Tunnel Slot Canyon

As we hiked across the plateau towards the back entrance of Tunnel canyon, there really weren't any landmarks to guide us so it took a little while to find the entrance to the canyon. As we nagivated across the sea of slickrock we eventually saw what had to be the canyon up ahead. As we got closer we realized that indeed it was the descent down into the canyon. Next, we had to find a way down. It was very steep and there was no obvious trail, but eventually we did find a route down. Once we were in the canyon we had a welcome respite from the sun. The canyon was fully shaded and it was nice and cool as we walked down-canyon. We would soon be wishing for the sun again, however.





















































As we rounded a corner in Tunnel canyon, we could see up ahead the section that gave the canyon it's name. The "slot" section of Tunnel is indeed just that: a tunnel through the rock. Unlike most slot canyons, Tunnel does not have much of an opening, if any, at the top. This means that very little sunlight gets inside the canyon and it gets pretty cold because of that. Also, on this day, the canyon was full of water! We knew there was a chance that it would be full of water, but we were hoping that because of the relatively dry spring it would (hopefully) be dry. Well, it wasn't. It was full of water, and it was COLD water. And, in the deepest part, it was almost chest-deep on me (I'm just over 6 feet tall). So, we had a decision to make... wade through the deep, freezing water or backtrack up over the plateau the way we came. If we went through the water, we would have about a 2 to 3 mile walk back to the car. If we backtracked, it would be more like 5 to 6 miles. None of us felt like backtracking, so we decided to go through the water.





















































I went in first, and used the extended legs of my tripod to "feel" the water depth ahead of me as I advanced through the canyon. At first it wasn't too bad, barely above my knees. And, after the initial shock of the ice-cold water, my legs went a little numb and it didn't feel as cold so I spent a few minutes in the middle of the canyon to make some images of our friend Roger coming through the canyon. Eventually, though, my legs couldn't take the cold any more and it was time to go through and out into the warm sun. As we soon discovered, the deepest part was the last several feet before exiting the canyon. It made for an interesting shot as Jessica took pictures of me wading through this last, deepest section of water. Once we were out of the slot canyon and back into the warm sun, we found a nice flat section of rock to try and dry out in the sun. We removed our shoes and socks and laid them out on the rocks to dry. After about 15 to 20 minutes we were already about half-dry so we decided to continue the hike back to the car. By the time we hiked the couple of miles back to the car across the open desert and hot sun, we were pretty much completely dry. It definitely was an exciting adventure, one that none of us will ever forget!

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger - 1915

June 26, 1915

The Phend and Fisher family reunion met at the Weiss grove. A splendid dinner was enjoyed by all.

Officers for the ensuing year as follows.
William Phend. Pres.
Jacob Phend Tres.
Ivy Wehrly Sec'y

Births since June 27, 1914 as follows.
Emerson Rhodes Aug. 19
Warren Edwin Pletcher Jan. 30
Mary Alice Phend May 3
Ward Miller May 11
Blanche Evelyn May 4
Mary Elizebeth Manuel

Married
Moses Phend.
- - - - - - - - -
Fred Earnest
- - - - - - - - -
Archie Seniff
Bertha Kline

The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Kicking Back, Old School Style

When I wrote about the modern Sturmey Archer Duomatic hub last week, a reader pointed out that vintage coaster brake hubs have"more 'backlash' - so you have to rotate the pedals further before engaging the brake." I had noticed this as well after switching back and forth between bikes with modern coaster brake hubs (SAand Shimano) and vintage ones (SAand Sachs).

My preference is for the older style. The position my legs tend to be in when braking with the older hubs feels more comfortable. And it is also more convenient to start from a stop: It is easier to arrange the pedals in the correct position when there is more "give" before the coaster brake is engaged.

I am sure there is a good reason why current coaster brake hubs are made so that they are quicker to engage. Anybody know what they are, and the history behind the change?

Hotel Florida in Havana and what happens when you put your foot down

Havana is literally a colonial architecture dump. Time stands still in Havana, frozen during the majestic 18th century and fast forward into the 1950’s. Cuba in faded glory. So obviously our voyage into this island country was to experience what time warp is like in the 21st century. A stay at one of the historical hotels in Old Havana otherwise known as ‘Havana Vieja’ to the locals will be a great start.

I initially eyed Hotel Nacional de Cuba but this lovely hotel was tucked away far from the heart of Old Havana. We want a historical hotel in the centre where plazas and important sights are easily reached from our doorstep. Hotel Santa Isabel at Plaza Armas was also in my list but they were fully booked. I still have three other hotels to choose from and in the end the decision was placed on Hotel Florida, mainly because I love its colonial courtyard and its white and green colour scheme.

Before I booked this hotel online at Cuba Travel Network (you pay upfront) I researched high and low to make sure I made the right decision. It was when I learned about the drama on the missing windows in many hotels in Havana. So I specifically noted in my reservation—‘We need a room with a window or balcony please.’

Arriving quite late in Havana, I began to worry about the room without a window scenario. Well it seems that the stars have misaligned because we were assigned to Room 101—one of the notorious rooms indeed in Hotel Florida without windows.

NO FREAKING WAY. I simply cannot accept a room without windows after a crammed 10 hours flight?!

So I demanded my room with a window, and I stood my ground and never flinched. Hello? I PAID FOR A ROOM WITH A WINDOW gaddammit. I really and seriously put my foot down, not leaving the desk and nagging at the poor receptionist. Well, it paid off. She finally came to a solution and offered a junior suite at no extra charge for the next day before 10AM. Unfortunately the hotel was full and Room 101 is the only room available for the night. OK fine. I accepted her offer.

Here is the 4-star Hotel Florida on the legendary Calle Obispo, one of the prime streets in Havana Vieja:

The colonial atrium courtyard lobby of the hotel.

This is the second floor where the suites are located.

On the right picture is the door to our room.

The view from the second floor's hallway down to the courtyard lobby.

And here is our junior suite:

Because its a suite they do not have 2 separate beds but a king size one which is fine as its big enough for us. I can stick to my own corner =)

Our own private sitting room and moi on the balcony. I love high ceilings.

The marble bathroom, antiquated and honestly I felt icky here but I have no choice. I felt icky in all the toilets of Cuba except for the one in Trinidad as it was fairly new.

Fire tree and view outside from our suite's balcony.

Florida Hotel's restaurant where we took our breakfasts.

The marble statue at the entrance of the hotel and the hotel's male mermaid doorknob.

As for Room 101? The room actually looked elegant but I almost had a nightmare after seeing the bathroom that I didn’t even think of taking a shower that night considering that we had just a long transatlantic flight. Trust me, I didn’t want to touch anything in that bathroom! The ceiling and walls were in a grand moldy state. Stale odour was also emanating out of the air-conditioning. How on earth can you breathe with recycled air? I need fresh air otherwise I will suffocate. I am also very sensitive to sanitation affairs because my skin can quickly irritate, and it did.

So we woke up early in the morning and made a bee-line for the hotel reception desk. Luckily, we were told that they are now cleaning our new room and they will bring our luggage to the suite once it’s done. We were relieved. We had breakfast and a stroll around Havana Old Town before coming back to the hotel to inspect our new room.

TIP: When booking a hotel room in a historical hotel in Havana, always check if they have windows because many hotels have rooms without one. Havana is very humid and hot, and when there are no windows but only air-conditioning and recycled air, this makes the room damp and stale. Consider as well that the buildings in Havana are old and are not that well maintained. This is granted, helaas. Most rooms in fact have traces of mold spores and bathrooms have dark tile linings.

My Rock

I saw this rock by the road and wanted to bring it home but Lee wouldn't let me.

Wordless Wednesday - Not the Yellow Brick Road

Wordless Wednesday - Not the Yellow Brick Road
Terre Haute, Indiana. Summer of 1980. Digitized ...Copyright © 1980/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

Cycling Habit

You really can cycle in your everyday clothes! This lovely nun was weaving through traffic with ease on a busy shopping street.

Mt. St. Helens, Worm Flows

Foursquare Mountaineering split up and climbed 2 different mountains on the same day. This group went south and climbed the St. Helens winter route. What a view!






Pete M. and Dan on top.



Brian, Matthew, Diane, Andrew, Todd and David on the summit.

It was a great day to climb a mountain!

All the Leaves Are Brown

Looks like the foliage season is officially over.

All the leaves are brown (yes, and the sky is grey la-la-la). And while I would not go so far as to say this makes me dream of moving to California, I do find myself curious - for the first time in my life - about what it would be to like to live in that year-round cycling paradise where the Rivendells roam free with the carefree riders upon them wearing nothing but the thinnest layer of soft merino. But these are just idle thoughts really; I need seasons and I love the winter. It's just that this bleh season between the beautiful leaves and the arrival of snow can be a little dreary.

As you can see, Eustacia Vye is doing well, and the gray weather does not bother her too much. She is especially proud of having perfected the act of carrying my satchel in her basket. We have figured out a way to shove it in sideways and diagonally, so that only a corner sticks out. I am hoping that my next laptop (the current one is slowly but surely dying) will be the smaller MacBook Air, which will solve my transportation difficulties altogether.

One thing I keep forgetting to comment on, is cycling in a long coat. All of my cold-season coats are long - with the hem ending either just at the knees or below. I was nervous about cycling in them, but I am glad to report that it's been just fine. My Pashley and vintage Raleigh have skirt-guards, but the Globe I rode in Vienna did not, and even that was problem-free. I think that wool coats are too stiff to fly into the spokes, but I am curious whether other people have had this happen? Also, I find that the heavy wool texture of my coats has excellent non-slip properties, so that I can wear even the silkiest skirts underneath and not worry about sliding on the saddle. So really, give it a try - winter outerwear is great!

Anthropologie Bike Lane Dress

Last week the annual ritual of acknowledging aging descended upon me, and my loved ones consoled me with gifts evoking youth and whimsy - including this fun and girly bicycle dress. But can a cotton frock covered with a colourful, geometrically improbable bicycle print cure existential ennui? Why yes, it can. I wore it on the day in question despite the winter temperatures, and found it impossible not to have fun. Promoting frolicking to the extreme, it was a fantastic gift. The Anthropologie Bike Lane dress has figured prominently in the velo-twitteverse since it came out earlier this winter, and so I thought I'd post a review for others considering it.






The calf-length strapless cotton voile dress has classic 1950s styling: a rigidly tailored bodice and a full, loosely pleated skirt. The colour of the fabric is a vintagey cream, with the bicycle print in faded ink-blue and bright vermilion red. Both the skirt and the bodice are fully lined. I received this dress in a Size 2, and was sure that I would need to exchange it. But to my surprise, the small size fit me and I was even able to wear it over a long-sleeve wool baselayer. The design requires the bodice to be very form fitting, or else it won't stay up. Any larger and the dress would have been too loose. I would say go down one size from what you normally wear, and other reviews of this dress seem to suggest the same.





Despite the whimsical print, the Bike Lane dress is not trivial to get into. The construction is surprisingly traditional (read: complicated). The bodice is corseted, with flexible plastic boning sewn in at the rear and sides. There are two systems of closure: a long zipper on the side, and buttons along the back. Depending on how flexible you are, you may or may not be able to get into the dress on your own.







The buttons along the back are cloth-coverd and very pretty. They are also rather difficult to button and unbutton, because they are large and the button-holes are small. The Anthropologie websites describes them as "decorative," but technically that is not accurate since they actually function to open and close the dress in the back. I think what they mean is "decorated."






All the tailoring does serve a practical function, in that the dress really does stay up without straps. The corseting and the pleats criss-crossing the front also make it possible to wear it without a bra for those who require only moderate support.





Optional straps are included with the dress and they can be attached to sit either straight over the shoulders or crossing at the back. But if you are going to use the straps, I suggest sewing them in, as the hooks do not always want to stay in place.






While the Bike Lane dress is complicated to put on and may not work for all figures, if the fit is right it is very wearable and easy to move around in. There is nothing cycling-specific about this dress, but it is certainly "bikable." The full skirt makes it easy to step over a frame and to pedal, and it's not so long as to be prone to flying into spokes. The corset in the bodice is flexible and does not constrict movement. The quality of the fabric and craftsmanship is good, with a lot of little details that give this dress an elegant simplicity. I will probably wait for Spring/Summer to wear it again, and the gauzy voile should be comfortable on warm days. The very recognisable print means that it can't possibly be an everyday dress, but it's perfect for special occasions. A great gift for bicycle-obsessed ladies with a penchant for vintage tailoring.

Mystery Photo #2 and #3

This is the second in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information.

Tintypes. 2 3/8" x 3 3/4"


I don't know that it is, I'm sure it is wishful thinking, but I would like to believe that the picture on the left is my 2nd Great-Grandfather, Charles Wiseman, born 1815, with his three youngest children. Is the child sitting on the man's lap a boy or girl? What is the time period? How old are the children in the picture? Susanna Wiseman was born in 1850, Samuel in 1855, and Henry in 1859. Charles would have been 35 years old when Susanna was born. The family lived near Vevay, in Craig Township, Switzerland County, Indiana.

To me, the young man in the right photo resembles the man in the picture with the children. What do you think? Click on the images for a larger version.

Rain, Rain...Go Away

We have had a few days of solid rain with lots of wind, and here is the end result:



I know I said we were right on the water before, but I was speaking figuratively. It is about to become a literal statement:





Hopefully the rain has stopped...or we'll be switching sites!



Living the life in wet and cloudy Virginia!

Susie Island Sunsets

For the past couple of nights the lake has been so calm I couldn't resist taking the boat out to the Susie Islands to do some shooting despite having clear, "boring" skies. On days where there aren't any clouds I find the most interesting light to be either the hour before the sun comes up or the hour after the sun goes down. Cloudless days can produce a rather beautiful glow in the sky during these times.

(Above and below: Sunset from Lucille Island)

(Above: Sunlit trees on Long Island)

(Above: Twisted tree on Big Susie Island)

(Above: Evening light on Big Susie Island)

(Above: Lichen on Lucille Island)

(Above: Small rock island off the western tip of Lucille Island)

Crater Lake Revisited

Saturday, October 1st - - Last year I spent three beautiful days at Crater Lake National Park (September 24th through the 26th). And though this visit was just a week later than last year, the weather was much different – colder and cloudier, though not quite as windy – and the campground was closed as were many other facilities in the park.



This time, the visit was a short one – just a few hours – but it was sort of on my way. I don't know why, but this is a special place for me. It is exquisitely beautiful. Magical. Perhaps it is the startling color of the water – it's like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else.



Last year I had taken a series of pictures hoping to “merge” them together into a panoramic view, but never got around to doing it. And now I have this fancy new camera that does that for me! You really, really need to double-click on these images for a larger view...





This view was taken at Rim Village on the south side of Crater Lake.



This is from the southwest side near Discovery Point.



And, this is from the west side at Watchman Overlook.

Those few patches of white on the west side (left) of Wizard Island are piles of snow that are “left over” from last years record snowfall.





Surprisingly, there were quite a few other people there – but take a few steps along one of the trails and the people seem to disappear. Not many travel those paths this time of year. It would be easy to lose yourself in a place like this. The mind wanders into mysterious places while you're watching the movements of the clouds and the water. Time passes quickly, too quickly, but it is a two hour drive to the next campground and it is getting late in the afternoon. Reluctantly, I leave. Hoping that some day I may return again to spend a little more time in this place.