Another Sunset

White Wild Flower

Unlike the purple wildflowers in the next photo these white ones are nice and don't have stickers. Even the leaves are soft to the touch.

Death Valley :: Desert Flowers #1

Gunks Routes: The Last Will Be First (5.6)

(Photo: A view of climbers on the High Exposure buttress from high on the first pitch of The Last Will Be First (5.6).)



So you had your heart set on climbing High Exposure (5.6+)... but you arrived at the base of the climb to find it stacked three-deep with parties waiting to get started?



Well, don't waste your whole day waiting below the cliff.



Go hit The Last Will Be First (5.6) instead. It features high-quality moves all the way from the bottom of the cliff to the very top. It is in my opinion harder than High E and more sustained in its difficulty and its quality. I climbed it for the second time in early December with Liz and I was struck by how great it is, from start to finish. I think it is a contender for three stars, though I understand why Dick Williams gives it only two. It has no single standout moment, like the swing out onto the face on pitch two of High E, or the move over the big roof on Shockley's.



But it has something different: consistent fun. I think only Madame G's rivals The Last Will Be First when it comes to great continuous 5.6 climbing.



The first pitch is outstanding. After the initial easy moves up a slab to an obvious crack, you'll find never-ending steep climbing on good rock with good pro. Nice move follows nice move and then you hit the crux, where you'll bust it over a rooflet and up to the top of a shallow left-facing corner. Then you escape right from the corner and past a dead tree to the final good moves up to the GT Ledge. 160 feet of goodness. I can't think of another pitch of 5.6 in the Gunks that is so long and sustained at the grade.





(Photo: Liz almost finished with pitch one.)



When you arrive on the GT Ledge, you'll see a set of rap bolts off a ways to climber's left. I'd recommend against belaying from these bolts, as they do not put you in the best position from which to start pitch two. Instead you should build a gear belay in the cliff behind the ledge, just a step or two left from where you top out after pitch one.



Dick describes pitch two as beginning at the first left-facing corner, about 20 feet to the left of where you emerge from pitch one. I think it is actually less than 20 feet, and there are two corners right next to each other. You want the closer, shallower one. I was confused by Dick's instructions the first time I did The Last Will Be First and ended up going a little too far to the left, coming closer to the second pitch of Unholy Wick by mistake. What I actually did was an unnamed variation between the two climbs. Perhaps this was a first ascent? I can call it The Last Will Be Unholy (5.6). I thought my new variation was fun and well-protected.



I realized I was off-route afterwards, when I looked at the topo photo in the back of the guidebook. In this instance the photo is more helpful than the description. I also have a photo of my own that should help you make sure you don't suffer from the same confusion I had the first time around.





(Photo: Going the wrong way on pitch two of The Last Will Be First (5.6). The actual route is the yellow line on the far right. Click on the photo to enlarge and see the captions for the lines approximating the correct positions of the routes in this part of the cliff.)



In early December when I did the route for the second time I did the correct pitch two. Don't go as far left as I am in the above photo. Instead go up at the first, shallower left-facing corner, heading straight up about ten or fifteen feet thenheading diagonally upleft to the break in the little overhang.





(Photo: Looking down the correct pitch two of The Last Will Be First, from just above the crux overhang.)



The second pitch is not as sustained as pitch one. Itfeatures face climbing up and left to a small crux overhang that is cleared at the notch. The pro is good but it's a little spaced as you head left from the corner to the overhang. Great pro is available at the crux.



Once above the overhang the climb joins Ken's Blind Hole (5.6) to the finish. Straight up a shallow dihedral to a fun, easy traverse beneath overhangs to the right along a big horizontal. This leads to an exit at the top at a set of belay/rappel bolts.





(Photo: Liz at the finishing traverse on pitch two.)



While it isn't as sustained as the first pitch, pitch two offers good variety: face climbing, then a small overhang, then an entertaining traverse. Definitely well worth doing, and a fitting finish to a really nice climb.

Lake Superior Sunset

Sunset over Lake Superior this evening was one of the best I've seen in a while... and right now it is very still and calm outside (and relatively warm!), with the light from a half-moon illuminating the landscape. What a beautiful day!

The Estate of John Rupert :: Goods and Chattels

The will of John Rupert dated October 17, 1828 was admitted to probate in Columbiana County, Ohio in August of 1831. The appraisers were appointed on September 3, 1831 and an inventory was submitted to the executors on that date. These documents are of importance because they place John Rupert in Hanover township. I'm not sure that this is a complete inventory, because the sale bill seems to have more items. It is possible that some pages were missing when the estate papers were microfilmed.





Appointment of Administrators of the estate of John Rupart. Packet 1439. Family History Library microfilm 2032592.

State of Ohio

Columbiana County



Before me Michael Arter a Justice of the peace in and for said county personally came Philip Andrew Peter Guisinger David Wiley appraisers of the estate of John Rupert late of Hanover Township in said county deceased and were sworn well and truly to apprais all the goods and Chattles of said estate which shall be presented to them for appraisement, and also to set off to the widow of said deceased such possessions or other property as they shall think reasonable for the support of herself and children twelve months from the time of the death of the said deceased.



Given under my hand this 3d day of September 1831

Michael Arter Justice of the peace





Inventory of the estate of John Rupart. Packet 1439.

“A true and accurate inventory of the goods and chattels of the estate of John Rupert late of Hanover township, deceased presented to us the undersigned appraisers of said estate, by Conrad Yarien & David Ehrhart, executors thereof, the 3d day of September 1831.”

one man's saddle - - 1.00 one wheel & Reel - - 2.50 one churn - - 1.00 one shovel, axe, &c. - - 2.00 one [?] kettle [?] - - 1.50 a lot of chissels - - 0.25 a lot of Iron, &c. - - 0.75 one hammer, anvil, &c. - - 0.50 one Kettle - - 1.50 one Scythe - - 0.37 ½ one Salt barrel - - 1.25 a lot of tubs and barrels - - 1.50 a lot of Tubs - - 0.75 a lot of Cradles [?] - - 0.75 A lot of Tubs - - 0.12 ½ A lot of Corn - - 0.25 One heiffer - - 6.00 one windmill - - 5.00 one dunghook & pitchfork - - 0.37 one Salt barrel - - 0.12 ½ A lot of wheat – 10.00 a lot of rye - - 3.25 A lot of oats – - 2.25 A quantity of Hay - - 4.00 Shovel & tongs - - 0.50 Two pot racks - - 1.50 one clock - - 2.50 one Cooking glass - - 0.50 a pair of Cards [?] - - 0.25 one chest - - 1.00 one table - - 1.00 a pair of irons - - 0.50 one bed - - 4.00

Dresser ware - - 4.00 one iron pot, $c. - - 2.50 Pewter ware - - 3.00 4 Chairs - - 0.50 one Cow bell - - 0.75 A quantity of Rye - - 2.50 a tub of wheat - - 2.00 2 barrels - - 0.25 7 bags - - 2.00 Corn in the ground - - 5.00 Cow Chains - - 1.00 Half bushel, &c &c - - 1.37 ½ A ½ pair of Steelyards - - 0.75 one griddle - - 1.00 one adze and basket - - 0.50 one spinning wheel - - 1.00 one trunk - - 0.16 ¼ one Rig [?] - - 0.50 one hackle - - 1.00 Cash on hand - - 12.12 ½ Philip Andrew David Wiley Peter Guisinger

Into the Park

Getting around in Denali National Park can be problematic. There is but one main road and, if followed to the end, it will take you 92 miles into the park. However, access to that road is restricted except for the first 15 miles. Beyond that point a special permit is needed and those are given to people using the campgrounds in the interior. Even then, once they get to the campground, their vehicle must remain parked until they are ready to leave.

Essentially, access to the interior of the park is via bus whether a park shuttle or tour bus. Both have a fee over and above the price of admission and in most cases, reservations are required. If you don't have reservations and you show up in Denali one day don't expect to be able to go beyond the 15 mile limit that same day!

Sue and Fred had made reservations for the Kantishna Experience, which would take them as far into the park as you can go. Several days after they made their reservations I tried to get the same tour but it was filled up! The next best thing I could get was the shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center, which was 67 miles in.

There are two primary reasons that the vast majority of people go to Denali – to see The Mountain and to see The Wildlife. Only 30% of those people will see The Mountain (it is hidden by clouds much of the time) but most will see some Wildlife though the most “prized” are Bear, Moose, Caribou, Wolf, and Red Fox. The further into the park you go the more likely it is that you will see them all, sometimes rather close.

Early Tuesday morning we made our way to the Wilderness Access Center to board the buses, which left within a few minutes of each other, mine following theirs out to the 67 mile marker.

A small section of the mountains in Polychrome Valley.

Grizzly Bear! One of two cubs who crossed under a bridge with their mama.

Dall Sheep. There were five of them scattered around the top and sides of this rock outcropping not far from the road.

These were the closest shots that I got. In total on the trip out and back, at various spots along the way (in other words not all at the same time), the bus I was on saw 20 bears (including 4 different sets of two cubs and mama), a moose with her calf, two wolf cubs, a lone wolf, a dozen Dall Sheep (most were “white spots” on the mountainside while others were “white spots with legs”), quite a few small herds of Caribou, and one Bald Eagle. I gave up on taking pictures since most were so far away. I did see them somewhat “up close” though with the binoculars and they were quite splendid.

Though our buses were only a few minutes apart, we didn't see the same wildlife. Sue got some terrific shots, some quite close. Please, go check out her photos! You'll be glad you did...

And, we got lucky for the second day in a row – Denali was “out” once again!

This is from about 35 miles away from The Mountain. Everyone on the bus was thrilled to be able to see this much of Denali.

I like how you can see parts of the mountain through the clouds.

The peaks are two miles apart!

Twenty minutes later, at the Eielson Visitor Center, Denali was nearly obscured by the clouds.

Gone! Denali is to the left of that center peak. I stayed at Eielson for more than an hour and The Mountain didn't come back out.

Nebraska - Sandhill Crane migration!

As many of you know, each year for the past few years I've made a pilgrimage to Nebraska in March to photograph the large gathering of Sandhill Cranes that takes place on the Platte River. This year my friend Roger (http://www.rogernordstromphoto.com/ accompanied me on my trip to Nebraska. We had a great time photographing the birds over a period of several days. The highlight of this year's trip was staying in an overnight photography blind at the Rowe Sanctuary. The overnight blind offered up some incredible views of the birds. One thing we learned from our night in the overnight blind is that the birds make noise ALL NIGHT LONG! They did quiet down a bit between about 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. but they definitely make quite a racket throughout the entire night. I say this every year so I'm going to say it again this year... if you've never been to Nebraska in March to see this migration, you NEED to go! It is one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles a person can see! I can't wait until next year so I can experience the Cranes again :-)

Peak-a-boo-Rose

Something New

This evening I tried out a "new" (to me) location along the Lake Superior shoreline North of Grand Marais, MN. It turned out to be a wonderful spot and I had great fun spending the evening shooting here. I still can't believe I've never been down to this spot before! It is just a short walk from Highway 61, and is actually part of the Superior Hiking Trail. Many thanks to my friend Bryan Hansel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanhansel/) for letting me know about this amazing little slice of Lake Superior's shore.



Most of the beach in this area consists of small pebbles, but there is also a small rocky outcrop that juts out into the lake. On the tip of this rocky outcrop is a small island that is only a few feet from shore. It just so happens that the moon was rising over this small island during my visit. Also along the rocky outcrop were several types of plants that were coated in ice from recent waves and spray coming off the lake. As many of you know, winter is a favorite time of mine for photography mostly because I loooooove photographing ice!



After shooting for about an hour and a half along the Lake Superior shore, I headed home for a bite to eat. As soon as my stomach was full I headed back out to do some more shooting. It was a beautiful moonlit night and I wasn't about to let that go to waste! So, I headed up along the Pigeon River and made some photos of Partridge Falls bathed in moonlight. What a great day for some early winter photography!

Can We Have It All? The Mirage of the Perfect Bicycle

This post has been long in the making, its birth finally inspired by the plight of a fellow velo-bloggerist - whose story I will use as a case study here. Taking care to keep her identity hidden, I shall refer to my fellow velo-bloggerist as "Dee".



[image: "Dee" rides cargo trike]

Case Study: Dee and Her Search for "The Bike"

Dee lives in the suburbs. She rides an enormous cargo trike, in which she carts around two children, groceries, drycleaning, sleds, and whatever else the day might bring. Being young, fit and vivacious, Dee hungers for a personal bike - one she could ride on her own with joyful abandon. Her husband agrees that she must have such a bike, and a reasonable budget has been allocated. All seems rosy ...until Dee tries to decide what bike to get. Let's see, what are her criteria? She wears mainly dressy clothing, she plans to ride the bike in all seasons, and she always carries a bag when she is out and about. An upright sitting position, internal gear hub, enclosed hub brakes, a chaincase, and a good basket set-up would be ideal.

["Dee" completes triathalon]



But wait. Dee also dreams of going on longer, zippier rides on this bike, in hilly areas. Perhaps try touring some time. She wants to keep up with her husband when he is on his carbon fiber road bike. She wants speed when she feels like it. And did I mention she has completed a triathalon? All this brings a different bike to mind: derailleur gearing, handlebars that allow for a variety of hand positions, lighter weight.

If you know about bikes, you can already see the problem here. The two "ideals" for the different styles of riding she plans to do, are in conflict with one another. The heavy loop frame, North Road handlebars and the internal gear hub that will protect Dee's ivory silk trousers as she pedals elegantly to her meeting in town, will not get her up hills alongside her husband's roadbike. Likewise, the sporty geometry and derailleur gearing that will allow her to glide uphill on those long rides, will not be kind to her dressy outfits once she is back to her town life. Not to mention that derailleur gearing is a pain to maintain in the winter season, and the caliper brakes that come with sporty bikes do not work as well in poor weather as enclosed hub brakes. As Dee shops around, goes on various test rides, and continues to weigh her criteria, she realises that she cannot have both sets of features on the same bike. What is she to do?

["Dee" wears elegant duds]



Here is a list of what, in my view, are the options available to a person in Dee's position:

A. Recognise that you need two bicycles rather than one: you need a city bike and a sporty bike. Adjust your budget, your manufacturer(s) of choice, or your purchasing timeline accordingly.

B. Determine what kind of cycling you will be doing most: city or sporty? Based on this, buy a bicycle that is ideal for that type of cycling, recognising that whenever you will be doing the other type, you will be riding a less than ideal bike and it may be difficult.

C. Try to find a bicycle that you see as the best possible combination of some city features and some sporty features.

Based on anecdotal evidence, my impression is that many people in Dee's position are naturally drawn towards Option C. Option A seems financially prohibitive. Option B seems scary, because it involves accepting that you will not be able to do some of the things you want to do on the one bike you're getting. Option C appears to make sense: It seems like a sensible idea to get a bicycle that lets you do some of this and some of that.

However, I think that Option C is often a mistake, and that those who choose it may ultimately be unhappy. A bicycle that has some city features and some sporty features is not "the best of both worlds" as we wishfully think, but rather, a compromise. Let's say Dee finds a bicycle with upright geometry and derailleur gearing. A comfortable bicycle that can handle hills, right? Well, yes, that sounds reasonable. But what about riding it in the city wearing those flowing silk trousers? And what about caring for that derailleur in the winter? During times like these, Dee will be wishing she'd gotten a "real" city bike. And what about those long rides, when her hands will begin to go numb because of the North Roads' limited hand positions? Well, during times like those she'll be wishing that she'd gotten a "real" sporty bike.



Essentially, "kind of good for both" means ideal for neither. That is my main caveat against buying "compromise bikes", especially if you plan to spend a great deal of money on the bicycle and rest all of your hopes and dreams on it.



While at first glance it might not seem possible that you can afford Option A, there are most definitely ways to do it. One suggestion, is to buy the dominant bicycle (for the style of riding you will be doing most) new, and the supplementary bicycle (for the style of riding you will be doing less of) vintage. This is the route I went when I bought a new Pashley for the city (retail price: $1200) and a vintage Motobecane for sporty rides (typical C-List price: $150). The extra cost of the Motobecane was marginal, but my needs were pretty much satisfied between those two bikes. A year later, you can save up and upgrade by replacing that second vintage bike with a new bike, if you feel that's necessary.



The main point that I hope to bring across here, is that the idea of that one bike that is perfect for every kind of cycling is a fiction - a dream that's as futile to chase as our own shadow. There is no such thing as the perfect bicycle, only the perfect bicycle of its kind. Versatility is good, but there is a fine line between versatility and compromise. It is up to you to decide where that line lies.

Blue Dawn, Sunset on Magnet Island

Roger (www.rogernordstromphoto.com) was up again this weekend for some more shooting. I first met Roger last October when he contacted me asking if I would be willing to take him down to the Spirit Tree to shoot a sunrise. We did just that, but the morning that we went there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Ever since then Roger has been wanting to get back to the tree for another sunrise, hopefully with clouds this time. Well, we went down to the tree this morning and this time we had some beautiful clouds!





We arrived well before sunrise so we could make plenty of images in the low light before the sun broke the horizon. My favorite image of the morning is the one at the beginning of this entry, which I call "Blue Dawn". This image is a 90 second exposure, and the streaks in the sky are from clouds that were being pushed across the sky rather quickly by the wind.





After shooting the sunrise I had to go to work for the day, but Roger and I made plans to meet up again after work. I told him if the lake was calm that evening, we would head out to the Susie Islands to shoot the sunset. As luck would have it, the lake was nice and calm that evening so we loaded our gear into the boat and I headed for Magnet Island, which is probably my favorite place in Grand Portage to shoot the sunset. This was Roger's first trip to the Susie Islands, and after our evening of shooting he said "I decided that anytime you want to head out to Magnet Island, I'm game!" I guess that means he liked it :-)