Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Fifth Grade

Of all my school pictures, this is my favorite!

Lekker Mosselen

Philippine is a small village in Zeeland (region south of the Netherlands) that is famous for its mussels restaurants. Foto is from a book I bought early this year - 52 zondagen, wandelen en lunchen (52 Sundays, lunches and walking trails)

Steamed mussels are not only a Belgian thing – which brings me to mind the little narrow yet full of activity side streets with open-air cafe terraces and restaurants offering mussels and frites on the menu in the Centrum of Brussels – but well, mussels are also a Dutch thing!

2-kilo pack: Zeeuwse Mosselen - Moules de Hollande - Hollandische Muscheln - Dutch Mussels

The Zeeuwse Mussels in Zeeland province and this is mainly in Yerseke where these yummy mussels are cultured and harvested, are very popular. In fact this southern region is one of the largest producers and biggest oyster exporters in Europe. About 50% of the mussels harvested are exported to neighbouring countries such as Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy. So I will wager the thought that the mussels I ate in Brussels and Antwerp were Dutch mussels from Zeeland.

Washing the mussels with fresh water and making sure to set aside the damaged ones.

Another interesting fact I read and also have heard is this small village in Zeeland called Philippine (not the Philippines! but what an interesting name for a village, haha) near the border of Belgium is a well known place for its delightful mussel restaurants. People flock to this little village to eat mussels served in different ways! There is also a Mussels Festival during the last week of August. I am so definitely going there next year, perhaps in the spring, when it’s warmer, or in August during the Mussels festivities. It’s nice to eat mussels outside, in an open-air terrace with beautiful weather and while watching everyone.


Clean mussels ready to be cooked - for flavouring, empty first the sachet of mussel herb mix into the ready pot.

I also wanted to do the open, wide, and flat polder landscape walking trail from Kruiningen to Yerseke during summer.

Anywho, the Dutch parents invited us over last weekend for some steamed mussels for dinner. The dinner was actually a treat for me since I love seafood ergo mussels but I always never have the chance to make them at home because the Dutchman hates seafood or anything from the sea for that matter. So that evening for dinner, Dutchman got pizza instead for himself.

Then add in the (packed) vegetable mix into the pot!

Like a paparazzi, I followed the Dutch parents around their kitchen while they prepared our mussels dinner.

You’ve got to clean the mussels first with water and make sure to take away the bad ones. Dutch father said that if the mussels are wide open, one way of checking is tapping it on any hard surface lightly and see if the shell’s lid retracts, then they are fine to cook. If they don’t, throw them away as you don’t want to have a struggling stomach after dinner.

Mussels pot at boiling point, now ready to be served!

After cleaning, pour into the pot some white wine – tastes much, much better than plain water, then add the mussel herb mix, and pour in the ready packed cut vegetables – leeks, carrots, onions, celery and some thyme and laurel leaves if you have please.

Let the mussel pot simmer under low to medium heat until its klaar ;-)


Uiteindelijk, we can now eat our mussels! We had 2 pots, about 4 kilos of Zeeuwse mussels. The Dutch mother prepared some green salad and bread on the side. Unlike the Belgians, the Dutch prefer to eat mussels with bread than frites.

The part that I look forward to with steamed mussels is the soup, so I always ask for a small cup or bowl. The Dutch parents on the other hand like to eat their mussels with cream sauces – knoflooksaus, cocktailsaus, whiskeysaus, and all other sauces they can think of. I prefer them naturel, without any sauce.

Of course mussels are best eaten with white wine on the table.

4-kilo mussels was too much for 3 people, so we had a lot left. Dutch mother baked them the day after and Dutch father ate them with his boterham (sandwich).

It’s just too bad that the Dutchman doesn’t like seafood. Most mussels sold in the supermarket come in 2-kilo packs, and I don’t like buying something that I cannot consume within the same day or having to make 2 different sets of meals in the evening.

And since we are in this mussels topic, I so so miss the baked mussels (tahong!) in the Philippines!

There is this inconspicuous restaurant in Salcedo Village Makati, near Citibank Building where I always go to with my colleagues and clients. They serve scrumptious baked Tahong and (the unhealthy, lol) Sisig! Too bad I can’t seem to find any similarly cooked Baked Tahong with cheese on the menu here in the Netherlands.

Climbers Climbin'

So it seems like we are in the middle of an extraordinary stretch of good weather for late April in the PNW. Some motivated people have been making the best of it and getting out for some really fun looking climbs. Rangers have been mostly in pre-season training and prep work so thanks to those who sent in some conditions updates and photos, we will continue to live vicariously through your reports until we hit the mountain full time in a couple of weeks. Check out recent beta on the Ingraham Direct, Fuhrer Finger, and Muir Snowfield posted in our conditions page.

Climber on the Fuhrer Finger - Photo by the Next Adventure crew

If you are heading up for any overnight stays on the mountain make sure you register for a permit. Self registration is still available all hours at the Paradise Old Station but the Climbing Information Center will be open this coming weekend May 4th and 5th from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Stop by to say hello, talk to a ranger and get any last minute info you need for your trip. Also remember if you are parking overnight at Paradise the overnight parking is in the lower parking lot. Please follow the signs to keep your car and wallet out of trouble.



For those of you wanting to access other areas of the park, it looks like Cayuse Pass (SR 410/123) will be opening this Friday May 3. Chinook pass is still a few weeks out so don't try to go to Yakima this way yet. The road to WR campground is still closed to vehicles but should be mostly clear for those who want to bicycle in for an Emmons climb.



For those of you who want to know if its sunny at 10,000' the Muir webcam is back in operation!

Echoes of Bikes Past: Yamaguchi Mixte

At a gathering of vintage bicycle enthusiasts last week, I spotted this unusual machine and made my way toward it through the sea of French constructeurs. "Aha!" said the owner, "I brought this one especially for you to look at." Yamaguchi Bicycles, Japan. Year, model, and history unknown. Not collectable. Not worth much. Not of interest to many. But what attracted me was its surprisingly elegant combination of design elements not usually seen on the same bike: a mixte frame, roadster geometry, 26" wheels, rod brakes, full chaincase. The colour - straddling the border between beige and mauve - reinforced the theme of blending.






Despite its obscure pedigree, the Yamaguchi was a hit with the vintage collectors; there was just something about the way everything harmonised. It also "looked light" despite weighing over 50lb.






From a historical perspective, an interesting feature of the bike is the very early Shimano 3-speed trigger shifter. I have never seen one of these before, and could not find examples online allowing me to establish the date of manufacture.






As far as frame construction, it is neat how they kinked the right lateral stay so that it would clear the massive chaincase, then routed the shifter cable and dynamo wiring along that stay.






Another interesting thing is how thoroughly branded this bicycle is: Every part of the frame, many of the components, and even the bolts used sport the Yamaguchi name.






Yamaguchi fender ornament.






Yamaguchi cranks, including dust caps.






Yamaguchi saddle.








Noticing a decal that mentioned motorcycles, I incorporated that into my search and found mention of a company that went out of business in the late 1950s. This could be them. Later a reader posted a link to a Japanese blog showing some photos of Yamaguchi "Gold" roadsters, which is the only other significant mention of the brand I've encountered so far.







Over the decades, bicycle manufacturers all over the world have come and gone. Some of them have left a mark in history and others disappeared without a trace. The Yamaguchi roadster-mixte is in the latter category, which makes its elaborate branding and unusual design all the more intriguing. Did the manufacturer have plans for this bike to become popular, or was it merely a promotional item for their motorcycles? How many of these were produced? How did this one make its way to the US? These things we may never know.






Recently a friend and I were talking about all the new bicycle brands popping up on the market today, and speculating which of them will last. History suggests that most will not. But maybe now - with all the forum chatter and other electronic traces of things - we will be left with more detailed records of the brands that disappear. Stories of failure are just as historically significant as stories of success, and it's a pity these stories tend to get lost. Trying to reconstruct them is one reason I like finding obscure vintage bikes.

Annual totals for registration

If you look at the past 5 years of registration on Mount Rainier, you'll notice that the numbers are declining, from 13,114 in 2000 to 8,927 in 2005. However, when you look at the trend over the past 15 years, 1998-2002 appear more as a spike. Certainly, the sport gained a lot of momentum during the 90's. Here are the numbers.

On a another note, Washington State D.O.T. have their hands full on highway 123 (that's the road between Cayuse Pass/hwy 410 and US 12 and the Packwood area). Access along the east side of the park may be delayed this spring if there is a lot of road damage; stay tuned...

More traditional Greek villages in Lesvos: Vatousa and Antissa

Greece is a favourite summer holiday destination of ours and we have become regular visitors to the mediterranean islands in the past years. In Lesvos Island last summer we did a lot of island village expeditions with our rental scooter. Dutchman and I sped on the highways, took the small country-island roads, the tiny narrow village streets and even the off the beaten tracks.



One of the many lovely villages we visited were Vatousa and Antissa in the eastern part of the island.



Vatousa









This traditional village looked so nostalgic from the main road. It reminds me of a place with secrets. Pandora’s box? Elegant, beautiful from a distance yet eerie.







Antissa



Not very far from Vatousa is Antissa. It’s a much bigger town, has more facilities, as well as a thriving local community of old men hanging out in the village square in the afternoons.



This is very typical in the Greek Islands to see men of age gathering together, playing cards, backgammon or whatever games they get their hands on, and drinking coffee. While the older women get some afternoon fresh air by sitting outside their house’s doors.











Here we lost our way (lots of one-way streets!) as we navigated the scooter through the village centre. I like it that the village square is very cozy. The trees have definitely given a different ambiance to the whole place.



Then a local man driving a white Hilux pick-up car came to our rescue. He knew we were lost as we were going around in circles. He motioned us with his hand to follow him. Just before we reached the intersection that would lead us out of the village, I managed to take a picture of him. He has this wide grin across his face as he waved his arm approvingly at us. I hurriedly shouted, ‘Efcharisto!’



Greek people in the islands are very helpful and friendly!













We cannot wait to go back again this summer to the Greek Islands!

Idyllic Trail Through the Charles River Reservation

When most people ride on the Charles River trail, they keep to the popular loop around Boston and Cambridge. However, the trail goes on (and on and on), through beautiful reservation lands along the narrowing Charles River all the way to West Newton, Waltham and Weston.

The last time I mentioned this route, a couple of people asked me for more information, since most Charles River Trail maps indicate that it ends in Watertown. The best online maps I have found are these:
. from Boston to Watertown (the popular loop)
. from Watertown to West Newton
. from West Newton to Weston
These show you the side-streets you need to look for in your neighborhood in order to get to the trail (everything represented in green has the trail going through it).

Once you pass the point in Watertown where the popular route ends, the trail continues across the street. The entrance is narrow and easy to miss, so watch for the sign above.

There are a few instances where the trail interrupts, in which case the connector route is marked on the sidewalk with these "Blue Heron tracks".

An actual heron on the trail.

Here are some photos to give you an idea what this lesser-known part of the trail looks like. It is narrower and more "woodsy" than the popular Charles River loop. Fewer people, too.

The river is quite narrow here, and most of the bridges across it are pedestrian. They are beautiful and fun to cross, offering views of lily pads and miniature waterfalls.

There are several unpaved stretches, and many long stretches of boardwalk over marshland, with built-in observation decks. We had no problems cycling through the unpaved stretches on the Pashleys, and we saw roadbikes riding through them as well.

Another wooden bridge, and the entrance to Landry Park in Waltham.

This is home to the Charles River Museum of Industry. We have not gotten beyond this point yet, but as the map here indicates, the trail continues in the same manner towards Weston.

Altogether, it looks like the Charles River Trail might be 15 miles or so each way. If you are looking to get from West Newton to the center of Boston like MamaVee, I am guessing that this is maybe a 10 mile trip? If you are local and do this regularly, I welcome your thoughts about this trail and its use as a commuter route.