More Pictures of Watkins Glen State Park

Georgia Sunrise

Funny thing about how the world turns... for every sunset there is a sunrise. Though ordinary they might be, each one is a sight to behold. I don't often get up early enough to catch the sunrise but on this particular day I was camped along the northern shore of a little inlet on Lake Blackshear in Georgia Veterans State Park and I was awakened by the early morning light. The colors in the sky were magnificent. But, of course, by the time I had gotten around and outside some of the awesome color had dissipated somewhat, but it was still quite nice.






February 1, .. at 7:16 am Central Standard Time.





Taken at 7:29 am.


It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the light changes and the dramatic effects, especially during the times of a sunrise or sunset.

Tartarian Cherry Tree

I love cherries. They are my favorite fruit. And I love fruit. There are lots of kinds of cherry trees. The Bing is the most common but my favorite is the Black Tartarian. I have two of them and usually only get a few of the cherries as the birds get most of them.

Summer Spots

When I first got Star as a yearling about 11 years ago she didn't have any spots except the star between her eyes. Each year when she gets her summer coat she has more and more of the tiny appaloosa spots on her face, neck, chest, and belly but very few of the spots on her back and butt where an appy normally has them. In the winter time in her heavy coat she doesn't have the little spots and looks like a normal sorrel horse. To get the photos I had to tie her to a post in her pen that is on the east side of our small place and has a good view of the Sandia Mountains. Albuquerque and Rio Rancho are between us and the mountains but can't be seen, thank goodness, for the hill between us and them.

Attack!

I can't help it. Her tail was just too temping. I had to jump on it.

On The Road Again, Again!

Monday, May 2nd - - After 12 days back home in Indiana, I'm on the move, heading west. I traveled 350 miles today, through Indiana and most of Illinois, and not even one of those miles was on the Interstates!



I think we only had two days of sunshine the entire time I was home, and today was more of the same cloudy, overcast skies. It was raining when I left Columbia City but it quit shortly thereafter. My stopping place for the night was Argyle Lake State Park, about 15 miles southwest of Macomb off of US Route 136 in western Illinois. It was late afternoon, and as so often happens at that time of day, the clouds began to move off and the sun finally made a most-welcome appearance.



After a quick bite to eat, I went for a short walk – on the paved, level road through the campground then down to the lake. Just taking it easy but getting a little exercise to get the old legs moving again. And trying not to do whatever it was that I did before to cause the pain!





Lots of these pretty blue wild-flowers were near the edge of the woods alongside the campground. Each flower in the cluster was about an inch in diameter.







I opted to not attempt these stairs leading down to the lake – they didn't look very sturdy and they were much steeper than they appear.





There was no clear view of the setting sun, which was blocked by the forest on the other side of the meadow.





As the sun set further, the sky filled with color.



A very nice ending, to my first day on the road again, again!

Vertical or horizontal front point?

This winter's Ice climbing season started early.Nov. in the Ghost River area of Alberta in fact for me.



The Ghost



The super cold temps that would later invade Canada and Montana had yet to arrive. Some where you generally have to pay the price for good early season climbing. For me that was climbing on harder ice than I am generally use to for the majority of the season. By Jan and -30C temps in Canada I was pretty much worn down and worn out with hard water ice.



In a typical winter I start climbing water ice in Canada after Christmas and continue through mid April.



This winter I had 4trips north in before Christmas.



The 5th trip was to the Ice Fields Parkway at the first of the year. Cold by any standard. I took dbl boots and for once a pair of BD Cyborgs to easy the pain of pounding toes on hard ice. It made a difference.



Generally I like climbing in horizontal front point crampons. They offer marginally more support and resist shearing the front points in wet, soft ice. I have found most of the cruxes in my own climbing to be sun rotted vertical ice or just as likely what ice that is there sublimated or just out right melting off the wall. Places that a set of single vertical front points just don't "cut" it for me. I hate having my feet pop off on anything including steep or not so steep ice because of the specific tools I have decide to use.



Some huge advantages of a mono point on mixed but even there I will generally try to get away with a set of dual horizontal fronts unless I know it will be a mostly a rock climb with boots and tools required. Not dry tooling per say but certainly "modern mixed".



I know for my size a set of dual horizontal fronts offer more support and that I am less likely to pop my feet. Proven to my self over and over again.



But then there is hard ice....not the typical couple of days of hard freeze ice but weeks on end at -20 or less. The stuff that breaks tools, crampons and dinner plates big enough to break helmets. Cold...like an animal wanting to kill you. Polar Circus was a good example in Jan. Dbl boots and a set of vertical front pointed Cyborgs made it less effort, thankfully.



The Ice Field Parkway







Ha!Funny now in retrospect as I have never been as cold as I was climbing in Chamonix this winter. Shivering to the bone cold, on route. Temps only -20C or so and with a good wind. Likely most of it was me being less than fit and not acclimatised. But no matter, I as cold. (reoccurring theme about that trip)



The cold I can deal with..even while bitching about it. The ice was another matter all together. The first bit of gully ice I found shattered on impact and was tough even to get enough purchase for a good hook let alone a solid stick. That bit of ice was mid route on what is generally considered a "rock" routeso I blew it off to the 4 mm pick and my inabilities. Boy was I mistaken.



The next bit of ice I encountered was at least half gravel and sand, frozen into the back of a corner. Proper gully ice that. Thankfully there were enough rocks sticking out of the ice that front points weren't an issue. Getting a decent stick with my tools was however. Nomics without pick weights or hammers this time. My normal choice for Cascade or Rockiesmixed and the seemingly hands down preference in the Alps I am bluntly told. Nomics, Cascade picks and no weights. Ya, well that choice didn't work so well for me. Anda set of sharp, verticalcrampon points is likely the only thing that will consistently penetrate alpine winter ice, aka, Chamonix asphalt. The ice may look great forclimbing but the difference between Neve and old winter water ice is genuine and huge.



No more worrying about shearing a set of dual vertical front points or a monofor that matter through soft ice. The ice was hard enough to support even my lard ass on a mono in every alpine gully I climbed and half the water falls I did this winter.



So while I am still a big fan of horizontal fronts I am also a huge fan of Monos when I can get away with it and even a bigger fan of dual verts. And when it is cold...really cold.....I want VERTS.



Chamonix



There you go...another change of mind on my part for gear...it canhappen on occasion ;-)