Manic!

photo stolen directly off Andy's web site :) More here on what the gear was for:

http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com//12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part_12.html


I've been rather manic the last week or so. Not able to get out. But knowing there is an end to that nonsense. I start devouring the Internet chatter and searching things that interests me at the moment. Thatwill be ice soon enough. At the moment it is skiing. Primarily trying to get the gear I want for this winter before it is sold out and unobtainable for another season. 2 pair of skis and 2 pair of binding to go yet.



Although 2 years old now, this a good piece I found and read while dicking around in my manic phase today. In this game everyone seems tohave an AHA MOMENT.



Mine was theski from the top of the Grand Montets tele over to the base of les Droites North face2 months after Andy wrote this. Took me another couple of months to wrap my head around $1000 ski boots. But I have not looked back. More like damn the torpedos and full speed ahead! And you thought race bike andcar parts were expensive?



"Everyone does it. Bloggers, or as I prefer,
those that keep "online journals", always seem to give unsolicited advice about
how to go faster, be more efficient, or do things better. After a 3 hour
aggressive conversation with a couple friends about training methods yesterday,
I decided to put down my thoughts in a multi part series on everything from
training, gear, clothing, partners, etc."



"They showed up on skinny skis and funny boots (F1s and early model Dynafit race
boots). From the gun, I had trouble keeping up - even on the flats. By the
time I landed on Box Elder's panoramic summit, Sam had been waiting for days and
the other guys were half way up the Pfeiff. I was utterly blown."



More here:



http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com//12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part.html





http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com//12/light-and-fast-ski-mountaineering-part_12.html

The Full Spectrum of Gloves?

When the rock does this to a set of picks in a few pitches...think what it will do to gloves?







How every alpine glove eventually ends up.





One of the topics that came up in the requestswas more glove info. Most of us are on a constant search for a better glove. That might be a warmer, more durable, more water proof or easier to dry glove. It depends on your need at that moment for that particular adventure. If anything it is worth noting that few of us climb in the same gloves. And there are a gazillion manufactures out there. I am about as anal on my glove choices as I am on my boots so..as always buyer and reader beware ;-)





Here are some examples of the glove styles I use constantly.

full leather gloves

glove liners, both wool and synthetic

wool gloves or mittens

all synthetic gloves

leather and synthetic combination gloves





Dave in his prefered BDs.

(I own mittens but so seldom use them I'll leave them out of the conversation)



The brand names that I prefer at the moment are Outdoor Research and Mountain Hardware. My partner's (all of them) most commonly used glove is one form or another fromBack Diamonds. And I have used BD glovesmyself.





The flip side to Matt's pair of BD gloves above.



And all better now ;-)



It wouldn't have been my first choice but still good enough to get Matt up the Ginat last week in less than stellar weather.



The brand name gloves I have useda lot in the past are:

Dachstein

Helly Hensen

Gates

Chouinard

Black Diamond

REI



Here is how I divide up my glove choices and there is some over lap generally. But easy to get somecash wrapped up in gloves.



Liners/approach gloves

leather/rap or bush whack (think 10' highslide alders or Devil's club)

XC ski

DH ski

tech climbing gloves

alpine climbing gloves

cold weather gloves



My first go to glove is the BD Polartec liners either Midweight or the Heavyweight. And I generallyloose them before I wear them out. And I wear them out by melting them on a stove. Awesome glove. Works for approaches, XC skiing, spring DH skiing, as a lwt tech glove or a warm weather alpine glove or nasty bush wacking. Many designs like them but these are the best I have used.



http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/



Leather?I use them in the alpine on bush wacks and on nasty steep raps with 7mm twins My favorites are a pair of thin steer hide I buy at Lowe's. But they have to fit perfectly and they aren't cheap. They generally last 4 or 5 years with consistent use with a chainsaw and around the yard. I'm also partial to the Metolious full finger belay glove. Although i never use them for belaying. I like a glove you know isn't going to come apart in use. This is the glove I usefor the free rap off the Midi's bridge in cold winter temps. It is awesome and cheap. Mine are now 10 years old and just getting broken in. Nice glove!



http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/belay_glove.html











I use my gloves for all sorts of stuff but the only skiing specific gloves I use are made by these guys:http://www.lillsport.com/

I generally have pretty warm hands and seldom sufferthrough the scream'in barfies even in pretty cold weather. So a lwt XC glove often gets used for DH skiing. I like Model ”S” 0103-00 for what it is worth.These make a decent thin dry tooling glove as well.



Thomas Smiley photos: www.smileysmtphoto.com



ALPINE CLIMBING GLOVES

Alpine climbing for me generally means winter. In spring, summer and fall any combination of gloves on this list can and generally do get used. But winter I have some old favorites. Mtn Harware and OutDry are my favorites along with a couple of pair of the OR gloves. You canread more on the Mtn Hardware Hydra and the OR Vert in earlier blogs.

I have found the OurDry to keep my hands dry even when the entire outer shell and insulation is soaking wet and frozen stiff. Not the best situation but then my buddy's are often in some version of the Black Diamond Gortex or BDry and have wet hands and frozen gloves. Some difference but not a lot. OutDry seems more durable as it is harder to punch a hole in the water proof liner..."I think". But nothing scientific here just anecdotal evidence.

The one thing I have convinced myself of is that thin gloves like the Hydra work very well in some pretty cold conditions. When it gets colder I used to be convinced a removable liner was mandatory. Not any more. Truth is when it gets really cold and I need a warmer glove, I really need moreinsulation. Liner may or may not be useful depending on how good the glove is and how easy it is to use. If it is that cold drying the glove out hasn't been a problem as the inner of the glove doesn't get verywet.

I used the Mtn Hardware Typhon this winter as my back up, warmer glover to the Hydra. Dave was using the MtnHardwareJalapeno when he got cold or wet enough. I thought the Jalapeno easier to use and justas warm as my wool lined Typhon. Typhon's liner comes out, the Jalapeno's doesn't.

From Mtn Hardware Inow use the Minus One, the Hydra, the Torsion and theTyphon depending on temps, useand need.. I'll likely start using the Jalapeno next winter.

I like a thinner glove with leashless tools so I don't have to remove my gloves for any reason. But get cold enough and the thicker gloves require me to pull the gloves off more than I want. Removeable liners that stay on when you pull the shells work well there. Big gloves, the Typhon and Jalapeno for example, are like good double boots, a pain in the ass to climb in...but without them you (me anyway) wouldn't still be climbing.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/

One of the things I found interesting this winter is the gloves I can generally climb with in Canada just weren't warm enough in the Alps this winter. That was a surprise. Thankfully I took some warmer gloves along but I wasn't happy climbing in them generally. It took so getting use to the thicker and stiffer gloves on technical ground and with my (tight) Nomic or Ergo handles. I used the Quarks with a more open grip some specificallyfor that reason. While I didn't have cold hands on that trip it was PP planning all around on my part. Look around andtry what you think will work for you. When you find some that do, be smart and buy 2 pair. Gloves are like climbing footware you'll want the RIGHTpair for every occasion

Pray you don't end up with this glove collection! And these are just the good ones ;-)

What a day

What a day...

Waking up early to try and catch Jack Frost doing his rounds was hard to resist but there was not really alot of it about. I wasn't disappointed with fact Jack was gone as the Field fare was back flocking together in the perfect blue sky. In the bushes Longtail Tits and Bullfinch darted above me not staying in one place long enough for a shot.

Above Oxendon tunnel I met Pat with her dog taking photos of the landscape. Pat also has a blog and a passion for the perfect shot, I look forward to meeting up again and exchanging views.

Richards dog after a swim in the lake

Above Oxenden tunnel

A jogger pounding the way

Trees reflection in a puddle

Bird in a bush

My next stop was to Waterloo leisure tea rooms to meet Richard the owner. I met Richard a week earlier, he asked my views on wildlife trail he wants to introduce to his site. After a cup of coffee Richard showed me around. Ideas for bird hides, feeders, nest box's and guides to what to look for using my photos were gratefully received.

California:: Jalama Beach County Park

I got a late start when leaving Morro Bay on March 29th and I only went about 100 miles south. Driving along California Highway 1 near Lompoc, in Santa Barbara County, I noticed a sign for Jalama Beach County Park. It had a campground and I needed a place to stay for the night.

It was somewhat challenging to get to. The sign showed that it was 14 miles down a county road. Wow! What a drive. Talk about a winding road and hilly! After about the first two miles I was ready to turn back, but there was no place to safely turn around, so I continued on. It was definitely worth the drive though...

It was a rocky, sandy beach.

Late afternoon and the fog started rolling in toward the shore.

I had forgotten that there was a railroad along the coast. This bridge was on the north side of the campground. Several passenger trains came through while I was there.

It was extremely windy that day. The two fellows in the background are kite surfing. It was amazing how they jumped the waves and moved in and out along the shore.

They did occasionally fall off their boards, but quickly retrieved them and went back out for more.

Heavy fog was on its way and the kite surfers were still having fun. So am I.

A Give-Away for Valentine's Day

Roses are redand so is this bike

- which could soonbe yours if you like!

For on this comingValentine's day

it shall be promptlygiven away.



"What is this bike?"you might inquire,

"with its bright red frameand old-fashioned tire?"

In reply I guide you to

this Bobbin Bicycles Birdie review.



The lovely loop frameand the lugs

will surely elicit passionate hugs.

And as the cupid'sarrow nears

you've got the Sturmey Archer gears.

For yourself or for your darling

a shiny red bike is oh so charming!



From England it traveled by land and by sea

to Boston's Harris Cyclery,

and from thence it shall be sent

to that person for whom it is meant.



For a chance this bike to recieve

a velo-Valentine you must conceive,

in the US you must reside,

and by the guidelines below abide:



-------------------------------------------

Guidelines for the Bobbin Birdie Give-Away:



Submission Procedure: Create and submit a bicycle-themed Valentine. Your Valentine can be intended for a real person, for a fictional or hypothetical person, for your bicycle, for any other bicycle, or for anyone or anything really (except for me) - as long as it is in some way bicycle themed. The Valentine may consist of text and/or image (no video, no audio). If your Valentine is text only, please submit it directly in the comments here. If your Valentine is an image, upload it and post the link in the comments (if you have nowhere to upload it to, email it to "filigreevelo[at]yahoo[dot]com" with the subject "Velo-Valentine"). Be sure to include your email address in the comment when submitting your Valentine. One submission per person please.



Submission deadline is Thursday, February 9th , 11:59pm Pacific time. Recipient will be announced on Valentine's Day (February 14th, ).



Eligibility: Entrants must reside in the continental USA. Entrants may be of any gender, and may be getting the bicycle for themselves or for a loved one. Entrants should be readily reachable via email. This bicycle is best suited for persons 5'3" - 5'8", please use your judgment.



Selection criteria: Selection will be made on the basis of the Valentine, assuming that eligibility criteria are met. Any Valentine submitted may be publicly viewable and there will be reader input in the selection process.



This give-away is made possible viaForth Floor Distribution - the North American distributor of Bobbin Bicycles. Many thanks to them for donating this beautiful bike, and to everyone for taking part!

Farewell to a Difficult Season

Today is the last day of March - and hopefully the last day of what has been a prolonged, difficult winter season. I don't think I am the only one to feel this way: Many bicycle blogs have slowed down this month - with fewer posts and fewer comments, and lots of people have mentioned feeling dispirited.
Funny that March should be the month to almost do us in, rather than January or February. But the key word is almost. My unexpected relationship with Jacqueline gave me just enough of a spiritual boost to deal with the alarming situation that greeted me upon my return to New England: days of non-stop downpours and flooding! Well, I won't let it get me down. April is just a day away and so is the warmth and colour of spring.

In the meantime, I send my regards to all the excellent blogs that have bravely hung on through the entire winter, continuing to give us wonderful posts to brighten the dreary days: EcoVelo, Let's Go Ride a Bike, Riding Pretty, Cycling is Good for You, Portlandize, Suburban Bike Mama, and Biking in Heels, just to name a few.

Teton-Yellowstone Drive-Thru

When I left Juniper Campground at the Ririe Reservoir, I decided to continue on US 26 over to US 89 in Wyoming, which goes through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I greatly underestimated the amount of time that route would take! I had no intention of stopping for any length of time in either park (blasphemy, I know...) but thought it would be nice to drive through.

Teton National Park. The view from the Glacier View Turnout.
The drive was nice. Very pretty too, but it was also frustrating sometimes. Any kind of wildlife sighting resulted in traffic coming to a standstill. You'd think that people had never seen animals in the wild before! ;-)

First there were Buffalo. Not a big herd though, just a few scattered about.

Then there were Bears! Mama bear and her two cubs came up from the valley and crossed the highway, blissfully ignorant of the chaos and confusion they were causing! These pictures were taken through the windshield with the zoom at maximum magnification. I was about 15 vehicles away from the action.


There was also a moose (at least, that's what I think it was) with a large rack of antlers. I didn't get a picture of it though.

The place where I'll be staying in Montana is only two hours from the northern entrance to Yellowstone and I have every intention of spending a few days there, in the middle of the week when, hopefully, there are fewer people! Though with it being summer, there will probably be lots of people there no matter when I go.

Cycling in a Coastal Downpour

On the second morning of our trip I awoke to the sound of vigorous drums, which I soon realised was pelting rain. Outside, the line between sky and ocean was blurred and the patch of rocky beach we occupied was flooded. Inside, everything was damp from humidity - our clothing, the bedding, our faces. We had known that the forecast promised intermittent rain, so this was not a surprise and we didn't despair. We were not planning to cycle every day; we had loads of other things to do. We would see.



But as we drank coffee, the rain appeared to let up. Things were looking good - picturesquely stormy, but calm. It looked as if the downpour had exhausted itself in the course of the night and we decided to set off on our bikes after all, going along the coast for a manageable distance.



The ride started out fine. We made our way up a winding hill, past ominously abandoned beaches. Moody skies hung low over a dark gray ocean. The empty roads were promising. There was only a mild drizzle and we agreed that if things stayed like this, it would be even better than sunny weather - cooler, and less crowded. After cycling for a bit it grew humid and I removed my rain jacket, stashing it inside the handlebar bag. Two minutes later, the skies opened up. There was no build-up; it was as if someone opened a floodgate.



Instead of turning back we persisted, hoping the rain would eventually ease up again. But it only intensified. The amount of water was unbelievable, even compared to the many other times I've cycled in the rain. Visibility became non-existent, with everything turning gray and liquidy. The roads became flooded and soon I was cycling with my wheels partly submerged in water. Roads are terrible in this area, and even on a dry day it is a task to navigate around potholes. Now that they were invisible underwater, I could neither anticipate nor avoid them. My bike bounced violently over ditches at high speeds. This felt distinctly unsafe, especially on curvy descents. On a bike with narrow tires, the ride would have been simply impossible for me.



The coastal road was narrow and winding. As I tried to maintain a consistent line of travel, motorists sped past us, well over the posted speed limit, sending sprays of yet more water in our direction. I had my lights on and could only hope I was visible to them. My jersey - which had started out a bright crimson - was now a dark, dull brown. There are a few tricky spots on this route, where several roads merge on a twisty downhill - so that one must resist picking up speed and be prepared to brake instead. At these instances it became frighteningly apparent that my brakes did not work well under such conditions. I suspended disbelief and did my best, feathering the brakes and trying not to have a panic attack. Climbing up a flooded road while bouncing over potholes was horrifying as well.



Despite my best efforts I found this type of cycling too stressful to enjoy. I couldn't see where I was going, let alone anything resembling scenery, and frankly I had nothing to prove. This was meant to be a pleasant trip and not an endurance contest. I signaled to the Co-Habitant that I wanted to turn around, and we did - making our way back through the unrelenting downpour the same way we came. Before returning home, we took a detour and stopped at a hardware store to pick up oil for the bikes - later spending a great deal of time wiping sand and debris off of them and treating the components to prevent rust - which can form alarmingly quickly in a coastal environment. My wool cycling clothing took a day to air-dry, and my shoes are still soaking wet.



Though I know others enjoy the challenge of riding in this kind of weather, this is not an experience I care to repeat unless absolutely necessary. It is one thing to cycle in the rain, but a trip along the coast in a continuous and forceful downpour - with the roads flooded, visibility poor, and the wind assaulting my face, body and bike with sandy salt water - is not something I can justify, both in terms of safety and in terms of its detrimental effect on equipment. Hopefully there will be better weather ahead... though the forecast remains ominous!

Gratitude

Gratitude is a beautiful thing. I've been full of thoughts of gratitude all month long. Today I realized what a strange thing it can be though. We did a Skype chat with one of our Reach the World classrooms. And I left with such overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity, I had to blog while I am still full of the emotions that it filled me with.



Picture it. Here we are sitting in sunny and warm Florida...hanging out in our lounge chairs next to the palm trees. Living a leisurely and good life. On the other end is a fourth grade classroom. In Harlem. Living...well, I don't know how, because I've never been to Harlem. But I'm guessing it is not so warm and maybe not so lazy of a pace.



That's not the point though. Because it's not like we were sitting around feeling sorry for them because we are in Florida and they are in Harlem. We've traveled enough to know that every place is interesting and has it's pros and cons. So it's not pity moving us to be here. In fact, we were not really sitting around feeling anything but excited to do this. We want to give this classroom full of wonderful little people whatever it is they might ask of us during the chat. Stories, information, maybe just a chance to talk to someone living somewhere else.

On the other hand, we are not so naive that we aren't aware that they may in fact lead a harder in some ways life than we currently are. We realize just being in school might be a daily challenge. Getting good grades and having great attendance might be something that presses heavily on them and is a giant victory when they do succeed in reaching those goals. We trust like most children, they are warriors in their own ways.

But none of this is on our minds at this moment. Mostly I am just filled with excitement that I get to do this chat with them. And I'm wondering how Austin will do with it all. The point is, I am completely self absorbed really. Just full of myself wondering what I can give and hoping it is enough and so grateful to have the opportunity.

The point is, I'm not thinking at all about what this might mean to them.



Then the beauties and cuties file in and we see them on the webcam. They are awesome. Bright and shining faces and all. Nervous grins so we are waving at them to ease them (and ourselves). The teacher says how excited they've been to meet us. That they showed up on Monday waiting to chat. (We had to cancel and reschedule due to our travel plans) And then she says...they dressed up so they'd look their best for you. I look and see that they are in fact dressed up. In their Sunday best. To meet us.



At which point I lost it. I mean, started crying right on the spot. Had to step away from the webcam to pull myself together. These amazing people were so excited to meet *us* that they dressed up to look their best for it??? Seriously??? Oh, my. I didn't quite know what to do with that except stop and revel in the wonder of it.

These lovelies were extending such a precious gift of gratitude to us. Wow. It's a rare moment in life when you realize equally mutual gratitude is happening right at that very moment. I mean I've been on one side or the other many times and it's a good thing to be on either side. But to have both of you be so filled with gratitude and sharing it in this communal way. It's a deeply spiritual thing. It changes you. It is something words can't quite capture.



I was just showing up to do a chat on our travels. I had no idea such a beautiful gift would be given to me. Incredible! What a wonderful, and oh so fitting way to head into Thanksgiving.



Thank you, Ms. Johnson's class. I can't wait to meet you in person. It is a given I will cry even harder then.

Beachcombing #1

Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, Texas
February 17, ..

Reaching a Non-Cycling Audience

I received a copy of the first issue of Anthology magazine in the mail today - sent to me, because they ran a feature on Lovely Bicycle. I knew they'd made some illustrations based on my photos, but I did not expect to see a cartoon version of myself and the Pashley Princess(depicted complete with cream tires!) cycling through a cartoon version of Boston. Funny! Unlike the real me, my cartoon self likes to cycle in high heels - so perhaps she can teach me a thing or two!



The story they ran included an edited version of my "Bicycles for Everyday Cycling" page, which I hope will be helpful to readers of the magazine who are considering purchasing their first bike.



I think it's neat that Anthology presented the information as an "anatomy lesson" and made its own hand-drawn illustrations (by Kris Atomic). This makes the text a lot more engaging than my original version (I read it with interest!) - and achieving that is important for print publications trying to compete with online media. I can imagine somebody who is not into cycling at all picking up this magazine in their local coffee shop or book store and getting drawn into the article, becoming curious about bicycles as a result.



In addition to the "Anatomy of a Lovely Bike" article, there was also a beautiful feature on Meligrosa of Bikes and the City with her cool mixte, as well as a helpful piece on shopping for bicycles and accessories.



One reason I am pleased to be featured inAnthology, is because they are not a cycling publication, but a more general lifestyle magazine. Before I began Lovely Bicycle, there was a period of a year or so when I vaguely wanted a bike but did not know how to even begin looking for one that was right for me. There was a disconnect between the sort of bicycle I wanted and what was available in most bike shops at the time, and I simply did not know where else to get information. A series of bike-related articles like the ones Anthology published would have helped me, and I hope that they can now help others. Besides, I just love the idea of things like dress guards, chain cases and "lugged steel construction" being presented as standard features. I hope that women walk into bike shops and ask for them, as casually and matter-of-factly as they would ask for cake in a bakery.

"Gasoline Rainbow" 28

My first climb at the grade. Gas Rain is probably still my favourite line at Coolum, it's a second pitch start, steepening up after the second bolt. I took so many plunges from the crux of this route, some of them beauties with an armfull of rope out to clip, just falling into clean air.

36 attempts finally acheived a tick.





photo: Phil Box

Symbolic Cycling in Films

I watched two films over the past week, and it so happens that both not only featured scenes with bicycles, but used these scenes in a similar manner.

Therese and Isabelle is a black and white film c. 1968 based on the novel by Violet Leduc. It is a coming-of-age story about a doomed love affair between two girls at a French boarding school. In the first half of the film, there is a scene where the girls are cycling along an endless tree-lined alley and laughing. (Not that it matters in the context of the film, but they are riding beautiful mixtes with hammered fenders and dynamo lighting.) This is probably the happiest and most idyllic point of the film - where joy, freedom, and limitless possibilities are the dominant themes. Later it all ends badly, but the cycling scene is the antithesis of the tragic ending.

The Sheltering Sky is a 1990 Bertolucci film starring John Malkovich, based on the novel by Paul Bowles. It is about an aristocratic composer and his beautiful wife, who aimlessly travel around North Africa while trying to overcome complex marital difficulties. This film too ends badly. But before things go downhill, there is a bicycle scene - where the husband and wife are traveling through a stretch of the Sahara on his and hers Roadsters, with cream tires and rod brakes. Unlike any of the other trips they take together, this one is infused with positive emotion and hope for a future.

Though the two films could not be more different from one another, the bicycle plays the same symbolic role in both: representing hope, joy, freedom, and simplicity. At the same time, in both films the bicycle is also used as a symbol of the unsustainable. "It is not possible for things to stay this good," the cycling scenes suggest, thereby foreshadowing an eventual tragic ending. In order for these associations to work as cinematic tools - which in both films they do - there has to be a deeply ingrained cultural perception of the bicycle as a symbol of escapism and wishful thinking; the bicycle is something that is incompatible with "real life". And this to me was very interesting to notice. Something to think about, at least.