Indiana Sunset

These were taken less than an hour ago (at about 7:10 p.m.) just a few feet outside my back door. . .

Looking west - The two "hills" in the center are piles of dirt left behind after land was cleared for the foundations of a building.

Looking northeast - It has a rather painterly, soft-focus look to it as there really wasn't enough light for the camera to focus on anything specific.

Wordless Wednesday - Knapp Lake

Knapp Lake, Noble County, Indiana. Infrared Photograph.Summer of 1985. Digitized ...Copyright © 1985/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Speechless? Batman Cave!

Not often I am speechless.Nothing to do with climbing. But this is good.










"The narrow cave, no wider than Alexander is tall, is located in Roca Foradada Mountains in Montserrat, Spain—a location that has inspired this professional Italian Norwegian athlete’s flying dream his whole life. Alexander hopes his success will inspire others not only to ‘climb over their mountains,’ but to also fly right through them!"



http://alexanderpolli.com/

Tree in Daylight

Vegemite and Chilis

Gareth Llewellyn and Simon Mentz travelled the country for Vegemite.

Vegemite sponsored them on their quest to photograph Australia's 100 Classic Climbs.

Red Chili and Wild Country sponsored me to climb on their Vegemite Promotional Video.

The deal was that they post their stories on Facebook.











And we all did what the big corporate giants told us to.











The Climbers " Made from Vegemite"









Look out for their upcoming book in .

ps. it was in the script that I fall off the top of Evil Wears No Pants.




jj

Braking: Not Always Your Friend

The other day I was cycling on a busy road where the city has recently installed those raised-platform intersections to make the cars slow down before crosswalks. Ahead of me, I saw a cyclist brake just as she entered the intersection - probably hoping to reduce the impact of the bump. Watching her, I somehow knew what was going to happen next and winced. And then it happened: As her wheel hit the raised platform, her bicycle flipped over, and she with it. All this occurred at a slow enough speed, so that she wasn't hurt and was soon back on the bike. But I suspect that she has no idea why the fall happened, which means that it might happen to her again.

To me, it has always seemed self-evident that it is "bad" to brake while going over bumps, and watching the cyclist's fall confirmed that. But were there actually any facts behind this belief? I got home and looked it up, stumbling upon Sheldon Brown's explanation.

Bumpy surfaces. On rough surfaces, your wheels may actually bounce up into the air. If there is a chance of this, don't use the front brake. If you apply the front brake while the wheel is airborne, it will stop, and coming down on a stopped front wheel is a Very Bad Thing.

Okay, that makes sense. It has also since been pointed out to me that braking transfers the weight of the bicycle forward, so braking on the bump drives the front wheel right into it. Makes sense as well. So, we essentially have two forces working against us when braking over a bump.

When we find ourselves hurdling towards an obstacle n the road that we cannot avoid, naturally the reflex is to slow down. But this should be done before going over the said obstacle, not during. Braking is your friend, but only when done correctly (brake before the bump, then release before going over it). I would also venture to say that most casual cyclists who use handbrakes do not differentiate between front and rear.

Of course, this is just one more reason why I love coaster brakes for cycling in the city. If you're used to braking with a coaster brake in order to slow down, you do not rely on the front brake as much and are not likely to squeeze it while going over a bump. I know that some will not agree with me on that one, but that is how I see it, and the coaster brake has been a reliable ally for me in pothole-ridden Boston Metro.

Echoes of Bikes Past: Yamaguchi Mixte

At a gathering of vintage bicycle enthusiasts last week, I spotted this unusual machine and made my way toward it through the sea of French constructeurs. "Aha!" said the owner, "I brought this one especially for you to look at." Yamaguchi Bicycles, Japan. Year, model, and history unknown. Not collectable. Not worth much. Not of interest to many. But what attracted me was its surprisingly elegant combination of design elements not usually seen on the same bike: a mixte frame, roadster geometry, 26" wheels, rod brakes, full chaincase. The colour - straddling the border between beige and mauve - reinforced the theme of blending.






Despite its obscure pedigree, the Yamaguchi was a hit with the vintage collectors; there was just something about the way everything harmonised. It also "looked light" despite weighing over 50lb.






From a historical perspective, an interesting feature of the bike is the very early Shimano 3-speed trigger shifter. I have never seen one of these before, and could not find examples online allowing me to establish the date of manufacture.






As far as frame construction, it is neat how they kinked the right lateral stay so that it would clear the massive chaincase, then routed the shifter cable and dynamo wiring along that stay.






Another interesting thing is how thoroughly branded this bicycle is: Every part of the frame, many of the components, and even the bolts used sport the Yamaguchi name.






Yamaguchi fender ornament.






Yamaguchi cranks, including dust caps.






Yamaguchi saddle.








Noticing a decal that mentioned motorcycles, I incorporated that into my search and found mention of a company that went out of business in the late 1950s. This could be them. Later a reader posted a link to a Japanese blog showing some photos of Yamaguchi "Gold" roadsters, which is the only other significant mention of the brand I've encountered so far.







Over the decades, bicycle manufacturers all over the world have come and gone. Some of them have left a mark in history and others disappeared without a trace. The Yamaguchi roadster-mixte is in the latter category, which makes its elaborate branding and unusual design all the more intriguing. Did the manufacturer have plans for this bike to become popular, or was it merely a promotional item for their motorcycles? How many of these were produced? How did this one make its way to the US? These things we may never know.






Recently a friend and I were talking about all the new bicycle brands popping up on the market today, and speculating which of them will last. History suggests that most will not. But maybe now - with all the forum chatter and other electronic traces of things - we will be left with more detailed records of the brands that disappear. Stories of failure are just as historically significant as stories of success, and it's a pity these stories tend to get lost. Trying to reconstruct them is one reason I like finding obscure vintage bikes.

Weekend Summary

Something is up with this memory card, twisting up images

The summary of the weekend is easy. Warm weather SUCKS for ice season and turf sticks! Laura and I were motivated enough to try to find a little something to climb. We took a drive to see if we could get on some of the better formed lines as of recent, but to little surprise it was a bust. The ice took a severe beating with multiple 55°+ days. Now the ground is thawed and things are back to square one. Here's a photo of what we set off to climb today.

From almost good to almost gone!

Son of Beastwas looking good a few short days ago

We left and headed for Rattlesnake rocks salvage the day and get in some dry tool groveling. The woods felt like spring not winter. The ground is no longer firm and has turned to muck. My hopes for a serious winter season are hanging by a thread. Blah, Blah, Blah, enough about our lack of cold... Our hike up to the rocks was pleasant with temps in the mid 30's. We were excited to get on some climbs, hoping to get on or up something new. We decided to warm up on the climb we had done the last time we were there. Its about M5 or so and was a pure blast to climb, so seemed like a great place to start and clear the cobwebs. The climb went well until I realized that the last time we climbed the line the ground was frozen and the rock has ice plastered in some of the cracks. The climb today was nothing like the friendly M5 we had climbed last week. This time the lovely, frozen turf and roots were merely unusable loose dirt. The roots weren't frozen and a couple crucial small blocks that were mortared into place by ice now wiggled unnervingly in their current location. They were quite questionable indeed, but needed to support full weight as the wall doesn't offer much in the way of feet. These moves came near the top at a distance out from my last gear that would land me quite close to the ground. The blocks held and so did my nerves. The fun, warmup climb turned into a different experience.

Laura seconding our warm up and only climb of the day

Laura seconded the climb agreeing that the climb took on a little difficulty and upped the commitment level considerably. We enjoyed a cup of coffee at the top and made our way to the bottom. I decided to do a little dry tool bouldering across the blood wall. I started out with everything going well. Hooking, camming, steining I was like hercules making my way across, well not really, but I went to make a move left and my crampon got a little stuck. No big deal happens all the time. A little jostle and ping out it came. Thinking nothing of it I moved on making moves left. All of a sudden I realized I had no front point.

My dart became a DA. Time for some new ones.

I might have to try the new Grivel G20.

Watch for an upcoming review!

Shittttt! I busted the front point off of my dart. It must've been jammed a little tighter than I thought. Low on morale and motivation, we decided that the broken crampon was the deciding factor. Time to call it a day.

We set off to climb ice, got shut out. Went to drytool, climbed a cool line again. Broke a crampon and called it a day... Par for the season. Maybe our luck will be better next time! Happy climbing to all

Central California

Okay, now that I'm “caught up” with posts from before the Jamboree we'll get to the more recent stuff though now I'm even further behind because of the lack of internet access. (Rant: it's extremely frustrating when a place – any place – says they have wifi available but it doesn't work! Yeah, they have it, you just can't use it! Sigh.) Due to where I've been, I don't think that I would have had internet access even if I had an “air card” or some other techno thingy.

Anyway, back on June 15th I left the coast near Ventura and made my way north and east to central California. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it was cool on the coast but it was hot once you got a few miles inland. A short stop in Maricopa left me drenched in sweat and the van was hotter than an oven after just 10 minutes of it sitting with the windows closed. Dry heat or not, it was still HOT.

That night I stopped at Kern River State Park just west of Bakersfield. In addition to the river, there was a lake in the park also, whose name I don't recall and didn't write down. The campground was huge. But it was empty except for one site, which had several adults and a bunch of kids of all ages. I selected a site along the river about in the middle of the campground a little ways from the occupied site. There were several cars that drove through the campground later in the evening but none of them stopped for the night.

I thought it was a little strange that with the heat there weren't more people at the campground taking advantage of the river and the lake. However, there were several groups of “tubers” that floated by. The river was high and the current was fast. The other strange thing was that no one ever came around to collect the camping fee and there was no self-serve pay station.

It was a pretty park, well maintained and clean and I didn't have any “bad vibes” about the place. Large trees provided plenty of shade from the hot sun and there was a nice breeze. All in all it was very pleasant.

The rather idyllic view across the river from my campsite.

The next morning I was up early and on my way by eight o'clock, going northeast on California 178. And what a beautiful drive it is! Following the Kern River to Lake Isabella the highway twists and turns, winding its way through the narrow Kern Valley with the river on the left and the mountain walls hugging the highway on the right.

Beyond Lake Isabella, Mountain Road 99 takes you up into Giant Sequoia National Monument. Now, why the government did this, I don't know, but it probably has something to do with how the land is used by the different agencies. We have Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest. Then you have to drive 100 miles or more west, then north, then back east to get to Sequoia National Park, Sequoia National Forest (again), Kings Canyon National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument (again), Sequoia National Forest (a third time), and finally, to Kings Canyon National Park (again). The latter “string” of Parks, Monuments and Forests are all connected, starting and stopping seemingly at a whim. It's very confusing! But it is an amazing and beautiful area of the country.

All of the rivers and streams in that area are full to brimming, flowing swiftly. There were quite a few waterfalls as well, many with several cascades, such as this one at South Creek Falls on Mountain Road 99 in the Sequoia National Forest.

A little further down the road, in Giant Sequoia National Monument, was the Trail of 100 Giants, which was a paved trail about a mile long that wound its way up, down, and through a forest of (what else?) very large Sequoia trees. It has been 30+ years since my last encounter with these magnificent things and I was impressed all over again.

There is no way that you can capture their immensity in a photograph. Of course, that didn't stop me from taking pictures!

At one time, these were three individual trees. I found it interesting that Sequoias gain their full height in the first 300 years at which time they aren't all that big around. As the years pass, they (like most of us humans) get bigger around. And, if they are growing close to others, they could, as these have done, join together. The boy standing between the two trees on the left is about four feet tall.

One of the things that surprised me regarding these trees is that the bark (or outer layer) is spongy. It gives when pressed upon. This tree has a portion of the outer bark layer missing, but it was still alive and growing.

The Sisley Family Bible

In May of 1986 my mother and I went on a research trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania. One of our stops was Fayette County, Pennsylvania. All I knew at that time was that my 4th great grandmother, Indiana Sisley, had been born in Fayette County and had married Conrad Stem. It was in the Land Records that I found the names of her parents and siblings. Her father, Lewis Sisley passed away in 1826 and in 1834 the eldest son, John, purchased his father's land. Lewis' wife Margaret was named, as were all ten of the children, and their spouses if they were married, including "Conrad Stein and Indianee".

Fast forward to 1999 and the wonders of the Internet! There I found the Sisley Family website and the reproduction of a history compiled and published in 1974 by Paul and Edith (Sisley) Bongiorno. I contributed the information I had on my "Western Branch" as they called it. Then, as often happens when one connection is made, another comes along. In June .. I was contacted by Marge, a descendant of Amberson Sisley, the youngest child of Lewis and Margaret.

Emails flew back and forth. It was an exciting time, even more so when I learned that they lived less than three hours away, on the south side of Indianapolis! And that Marge had family pictures and documents, including the pages from the family bible! Less than three weeks later we met, spent the day together, got to know each other a little, exchanged information, and I had my first scanfest ;-) The bible pages were fragile but we all decided it would be a good thing to go ahead and scan them.

I was, and still am, amazed and thankful that the bible pages survived at all. And I will forever be indebted to Marge for allowing me to touch them, to feel the texture of the paper, to hold something in my hands that my ancestors had held 175+ years before.

Births [First Column]
Lewis Sisley son of Jacob and Jane Sisley was born July 22. 1765.
Margaret Ellis daughter of Nathan and Mary Ellis, and wife of the said Lewis Sisley was born Dec. 13th 1773.

Births [Second Column]
Births. Of the Children of Lewis Sisley and Margaret his wife
Mary Ann was born December 31st 1789.
Nancy was born May 11th 1792.
Hetty was born Dec. 21st 1795.
Eleanor was born October 4th, 1797.
John Ellis was born April 13th 1800.
Louisa was born April 9th 1803.
Ruhama was born September 19th, 1805
Indiana was born May 18th, 1809.

Births.
Wilson Smith was born Dec. 3. 1811.
Amberson Evans was born Dec. 18th 1814.

Deaths.
Louisa Nutt departed this life August 12th 1823.
Lewis Sisley departed this life February 14th 1826 aged 60 years 6 months and 25 days

[Note: all of the entries up to this point have been in the same handwriting]

Eleanor Lyons died March 15th 1861.
=====
Amberson E Sisley died Feb 16th 1862
=====
Margaret Ellis Sisley died February 13th 1870


Marriages. [first column]
Lewis Sisley and Margaret Ellis were joined in marriage November 4th 1788.
Mary Ann Sisley was joined in marriage with Samuel Shelpler January 3d. 1809.
Nancy Sisley was joined in marriage with Morgan Morgan Jany 18th 1809.
Hetty Sisley was joined in marriage with James M'Crory July 25th 1812.

Marriages. [second column]
Eleanor Sisley was joined in marriage with Robert Lyon September 4th 1819.
Louisa Sisley was joined in marriage with Samuel Nutt Dec. 28th
Ruhama Sisley was joined in marriage with Samuel Nutt July 29th 1824

Note: Louisa Sisley and Samuel Nutt were married on December 28, 1822. She died on August 12, 1823. Samuel then married Louisa's sister Ruhama.

Another Note: At this point is where the marriage of Indiana and Conrad Stem should have been recorded! Was the family bible "put away" after the death of Lewis Sisley, which occurred in 1826? The recording continues in a different handwriting.

Wilson Sisley was joined in marriage with [crossed out and started over]
Wilson Sisley was joined in marriage with Nancy Wells September 11th 1836.

This post was contributed to the 55th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Show and Tell
See also Indiana Sisley Stem :: Show and Tell

Hermmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions

This morning I made another trip over to see the incredible Lipizzaner stallions. I arrived early enough to visit the stable first and got to spend a good half an hour there. It is so neat to visit the stable and see the horses up close.



I found my personal favorite for today when I saw how much he seemed to enjoy interacting with people.



Then I noticed his name and realized he would fit in with our family really well because his name starts with an A. I told him that he could be one of my kids with a name like his.



He seemed really intrigued by that. I told him we could use another boy to even out the boy girl ratio.



I asked, would you like to go home with me big guy? At which point he nodded his head.



So it's all set. I just have to figure out how to fit him in the RV and then he's coming home with us.



Ahhh, a girl can dream at least, right? Isn't he something though? More pictures later of the show.



Living the life in sunny Florida!

The Bike Aquatic

Our latest trip along the coast was of the epically off-road variety.



Behold the single speed aquatic tandem recumbent, a.k.a. pedal boat!Isn't she a beauty?When I was growing up, we used to pedal these things around small lakes, but I had no idea they could be taken out into the ocean. Turns out there is a whole culture out there of self-propelled ocean travel, including transatlantic voyages. The boats used for those are a tad more sophisticated, but this one is just fine for pedaling leisurely along the coast.



The local rental place assured us that these boats are marvelously stable and virtually impossible to flip over.We experimented, and are pleased to confirm this. Very safe and reliable, even in turbulent water.



Operating the pedal boat was much more effortful than we expected! Ocean water is rougher than lake water, and pedaling this thing felt like riding a single speed bicycle that is geared way too high.



Feeling as if we were treading through thick mud as we rode the waves and tried to stay on course, we soon longed for gears and foot retention. At least the adjustable seats allowed for full leg extension.



Despite our slow progress along the coast, the whole thing was ridiculously fun. It took me some time just to calm down from the excitement of being out in the ocean on a pedal boat.



We went as far out as we dared, pedaling among the sailboats and lobster boats and imagining what it would be like to cross the Atlantic on one of these things.



We pedaled into some of the tiny harbors and beaches that line this part of the coast and took photos from angles that would have been impossible from the shore. We docked outside a cafe and I jumped out to buy us some coffee - just for the fun of having done this. And for the first time in maybe 10 years I wore boat shoes on an actual boat.



We are both pretty comfortable in the water, and at some point we took turns swimming next to the boat. I wish I had the nerve to do this way out in the ocean - but after having seen sharks on Cape Cod for the past two summers I am cautious about that stuff, so this was fairly close to shore.



After three hours we returned the boat, utterly exhausted. Pedaling it felt very much like cycling - though so strenuous that you'd have to be in pretty good shape to do any serious touring along the coast. I cannot help now but wonder what the "serious" pedal boats feel like to operate - I imagine not very different from a recumbent bicycle, not that I have any experience with those either. I am happy to have found a way to combine my love of the ocean with cycling. Pedal boat, we will meet again!