More spiny caterpillars

I had a difficult time identifying this caterpillar. It looked a lot like an American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis), but not exactly the same. I couldn't find anything else that it resembled any more, though.



It's been a big year, as far as spiny/bristly caterpillars go. On the driveway today I spotted a Yellow Bear. Also a tiny, tiny shrew or vole. And me without my camera.

Chuck Wagon Dinner

It looked like a beautiful evening so we called and got on the evening Chuck Wagon Dinner at the Blue Bell Lodge in the Park.

Our Manager advised us to try and get on Rod's wagon which we did. He was alot of fun and a great entertainer and had adry sense of humor. The pressure was on us to be the loudest wagonas Rod's wagon has always been in first place. We sang songsmany of which he wrote my favorite being "Don't Fall off the Wagon - It hurts when you hit the Ground. Don'tFall of the Wagon - it'shard to get back up when you're down"

We arrive at Parker's Canyon where the actual Chuck Wagon is set up.

You have a choice of Hamburger or Steak - Beware! Do Not order your steak well done!

The cooks

Each ofthe entertainers from each wagon get together and do ashow

These two young kids were pretty good too






Steak, Beans, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Corn Bread, Watermelon and a Chocolate Chip Cookie - Did I mention the cool hat and bandanna?



We did the Hokie Pokie



It was Hokie but it was fun (and free!) We head back - we lead the way because we did the best YaHoo! Rod's 1st place spot is still secure!

On the drive home we encounter a small herd of Buffalo on the Road.

We ease on by but some jerk behind us speeds past us and almost hits one he is not happy and it looked like he was going to charge the car.

This one's for you Pam






Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa and Gary

Apethorpe circular

Me, Eddie, Barry, Gordon, Maureen. Last minute decision, with booklet - done in reverse. 6.7 miles. Weather fine while we were out, with a chilly wind, but it began to rain later, just as we ate lunch. Brilliant timing.

Wildlife: deer - muntjac - , kites, a hare.













I wasn't sure who would be walking today, and we had no advance plan. Luckily Eddie had a booklet to hand, and with its help and the usual map we did this shorter walk from Apethorpe. We left the village along the road at the side of the Kings Head and walked west. At the junction we took the left hand turn (signposted to Lodge Farm). This road runs behind the hall grounds, and continues more or less south. There is a clear sign to say that the bridleway has been diverted off to the left, and we followed the new path to the right hand side of a small lake, then round to rejoin the original roadway. Our route was now just north of west to the corner of Tomlin Wood, where we turned left towards another small wood, Morehay Lawn.



We walked along the edge of this wooded patch, and carried on, turning slightly to our left then right along a field edge and into another wood (Holey Brookes). We crossed another track in the wood but carried on through. At the edge of the wood, our path led almost due west, diagonally across one field, and then along the hedge of the second one. In the third field is an abandoned cottage, and a footbridge slightly downhill and to the right of it.



We had to cross a ploughed field after the bridge to reach the corner of Bushey Wood, where we had a break, before following a track along the right hand edge of Bushey Wood and then the edge of Hostage Wood. The track heads north east and downhill to the stream. The crossing is a bit steep and muddy, with some stones to help.



The route continues on a track which becomes covered in tarmac and leads past Spa Farm, with its watchful and barking dogs, the onwards to Spa Farm Cottages. Here we turned right and followed the road back to Apethorpe, meeting the road beside the pub.



Then we went to the Sondes Arms in Rockingham to eat and celebrate Eddie's coming of age (65) tomorrow.

It looks like Christmas already!

This walk from Aug 11 covers some of the same ground

Corby - Little Oakley - Geddington Chase - Stanion - Corby

Led by Barry. With Maureen, Gordon and Eddie. Weather fine, though rain threatened. Very strong wind. Lots of lovely mud. A whisker over 10 miles.



Rumours of rain on the way. Someone mentions snow. I hope we've already had the morning's promised shower. We set off from Barry's house, through the new streets of the Snatchill area, turning right from Windermere Drive across a mud-bath field to a fine graffiti decorated footbridge over the railway. Waterproofs on for a while, but it's hardly worth the effort. We turn slightly right, skirting South Wood.



We follow the edges of fields and join the minor road to Little Oakley. A turn to the left takes us towards the village, and we turn off left again just before the first houses.



We must be walking further than planned in the next section. When I look at my Garmin map, I see we had to walk two sides of a triangle, or three sides of a square, simply to avoid the worst of the muddy ploughed fields. No matter, we make it to and across the A43, and walk alongside the woods towards Geddington Chase.



The sky glowers at us, dark grey. "Quick, let's take a break before we're soaked!" No arguments about that. Maureen's scones go down a treat. Next time we look up the sky is blue again.

Ready to roll?

I think that's the right way

On we go up past the house in Geddington Chase - there seems to be just one dog in the kennel today, and it looks friendly - for a guard dog.



We head north then north east following the path over fields and bogland to Stanion.







We turn left and take the road through the edge of the village to the A43. Luckily this road has a wide grass verge, and we walk to the roundabout, and turn towards the Euro-hub. There's about a mile and a half of road, fringed by litter-infested hedge bottoms, before we turn off by the Wincanton distribution depot.

The Roman road

There's a section of Roman road marked on the map. We pay our respects, then turn right and slide and squelch our way along the path by the railway.

It's hard work, but we soon arrive back at the graffiti-covered bridge, and retrace our steps, fighting against the wind, to our starting point.












of the route

The Climbing Season Starts at Mount Rainier

Get ready, get set...the climbing ranger season has begun!

Climbing rangers are now staffing Camp Muir and the information desk at the Jackson Visitor Center (which is now open daily) to issue climbing permits.

Here's the current schedule for the JVC and for climbing information:

JVC Schedule May 3 -- June 6
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except Saturdays, when it opens at 6 a.m.

Climbing rangers staff the JVC on weekends in May from 6 a.m to noon Saturday

Note that you can get a climbing permit at the JVC when it is open, even if the climbing rangers aren't there to issue it. Also, while the NPS transitions from winter to spring weather (there is still 5 feet snow in Longmire), be sure to call ahead for weather and road conditions.

To get you pumped about the upcoming good weather, we've posted a few new trip reports, featuring the Fuhrer Finger and Gib Ledges, and one about the ever-popular Muir Snowfield.

Elsewhere you can read about David Brown and Hannah Carrigan's trip up Gib Ledges and ski descent down the Kautz Glacier, as well as a trip report from Kyle Miller and Scott Stuglemyer about their splitboard expedition to Fay Peak - during which they dug out the Mowich Lake ranger station along the way (thanks guys!)
(Photo of Fay Peak ascent by Kyle Miller)

Indiana National Guard Unit 1907

This photo was probably taken about 1907. Hale Brubaker, in the middle of the back row (the fellow without a hat) was a member of Company G, 3rd Regiment, Indiana National Guard. He was a First Lieutenant at the time he left the unit in 1908 to attend law school at Columbia University in New York City. Click on the picture to enlarge it to see the details. It is obviously a posed photo made to look like a candid shot.

Goat Rocks

Emily, Ron, Nick, David, Dan and Doug arriving at Snowgrass Flats.



After setting up camp, we headed south to climb Mt. Gilbert. Cispus Basin and the southwest section of Goat Rocks.



On day 2, we went north to climb Old Snowy. Goat Lake and Mt. Rainier as seen from the Pacific Crest Trail.



A snowfield full of Watermelon Algae.



Wildflowers at Snowgrass Flats with Mt. Adams in background.



In addition to all the incredible sights, we got to pick sweet huckleberries all along the trail. We just might have to plan another trip to this area!

Mt Erie ..

Steve and I decided on doing some rock climbing at Mt. Erie on Monday. Skies were to be clear, and temps around 40° up in Anacortes. This was our choice after being somewhat tired from our Saturday climb, and not thinking the skiing was going to be all that great.

We had a leisurely start to the day, and left Edmonds around 8:30am. Our intention was to climb in the Snag Buttress area of the mountain, and check out some new (to us) routes in that area. Steve's main interest was in the route Touching the Sky, a 5.9 sport route accessed from Snag Buttress. That meant climbing the first pitch of Zig Zag (5.7) to get there. Once on the ledge, we determined that the down climb, and water seep on the route meant we did not want to do it. Instead we opted to climb up the ledge slightly above the top of Snag Buttress where there were multiple routes to chose from. We opted for the Ray Auld Memorial Route (5.7) which brought us up to the top of wall.

We hiked around a bit trying to make sense of the maps and crags. We stumbled upon a short blocky sport route which I am thinking might be A View to a Climb (5.6) on the Lumpy Crag. Hard to tell. We climbed it, and just west of the top we were above the Friction Slab area. After that, we played the typical Mt. Erie find the best way down game. We looked through the book and followed some weak trails down. (Made more fun by walking on slippery grass with rock shoes.) A free-hanging rappel off a Madrone tree and some bramble bushwhacking got us back to the packs.

It was a fun day. However, I seemed not mentally up to the climbing and had difficulty at times with moves/grades that are well within my ability. Also of note, was the generally crummy rock quality and lack of good protection in some areas. Plenty of relic pitons and old bolts around too.

Coming up Zig Zag (photo by Steve Machuga)

Steve leading up Ray Auld

Show off

Anastasia in the Morning

Monday, February 11th - - After 5 days in the Saint Augustine area my stay at Anastasia State Park came to an end. It had been a wonderful few days with a little rain and gloomy weather along with a few days of sunshine and blue skies, but the warmer temperatures were great. I awoke early this morning and headed to the beach before the sun rose above the horizon. It was windy and the surf was from 3-5 feet high. The beach was nearly deserted with just a few other folks wandering the shore.

Retrovelo Klara: Cushy, Zippy, Gorgeous

On a recent trip to New York City, I test rode a Retrovelo Klara, courtesy of Adeline Adeline. There are already test ride reports of other Retrovelo models posted here, but the last time I rode one was two years ago and I wanted to see how my impressions of the bike might have changed since. Also, while the Retrovelo I rode previously was the 7-speed Paula, I was curious how the 3-speed Klara would feel in comparison. Finally, my previous Retrovelo test rides took place in Austria and I wanted to compare how the bike handled in a North American city.





Founded in 2003, Retrovelo is a German manufacturer based in the town of Leipzig. True to the company's name, their classic line of lugged, balloon-tire city bikes in muted colours looks almost overwhelmingly nostalgic. But the "retro" reference is more nuanced than what meets the eye: Behind the facade of an elegant European city bicycle, the Retrovelo is actually a remake of an early mountain bike design. I have described an entire category of such bicycles in an earlier post aboutcity bikes with mountain bike heritage.






An interesting fact about Retrovelo, is that they were the first company to use the now very popular Schwalbe Fat Frank tires. In fact these were originally made for Retrovelo and named after its designer Frank Patitz. What made the Fat Franks special when they appeared on the market, is that they have the look and cushiness of vintage balloon tires but are impressively fast rolling - making them ideal for navigating pothole ridden city streets and unpaved trails alike.





The frame is cro-moly steel, hand-built in Taiwan and finished and assembled in Leipzig (The very first batches of Retrovelo bikes were made in Germany from scratch, but production has since been reorganised).







Fully lugged, the most fetish-worthy aspect of the frame's construction is the triple-plate fork crown.





Here is what the seat cluster looks like.





Headtube lug.





Loop and seat tube junction.





The stem and rear rack are custom made for the bike and powdercoated body colour, as are the chainguard and fenders.






The components on the lady's 3-speed Klara model are pretty straightforward: Shimano Nexus drivetrain withfront and rear roller-hub brakes and dynamo hub,wide swept-back handlebars, large Retrovelo-branded bell,






front and rear dynamo lights with standlight feature,





Brooks B67S saddle,







city pedals,




and textured rubber grips.





As a complete package, the Retrovelo Klara comes together nicely, equipped with everything necessary for transportation, other than a full chaincase and dressguards. The men's equivalent of this model is named Klaus and is basically the same except a diamond frame. The Paula and Paul models are the same as well, only built up with either a 7 or 8-speed hub instead of the 3-speed. The weight of the Klara model is listed as 38.5lb. It is available in size 52cm only and in a number of colour options. You can view all the stock colours here. The bike I test rode is ivory.





I rode the Retrovelo Klara around lower Manhattan for a total of about 5 miles. This was my first time cycling in New York City. I started out on the quiet side street where Adeline Adeline is located, then rode along the West Side Highway bicycle path for a while, then got off the path and explored the streets, making my way back to the bike shop. Probably half of my route involved riding with traffic on streets that either had no bike lane, or had the bike lane obstructed by so many vehicles that I took the car lane anyway.



Riding in a new city - and especially a city as hectic as NYC - I would not feel comfortable doing this on just any bike, but the Retrovelo's handling is confidence-inspiring. The front end is exceptionally stable: No twitchiness when starting from a stop or getting up to speed. The bicycle goes where you point it and insists on staying upright.





I would describe the Retrovelo as an intuitive bike that does not require getting used to the way a Dutch bike, or a low-trail bike, or an aggressive roadish bike might. To the typical person of my generation who grew up in North America, I think "mountain bike-ish" handling generally feels pretty intuitive: Many of us rode mountain bikes as teenagers and it's what we are used to. While I was a terrible cyclist back then, I nonetheless used my beater mountain bike to get around and probably on some level that type of handling is still engrained into my procedural memory. Of course the Retrovelo is considerably faster and more responsive than my old mountain bike ever was, as well as far more beautiful. Win/win.



Comparing the Retrovelo Klara to other bikes I have ridden in its class, I would say the handling is most similar to the Scottish Paper Bike and the Swedish Pilen. For me the Retrovelo handles considerably faster than the Pilen but a bit slower than the Paper Bike, while behaving similarly to both as far as balance and maneuverability.





As far as load capacity, the bike is equipped to carry considerable weight in front and rear, including children. Retrovelo owner K., whom I met in NYC, routinely rides with her toddler and a full load of groceries and finds it quite comfortable. She has had her stone gray Retrovelo for a couple of years now and loves it. My friend in Vienna has had her pigeon blue one for about two years as well. Retrovelo owners generally tend to have good things to say about these bikes.



As far as drawbacks, the Klara and Paula models are only available in one size - which happens to fit me perfectly but will not be suitable for everyone. At just under 40 lb, the bike is on the heavy side and could be challenging to deal with for those who plan to store it in a walk-up apartment. The missing dressguards and the lack of a full chaincase could be a deal-breaker for those who require these accessories. And some (myself included) would prefer narrower handlebars, though these can be swapped out.






Having ridden the Retrovelo around hectic NYC, my impression of the bike did not differ significantly from what it had been riding it through the Austrian countryside. Two additional years of cycling experience did not alter my impressions much either. I believe the stable handling makes the Retrovelo a good choice for beginners. The responsiveness and mountain-bikeyness make it a cool ride for more experienced cyclists. The beautiful construction makes it appealing to the vintage lovers and lugwork fetishists among us. For city riding, I felt that the 3-speed model was definitely sufficient, though others might opt for the 7/8-speed. The current retail price for a fully equipped Retrovelo Klara is $1,450 USD.




While personally I still prefer my cruddy vintage 3-speeds to anything modern I have tried in the same genre so far, when it comes to currently produced city bicycles the Retrovelo is firmly among my favourites. Many thanks to Adeline Adeline for the test ride.