Volcano's Out

Climbing rangers have recently been spotted in the park. Check back soon for some updates related to climbing, skiing, and park access. Hope everyone had a good winter!

Purple Wild Flower

This purple wildflower is blooming all over the desert. This one is right by my house. They are such a lushish shade of purple but if you look close you can see the hair-like stickers that they will have when they are through blooming. These will go right through cotton gardening gloves and are as bad as cactus stickers to remove for the glove or your skin.

Curved Bill Thrush

This curved bill thrust lit near me the other day when I just happend to have my camera as I was taking photos of flowers. He turned around on the fence several times and I was able to get some decent shots of him, or her which ever it might be. We have several pairs of these birds that stay in this neighborhood and eat bugs. These birds are ken to mockingbirds and dig for grubs and other bugs in my garden and around the trees. They even try to dig up the pots of plants I have sometimes. The have a curved bill as their name says, red eyes and sing some what simular to their cousins the mockingbirds. They will usually let me get closer to them than the other birds in my yard.

Morning Glory With Dew

A Grandpa Ott covered in dew.

Looking NorthEast

From the Crest of the Sandias you can see Albuquerque but can look off to the northeast also.

Cactiprunes

I've read that they're supposed to shrivel in winter, to prevent damage when it freezes. But this seems a little extreme.



Opuntia humifusa, Eastern prickly pear cactus.

It's the only cactus that's native here. I remember being really surprised the first time I ever saw one growing out in a field.

It likes poor soil - dry and rocky suits it just fine. So where it grows in our backyard is probably not a good place for flowerbeds.

When the previous owner scraped out a road and put down chert on part of the property, this cactus sprang up in sunny areas along the edges. The healthiest plants are growing in a small area that was apparently cut over as a turn-around for the trucks. Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) flourishes there in the spring.

Weight Distribution Mysteries

One thing that continues to mystify me about frame design, is how different bicycles react to weight distribution. Over the years, I've really found this aspect of a bicycle's handling to be a wildcard. My Rivendell Sam Hillborne is built like a typical mid-trail touring bike, which, it is said, makes it optimal for carrying heavy loads in the rear but only moderate loads in the front. However, I prefer to ride this bike with an enormous handlebar bag, and it does very well with it. It also handles well with a saddlebag and panniers, but interestingly the handlebar bag - with the same amount of weight in it - does not appear to affect speed at all, whereas the saddlebag does a bit. If I am going on a fast ride, Iremove the saddlebag butdo not bother removing the handlebar bag. All of this is just fine with me, because I find it far more convenient to keep my stuff in the front for easy access. But it goes against my understanding of the way a bicycle like this is supposed to react to weight.





Then there is the Moser racing bike, which reacts badly to any weight I put on it at either end. The front gets twitchy with even a small bag attached. And with any saddlebag larger than a tiny wedge the bike feels distinctly rear-heavy. A few times I've affixed a mid-sized saddlebag so that I could carry my camera, and it felt like trudging through mud compared to the speed this bike is normally capable of. On the other hand, a full water bottle on the downtube (the bottle weighing about the same as my camera) has no effect, and neither does my own weight gain when I stuff my jersey pockets with all the things I would have otherwise kept in a bag.



Riding bikes like this has made me understand why some cyclists chose to ride with backpacks instead of baskets or panniers - some bicycles simply do not handle well with weight on either end, but do fine when the weight is part of the rider. This is one reason the argument "If you want to lighten your bike, lose some weight" does not make sense to me.You cannot simply take the combined weight of a bicycle, its accessories and its rider, and assume the handling and speed will be the same as long as the total remains the same.







My first city bicycle - a Pashley Princess - came with a huge front basket, but it did not handle well for me when I put things in the basket. Eventually I removed it and attached a set of rear folding panniers instead. With that configuration the bike handled much better, and faster. When I carried weight in the rear, I could detect no difference in speed, even with a full load of groceries.






On the other hand, the Bella Ciao city bike I now ride - while faster than the Pashley overall - is more sensitive to weight in the back. The handling doesn't change, but I can feel a difference in speed depending on how heavy the load I am carrying is.




With pretty much every bicycle I've ridden over an extended period of time so far, I've noticed some sort of relationship between weight distribution and handling, and it is not always a logical one - or at least not obviously so. I am sure there are lots of factors contributing to these effects, and these factors are just too nuanced to be obviously discernible. It's interesting to figure this stuff out in the process of getting to know a bike.

Yosemite Falls

Monday, April 30th - -







The morning light contrasts sharply with that of late afternoon. The row of trees on the far bank of the river are the same trees that were in yesterday's photo.






Upper Yosemite Falls.





Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.


Even though the campgrounds were full, there didn't seem to be many people out and about. Traffic was light and it was easy finding a place to park so that I could simply walk around the meadows in the valley and soak up the views.



On a previous visit in July .. I was able to visit Glacier Point (the road was still closed this time) and got soaked at Bridalveil Falls. This time I decided to walk to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. The trail was nearly deserted, it was very quiet and peaceful - except for the roar of the water which got louder with every step along the path.






There was a hint of a rainbow at the bottom of the falls.




Out on the middle of the footbridge, the mist from the falls was the strongest as was the blowing wind. I got wet, but nothing like at Bridalveil Falls.







A dramatic view of both falls, which is somewhat deceiving as it looks as though the Upper fall is immediately above the Lower fall. But looking at the third photo above, you can see that there is a considerable offset between the two waterfalls. As always, double-click on the photos to view a larger version, then click again to get the full size.



In addition to the road to Glacier Point being closed, Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park) was also closed so a visit to Tuolumne Meadows was out of the question. As much as I would have liked to do the hike that takes you to the top of Yosemite Falls, I didn't think my legs could handle the rugged, wet trail. Instead, I simply walked around the valley, had a picnic lunch next to the river, and enjoyed a wonderful, leisurely day.

Rivington Pike, Lancashire

Led by Mike. With Eddie, Gordon, Barry, Maureen and me. Fine and dry after a wet morning. 1 162 feet of climbing, 10 miles walking. Max elevation 1 283 - on the ridge.




After breakfast the weather looked distinctly unfriendly, so we headed for the town centre, picked up some provisions from Booths, and wandered round the market.



Still the weather gods were not smiling. OK, a garden centre/emporium/café visit could do the trick.

Eddie claims his bench, Maureen claims an Eddie

Soon after midday the clouds lifted and the downpour stopped. Time to head for the hills. We park at the Great House Barn, with its café and the Go Ape treetop adventure park.

This is as Ape as we're Going today

We walk alongside Lower Rivington Reservoir, cross to the upper reservoir. We walk on the west and north sides of Yarrow reservoir, gradually gaining some height.










We head east and make a small detour to visit the Wellington Bomber Memorial










In memory ofsix airmen killed when a Wellington bomber

crashed on these moors on Nov 12th 1943
Back down to Lead Mines Clough, and a steady climb along track and footpath.













It gets boggy near the top, until we reach the magnificent flagstone causeway at the highest point of the ridge. We turn sharply to the right and head more or less south toward Rivington Road. When the flagstones stop we follow the wall downhill.





A quick break - I'm ready for those sandwiches now!





We reach the road and turn right for a short distance before turning off to the left along Georges Road - for some reason I didn't take photos of the surface! One of the least comfortable underfoot, anywhere.

This takes us gently round to the Pigeon Tower, at the top of the Terraced Gardens, designed by Thomas Mawson in the 1920s, for Lord William Leverhulme of soap and Port Sunlight fame.

The Pigeon Tower

A brief exploration and off we go towards the tower on the Pike itself.





Winter Hill, not too far away is higher, but the views from the Pike are well worth the climb, even though they are a little hazy.









From here it's all downhill. First the gardens and their ruins and lake.









Then down through the woods, past Rivington Hall and Barn, and on to the car park.





For a couple of us, a turn round the car park brings the total mileage to over ten. Whatever can be measured will be measured even unto the point of meaninglessness?



A fine walk, with a real "hill" feel. A bonus - we found a few bilberries.









We get back and have time to change and go out for our meal to celebrate Gordon's approaching special birthday.

The RAB Xenon jacket

Because I like and use the Atom LT so much and the Mtn Hardware Compressor before it I am always on the look out for first rate lightly insulated (60g) climbing jackets.



The Xenon first came to my attention and a few of my pals a couple of seasons ago. I was pretty stoked...right up till I had a chance to try one on and found the side pockets had no zippers. What was RAB thinking on that one? I actually discussed that with one of the RAB reps earlier this fall. I just figured someone made a huge mistake on that order to China.



But nope no zippers was intentional first time around to save weight. Clearly stopped me and a couple of my friends from buying the Xenon though.



This year the Xenon does have zippers on the pockets, thankfully. Makes them so they don't fill up with snow and you can actually store something in them with no worry of loosing what ever that happens to be.



The RAB party line:



"The Xenon Jacket is a super lightweight synthetic insulated jacket with a very light outer fabric.





The Xenon Synthetic insulated jacket is the culmination of several years hard work with fabric and synthetic insulation suppliers. We have taken Primaloft® synthetic fill and wrapped it up in the lightest Pertex® Quantum® GL 10 Denier fabric that is currently available.



You get a full length garment with a full length YKK zip, 2 hand warmer pockets and a chest pocket and all for just 340g/12oz!!! The whole jacket packs into its own chest pocket and is ideal as a superlight belay or over layer jacket, to be carried in a pack or clipped to a harness.



Ideal for Alpine Climbing, Mountain Marathon,Mountain Walking, Trek and travel and any fast and light activities. What more could you want?"



Sizes: S - XXL



Weight: 330g / 12oz



◦Pertex® Quantum® GL 10D ultra light rip stop nylon outer and lining



◦Light 60g Primaloft® One in body, sleeves and hood

◦Lycra bound hood fits snugly under a helmet.

◦1-way YKK front zip with internal insulated zip baffle and chin guard

◦2 YKK zipped hand warmer pockets and 1 YKK zipped chest pocket

◦Double exit hem drawcord

◦Packs away into chest pocket

◦Short cut





I am obviously not doing any climbing right now. But I am using the Xenon almost every day. I really like this jacket. One of my projects has been to figure out where in my climbing clothing system I can use this one.



It would be a LOT easier if the hood fit over a helmet. It doesn't. Typically that would "kill" any climbing jacket for my ow use. But the new Xenon(with pocket zips) is good enough that I have been looking for places to use this jacket. Here are the reasons I want to use this jacket. First off the materials used, Primaloft One and Pertex® Quantum® make it a lwt package that is hard to ignore. The nice detailing,zipper baffle, corner zipper reinforcements,andthe fleecechin guard you notice. Even the hood has a slick little retaining strap for when it is not in use. The XL size is more like a comfy US large than a XL and it actually fits me very well after the chemo diet. It might be the only jacket in the house that does come to think about it!






If I am not using the hood I don' want it full of snow...the hood retainer strap is a nice detail.








The Xenon tucked into it's own chest pocket with a loop for clipping it to your harness. My XL (call it a roomy US large) weighs in at full 11.8OZ! For once the "stuff" pocket is over size for the jacket and easily goes into this one. The jacket would gointo a smaller (more durable)stuff sack if the bulk is a concern on the harness. Though you are on your own for that.




I may not get the winter use I had planned for the Xenon without a hood that will go over my helmet. But this will certainly be the jacket I throw in the pack for the rest of the year as required. Yep, at under 12oz. I like it, a lot. Really, who actually gives an honest garment weight these days..BRAVO, on that oneRAB!




I like it enough that if they made the hoodbig enough togo over a helmet and kept the zippers onthe side pockets I'd buy one of those too :) After all how much weight is a bigger hood really going to add?



Here is a buying tip....if you find this jacket on sale via the Internet...make sure the version you are getting has the side pocketzips if you require them.

Waves in the sky

This is one of the first photos I made the other night as the waves of aurora began to wash over the skies of northeast Minnesota. The aurora forecast and cloud forecast were good so I left home just before 11:30 PM and arrived at McFarland Lake just after midnight. I've been wanting to catch a good aurora show at McFarland for some time now. After several attempts over the last year I finally got what I was hoping for. This lake has a public swimming beach on the south shore and the beach looks almost due north, perfect for viewing the northern lights! The lake also has very distinctive bluffs lining its shores which makes for a very photogenic horizon. The aurora was already active when I left home, but the lights were faint at first. I was hoping to get to McFarland just after midnight as the lights often flare up in their intensity around that time. Sure enough, as I was driving up the Arrowhead Trail and midnight drew near, the lights started to pick up in their intensity. When I arrived at the lake there was a full-blown aurora storm waving and dancing throughout the sky. I scrambled to get my gear set up and as quickly as I could started making images. For the next 45 minutes I stood in awe as the sky erupted with waves of light and color over and over again. In this picture you can see a line of aurora that "points" to the left. This line resembled the wall cloud of a quickly advancing thunderstorm and much like a thunderstorm, the line quickly moved from right to left across the sky then faded away. And this was just the beginning of what would end up being an awesome geomagnetic storm that would carry on through the rest of the night and well into the morning.

Bee-Happy

Though I have a surprisingly good track record of notcrashing my bike, that does not mean I haven't gotten hurt cycling. And for whatever strange reason, the main cause of that hurt has been bees. That's right, bees.



For the record, until 5 years ago I have never had a problem with the stripey, fuzzy, industrious, winged little creatures. They are handsome. They are useful. And they make delicious sweet honey. But no sooner had I put foot to pedal than our relationship soured.



In Spring I was cyclingalong the Danube Bike Path outside Vienna, when a whale of a bumble bee flew directly into my face. When our worlds collided, I was going 12mph on an upright bike and it was going full bumblebee speed. It didn't sting me. It sort of bounced off my eye, just beneath the right brow bone. But the impact had such force, that I walked around with a black eye for a week. This was back when I had a 9-5 job, with an office and Important Meetings and everything. Explaining this incident - in English and German and sometimes other languages too - never failed to delight, especially when I had to resort to pantomime. Pedal-pedal-pedal... bzzz... smack, I would gesture. My audience would positively beam with understanding. Aaaaaah, yes-yes, oop-pa!



I submit to you some statistics. Before I began cycling, I'd only been stung by a bee once, maybe twice in my life. Since I began cycling? At least half a dozen times. In fact the number might be closer to 10. The first time was a shock, the second time an annoyance. After that I began to take it in stride. Still, there are a few memorable stings. Like that beautiful spring day on which I first exposed my ankles, donning 3/4 shorts instead of full length tights, only to be stung in one of said ankles, causing a baseball sized swelling. Or that time I first rode to the Fruitlands with Pamela, and, just before reaching the top of the big climb, was stung in the fold between thigh and crotch. Or the time I was stung on the palm of my hand whilst holding the handlebars and wearing cycling gloves. I admit that continuing to hold the bars for the last 20 miles home caused some whimpering.



And then there was yesterday. Just 4 miles into a 40 mile ride, I am bombing (well, okay - proceeding cautiously) downhill, when smack! A bee flies directly into my sunglasses, bouncing off the lower edge of the right lens, then off my cheekbone, before falling to the ground. At first I don't even bother slowing down. But then I realise that the creature managed to actually sting me whilst performing its death throe acrobatics. The pain is sharp, then piercing, then downright unbearable. Finally I pull over and get off the bike. By this time the right side of my face feels like it's going numb. Of all the symptoms I know associated with bee stings, this one surprises me and I calmly wonder whether Something Bad is Happening. I pull out my phone and send a text message to my husband (who has ER experience and is great for quick unsentimental feedback). I try to be precise:"stung by bee below right eye. side face numb. keep riding or seek med help?"



Unfortunately this happens in a spot with poor cell phone reception and I am not able to send the text. Or search for "bee sting, numbness" on the internet. So I decide to keep riding until I find an establishment with a bathroom where I could clean the sting and get a better look at it. This does not take long, as the area is chock full of ice cream shops and lobster shacks placed every 2/3rd of a mile or so along the coastal roads.Despite the morning hour, the nearest lobster place is already open. They have not only a bathroom but also one of those first aid ice packs that doesn't become an ice pack until you activate it. The waitresses observe with interest, elbows on the sink, as I luxuriate in their cool bathroom, washing the sunscreen and sweat and grime off my face, then applying the ice pack to the now-swollen area.



At length the numbness wears off and now only the pain of the sting remains. I reason this means I'm okay and decide to keep riding. Maybe the pain of the sting and the pain of the cycling (I plan to practice standingagain - hoping to beat my 1/2 mile at a time record) would cancel each other out. This proves a good strategy and I proceed to have a lovely ride. Later in the day the swelling and pain subside and by the time I go to bed the incident is nearly forgotten.



Alas this morning I open my eyes and discover I cannot open the right one completely. The area beneath it looks like a misshapen tomato. Apparently this is pretty normal for a bee sting under the eye; it can take up to a week for the swelling to go down. Bees!



But you know how the song goes... "when the bee stings/ my favourite things" and all that? So I went on a squinty early morning bike ride and didn't feel so bad. The Advil probably helped too.

Mt. Si

Mt. Si is the big hill, with the rocky top, right behind North Bend. For the most part, it is a hike on a dirt trail in the shade of tall evergreens. There is an inviting feature at the top called the Haystack. It consists of a few hundred feet of easy rock scrambling. It is fun to weave your own route to the top. For some reason it seems steeper on the way down.

The clouds rolled in as we reached the top. Pictured are: Dennis, Sabrina, Dave, Cody, Doug, Bethany, Danielle and Jim.