Two Below Sunrise

I just got back from spending the early morning along my favorite lake in the world... SUPERIOR! It was a chilly morning, but it felt nice compared to the much colder temps we had earlier in the week. Everything cooperated with this morning's shoot: the clouds, the wind, the light, the ice, the sea smoke... it was all good! This is the first time I've photographed sunrise at this location, and I can say with absolute certainty that I will be going there again for sunrise. It is a wonderful location to shoot the sunrise, especially this time of year.

Here's the easy way to look good at the crag

Get one of these from Red Chili and leave the fashion choices up to the experts. How good would that look on film?Boulder Shirt by Red Chili

Broadway VA to Mercersburg PA

Today we traveled to Mercersburg, PA. It was only a few hours away from Mom's house, so it was a very short travel day.

Learning and Loving My Smartphone Camera

With a little prompting, I decided to move into this century and get a smartphone. Keep in mind that I just upgraded from a Razr flipphone this past year. A phone that I had to purchase used off of Craigslist and Ebay in order to replace mine when it broke or somehow got lost at Busch Gardens.



I liked my old phone. It was simple and easy and I could use it without thinking too hard.



And although I still can't figure out how to answer the actual phone part, or even hear it when it rings-there are other things I am loving about having a smartphone. Like the fact that the pictures it takes are surprisingly decent.



With some apps, you can grab some really fun shots. Still not sure I'm glad I upgraded the phone but I love not having to lug my huge camera onto the beach each time we visit there.

Evacuation and Damage

The Park remains closed until further notice. For updated information, call 360 569 2211 ext 9.

The onslaught of rain continued throughout the night. The Paradise telemetry recorded another 7 inches, bringing the total to 18 inches of precip over the course of the storm... and it's still raining!

Aside from the rage of the Nisqually River, Longmire is a relatively quiet place. The NPS has closed its offices, and only essential personnel are allowed in through a backroad (which is largely washed out and requires shuttles). See image above, taken near the Eagle Peak Trailhead...

The flooding has seriously damaged or threatened many of the roads (and even a few of the facilities) in the park. This image was also taken from the Longmire backroad below the Community Building. You can see where the road once existed.

Longmire is isolated by washouts and mudflows, so it feels like a safe little island. Well, "safe" unless you're in the Emergency Operations Center (pictured left) which is being undermined by the Nisqually River... Oh, and some of the electrical and water systems are also damaged, but most of the facilities will probably survive the storm.

I'll provide updates when possible. If you plan on visiting this side of the park anytime soon, consider that it's going to take a few days to repair the main road between the Nisqually Entrance and Longmire. I hear that it's completely washed out near Sunshine Point Campground. And speaking of that campground, it's GONE.

On the Road without a Roadbike

I like fast roadbikes, clipless pedals, bicycle computers, GPS, all of it. I do not subscribe to any philosophy that maligns these things in favour of the "slow bicycle movement" or whatever is the latest catch phrase to describe plain old regular bike riding. But I do believe in plain old regular bike riding, and sometimes I prefer it to any other kind. What are those times and what determines them, I couldn't tell you. It just happens.



When I went to Ireland last month I could have arranged to borrow a roadbike there, but opted against it - instead bringing along a folding bike that would have me riding upright the entire time. I knew I'd be slower and have more difficulty in the hilly areas, but somehow it just felt right to do it this way. I did not bring any cycling clothes. I did not bring a bicycle computer or a GPS device. Every day I simply looked at the map before setting off, then wrote out directions on a piece of paper. I explored interesting backroads and allowed myself to get lost. Occasionally I stopped to ask for directions. I did not miss my GPS. And I felt finehaving no idea how fast or slow I was going. What did it matter if I stopped every 20 minutes to take pictures anyhow.



Probably at least part of the reason I chose to do things this way, was to see how I would feel after more than two weeks without a roadbike - without that rush I get from the speed, without the reassuring glare of the computer screen and without the ritual of putting on the special clothing I'd gotten accustomed to.



But moreover, I have found that I prefer to ride slower and more upright when the focus of the ride is on exploring the surrounding area and not on cycling in of itself. Having never been to Ireland before, I really wanted to experience it as a human on a bicycle, rather than as a cyclist. And yes, there is a difference. Even the wearing of regular clothing and shoes played a role in this. The way people react to me is different, and the way I feel in the environment is different.



Now that I know the place better, now that it's more familiar, next time I would love to do some fast road rides along the Antrim coast. To ride through the glens on skinny tires, bent over my handlebars and pedaling as fast as I can. Bliss. A different sort of bliss than this time.



The more experience I gain with different types of bikes and different styles of cycling, the more I feel that the main thing is just to be out there, on your own terms. We like to define things, to draw boundaries. But often those boundaries are self-imposed. The road is calling. The bike is up to you.

The Belgian ‘Nationale Feestdag’ in Ghent

Trivia: Did you know that Belgium was once part of the Netherlands?

Blondine and I in Ghent last weekend (21 July).

In 1830 Belgium broke away from the Netherlands but it was only a year later that Belgium’s National Congress adopted a new constitution and on 21 July 1831 Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg swore allegiance to the new constitution. He became the first king of Belgium.

Thus 21 July is Belgium’s ‘Nationale Feestdag’ (National Holiday) and coincidentally Blondine and I were there. I’ve been to Ghent before so I know what to anticipate except that we didn’t expect the multitudes and the noise.

It was about 16:00 when the provisional bar and cafe stands and floating entertainment platforms on the Graslei (canal) were opened. Crowds kept flowing in and the noise became unbearable. Sorry if I am sounding like a grandma but I cannot handle a rowdy crowd. If I go to a street party I need to have static location where I can sit and watch everything happening before me and not the other way around. Anyway, it was really busy and congested. Some of the tram stops were even converted into café terraces. But we were glad to have enjoyed the city before the street party started.

Belgium’s ‘National Holiday’ is pretty much like the ‘Queens Day’ in the Netherlands but without orange-clad people in hilarious out-of-this-world outfits and the gar(b)age sale on the streets.

Check out a few pictures here of the crowds:

Tram stop converted into a cafe terrace.

When we left there was no available space on sight along the Graslei.

Watch this space for more Ghent stories and pictures in the coming weeks (culinaire, boat trip, architecture and more), as well as my previous travels to Copenhagen, Denmark (April – just a few more posts), Cuba (May), Lesvos, Greece (June-July) and a few local-Netherlands stuff in between.

And oh, I’ve booked a long weekend trip to Paris next month with Bru!