Tuffee & Me

This is me and my dog, Tuffee taking a break in our very slow, windy walk along the first 100 yards or so of the trail down from Sandia Crest.

Trail to the Sun

Trail to the Sun, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Waiting for sunset on Poly Mountain in San Luis Obispo, California. The other shots I took were marred by pesky dust particles...time to clean the sensor.

The hills appear to be brown in the photo, but close examination of the earth along the trail revealed thousands of tiny seedlings coming up due to the 7.5 inches of rain we received the other day.

Travey

The Bicycle-Friendly Workplace

There is a range of opinions among cyclists about what constitutes a bicycle-friendly workplace. Some consider indoor bike parking a must. Others are concerned with shower facilities. Others still feel that bike to work schemes are crucial. More than anything, our ideas of a bike-friendly workplace seem to depend on how we construe transportation cycling.




For me personally, the most important thing about commuting is having a safe and comfortable route. As long as that is in place, I am pretty easy. At my last 9-5 job, the 4 mile riverside commute kept me happy. On arrival, I locked my bike to a pole. I brushed myself off in front of a mirror before facing co-workers.It did not occur to me to lament the lack of indoor bike parking, let alone to wish for showers at work.Once I transitioned to freelance and began to spend the day going from place to place, it made even less sense. "Hello, I'm here to meet about the XYZ project ...But first, do you have a shower I can use? I arrived by bicycle you see."




Others have different priorities, which is understandable. Long, strenuous commutes involve challenges that I do not usually face. Likewise with finding all-day bike parking in unsafe locations.




From an employer's perspective, the question is which priorities it makes the most sense to cater to. Is it the employer's responsibility to offer indoor parking? Many bicycle commuters say yes. Others feel it is the cyclist's responsibility to choose a bike that can be stored outdoors. What about shower facilities? There are those who lobby for them. And there are those who feel that the idea of showers at work conflates transport with sport.




Others believe that focusing on parking or showers is too narrow of an approach. What about calling for employers to open up shop in bike-friendly locations? What about travel compensation, tax incentives, bike share memberships, and the like? Or maybe a different paradigm altogether: What if neighbourhood employers join forces to sponsor bike lanes (and street plowing in winter) within an X mile radius?




Budgets are finite, and often employers get mixed messages as far as what cyclists are looking for. The bike-friendly workplace is a concept worth exploring more thoroughly.

Boone Hall Plantation~Live Oaks

These deserve a post all of their own. The driveway is lined for 3/4 of a mile with these fabulous Live Oak trees. They were planted in 1743. One of the tour guides said one of the Live Oak trees here is believed to be 800 years old. They are truly incredible to take in!

Mount Healy

After returning from Savage River, we decided to take another hike. The weather was similar to what we had left earlier in the day – cloudy skies with scattered sunshine. The trail started out easily enough leaving from the visitor center and going through the taiga forest. But this trek was more than a little strenuous with a 500 foot elevation gain in the first mile and 1200 foot gain in the second. After six weeks of no hiking, my legs and lungs were screaming “Stop!” but not wanting to admit defeat nor to be left behind by Sue and Fred, it was onward and upward.

Views like this is what makes it worth the effort! About half-way up to the top.

Sue and me on top of Mt. Healy.

The view from the top. The park entrance, Visitor Center, and Wilderness Access Center complexes are in the left foreground “beneath” the rocks.

Fred and Sue, heading back down.

A portion of the lower trail. Since the ground is frozen much of the year, the trees have shallow roots. I wonder, how many feet have trod over these roots? And yet, the tree still lives!

The top of Mt. Healy. We was up there!

While Fred and Sue fixed supper, I laid on the picnic table bench and watched the clouds pass by.

Camp Patriot

The LA Times interviewed Incident Commander, David Gottlieb, regarding the most recent tragedy on the Muir Snowfield. The details are heart wrenching.

On a much more positive note, wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are aiming for Rainier's summit. Backpacker Magazine did a story (Shock and Awe) about last year's achievement. That extraordinary effort put a blinded Army Captain on the summit. Look for the team from Camp Patriot on the Disappointment Cleaver later this July.

Speaking of routes, folks are climbing them. We've updated the route conditions page, and posted information about successful attempts on the Emmons and Gibraltar Ledges. Have a great weekend.

For My Northern Friends :: Spring is on the Way!

Wednesday, March 30th - - Even though the calendar says it is Spring, it seems as though Winter still has a tight grip on parts of our nation. Just this past Monday I awoke to find several inches of snow on the ground – and I was in Springfield, Missouri.



Yesterday I was driving west through Alabama. It was a little cold (in the 50s) and dreary, with cloudy skies and drizzling rain. Eventually, the rain stopped. As I traveled along the Natchez Trace in northeast Mississippi I was greeted by an ever-increasing array of green. Yes, it is true. I do believe that Spring has arrived – at least in parts of the south!











Note to Babs: I made a right turn before reaching Birmingham. Changed my mind about going to Pensacola! Are you surprised?



Note to anyone else: US Route 278 in Alabama (from Cullman to Hamilton) is not a road you want to take if you are in a hurry! Lots of hills and curves on that two-lane highway! I wasn't in a hurry so it was an enjoyable drive.



And, yes, I'm Back on the Road Again!!



Westward Ho!

New England Bicycle Expo!

Last weekend we visited the New England Bicycle Expo - held right here in Somerville, MA. We weren't sure what to expect: Would it be a handmade bicycle show? or a trade show of larger manufacturers? Turns out, it was a bit of everything: a mix of local framebuilders, artisans, manufacturers, and various cycling-related organisations. The show was relatively small and had a "country fair" feel to it - which was pleasant and personable.

The Expo was held at the Armory - an old military structure, refashioned into a community arts center. I did not have the right lens on my camera to photograph the entire building, but you can see ithere. The Armory basically looks like a cartoon castle, and I always get excited upon seeing it in what is otherwise a normal, residential neighbourhood. It's just so unexpected: House, house, house...castle!

Booths were set up pretty much all over the place, making use of the interior's pre-existing structures.Some areas were well-lit, while others were cavernous, which created interesting contrasts and a sense of mystery, but made it all darn difficult to photograph.



Some exibitors set up their spaces inside tents, which contributed to the country fair vibe. Wandering around the tents, I found myself craving a corndog on a stick. Ciclismo Classico had a large information tent.



Geekhouse booth - shaped like an actual house, with an actual geek in it. Those guys do not disappoint.



Royal H. Cycles took the stage - literally. There is a stage in the Armory, and that's where he set up. Naturally, the crowd kept expecting a performance.



Instead, they got to look at Bryan's beautiful bikes, including the Randonneur we are collaborating on.



Those curious about framebuilding got to see a frame in progress, with filing marks visible and flux still caked onto it.



Icarus shared the stage, the delicate details stunning anyone who examined the flawlessly fillet-brazed frames.



The finishing on Icarus frames is just amazing.



Tiny stainless steel feather details in unexpected locations on the frame and fork are his trademarks.



Folk Engineered displayed a very memorable bicycle that was designed to look like it was stitched together.



Like this!



The seams are not painted on; this is a fully tactile experience. And I believe that's a rendering of New Jersey on the seat tube.



ANT had some new mixte basket-bikes built up, with lots of nice custom touches. A few of us rode one of the bikes and I will write about that at some point in the future.



An aerial view of "ANT Bike Mike" (the framebuilder Mike Flanigan), looking very cool in his shades and cap.



And another local framebuilding legend, Christopher Igleheart.



I was impressed with the Igleheart bicycles we saw on display - in particular this unique Randonneur, built especially for Paris-Brest-Paris.



Notice anything unusual here? Hint: Look at the handlebars. There are two sets of shifters, enabling the cyclist to shift both while on the hoods and in the drops, without changing hand positions. You would think such a set-up would be clunky, but here it is executed so elegantly, that nothing even seems out of the ordinary until you look closely.



Two sets of shifter cables, neatly routed.



Another interesting feature this bicycle had was this button built into the stem. It's a switch for regulating the headlight beam. I want!



More Igleheart work. How about these dropouts!



Dynamic chainless bikes were giving presentations.



These bicycles use shaft drives and have enormously wide bottom brackets. People were test-riding them outside, but we didn't have a chance to.



Alongside the framebuilders and bicycle manufacturers were makers of cycling accessories. I really liked the Alchemist wool jerseys.



2nd Suit cycling caps were on display, made of thrifted garments.



I found the colour and textural combinations they used appealing.



Very popular at the Expo was this belle of bicycle helmets. Belle helmets are handpainted in acrylic, with the coolest motifs. Although you may have noticed that I neither promote nor wear this particular accessory, I can't help but want to promote a fellow artist.



There is one painted like an apple. An apple!



An apple(!!) The ridiculously realistic rendering is just awesome. It makes me imagine some giant accidentally biting off a cyclist's head.



Speaking of edibles, Zipcar was at the expo, giving away mints. I reviewed my experience with Zipcar here earlier.



And a cafe was set up by the entrance, selling coffee and surprisingly healthy food.



Lots of people brought their own interesting bikes to the show as well.



Owners of the above Bullitt- Brian P. of Bummels and Jaunts, with family.



Interesting wooden trailer, belonging to another family.



Vintage cruiser advertising a gas and oil company.



And a true piece of history - an 1895 Eaglewith curved seat tube.



Wooden grips and spoon brake. There are many more picture of this bicycle here, if you're curious; it's really something.



Expo organiser, Rob Hill. This was a great event he put together, and I hope it continues for years to come.



If I have to assess how the expo turned out, I would describe it as small, friendly and low-key. The upside of that, is that the atmosphere was comfortable, open and inviting. The downside, is that it was perhaps too small and low-key for what the name of the event suggested. Frankly, I think the expo could have been promoted more extensively, and could have benefited from more media coverage. Boston has a huge cycling culture, and I saw only a small fraction of it reflected among the attendees. Many people I told about it locally simply did not know it was happening, but would have loved to go. Perhaps that is something to consider for next year - and I hope very much that there will be a next year! This was an exciting and promising beginning that I would love to see become a local tradition.

Additional images of the New England Bicycle Expo can be viewed here. There are more coming, and they will be added to the same location.