Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ First Grade

Dontcha just love the hairdo? What was my mother thinking?

STH the SLC METRO ICE

Every time I am lucky enough to visit SLC I get a terrible urge and want to move there. If you wonder why...it is always sunny when visit and you can ice climb, ski and ride your road bike all in the same day if you were really ambitious. (well every time I've been here anyway ;) And there are a few locals that actually such things.







A bunch have asked I document some of the ice climbing here. I'm stuck in the airport with time to kill so here ya go. This is Stairway to Heaven in easy conditions and light for the grade right now on the first 5 pitches.(thankfully!)



Here is a quick look at what the locals do before going to or after work...the bastards! Make sure to dbl click to get some perspective. And this is just the "junk" ice around the city. Cool thing about OR? There are plenty of rope guns running around you can put to work;)













10 min approach with the highway below and up to 10 pitches later in the winter.

Yep, they are the chit..BD's new, "Stinger" monopoint.More coming on them shortly.

New Beach Finds

I didn't see any jellyfish when we first arrived here. This week, they are everywhere! You have to really watch where you step when walking on the beach. They are so cool to look at but I don't care to make contact!

Mt. Baker

The other guys had to head home after Shuksan, but Dave and Doug stayed to climb Baker the next day. As the forest thinned out, we came to a staircase of flat rocks.





We see a lot of awesome flowers on our climbs.





Sulfur gas and clouds high on Baker. We climbed the Easton Glacier.





An icefall area low on the Easton.




Baker is known for it's numerous huge crevasses!






Dave taking in the view.



Climbers on the edge of Sherman Crater. Sulfur gas is rising behind them.







Sherman Crater as seen from the summit.







Sulfur gas is constantly hissing out of fumaroles in Sherman Crater.













Dave and Doug on the summit.







Doug looking down at the Easton and Deming Glaciers.

Flamingo Gardens

Today we headed over to Flamingo Gardens. It is one of those places that we said we were going to visit when we lived here, and never did.



There were some animals here and beautiful gardens. We rode a tram and got to hear about the different plants and trees there. It was very interesting!

Alaska Highway :: Mile 0

I'm at the beginning of the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek (aka Mile 0), British Columbia, Canada! Only 1523 miles to Fairbanks...


As you can see, it is a beautiful day. After three days of cloudy, overcast, gloomy skies it is nice to see some blue up there! Today is a National Holiday for Canada – Heritage Day. Maybe the shops just haven't opened yet but there is very little traffic and it is quiet here in the downtown area where there is free wifi, for which I am grateful.

Photos taken a few minutes after 10am this morning (Monday August 2nd).

Moving on down the road...

What the Rest of the Family Is Up To

While we hang out in South Carolina, the rest of the family is doing their thing in Florida and Illinois. The princess is growing up, like little ones tend to do. She is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. Ashleigh is fantastic at sending me pictures and videos of the little peanut so I can see her smiles almost daily. Ashleigh is working tons of hours and still cooking up her daily feasts. I don't know how she is juggling it all, but she is.



Ambir is busy working, being a girlfriend and modeling. Yes, our super model is doing some formal modeling now which is no big surprise to us. She has always loved to be in front of the camera so it's only natural that she be paid to do so!



Aric is busy working and taking care of his own house and all the things that go along with that. He is also attempting to get thrown out of stores every chance he gets by having too much fun there by playing like a child (or fun adult). I don't have any photos of his craziness like dressing up like a cat, so I'll just have to visualize it. We are looking forward to seeing him very shortly.



Auburn is working two jobs and in her little bit of spare time she does things like jet skiing. It's a rough life! I thought it was so sweet that the only thing she wanted for her birthday is for Austin to come and visit her. Who would have thought that they would actually pick to spend time together someday?



We are here, still soaking up the goodness of South Carolina. We are enjoying it and we are also looking forward to seeing our Florida kids soon!

Pink Roses

Baby Elephant

Rozie the elephant that I saw as a baby 16 years ago now has had a baby on last Wed. 09-02-09. I hope to be able to go see this baby girl when she can be seen by the public. This photo came out really small when I posted it. It is someone elses photo and can be seen at this sitehttp://www.cabq.gov/biopark/elephantcalf.htmlt It is always wonderful to hear about the birth of animals and especially those near extention. The Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque is known for the gariffe births that occur frequently. I think there may have been a baby gariffe born earlier this spring and there were snow leopard cubs born in May this spring. Snow leopards are extreamly endangered. The Rio Grande zoo is doing really well at raising endangered animals.

Dreaming of Balance

Last time I was on a roadbike, I crashed into a tree with my knee. It was one of those milky winter afternoons - the trees a stark black, the ground a soiled white, and the sky a bruise lilac. And it was cold, cold, cold - each breath turning into a patch of fog in front of my face. On afternoons like this, I get a rush from the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere, wandering through the woods on my own. I was riding the Honey cyclocross bike, its toy-like handling accentuating my high. Hopping, successfully, over a cluster of tree roots, I let out a giddy squeal. It resonated through the empty woods like a metallic ring. As if in reply, I heard the shrill sound of a bird somewhere in the distance. Marco! Polo! Ours were the only voices in the woods.



Before turning home, I ventured onto a snow-sprinkled path and began to navigate its gentle winds. And that was when it happened. I hit an icy patch and the bike slid in an unexpected direction as I tried to steer it around the bend. I ended up in the trees, my hands clutching the bike to keep it from hitting the ground and my right knee jammed into some dry mossy bark.



I experienced this event as more of an unplanned stop than a crash. It was non-traumatic, and did not feel noteworthy enough to write about at the time. I only remember it now, because I dreamt about it last night. Not the crash, but the ride leading up to it.



In my dream I was practicing leaning the bike this way and that using my hips, while moving in a zig-zag fashion along the frozen trail. The sensation of balancing as I did this was unusually, remarkably vivid - more vivid even than the beauty of the winter landscape. The dream went on and on as I felt my weight shift with each change of direction.



I woke up disoriented, wondering why I was horizontal and where the bike was. Had I managed to crash again? Then the moment came when I realised it had all been a dream, and a wave of disappointment washed over me. I wanted to be as in touch with my body's sense of balance in real life as I was in the dream.



The bruises lived on my knee for about a week after the tree's embrace, but now all trace of them is gone. It is purely incidental that I haven't ridden the bike since it happened. We've had some heavy snowfall, and then I got sick. I am still weak, but the dream made it feel imperative that I go out and try to recreate the balancing act. Perhaps spring is coming, at last.

A Cruel Transition

Particularly in New England, November has always struck me as a cruel month. At the beginning, the fiery foliage and the azure skies carry over from October.



The crisp, but still warm air is charged with just the right amount of electricity to gently stir our emotions. And we are lulledinto a state of self-willed denial that soon it will all be yanked away from us in one fell swoop - replaced with desolate landscapes, freezing temperatures and perilous road conditions... for the next 4 months.



As far as cycling goes, I must admit the memories ofhow difficult last winter was fill me with dread. I am trying not to panic, but to be prepared instead. And part of that is just being mentally prepared for what's to come.



My biggest disappointment last winter was discovering that any kind of sporty cycling was out of the question after temperatures dropped below freezing, because I had trouble breathing at speeds over 10-12 mph. The science of that is still a mystery to me, especially since I can cross-country ski in the winter without experiencing the same problem. And I know that other cyclists havetroublewith this as well - it might just be a genetic difference in how our lungs are structured, whereby for some it is a problem and for others not. This year I will try some tricks that have been suggested to deal with the breathing issue, but if it doesn't work I am prepared to accept things as they are and hang up my roadbikes until spring. Or so I tell myself.



But as far as transportation cycling goes, I do not anticipate any great changes in my routine. Last winter I was able to get anywhere I needed to go on my Pashley, taking it slowly and enjoying its stability and winter-proofness (wide tires, internally geared hub, full chaincase). This winter I am looking forward to seeing how the Gazelle and Bella Ciao perform in comparison. Most likely I will ride the Gazelle for local trips, and the Bella Ciao (after I get a rack and lights for it) for more hilly, long-distance trips. And the rest of my bicycles will be put away, including my custom mixte - which I just cannot bring myself to ride in the winter, yet.



But all this is still in the future. For now November has been good, and the increasingly desolate landscape has a romantic charm to it that I hope it will retain for at least another few weeks. It's a cruel transition, but a trusty bicycle is a good ally to have.

Flowery

Waterleaf


Coreopsis


Rattlesnake Fern


Tuberous Stoneseed (Lithospermum tuberosum)


Bluebells (a white one)

Pickle Ball and Bowling Fun

We've had quite the crew here for pickle ball! There is a family that has about 12 extended members that has joined our pickle ball fun. That has probably doubled the normal numbers. That means you sit out an awful lot waiting to play a game. That was ok with me today though because we did some bowling in the afternoon so I needed some energy for that.



Not that it helped me any, because I still didn't do well with the bowling. We went with a group from Torrey Oaks and with Faye and Ken. Poor Faye and Ken got stuck with us and while they bowled well, we did not. Although Austin did come in second the last game. He was doing great that game! We had fun even with the stinky scores!





Stan and Ken taught Austin some moves, so now he's taking the game seriously!





Faye and Ken:



Stan and Sally:





Even after a day full of activities, Austin wanted to go and join the Y here. He stayed and worked out for two hours. I'm hoping this means he goes to bed sometime soon tonight due to being worn out!



Living the life in Sunny Florida!