All-Weather Friend

Yesterday was a horrible, rainy day, and during the worst part of it I had to go out. Looking out the window, it was rapidly growing dark and water was literally pouring in streams from the sky. On a day like that, the question of which bike to take did not even enter my mind: I put on my waterproof trench and grabbed Eustacia Vye.

It was raining so hard, that I felt as if I was swimming rather than cycling: I had to keep wiping water off of my face. Between the darkness and the rain, it all looked like an impressionist painting.

Nonetheless, the ride itself was quite comfortable. Eustacia remained stable and easy to maneuver even through lake-sized puddles. The brakes worked perfectly. The lights shone brightly. I felt safe in traffic despite the wet conditions and the limited visibility. Once I got used to the feeling of water running down my face, it was even fun.

There were almost no other cyclists out, and one of the few I did see had an accident right in front of me: While turning a corner, she rode over some leaves and her bicycle flipped sideways. I knew that this could happen, but have never experienced it or seen it. She was cycling slowly, and it still happened. The cyclist was not hurt (I stopped to make sure she was all right), but still - falling like that could not have been pleasant. It seems that wet leaves really are extremely slippery and it is important to avoid them, especially when cornering.

The fallen cyclist was riding a diamond-frame bike, with tires that looked narrow and worn out. She expressed admiration for my Pashley and said that on a bike like that she bets this would not have happened to her. I am not so sure, as I have heard of people slipping on wet leaves and metal grates even on mountain bike tires. Still, I was acutely aware of how much of a luxury my tank of a bike was on a horrible day like this. I was comfortable, whereas the few other cyclists out there looked like they were miserable - struggling against the elements as well as their bikes' limitations.

Here we are together in the rainy darkness. Not very flattering to either of us, but it captures the mood. My true all-weather friend. I must not forget this the next time I compare her to faster and more nimble bikes.

Edwin M. Joslin :: 1916 Certificate of Death

This week I received several death certificates that had been ordered from the Indiana State Board of Health, among them that of Edwin M. Joslin. His father's name is not given and his mother's name is listed as Mabethy Goodrich. That information was provided by Edwin's daughter Nellie Gunkle. To me, it seems feasible that "Mabethy" could be a corrupted version of "Nabby" which is how Abigail Goodrich was found in several other records, or perhaps it is wishful thinking - but at least his mother's maiden name was given as Goodrich!


357 stamped in upper right corner
13939 stamped on left above name

Place of Death: County of Tippecanoe, Township of Perry
Indiana State Board of Health / Certificate of Death / Registered No. 115

PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS

Full Name: Edwin M. Joslin
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Widowed
Name of Wife: Sareph A.
Date of Birth: Dec 17, 1829
Age: 86 years 3 months 20 days
Occupation: Retired Farmer
Birthplace: Ohio
Name of Father: --- Joslin
Birthplace of Father: unknown
Maiden Name of Mother: Mabethy Goodrich
Birthplace of Mother: unknown
Informant: Mrs. Ed Gunkle
Address: La Fayette, R.R.L.
Health Officer: Dwight R. Baker

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH

Date of Death: April 3, 1916
Cause of Death: Arterio Sclerosis
Duration: two years
Signed: J. E. McCabe, M.D.
4/6, 1916
Address: Buck Creek
Place of Burial or Removal: Isley
Date of Burial: 4-9 1916
Undertaker: Dwight R. Baker

Petzl hammers, one last time!

Seen on some of the most experienced Petzl tools in the world. And much more still to come this season. A truly classic and well tested design worthy of the Nomic.






Summit ice slopes, N. Face of the Eiger and CT hammers.




The current productionrun of CT hammers is not readyyet. But will be sent for heat treat midDecember . Likely the last batch I will produce.Certainly the last batch till at least fall of .They are anothergeneration better and even more user friendly! No dicking
around on the fit. Simply bolt them on with the current Petzl picks. A new
stronger and more durable design. These willfit perfectly on the old or new
Noimcs. They willalso fit on the new Quarks and new Ergo with the current production picks. Milled one at a time from tool steel and then heat treated to specific hammer hardness. Full head coverage,4mm thick and only 32g per hammer with little effect on the tools balance and swing weight.



NOTE! October 22, the last batch was being mailed out.....inventory lasted till Nov. 9. The current production runwill be ready late Dec or early Jan . Best to pre-order if you
want hammers this season. No additional shipping charges for
International orders. Everyone pays the same $7.50 no matter where you are in the world.

Nomic/Petzl options

1 hammer $60.00 USD 2 hammers $120.00 USD 4 hammers $225.00 USD

Bodie Island Light Station

Today we headed over to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse. It is the second tallest lighthouse on the OBX.

Quick Facts

• Popular folklore says that the island got its name because of the many bodies that were found around it, washed up from shipwrecks


• The inside plaque reads “Body Island” – no one is certain on the spelling change


• Bodie Lighthouse stands 156 feet tall


• The height of each stripe is 22 feet


• It has 214 stairs to the lantern


• The beacon is visible up to 19 miles


• It currently has One 1000 watt lightbulb activated by photocell


• The land for Bodie Lighthouse cost $150 in 1846


• The total cost of construction was $140,000


• The first keeper of Bodie Island Lighthouse was paid an annual salary of $400.


• The tower still houses a 1st-order Fresnel lens

The brick lighthouse with alternating stripes of white and black that we see today is not the original lighthouse on Bodie Island. There were actually two lighthouses that came before it. Because Oregon Inlet continually shifts southward, the remains of the two original lighthouses have since been washed away.

The lighthouse is currently awaiting funds so a restoration can take place. The gentleman working there told us all about that. I missed most of it because I was fascinated (grossed out) by a snakeskin on his desk. I did get the impression that you might be able to walk inside of the building once it is restored. We had fun just touring the outside today.

I love lighthouses so it is a real treat to me when we can visit them up close and personal. It was a great day!



Living the life in North Carolina!

Dream States

My first cycling dreams were vague and atmospheric. When I rode along the Danube in the Austrian countryside, I would re-experience these rides in my sleep constantly. It was mostly the scenery and the light I would dream of. That backlit look as the day fades into evening, the shimmering water, the aspens and the wild flowers swaying in the breeze. The rides themselves resembled dream states, with their improbably long sunsets and no clear end or beginning to the winding Danube trail. Fading peals of laughter from party boats, the clanking of dishes in the back yards of houses I would cycle past. The sounds trailed off, almost ghostly. It would slowly grow dark as I pedaled and pedaled and pedaled. When I remember one of these rides now, I cannot be sure whether it is the actual ride or the dream I am remembering.




Riding for transportation in Boston, cycling disappeared from my dreams for some time. The few I remember are short, anxiety-filled re-enactments of close calls - I'd wake up with a sinking feeling in my stomach from a car having cut me off or passed too closely. In waking life I experienced no fear or nervousness when riding in traffic, but it must have been there on some level - what I would not acknowledge in my conscious state surfacing in dreams.




Later it was roadcycling that populated my dreamworld. Like an animal moving its paws in its sleep, I would pedal with my legs and shift gears with my fingers. The novel sensations of ergo levers played a starring role for some time. My fingers just wanted to keep using them even after the ride was over and I was fast asleep. Tap-tap-tap... spin-spin-spin... thumb press, thumb press!... spin-spin-spin! It was mostly just the motions and the speed I remember dreaming about, the anticipation of downhills. There was also a magical effortlessness to it that did not exist in real life. In my dreams, my legs never hurt and I cornered elegantly. Tap-tap-tap, spin-spin-spin! It could go on forever, just like that.




A late winter ride to Lost Lake led to a bicycling dream of cinematic proportions. In a small group we had ridden through the snow covered landscape of central Massachusetts, a route that culminated in a dramatic course of rolling hills. The combination of the stunning winter scenery and the sensation of the ride itself must have overwhelmed my impressionable mind. That night I dreamt of Pamela Blalock standing atop an icy mountain, her long platinum braid fluttering in the brutal wind. She pointed at something in the distance, and when I looked in that direction suddenly it was I who was there, along with Dina, Emily and Pamela herself. We were riding what I first thought were horses but turned out to be huge bicycles made of a rusty, coppery material. Later I recognised them to be life-sized versions of some of the wire sculptures I'd seen at Pamela's house, but in the dream this was not apparent. Weightlessly we pedaled up a steep, narrow road in a blizzard, and just as we crested the hill we saw that the pavement ahead had turned to ice. No longer in a procession, we were now side by side and our bicycles tied together with rope. With incredible speed, we slid down the endless winding hill like some giant 8-wheeled chariot. I let out an excited scream, but it was so cold that I made no sound.




Other dreams of cycling followed - rehashing the day's events, playing out fantastical narratives, expressing anxieties. Before embarking on an overnight ride to Maine, I dreamt that my dynamo light was not working and that I couldn't shift gears uphill. After the ride, I dreamt of cycling endlessly along the coastal saltwater marshes in the dark. I had a handlebar bag full of tiny fresh bagels. I took out a notepad and wrote a letter to a friend on the side of the road, then dropped it in a mailbox and kept riding. I do not remember what I wrote or to whom. The night was warm and dark, only the outlines of trees discernible in the distance. Morning never came. When I reached the Canadian border, the guard was expecting me and gave me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I kept pedaling. That was the last bicycling dream I remember.

Nespresso mania, just a fading trend?

The Netherlands is without a doubt a coffee country. Tea as well. Fact is, the Netherlands was the first country to trade coffee beans (and tea leaves). The amount of coffee drank in this country is just incredible, unimaginable even. In the recent years though, gourmet coffee has managed to sneak in slowly but surely into the kitchens of the average Dutch. This started with the outdated Philips Senseo and now, the most sought-after, Nespresso.

At my workplace here in the Netherlands we have a big Nespresso machine. At our EMEA headquarters in Geneve we have a much bigger Nespresso machine that fits to a wall. Because I am in field sales I am not always in the office, but when I am, I make sure to take a cup or two or three a day—usually espresso. At my customers and business partners they normally serve me Douwe Egberts which I do not mind at all.

When travelling, I have my guaranteed daily dose of espresso fix at lovely cafes matched with some people watching.

At home though, I rarely drink coffee. I have my special tea for breakfast and for after dinner. However lately, I have been thinking of buying a Nespresso machine to address those rare days that I am craving for a shot of black goodness espresso at home.

The Dutchman on the other hand is the only Dutch man in the Netherlands that drinks instant coffee—Nescafe. Most Dutch would not even touch this, lol.

So I went to Bijenkorf Utrecht last weekend to have a look and feel of these coffee machines and this is what I found:

Ah, there seems to be no recession here at Bijenkorf. Business is doing very well. There is always an unbelievably long line here every weekend at the Nespresso corner. People are ready to put out extra money for gourmet coffee.


Nevertheless, I am still not sure if I should buy a Nespresso machine. Well, don’t get me wrong. I am a coffee lover but its seems that my love for coffee is inevitably only at work and when I am travelling. So we shall see... in the meantime, I will check out the china department for ideas of my next set.

Here is a TRIVIA:
‘Did you know that the most expensive coffee in the world is found only in the Philippines (Kape Alamid) and Indonesia (Kopi Luwak)? Its called CIVET coffee in English.’

I'm going to grab one when I am back in Asia towards the end of the year.

How good is Yangshuo?

Happy New Year from White Sands, New Mexico!

Above left: New Year's Eve moonrise. Above Right: My friend Roger photographing the dunes under the New Year's Eve full moon.

Well, my trip is nearly over... almost 6 weeks ago I left Grand Portage on a quest to explore the West, focusing mostly on the Pacific coastal areas of Washington and Oregon. Its been a great trip, but some of the best experiences were at the end of the trip! My friend Roger and I arrived at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico the afternoon of December 31, . We were planning on camping overnight in the dunes and arrived at the park just in time to get our orientation and register for our campsite before the daily deadline. After we registered, we had just enough time to scope out a place to shoot sunset and the moonrise. Watching the moon come up over the white sand dunes was incredible.



Above: Our campsite. We placed our headlamps inside the tent to illuminate it for this shot.

After shooting the sunset and the moonrise we decided to set up camp before doing some moonlight shooting. Our campsite was about a mile from the parking area and after finally locating our site (which was a little difficult to find, since the trail markers through the dunes are VERY difficult to locate in the moonlight!), we set out for a few hours of moonlight shooting.



Above: Our campsite, nestled against a dune with the San Andres Mountains in the background.

White Sands is an awesome landscape during the day, but switch to night and throw in the light from a full moon and its downright magical! We had a blast hiking around the dunes and taking pictures. It was a lovely night, the air was crisp but not too cold and there wasn't a lick of wind. Its pretty amazing when its so still and you can't hear anything except for your own breathing. Thule (Roger's dog) even seemed to really enjoy the night as he was friskier than usual, running laps around us and jumping up and down.



Above and below: Roger photographing the White Sands landscape.



Below: A wider view of our campsite amongst the dunes. This view is looking south towards Mexico.



We were out shooting until about 1:30 a.m., so we rang in the new year while walking around on the dunes :-) We settled into our sleeping bags, hoping to get at least 5 hours of sleep before sunrise.



My alarm woke me at 6:30, and when I crawled out of the tent I noticed right away that it was much colder than it was when we went to sleep. In fact, our tent was even covered in a thin layer of frost! I don't know what the temperature actually was, but it felt like it was in the mid 20's. As I crawled out of the tent I turned my eyes skyward and the first thing I saw was the full moon just above the dunes directly out in front of the tent. What a sight to wake up to! I quickly forgot about how cold I was and went back into the tent to wake Roger and retrieve my camera gear.



As the sun got closer and closer to breaking the horizon, the sky to the West took on this amazing pink glow. The pink sky with the moon and the white sand made a view that was to die for. Definitely one of the prettiest New Year's Day mornings I have ever seen!

What’s in Naga? Answer: Banana Cue and Kamote Cue

Have you ever lusted for some old-time ‘comfort street food’? Well I have, when I was in Cebu in October this year. My taste buds were desperately yearning for a stick of fried banana cue (caramelized banana) and some fried kamote cue (caramelized sweet potato) as well, but how come these street delicacies were nowhere to be found in the city?


I am honestly fearing the (imminent?) banana cue sold on the streets tradition extinction so kindly pass this on to all the ‘manangs’ and ‘alings’ out there... please, please, please... do not tire from deep frying these yummy caramelized treats at corner streets and at sari-sari stores. As for you, the local Filipino consumer: Buy Filipino! Buy banana cue, buy kamote cue and help preserve Filipino street food culture.

And because I was still craving, we all hopped in the car and went to Naga, just to buy banana and kamote cues. Yipee!

I took a few fotos of the environs there as well, see them below. The rest of the fotos are all here: Naga, Cebu - Philippines


Banana Cue street vendor.


Kamote Cues, YUMMY.


Tricycad drivers and three little boys in a tricycad.


Market scene in Naga, Cebu.


Naga Catholic Church and the old Naga City Hall (there is a brand spanking new modern and big city hall building at the back).


Oil tanker ships along Naga coast and a woman bathing on the rocky coast.


Siomai stands on Naga boulevard seems to be more popular than banana or kamote cues. Next foto, English translation: Do not pee here.

Index ..

Adam and I had planned early in the week to head out to Index on Thursday. Initial weather reports were favorable for climbing, but not ideal. The forecast when we left Seattle in the morning was perhaps even less ideal, but still favored climbing with a predicted partly cloudy/partly sunny day.

Pulling into the parking lot there were low clouds and not much sign of the sun. We walked the thirty seconds to the lower town wall to see much of it wet, including potential starts to routes we were intending to do. I walked around for other objectives while Adam took a party separation. Godzilla was dripping and Princely Ambitions was plenty wet. I met Adam back at the base of Aries crack where I told him we might as well climb since we were already there. We geared up at the base of Aries crack hoping to continue onto Taurus after we gained the first ledge. Or at least we would see if things looked dry enough to continue.


I led off, finding the rock not thoroughly wet, but damp enough to cause a loss of friction. Upon reaching the crux I could not get enough traction on my left foot smear to make a move and slipped a few times. After repeated attempts with my arms tiring I gave up on finding enough friction to move upward. I lowered and we committed to setting up a top rope on the pitch by climbing the gully to the right.

I took the first shot on top rope and was now stymied by my inability to get a good fist jam higher up. After a few attempts I let Adam have a go at it. I told him his smaller hands might be the ticket as the crack was a bit too small for me to get a fist in, and it might be just right for him. Adam climbed on top rope and was surprised I made it as far as I did on lead. Then he worked the crux for a while before finally pulling the moves to gain the ledge. I came up and once again had to work on trying to make a jam work before I finally found the only thing that would work for me. A solid forearm jam/cam with my right arm gave me the needed hold to move up and complete the moves to the ledge. And some people think it is a good thing to be a tall, big handed climber?

Heading into the Aries crux

Once on the ledge I told Adam I'd like to have a go at the rest of Taurus. After getting a short distance up on the following crack, my foot slipped. I repositioned and tried again. I was able to make the next move, but the following moves had less positive options for feet and the crack looked a bit thinner and harder to protect, so I came down pulling my pieces and waiting for dryer conditions.

I told Adam I'd head up Great Northern Slab to reach the rap station. The climbing on GNS was fun and when Adam reached me I told him I'd like to lead the next pitch as well. After some slightly damp moves pulling around the roof, I was on the ledge at the base of the next crack. Somehow I did not see the easy way up and attempted to go up and gain the crack after a few moves by coming in from the left. This involved an awkward move where I was mantling from a horizontal crack while side pulling with my right hand. I couldn't manage the move and told Adam that "I am probably going to fall here." After a few tries I realized I could down climb a few moves and take the proper beginning to the crack and continue easily. That little episode left me a bit frazzled, and that remained with me the rest of the pitch. Although I did feel I climbed it fairly well. I brought Adam up and we rapped.

Adam on GNS

In typical fashion, I try to go to Index when it is a little too wet for Index. Hopefully I'll be able to get out there and climb when it is dry and then I will not feel too sketched by wet rocks and slippery feet.

A New Acquaintance... and a New Career?

Today I would like to share with you that I have officially become a Bicycle Photographer. As you can imagine, this translates to a life of fame and glamour - and will finally enable me to quit my dayjob and live as a full-time artiste. Okay, perhaps I am getting just a little ahead of myself. But I have recently been asked to photograph someone's bicycle collection, and I am excited to be working on this project.

A.T. (aka "somervillain") is a vintage bicycle lover who lives in the Boston area. He is an occasional commentator on this blog and a member of bikeforums. Based on the photos of my own bicycles that he has seen me post, A.T. invited me to document his and his wife's vintage collection. So far we have only done one photo session, and I post a few of the images here.

The star of these photos is A.T.'s 1950s Raleigh DL-1 Roadster - the same bicycle as the Co-Habitant's Rodney, but older and with a full chaincase, as well as dynamo-powered lighting (front and rear!).

I must say that this DL-1 is in better condition than any other I have seen, particularly the chrome parts. When I first saw this bike from a distance, my thought was that it must be a modern replica. Of course up close all the signs of wear and age are visible, but its condition is none the less terrific.

Those who like vintage Raleigh 3-speeds know how rare it is to actually have that dynamo headlight attached to the "Heron" mount and working!

Here is a close-up of the headlight, handlebars and rod levers. The roses are distracting here (roses in November?), but it's the best close-up I have of this area.

Incredibly clean and shiny rod brakes.

Front dynamo hub.

Dynamo-powered tail light mounted on the left seat stay. What a pleasure to photograph all this stuff!

Rear Sturmey Archer hub. Notice how clean it is! A.T. did all of the work on this bicycle himself, including assembling this hub - remarkable!

Vintage Brooks B66 saddle, NOS Roadster saddlebag, rear rack.

Here is the entire bicycle again, from the non-chaindrive side. I should explain that I can't take digital photography seriously (as opposed to film photography), and therefore own no professional digital equipment. These photos were all taken with my tiny point-and-shoot camera. I could have done a much better job with proper equipment. Any suggestions? But there I go, getting ahead of myself again.

A few have already asked me about the location in these photos. All I can say, is that it is my secret magical bike photography spot, and the same "nice" neighborhood discussed in this post. It is ridiculously scenic and resembles England, which is why I thought the vintage Raleigh would look especially at home against this backdrop. I hope you enjoyed the photos of this magnificent bicycle and thank you A.T. for the permission to post these. Additional pictures of this bicycle can be viewed here.

If you have questions about this Raleigh DL-1, please contact the knowledgeable and friendly somervillain.