Fort DeSoto Park

Sometimes we visit a place that is nearby, and I find myself thinking I can't believe we have never been here before. This park was one of those places. We knew it was in the area, and we even tried to find it one day when we were with our travel buddies but we never actually made it to the park.





I am glad we finally did because it was one of the more awesome state parks we have visited in Florida. The park sits on an island, which is always a cool bonus. That means there is a beach, pier and park facilities like kayaking and biking. There is also the fort, which you can walk through.



Fort De
Soto has the only four 12-inch
seacoast rifled mortars (model 1890 mounted on 1896 carriages) in
the continental United States. Also at the fort are two 6-inch Armstrong rapid-fire rifled
guns (model 1898) which were originally mounted at

Fort Dade, and
are the last two guns of that model year in the United States.



The walls on the fort were incredibly thick, meaning the inside was unusually cool. I can't imagine how dark and lifeless it would have seemed though, to stay inside for any length of time.





I'll be honest, my favorite part was watching Nathan explore the fort. He goes into complete guy mode in places like this.





He was trying to find evidence of firing, so I looked it up. "Ironically, Fort De Soto was never the site of any major battle, and the weapons of Fort
De Soto and Fort Dade were never fired in anger at an enemy. However,
it played a significant part in the evolution of modern weaponry. In
1977 Fort De Soto was added to the National Register of
Historic Places. Very interesting place to visit!

Bicycle Bans in Parks and Cemeteries

A number of public and private parks in the Boston area do not permit bicycles on the premises. Some cyclists complain about the ban, because the green spaces make for pleasant and convenient shortcuts through congested parts of town - for instance, thePublic Garden and Harvard Yard. Others find it perfectly reasonable that some parks are reserved for being enjoyed at walking pace. I am mostly in the latter camp, and so it did not bother me to learn that the historicMt. Auburn Cemetery I planned to finally visit this weekend did not allow bikes.





Amorbid paradise of Victorian design known as America's first garden cemetery,this enormous park offers visitors miles of roads andwinding trails. There are ponds, botanical gardens, wild woodsy areas, birdwatching opportunities, and a number of remarkable architectural landmarks. Although the cemetery is still active, the administration promotes it as a park andencourages both local visitors and tourists. A brief list of rules asks to be respectful and refrain from activities such as picnicking, sunbathing, jogging and cycling. However, as I learned during my visit, motor vehicles are allowed. The ban on bicycles is not part of a vehicular ban, but a recreational one, whichputs things in a different light. What of those who use bicycles for transportation? The reasoning behind cars being permitted, is that it can be challenging for the average person to explore the vast grounds on foot. The noise and exhaust fumes the cars produce, as well their effect on the pedestrian visitor experience (those walking must stop and move aside in order for a car to pass on the narrow roads) are all excused to accommodate their transportational function. Would bicycles really be more of anuisance? It seems to me the logical and fair solution would be to either close the park to vehicles entirely (except for maintenance work and funeral processions, of course), or to allow both cars and bicycles.



Rules regarding bicycles in parks are a reflection of cultural perceptions. Are bicycles inherently offensive in a cemetery because the very sight of them suggests recreation? Or are they legitimate vehicles that - unlike cars - will help protect the tranquil nature of the grounds, flora and fauna?

Sorenson-Eastman ice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woRoY-7t_gw

The 2 Hour Commute

For the past week I have been spending every day at Mike Flanigan's workshop in semi-rural Holliston, MA. The place is 25 miles from my house and I decided to experiment with getting there by bike. This took about 2 hours, which is a pretty long commute. I then tried using other modes of transportation. To my surprise, the trip ended up being the same in duration. Here is a comparison:




Somerville-Holliston, via Roadbike (a loaded Rawland):

I left the house at 6:30am. The route I planned was a direct one, which I figured would be low traffic this early in the morning. And it was, for the first, suburban leg of the trip. After that I expected the road to get even nicer, as it grew more rural. What I did not count on, was that it would also become narrower and busier. Riding through Wellesley, Natick and Sherborn via Rt 16 in the morning was terrifying; I would not recommend it. The winding road is one lane in each direction with no shoulder. Lots of trucks drive at high speeds. I tried to stay calm, kept my line, and hoped for the best - but I would not repeat this trip intentionally. There are alternative routes that are longer and hillier, but safer. Once I entered Holliston, things improved and the last mile of the trip was pretty nice. I arrived 2 hours after I left the house, including a coffee stop along the way.






Somerville-Holliston, via Brompton + Train:

I left the house at 6:30am and cycled to the closest T-Station. From there I took the subway to South Station in Boston and the commuter rail to Framingham. The commuter train takes about 40 minutes. There is WiFi, and I used it to check my email. I disembarked in Framingham, and from there it was another 6 miles to my destination. I cycled on the main road again, simply because I had no time for a more circuitous route. This road actually wasn't too bad, save for one chaotic stripmall-esque intersection, which I walked across. There are a couple of climbs on the way, but they felt fine in my bike's lowest gear. I arrived at Mike's shop 2 hours after I left the house.






Somerville-Holliston, via Train + Car:

When a snowstorm descended upon us, Mike suggested I take the train without my bike, and he would pick me up at the station in his van. Weakened from all the sawing and filing I'd been doing, I wimped out and did just that. I left the house at 6:30am and walked to the T station, then took the subway and commuter rail to Framingham. The train was late and slower than usual, as tends to happen in bad weather. When I arrived, Mike picked me up in his warm and cozy van. There was some commuter traffic on the drive from the station to his workshop. We arrived over 2 hours after I left the house.Later, I spoke to an acquaintance who commutes from Holliston to Somerville by car. In theory, the drive should take about an hour. But in practice, the traffic in the morning and evening is so bad that it takes at least an hour and a half each way, sometimes longer.






If I had to deal with this commute on a regular basis, I think my preferred mode of transport would be train + Brompton. This would allow me to remain self-reliant, to carry a huge amount of stuff in my front bag, and to get some work done on the train while still squeezing in 12 miles of riding in the course of the day. Every so often it would also be nice to do the roadbike trip, but it would mean setting off even earlier in order to do the longer, safer route. Driving for 1.5+ hours in a car each way would be my least preferred method, but might nonetheless be necessary in winter: I am not tough enough to cycle on those hilly, narrow rural roads in snow and ice, especially in the dark.




A 25 mile commute is not abnormal in North America; in fact it is probably fairly typical. It's hard to believe that 7 years ago I was doing it myself, spending hours a day in my car.Doing it by bike would have been unimaginable back then, an absurdity. Now? Well, to tell the truth, it did not feel normal commuting for that long on a bike. But neither did it feel normal any other way. It's just too long of a ride/drive to be doing twice a day, every day, out of necessity, in all weather conditions. That's my take on the 2 hour commute. I am grateful to not have one these days.

First dinner in Amman: Tahini Kufta

Amsterdam to Amman is about 5 hours. Flight was uneventful and I was able to sleep for an hour. The Royal Jordanian airplane was half full, obviously due to the Middle East situation very few tourists are travelling to this part of the globe. Lekker rustig. Royal Jordanian has the only direct flight from Amsterdam to Amman. KLM flies via Paris and we would have arrived past 11PM if we chose this option.



So after checking in to our hotel, we went to Al Rainbow Street (a local hangout area with many coffee and tea shops) located in 1st Circle, Amman and we had dinner in a restaurant that has a bar and outdoor cafe terrace called -- Old Times Restaurant.



Old Times Restaurant at Al Rainbow Street







The view from our table is the terrace and the busy Al Rainbow Street.



We ordered Tahini Kufta, a typical Arabic (Jordanian) lamb meal with potatoes and while enjoying our first meal in Jordan we did some people watching as well. It was so tempting to do the hubbly bubbly but we'll wait for another night perhaps.



Tahini Kufta for dinner













The restaurant seems to be a popular and chic place to hangout?



And oh, Jordan is 1 hour ahead of Amsterdam time. We have free internet in the hotel so making the most of it by blogging =)



Laters!

Badlands :: Where the Buffalo Do Roam

Wednesday, August 24th - - As I pulled in the Sage Creek Basin Overlook, I remembered from the sign at Hay Butte that bison reportedly roam this area but I hadn't noticed any. I drove on over to the far side of the parking area and was getting out of Van Dora when I heard a grunting, snorting sound behind me.





Turning around I saw a long line of buffalo, the first few were approaching the top of the bluff and were just a few feet away! They extended for quite a distance down the hill. I immediately got back into the van and put the windows down so I could take pictures.





The vast majority of the buffalo came up on the passenger side of the van but the one above and below came up on the drivers side, and oh, so close!





I think this one must have been the calf of the one above. They stuck pretty close to each other the entire time I saw them.





I thought this was the last of them...



So after they passed by, I gathered some nerve and stood up outside the van and saw more of them coming.





Others that had already come up moved slowly through the parking lot, some continuing on across the road. But some of them stopped to browse or scratch their bellies on the posts that delineated the parking lot.





They were of all different ages and sizes and colors. Just like people, bison have distinguishing characteristics too.













For about 15 minutes I was entirely alone with this herd of bison. It was incredible. The sounds they made were like nothing I had ever heard before – growling, grunting, snorting. This car was stopped in the road waiting for the buffalo to pass – it took about 30 minutes from the time I first saw them for all of them to get to the top of the bluff and across the highway. This one lone bison lingered for quite some time scratching his belly on the post then he (or she) too moved on. And all I could do was shake my head and say Wow! again and again.

It sure is smoky up here...

Visitors have been commenting on the haze and smoke in the air; climbers have noticed it too. The Seattle PI and Seattle Times commented on the wildfires in Washington State and in particular, the one near the NW corner of the park that is 150 acres. For climbers, the smoky haze at lower elevations will continue as the forecast calls for continued warm and dry weather throughout the next week. See the Mt. Rainier weather page for updated information and links.

Having spent 8 summers at Camp Schurman, this story caught my eye. The Seattle PI admired the artwork of Clark Schurman this week. If you don't know, Clark is the namesake for Camp Schurman. In addition to his artwork, Clark was an avid Rainier mountaineer and wilderness trip leader back in the day. Dee Molenaar (local legend and author of Challenge of Rainier) met Clark in 1939.(!) Dee said of him, "He was a natural-born artist and he loved mountains."

Things are looking good for the weekend. If you're at Camp Muir this Thursday, expect some helicopter action. It's time to prepare for September, i.e black barrels being flown downhill...

Today's image of the Emmons is provided by Jonathan Hedstrom.

Our Special Fun in Tennessee

Updating our blog, because I don't think Aric ever got around to sharing what we saw at the park. First, I have to ask people who live in Tennessee to explain the above picture to me. In North Carolina we saw people riding in the back of trucks. I don't mean sitting in the back of trucks. I mean couches and lawn chairs were in the back of trucks, with people riding in them.



In Tennessee, we saw this happen though. More than once. Vans driving down the road with doors open and people hanging out. I don't get it, so any help would be greatly appreciated.



Ok, now to the fun. This is what we encountered at the park.

Those were Nathan's shots. He had a great view because he was very close to this guy. I won't tell you how nervous that made me. I won't tell you what I had to say about that on the ride home. I'll just say it was an amazing experience to be that close to this creature. And next time, I hope Nathan does not have my camera in his hands. It would be a real shame to lose both him and my camera.

Fall Blues

Fall Blues, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Not all fall colors are orange, yellow, and red.

:)

Three Trees

Bull Skull

Doubling Down?

When I was specifying the build for my Rivendell Sam Hillborne just over a year ago, I had no experience with these types of bikes, and went with recommended specs for the major components. For the most part, this has worked out well - with the possible exception of the drivetrain. This Spring I would like to replace theShimano Deore rear derailleur with the Shimano XT "Shadow," and I am also wondering, whether I would be better off with a double, instead of my current triple crankset. I've mentioned before that I find shifting on this bicycle to be somewhat high maintenance for my taste, with the front derailleur being especially difficult to get into that perfect position where it doesn't rub. I am given to understand that this is fairly typical for a "triple," and that if I want low maintenance I need to switch to a double crankset. With just two chainrings in the front, there is more room and less rubbing.



Switching my triple crankset to a double is something I am willing to undergo, as long as I can keep my current range of gears. This bicycle is used for hills, and I need to keep it that way. And while that is doable in theory, I am not sure what my options are as far as modern cranksets go. The chainrings on my current triple (Sugino XD2) are 46x36x2426 - so I would need to find a double crankset with just the 46x26 rings. Is that even possible? I know that it can be done with vintage-style TA cranksets, but I think I have a cognitive deficiency when it comes to understanding how exactly to buy those: It seems like every single part needs to be purchased from a different seller and they are all super-expensive and frequently out of stock. What other options are there? Someone has suggested simply removing the middle chainring from the current crankset, but I am pretty sure that's not how it's done.If you have a double with a wide touring range, I would love to know what your set-up is.

Shadow of My Former Self

It's been a strange winter season. In previous years, I'd stop riding "sporty bikes" some time in December, and not start again till late March. Both winters, I would gain about 10lb over that period of relative inactivity, which I'd then easily lose before June. No big deal, and I expected the same to happen this time. Instead, when I took a break from roadcycling a few weeks ago, I began to lose weight. At first I was glad: looking slender instead of dumpy, what's not to like! Must be all that skating and walking.



But deep down I knew that it wasn't true. I was probably losing weight because I was losing the muscle mass I'd built up roadcycling. And that meant that once I did get back on the bike I would be weaker than when I'd left off. Considering that I am doingthis in just over a month, that isn't good. Still, for a woman who has never been an athlete before it is very difficult to break the "weight loss = great!" association. I did not take my own sense of foreboding seriously enough.



...Until I emerged out of hibernation and went on a 12 mile ride in a strong headwind a few days ago. Yikes am I in trouble. Winded, legs hurting, just overall ridiculous. And it's been only weeks off the bike, with some half-hearted trainer attempts in the meantime. Let me tell you, I've never been so unhappy to fit into a smaller jeans size. I want my legs back!

Typically Swiss: Toblerone Sandwich and Raclette

The nearest café restaurant from the office in Geneve is selling some Toblerone. Nope they are not the usual chocolates that we see sold in the airports and grocery stores. They are ‘Toblerone Sandwiches’!

This was my first time to see something like this so naturally I snapped a foto =).

The Toblerone chocolate is melted inside the bread. Didn’t buy this for lunch though. I chose a green salad.

Each day the café restaurant has a theme for the chef’s main course and during the week there was a day that they went local with the Swiss specialty, ‘Raclette’. I was quite tempted to take it but my Swiss colleague told me not to. He said its best to take them somewhere else. He mentioned the name of a restaurant that I could not remember.

It is usually 4 Swiss cheeses and they are melted. You can eat this (dip) with bread, thin slices of meat and vegetables (potatoes, pickled gherkins and silverskin onions). When eating raclette do not drink water because water can cause the cheese to become thick/solid in your stomach. Drink wine!

I was not so sure if I was happy not taking the cheese. The only reason why I didn’t take the raclette for lunch was because I had to pay it upfront at the cashier. Well I am lazy and stubborn, I don’t want to pay upfront so I went to the salad bar instead.

On some days I didn’t have lunch. It is too much for me sitting down in trainings and meetings the whole afternoon. It makes me feel so full and heavy, and sleepy as well.

Rio Grande Valley State Park

www.cabq.gov/openspace/riograndevalley.html This web site is where you can find more about the Rio Grande Valley State Park.