On the road to Cayo Coco: Cuba espresso stop and the causeway

When you are driving for longer hours you need some caffeine to keep awake and concentrate on the road. So we decided its about time for another stopover, and this time we want to take some of the famous Cuban espresso. We found this roadside ‘comida’ restaurant and they are selling Cuban coffee for CUC$1.











Done with the coffee (so little in a big glass) and we have 2 more hours to go to reach the keys!



Then we finally reached the causeway to Cayo Coco. This reminds me of the causeway to Marken (Netherlands). Now this man-made causeway linking mainland Cuba to the Cayos (keys) is approximately 27 kilometres long. The whole thing is so cool considering that Cuba is a relatively poor country, they still managed to build this up.







We are almost there!

Leaving

It was at this time that my guide decided we had to leave so we could head back down the mountain, and go south toward Oregon. I didn't want to leave this heaven.

Saltwater and Rust

Both this summer and in previous years we've brought our bikes to the coast, we've noticed rust forming alarmingly quickly - even with the bicycles kept indoors. The chain is usually the first to rust, with the various bolts that hold components together shortly following suit. Even hardy powdercoated frames are not immune to this: We noticed rust spots on the Co-Habitant's pale blue Surly at the end of our first week here. I am curious how those who live next to salt water year-round take care of their bicycles. If the rate of rust formation we are seeing is any indication, it seems that bikes kept near salt water are liable to become rust buckets in no time.



On the other hand, I recall that my parents - who live around the corner from a marina - have always kept bikes in the garage, which was left open more often than not. These included my old mountain bike - which was stored in this manner for 15 years before I retrieved it, and the vintage Raleigh we later restored - which must have been kept there for over 20 years. Neither of these bikes show any more rust than is typical for their age. Could it be that bicycles were somehow rust-proofed in the past, and that this is no longer done? Or does rust formation slow down after an initially vigorous attack? Insights from coastal dwellers appreciated!

Red Poppies

First time in many years that I have been able to raise this kind of poppy. I have 2 plants that servived. Both are in large container pots. These are the first blossoms to bloom

Hale Brubaker & Crow's Corner School

Maurice Hale Brubaker (known as Hale) was the youngest son of Malissa Joslin and William Brubaker. He taught at least one term at the Crow's Corner school in Smith Township, Whitley County, Indiana when he was 18 years old. This was still at a time when college degrees were not required for teaching.

Hale's life was cut short when just 6 years later he died of pneumonia while attending Law School at Columbia University in New York. His death had a traumatic affect on the family. It was a shock to his parents but particularly his father who died a little over a year later.

The brief "biography" of Hale was written by his mother: "Hale died in N Y Dec 14 1910 aged 24y 6m & 27da he was in Columbia University a Law Student would have finished in May 1911 he was born in Troy TP Whitley Co graduated in common School when 13 & in high School 17 Taught School in Smith TP. was an active member in the First Baptist church & Sunday School after all God took him called him higher where he is at rest Mother"

I'll be posting more about Hale in the future...

The Pupils listed on the Souvenir tag are:

• Grade VII: Chester McNeal, Thomas Griffith, Etta Rowland, Bessie Gordon, Katie Fulk, Dessie Garrison
• Grade V: Ethel Herron, Jennie Gilbert, Rilla Boggs, Edward Gordon, John Fulk, Charles Gilbert, Jesse Rowland, Earnest McNeal, Herbert McNeal, Cyrus Griffith, Joshua Griffith
• Grade III: Lottie Herron, Virgie Griffith, Frank Garrison, Howard Gilbert
• Grade I: Opal Boggs, Millie Garrison, and a few more that were in the damaged portion

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Take Two

Although Nathan and I have been to this lighthouse already, we were thrilled to visit again with Barb and John because it was so smoky during our last visit. I'm so glad we did because the view was fabulous from the top.

I have already shared much information about this historic lighthouse in my last post, but just one reminder that there are 248 steps to get to the top.It takes some time to get there!The climb is worth it though because the view is amazing!



This time we were able to visit the museum and we even caught the movie about when the lighthouse was moved from its former location to the current one. The movie was much more interesting than I thought it would be. If you visit, I highly recommend it. It is incredible to hear and see all that was involved in moving this beautiful piece of the OBX's history.We had a great time here, and saw that each time we come back, we will learn more things about this interesting place.

Fall Roses

Vintage Raleigh Comes Home

My nice Co-Habitant picked up the Raleigh from my parents' house! He reports that the bicycle is in operational condition: It is structurally sound. The tires hold air. The brakes work well. The hub is fine, and only the shifter requires adjustment. The saddle needs some care and the chain is rusty, but otherwise all is in great shape. This bike is about 40 years old and had been lying in the garage abandoned for the past 20. Amazing! You can read more about it here.

My only concern now, is the size. You can see in the photo how small the bike looks next to a 6'1" male body. I am 5'7" -- will it be a good fit? It will be a little sad if after all this excitement, the Raleigh will be too small for me.

On Holidays and Travel

With all the talk about skyrocketing costs of airplane tickets for Thanksgiving, many people I know have decided to stay home this year and keep it low key. But rather than being upset about it, they seem relieved: A casual Thanksgiving with the immediate family instead of a full-on family reunion and hours spent in airports? The very idea seems to be an instant de-stresser.

The decision to live far away from friends and family - combined with the expectation that we still ought to be close and get together as frequently as possible - creates an uncomfortable predicament. Though many are reluctant to admit it even to themselves, getting together with loved ones for the holidays often brings more stress than joy, fanning the flames of family conflicts and fostering new resentments. And when it's over? Well, so is the long weekend, and back to work you go.

But people are not built to function like this - moving from one set of stressors to another, with no sense of relief. A holiday is meant to be a break, a time to relax. Airports and airplanes are not relaxing to most people. Neither are hours spent driving. Despite our society's quest for an ever-better quality of life, it seems that we've unwittingly designed our lives to maximise stress.

Why bring this up on a blog about bicycles? Because the travel-induced stress of the holidays strikes me as the same type of problem as the stress of commuting long distances to work in a car or via public transportation.There is a great deal of new research coming out about the effects of travel and transportation choices on physical health, mental health, familial and social relationships, and overall quality of life. In retrospect, all of the findings are common sense - which only highlights the fact that society as a whole has been moving away from common sense notions of well-being. For those of us who are trying to get back to those notions, the bicycle has been a great help - not only in the immediate sense, but also in the sense of helping us realise all of this at the most basic and visceral level.

Update from Salt Lake City :: Week Two

In the “early years” of on-site research (back in the 1980s) I usually just abstracted deeds and estate records. Very seldom did I get copies of an entire estate file. The few copies that I did make back then have faded over the years and many of them are no longer legible. In addition, there are estate and other records that I “know” are there – from information obtained from published indexes or other researchers. So, I've been concentrating on obtaining digital copies of those records as well.



It's not super exciting or anything but it's nice to know that I'll be filling in some of the blanks – at least as far as some records are concerned - those that are available here at the Family History Library! As a result of that strategy (gathering records, so to speak), there still haven't been any big breakthroughs although I have found some rather interesting things – some that have generated additional questions, as so often happens.



So far I've scanned deed records for 15 ancestors as well as the complete estate files for the following ancestors, amounting to several hundred pages:

• James Ball 1830, Owen County, Kentucky


• John D. Berlin, 1879, Elkhart County, Indiana


• Susan Berlin, 1880, Elkhart County, Indiana


• Henry Bray, 1798, Nelson County, Kentucky


• Christian Schuder (Sr), 1842, Montgomery County, Ohio


• Casper Stiver (Casper Stoever III), 1821, Montgomery County, Ohio


• Eli Yarian, 1895, Elkhart County, Indiana

As Randy Seaver says, these will provide plenty of “blog fodder” in the future!





Receipt slip signed by my 2nd great-grandparents Lovina Yarian and Eli Yarian.Elkhart County, Indiana Estate file D25. Microfilm No. 1711412.Estate of John D. and Susan Berlin.Susan died before John's estate was settled and her estate was combined with his.

Mackinac Island~The Ferry Ride

In order to get to the island, you have to ride a ferry boat. Elijah really loved this part!

New Year, New Rope.

So I rang up Danny at K2and said send me a rope. He says what kind of rope do you want?I said a pretty one, beyond that you can decide, you know what I do. So, a purple Rocca 10mm. Perfect. I want it to look good as I repeatly fly off the top of my project.

Tuffee & Spanky

Tuffee and her friend Spanky playing their game of race along the fence.

Flying High with the 214th

Over the past couple of days, Climbing Rangers had the opportunity to train with the US Army 214th reserve aviation brigade and their CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The 214th and the Rainier climbing rangers have been working closely together for many years and they provide us with an exceptional tool for Search and Rescue missions and we are very proud to have the opportunity to fly with them.




Throughout the climbing season rangers and the Chinook crew train together so when things get "real" everyone is up to speed with what to do. The 214th's Chinook is specially equipped for working on Rainier, with skis that make soft snow landings possible, special flooring which allows rangers to wear crampons inside the helicopter, and special rigging inside that allow rangers and rescue litters to be lowered and raised safely on the cable hoist.






Training with these guys also allows us the chance to do some great early season recon of the climbing routes on Rainier. Yesterday we got that opportunity, so check out the Route Updates page...all the major routes have been updated with aerial photos and conditions all around the mountain are looking great! Access to the more remote routes is difficult at this time, since many of the roads into the park are still being plowed out from the winters snow. The road crew has been working very hard lately and most park roads should be opening soon. If you are feeling adventurous there is nothing stopping anyone from getting to and climbing any route at this time, just plan on an extra day or two for the approach. Spring on Rainier can be some of the best climbing and skiing along with a very real wilderness experience.



See you on the Mountain.

Hurrican Irene's Destruction

When we left the OBX area, we had plans to come back quickly. Today we realized that is not likely to happen given the devastation there. Out of all the places we have visited so far, this was by far the one that felt the most like "home" to me so I'm sad we won't be going back just yet. We hope to return in the spring and in the meantime we will send supplies and do other things to help this area as they rebuild.

Surfer Dudes

One of my favorite things to do while sitting at the beach, is to watch the surfers.



I could sit for hours and hours and hours and still not grow tired of it.

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!

Five Rivendell Fork Crowns

We were at Harris Cyclery the other day and I took the opportunity to photograph the fork crowns of the Rivendell frames that were hanging in the shop. Enjoy the colourburst!

the Atlantis

the original green Sam Hillborne

the orange Sam Hillborne

the A. Homer Hilsen

the Betty Foy

Nice, aren't they? I think the "curly-cue" design that's on the Betty Foy, the A. Homer Hilsen, and the orange Sam Hillborne tend to be most people's favourites. But as a girl of simple tastes, I prefer the one on the original green Hillborne.