First Cokinos Residence

Still having problems with my camera, but here is the house where George Cokinos was born--then and now at 919 11th NE- right around the corner from the where the candy shop was on H Street.
(We're still looking for the historical plaque.)
On the right: Pota, Peter and their children, Catherine and George probably sometime in 1918. Below is the house today.

Eddie Bauer BC MicroTherm Down Jacket

BC Micro Therm Down Jacket with a Patagonia Knifeblade soft shell and R1under it @ -18C, Canada Rockies.



If you look at Eddie Bauer's advertising the First Ascent Hyalite Jacket gets some serious play as THE technical "climbing jacket" in their speciality line. On the other hand I couldn't wait to get rid of mine and exchange it for something I might actually use skiing and as a second thought climbing. No stretch that I could discern in the FA Hyalite compared to a Gamma MX for example and no warmer. I have any number of state of the art garments with synthetic and down insulation to chose from. Getting me into an unproven garment to ice climb in is difficult. Getting me into one made of down is even more difficult.



Adding a water proof and breathable shell to a light weight down insulated piece makes a lot of sense. Even more so if you value light weight warmth over the ability to get it dried out and usable again if you are going to be working hard in the same jacket.



I climbed some in Hyalite Canyon using a Patagonia Down full zip Hooded Sweater last winter and loved it right up till it really started snowing hard and I was breaking trail in 4 feet of snow. I stayed warm but the jacket got wet and lost a lot of its insulation. Lesson relearned for the umpteenth time.



I am not a sweat hog. I don't sweat any more or any less than the rest of my climbing partners generally. My adventures arebest equippedwith very breathable and really light weight upper body clothing forwalking into winter climbs. Being able to change out to at least a dry top and then layer up for the climbing in generally mandatory if I want to be comfortable. The last layer will seldom get worn but is generallysome sort of "belay jacket". It's warmth will depend on the temps and moisture involved.



Our last trip to Canada I reverted from my tried and true climbing garment combos and went backwards in some sense to the more durable "soft shell" uppers as an action suit topover and R1 or a Merinowool version of the same hoodyand the required "belay jacket" over all of itto keep me warm once I stopped.



The combo is really a little heavier than it needs to be. But it is a well proven combo and is only three layers.



This trip one of the jackets I use exclusively for belay duty and climbing whilecold was the BC Micro Therm. I even used it on a couple of short approaches just to see how wet I could get it and still dry it out why climbing. Much to my surprise I even liked climbing technical ground in the Micro Therm when I was pretty chilled.



The hood was one reason. Its pattern is intentionally cut prettybig and easily fits over my helmet choices. The other is the sleeve size/length and being able to pull the Velcro cuff tabs and pull the jacket sleeves up past my elbows.











Not something that I could ever do previous to the chemo diet. But the sleeves fit a lot better (bigger) now and allow one to vent some serious heat if you can pull up the sleeves in your size. The other feature I really like is both side pockets are vertical vents straight to the body's core. Unzip the pockets...from the top or the bottom and you can work pretty hard in this jacket and still not over heat. I really like the simple design features and how well they work. Make sure you aren't going to dump your pocket contents though!



As far as I can tell the shell material, which is water proof and breathable 2-LAYER SHELL called

WeatherEdge® Pro, 1.7 oz 12-denier fabric with StormRepel® DWR finish; rated to 20K/20K" really is water proof. And no question it breathes very well from my testing as I could always get the down dried out on the belays from my own body heat. The long sleeves, the hood and the pocket ventsare easy to notice in use. It is a very good mid weigh piece of insulation and physically lwt weight belay jacket. My XL weighs in at 1# 5 oz. May be even a better cold weather ski jacket on the lifts or side country compared to many others jackets available and easily the best of the EB ski specific jackets imo.



It also comes in a women's specific version which I hear gets high ranks on fit and warmth as well.

No question the women's colors options are better!



Here is more of theEB spiel:



WATERPROOF/BREATHABLE 2-LAYER SHELL



WeatherEdge® Pro, 1.7 oz 12-denier fabric with StormRepel® DWR finish; rated to 20K/20K



800 FILL PREMIUM EUROPEAN GOOSE DOWN

Down-packed micro-baffles keep you warm with minimal weight and bulk



DUAL-FUNCTION CHEST POCKETS

Provide storage and double as heat-dumping core vents



INTEGRATED HOOD

Fits easily over a ski or climbing helmet



WEATHER-SEALED ZIPPERS AND CORDED PULLS

Eliminate need for flaps; more durable, slide more smoothly and make it easier to grab with gloves on



ERGONOMIC POCKETS AND ARTICULATED ELBOWS

Harness and pack compatible; facilitate easy movement



LOW-PROFILE CUFFS AND 1 INCH LONGER

Adjust for snug fit; provides more coverage to keep you warmer



SIZED A BIT MORE GENEROUSLY

Looser fit provides more room for layering; works for a wider range of body types



CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Machine wash

100% nylon waterproof/breathable 20K/20K shell; 800-fill down insulation

Center back length: Reg. 29 1/2", Tall 31 1/2"

Weight: 1 lb., 3.54 oz. (1 lb., 5oz. or 595g and 2.5" of loft for my XL)








Louise Falls photo courtesy of http://www.rafalandronowski.com/




After all I have a closet full of "real" mid weight climbing specific jackets. This one is a good fine to add to that list. A decent price (on sale) for a water proof and lightly insulated down jacket. One that I have used a good bit now and will again.



EB sez:



"Combining the microchannel construction of the MicroTherm™ Down Shirt into the lining of this fully waterproof and breathable shell rated to 20K/20K, we’ve built a warm, insulated jacket that is lighter than many non-insulated shells on the market. This jacket is built to be the minimalist, lightweight piece that our First Ascent guide team requires in the most challenging environments where every ounce counts. Highly packable. Two large cross-body vents double as pockets. Harness friendly design. Now one inch longer and sized a bit larger through the torso to provide more room for layering and fit more body types. Across the board, this piece was the alpine guides’ personal favorite, hands down."



http://www.skinet.com/skiing/photo-gallery/shell-games



http://www.eddiebauer.com/catalog/product.jsp?ensembleId=40146&oessoa=6046151&cm_mmc=CSE-_-Google%20Product%20Search-_-First%20Ascent%7CMen%27s%20First%20Ascent%20Jackets_and_Vests-_-1020706&CAWELAID=941026515





The video covers it all again:

We're Here! Big Bend National Park!

We finally make it to Big Bend National Park!It is an example of the Chihuahan DessertWe stop at the Fossil Exhibit for Breakfast

A Tunnel!There's a light at the end of the Tunnel!and more Dessert and Mountain beautyHoney we're home! Site 15 at Rio Grande Village CampgroundLooking forward to getting back to our Hike A Day!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n More Later, Melissa and Gary

Sunset & Bulls Skull

Summer's Eve at Hollow Rock

This is the first image I've made at Hollow Rock in quite some time. Hollow Rock is one of my favorite places to photograph in winter, but for some reason I don't go there much in the summer. I don't know why, since it is a great place to shoot no matter what the season. At any rate, this image was made at 9:37 p.m. It is a 30 second exposure shot with the aid of a 3-stop reverse-graduated neutral-density filter. The hardest part about making this image was tolerating the mosquitoes. They were AWFUL!

View from Sunrise Peak

A view of the Sonoran Desert and the mountains of Arizona.

Big Bend :: Laguna Meadows Trail

One of the highlights of any trip to Big Bend to to hike the South Rim Loop. As much as I wanted to, I really didn't think that I could handle the 13 mile round trip and 1800 foot ascent!

Instead, I chose one of the “feeder” trails that can be taken as part of the South Rim trek. This one takes you the 3.8 miles to Laguna Meadows, hence the name. Longer than the hike on the Lost Mine Trail, I really thought I could make it to the Meadows.

But probably about half way there, I realized it wasn't going to happen. My legs just couldn't handle all of the climbing. Way more switchbacks and a much more difficult trail. Several times I almost quit but a light snack and a drink of water would provide a much needed boost to get me a little further along.

And the views were fantastic. This one is looking towards the Window.

At one particularly disheartening moment, this beautiful bird flew by and stopped in the tree next to me. Its sweet song lifted my spirits and brightened an already wonderful day.

The view from where I turned around. Casa Grande on the right and the Basin to the left, center.

I hadn't seen another hiker all morning until reaching this point. We talked for a few minutes. She said that Laguna Meadows was about another mile down the trail and another two miles to the South Rim. She had left early that morning and had made it to the rim already, going out the other trail to the Pinnacles. She was heading back down on the Laguna Meadows Trail. I was nearly exhausted after just hiking 3 miles or so of the trail. I applauded her and envied her somewhat. But she was young, and trim, and obviously in good physical condition!

But we each have our limits, and I had reached mine on this day. After a short break, a snack and drink of water, I turned around and headed for home.

Photographs taken February 22, ...