Observation Point

The guide for the Observation Point Trail states “This is a long strenuous trail with many steep sections and unprotected drop-offs. Not for anyone who is out of shape, or has a fear of heights.” An apt description, I might add! It ascends 2,148 feet in four miles, making it an eight-mile round-trip. Observation Point provides another view of the Zion Canyon, including Angels Landing, from above.

When I was about one-third of the way up, I began to be passed by small groups of kids. They just kept on coming. And passing me. Finally, several of them had stopped to take a break and I took that opportunity to talk with them. There were 63 kids (ranging in age from 11 to 13) and 12 adults from a satellite school in Houston, Texas. They had been at Zion for eight days and had gone on a hike every day, each hike being progressively more difficult. The day before they had ALL made it to the top of Angels Landing! In fact, each and every one of them had completed every hike they had done. Pretty impressive. However, I was extremely glad that they weren't doing Angels Landing at the same time as I was. It's not that they were terrible kids, because they were the most well-behaved group I think I've ever seen. It's just that there were so many of them!

A short time later I began to play leap-frog with a fellow, probably in his 30s, and asked if he was with the group of kids from Houston. Turns out he was the husband of the principal. We talked for a while as we slowly walked along the trail. He told me that each of the kids had earned their way during the school year by “doing the right thing” as much as possible. They have a system using baseball as an analogy, hits for the good things and strikes for the not so good. Sixty-three kids had enough “hits” to make the trip while 42 were back in Houston.

Anyway, by the time I got to Observation Point I had been passed by nearly everyone in their group, as well as a few other hikers. But I got there! And again, the views from the top and along the way were well worth the effort.

Part way up the trail, eyeball to eyeball with Angels Landing (with the help of the 7x zoom). It doesn't look quite so “bad” from this angle.

After you go up a series of steep switchbacks you enter a narrow canyon that has a stream running through it, but there wasn't much water actually flowing. This was one of the neatest parts of the hike, in my opinion!

There were pools of standing water but we didn't get our feet wet.

The sky and the walls of the canyon are reflected in one of the pools of water.

This was taken on the way back down, entering the canyon from the east.

The trail has exited Echo Canyon and is progressing up the east side of the canyon wall.

I'm still going up, but they are going down.

The destination, Observation Point, is just above the red “lines” in the center.

This last uphill stretch seemed never-ending.

Finally, the plateau. But there is still a ways to go to get out to the point.

Part of the group of 63 kids. A very well-behaved group they were.

The lower portion of the trail, coming up out of the Zion Canyon floor. The Observation Point trail goes off to the left (top center of photo). The three topmost switchbacks belong to the Hidden Canyon Trail, which goes off to the right.

The top of Angels Landing ranges from 20 to 40 feet in width. There are people up there...

As I was promised by my camping neighbors, Maryann and Rob, the view from Observation Point is spectacular. The Virgin River flows through the valley, Angels Landing is in the Center, and then the eastern wall of Refrigerator Canyon. Fantastic.

Can't Get Enough of This

I just can't get enough of this:

Unusual Seismic Recordings from Mount Rainier Glaciers

This is Steve Malone with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network located at the University of Washington in Seattle. We operate seismographs throughout the Pacific Northwest and have three located high on Mount Rainier. We often record seismic events from all of our glacier-clad volcanoes that we associate with glacier motion, i.e. "ice-quakes." However, since about May 20, we have detected a strange set of these events coming from the upper Winthrop Glacier. We are calling these small events "clones" because the seismic waveforms from one event are near-duplicates of those from other events indicating a repeating source. They also seem to occur at very regular intervals.


The interval between events is often as short as every 3 minutes but changes from time to time and has been as much as 15 minutes between events. We think that their magnitude (on the Richter scale) is about M = -1 (i.e., 8 orders of magnitude smaller than the Nisqually earthquake of 2001).



So, what are these puppies? We think they represent small periodic slips at the bed of the glacier. Perhaps there is a large rock embedded in the bottom of the glacier and as the glacier moves it scrapes this rock along the bed, only a few mm in each slip. But why are they so regular in time? Maybe water pools up-hill of the rock until it slightly lifts the glacier allowing the rock to more easily slip and this then drains that small pool of water starting the process over. We think that water has an important influence on glacier sliding but don't understand the mechanism very well.


How can you help? Anyone climbing Rainier on the east side (upper Emmons or Winthrop Glacier routes) may see or hear things that would help us pin these suckers down. Please let me know of anything you think may be out of the ordinary (sounds, sights, feelings???). Particularly those of you who have been in this area before and can compare what may be different from previous climbs. Our best guess where these originate (based on stacking 4000 individual events to get the best relative seismic wave arrival times at six seismic stations and using a 1-D seismic velocity model with station elevation corrections, blah blah blah, other scientific mumbo-jumbo) puts the location at 46.85950 north 121.7610 west (i.e., 2.5 km WSW of Camp Schurman or 3.4 km NNW of Camp Muir or about 600 meters up from the top of Russell Cliffs).

To see these suckers yourself check out our "webicorders" at: http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/VOLC
and click on the date-time for one of the high Rainier stations (RCS, RCM, STAR). The small blips that have about the same size and shape are our "clones".

Send email to: steve@ess.washington.edu or give me a call (206-685-3811)


Steve Malone

Pakjesavond (or Sinterklaasavond)

Sinterklaas is the most popular tradition in the Netherlands—on the number one slot of 'most celebrated tradition in the country' as per yearly statistic, and it looks like every year its popularity continue to grow. The Dutch family, being loyal Sinterklaas devotees celebrated this most awaited eve of the year, 'pakjesavond' (gifts or presents evening), last night.

I was just reading another web site and learned (after living here for seven plus years) that in Belgium, they celebrate Sinterklaas on the 6th of December. In the morning. The eager starry-eyed kids hang their socks on the eve of 5th December and in the morning they wake up with their socks filled with gifts and wonderful goodies.

The Dutch on the other hand celebrates Sinterklaas on the 5th of December. In the evening. And no socks.

Quite an interesting cultural discovery on Sinterklaas practice variation there I must say. I think the Belgian version is more thrilling because you have to sleep the night through (it must be a torture to sleep!) before getting your presents the next day. When I was a little kid, my brother and I also hang socks on the 24th of December and the next day we would have our presents. The family tradition stopped somehow along the way and I don’t really remember when, it kind of just drifted away when we became 'too old' for surprises.


Lots of cadeautjes on the floor. We opened them one by one and it took hours but it was nice. It's one of those nice practices, you open the gift in front of everyone, and everyone does the same thing too, including the reading of poems. I promise next Sinterklaas I will make a poem too!


Our Sinterklaas meal is home-cooked traditional fare: chicken quiche (really yummy), mashed potatoes from real potatoes, rookworst stew (typical Dutch sausage) with beans and carrots and salad whipped with balsamico, olive oil and some feta cheese on the side. I even went back for a second serving which I regretted. Next foto is a slice of 'banketstaaf' (almond pastry), another Sinterklaas goodie eaten all day round during the holidays and after dinner with coffee or tea. It was a miracle I still fit in to a size 36 the next day when I went shopping in Utrecht for a party dress.

Dutchman and I went home pleased, our two bags which were loaded earlier with gifts for the family, now loaded with gifts we received including our every year obligatory present from Sinterklaas (the Dutch parents actually lol), chocolate letters with our initials. I also got one from work!

So with Sinterklaas behind our backs, we are now looking forward to Christmas. Dutchman is in the mood to put up the tree, he even told me twice today. It’s fine by me as long as he is the one doing it. Ach, I am so lazy these days. I’d rather have some flowers at home than putting Christmas decors.

The temperatures are also still higher than normal. Today it rained while I was in Utrecht Centrum.

Next weekend we are going up north in the country and the week after that to a Christmas Market in Germany. I’m also in the mood to celebrate New Years somewhere—Paris, London, Berlin, even Amsterdam? Dutchman however is trying to convince me that for the 5-10 minute amazing display of fireworks, you must stand outside in the cold for HOURS. HMM.
.

Happy Hour at Karen and Tom's

As we were discussing when people are heading out tonight, I had a talk with some people about how sad they were at the thought of leaving. We had a nice talk about how our pickleball family really does make this place "home" for us.



I know I've said it time and time again here, but I love our pickleball friends. They are some of the most special and rare friends we have ever had. They just tend to be the neatest, most kind-hearted and interesting people as a whole.



As always, we had tons of fun with them tonight.



The food was fabulous! Tom made pulled pork and it was incredible.





We were even honored with music by Garth and Rosemary. Rosemary has written two songs, the RV song and the Pickleball song. Both were awesome!



It was a wonderful time with some of our "chosen" family.



Living the life in sunny Florida!

More Ocean Waves

I think one of the things that is so relaxing about the beach is the motion of the waves. That endless rolling motion would have to relax even the most uptight being. I can (and have) watch (ed) them for hours and hours and hours.

And one of Miss Ava, who loves the beach as much as we do!

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.

A meet and a räksmörgås

After my eventless search of Stockholm’s subway art and joyriding, I went shopping at the PUB which is also where my hotel is located. It’s still raining cats and dogs and cows outside and even though I have an umbrella courtesy of my hotel, I was not in the mood to walk outside. No one in their sane mind would.



Late lunch at Stortorget: Räksmörgås and going against the trend pairing it with a red.



I also went to have a quick coffee at the café corner of the building where I had a yummy delicacy—munched a tiny crunchy croissant filled goodie stuffed with lemon. It was really good! I wish I knew the name.



The rain slowed down a bit in the early afternoon when I took the metro back to Gamla Stan. I am meeting an old colleague in Stortorget. She is Swedish with South Asian roots. We used to work together at F years ago in Amsterdam. The last time I saw her was her going away party at her apartment in the centre of Amsterdam. I remember liking her apartment, quite spacious with a little balcony that overlooks down a secluded garden, however, when you step outside the front door you are welcomed by pedestrians, cyclists and vehicular traffic. Such a contrast it was.



She helped me order some Swedish stuff and told me that I should try räksmörgås, which many of us might have tried unknowingly at IKEA food/cafe. Well, I did, before. Räksmörgås is basically peeled shrimps, fresh ones.



Honestly I am not such a big fan of traditional Swedish food but I think, compared to the Netherlands, Sweden, due to its strong design background and adaptation to contemporary styles, has more inviting and trendy restaurants and eating out culture.



It was a nice close to my Stockholm weekend getaway. Nice to get in touch with an old friend and colleague.



Now it’s time to rush back to the hotel to pick up my bag. I am not sure if I will be taking the cab back to the airport or the Arlanda train express... which is quicker?



Had lunch at Stortorgskällaren restaurant at the famous old square of Gamla Stan, Stortorget. The skies have started to clear up a bit.



A few fotos earlier of the day while shopping and having coffee break:



This was the yummy delicacy I had.... crunchy with lemon flavoured stuff inside.



At the PUB store, there is a money exchange counter. Swedish Kronas. I almost never have cash in my wallet as I pay by bankcard and creditcard. When travelling it is the same, I just go to an ATM to withdraw if needed.

Autumnal Longings

Every year I am caught off guard by the suddenness of Autumn. Winter's many false starts herald its arrival well in advance. Spring approaches with the tentativeness of a fawn. Then Summer rolls in with a lazy insistence. But Autumn just is. One day I wake up knowing that yesterday it was summer but today it is Fall, and there is no undoing it. The smell in the air is different. The light is different. The mood is different. It is done.




I cannot explain what causes the overwhelming bouts of sentimentality and nostalgia (for nothing in particular) that grip me during this season. And I am hardly alone in succumbing to this clichéd state. A film director need only show a scene of a park strewn with golden foliage, throwing in a Chopin prelude for background music, for the audience to be filled with a delicious sense of longing - for what they do not know.




But I know what I long for when I smell that crisp scent of dry leaves and behold the slanted light. Cycling. Yes, cycling cycling cycling. And after that, cycling. Monsieurs Chopin, Satie and Tschaikovsky, ready your soundtracks: I'll be playing them in my head as imaginary background music, while cycling.




Many feel that summer is the optimal cycling season, but for me it's a sluggish time when I am just not in my best form. Not that I haven't been riding. If anything, this summer I've learned to deal with heat much better than I thought myself capable. But honestly I just wasn't enjoying cycling as much as I did over the winter and spring. In 95° heat with high humidity, my legs felt as if they were perpetually pushing through molasses. The pressure and stickiness in the air were oppressive.




Then one morning I awoke to find the oppressiveness gone. It was still August, but no matter: Autumn was here. Sensing the ever-so-subtle change, it was as if my body snapped to attention and pulled me toward my roadbike while I struggled to focus on making coffee. On that day a friend took me up a little mountain and I hardly noticed I was climbing it until we were halfway up, so filled I was with this new energy. On that day my cycling season began.

Eye to Eye With Nature

As I was editing more pictures of us feeding the elk, I noticed how often we were making eye contact with the animals. I thought to myself that this is probably part of why it touched us so much to interact with them. There is just something so profound about looking animals in the eye and having them return the favor.