Mt Rainier storm & flood damage photos - Ohanapecosh

Snow is accumulating at Paradise. I measured 46" total, with 15" of fresh snow this morning. It looks and feels like winter and if the park were open, skiers, boarders and snowshoers would be enjoying the early snowfall. But the floods really did a number on the roads and as the days pass, it becomes more clear how complicated the damage is, especially with the prompt arrival of winter.

Since it's going to be difficult to write about the climbing routes and upper mountain while the park is closed, I will devote more energy to the events surrounding the park being reopened. There will be updates, damage assessments, projected repairs and ongoing weather observations. I'll also pull together photos, when possible, like these NPS pictures of the Ohanapecosh area.

Above left is an interpretive sign in the Grove of the Patriarchs that has been flooded with mud and silt. Normally, this type of sign rests about 3 and 1/2 feet above ground.

The heavy rain also lead to a number of landslides, like this large one near Ohanapecosh Campground. The slide started on the road above (out of image) and swept everything in its path down to the Ohanapecosh River and Campground.

Here is the primary deposition zone for all of the timber that was unearthed in the same landslide.





The river also moved and in doing so, took a couple of the campsites with it. Here is the new loop C of Ohana.

Bicycles and the Human Figure: Do We Look Better on a Bike?

I have never drawn or painted bicycles before, but am now starting a commissioned painting that will include two female cyclists - so I've been making figure drawings and sketches of people on bikes. It has been interesting to study the postures our bodies adapt while cycling - and especially interesting to note the inherent attractiveness of those postures.

When it comes to the female figure, our positioning on a bicycle tends to really accentuate the waist-to-hip ratio - which, according to evolutionary psychology, is the greatest implicit indicator of "femaleness" to the male.



Cycling also tends to make the legs look longer and leaner - another evolutionary measure ofattractiveness,for both genders (researchers believe that long legs may have been indicators of hereditary longevity).



When we cycle, the muscle tone in our arms and legs is accentuated - a general sign of health. In males, this can also serve to suggest strength - which, according to evolutionary psychology once again, females are pre-disposed to respond to.



Finally, being on a bicycle raises the figure higher off the ground, literally making the cyclist seem taller - another advantage for males. The added height also makes the cyclist more noticeable, regardless of gender - placing their body on a moving pedestal of sorts.



Of course, these things aren't simple formulas and there are many factors to consider in addition to the evolutionarily built-in heterosexual responses to each other's bodies. But generally speaking, there is a great deal of evidence that our postures and body language implicitly communicate sexual appeal and social roles to others.Maybe"you look better on a bike"is not just a catch phrase!



One thing my cycling sketches have taught me, is that drawing the human figure on a bicycle is not easy - which makes it especially admirable that Mr. Rick Smith is able to do it nearly every single day with his comicYehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery!



As you may have heard, the folks at the Kickstand are having a Virtual Alleycat Race, powered by cycllelicious. If you are taking part, then you have arrived at theLovely Bicyclecheckpoint. You are probably looking for the link to the next checkpoint, but hang on - you're not getting it yet!



Here is what to do:



1. To qualify for the Best Checkpoint Comment Prize, please leave a comment on this post with your name and registration number. The comment must be left between 10am Eastern Standard Time on December 6, and the same time on December 13, .



2. Lovely Bicycle is having its own mini-contest as part of the Alleycat, and the winner will receive a Mystery Prize. What the mystery prize is I cannot tell you, but if you like bicycles and art you might enjoy it. To take part, tell me what you like best about the way you - or others - look on a bicycle (this does not have to be physical - be as creative or abstract as you like). Please include your name and race number, so that I can identify you! The most compelling comment will receive theLovely BicycleMystery Prize. Only Alleycat racers are eligible for this contest.



3. You would like the link to the next checkpoint now, yes? You shall have it just as soon as you answer a few questions [link disabled - the Alleycat is over, thank you for taking part!].



If you haven't registered for the Kickstand Cyclery Virtual Alleycat Race yet, register here now!

Emotional Landscapes

Two days after struggling through a hill training ride last week, I found myself on the bike again - doing what ended up being a 52 mile ride counting my trip there and back. 50 miles seems to be the magic number at the moment: shorter than that and I am left feeling regretful; longer than that and I become more aware of the difference between myself and the stronger riders I am with. Interestingly, I have not gone on a proper ride on my own for over a month: I've met so many cyclists to ride with lately, that I am always with someone. Among the benefits of this is discovering local roads that I've never ridden before - and noticing what an enormous role landscape plays in how subjectively easy or difficult a ride feels.

Riding with theRide Studio Cafewomen last week, we did a loop that on the map appeared near-identical to a route I usually do alone, only along the back roads. The landscape, bathed in the ethereal late-December light, was so stunning that I did not notice the miles or the hills. Where were we? These hardly looked like the tired suburbs I had become so familiar with. Here moss-covered trees grew out of green bogs under cerulean skies. Sleepy farms peaked out coyly from the mist. The remains of frost on dried grass turned meadows into expanses of delicate lace. The sun shone through black, leafless branches, casting high-contrast shadows upon the road. We rode under canopies of fragrant pine trees, which then opened up to reveal enchanted vistas. Climbing one particular hill, I felt such a surge of emotion from the surrounding beauty, that I could not help but go faster. The desire to reach the top and see what more awaited there, made the bike feel weightless.

Roadcycling for me is not about suffering. It is about this emotional connection. Somehow the feel of being on the bike, the sensation of speed, and even the pain in my legs become associated with the reward of seeing an affecting landscape. Once it forms, the association is difficult to break, and it makes cycling addictive - apparently not just for me. Some of my riding partners are experienced racers and randonneurs, and when I listen to them describe rides I notice that they rarely speak of difficulty or pain. Words such as "epic" and "sufferfest" are simply not in their vocabulary. It's not because they don't feel pain and exhaustion, but because they do not consider these sensations to be the point. It's about fulfillment through a visceral connection with one's surroundings. The rest is not important.

On Mt. Taylor

We saw lots of pretty sights while we were driving up Mt. Taylor. The mountain is the remains of a very old volcano about2 million years old. It has been considered a very sacred place by the Native Americans that are in this area. Pueblo Indians from Acoma Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, Zuni and the Navajo Indians. Some call the mountain The Sacred Mountain or The Turquoise Mountain, but it was named Taylor afterGeneral Zachery Taylor, famous in the Mexican War, and then became one of our presidents. It can be seen for over 100 miles around it as it seems to sit out in the middle of a large section of flat New Mexico landscape. It is just over 11,000 feet high at the highest peak. We did not get there this time, as the roads were sorough and washed out and because we neededto be back in time to feed the critters their evening meals.

This day we saw two deer, lots of Indian Paintbrush flowers, and aspens just leafing out.

Chinatown Lights

Night Lights, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

While exploring the shops in Chinatown, San Francisco, this one stood out due to its huge collection of lights and lanterns.

Grand Canyon :: Sunset at Yaki Point

We had been told that Yaki Point, on the southeast side of the Grand Canyon, was a good spot for viewing the setting sun, so on Thursday evening (April 15th) we caught the shuttle bus and headed that way.

We arrived almost too late, the “color” was disappearing rapidly in the Canyon. This view is looking northeast from Yaki Point.

This shot and the next one were taken about five minutes after the first photo, still looking to the northeast.


Quickly returning to the west side of Yaki Point, I was just in time to catch the sun dipping beneath the horizon. The swirling clouds and dramatic colors show up beautifully when using the 7x zoom!

Other spectators were also photographing and enjoying the sunset.

This is one of my favorite photos. Not just because of the fantastic color (due to the clouds and pollution) but because you can also see multiple ridge lines – to me it “says” Grand Canyon. (Note: Well, you may or may not be able to see the multiple ridge lines... I could see them fine on the image on my laptop but not after uploading the image to blogger. Bummer.)

Cuban Fashion: The mini skirt and black lace stocking obsession

You’d think that Cuban fashion is like this...



Or this...



Well yes, that is correct, for the most part. Cuban women like wearing insufficient fabric on their bodies that leaves nothing much to the imagination. They love to swagger down the decaying streets of Havana in their tanned or very dark skins. Pull down that cleavage more, throw out that overflowing chest, rock that waist, strutt off that voluptous belly and do the salsa with that bum. And they don’t care even if they are showing off copious amounts of stretched and sagging skin either. No one cares.



I guess it’s part of the sexy, exotic, confident and somewhat promiscuous culture in the Caribbean. Maybe it’s the weather. Who knows? Your guess might be good as mine.



But what we really found odd in Cuba were the women security guards. They are like gate watchers of buildings, museums and important establishments in the city and they wear DIMINUTIVE SKIRTS and BLACK LACE STOCKINGS. When Blondine and I first saw our first security guard in this unbelievable uniform, we were gobsmacked.



‘Did you just see that?’ ‘OMG... is this for real?’



‘WTF!?’ lol









WHY ARE THEY WEARING REALLY SHORT SKIRTS WITH BLACK LACE STOCKINGS?



This is a major, major, major fashion faux pas. I have no words. And then we realised that all women security guards wear the same thing. Seriously, they all wear this. This is work attire in Cuba. Work fashion.



Then we thought that it might just be a Havana odd fashion look, but oh dear, we were so wrong. We saw the same odd fashion trend in Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba and many other places. Waitresses, more security guards and even bank employees wear the dreadful combination. While some of these black lacy stocking designs are so hilarious and perplexing, I at the back of my mind demand to know who started this trend!



Nevertheless, we weren’t able to get around to asking the locals about the mini skirt and black lace stocking obsession. We have figured out somehow the mini skirt phenomenon, after all the young school girls wear their school uniforms with really short skirts, but they have underpants underneath though.



It is a common sight throughout Cuba to see school girls in very short skirt uniforms, so that quite explains it a bit. But for the black lace stockings...? Well, this one remains a mystery. For now.



All pictures in this entry were taken in Old Havana (Havana Vieja).