Sunlight glints on the culms of timber bamboo.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Case of the $12 Box Coat
Like everyone else, I've come across some "mysteries" in my family research. Particularly, with the Joslin family. In Nothing Special - A bit of a Mystery I mentioned the "separation" of James and Abigail Goodrich Joslin (my 4th great grandparents) and Why did he do this? discussed the land transactions made by James Joslin to his sons Lysander in 1841, and to Edwin and Joseph in 1844. The boys were only 16, 14, and 12 years old, respectively, at the time of the transactions.
The document that follows seems to be fairly straightforward. Lysander P. Joslin (my 3rd great grandfather) purchased a box coat from John Black on or before January 14, 1843 and apparently agreed to pay for the coat with manual labor. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a box coat was a heavy overcoat formerly worn for driving or a loose coat usually fitted at the shoulders.
In January 1843, Lysander would have been a little more than 17 1/2 years old (he was born May 1, 1825). Having worked and bartered for $9.75 of the $12.00 debt, Lysander evidently did not work for or pay the balance of $2.25 when due.
The following may or may not have any bearing on why the balance wasn't paid, but I think it might. On August 23, 1843 Lysander married Lydia Robison. By that time he had turned 18; Lydia would turn 18 in October that year. Their first (known) child, Anna Eliza was born in November 1844.
At any rate, John Black took Lysander to court in December 1844. Local court, but court nevertheless. The best part of all this is that Naby Joslin testified that Lysander was not of age when he went into debt with John Black. The document also mentions James Goodrich as a witness. Sufficient proof has not yet been found but I believe that James is Naby's brother. Naby being none other than Abigail Goodrich, Lysander's mother. Who else could provide verbal testimony that he was not of age at the time of the transaction? This is important. Why? Because we don't have "that" document that says that Abigail is Lysander's mother. There is evidence that leads to that conclusion, but no silver bullet. (Big Sigh)
But back to poor John Black. He had $2.25 coming to him. But he lost the case. And had to pay $2.04 3/4 in court costs, which included 50¢ for witness fees. Yep, that's right, James Goodrich and Naby Joslin got paid for their testimony. That wasn't unusual as other cases in the ledger indicated that witnesses were routinely paid. They had expenses, or maybe they were missing out on work. I'm certainly glad that Mr. Black decided to sue Lysander. It provided an interesting though somewhat puzzling document. I'm not too happy with Lysander because he skipped out on his debt. But we don't know all the facts of the case. I'm sure he had a good reason ;-)
The question that comes to my mind is how could minor children legally sign contracts for purchasing land (mentioned above) yet not be held responsible for incurring a debt while a minor?
Partial transcription/abstraction of the above document (click on the images for a larger version).
Troy Docket Ledger located at the Whitley County Historical Museum, Columbia City, Indiana on November 2, .. [No page numbers]
[first page]
John Black vs Lysander P Joslin}
In an action of debt
Bill filed which is as follows
Lysander P Joslin dr to John Black
December the 1 AD 1844 to one box coat a $12.00.
[The next section lists the dates he worked and amounts earned. He also provided a calf valued at $1.50 so there was a total of $9.75 paid, with balance owed of $2.25]
On which the following proceedings were had to wit
Summons issued dated February the 17th AD 1844 awarded to
George H Stocking constable of Troy township and returnable
on the 23rd day of February at 10 o'clock AM of said day
This day namely 23rd of February 1844 constable returned said
summons served on the 17th day of February 1844
and the parties present towit called Plaintiff Pleads that
he was a minor when the debt was contracted and offers
testimony to the fact Naby Joslin sworn and states that
the said defendant was not of lawful age when the debt
was contracted
It is therefore considered and adjudged that the Plaintiff pay all
costs taxed at $2.04 3/4) two dollars four cents and three fourths
James Grant JP
Labor by summons 12 1/4
two subpenas 50
sworn witness 6 1/4
Judgment 24
[subtotal] 93 3/4
Court fees 61
Witness fees James Goodrich Naby Joslin 50
paid the witnesses
[Total] $2.04 3/4
I do hereby acknowledge myself bail on the
above Judgement interest and all costs and acruing costs at the
expiration of thirty days from the rendition of the same (con'd over)
[second page]
as witness my hand and seal this 23rd day of February 1844
George H Stocking {Seal}
Received of John Black two
Dollars and four and three fourths
cents in full of the foregoing Judgement
James Grant
Justice of the Peace
The document that follows seems to be fairly straightforward. Lysander P. Joslin (my 3rd great grandfather) purchased a box coat from John Black on or before January 14, 1843 and apparently agreed to pay for the coat with manual labor. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a box coat was a heavy overcoat formerly worn for driving or a loose coat usually fitted at the shoulders.
In January 1843, Lysander would have been a little more than 17 1/2 years old (he was born May 1, 1825). Having worked and bartered for $9.75 of the $12.00 debt, Lysander evidently did not work for or pay the balance of $2.25 when due.
The following may or may not have any bearing on why the balance wasn't paid, but I think it might. On August 23, 1843 Lysander married Lydia Robison. By that time he had turned 18; Lydia would turn 18 in October that year. Their first (known) child, Anna Eliza was born in November 1844.
At any rate, John Black took Lysander to court in December 1844. Local court, but court nevertheless. The best part of all this is that Naby Joslin testified that Lysander was not of age when he went into debt with John Black. The document also mentions James Goodrich as a witness. Sufficient proof has not yet been found but I believe that James is Naby's brother. Naby being none other than Abigail Goodrich, Lysander's mother. Who else could provide verbal testimony that he was not of age at the time of the transaction? This is important. Why? Because we don't have "that" document that says that Abigail is Lysander's mother. There is evidence that leads to that conclusion, but no silver bullet. (Big Sigh)
But back to poor John Black. He had $2.25 coming to him. But he lost the case. And had to pay $2.04 3/4 in court costs, which included 50¢ for witness fees. Yep, that's right, James Goodrich and Naby Joslin got paid for their testimony. That wasn't unusual as other cases in the ledger indicated that witnesses were routinely paid. They had expenses, or maybe they were missing out on work. I'm certainly glad that Mr. Black decided to sue Lysander. It provided an interesting though somewhat puzzling document. I'm not too happy with Lysander because he skipped out on his debt. But we don't know all the facts of the case. I'm sure he had a good reason ;-)
The question that comes to my mind is how could minor children legally sign contracts for purchasing land (mentioned above) yet not be held responsible for incurring a debt while a minor?
Partial transcription/abstraction of the above document (click on the images for a larger version).
Troy Docket Ledger located at the Whitley County Historical Museum, Columbia City, Indiana on November 2, .. [No page numbers]
[first page]
John Black vs Lysander P Joslin}
In an action of debt
Bill filed which is as follows
Lysander P Joslin dr to John Black
December the 1 AD 1844 to one box coat a $12.00.
[The next section lists the dates he worked and amounts earned. He also provided a calf valued at $1.50 so there was a total of $9.75 paid, with balance owed of $2.25]
On which the following proceedings were had to wit
Summons issued dated February the 17th AD 1844 awarded to
George H Stocking constable of Troy township and returnable
on the 23rd day of February at 10 o'clock AM of said day
This day namely 23rd of February 1844 constable returned said
summons served on the 17th day of February 1844
and the parties present towit called Plaintiff Pleads that
he was a minor when the debt was contracted and offers
testimony to the fact Naby Joslin sworn and states that
the said defendant was not of lawful age when the debt
was contracted
It is therefore considered and adjudged that the Plaintiff pay all
costs taxed at $2.04 3/4) two dollars four cents and three fourths
James Grant JP
Labor by summons 12 1/4
two subpenas 50
sworn witness 6 1/4
Judgment 24
[subtotal] 93 3/4
Court fees 61
Witness fees James Goodrich Naby Joslin 50
paid the witnesses
[Total] $2.04 3/4
I do hereby acknowledge myself bail on the
above Judgement interest and all costs and acruing costs at the
expiration of thirty days from the rendition of the same (con'd over)
[second page]
as witness my hand and seal this 23rd day of February 1844
George H Stocking {Seal}
Received of John Black two
Dollars and four and three fourths
cents in full of the foregoing Judgement
James Grant
Justice of the Peace
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Forest
The Forest, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
Here's a small sample of the forest at Redwood Regional Park...obviously redwoods, with a few California bay trees mixed in.
As for the garden...not much is happening right now. Some of the daffodils are starting to bloom, and a few magnolias as well, but that's about it. We are patiently awaiting rain here in California - it is needed if we wish to avoid a severe drought...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Patience pays off!
Patience pays off! During another 4 hours of Loon watching today, we got to see the eggs being turned by the parent mid-afternoon, and this time she was facing us so we could actually see what was going on :-) Still no babies, though... stay tuned!
Summer sun rays over the Susie Islands
On this chilly winter's night my thoughts wander to the warmth of summer days. So, I worked up a photo that I've long been wanting to put on my website but just never got around to it. This one is from the summer of 2005. I had spent the morning photographing around the Susie Islands and was heading back home mid-afternoon when a few summer rain squalls blew towards the islands from across Wauswaugoning Bay. Just moments after I made this photo I was caught in some pretty intense downpours, but they only lasted a few moments and once again the sun was shining. Gotta love those summer days!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Bruce Gordon Was Nice to Me
I spotted him in the shadows, at the back of the exhibition hall. It was unexpected. This was Interbike after all, not NAHBS. But there he was, behind a big beautiful red bike with Bruce Gordon decals, underneath a banner with the mysterious word SOPWAMTOS (which, I soon learn, is the Society of People Who Actually Make Their Own Sh!t). A broad-shoulderd, slightly slouchy, gray-haired man with the face of a Soviet literary dissident circa the 1960s. I would give anything to have the writing skills to describe Bruce Gordon's facial features and expression. But alas, I must struggle. Coyly suspicious? Exuberantly grumpy? Playfully defiant? Something like that.
If you don't already know, Bruce Gordon is a framebuilder out in Petaluma, California. One of the best, they say. One of those guys who has been at it for decades, one of the legends. At a loss for words from the bizarre charm of his physical presence, I blurt out something generic about being pleased to meet him. In reply he laughs with a bitterness that is masterful in its combination of sincerity and theatrics. "If I could go back and do something else with my life, trust me I would!" he snorts. "So... want a bike?" Out of curiosity I ask about the wait list. "I am all caught up," he says, "no wait list. You can go ahead and write that on your blog" (the last word is accompanied by a playfully-scornful - or maybe not so playfully, this is ambiguous by design - roll of the eyes. But who cares. Bruce Gordon has no wait list? Okay, I will write that.)
Next we discuss his famousDangerous Pointy Brakes, which I'd recently tried on one of Pamela Blalock's bikes and discovered to be surprisingly functional (unlike most other cantis I've tried). He was pleased to hear this. For a small fortune the brakes could be mine. Alas I had neither the required sum, nor a bike on which these superior brakes could go. But yes, I would mention them on my "blog."
What can I say. I could have moved along at that point. But I don't know when to quit. And no, that's not even it. In truth, I was a little smitten. I wanted this man to keep talking. I wanted to study his face and figure out what or whom it reminded me of.
So I stuck around, touched the bike, asked questions. He quickly grew suspicious of how much I seemed to know about frame geometry and such. "Oh don't tell me. You're planning to become a framebuilder!" I assured him that I was not, but confessed that I might be building a frame for myself shortly. Nothing serious. Just to give it a try. But becoming a framebuilder, no. I understand the amount of training that requires; I know that earning a living that way is next to impossible. "You're damn right it's impossible." And thus began a speech about the horrors and deceptions of the pipe dream of becoming a framebuilder that claims hopeful innocents of my generation by the dozen. Bruce Gordon's opinion on the matter is basically a more extreme version ofthis. "If I could save just one young person from becoming a framebuilder, I would die happy," he tells me. I believe him, and promise to never become a framebuilder.
He eyes me with sadness and shakes his head. He asks what I used to do for a living before the tragedy of succumbing to bikes. I tell him briefly, and soon we are talking about bikes as one would talk about a disease. He tells me some personal stuff, I reciprocate. We commiserate. Before I know it, the conversation begins to resemble the sort of jaded, weepy, vodka-fueled exchange that takes place at around 3 in the morning. Except this is Interbike, high noon, and I am sober.
The following day, I walked by the booth again and gave Bruce Gordon an uncertain wave. I genuinely did not think he'd remember me; it was as if our conversation the day before had been something I'd imagined. But he did remember. And then he gave me this pin. It's a limited edition. The regular one reads "Bruce Gordon was rude to me."
And that is my story of meeting Bruce Gordon. You should buy one of his bikes. I hear they are good and he's all caught up on his wait list.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Wednesday, April 5th - - Just off of I-20, about 30 miles west of Odessa, Texas lies the Monahans Sandhills State Park. When I arrived here early this afternoon the temperature was in the upper 80s and the sun was shining. There was a little wind, but nothing like it had been the previous three days. Although the campground is just a mile and a half off of the Interstate, the traffic could not be heard. It was peaceful and quiet with only four other campers present.
It never ceases to amaze me how life can get a foothold in such arid conditions. There were signs of several different critters in the sand along with these small trees.
It never ceases to amaze me how life can get a foothold in such arid conditions. There were signs of several different critters in the sand along with these small trees.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Fire in the Sky
While driving down an old logging road off the Arrowhead Trail one evening, I came across this opening that had a grouping of trees that stood out nicely against the sky. I was passing by right after the sun had gone down and the sky behind the trees was filled with this beautiful orange glow.
A 2nd look at ice screws....
I had a chance to climb on some ice this winter thatwasunique. Was to me anyway.
I had thought I had seen hard black ice previous. Uncomfortable but workable. But some of the stuff we got on in Chamonixwas damn near bullet proof. And I actually know what real "bullet proof " is by USDOJ standards. This was IIIA no problem. Ceramic plate hard. Going for a solid III or IV rating hard. Hard, cold and dry. Some times as much rock and sand, as ice.
I had thought over time Ipretty muchfigured out how to get a decent belay on ice quickly. Typically takes only a few minutes and I'm done. Nothing fancy mind you. Two screws, two tools to the hilt. Clove the screws on a good day, clip a tool out of the loop may beand were are off to the races. Nothing fancy. I can do fancy just don't chose to generally.
Only once have I failed to get an anchor...that in the upper bowl on Slipstream. Even in the old days when we already knew the screws we were using wouldn't work in some ice we'd just keep climbing in a similar situation.Never have I spent an hour trying to get a belay on ice...until this winter.
Matt (high middle of pic) above tied off screws and well deserved rock pro....finally.
Likely obvious but alpine ice isn't waterfall ice.I spent an hr we could ill afford trying to get two decent screws into the belay from where this picture is taken. You might reasonably ask why not rock gear there? And it would be a reasonable question. We had just climbed 250m of hard, (like rocks are hard)north facing ice with a foot or so of fresh snow on it and my patience was wearing thin. I actually climbed over to the rock thinking I'd be able to get something inwhere the picture is, easily. ( I seldom can't in a minute or less on rock) It was prefect granite for chrimney's sake! By the time I realised rock gear wasn't going to be easy I was determined to grovel, dig or full on excavate toget ice..any ice.
What ice that I could/should have gotten a screw into normally I was coming up dry. I'd get a bite, a couple of 1/4 turns to a start. Then the ice turned to theconsistency of riceand the screw failed to bite as the tip, plugged up with ice. Over and over again. Clean the tip and try, clean the tip and try. Nothing in the tube.
Six holes.....yes I counted. And many failed ice screw placements later I gave up (i gave up!?) ...tied the two shitty screws off, covered them with snow, reset my tools, tied them off and said "climb". Surely not not all that thrilled with the screws or the time wasted. We should have just started climbing together so I would/could have found better ice. Bad, really bad, judgement call on my part in several ways.
I had covered the anchors because I knewmy partner was not going to bepleased. With the gear or with me. Hell! I wasn't pleased and at this point was feeling like a total failure. WTF happened here? A couple of things.
The ice was really old and hard. It was shallow. I dinged 3 screws trying, I know. But and here it comes....the screwswere all new (as in brand new) BD Express screws. I had decided to make a real effort to use the BDs in the alpine on this trip. Lighter by a few grams, rack easier and all.......
Even if the BD's are a bit harder to place, which has been my experience over time, it is only alpine ice. How hard can it be? "It aint going to ever matter."
Ya, that was a dumb answer. And this was a "easy" climb. Just the fact that the ice wasn't being cooperative made it, well, not so easy.
A number of things stood out to me on this particular climb. New snow on the approach and the easy angled ice,the cold temps and the ice quality.It was hard to get takers for a trip back to that set of gullies ;)
What I did fine when I made it back the next week was...similar snow conditions. And thesame ice conditions. Likely a tiny bit warmer but that would be only a guess and if so notby much.
But I brought a majority of Grivel Helix screws this time. Fool me twice and all. Amazingly enough...every screw was sunk to thehilt first try. Nothing tied off and no time wasted on bad anchors.
To be fair. I knew where I was going, where there was good/better ice on routeand whereto avoid another dry hole. But still......if I didn't think there was a difference...a big difference..I wouldn't be writing about it. With a little help my partner was able to climb"the obvious line" that wasn't all that obvious first time around or for the localsthat were following us that day.
I have a full rack of the newest BD and Grivel screws and no horse in the race.. YMMV but that is my 2 cents from this experience.
Looking down from that same belay....great snow ledge anyway :)
Sadly, no, the beautiful and warm sunshine never touched the belay.
I had thought I had seen hard black ice previous. Uncomfortable but workable. But some of the stuff we got on in Chamonixwas damn near bullet proof. And I actually know what real "bullet proof " is by USDOJ standards. This was IIIA no problem. Ceramic plate hard. Going for a solid III or IV rating hard. Hard, cold and dry. Some times as much rock and sand, as ice.
I had thought over time Ipretty muchfigured out how to get a decent belay on ice quickly. Typically takes only a few minutes and I'm done. Nothing fancy mind you. Two screws, two tools to the hilt. Clove the screws on a good day, clip a tool out of the loop may beand were are off to the races. Nothing fancy. I can do fancy just don't chose to generally.
Only once have I failed to get an anchor...that in the upper bowl on Slipstream. Even in the old days when we already knew the screws we were using wouldn't work in some ice we'd just keep climbing in a similar situation.Never have I spent an hour trying to get a belay on ice...until this winter.
Matt (high middle of pic) above tied off screws and well deserved rock pro....finally.Likely obvious but alpine ice isn't waterfall ice.I spent an hr we could ill afford trying to get two decent screws into the belay from where this picture is taken. You might reasonably ask why not rock gear there? And it would be a reasonable question. We had just climbed 250m of hard, (like rocks are hard)north facing ice with a foot or so of fresh snow on it and my patience was wearing thin. I actually climbed over to the rock thinking I'd be able to get something inwhere the picture is, easily. ( I seldom can't in a minute or less on rock) It was prefect granite for chrimney's sake! By the time I realised rock gear wasn't going to be easy I was determined to grovel, dig or full on excavate toget ice..any ice.
What ice that I could/should have gotten a screw into normally I was coming up dry. I'd get a bite, a couple of 1/4 turns to a start. Then the ice turned to theconsistency of riceand the screw failed to bite as the tip, plugged up with ice. Over and over again. Clean the tip and try, clean the tip and try. Nothing in the tube.
Six holes.....yes I counted. And many failed ice screw placements later I gave up (i gave up!?) ...tied the two shitty screws off, covered them with snow, reset my tools, tied them off and said "climb". Surely not not all that thrilled with the screws or the time wasted. We should have just started climbing together so I would/could have found better ice. Bad, really bad, judgement call on my part in several ways.
I had covered the anchors because I knewmy partner was not going to bepleased. With the gear or with me. Hell! I wasn't pleased and at this point was feeling like a total failure. WTF happened here? A couple of things.
The ice was really old and hard. It was shallow. I dinged 3 screws trying, I know. But and here it comes....the screwswere all new (as in brand new) BD Express screws. I had decided to make a real effort to use the BDs in the alpine on this trip. Lighter by a few grams, rack easier and all.......
Even if the BD's are a bit harder to place, which has been my experience over time, it is only alpine ice. How hard can it be? "It aint going to ever matter."
Ya, that was a dumb answer. And this was a "easy" climb. Just the fact that the ice wasn't being cooperative made it, well, not so easy.
A number of things stood out to me on this particular climb. New snow on the approach and the easy angled ice,the cold temps and the ice quality.It was hard to get takers for a trip back to that set of gullies ;)
What I did fine when I made it back the next week was...similar snow conditions. And thesame ice conditions. Likely a tiny bit warmer but that would be only a guess and if so notby much.
But I brought a majority of Grivel Helix screws this time. Fool me twice and all. Amazingly enough...every screw was sunk to thehilt first try. Nothing tied off and no time wasted on bad anchors.
To be fair. I knew where I was going, where there was good/better ice on routeand whereto avoid another dry hole. But still......if I didn't think there was a difference...a big difference..I wouldn't be writing about it. With a little help my partner was able to climb"the obvious line" that wasn't all that obvious first time around or for the localsthat were following us that day.
I have a full rack of the newest BD and Grivel screws and no horse in the race.. YMMV but that is my 2 cents from this experience.
Looking down from that same belay....great snow ledge anyway :) Sadly, no, the beautiful and warm sunshine never touched the belay.
Autumn in Paradise
I'm going to reveal a little about myself to you all in this here blogpost. . . . I Love Fall!
There are so many things about this season that I cherish. I love the changing colors of leaves, the smell of cinnamon baking together with apples in a pie, the smooth, creaminess of butternut squash soup (one of my favorite fall dishes).... and what better time to go for a hike then on a chilly day in October - wrapped in a fleece, wool hat and gloves, with few people around, it's hard to not enjoy these types of days. The latter is how I spent last Sunday, walking among fall foliage, listening to 
the birds overhead retreating south for the winter (they don't know what they're 
missing!) and the occasional rustle of branches as the deer grazed the final savory green bits before they too head down hill into the depths of the forests, protected for a while from the incoming nordic weather. My goal was simple - scout out the first half of the hike to Muir for the blog and report back to all our adoring fans (that's you) and be done. But my hike offered so many beautiful views and such a dynamic experience I couldn't leave it at a simple "Snowfield & Camp Muir Update".
So much is happening this Autumn at Paradise, it's hard to keep up -- every week is something new. Last week the old Jackson Visitor Center was closed, after almost 40 years in service to the public. Now this Friday is the "Grand Opening" of the NEW Visitor Center, also dedicated to Henry M. Jackson, the famed Washington state Senator. The dedicati
on ceremony is open to the public and begins at 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join us, along with some distinguished guests that include the Secretary of the Interior, our Regional Director and representatives from several local tribes, in celebrating this momentous occasion. The doors of the visitor center open to the public at 10 am on Friday. Building tours will be held at noon, 1:00 and 2:00 pm, leading up to the dedication ceremony, which starts off with the cutting of ribbon and finishes with the cutting of cake. If you have to miss the festivities, no worries, the new JVC will be operational on weekends from 10 am until 5 pm. Check the Park's most up to date Tahoma News for events and additional 
operational hours during the holiday season.
On Sunday, though, I cared little for the built infrastructure, being more interested in my natural surroundings. I have been away for several weeks and am amazed at the dramatic changes on the Mountain. I found it difficult to put my camera away; clicking away at the flora adorned in yellow, gold and fire-engine reds; the lush green of grasses and fluorescent moss sticking to small snow-melt falls; and surprisingly, an active amount of fauna foraging for food, also enjoying the beautiful day.
Bears have been a common sight up at Paradise, but they usually are easy to scare and often flee once spotted. However, on my way down I noticed a group of visitors and several rangers eyeing a young cub that was fearlessly gorging himself within view of the Paradise Inn (And many spectators!). The cub's multi-colored hair was fitting, giving off a retro look, as though this capricious young cub had purposely highlighted his hair blond and spiked it up in defiance. The presence of law enforcement was a sign that the National Park takes their policy on NOT feeding wildlife very seriously, which is a ticketable offense at Mount Rainier and carries a fine of up to $100. View animals from a distance and please DO NOT feed them.
~ Keep Wildlife Wild! ~
Not only was I able to enjoy the splendors of Autumn, but I also received a glimpse of Winter - not far away it seems. Recent precipitation brought snow above tree line, creating a stark contrast on the hillsides; a white band above and green below. Within a mile or so of Paradise you can walk from Fall into Winter, it's quite an amazing experience really. Snow coated the ground from well below Panorama Point and then up, covering the recently turned red leaves of shrubs and lingering flowers that managed to keep their petals this long.
On my descent, several folks inquired as to the 'views'. Hikers may not have seen Mount Rainier on Sunday, but there was plenty more out there to enjoy, you just need to take the time and look. I only wish I had been going further along up the trail to Camp Muir. Conditions there this weekend were snowy and windy, but many times the clouds parted above, exposing a starlit sky and tranquil surroundings. With few climbers going up this time of 
year, anyone in search of some peace and quiet and a way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, will enjoy the solace at 10,000 feet. Just be prepared for some cooler weather and snow. Check out recent conditions posted about the Disappointment Cleaver route.
Enjoy the photos posted in the blog, better yet, come on out to see it all for yourself.
There are so many things about this season that I cherish. I love the changing colors of leaves, the smell of cinnamon baking together with apples in a pie, the smooth, creaminess of butternut squash soup (one of my favorite fall dishes).... and what better time to go for a hike then on a chilly day in October - wrapped in a fleece, wool hat and gloves, with few people around, it's hard to not enjoy these types of days. The latter is how I spent last Sunday, walking among fall foliage, listening to the birds overhead retreating south for the winter (they don't know what they're missing!) and the occasional rustle of branches as the deer grazed the final savory green bits before they too head down hill into the depths of the forests, protected for a while from the incoming nordic weather. My goal was simple - scout out the first half of the hike to Muir for the blog and report back to all our adoring fans (that's you) and be done. But my hike offered so many beautiful views and such a dynamic experience I couldn't leave it at a simple "Snowfield & Camp Muir Update".So much is happening this Autumn at Paradise, it's hard to keep up -- every week is something new. Last week the old Jackson Visitor Center was closed, after almost 40 years in service to the public. Now this Friday is the "Grand Opening" of the NEW Visitor Center, also dedicated to Henry M. Jackson, the famed Washington state Senator. The dedicati
on ceremony is open to the public and begins at 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join us, along with some distinguished guests that include the Secretary of the Interior, our Regional Director and representatives from several local tribes, in celebrating this momentous occasion. The doors of the visitor center open to the public at 10 am on Friday. Building tours will be held at noon, 1:00 and 2:00 pm, leading up to the dedication ceremony, which starts off with the cutting of ribbon and finishes with the cutting of cake. If you have to miss the festivities, no worries, the new JVC will be operational on weekends from 10 am until 5 pm. Check the Park's most up to date Tahoma News for events and additional operational hours during the holiday season. On Sunday, though, I cared little for the built infrastructure, being more interested in my natural surroundings. I have been away for several weeks and am amazed at the dramatic changes on the Mountain. I found it difficult to put my camera away; clicking away at the flora adorned in yellow, gold and fire-engine reds; the lush green of grasses and fluorescent moss sticking to small snow-melt falls; and surprisingly, an active amount of fauna foraging for food, also enjoying the beautiful day.
Bears have been a common sight up at Paradise, but they usually are easy to scare and often flee once spotted. However, on my way down I noticed a group of visitors and several rangers eyeing a young cub that was fearlessly gorging himself within view of the Paradise Inn (And many spectators!). The cub's multi-colored hair was fitting, giving off a retro look, as though this capricious young cub had purposely highlighted his hair blond and spiked it up in defiance. The presence of law enforcement was a sign that the National Park takes their policy on NOT feeding wildlife very seriously, which is a ticketable offense at Mount Rainier and carries a fine of up to $100. View animals from a distance and please DO NOT feed them. ~ Keep Wildlife Wild! ~
Not only was I able to enjoy the splendors of Autumn, but I also received a glimpse of Winter - not far away it seems. Recent precipitation brought snow above tree line, creating a stark contrast on the hillsides; a white band above and green below. Within a mile or so of Paradise you can walk from Fall into Winter, it's quite an amazing experience really. Snow coated the ground from well below Panorama Point and then up, covering the recently turned red leaves of shrubs and lingering flowers that managed to keep their petals this long. On my descent, several folks inquired as to the 'views'. Hikers may not have seen Mount Rainier on Sunday, but there was plenty more out there to enjoy, you just need to take the time and look. I only wish I had been going further along up the trail to Camp Muir. Conditions there this weekend were snowy and windy, but many times the clouds parted above, exposing a starlit sky and tranquil surroundings. With few climbers going up this time of year, anyone in search of some peace and quiet and a way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, will enjoy the solace at 10,000 feet. Just be prepared for some cooler weather and snow. Check out recent conditions posted about the Disappointment Cleaver route.Enjoy the photos posted in the blog, better yet, come on out to see it all for yourself.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Lighthouses in NYS Seaway Trail
Charlotte Lighthouse - Rochester, NY
Tibetts Point Lighthouse - Cape Vincent
Selkirk Shores
Oswego, NY
Wellsley Island, NY
Tibetts Point Lighthouse - Cape Vincent
Selkirk Shores
Oswego, NY
Wellsley Island, NY
Fixed Gear Mercian, Freed and Re-Tyred
I've had a Mercian Vincitore since last Fall, riding it as a fixed gear fitted with 28mm Panaracer Pasela tires. Those tires are not known for their raciness, but honestly that suited me just fine, since my fixed gear riding style is best described as "pottering about." Still, eventually I got curious what this machine was capable of if fitted with faster road tires. I also wanted to feel what the bike was like to ride non-fixed. Now the Mercian sports 26mm Grand Bois Cerf tires and has temporarily been turned into a freewheel single speed.
The bike rides better than ever. The tires have a lighter feel to them and the ride quality - which I didn't think needed improving at all - is nonetheless improved. I should note that right now I have an old cheap flip-flop hub wheelset installed and not the nice Phil Wood wheelset we originally built it up with. This does not seem to make any difference. The bike feels as if I am riding on narrow balloon tires, with the speed and maneuverability of a fast roadbike.
"Freeing" the drivetrain changed the feel of the bike in several ways. It made me more aware of how responsive it is to pedaling efforts.It made me want to alter my positioning - namely to move the saddle back a bit and lower the handlebars. It also made me wish the bike had gears! I didn't miss them at all in fixed gear mode, but now the bike seems to "want" them. It's probably just because I have never ridden a non-fixed single speed roadbike before. It will be interesting to experience it this way for a bit. After that I will change it back to fixed.
I will also be making some component changes in the coming year. The gearing has been lowered twice already and it's clear that it needs to be even lower to suit my pedaling style. The Campagnolo crankset makes that impossible, since the smallest available ring is 49t. I will replace the drivetrain with something that will afford a categorically lower gear. Also, now that the bike is no longer fixed, I realise that the (Veloce) brake calipers aren't just "a bit weak" as I thought before, but simply do not work here; I must have been compensating with my feet more than I realised. We will try replacing the brake pads, but I doubt that will make enough of a difference. A better solution seems to get a set of plain ol' Tektro medium reach calipers. The initial build was based on the parts that were available to me at the time more than anything, but I like to spin fast and I like brakes that work well, so the components will have to change.
I've enjoyed riding this bike tremendously over the past year and think it was the right choice for me for a fixed gear bike. I like the versatility and can see myself putting fenders and a rack on it in some distant future. In the nearer future, I am curious how a radically lowered gearing will affect my experience of the bike, in particular when I use it for recovery rides. I think it's the right way to go.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Black Hills and Custer State Park
Above: Bison (Buffalo)
Custer State Park is the largest state park in the country and is a wildlife lover's paradise. There is quite a variety of life within the park but the Bison, Antelope, Sheep and Elk (oh yeah, and the Prairie Dogs) steal the show. Custer State Park is where I saw my first Bison in person, in the spring of 2004. We saw quite a lot of them on this trip. The Antelope are pretty creatures, but by far the Prairie Dogs are the most fun to watch. They actually make you laugh as they scurry about, every now and then picking a fight with another Prairie Dog.
Below: Pronghorn Antelope
Below: Bighorn Sheep
Below: Prairie Dog
Below: A small windmill that we found during the day and decided to come back to later in order to shoot the stars and the moonlight.
Below: Roger shooting the sunset with the moon behind him.
Below: Roger took this picture of me taking a picture of this tree.
Below: Here's the picture that I took while Roger was taking my picture :-)
Below: Spearfish Falls
Below: Sunset over the Spearfish River
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