Native Clematis

This is a California native clematis, Clematis lasiantha.

Camp Patriot Climb

The motto for Camp Patriot, “giving back to those that have given” effectively states their mission: to provide disabled veterans opportunities to continue enjoying outdoor adventures. In this spirit, three disabled veterans were chosen to join professional climbing guides on a summit climb of Mount Rainier, a challenge that many climbers without any physical obstacles find difficult.

The three participating climbers, Ryan Job, Chad Jukes and Joey Martinez, all served in the military and are disabled as a result of injuries sustained during a tour of duty oversees defending our country. Each was chosen because of their unwavering commitment to service, their strength, courage, and dedication to continue living active and fulfilling lives despite past injury. Camp Patriot commemorates these exceptional men and in the process provides this experience of a lifetime.
The attached photo was taken on the last day of Camp, Sunday July 10th, when two F15's from the 173rdFW out of Klamath Falls, OR, flew overhead Camp Muir at precisely 8:00 a.m. to celebrate this extraordinary climb. For more information about Camp Patriot and the Mount Rainier climb, see a recent front page article posted in the Seattle Times or check their website.

Derailleur Adjustment: an Illustrated Guide

Thank you once again everybody for the advice on how to adjust a derailleur. I am pleased to announce, that with your help, it is done.

To recap the problem I was having: When downshifting to the lowest gear, there was nothing stopping the chain from going past it and slipping off the cog. Here is how we corrected this:

Mechanic

Assistant Mechanic

The all-important tool

The derailleur. This is a rear SunTour Vx derailleur from the late 1970s. Note the two screws on the left.

A side view of the screws.

And here they are close up. Notice the letters "L" and "H" next to the screws. The "L" indicates low gear (the largest cog). The "H" indicates high gear (smallest cog). To stop the chain from going past the largest cog when downshifting into the lowest gear, tighten the "L" screw.

Here is the screw, being tightened. Conversely, if you find that the chain does not travel sufficiently to reach the largest cog when shifting to your lowest gear, you need to loosen this screw a bit. And if you are having this problem when upshifting to the highest gear, simply do the same thing to the "H" screw.

A close-up of the procedure. This takes very little time.

After the adjustment, test the derailleur: first by manually spinning the pedals as you shift, then by test-riding the bike.

Here I am, having happily shifted into the lowest gear without the chain coming off.

All done, and ready for the steepest hills. A big Thank You again to dukiebiddle, cyclemaniac, somervillain, and all the others who kindly offered advice and posted links. Your support is very much appreciated.

Some classic derailleur adjustment instructions, using more conventional tools:
. Sheldon Brown's thorough article on "derailler" adjustment
. The Bicycle Tutor's instructions and video

Quiros City Bike: a Boston Classic

Co-Habitant's friend Erik recently had a frame made by local builder Armando Quiros. I watched the bike being assembled and had the chance to photograph it upon completion. This bike is interesting to me, in that it epitomises the Boston aesthetic of making transportation bicycles with tight, aggressive geometry, yet upright positioning and accessorised for the city. In fact Armando calls this a "city track commuter." It is also interesting, because increasingly I enjoy looking at fillet-brazed frames and this one is a nice example.






One of the young new names that have become prominent over the past couple of years, Quiros Custom Frames are based in Natick, MA and offer a variety of lugged and fillet brazed options.







I met Armando a few years back, when Royal H.and Icarus still had their studios in Somerville, and all sorts of interesting bikey people would stop by that part of town. Later I snapped this photo of him receiving a trophy at the Larz Anderson show, where one of his bicycles won an award. Not bad!






Quiros frames can be recognised by the prominent gothic headbadge






and by the "787" painted above the bottom bracket - the area code for Puerto Rico.






Erik's frame is fillet brazed, using Columbus tubing.






What I like about this method is the seamless, almost liquid look to the construction. The brazed sloping fork crown goes nicely with this.






The British Racing Green paint, silver components, hammered fenders and caramel-brown accessories create a classic, distinguished aesthetic. At the same time, the narrow riser bars and track geometry give the bike a contemporary "fixie" look. It's an interesting and somewhat unexpected combination. Looking at the bike, my mind's eye keeps trying to either replace the cork grips with hot pink rubber ones, or else change the bars to North Roads. But I think the marriage of styles is ultimately what makes this bicycle unique to the owner.





The bicycle is built up witha Phil Wood hub wheelset, an IRD crankset, Tektro brakes, MKS Stream pedals, straight Thomson seatpost, Brooks saddle, and Honjo hammered fenders. Erik rides it as a fixed gear single speed.





The idea behind building a city bike with track geometry is that it is quick handling and responsive in traffic. While personally I cannot handle the tight clearances on a bike like this, I understand the concept and this is certainly a successful execution of it. The bicycle looks very much at home on the streets of Cambridge, and the owner enjoys the ride. Many thanks to Erik and Armando for the opportunity to document this bicycle. More pictures here.

Acadia :: Jordan Pond and The Bubbles

A visit to Acadia National Park is not considered complete unless you take in Jordan Pond and 'the Bubbles' which dominate the view on the northern end.



We walked along the southern shore on Thursday (September 13th) on our way to one of the carriage roads and again on Saturday (September 15th) while waiting for our scheduled carriage ride.



The two days could not have been much different - Thursday was a beautiful day with deep blue skies and lots of sunshine while Saturday was cloudy and overcast with the threat of rain looming over us.






Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.





Thursday. September 13th.





Saturday. September 15th.

CUBA here I come!

So, flying tomorrow morning to the Caribbean, to Cuba. It is going to be a long flight.


This trip just came in at the right time. I badly need a longer break right now. Seriously. I need to relax and think of NOTHING. Yes, think of nothing. Ahhh, that sounds so peaceful. No stress at all.

I am also tired of the cold weather here.

Nevertheless, I will be back in the Netherlands at the end of the month but will be blogging during the trip when able.

Sunset Amphitheater

The Headwall Couloir...

A team of five climbers made a strong attempt on this remote and difficult route a few weeks ago. Here are a few images from one member's website; I'll attempt to sumarize the trip. They decided not to post a report, but did share a few details with me.

The team first noticed that a major section of the Tahoma Creek Trail was destroyed below the suspension bridge/Wonderland Trail. Last fall, glacier outbursts from a heavy rain storm took out some of the westside road and Tahoma Creek Trail. The trail washout, in particular, was rather amazing. The original trail abruptly disappears into a creek bed of gravel, rock and boulders. What was once an old growth forest, moss, downed trees, dense vegatation, is now a creek bed with gigantic trees. The forest floor is buried. In all, about 1/2 mile of the trail is wiped out.

As for the climbing route... The team reported a few problem, the first significant one being a dropped set of tent poles. This would make things difficult later on. Also, and maybe more importantly, they selected a route up St. Andrews Rock that cost them a day of travel... This exposure left them more vulnerable to the changing weather. And that's what happened, wind, snow, /12 a tent, and a snow shelter... It made for an interesting night.

After losing the effectiveness of one tent, and a day of travel, the team reluctantly retreated with plans of returning. Despite not summiting, they felt the route was a go! Here is a closer picture of the Amphitheater and upper Puyallup Glacier.

For more information, see: a listing of climbs here. These photos are courtesy of Alexandre Mineev