To the Grocery Store: An Exercise in Aesthetics

There are many grocery stores close to where we live, but we prefer to go to a particular one, down by the Charles River. This is the shortcut we take to get to the river from the Harvard campus.

It is such a nice little stretch to cycle through. I wanted to document the feeling of being there before the grimness of November sets in.

The Co-Habitant advancing into the distance.

I must say that I love the look of men's coat-tails flapping in the wind when they cycle.

And here I am. Alas, no coat-tails.

The Pashleys arrive at the grocery store. If you are local, you can probably guess where this is, even with the limited visual cues. I thought the yellow stripes went nicely with the foliage in the previous photos.

I am happy here, because this was one of my first trips after the latest adjustments to my Pashley (raising and setting back the saddle). My legs are almost completely extended on the pedals now, and I can still touch the ground with one toe while remaining on the saddle. (I know, I know - I need to learn how to ride without being able to reach the ground! )

The Co-Habitant is happy here as well, because we did not spend too much time inside the grocery store. Most of the time, everything we shop for easily fits into my basket and his saddlebag. Not a lot of hastle there.

Back home through the tree-lined shortcut. The grocery store trip was actually at the end of a long day of riding all over town. We both had Friday-Sunday off (a rarity due to our unconventional schedules) and enjoyed the weekend together. A good thing, as in a few days I am off to Europe again for the rest of November.

3 lbs?

3 lb 4 oz per foot, Scarpa boot and Black Diamond crampon combo, in a size 45.


Not a dbl boot but more than a single boot.
Not a full steel crampon but at least the front half is.
Not 3 lbs but we are getting closer.

3lb 9 oz is the steel crampon, true double boot, gold standard in a size 45. Sadly that is a 1980's Kolfach Ultra, Evolite liner, strap-on steel, hinged Chouinards.


Spantik, Baruntse liner, Stripped Sabertooth with a aluminum Neve heel, Petzl front bail, size 45. 3lb 10oz. Make it an all steel Sabertooth with your custom Spantik and you have a 4# combo per foot. A 6# combo with a stock set of Cyborgs.
6lb 4oz with factory Spantiks and Cyborgs.

Only a 1/2 lb per foot to go.
Why does this have to so hard?
Is anyone paying attention?

The Amazing Bloomin' Cactus

This Christmas Cactus was given to me six years ago when it was about 6 inches high. Now it is 24 inches across and the highest branch is 15 inches high; the pot is 7 inches high. The first half dozen flowers bloomed last weekend. I counted 20 full blooms, 6 more ready to bloom, 10 medium sized buds and more than 50 small buds just coming on. It is incredibly beautiful, the pictures in no way do it justice but I just had to share. The most blooms that have ever been on it at the same time has been six. Has anyone ever seen a Christmas Cactus with so many flowers?

Morning Glories

My morning glory flowers are finally blooming and most of them seem to be playing a game of peek-a-boo in and around the leaves.

Thursday at Sunday Gulch

A beautiful day in store 80's and sunshine so we head out early to do our hike at the Sunday Gulch by Sylvan Lake. Not sure what to expect except it is listed as 3 miles, strenuous and crosses water at several points.The trail begins off the Sylvan Lakeshore Trail.

It is full ofsmall waterfalls and rock grottos surrounded by ponderosa pine. Many of the rocks are covered with mosses and lichen. Once this gulch was filled with a stream, but in the 1890s Theodor Reder dammed the mouth of the gulch and created Sylvan Lake.



A squeeze through the rocksIt opens up into a ponderosa pine forestand the backside of Sylvan LakeThen down into the Gulch!and down . . .and down . .

The rocks can be slippery and there is some water to get across but there are railings most of the way down.I don't know how they got themhere!

Once you get down the 800 ft drop in 1 mile the hike goes through the woods.

Thebrown trees on this hill are all dead from the pine beetle.

The end!

We've worked up an appetite so we go to Blue Bell Lodge for a late lunch

Then a drive on the Needles Highway








Till Later,Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n

Melissa and Gary











The break-up begins

Just got in from shooting tonight's sunset and after a warm day with bright sun the shoreline ice is really starting to break up in some areas. These chunks of ice were rolling around on the rocks as they were being pummeled by the waves. As each day gets longer and the sun gets higher, it's only a matter of time before this is gone for the year.

Camp Patriot

The LA Times interviewed Incident Commander, David Gottlieb, regarding the most recent tragedy on the Muir Snowfield. The details are heart wrenching.

On a much more positive note, wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are aiming for Rainier's summit. Backpacker Magazine did a story (Shock and Awe) about last year's achievement. That extraordinary effort put a blinded Army Captain on the summit. Look for the team from Camp Patriot on the Disappointment Cleaver later this July.

Speaking of routes, folks are climbing them. We've updated the route conditions page, and posted information about successful attempts on the Emmons and Gibraltar Ledges. Have a great weekend.

Scottish Mixed and Black Diamond gear?

Dave McLeod and Andy Turner repeated the Smith- Marshall routes from that famous week in 1960 this year. More of Andy on the first ascent of "The Secret". Same climb Ueli flashes in the Petzl video and one of the most difficult modern Scottish test pieces. A little love for the Black Diamond fans in there as well :) There are 4 of the Smith-Marshall routes on videos by Hot Aches Productions @ you-tube with a full length feature coming in the fall. Observatory Buttress, The Great Chimney, Minus 3 and Pigott's are all on you-tube. Worth a look if you want to see what the "state of the art" on mixed, a full fifty years ago, in 1960.

The Great Chimney (IV,5) 6th February 1960
Minus Three Gully (IV,5) 7th February 1960
Smith's Route (V,5) 8th February 1960
Observatory Buttress (V,4) 9th February 1960
Point Five Gully (V,5) 10th February 1960
Piggot's Route (V,6) 12th February 1960
Orion Direct (V,5) 13th February 1960

"In one legendary week on Ben Nevis in 1960 Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith advanced Scottish winter climbing a full ten years. On consecutive days they climbed six first winter ascents, including the mini Alpine-route Orion Face Direct (V, 5), while also making the second ascent of Point Five Gully (V, 5) for good measure. The fact they achieved all this by cutting steps up the snow and ice appears, from the remove of the 21st century, to be almost unbelievable. Marshall’s skill was such that he could lead routes almost faster than some of his talented seconds could follow."


Jimmy Marshall the winter of


http://hotaches.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuobO54od7Y&feature=player_Rew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOX0MfGO4ws&feature=player-Rew


Andy Turner on "The Secret"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LjRLqXfNuo&feature=player-Rew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me2AYufFqKs&feature=player-Rew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5BwTHyMJGs&feature=player-Rew

Bradford Pear Tree

Since I have started this blog the post that has been viewed the most is of some Bradford Pear Trees in full bloom that I took about 3 years ago. Now that my own Bradford Pear is in bloom I took some photos and I am posting them now. This first one is of the small tree. Bradford pear trees are considered ornamental trees that do not put on eatable fruit. They are used in landscaping for their beautiful spring blossoms and rusty red leaves in the fall as well as dense green leaves in summer.



Sunburst through the tree.



Photos taken at night back lit by a flashlight. These blossoms glow at night almost as if they had a light in each little blossom.















Blossoms against a blue, New Mexico sky.

Thoughts on Fixed Gear Cranksets?

I am guessing you would welcome a break from Interbike at this point, so I am going to take advantage of that by asking for advice. Just in time for the cold season, I finally have a dedicated fixed gear frame to replace my Moser conversion. I will tell you about the new frame later, as it's part of a larger story. But suffice to say I have it and it's nice. My plan was to simply move all the parts from the Moser onto this frame. The parts are rather plain and cheap-ish, but they will do for now and maybe in a year I will upgrade to something fabulous and Phil Woodsy. But the one thing I forgot is that the crankset I have on the Moser (Sugino RD2) has the wrong length cranks for the new frame. The Moser had a low bottom bracket, so the cranks I have on it are 165mm, but the new frame has a high bottom bracket and I want to use 170mm. So I need a new one and therein lies my dilemma: I am clueless about single speed cranksets.



For example, one option would be to just buy another inexpensive Sugino RD2. However, I am told that this is ultimately an iffy idea for a fixed gear roadbike, because it's not made for a track chain. Also, if I do plan to upgrade the components, it doesn't make sense to buy cranksets twice - maybe I should get the nicer version already.



And the "nicer version" is apparently the Sugino 75. It is a Keirin-approved track crankset and is extremely expensive. Why I need it, I couldn't tell you - since my fixed gear frame is not a track frame and I won't be racing on it. Even in terms of aesthetics I don't find it all that spectacular. A friend might have one to sell secondhand, in which case it may be worth it - but otherwise I don't get the appeal of the Sugino 75 for non-racers.

image via antbike

There are also the American made cranksets, such as this one by White Industries. Expensive, but less so than the Sugino 75. And while beautiful in its own right, I can't decide whether it will look right on my frame - the design seems a bit busy.

image via Winter Bicycle

The Paul's"circles" crankset is simpler, but part of me thinks it should go on a bike with Paul's drop-outs, which mine does not have. Is that silly?



It is also worth noting that the "nice" cranksets call for equally "nice" bottom brackets, so the real price differential between these options and the Sugino RD2 set-up is even greater than it seems initially.



Of course my ideal scenario would be not to go with any of these, but to find a beautiful vintage Campagnolo Pista crankset - for a miraculously low price, of course, and with just the right length cranks. No such luck though, after months of looking.



So, dear readers: Any thoughts? What is your preferred crankset for a fixed gear roadbike and why? My frame is lugged and fairly lightweight and I'd like the crankset to look classic. The bike is not for the track, so all the debates about tiny differences in stiffness are not really relevant. Beyond that, I have no idea. Help?