On the Vine

This was a big watermelon. We guessed it at about 20 pounds. Biggest we ever raised. And it was good. The next photo down is of it cut open.

Mountain Dandies

A lot of the mountain meadows were covered with dandelion flowers. Carpets of bright yellow. I don't think these dandies are native to the mountain but sure are pretty when blooming. The wild goose berries were blooming, too. Tiny little orange blossoms that will make a berry favored by birds, and other wildlife. We saw a bird nest in one blue spruce near a small creek. The open seed cones of pinon pine trees, New Mexico's pine tree, and aspen trees that had their back rubbed by the deer and elk last fall when they were rubbing the velvet off of their antlers. The deer and elk damage the aspens when they do this leaving unique designs in the white bark that are black. Some people carve on the aspens but shouldn't do it and I hate to see it.

Alenax: the Ultimate Vintage Freak Bike?

Looking for the perfect bike for that End of the World themed ride? I think I found it. Having seen so many crazy two-wheeled contraptions in the basements and garages of collectors over the years, I sometimes think that I've seen it all and that no bike can really surprise me anymore. And that's usually when I'll stumble upon something like this. Notice anything out of the ordinary?





How about now?






Meet theAlenax TRB 2400, the original Transbar Power bicycle. It was designed to be pedaled using up-and-down motions instead of circular motions. Presumably this was done to approximate the feel of walking, thereby making cycling feel more "natural." Here is a video of this in action.






In leu of a crankset, the Alenax sports two pivoted "transbars." I won't pretend to understand how exactly the system works, but seethis articleby Jobst Brandt andthe Alenax blogfor additional descriptions.






A stem-mounted shifter controls the gears






- on Alenax's own internally geared hub.





Abundance of cables and chains along the drivetrain.







But aside from the pedaling system, the Alenax looks disconcertingly normal. Lugs, skinny tubes, shimmery paint, tan wall tires. It's basically just a typical '80s roadbike, retrofitted to accommodate the Transbar Power system. It is also a good 5lb heavier that a standard roadbike from that era.






When Alenax came out with these bikes in 1983, they marketed aggressively, intending to revolutionise bicycle design. They attended all the bike shows, made promotional videos, courted distributors. But amazingly, the concept failed to catch on. By 1993 they threw in the towel, and all that's left today are the (apparently highly collectible) traces of their efforts. At some point more recently, it looks like there was an attempt to modernise and rebrand, but that too does not seem to have worked out.








I am doing some freelance work for Harris Cyclery, and one of the perks is getting to see things like this. Jon Harris dragged the Alenax out of the shop's basement one day, then proceeded to ride it jauntily up and down the block. "It feels a little strange until you get it up to speed," he explained, "but after that it's fine!" The bike is too big for me to ride, so I cannot confirm that. But they do have a partially assembled step-through version in the basement...

Rock in the suburbs

cover photography: Lee Cujesclick on the photo to enlarge.."Spoonman" 28.Six moves into the eight move sequence of the crux traverse, up with the right then out with the left to the horn and clip R.Then followsa tough slog to the final heart breaker, a long lunge offthe left with high feet.Trying to convert the drive from the high feet into liftafter all that hard work is the clincher.

Back of Morning Glory

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1930)

The 21st Annual Reunion of the Phend Fisher families was held at Raymond Phends home north of Elkhart Sunday Aug 31st 1930

Dinner at noon followed by business session. The meeting was called to order by Harold Phend President. Sec. report was read and approved and bills allowed. It was voted upon to have a place committee to decide the place to meet next year 1931, Place committee was elected as follows.
Raymond Phend
Will Phend
Reuben Pletcher
Place committee to have power to chang[e] time from last Sunday of Aug; But suggested to keep time as near as possible to present time of reunion

Memorial report
J J Phend Oct 10th 1929 age 70
Chris Phend Sep 3rd 1929 [age] 78
Molly Phend April 8th 1930 [age] 77
James Phend [age] 10 mo.
Geraldine Lusher May 9th 1930 [age] 17
John Slear Jan 18th 1930 [age] 87



[page 2]
Births.
Robert Eugene son of Paul Phend [still living, date omitted for posting although it is in the image]
William Henry son of Victor Phend [still living, date omitted for posting although it is in the image]

Election of officers
Pres. Henry Phend.
Vice. Pres. Will Phend.
Sec. & Treas. Reuben Pletcher.

Entertaining Committee, Barton Thornton chairman to appoint his own help.
Memorial and Birth reporter, Surelda Thornton

Treasury report.
Bal. On hand 6.31
Bills Presented 4.90 [balance] 1.41
Offering 2.64 [balance] 4.05

Program
Instrumental Solo - Mrs. Hartman
Reading - Mrs. Barton Thornton
Song - Paul and Harry Pletcher, Richard Thornton
Solo - Barton Thornton
Piano Solo - Richard Thornton

There were 65 members pres. Meeting was closed by President. After which a social time with games and contests were enjoyed.

Reuben Pletcher Sec.

Illuminated Camellia

A camellia flower at the UC Berkeley Garden.

Two miles through the snow

Along the snowy "dusty"

Tyre tracks and footprints

The reluctant sun

Deep by the gate

The path through the houses - and oh, dear, those fence posts look like a row of people . . .

Bugs!

Crouching spider,



Hidden grasshopper.



A female spider with her spiffy egg sac.

Sorry, don't have time to ID the bugs this morning! If anyone knows, please leave a comment or email and I'll add the info. I'm thinking that the last one may be a wolf spider.

Edited to add:
Thanks so much to Thingfish23 who has identified the first "spider" above as, well, not a spider but a Harvestman. (I really should have known that. His body didn't look quite right for a spider.)
Order Opiliones.

The second one's a Northern Green-Striped Grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata), according to this site and this one. (Thanks again Thingfish23.)

Thingfish23 also says that the third image above is of a "nursery web spider" (Pisaurina mira).

Edited again:
Sisu says the third one is a wolf spider.

Get ready for the Battle of the arachnophiles!

If anyone else has an opinion on the identity of the spider in question, please email or leave a comment.

The People's Choice on shells!

A couple of weeks ago I had asked for your favorite shells and why.  Here is some of what I

got. Please bare with the email cut and pastes. No clue how to fix that. But the feedback is great. Thanks to all who took the time and contributed. Enjoy!

For ice climbing in Colorado, I am pretty happy with this:

1 - Eddy Bauer Accelerant jacket layered over a thin base layer.  It
is surprisingly warm, very lightweight, and has an excellent athletic
fit with long arms.  I sometimes use the thumbholes on the sleeves.
This jacket solves the annoying problem of hood wars.  I like one hood
under the helmet (this jacket provides that) and one hood over the
helmet (the next jacket provides that).  For fast moving in coldish
conditions it breathes adequately and seems reasonably durable.  The
Arcteryx equivalent of the Accelerant is probably just as good, but
more expensive and I do tend to trash these little lightweight
jackets.  Also I really like the thumbholes and lightweight hood of
the Accelerant.
2 - When it gets colder, or for belays, I add a Wild Things lightly
insulated jacket.  That one is compact enough I am happy wearing it
while climbing.  It breathes ok, is windproof and very water resistant
and durable.  It has a good over the helmet hood.  It could be warmer
for belays, but I don't like carrying a garment just for belays.  When
I am instructing and standing around a lot I take an old OR synthetic
puffy instead which is heavier, but toasty.
3 - Whenever I can get my hands on one of the waterproof/breathable
non-woven Dyneema jackets I'll throw one in the pack for hideous
conditions.

Bob Culp

Hi.



I'm Matti from Finland and I'm pretty active all round climber, skier and hiker. And
with ski I mean telemark, cross country and Nordic touring. The weather is normally
pretty severe here in northern Finland, Sweden and Norway where I do most of my
winter activities. -20C is pretty standard day during the Jan - Mar. My coldest ice
climbing week had average of -32C. I'm not very good at ice stuff, but I can lead WI
4-5 so it serves as "feelgood" activity during winter where I mostly climb
multipitch WI3 in Norway and Sweden. My main focus is in summer stuff (7c+ in both
sport and boulder and (well protected) trad up to ~7a). Anyho I get around 200
outdoor days (I also include after work stuff) per year.

My absolutely favourite is old 'Ryx Gamma MX hoody(polartec version). It works in
everything (as long as the weather is below zero degrees) and awesomely. Put thick
merino underwear under it and perhaps light down west (like Patagucci down west) if
it's real cold. You stay warm and dry even if you get totally soaked during climb
and it's -20C. First the stuff might freeze, but in few moments of high wattage
action and you are dry again. And unlike real hardshell the shit really breaths. You
can see the difference as huge cloud of steam :). This is very important fe in
Nordic touring, cross country skiing or when I'm skinning as you sweat up to 12
hours a day.

I must say that I sweat like a pig, but So Far (tm) I haven't tried a HS material
that would actually keep me dry even in dry if I'm active. And in really cold the
water just stays inside the HS jacket. Also they tend to rip.

Also the stretch cuffs are pretty much second best feature in the jacket. Combine
them with gloves (like those stupendously expensive 'Ryx leather gloves) you can
tuck in and you've got seal that's totally water and snow proof. No matter what you
do it doesn't open up. Also it' really robust. Velcros just break down. I know it's
probably not so much of an problem with you as you guys change to new apparel more
often than I change my underwear, but with us regular joe's we really appreciate
garment that lasts. I've gotten 7 years of active use out of my Gamma and now it's
totally destroyed.

Also the cut is fantastic. I love just how the garment fits just so and doesn't
leave any extra material to block my view to harness. Also at the same time it
allows good range of motion.

Regarding most of the stuff above I'm in a bit of a dilemma. New Gamma MX doesn't
just float my boat way old one did. Cut is more average consumer orientated,
material isn't as wind resistant (old one was spot on for my tastes) and seems
somehow less sturdy. This brings the problem that there really isn't any other
jackets with:
1. Good cut and quality
2. same cuffs
3. Powershield
4. Good hood
5. Wouldn't mind if it also looked good.

Ideas?

We've got custom shop here in my hometown (Oulu) that makes tailored outdoot gear
(www.shelby.fi<http://www.shelby.fi>), but polartec powershield isn't available
unless one gets few hundreds of meters of it -> they do not stock it.

-Matti Sillanpää-

Bruno
Schull said...

My choice for a softshell jacket is the Marmot tempo hoody. This is an
inexpensive non-lined softshel. Mot importantly, it fits me really well in XL. I
am tall with long arms, and I find it extremely difficult to find a jacket that
works for climbing. The Tempo has a long back and arms, and is one of the very
few jackets that I can tuck under a harness, and will not pull out when I raise
my arms over my head. The hood works well over a helmet. The cuff closures are
simple and effective. The pockets are located above the harness and out of the
way of pack straps. No pit zips. Simple and clean. It is not as waterproof nor
as wind resistant as some of the lined shells, but it makes up for that by being
extremely breathable; the inside stays dry and your body stays warm. Great,
simple, effective, inexpensive jacket. Also comes in some offensive florescent
colors for Dane! All the best.

Daniel
Harro said...



Arcteryx Gamma SL hybrid is a nice jacket as well as being truly light weight
at 13 oz.


http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Gamma-SL-Hybrid-Hoody

I
personally think "uninsulated shells" should clock in well under 14 ounces,
anything heavier is too much. My Alpha LT hardshell is 13.5 oz.





brian said...

Great discussion as always Dane. What about the Acto MX Hoody? I switched
last year after climbing in Gamma MX Hoody's and the first gen of the Venta MX
for many years. I find the Acto breathes much better than any other softshell,
and when it gets real nippy, i throw the Atom LT over it. No complaints other
than the "trim fit" versus the "athletic fit" on the mx line.

Andy said...

Hey Dane - totally second the comment by Brian about the Acto MX Hoody. I
agree it's perhaps best to call it a hardfleece rather than a soft shell. But in
terms of the fabrics properties and performance I find it similar to something
like the Rab Scimitar you reviewed above. But better. Very breathable, very
water resistant, amazingly durable, though not very wind resistant. Not too
different from most stretch woven fabrics though I reckon. I too was a long time
Gamma MX Hoody user, I find the Acto way better all things considered and it's
the best hardfleece/soft shell I've ever used.

Ian said...

In my mind the best hardshell is the one that never leaves my backpack. I
have yet to wear a hardshell I actually liked. I have a very lightweight Rab
shell but I've only ever worn it once.

First Place for me: Patagonia Supercell Jacket. Gore-tex paclite material,

weighs 13.5 oz. Great fit (for me - 5' 11'' 180 pounds size large). As

breathable as traditional hard shell gore tex gets in my opinion. Super

minimal design and great hood. This is my new go to shell for just about

any adventure in the mountains but especially for ice climbing. My favorite

shell is the one that stays in my pack until I really need it. In this

case, the supercell performs great, packs up into its hood, provides great

waterproof protection and breaths pretty damn well (vents still needed when

really working hard).



Zach Lees



Until last winter I was

using some lighweight hardshells from Mountain Hardwear and TNF. Neither

of them were really Alpine specific. The MH was too long and always

interfered with ropes and harness access. The TNF jacket was a nice

shorter cut and very packable, but more geared for warmer weather and I

never fully trusted its ability to keep me warm and dry in nasty

conditions. Last winter my goal became to find a high quality, high-value

alpine shell with Goretex Proshell, or equivalent. I ended up going with

the Outdoor Research Mentor

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/or-gear/jackets/mens-mentor-jacket.html

I think the suggested retail price is very fair for a pro shell jacket, and

OR gear always seems to end up on sale or clearance. I scored my Mentor

for about half off. While I have yet to test it in any real nasty weather,

my initial impressions are strong. Seems to be of high quality

construction, and fit and style suit me well. It also feels pretty bomber

and will hold up to the New England granite and whatever else I put it

through. Here is a picture of me on Mt. Osceola (New Hampshire) last

winter. I think OR will be a good source of high-value outerwear for the

next few years as its clothing line expands ahead of its reputation. I

think they have always been well respected for their gaitors, gloves, hats,

etc. and I think their outerwear will follow suit. I am about to spring

for last season's OR Maestro down jacket which is on clearance on several

websites. At least on paper it stacks up to most of the 800-fill power,

quantum pertex shelled down belay jackets.



For a soft shell I wear a Rab Baltoro. I picked it up on clearance as

well. Does SteepandCheap.com ship to Canada? While I haven't used any

others, I can say that I really enjoy the Rab. Originally a soft shell

skeptic, it won me over. For soft shell pants, I am in love with my Wild

Things Mountain Guide pants. On one of my first winter overnights I

experienced some layering errors and ended up sweating into and soaking

much of my insulating layers. Those mountain guide pants wicked and

evaporated everything and stayed dry as a bone. My Rab jacket froze into a

solid lump when I swapped it out for my down hoody and hard shell on the

wind-blown summit.



Regards,

Tony



My weapon of choice is the Haglöfs fang. Sadly as far as I can tell it is

discontinued. I will just give you a short list of features I really liked, the

material, weight, etc. are on the web anyway.



+A huge hood, a meteor 3 fits nicely, is 4 way adujstable

+pit zips for dumbing heat ( I tend to sweat like a pig)

+the most durable softshell I had so far



Not much of a review but worth a look if you see one on sale, I'm 190cm and 78kg

and have L, if you want to wear some extra layers XL is fine too.
Bert

Rocks in my head

Sometimes we find rocks made of rocks.



I tried to get a snapshot showing how rocky it is near the top of the hill.



But maybe this closeup of the old logging road bank shows it better. It's limestone at the bottom of the hill and sandstone near the top.



Hubby has started building these little rock towers everywhere.



The creek bed has huge boulders in some places, but this pebbly area is better for wading.



I made a little rock collection near the edge. The red ones often have plant fossils in them.



When I was a kid I was convinced that these were moon rocks.

Here's the easy way to look good at the crag

Get one of these from Red Chili and leave the fashion choices up to the experts. How good would that look on film?Boulder Shirt by Red Chili

Cycling and Hairstyles: Long vs Short

This morning I received an email from a reader asking whether I prefer long or short hair for cycling. Short answer: Long!




Last summer I chopped my hair for the first time in nearly two decades. While I didn't do it for the sake of cycling, I did expect short hair to be easier to manage for someone who rides a lot compared to my previously unruly mane. Surely it would feel lighter, be less prone to getting disheveled and sweaty, be easier to comb. Lots of active women have short hair, so this logic made sense.




But oh how wrong I was.You know how sometimes you have a bad hair day? I feel like I've had a bad hair year.While I like the look of my bob and it was nice to have a change, as far as cycling it's been annoying and fussy. Not long enough to fit into a pony tail, it is long enough to fly into my eyes when I ride unless I use lots of pins. This includes the times I am roadcycling and wearing a helmet - loose strands won't stay under the helmet, but fly in my face unless I remember to pin them down. Post-ride maintenance is harder as well. When my hair was long and it got disheveled or tangled after a ride, I could simply put it up in a "messy bun" and it would look decent enough. With short hair there is no way to hide the mess; looking presentable after a sweaty or windy ride is a challenge.




So while it may seem counter-intuitive, my experience as a cyclist has been that long hair is easier to deal with: With or without a helmet, I can just tie it back or braid it and forget about it. Now that mine fits into a pony tail again, I am ecstatic and feel like I need to write a note to myself with a reminder to never cut it again. I could see how a buzz-cut or pixie cut would be low-maintenance, but my chin-length bob has been anything but.




What are your thoughts on hair maintenance and cycling? Have you changed or tweaked your hairstyle as a result of riding a bike?

A quick fix for the "new" Nomic or Ergo pommels..

Petzl is now offering to fix anynew tool under warrenty. Petzl'sis adding a pin through the pommel which is a much better solution than epoxy imo. Petzl was quick to respond and offer a fix and a replacement. They are a good company to support.



This is not an authorised Petzl solution for beefing up the pommels on the new Nomic and Ergo but it is the best I can come up with and not alter the handles.



Alter the actual tool handle and you void the warranty. Which you don't want to do!



The issue is that the pommels themselves are stripping out the adjustment system and wrecking the handles.

Pommels are easy to modify and inexpensive to replace. Petzl should love what I am about to suggest as it willprotect both your investment and Petzl's at least in the short term.



Couple of cautions first from my own experience. Make sure of the size you want the grip set at. Doing what I will suggest makes them bolted and glued into placeat only onesize. You could buy extra pommels when they become available through Petzl and do the same thing but with a different hand size setting if required. And have another size grip, bigger or smaller or all three. Just takes a extra pair of pommels for each grip size you'll require.



I found that I could climb on the smallestsize settingon the first day but by the second day of climbing my hands were swollen enough that I had to go up to the medium setting as the smallest size had become just a bit too tight and slightly painful. And these weren't the first days of the season for me.



That surprised me as the new tools have slightly different settings from the original Nomics. A bit smaller and a bit bigger in the same settings it seems.



OK, the short term fix? I used an industrial strengthsteel epoxy to fill in the bottom of the slot inthe pommel.But first and the most important, if you want to maintain the warranty, is be sure to use an epoxy that can be usedwith arelease agent. I used Steel Bed from Brownell's. (http://www.brownell's.com/) A number of similar products out there but that is one I am very familiar with. It will certainly reinforce the pommels...but no idea if it will keep them in one place long term. Seriously...I doubt it. Knowing the abuse these tools take it is not the best answer but an easy fix, short term.. But not a lot of options at the moment either.

Back to the fix I used.



Be sure to give the end of the shaft a liberal layer of release agent and cover everything including the nooks and crannies. Then add just enough epoxy (a layer 3 or 4 mm thick in the bottom of the pommel cut should do) of your choice to have it pushed out the end of the pommel on either side when you bolt your pommels back on. It won't take much so don't over do it here. Make sure the pommels are in the correct position that you choose before starting. Make sure both tools are the same position! Wipe off the excess that was pressed out when you slide and then bolted the pommel down. Let the parts drythe suggested 24 or 36 hrs. The longer the cure time usually the stronger the resin-epoxy bond's strength.



I'm off for 5 days of ice climbing in the morning so we'll see just how long the "fix"lasts.





Factory shaft with umbilical attachment hole pre drilled and beveled by Pertzl. Nicely done. And the three obvious pommel adjustment notches that are failing on the right hand side of the shaft.

4mm cord easily fits into the factoryumbilical hole if you want a lower profile umbilical attachment.

Cord and pommel in place at the medium setting..but not bolted down yet. It had better be right when you put this all together because you won't be moving it again other than to replace it after you have added the epoxy bedding material.

Easy to see here the tiny bit of pommel I groundoff to fit an umbilical clip cord if that is something you want to do while you are working on the shaft. The new pommels are aneasily replaceable part and inexpensive.



In the pictures below I am holding the pommel so you can look down into the shaft's slot and see the single steel engagement tooth. I laid a thick layer of Steel Bed Epoxy into that slot which covered the single steel "tooth." Putting your chosen bedding compound-epoxy here will help prevent the shaft end of the tool from being strippedout by excess movement of the pommel in hard use. The idea is to reinforce the steel notch pin in the pommel by addingsome support with the steel based epoxy in the other adjustment slots.



If you want to run umbilicals Petzl has made that easy now by the hole in the shaft able to take4mm or 5mm cord. Easy to grind off the back end of the pommels and thankfully not change the feel on the grip. 4 or 5mm cord will generally be about the same strength as the commercial umbilicals like Grivel's and BD's.