Redwood Waters

A small stream tumbles through a redwood forest.

I'll miss you

I can scarely believe that the Bloodroots are almost gone. Every year it seems I haven't spent enough time with them.



Closed up for the night.

I visited a really special place with some of my fellow wildflower nuts. I'll share it once I can get Blogger to start cooperating better... I'm having a little trouble uploading photos at present.

Crowded

I heard there were some 600 balloons registered for the fiesta. I have not heard exactly how many went up yesterday, nor how many people attended. I did hear that there were some 25,000 cars in the parking lot at some time during the morning.
The morning was perfect, but the afternoon turned into a sand storm with lots of wind, followed by a rain that kept the balloons from doing the evening balloon glow, and then a harder rain during the night, (we had 1 and a half inches in our rain gage) caused a cancellation in this mornings mass ascension. But I heard the this evening the balloon glow was supposed to go. So if you don't like crowds don't go.

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.

Grasshopper Snack

I had a fun encounter with this little bird at work today. One of my co-workers had noticed that this small bird was hanging around on the lawn in front of the visitor center and was apparently not bothered by people being close by. After watching the bird for a few minutes we realized it was hunting for grasshoppers. Over the course of 10 to 15 minutes we watched this little fellow catch at least a half-dozen grasshoppers and swallow them right after catching them. I laid down on my stomach with my 100-400 lens to capture an eye-level shot of the bird. I was hoping to catch him with a grasshopper in his mouth, but wasn't overly optimistic that I would actually get the shot. Within seconds of laying down on the ground, however, the bird hopped towards me and plucked a grasshopper up from the ground!

Sketchy Cycles: the Talk of the Town

I first mentioned Sketchy Cycles last summer, when I went on a ride with Jim and he rode his new custom bike. Since then I have been curious to try one, and now I finally have.



This pink Sketchy belongs to Susan, who works at Harris Cyclery and also writes the blog Twelfth Bike. She has had it for exactly a year now, and has used it for everything from commuting to the D2R2. Susan is an experienced cyclist, who has ridden many other nice bicycles over the years, and she likes her Sketchy the best and has a review of this bicycle here. Susan's bike has a pink, white and black colour scheme going, which I find very pleasant.



Sketchyframes are steel and handmade by Mike Salvatore, who is a welder at Seven Cycles. There is no website yet, but you can get in touch here. What intrigued me about Sketchy, was that some pretty knowledgeable local bike people started getting them: mechanics, bike shop employees, even other frame builders (Brad of Geekhouse Bikeshas just had one made). What is it about Sketchy that has made it the "it" bike for those in the know?

Well, here was my chance to find out. I was able to try Susan's bike, because not only are we the same height, but she uses Campagnolo ergos (my hands don't work with Shimano STIs, which really limits the roadbikes I can competently test ride).

Threadless stem and modern compact drop bars, the feel of which I quite like. I've been trying to get a feel for whether I prefer handlebars like these to the likes of Nitto Noodles and Grand Bois Maes, but really can't decide. Possibly it depends on the bike.

Is it normal that I find brazed-on brake cable hangers "pretty?"

Paul's cantilever brakes.

A J-Tek adaptor to make the non-Campy drivetrain compatible with the Campagnolo levers.

Carminacrankset and a very cool chainguard.

Velocity wheels with wide tires (usually 35mm) that change based on season and the type of riding Susan is doing.

At the moment they are Schwalble Marathon Supremes.



Dynamo lighting.

Lezynepump mounted next to the waterbottle cage, which I thought was a neat idea.

Berthoud saddle (which Susan is not quite sure she likes yet).

SKS fenders and Tubus rear rack (which may get replaced with a custom-made rack at a later stage).

And this very cool Nokon beaded cable housing.

In order for me to ride the bike, we had to lower the saddle a bit, and Susan switched her clipless pedals to MKS Touring pedals. Everything else remained the same. I rode the bike with the handlebars just about level with the saddle (though maybe a tad higher) and no foot retention.

My ride was short and did not do justice to what this bicycle is meant for - which is long, spirited rides while transitioning between road and trails with ease. That's the problem with riding somebody else's vey nice custom bike - I just wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on a 40 mile ride on and off road. Still, trying the Sketchy for a few miles along the back roads allowed me to get acquainted with the bicycle's feel and handling - both of which I quite liked. Because the bicycle fit me well and I could comfortably use the levers, I was comfortable on it immediately. I rode from West Newton to Belmont and back, trying to choose hilly streets. In some ways, the handling felt similar to the Seven I rode earlier this summer: the easy acceleration and maneuverability, albeit with wider tires and a more "grounded" feel to it. I can see how it would do especially well on trails for that reason.

The ride was comfortable over bumps and potholes, though in a completely different way that the titaniumSeven had been. On the Sketchy I could feel the road more, but that feeling was springy and cushioned and therefore not painful. On the Seven it was as if I could not feel the road in the first place. I don't know whether that description makes sense, but it is the best comparison I can think of. I felt very natural riding the Sketchy and can readily imagine it as my own bike, with the one exception being that I'd prefer a slightly longer top tube and lower handlebars - this felt a little bit too upright. But otherwise I would not change much about the frame or Susan's build.

I feel privileged to have tried a Sketchy bicycle and give my sincere thanks to Susan for trusting me to ride hers. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to one of Boston's latest custom builders.

A Day with a Distant Cousin!

Towards the end of October, I received an email from a gentleman who happens to be my fifth cousin or fourth cousin once removed – or something like that! A distant relative to be sure. He found me through the blog, or rather, his brother found me and told Jesse to contact me!

Jesse is a descendant of John Bray and his second wife, Elizabeth Coones (or Cooney or Coonie or Coonies or Coonis) through their daughter Sophia. I am a descendant of John and his first wife, reported to be Nancy Morgan, through their son Samuel Bray. John and Nancy are my 4th great grandparents.

Anyway, Jesse said he'd like to meet with me sometime. So, since I was headed south and Vevay was more or less on the way, I said I could stop by on the 9th. That also happened to be the only day this week he had free! Great timing, eh?

Me and my cousin, Jesse. November 9, ...The Markland Dam and Ohio River in the background.
We spent a couple of hours at the Switzerland County Library in Vevay comparing information then took a drive to McKay Cemetery where John Bray is buried.

Jesse had a copy of the marriage record of John Bray and Elizabeth but it was difficult to read. The county seat of Gallatin County, Kentucky is Warsaw, which happens to be across the river a short distance east of Vevay. It was a beautiful day (sunshine and 70 degrees! In November!!) and the drive took just a few minutes.

The marriage records were in the office of the County Clerk located in a building behind the courthouse. The earliest marriage records were in a binder whose back had separated so all the pages were loose. Each page had also been laminated. The record for John Bray and Elizabeth is at the bottom of a page numbered 59. Rather than try to make a paper copy, I used my digital camera... (double click on the image to see a larger version).

Elizabeth's last name is in the middle of the fifth line from the bottom...
After examining the full page containing this and two other records, I think her last name is Coonis. The word directly beneath her name is Licens and is written the same way on the other two records on that page. It is definitely not Cooney, which is how it is transcribed in the published book.

At any rate, how it is spelled is probably a moot point, since what Jesse really wants to know is what is her maiden name! Elizabeth would have been about 18 years old and a widow when she married John Bray. There is no record of her first marriage in Gallatin County, Kentucky and we don't know what happened to her husband. John was 12 days shy of being 60 years old when he married Elizabeth. His youngest daughter by his first marriage was 16 years old – but she had been married the year before when only 15 years of age. So, John was an “empty nester” and perhaps didn't like living by himself...

John passed away on June 10, 1832 at age 71 – the three youngest children by his wife Elizabeth, were Amelia, George and Sophia – age 11, 9, and 3, respectively. Elizabeth was married for a third time to Robert Bakes on October 4, 1834. He passed away in 1847. Elizabeth died in 1876. The 1850 and 1870 census records show that she was born in Kentucky about 1798-1800, though Jesse has her birth year as 1802.

After a short visit to the library, Jesse and I stopped at Jewels, a little restaurant on Main Street in Warsaw, for a late lunch. The place was full with no empty tables, but a lady waved us over to her table saying we could join her and her husband. Turns out they were friends of Jesse! A rather nice coincidence. The food was good as was the company.

All in all, it was a delightful day. Thank you, Jesse, for inviting me to visit! It was a pleasure meeting you.

Fall Aspens

We took a trip to the Jemez Mountains last week to see if any of the aspen trees leaves were turning that nice shade of yellow they turn in the fall. there were lots of beautiful trees. And there was one squirrel that wanted his photo taken. These squirrels are called Abert or tassle eared squirrles.

Out With The Old

One after one they fall, those old dusty places that no one will ever be able to replace because they belong to another time. The Market Inn is the latest casualty in the name of progress. I know I'm a little weird attached as I am to the rock holes and relic type restaurants, but I also recognize that history is being obliterated, and that the value of these lost places has no price tag. (Well, maybe pieces of it have a price tag which is why I was able to liberate the upright piano when the Roma auctioned its contents. It's a great old work horse that needs to be put out to pasture according to Bobby Birdsong, but I can't bring myself to do it and so it sits, moldering in my living room- still reeking of cigarettes on hot summer days.) The Market Inn auction is later this month.

The new trend towards reviving the town center is a good idea, but how did we stray so far from the originals? Silver Spring and Hyattsville were towns in their own rite, but now their new "down towns" have an interchangeable feel. And I just can't imagine people working their whole lives in a Baja Fresh as they did in the old family run places. Hyattsville now boasts an arts district which is a great idea, but part of this includes the most sterile "urban row homes" to house bohemia that I've ever seen in the new town center behind PG Plaza. Somebody needs to go in there with a case of spray paint. And I doubt any of the new restaurants will be collecting nudes, or full suits of armour or hunting trophies like they did in the Market Inn, the Orleans House and The Roma. Ulysses Auger, of Blackie's House of Beef once built an annex called Lulu's which was dedicated to his wife's one time experience as a Queen of Mardi Gras. Now that's what I call a theme restaurant!Sprinkled here and there the old and odd places are still clinging to life- like Tastee Diner, Crisfield's, Vincino's and god bless Roger Miller's African Restaurant. Franklin's is a great blend of new and old- housed in an old hardware store and serving some of the best beer in the area. And one of my all time favorites is The Hitching Post where you can get a fried chicken sandwich which boasts at least 5 pieces of bird and almost as an afterthought two pieces of Wonder bread on the side. Here's a picture of my mom on her ninetieth plus birthday ( you heard me) and her chicken sandwich. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Papa Finch

This is a photo of the male redheaded finch that I got when he lit for a second on the elk horns that are on top of the fence post we use as a stop for the gate when we open it.
The female doesn't have the red on it's head and front and is mostly gray.

Leaning Tree over the Pigeon River

Yesterday I brought the kayak and went for an evening paddle on the Pigeon River in search of Moose. I did not see any Moose while I was on the river (although I did see a nice young bull in the dark on the drive home). What I did see, however, were several Beaver and some of the nicest clouds I've ever seen over the river. When I came upon this leaning Tamarack tree I knew I had to try and photograph the scene with the tree and the clouds overhead. Even though I didn't come home with any Moose photographs, I did come home with the memory of another beautiful evening spent on the river.

Black & White Yellow Rose

My camera has a black & white setting as well as the color and even a sepia tone setting so I decided to try the roses in black and white and sepia. Here is one of the yellow roses.

Greetings from California – Again!

It was a roundabout route, but I made it back to California on June 5th and have been visiting with my first cousin, David, who lives in Southern California. The last time I saw Dave was in the spring of 1992 when the company I worked for sent me to Los Angeles for some computer training. He said I don't come to see him very often! But I've seen him every year I've been to California since he moved out here! Anyway, it has been great seeing Dave again after all these years!


And now, I'm going to Jamboree! I'm so excited that I'll be able to meet some of my fellow genea-bloggers. Of course I'm planning to attend "a few" of the sessions too! It's not my first conference but it will be my first Jamboree. I remember last year wishing I could be there. It looked like everyone was having so much fun and I'll admit to being a little envious, but not this year 'cause I'll be there!

After Jamboree, I'll play “ketchup” with a few posts on where I was during the last week of May and the first week of June... Coral Pink Sand Dunes (again!), the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Lee's Ferry, Lake Powell. No big adventures though; mostly just taking is easy.

Mt Erie ..

Steve and I decided on doing some rock climbing at Mt. Erie on Monday. Skies were to be clear, and temps around 40° up in Anacortes. This was our choice after being somewhat tired from our Saturday climb, and not thinking the skiing was going to be all that great.

We had a leisurely start to the day, and left Edmonds around 8:30am. Our intention was to climb in the Snag Buttress area of the mountain, and check out some new (to us) routes in that area. Steve's main interest was in the route Touching the Sky, a 5.9 sport route accessed from Snag Buttress. That meant climbing the first pitch of Zig Zag (5.7) to get there. Once on the ledge, we determined that the down climb, and water seep on the route meant we did not want to do it. Instead we opted to climb up the ledge slightly above the top of Snag Buttress where there were multiple routes to chose from. We opted for the Ray Auld Memorial Route (5.7) which brought us up to the top of wall.

We hiked around a bit trying to make sense of the maps and crags. We stumbled upon a short blocky sport route which I am thinking might be A View to a Climb (5.6) on the Lumpy Crag. Hard to tell. We climbed it, and just west of the top we were above the Friction Slab area. After that, we played the typical Mt. Erie find the best way down game. We looked through the book and followed some weak trails down. (Made more fun by walking on slippery grass with rock shoes.) A free-hanging rappel off a Madrone tree and some bramble bushwhacking got us back to the packs.

It was a fun day. However, I seemed not mentally up to the climbing and had difficulty at times with moves/grades that are well within my ability. Also of note, was the generally crummy rock quality and lack of good protection in some areas. Plenty of relic pitons and old bolts around too.

Coming up Zig Zag (photo by Steve Machuga)

Steve leading up Ray Auld

Show off

The Outdoor Retailer Show SLC

I'm back in SLC. Hopefully for a few days of climbing and to see the newest toys. I'll update this blog post as often as possible over the next few days as I explore the show. Check back when you have time to see what I think are going to be the cool new toys for next fall.





If there is anything specific you want to see, let me know and I'll try to track it down.





The new Batura! New zipper, should be a big improvement, which is not the TZip I first saw. Most importantly to mean totally new lace system. Thatshould add some stiffness to the cuff and again be a big improvment on the new boot. I'll know more soon on this one. But it looks very good. I've had a love-hate relationship with this boot. But the basic design is literally time proven so I know it can be done very well.



Previous comments on the 1st gen. Batura;



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/la-sportivas-batura.html



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/scarpa-phantom-guide-vs-la-sportiva.html





















The new BD mono...lwt 900g and very cool. Still in prototype form and not being shown at this OR. But very close to productionand should be available early next winter. Buuuutt! I' ll be climbing on these while I am here in SLCand in Chamonix next month. Very exciting.





First crampon I have actually seen that does fits the Scarpa Ultra. Obviously some serious thought went into these guys.







Just a couple of the new things I saw today. I'll get much more content up in the morning.

Grivel, La Sportiva, Wild Things, Brooks Range, Westcomb, Arcyeryx, Boreal, Black Diamond, OutDry, Kuhl, Petzl were the players today.

I'm really excited to see Wild Things back and into hard core alpine climbing again, clothing and packs!

The clothings lines for us as climbers are going to be a signifigantchange.

I was one of the first into Gortex back in '76/'77. If it does really work as well as they say, POLARTEC Neoshell, is going to make an even bigger impression than Goretex did originally.I have a buddies that have been climbingfor a full year in Neoshell nowand they are impressed."The answer."

Neoshell is a super lwt, 4 x stretchy softshell that is water proof and more breathable than any thing pevious by a good amount.

Wild Things Guide pack



New Camp tools...can you say Ergo?



Super lwt touring crampon from Camp...very cool.



Boreal Fruit boot with Black Diamond Raptor....which willnow a stainless version BTW.

Carbon fiber mid sole....more to come on these as well.





Brooks Range which has a ton of neat things I'll be writing about and using...two man bivy sack here.



New tools by Grivel :) $700 retail for the all carbon version $500 for these. Nice tool but a little pricey!



The Ueli Steck Wagner knife is pretty slick as expected...more coming.





Official word from Petzl this morning......new Quarks are shipping. Extra picks aren't going to be available until March. New Nomic and Ergo won't be available again until fall of for a new release of "improved" version.



Brooks Range's new clothings line

Petzl's new helmet colors

Trango's new ice tool.....which I seriously think will be pretty good in comparison to the "big boys"!





Zamberlan Mtn Boots....again another one I really think could do well in any comparisonAlways nice to see someone building stiff boots again.



More to come when I get home!

New Black Diamond Half Dome helmets and a bunch of new glove designs I really liked.