Jamestown Settlement

Since it has rained the past few days, we have not had much outdoor activity beyond Pickleball. So we were very excited to have sunshine today, and took advantage of it by visiting Jamestown.

The Jamestown Settlement began in 1607, which was thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

From the website:



"a group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony.

Today at Jamestown Settlement, the story of the people who founded Jamestown and of the Virginia Indians they encountered is told through film, gallery exhibits and living history. "

Rain, Rain Go Away? Or on Second Thought, Stay!

I have not been cycling for the past week due to nonstop rain. But today I finally could not take it anymore: Despite the overcast sky and the morbid forecast, I went. By mid-day, it did rain. And it was great!


Some nice things about cycling in the rain:
. it's good for your complexion
. you can sing in it (and I did!)
. the grass and trees look super green, almost neon
. the lovely scent of flowers really comes out
. you have the cycle paths mostly to yourself
. you have an excuse to wear screaming red and lobsterman yellow!


Above: My empty Apfelspritzer mug, in an empty outdoor cafe -- in the rain. Look how red those geraniums look!

Climbing pack in Cham?

More on climbing packs from Dave Searle in Chamonix. Call it a Euro perspective :) Thanks Dave!















With the recent Cold Thistle theme being
centred around climbing packs I thought I’d put in a word or to as well.




Last year and the year before my climbing
pack was the Black Diamond RPM 26. It
was more or less the ideal Chamonix climbing pack and served me well on many
good days out from big north faces to sunny rock climbing and hauling 25litres
of water on training runs. Its simple
clean design, low weight and smart features where a real winner. The material is good, tough enough to withstand
granite chimneys (cheese graters) without being too heavy. With two side pockets and a small lid pocket
stashing gloves and snacks is easy and with a simple yet effective draw cord
compression on the front shedding a layer is easy to. It was however difficult to carry a rope on
the outside (necessary
if your packing bivy stuff) and the zip top
closure was slightly worrying. I never
had any problems but when the teeth start to sit funny it’s pretty scary to
think it could burst open at any time landing you in deep trouble.




I have recently replaced the BD with a Blue Ice Warthog 26.26 litres seems to me to be the
perfect size for a climbing pack out here in Chamonix. If you need anything bigger you’re either
doing something wrong or something very hard!
The only time I needed a bag bigger last year was on my failed attempt
on the Desmaison/Gouseault with would have required two bivi’s on the North Face
of the Grandes Jorasses.




I much prefer the lid system on the Warthog
which makes carrying a rope a breeze with the separate strap and the helmet
carrier is a great idea to, something that the RPM was missing . The Ice ace
loops are simple but work really well. I
have even jerry rigged the Rope carrying strap combined with a ski strap
through the lower Ice Axe loop to make a rudimentary but effective ski carrying
system. It worked fine with my 108
waisted ski’s and held the ski’s in the perfect cross carry position for
bootpacking.












The material on the Warthog is tougher and
a lot more durable so it should last longer than my RPM and also would take the
odd hauling session if required. The
removable light waist belt is good to (the same as the RPM). I never climb with a waist belt but it is
good to have one for those long slogs up to the bottom of the Jorasses.






The quality of Warthog is superb too. It’s still going strong after half a season
of use and abuse without any signs of wear.
I’m looking forward to giving it as much use and seeing
how it fairs!

Velo Suicide (Don't Do It!)

An alarming phenomenon has been brought to my attention that I wish to share with my readers. We don't give this a great deal of thought, but perhaps we ought to: People are not the only ones effected by the winter blues; bicycles feel them too.



[velo suicide; image by Astroluc]

In Boston, this most recent and serious victim of vSAD (velocepedian Seasonal Affective Disorder) plunged to his death off the bridge into the frozen Charles River. Thank you to Astroluc for bringing this tragic and under-reported story to the forefront. We do not know why this bicycle chose to end his life. Perhaps he was not ridden enough once the winter season began. Perhaps he was not loved enough. It could even be that I am to blame - with my incessant talk of "lovely bicycles" and my rants against welding marks. Clearly I have been insensitive to the fragile self esteem of our dear velo friends, and for that I am truly sorry.



[velo suicide: close-up; image by Astroluc]

To all the lonely, isolated, unloved bicycles out there: Please do not despair. You are all lovely and special in your own way. If your owner has neglected or abandoned you, know that there are options out there - such as Bikes Not Bombs, who will take you in, feed you hot soup, restore you to good health an find you a new home. Stay warm and keep away from the Charles River. And to all the bicycle owners out there, be aware that velo suicide can take on epidemic qualities, as one of my favourite educational films so poignantly illustrates. Take care of your bicycles and don't forget to tell them you love them this winter, even if you don't ride much.

Horned Toad

I adore real horned toads so this one really intrigued me.

Cycling in a Heatwave... Making Friends with Florals

There are many websites out there with excellent advice on cycling in hot weather. Suggestions include cycling slowly, wearing breathable fabrics, drinking plenty of water, applying sunscreen, and using baby wipes - all of which I do. And there tends to be a consensus that once the heat and humidity get past a certain point (yesterday's 100F weather would probably qualify!), there is just nothing that can be done other than bringing a change of clothes to work, particularly if one works in an environment with a dress code.

While this is good advice for some, changing upon arrival is not an option in my line of work. I have meetings in different parts of the city in the course of the workday, and there is no reasonable opportunity to change upon arrival prior to joining the meetings. Plus, I am on a tight schedule and changing a half a dozen times a day would be ludicrous.

So, what to do? Well, the Boston Globe and Bike Snob have already quoted me on this, but I've never actually written it in a Lovely Bicycle post: I wear fabrics with prints, which helps to disguise the one part of commuting in the heat we cannot control - sweat! "Eww gross!" - I know. But a reality none the less!

The best sort of prints for this purpose are small and detailed with some tonal variation - such as florals. This tricks the eye into not noticing additional tonal variations that happen from sweat stains. Stripes, polka dots, and other busy prints can work as well - but micro-florals and paisleys are particularly effective, because the patterns they form are organic. It may seem too simple of a solution, but this really is an amazing technique at making a sweat-soaked blouse, skirt, or dress look no different from a dry one.

I wore this dress to a meeting after cycling in it for 30 minutes in intense heat and humidity. Can you tell it's wet and disgusting? My colleagues could not, and complimented me on staying so cool in the heat. Yeah, right! Well, at least I can fake it with florals.

How to become a belligerent Italian behind the wheel and finally, Sirmione!

For our last day in Italy we took the early morning fast train from Venice to Verona and from there we picked up our rental car and drove to Lake Garda which is about half an hour’s drive. We want some relaxation and nature for our last day and what better way to spend our lunch in Sirmione in Lake Garda.



Sirmione in Lake Garda - This is the medieval fortification, the Scaliger Castle (from the Lords of Verona) that once fell under the Austrians. The castle dates back to the 13th century.



Sirmione is an elongated peninsula jutting out of the mainland to the lake. Located in Brescia province, already part of Veneto’s bordering region, Lombardy, this little town, like its neighbouring sisters Desenzano and Peschiera, are very popular thus unbearably touristy. We didn’t expect the horrible chain of traffic we’ve come upon after exiting the highway. Cars were manic on the road, as well as this was my first introduction to the Italian contemptuous way of driving.



Now, I’ll expound a little bit on this Italian way of driving because this experience has totally made me furious my blood pressure levels rose to boiling point I was about to explode the Eyjafjallajokull way (okay, who can actually pronounce this? lol ).



OK I’ll be forthright—I am gob smacked to witness the large number of Italians short in driving etiquette. If they were to take a driving exam in the Netherlands, many would have flunked. I would have thought the Filipino drivers back in Manila were worse but many Italian drivers are not only ignoring you, like most bus and jeepney drivers do in the Philippines when they cut you head on, they are casually aggressive and extremely zealous! You can see them raising their hands frantically up in the air and should the car windows are down, you could probably hear them scream, ‘Merda!’ or ‘Cazzo!!!’ while sneering at you. What about the honking, the tailgating, driving above the required speed limit and harassing a pedestrian on a zebra path? HELLO!? I am having a heart attack now.



When someone gets aggressive with me on the road, what do I do? Answer: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Pronto! LOL



Anyhow before I get further deep into this traffic duel, let me tell you that Sirmione is a very, very lovely town! Even when all of Italy went there! It looks like everyone had the same plan in mind that day haha, which was an Easter Monday a national holiday, and with the beautiful weather, the herd of locals flocked to their beloved lake. It took us almost an hour from the highway exit to get to Sirmione town proper when that would have taken us under 10 minutes.











Next: LUNCH in Sirmione!