Wish You Were Here!

I just saw Sallie's comment on my last post, while working on pictures for this post. She asked where we were staying. Sallie, we are staying at Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina and it is a great park!



I do understand her comment on the jealousy because we are rarely jealous of where people are at. We know we are at a great place or we wouldn't be there, or we'll be in their great place sometime. If I were going to be jealous though....it would be over this place. Out of all the places we've been to, this is our favorite by far.



We started out the day with this view:



Then we headed out to see what is here.





This is Austin's "wish you were here" pose.





This is the marina here:





This is Coco wondering what on earth was in this water:



And this is just some of the fish we saw today:



The rest of the day was just as wonderful. We swam in the pool, we hung out at our site, we grilled lunch and dinner. After all of that, we came back to the fishing and swimming pier. Nathan did some snorkeling. He found a conch shell:



And we sat and watched the sunset with Coco:





I could get used to this!

Living the life in the Florida Keys!

Castle

This is a really nice photo that my sister took when she and my niece went to Disney World over Christmas. My niece was promised the trip when she graduated from from college which in her case is acutully a univeristy. They went in December rather than in the summer when it is so hot in Florida.

Another Fun Night with Rich and Donna

It has been so great to have friends here at The Villages. It has given me someone to do things with during the day while Nathan works and it has also given us a fun couple to do things together with when Nathan is not working.



Tonight is a great example of that. First we went out to eat at Olive Garden tonight, enjoying their 2 for $25 special. Afterwards Rich and Donna invited us to their place this time, and Donna spoiled us with pumpkin cheesecake for desert. It was delicious!





I think we might have found a game that Rich enjoys, or at least tolerates for the rest of our sake. Nathan is hoping we will move to Rook shortly because that is his favorite card game. In the meantime, I am enjoying a game that I sometimes have a shot at winning.

New Paint

The paint on the siding on the house had been sand blasted until it was back to the orginal gray color so we painted it.

Small Wheels and a Belt Drive: the Moulton TSR2

Despite seeing plenty of Moultons, old and new, over the past several years, I cannot get used to the sight of these bicycles. The "spaceframe," resembling an elaborate truss bridge, is like a puzzle that both intrigues and frustrates me. I don't know why, but that is the reaction I have to these bikes. Briefly riding a Moulton two years ago brought me no closer to forming a more defined impression, and it took me until now to work up to trying it again. This Moulton isJon Harris'spersonal bikeand it is a TSR2model: featuring a 2-speed kick shift drivetrain with coaster brake and belt drive.






Founded in 1962, Moulton is an English manufacturer that championed the concept of small wheeled bikes. I will not delve into the history here, as I have already done this in an earlier post. You can also read about it on the company heritage page, as well as on the Moulton Bicycle Club website. Today, Moulton bicycles continue to be handmade in Bradford-upon-Avon, England, offering a number of road and city models. [edited to add 10th Dec. : read this morning the sad news that Dr. Alex Moulton, the founder of Mouton Cycles, has died at the age of 92.]






Following the original F-frame, the spaceframe design was launched in 1983 after years of research and development. The intent was to create an extremely stiff, performance-oriented frame. The adjustable suspension in the fork and rear triangle was designed to counteract the resultant harshness of ride quality.






The combination of frame stiffness and dampening is said to provide a uniquely responsive and comfortable ride.






At the top of Moulton's lineup are state of the art racing bikes, but the TSR models are its low-key offerings. The TSR2 is the humblest of them all - deigned as a minimalist, low-maintenance city bike with hub gears and a belt drive.






Flat handlebars with single brake lever.






V-brakes front and rear. 20" wheels withContinental Contact 37mm tires.








TSR frames are separable: Removing a pin in the center allows the frame to disassemble into two halves for ease of transport. While not a folding bike, this feature makes it convenient for travel.






I rode the Moulton TSR2 on two separate occasions, several miles each time. Congruent with the manufacturer's description, the bike felt stiff and responsive. Even this 2-speed city model is not a cruiser or a small wheel shopper exactly. The positioning is aggressive, and the handling is similar to that of a roadbike retrofitted with straight handlebars. The adjustable stem makes it easy to change handlebar height, accommodating riders of different sizes. While the fit worked well for me with the handlebars set level with the saddle, I did not like the flat and narrow bars that are standard with the build. But I understand this is possible to change.




As far as handling, the bike accelerates quickly, holds speed nicely, and is responsive to pedaling effort. Those who like fast and aggressive, yet upright bikes, will enjoy this. The ride quality did not feel harsh on bumpy and pot-hole ridden roads. I could feel the suspension in the front and rear, but could not decide whether it was too much for my taste or just enough.






The TSR2's dropouts are split to accommodate the belt, which cannot be separated the way a bicycle chain can. This is the now third bike I have test-ridden with a belt drive (see the others here and here). Unlike the previous times, this is a Delta belt drive and not a Gates carbon drive, but in the limited context of the test rides, I was not able to discern any difference. The belt was smooth and quiet.




The TSR2 is the second bike I have test-ridden with the Sturmey Archer 2-speed kick shift hub (see here for detailed impressions). This hub - also known as the Duomatic - is unusual in that it both brakes and shifts via back-pedaling: You push back lightly to switch gears, and you push back harder to brake. The Duomatic is a lot of fun, though I would not choose it for my own bike. In particular, the coaster brake action does not feel right to me on a bike with positioning and handling as aggressive as the Moulton's. That said, I know others who run this hub quite happily on bikes with drop bars, so it really comes down to personal preferences.






The MoultonTSR2 can be accessorised with fenders, as well as custom front and rear racks and bags. Considering it is a city bike, I would have liked to see these features included. This would allow me to get a sense for how convenient it would be to carry my stuff on this bike and what effect the load would have on handling. As is, I have no idea. There are also no provisions for lighting.




TheMoultonTSR models are worth considering for those looking for a compact, small wheel bike that is performance oriented. Handmade in England and famous for their engineering,Moulton bicycles are costly, with TSR models starting at $1,600. My favourite aspects are the compactness, the separable frame, and the handling. Though this bike has become less of a mystery to me, I am still mesmerised and confused by the spaceframe when I see it, unable to decide whether I think it is wonderful or ridiculous. If the opportunity presents itself, I would like to try a Moulton with derailleur gearing and provisions for carrying luggage. Many thanks to Harris Cyclery for this and other Moulton encounters.

Christian Phend Family Photographs

Christian and Mary Emily "Mollie" (McConnell) Phend, date unknown.

The family of Christian Phend and Mary McConnell. Probably taken sometime in 1907 (the youngest child in the picture, Dwight Rhoades, was born January 30, 1905).
two men in the back: Frank Wehrly and Delvin Phend
middle row: Waldo Phend, Harry Phend, Hattie (Phend) Rhoades, Grover Phend, John Rhoades holding his son Dwight, and Clarence Phend
front row: Ivy (Phend) Wehrly, Belle Phend, Clifford Phend, Christian Phend, Mary Phend, Mary McConnell Phend, and Helen Rhoades.

Christian Phend and his sons, taken at the same time as the previous picture, sometime in 1907. Seated in front are Harry, Clifford and Grover. Standing in back are Waldo, Delvin, Christian, and Clarence.

Location of original photographs is not known. These are digital copies of copies of copies! The quality is not the best in the bottom two; the texture of the print shows up in the scanned copy. As always, click on the images to view a larger version.

Related post: Where's Waldo? (subtitled "Go ahead, Make My Day")

Advice from Fixed Gear Experts? And a Look at MKS Stream Pedals

I have been riding my Francesco Moser roadbike as a fixed gear since July. I love this bicycle and ride it considerably more than I thought I would. For an aggressive roadbike, it is puzzlingly comfortable and easy. My bicycle handling skills have improved thanks to this bike and I have grown very attached to it.



But here is the problem - or rather what I keep hoping is not a problem, and would like your opinion about: The frame has a low bottom bracket. In our innocence, we did not notice this when we were building it up, and I don't even think the person who gave me the frame noticed quite how low it was. The bike originally came with skinny tubulars, but we fitted the frame with 700C wheels and 28mm tires - which raises the bottom bracket off the ground more than originally.



The cranks are 165mm, which is already as short as I can reasonably go with here, and just recently I switched the pedals (originally MKS"Touring") to the narrower MKS"Stream". All of this has helped ward off "pedal strike," but I still worry whether it is safe. A couple of people have taken one look and told me that I should get a different bike, with an expression of concern on their faces. Others have told me that it's not too bad and there should be no problem as long as I am not too aggressive on turns and don't take it on the velodrome.



So my question: Is there an objective way to tell? How high should the bottom bracket be off the ground in order for a fixed gear bike to be "safe"? And "aggressive on turns" seems like such a subjective concept. I think of myself as a bad cyclist and I think of my speed as slow - but I am not sure how to quantify these things. Once I get going, I like to ride 15-18mph on this bike. But I am consciously very careful on corners and slow down on them due to paranoia over this issue.



So far, the MKS "Stream"pedals (purchased from Cambridge Bicycle) seem to have made a big difference, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that perhaps they solved the problem. This is what the lean of the bike used to be in order to get pedal strike, but the Streams have improved things considerably.



Here are the MKS"Touring" (left) vs the MKS"Stream" (right) pedals side by side. As you can see, they are very similar except for the size.



TheMKSStreams are basically touring-style pedals that are the size of track pedals. They are comfortable and accept both toe clips and Power Grips. I was worried that my feet might feel cramped on them, but I have felt absolutely no discomfort so far.



Here is another size comparison.



And notice the difference in teeth. The Streams are more grippy.



The ride quality with the new pedals feels the same as previously, with the benefit of additional "room to breathe" on turns. But is it enough? If I do need to start thinking about a new frame,I doubt that I can find something as good as theMoser (Columbus tubing, Italian quality) in anything resembling a reasonable price range. My best bets are probably to look into Mercian or to wait for the Rivendell "Simpleone". And if you can recommend a vintage model that resembles the Moser in ride quality but has a higher bottom bracket, I am of course all ears. I do not want a new fixed gear roadbike. I love this one and would prefer to ride it forever. I just want to know whether that is a good idea.

Moving On :: Kluane to Haines

Monday, August 23rd - - I continued on the Alaska Highway from Lake Kluane to Haines Junction where I turned south on the Haines Highway. Designated a National Scenic Byway, it is one of the prettiest drives in Alaska (in my opinion). What makes it different from all the other Scenic Byways is that you have scenic views that can actually be seen! They aren't completely hidden by rows of trees alongside the highway. The 150 miles from Haines Junction takes you through a portion of the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alaska.

I didn't take many pictures along the way. Though pretty, the scenery didn't lend itself well to picture taking, and the further south I drove the cloudier it got. So you'll just have to take my word for it that it was beautiful.

There was some road construction and about 15 miles of gravel road, and my van, which had to go through two car washes in Anchorage to get clean, was now dirty again...

There were signs of autumn in the air, besides the chilly weather.


It had started raining about 30 miles north of the Alaska border and the rain continued all the way to Haines, 40 miles south of the border. I stayed at the campground at Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area (which also happens to be where Sue and Fred stayed). It is ten miles east of Haines at the end of the highway.

First Alpine route - Paciencia 8a, Eiger nordwand

On the crux of Paciencia, Eiger north face. All photos thanks to the talentedAlexandre Buisse




June and July were some of the most busy and challenging days of my life, none of which involved any climbing. The death of my father Norman was not a good time. Not wishing to talk about it much more on this, my climbing blog, all I should say is that at least I was able time to spend time with him first.




There wasn’t much time before other life events called for action. Claire, Freida and I moved house. Just ‘round the corner’ to Roybridge. We now have a great base for Freida growing up and it was a pleasure to put my back into working on it and preparing it for my family. Each day, I got up early, worked until the wee small hours and repeat…




So my planned trip to the alps with Calum Muskett crept up on me. I’d done next to no climbing for several weeks with everything that had gone on. A few fingerboard sessions, a couple of TCA sessions, that’s it. I could still one arm a first joint edge. But endurance was nil.











Here mate, is that the Eiger?




When I started to drive south from the highlands, the extent of the problem with this started to dawn on me, since our discussed objectives were basically a list of the hardest routes in the alps. Top of the list was Paciencia, the hardest route on the north face of the Eiger. First freed in by Ueli Steck and then repeated just once by David Lama in . Reading Lama’s blog made me wince. He rated it one of the hardest routes in the alps and said he was utterly exhausted by the time he reached the top. Although the pitch grades don’t too bad; 6b, 6a, 6a+, 7c, 7c, 7a, 8a, 7a+, 6b+, 6a+, 6a+, 7c, 7c+, 7b, 7a, 6a, 7a+, 7c, 7a, 6c+, 6b, 6b, 6c+ Many of the pitches are tad on the sandbag side. For instance, one of the 6b+s we thought translated to E4 6b.




On paper it was completely ridiculous for me to go near it. However, predictably, after meeting Calum in Chamonix we decided in about 2 minutes we’d head straight to the Eiger for the first route. It would also be my first alpine route.









Another great 7c pitch, full of north face atmosphere




A day later we were scrambling up the classic 1938 route to the foot of Paciencia. It was misty, damp and cold and after a drippy bivi I woke up ready to fail. Thankfully, our intention was just to have a recce and get our bearings on the Eiger. That day we hung about on the first few 7c and 8a pitches and I tried to give myself as big a workout as possible. I achieved that goal with ease.




I wasn’t sure about going back up. Perhaps it would be better to do a few easier routes first? I couldn’t think of a good way to even suggest that to Calum, who is already an accomplished alpinist, just a couple of years younger than me at 19. So we went back up, taking the photographer Alexandre Buisse with us for the first day. After soloing back up the 38 route in the afternoon we bagged the first few 7c pitches before dark and settled into our bivi, ready to go for the 8a in the morning. The morning however, was mostly spent melting snow to fuel some serious tea drinking on our ledge. Once we got started, we both dispatched the brilliant 8a pitch with much enjoyment. What an amazing pitch in spectacular surroundings.









Calum on the rather thin first 7c pitch




Our clear objective was for both of us to free the entire route with no falls, whether leading or seconding. All of the many 7b and 7c pitches were very hard to onsight, as we already knew from reading David Lama’s account. So we decided to give ourselves three full days to climb to the top since we would need the extra time for both of us to succeed on each of the 23 pitches. When we reached the second bivi below the Czech Pillar, we spent the following day both climbing the hard pitches that followed, before descending for one more night on the ledge. Both of us were tired that day, and I almost fell right at the end of a 7c+ pitch, where I knew Lama had also fallen. I knew I didn’t have the energy for another go within the hour, so I just held on like my life depended on it when a foothold broke 4 moves from the belay ledge. While Calum worked on the pitch, a helicopter appeared, hovering close by. The door opened and a long lens popped out and took some pictures of us. I thought to myself, that doesn’t happen in Scotland.









8a, or more tea?




We rose at 6am the next morning both feeling rather better than anticipated. Just as well, since the first task was to jung and haul the bag back to our highpoint before commencing the final 8 pitches, including one more of those nasty 7cs right near the top. We both climbed strongly on that pitch and we carried on that momentum all the way to the end, pulling into sunshine at 6pm on the top. The crux was yet to come for me however. I’d had blisters on my toes from wearing boots that didn’t fit my feet on the recce day. Nearly 4 days in my rockshoes had made them considerably worse. The walk back down to Grindelwald was a teeth gritter. Of course, now I’m sitting in a cafe the next day, everything feels better.









I learned a lot some new beta on big walling tactics from Calum, and was certainly inspired by his confidence, backed up with skill and problem solving ability. He took the route very much in his stride, as I’m sure he will many more harder routes. Thanks to Ueli Steck and Stefan Siegrist for opening the route. It must’ve taken a lot of effort.




So, where’s my boulder mat...

Getting ready for Memorial Day weekend

The weather this week was ugly. What was supposed to be a chance of rain, turned into 20 plus inches of new snow at Paradise! That's doing little to help with the road opening operations. We've updated the road access information, but please be forewarned, it's a moving target, particularly with regard to avalanche issues and other obstacles that continually arise.

Climbing rangers will be lurking on the Emmons and Muir routes this weekend. If you're bored, stop in and visit them at high camp. Otherwise, those on the Emmons should prepare for a longer march into White River Campground. It doesn't look as though that road will open by Memorial Day weekend. Therefore, be prepared to park your vehicle at the "Mather Wye" on HWY 410 (extra 6 miles each way, unless you get lucky enough to hitch a ride with a passing NPS rig). Things are relatively normal on the Camp Muir/Paradise side. Though it is worth noting that the Ingraham Direct is already out of shape and most climbers are hitting the Disappointment Cleaver. Remember, the Jackson Visitor Center opens at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

There was a substantial increase in the number of climbers and skiers visiting the upper mountain this past weekend. To keep you up to speed, we've added a number of new reports in the Updated Route Conditions. If you've some images or narratives about your climbing experience, we want them (and so does everyone else!). Photo by Jason Hummel.