Three Trees

Springtime in Park City

Photos taken June 1, .. in Park City, Utah

Toddler Camping ..

Or should I call this Solstice camping? In years previous I would be looking for long one day trips to attempt on the longest day of the year. I mean just under 16 hours of daylight for Seattle. A trip up to BC should clock in with 15 more minutes if you needed it, but headlamps optional for a day with that much light.



Anyway, the three of us had no obligations for two days and opted to go camping. This should have happened earlier this year, but we couldn't get our act together. We made one camping attempt back in May in the backyard, but it was so bright out, and in the tent, that Mirabelle couldn't get with the concept of sleep. We took the van this time as it provides a darker sleeping space than any of our tents.



We opted for Snoqualmie Pass on the drive out as we were hoping to get a small hike in and a longer portion for her to sleep during. Mirabelle wasn't too much into a hike under the lifts at Summit West. She wasn't into the snow too much either. So after 10-15 minutes out of the car, we had a small snack and started driving. She slept almost all the way to Leavenworth.



We were in town and it was hot. Not scorching, but hot enough that we went to Riverside Park and let Mirabelle go in the Wenatchee River. She dropped/threw rocks in and then fetched them out for a while. The water was cold but she didn't seem to mind. Eventually she went all in and we took her shirt off. After a while we hiked around the park before returning to town to wander the streets and shops. After dinner we drove up the Icicle to 8 mile to camp.







At camp we settled in and had a walk over to Icicle River where Mirabelle threw Ponderosa cones in a bit before we headed back to retire for the evening.







Even with the ridiculous amount of light, we were under some big trees and able to get Mirabelle to sleep before the sun went down. (At least that is what I think.) I was asleep shortly afterward. Unfortunately, she arose shortly after the sun around 6:30am or so and wanted out. We got ready fairly quickly and had breakfast at the picnic table in our campsite before getting on the road to a hike.



Since we didn't wish to drive far, we tried the interpretive trails at the national fish hatchery. There was some interesting things to see in the hatchery itself including a stuffed black bear and bald eagle. Outside saw raising tanks and then watched some Yakima tribe members fishing for Chinook in the Icicle before heading out on the interpretive trail. We didn't get too far before we opted to turn around as Mirabelle was already showing signs of needing a nap. That was right after we saw a small animal that may have been just a mouse, but almost looked too small and a bit yellow. But I cannot imagine what else it could have been. Perhaps the yellowish coat is more of a localized variation with all the ponderosa needles lying on the forest floor?



We hurried back to the car and Mirabelle fell asleep on the way home. She woke up in the burbs, so there was no second hike of the day.

Padre Island :: Sunset

Another one of my favorite places in Texas – Padre Island National Seashore. Photo taken December 13, .. - a delightful 75 degrees! Oh, yeah....



But things are not always what they seem. Apparently the “Red Tide” had invaded the Gulf waters. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife website it “is a naturally-occurring, higher-than-normal concentration of the microscopic algae Karenia brevis. This organism produces a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish so that they are paralyzed and cannot breathe. As a result, red tide blooms often result in dead fish washing up on Gulf beaches. When red tide algae reproduce in dense concentrations or "blooms," they are visible as discolored patches of ocean water, often reddish in color.”



I didn't see the Red Tide, but I did see the results.... Along the upper edge where the tide reaches its highest level, the beach was lined with dead fish. Trust me. It was not a pretty site. And the smell? Well, lets just say that it left something to be desired. It really wasn't too bad once you got past the line of dead fish – which included several varieties of Jelly Fish.



According to a pamphlet handed out at the entrance station, Red tide can cause problems with breathing, coughing, sneezing, and teary eyes – especially with windy weather conditions and rough surf – the exact conditions when I arrived and spent a couple hours walking along the beach!



That night I developed a cough and was sneezing quite a bit. I hadn't yet read the pamphlet so just thought it was the cool, damp night air. But it continued to get worse the next day and when I read the material provided at the entrance station I realized what it was. When I left for several hours and went into Corpus Christi, the symptoms abated somewhat. I had already paid for the second night so decided to stay.



The campground (using the term loosely – it was basically a paved parking lot) was just a few feet from the beach somewhat protected by a ridge of dunes. The smell of decaying fish was negligible once you were off of the beach. I enjoyed the sound of the surf hitting the shore and was lulled to sleep with it each night. There is something that can't be explained about that sound. It's primeval. Coupled with watching the waves coming onto the beach, moving in and out... well, it is mesmerizing.



I had planned on staying here at least five days, but with the symptoms I was experiencing, I reluctantly decided to cut my visit short. I'm happy to report that within a few hours (8-10) of leaving Padre Island, the coughing and sneezing stopped ;-)

Avalanche!

Photo courtesy of Tunc Findik and theMirror


A couple of years ago on ourfirst day of the season in Chamonix two buddies and I took the tram up to the top of the Grand Montets for some fresh air, to stretch our legs from the traveland to get a feel for the place.



Like ANY mountain environment it is a BIG place!



A few minutes later both of my friends were swept away in an slab avalanche. They took a 1/3 of a mileride and both were totally buried at some point. Thankfully both survived with only minor physical injuries. Mentally I hope that neither will ever be the same. I hope that experience haunts them both forever. Hopefully they willalways be more considerate ofthe terrain and snow conditions now. Then worry aboutwhat they want to be doing.



Thatisn't my only nightmare about snow. I intentionally try to remember them all every time I go into the mountains again. And the friends that are no longer around for a simple mistake.



Every year several people die in avalanches very close to where I live. It is a maritime snow pack here. Lots of snow here and rapidly changing conditions. But not all that different really from any other mountains I have lived in. The Rockies orSelkirks are notall that much different. Most of the year they are ourplay grounds. Part of the year they are death traps.



Knowing the difference is like playing ball at the school yard or playing ball in the middle of a busy freeway. Sounds just like alpine climbing doesn't it? Two people died over the weekend within miles of my house. Others were injured. I drove an extra hour to spent the weekend skiing in the relative comfort of a ski area and several thousand feet higher in elevation. Skiing inwhat was likelythe last big winter storm cycle of the year. Even insidea controlled and skier packed ski area the conditions were rapidly changing and iffy IMO on certain aspects at different times during the day. Pays to notice such things. No one owes you a freebie...even the ski area or their Ski Patrol.



Early in that stormwe were skiing 2 feet or more of lwt powder laid ona rain layer that had frozen solid prior to the newest snow fall. Imagine that potential on even moderate slopes. The lower you went on the mountain, the higher the moisture in the new snow pack. And the higher a chance of a dangerious slide. The elevation whereI got on the liftbecame a death zone with a bigger dump of snow in such a short time. The higher you got, the less problematic the conditions were...that day...where i was. And that wasjust a few air miles away from the fatal slides.



Miles Smart, an American Alpine guide living in Chamonix posted this on Facebook today with a good photo selection, "One of today's many avalanches. It was a good day to have a beer in the sun wearing flip flops."



You don't have to be aUIAGM mountain guide to know when it is best to stay out of the mountains or find a betterplace to enjoy them. Being in a developedAmericanski area doesn't eliminate all risk. Nothing does. And it isn't wilderness. But better to be around people for a day in thesnow than found buried in it.



Trust no one. Make your own decisions. Inthe case of snow conditions? Always error on the side of caution. It is only luck that gives you "overs" in an avalanche.



Below, is the the run out, at the scene of the crime, in . Literally a 5 minute walk or less from the lift.






Kinda looks like a gianthead stone doesn't it?

Three Nomics are buried there now. Luckily no Americans ..this time.

What happened to the Camp Muir Webcam?

April 14,

The webcam hasn't worked since a fateful day in late November.

I have it in my office in Longmire. I went up about two months ago with all the tools to fix it, but I was unable to make field repairs, so I dismantled it and brought it down the hill.

I have been able to connect to the on-board server, but the image doesn't come up in the admin tool. I will delegate this repair to one of the climbing rangers over the next few weeks. If we can't repair or make an easy adjustment, then we'll have to order a new one.

How did it get broken? Well, reports have come in from various places, but it appears that the webcam has been consistently been taking a good beating. Not by weather, but by people, well-meaning people, to be more exact. The webcam during storms gets rimed up and it obscures the view. It may stay like this for days. So when avid viewers are actually at Camp Muir and in a position to "fix" the rime on the camera, they either hit or scrape the rime off the camera.

The marks on the camera's protective dome seem to corroborate the circumstantial evidence and the hear-say. It definitely looks like dome has taken some pretty heavy blows with a sharp object.

It will still be a month or more until I can get it working again.

Sorry for the delay.

They Think You're Eccentric

"I don't want to go around in a car all the time. I don't think it's healthy. But if they see you walking on a road out there, they think you're eccentric."



These words were uttered by "Little Edie" Beale, the reclusive cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, as an explanation for why she finally decided to sell the dilapidated Long Island estate Grey Gardens where she'd been holed up for decades with several dozen cats.The irony of this statement coming from her aside, there is undoubtedly a truth to it.



As a teenager in a New England suburb in the 1990s, I was among the very few students in my high school who did not drive. My boyfriend was another such anomaly. We walked home from school together almost every day and it was just under 3 miles, taking us down the main street that stretched through the center of town and then along a woodsy park road that wound around a lake. I remember these walks vividly, because together with the scenery and the endless deep conversations there was always a degree of dread mixed into it. Everything would be wonderful until someone would drive by and shout something nasty at us. It could be students from the school or it could be adults from town, and the harassment usually varied from random hooting to things like "Whatsamatta kid, too poor to drive your girl to the woods?" On occasion, even a police car would slow down to make sure we weren't up to no good - just because we were walking.



While mostly we were okay with all of this and even found it funny, it would be a lie to pretend it did not get to us on some level. One Valentine's Day we got into an argument, because we wanted to go for ice cream, but both secretly dreaded the idea of walking or riding our bikes there - kind of difficult to maintain a romantic mood while getting harassed. When I think back on this, the absurdity of it overwhelms me. But that's really how it was in our town, at least in the 90s.



In the American suburbs getting around other than in a car is not normal, and I think we underestimate the extent to which this social element is an obstacle to walking and cycling. The majority of people do not wish to be perceived as poor, eccentric, or even "different" as they go out for ice cream on Valentine's Day.

Team Straya, hell yeah! Australia day

Tom kicked off the proceedings with a stab at Sis's new route "Eraserhead" 26 (?!).

Now, lately,flood ravaged Queenslanders have been getting some expertise in sandbagging, and it seems Sis has mastered the form.

That mantle is slopey, and doesn't want anyone on it. And high.





Quote: "This is retarded" Tom O'Halloran

Tom O'Halloran - climbing for Australia.

John (not me) enjoys the saucey, salady goodness of theBBQ lunch.



Tom O'Halloran

"Strength in Unity"

Not exactly sure who this guy is.

His mates say his name is Jimmy. But there seemed to be someuncertainty.

They reckon he is about 20. Again, not sure.

They say he remembers to bring his guitar to the crag but forgets his harness and shoes. It all sounds pretty vague.

Style:Jimmyscreams socialistchic and solidarity inlast seasons "Enterprise Bargain Agreement" T-Shirt in black with yellow ".Your Pay - Your Call" print by the always hip Aussie label, Australian Workers Union.

Did you get a good look at me Jimmy? Spooky huh?



The movethat started it all.Nine routes fan out from thisbeginning.



Jimmy put down the guitar long enough to switch on and send Spoonman.



Then back to guitar for songs of workers struggles and sendage celebrations.





It never hurts to have a stab at something hard at the end of the day.











The 'Psychic Spouse' Fallacy

Talking to people who cycle with their spouse, I consistently discover for how many couples this does not really work. Despite both partners being into cycling, they just can't ride with each other - to the point than they each go off with separate cycling clubs or riding partners. After nearly three years of cycling together, I have to say that the Co-Habitant and I are sort of in that category. We do ride together, and it can be nice. But we seem to have such different approaches and styles, that it can get overwhelming. When two people are compatible as romantic partners, how can it be difficult to ride together?




A fellow cyclist recently voiced a theory that I think may hit the mark. Romantic partners - and particularly those who have been together for a long time - tend to function on the assumption that their spouse is at least somewhat "psychic" when it comes to gauging their intentions and needs. This comes from living together long enough to understand each other without having to explicitly spell everything out. And it then gets falsely transferred to cycling. Whereas with a stranger, we would never assume that they can anticipate a maneuver which we do not signal, or will experience energy bursts at the same time as us, or will know which way to go at an intersection if the route is new to them, with a spouse we sometimes do erroneously assume exactly that, without even realising it. The spouse is sort of like an extension of ourselves, and therefore is expected to "just know" these things... But of course they can't possibly know things like when you intend to turn left, or stop for water, or whether you prefer to weave through traffic vs wait it out, or whether you feel up to climbing that next hill. Is it possible to treat your spouse as you would a stranger when you ride together, without assumptions about them intuitively understanding you? I don't know, but it's an interesting idea. At least it might help to keep in mind that yourspouse is not actually psychic.

Greetings from Montana!

So, here I am in southwest Montana, in what is called “God's Country” by some people. It is a gorgeous place. But I must say, there are many areas of this nation that can easily be referred to as God's Country. Our nation is, to put it mildly, a fantastically beautiful place. I've seen much of it in the last 10 months and, the good Lord willing, will see more of it in the future.

However, I'll be taking a short “vacation” from traveling for a few weeks. (It is hard to believe that I've been here over a week already!)

The Agenda: Simply relaxing and taking care of a few “chores” such as sorting photos and deleting duplicates from my hard drive, which is rapidly filling up. Never fear, ALL photos (except the obvious duds) are also stored on two external drives. The van is in need of a good cleaning too so I'll be removing everything from it as well as doing some sorting and discarding of things I think I no longer need, which I don't think will be all that much.

The local library has wifi (Yay!!) that is not “fast” but isn't too awfully slow so I've spent an hour or two there nearly every day (they are closed on Sunday and Monday). But most of my time has been spent working on the computer. I have made some headway with sorting and deleting images from the netbook but it is a slow and somewhat tedious process. However, seeing those pictures again has brought back some wonderful memories as well as more than a few “Huh, what is that? Why did I take that?” moments. LOL.

Now, Susan, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that I'm not complaining... but television reception is nearly nonexistent (one channel comes in but it's fuzzy) and NPR is the only radio station that comes in clear. Luckily they have a collection of DVDs and VCR Tapes (remember those?) so I've been watching a few movies (most I've never seen and some I've never heard of). It's almost like leading a “normal” life!

I haven't done much sightseeing yet, but that too is on the agenda. After all, Yellowstone National Park is only two hours away! The day after my arrival I visited with an acquaintance who also has a place here (he influenced Susan and Don's choice of vacation homes) and he gave me a list of “must see” places in the area. So Sunday afternoon (July 4th) I went for a drive along one of the area highways. Soooo pretty. I think I'm going to like it here...




I will be forever indebted to my friends Susan and Don for their generosity. I know I've said it before, but it truly cannot be said often enough – THANK YOU!

Trip to Las Cruces, NM

I could say that this is the way I rode to Las Cruces, NM last week but actually it was just my truck that went that way. I rode in the cab of the black truck with my son. He had come to Albuquerque to pick up the long trailer and since I wanted to go back with him for a few days we loaded by pickup on the trailer rather than using gas in both vehichels. I was then able to drive back in my little red truck when I was ready to.

James Joslin :: 1841 Sale of Land to Lysander

On July 2, 1841 James Joslin and Abigail, his wife, sold 40 acres of the original 80 that he had purchased from the United States on September 20, 1837 in Whitley County, Indiana to Lysander Price Joslin for $50.

The unusual thing about the transaction, at least to me, is that Lysander was only 16 years old at the time of the transaction. Then, three years later, on August 1, 1844 James and Abigail sold the remaining 40 acres (20 acres each) to Edwin M. and Joseph A. Joslin. (Those two records will be posted in the near future.) Edwin was only 14 years old at the time and Joseph was a month shy of 12. Edwin and Joseph each paid $50 for their 20 acres of land. If long time readers think all this sounds a bit familiar, it's because I mentioned these transactions briefly back in October ...

As I said back then, it just makes you wonder what was really going on. There must have been a reason that James and Abigail sold the land to their young sons (presuming that they are their sons) but I doubt that we will ever know why.

For some reason, I always thought that there was a minimum age of 18 or 21 for purchasing land, but apparently there isn't. The only reference I've found to the legal age for buying land was a post on a mailing list that says that a person did not have to be 21 to own land, whether by purchase, grant or inheritance. But, he did have to be 21 to sell it.

My research notes show that Lysander purchased Edwin's 20 acres on January 21, 1851 for $200. Edwin turned 21 the previous December. Joseph sold his 20 acres to Lysander on November 1, 1853 for $300. Joseph had turned 21 in September.

=+==+==+=

Whitley County, Indiana
Deed Book A Page 505
Dated July 2, 1841
Filed June 13th 1842
Recorded June 16, 1842

505

[Written in left hand column] Filed June 13th 1842

This Indenture made this Second day of July in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty one by and Between James Joslin and Abigail his wife of the County of Whitley and State of Indiana of the first part and Lysander Price Joslin of the County and State aforesaid of the Second part. Witnesseth that the said party of the first part for and in consideration of the just and lawful sum to them paid of Fifty Dollars the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged by the said party of the first part hath granted bargained Sold and Conveyed and by these presents doth grant bargain Sell and Convey unto the Said party of the Second part his heirs and assigns forever all the following described premises to wit. The South half of the East half of the North west quarter of Section Twenty five in Township No Thirty two North of Range Eight East Containing forty acres according to the original Survey. To have and to hold the above described premises hereby Sold and Conveyed unto the Said party of the Second part his heirs and assigns forever together with all the hereditament and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining unto the party of the Second part to his own proper use benefit and behoof. And the Said party of the first part for themselves their heirs executors and administrators hereby covenant to and with the Said party of the Second part his heirs executors administrators and assigns that they the Said party of the first part are the lawful owners of the Said premises and have good right full power and lawful authority to Sell and convey the Same in manner aforesaid that the same are free from all incumbrances and that the Said party of the first part will Forever Warrant and Defend the Same against the claim or claims of all and every person or persons whomsever.

In testimony whereof the Said James Joslin and Abigail his wife have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and Year first above written.

James Joslin {Seal}
Abigail Joslin {Seal}

Signed Sealed and delivered }
In presence of
James Grant
Sarah Ann Pierce

State of Indiana Whitley County } SS

Personally came before me the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace in and for Said County James Joslin and Abigail wife of the Said James Joslin Known to me to be the grantors named in the above Deed of conveyance and acknowledged that they signed and Sealed the Same for the use and purposes therein expressed And the Said Abigail wife of the aforesaid James Joslin being by me examined Seperate and apart from the Said husband acknowledged that She executed the Same freely and without any fear or compulsion from her Said husband.

Given under my hand and Seal this Second day of July in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty one.

James Grant J.P. {seal}
Recorded June 16th 1842

Mill Trail in Redwood Regional Park

Mill Trail, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Here's the Mill Trail in the awe-inspiring Redwood Regional Park. Yesterday's rain cleaned all the dust off the leaves and turned the dull mosses a fluorescent green. There was even a stream flowing nearby, which had been dry a few weeks ago.

Redwood is an interesting park because its stream contains the habitat of the original rainbow trout. The rainbow trout was first identified here as a new species in 1855. The fish has since been introduced to many lakes, rivers, and streams around the world.