost five-hour hike! Although we stopped and rested in between, we were tired from the long hours of walking. I have good physical condition so I’m not really complaining.

I love nature walks, especially during autumn when forests are most beautiful. Looking forward to the next walk!