Clouds

Crabtree Falls in North Carolina

Today we drove on the Blueridge Parkway, and got out to hike to Crabtree Falls.

This was Aric's first waterfall, which was really special. I think he was impressed. Nathan and I were too!

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~John Keats

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein



I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings

Soma Smoothie Impressionism

I should really know better at this point than to let something as superficial as colour scheme influence my impressions of a bicycle. But when I think of the Soma Smoothie I've been test riding this summer, it is in my mind a whirlwind of pinks and greens - a mobile impressionist garden. It does not help that every single time I've been on this bike so far it has rained. My view from the "cockpit" is a saturated blur of apple green handlebar tape and terracotta tire, as the wheel spins through rain puddles. It's like riding through an endless Water Lilies painting.






But don't let my silly colour choices fool you: The Smoothie is a serious bike. Its biggest draw as I see it, is the successful combination of several features that are not easy to combine. On the one hand it is a racy roadbike, with the aggressive geometry and responsive handling that this notion implies. On the other hand, it is equipped to accept reasonably wide tires (up to 28mm), fenders and even a rear rack. It is also comfortable, in a way that's kind of thrown me for a loop. The best way I can describe it, is that I feel more relaxed on the bike than my positioning warrants.





The Soma Smoothie is a bike I'd call "aesthetically neutral." There is nothing fancy about it, but neither is it ugly or boring. The frame is welded; the fork crown is lugged. The tubing is skinny-ish. It has a mildly sloping top tube and a threadless stem. It can be dressed up as a modern bike, as a classic bike, as a fun bike, as a practical bike. A blank slate, waiting for the owner's decisions. I like that about it.







My biggest challenge in test riding stock roadbikes, is that I am most comfortable with Campagnolo ergo shifters and it is very rare to find a demo bicycle set up with Campagnolo. The group need not be fancy; I am fine with the lower-end Veloce. I just find the levers dramatically easier to use than any others. The guys at Soma set the bike up with Chorus levers, which are what I have on my own roadbike and made for a seamless transition.





Most of the other components on the bike are IRD - the SOMA house brand.





Overall I like them, particularly the Highway One handlebars with the nice flat ramps and shallow but not too shallow drops.






The 10cm stem is a spacer away from being "slammed" and I find that height very comfortable. If this were my bike, I'd get the steerer cut accordingly.






I was initially skeptical about the tires and was planning to replace them with my own. These are Soma's New XPress tires that have recently come out. They are available in several colours and sizes 23mm-35mm. I guess the bright colours made them look a little gimmicky to me, and I was worried the flat protection might not be sufficient. However, so far so good and I think I'll keep these on the bike for the duration of the test ride period. The tires are supple and feel wider than 23mm; I quite like them.








The wheelset they used is also pretty nice.





The Cardiff saddle I recently reviewed here. Not sure what I was thinking in asking for a zero-setback seatpost on a bike that already has a steep seat tube angle, but that is my own doing and not Soma's.





The one aspect of the bicycle's set-up I do not like is the IRD crankset they fitted it with. There is nothing wrong with the crankset itself, but it is not entirely compatible with what is otherwise a Campagnolo drivetrain. This causes problems when shifting from the big ring to the small, throwing the chain unless I press the lever very gently. Considering this, I am reluctant to take this bike on a paceline ride - a pity, as that would be the ultimate test of its performance as a racy roadbike. I am still trying to decide what to do about this issue and might try to get a local bike shop to loan me a Campagnolo Veloce crankset and a suitable bottom bracket.





The Soma Smoothie is an intriguing bike and I am grateful to have it at my disposal for long enough to truly get to know it. My most dominant impression so far is that it is extremely comfortable for something so aggressive and speedy. It strikes me as a good choice for those who "want it all" in a single roadbike - speed, comfort, as well as options for commuting and randonneuring - and want it at a reasonable price. As I ride it however, I find myself trying to reimagine the design by pushing it into more extreme directions. What would it be like had they designed it for 650Bx42mm or 700Cx35mm tires while retaining the racy geometry and lightweight tubing? Alternatively, what would it be like had they gotten rid of all the braze-ons, used even lighter tubing and made it a pure racing bike, no holds barred? Idle musings of course, but it's interesting that this bike inspires them.

The durability of ice tool picks?

This is just an observation not a condemnation of any manufacturer's gear. I have a reputation of bitching on the blog about every one's gear. This is just a reality check. Ice climbing gear breaks and bends and fails. It is also a reality check on what is acceptable and what is not. This is the kind of stuff you expect to see from differing manufactures.



When you start measuring there is alwaysgoing to be someone who comes out on top. Fact of life.



I had a chance to visit with a lot of climbers and manufactures this winter both in NA and Europe.



I have made high quality picks for my own tools and BD tools in the recent past and still make the Petzl lwt weight hammers. My real job involves working in metal every day and making a "better" pick is no doubt the most difficult project I have taken on in that arena.



This isa commentary and photo essay of what does happen to picks.



Everyone, if you climb enough,will eventually have a pick failure. I have broken tools but never broken a pick. I have how ever bent any number of them, starting with the Terrordactys.





Photo credt to: Eric Dumerac photo from Grav Sports of BD picks going back several generations and a decade or so. BD seems ot have solved that problem with a redesign of the picks last winter

('09/'10)



Then my partners started bending Grivel picks as they switched from BD tools to Grivels five years ago or so. And finally I bent the last generation Petzl picks on this trip.



That was a new one to me. But then I have never really put any effort into dry tooling either.

Come on I still have an adversion to putting good steel on rock instead of ice. Old habits die hard :)



I had heard of it happening but never thought I'd actually see it in person.



The pictures below come from Jon @ http://climbs2high.blogspot.com/ Pretty much what mine looked like though before I took a hammer to them in the tunnel on the Midi. They (Jon and crew) generally bend them by doing figure 4s off the first couple of teethwhile on full body weight upside down.I try to never to get upside down! I did the same by pulling full weight (200+#s ) on my Nomics in some knife bladecrack in the alpine.. Having a hammer is critical to straightening these guys out. But easy enough to do even in the field. Blade is never going to be the same again though. My bent ones are now straight but used only for dry tooling at road side crags

.



So it happens, failure, on some level, to all of them.



I've included some photos of the wear you can expect tosee climbingmixed.





Petzl....





Old and new BD C/Ts from Chamonix..









Current BD from last year on Mt. Bradley http://huntingtonsouthface.blogspot.com/





Old and new BD Aermet off the Cassin







The two used picks above were new 2 short Chamonix mixed climbs earlier. Granite and a foot of new snow is like taking a grinder to a set of picks...any pick. No file used on these two and "good" by some of the standards I saw in Europe as "usable picks". Set is compared to a new Cascade Petzl pick in this picture . Trust me...picks in that condition really suck on ice. And now I ama beginning to understand why no one wants to bring a file on route. Why bother?

A well worn Nomic with an old QuarkQuad pickinstalled. Theolder 4mm Quark Quad mixed picks have some distinct advantages on alpinemixed ground.



The wear on C/T (top)and BD Aermet (bottom) from one trip up the Cassin. New picks in profile under the used picks.

If you happen to have some good pictures of well worn dry tool picks send them along and I'll post them in this thread with what ever credit you'd like tosee along with them.

Hammers

They are done, they are shipping and they are one generation better! No dicking around on the fit. Simply bolt them on with the current Petzl picks. Anew stronger andmore durable design. Designed to fit perfectly on the old or new tools. This hammer will fit the current Petzl picks with cut outsand the current or old Nomic headsas well asthe current Quark or Ergo.



Please NOTE! January 4, ..... We are now shipping hammers again. The stock won't lastfor ever. I have sold out every production run in the last 3 years in just weeks.If there is another runit will be Oct. of .
No additional shipping charges for Internationalorders!

*unavailable currently*






Seen on some of the most experienced Petzl tools in the world. And much more
still to come this season. Atruly classic and well tested design worthy of the
Nomic.










Summit ice slopes,
N. Face of the Eiger and CT hammers.

Acadia :: Jordan Pond and The Bubbles

A visit to Acadia National Park is not considered complete unless you take in Jordan Pond and 'the Bubbles' which dominate the view on the northern end.



We walked along the southern shore on Thursday (September 13th) on our way to one of the carriage roads and again on Saturday (September 15th) while waiting for our scheduled carriage ride.



The two days could not have been much different - Thursday was a beautiful day with deep blue skies and lots of sunshine while Saturday was cloudy and overcast with the threat of rain looming over us.






Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.





Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.

Lunch, Flowers, and a Happy Dance (not mine)

Thursday, June 2nd - - Today Carol and I had lunch with the You Go Genealogy Girls, Cheri and Ruby. We heard research stories and were told that if they were repeated we would be endangering our lives! LOL. It was great fun and they are great story tellers.



It was a bright sunshiny day and we took our time strolling through the Temple gardens on the way back to The Library. Of course, we couldn't resist stopping to take pictures of the marvelous flowers. Such variety. So colorful.





I have no idea what kind of flower this is...



Same variety as the above but a different color.



Gorgeous white Iris. So difficult to photograph.



A close-up of the white Iris.



Purple Iris.



And, a close-up shot.

Later that afternoon, Carol found something that made her do a little jig at the microfilm reader. To be honest, I can't remember exactly what it was... but as we were walking out to the parking lot later she was still “full of it” with the dancing and smiling. It's fun to watch others with their reactions to a good find, but I'd sure like to experience it myself!





Congratulations, Carol...

And may you have many more opportunities to dance your little jig!