Sandia's in Snow

We had snow all around us yesterday, but only enough to cover the ground here. Heard there was as much as 2 feet fresh snow in some of the mountains. We could see some of it on the Sandia Mountains from the backyard. Had a nice display of clouds and shadows on the mountains all day.

Last Woman Standing

Pushing my bike uphill, I am high off the ground and high on happiness.




"Look, look! I can stand out of the saddle!"




My riding companion's face registers confusion, then bewildered comprehension.




"Oh my God. You mean all this time you couldn't?!"

"Nope!"




Funny that she hadn't noticed - although many people I ride with don't seem to notice my deficiencies in cycling skills; I guess I find ways to disguise them. But privately I remain acutely aware of those deficiencies. And ever since I started riding as an adult, I've been trying to master this particular "skill" - something most riders seem to take for granted as just being part of riding a bike. Standing up when a gear feels too high is simply the natural thing to do for them. Pedal sitting, pedal standing, what's the difference?




For me there was a big difference. Since childhood, I've had problems with balance and proprioception (the awareness of one's body in space), both of which made riding a bike in anything but a rudimentary manner seem unattainable. 4 years ago, I could hardly swing a leg over a top tube without toppling over. But my irrational love of cycling made me persistent. Things are much better now than they used to be, to the point that I can almost pass for "normal" on a roadbike - all the more reason my few remaining difficulties are so frustrating.




So what was the problem getting out of the saddle?.. The physical memory is disappearing now, but try to imagine this: Whenever I'd try to stand up, I would lose the sense of where I was in relation to both the bike and the ground. Not only did I have no intuitive notion of how to hold my body up when no longer seated, but I'd start to experience general disorientation and mild vertigo. Not surprisingly, these sensations would make me anxious, which in turn made the whole thing worse; a vicious cycle.Verbal instructions from well-meaning riding companions did not help. This was obviously just something I needed to work on myself. And I did keep trying.




But the first break-through came when I wasn't trying at all. It was a couple of months ago. I was riding an Xtracycle Radishone day, up a gentle hill. Just before I was about to reach the top, I stood up and leaned forward instead of downshifting. My mind was elsewhere and the whole thing was unintentional; it just happened. After I realised what I'd done, I was so happy I almost had to pull over on the side of the road to laugh or cry or something. My mind was blown!I tried it again later, this time intentionally. It was not quite as natural as the first time. I was jerky in my movements and my legs grew tired quickly,but for a few pedal strokes at a time it worked.




Several days later came the 300K brevet. I was losing time on a long climb, and in a moment of frustration I tried standing up again so that I could push a bigger gear. This did not feel the same as it did on the Xtracycle and I nearly fell off my bike. After that I decided to give my standing attempts a little rest.




And I did, until one day - on my roadbike in Northern Ireland - it "just happened" again on its own. I simply stood up, absent-mindedly on a short hill. This time I decided to harness whatever impulse had enabled me to do this. Continuing to ride on rolling terrain I stood up again and again, rather than switching gears, until I began to trust that I could do it. After a week of this, I was no longer hesitant or nervous to stand up at will.




A few days ago I pedaled over to County Tyroneto visit a friend. It was a 100 mile day with around 6,000 feet of climbing over the "shoulders" of the Sperrins mountain range. I stood up whenever I wanted, and finally, in the course of this ride, it began to feel as I imagine it's felt to other riders all along - normal.




One thing I realise now, is that in addition to whatever balance issues were involved, another problem was weak legs. At first my legs would start to quiver after just a short time out of the saddle; I felt like one of those newborn colts learning to walk. On a serious hill, I still get worn out quickly when standing. So even though thebalance and proprioceptionproblems are gone, I continue to practice just to develop more leg strength. And finesse. At the moment, my technique is not exactly elegant. I don't throw the bike from side to side needlessly, but my pedal strokes are jerky and awkward compared to how I pedal seated.




As my last two years of roadcycling have shown, it is possible to do even long distance rides without ever standing out of the saddle. And there are, after all, experienced riders who simply prefer not to stand. I do not know whether I am one of them yet. But once I form a preference, it will be exactly that - a preference, and not a limitation.

Paradise Road Damaged!

Updated Winter Access to Paradise

The washout approximately 6 miles above Longmire at mile 12.4 on the road to Paradise (just above the Nisqually Bridge) has been rated to be acceptable for 1-way traffic by the Federal Highways Administration inspectors.

Mount Rainier National Park has arranged for weekend and holiday access to Paradise. There will be one-way-at-a-time traffic operation with a flagger at milepost 11.3 (Glacier Bridge chain-up area) and another flagger up above at milepost 13.3 (Canyon Rim Overlook). Expect about a 5 to 10-minute wait for cars to pass each way before the opposite direction traffic is allowed.

Overnight use, climbing, and backcountry camping are allowed, but your trip itineraries need to be limited to these periods that the road is open to the public (weekend and holiday periods).

Updated: January 31st, The NPS is trying remain flexible about road closures during the mid-week. If the weather forecast for the day looks good (clear and sunny, or at least no snow forecast), we are currently making a strong effort for the road to be opened to the public. This means that if the forecast looks good, you should be able to plan a climb!

On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays the road will close each evening at 5:30 p.m. No traffic is allowed down or up the road after the road is closed. The road crew typically is able to re-open the road sometime between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. each day, depending on the amount of new snow received during the night.

Listed below are good guidelines to follow regarding estimating when the road may open. Please bear in mind that these estimated times are by no means a promise, so your patience is requested. Many variables exist that determine when the road is ready to open. Snow density affects plowing operation, with lighter snow being easier to move. Wind is another factor, since drifts and wind-packed snow take longer to remove. A large front-end loader or extended times with a blower are often needed to remove avalanche debris. How many plow drivers are on duty is a yet another factor. But generally, at Paradise:

0-3 inches of new snow: 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. opening
3-6 inches of new snow: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. opening
6-10 inches of new snow: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. opening (avalanche danger may be an issue with this much new snow)
10-15 inches of new snow: 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. opening (avalanche danger may prohibit the road from opening at all)!
15 inches or more: The road may remain closed either due to snow removal problems or due to avalanche danger!

It is very important for visitors to realize that during or for an unspecified time after heavy snow periods, the road may not open at all. Be flexible! To make the best use of time at Rainier during these periods plan an alternate trip itinerary, perhaps to a backcountry destination such as Eagle Peak, Indian Henry’s, or even up into Van Trump Park and onto the upper mountain via the Kautz Glacier Route!

Don't forget to pick up a climbing or backcountry permit and a climbing pass at the Longmire Museum, open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Have fun, stay out of avalanches, and be safe!

In the Forest

In the Forest, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A small, lacy waterfall on a creek in Las Trampas Regional Park. The heavy rains brought water back to the creeks - and mud to the trails - in most of the parks in the Bay Area.

A quick fix for the "new" Nomic or Ergo pommels..

Petzl is now offering to fix anynew tool under warrenty. Petzl'sis adding a pin through the pommel which is a much better solution than epoxy imo. Petzl was quick to respond and offer a fix and a replacement. They are a good company to support.



This is not an authorised Petzl solution for beefing up the pommels on the new Nomic and Ergo but it is the best I can come up with and not alter the handles.



Alter the actual tool handle and you void the warranty. Which you don't want to do!



The issue is that the pommels themselves are stripping out the adjustment system and wrecking the handles.

Pommels are easy to modify and inexpensive to replace. Petzl should love what I am about to suggest as it willprotect both your investment and Petzl's at least in the short term.



Couple of cautions first from my own experience. Make sure of the size you want the grip set at. Doing what I will suggest makes them bolted and glued into placeat only onesize. You could buy extra pommels when they become available through Petzl and do the same thing but with a different hand size setting if required. And have another size grip, bigger or smaller or all three. Just takes a extra pair of pommels for each grip size you'll require.



I found that I could climb on the smallestsize settingon the first day but by the second day of climbing my hands were swollen enough that I had to go up to the medium setting as the smallest size had become just a bit too tight and slightly painful. And these weren't the first days of the season for me.



That surprised me as the new tools have slightly different settings from the original Nomics. A bit smaller and a bit bigger in the same settings it seems.



OK, the short term fix? I used an industrial strengthsteel epoxy to fill in the bottom of the slot inthe pommel.But first and the most important, if you want to maintain the warranty, is be sure to use an epoxy that can be usedwith arelease agent. I used Steel Bed from Brownell's. (http://www.brownell's.com/) A number of similar products out there but that is one I am very familiar with. It will certainly reinforce the pommels...but no idea if it will keep them in one place long term. Seriously...I doubt it. Knowing the abuse these tools take it is not the best answer but an easy fix, short term.. But not a lot of options at the moment either.

Back to the fix I used.



Be sure to give the end of the shaft a liberal layer of release agent and cover everything including the nooks and crannies. Then add just enough epoxy (a layer 3 or 4 mm thick in the bottom of the pommel cut should do) of your choice to have it pushed out the end of the pommel on either side when you bolt your pommels back on. It won't take much so don't over do it here. Make sure the pommels are in the correct position that you choose before starting. Make sure both tools are the same position! Wipe off the excess that was pressed out when you slide and then bolted the pommel down. Let the parts drythe suggested 24 or 36 hrs. The longer the cure time usually the stronger the resin-epoxy bond's strength.



I'm off for 5 days of ice climbing in the morning so we'll see just how long the "fix"lasts.





Factory shaft with umbilical attachment hole pre drilled and beveled by Pertzl. Nicely done. And the three obvious pommel adjustment notches that are failing on the right hand side of the shaft.

4mm cord easily fits into the factoryumbilical hole if you want a lower profile umbilical attachment.

Cord and pommel in place at the medium setting..but not bolted down yet. It had better be right when you put this all together because you won't be moving it again other than to replace it after you have added the epoxy bedding material.

Easy to see here the tiny bit of pommel I groundoff to fit an umbilical clip cord if that is something you want to do while you are working on the shaft. The new pommels are aneasily replaceable part and inexpensive.



In the pictures below I am holding the pommel so you can look down into the shaft's slot and see the single steel engagement tooth. I laid a thick layer of Steel Bed Epoxy into that slot which covered the single steel "tooth." Putting your chosen bedding compound-epoxy here will help prevent the shaft end of the tool from being strippedout by excess movement of the pommel in hard use. The idea is to reinforce the steel notch pin in the pommel by addingsome support with the steel based epoxy in the other adjustment slots.



If you want to run umbilicals Petzl has made that easy now by the hole in the shaft able to take4mm or 5mm cord. Easy to grind off the back end of the pommels and thankfully not change the feel on the grip. 4 or 5mm cord will generally be about the same strength as the commercial umbilicals like Grivel's and BD's.

Tombstone Tuesday :: Fisher and Davis

On September 11, .. I visited the public library in Lawrence, Kansas. Though I was unable to find an obituary for Samuel Fisher – the brother of my 2nd great grandmother, Louisa (Fisher) Phend (they were children of Michael and Christenia Fisher) or for Samuel's wife Lucretia (Davis) Fisher I did locate obituaries for several of their children, which will be the subject of future posts. I also obtained directions to Colyer Cemetery where Samuel and Lucretia are buried. During a visit to the health department to get their death certificates I found out that the records are not available at the local level, they have to be obtained from the State of Kansas.

I had to backtrack south and west of Lawrence for a short distance to get to Colyer Cemetery. It is in a rather remote area which involved traveling a bit on gravel roads and by the time I got to the cemetery, the rear of the van and my bicycle (hanging off the back end of the van) were caked with dust. From the top of the hill where the cemetery sits, you can see for quite a distance. There was a farm to the northwest and another to the northeast but nothing could be seen to the south. Remote, indeed. Very pretty. And very quiet.

The road to Colyer Cemetery, Marion Township, Douglas County, Kansas. Looking to the north.

The Fisher plot, looking to the northwest. The two barrell-shaped stones are for Lucretia and Samuel.

LUCRETIA A. FISHER / BORN AUG. 23, 1845 / DIED OCT. 31, 1909

SAMUEL FISHER / 1840 – 1913 / CO. A. 9 KAS. VOL. CAV.

FOOTSTONE.
SAMUEL FISHER / CO A / 9 KANS. CAV.

A Tale of Two Pensioners chronicles the mix-up of the pension records for this Samuel Fisher and another man of the same name.

In the second photo above, there is a marker to the south of Lucretia, which I am guessing is her mother. According to her marriage record (Douglas County Marriage Book 2 Page 33 Located at the County Clerks Office in Lawrence, Kansas), Lucretia's maiden name was Davis.

See detail below.

OUR MOTHER
GLORIANNE M. / CASWELL / WIFE OF / IRVIN DAVIS
BORN JUNE 10, 1821 / AT WATERTOWN N. Y.
DIED JAN. 30, 1882 / AT LAWRENCE KAN.
ALL'S WELL

Mule Deer

We went to Jemez Mountains about a week ago and saw 3 mule deer. You can tell they are mule deer due to the size of their ears. This one was really close and I got a decent photo of her. I was suprised it came out this good as it was almost dark when I took it.

Monday Image

A classic Mount Rainier image to start the week, taken last Friday after the last major snow. More soon...

Kayaking Kachemak Bay

The bright early morning that had looked promising with the sunrise quickly faded when the dark clouds appeared in its place. It has been an unusually cold and wet summer throughout Kachemak Bay and although a day with pretty blue skies would have been quite nice, we would be happy if if just didn't rain! Because, on this day (Saturday August 14th) we were going on a Sea Kayaking Tour.

It was a short walk from the campground to the Marina where we were to catch the Water Taxi out to Cozy Cove on Little Tutka Bay where our guides (and owners of the resort) Rick and Dorle would show us around the area.

The skies to the northeast of the Marina looked threatening.
While to the southeast, where we were headed, it was a little brighter, but it was still cloudy.
The Blackfish and its owner, Dave, would take us across the bay and out to the island.
The Marina area is sheltered from the wind and the water looked calm as we pulled away from the dock. But looks can be deceiving. There were four passengers (Sue, Fred, Me and another girl) and we each took a seat on large coolers in the open area of the front of the boat. Almost immediately after leaving the protected marina, the seas turned rough, as did the ride. We toughed it out until water from the increasingly high waves began to drench us. It was then that the “captain” yelled out from his enclosed cabin that he couldn't guarantee that we wouldn't get wetter and advised us to sit in the cabin with him, which we gladly did. I'm sure he got a laugh or two out of it. It was a bumpy ride the rest of the way but at least we weren't getting soaked any more.

The first order of business (after introductions and a potty break) was to get suited up in our rain pants, rubber boots, life jacket, and kayak skirt. Not pretty, but it gets the job done! The Kayak skirt actually gets pulled up a few inches over the bottom of the life jacket. Fred snapped this picture of me with Rick who is one of the owners and who was to be my paddling partner for the day.

The first kayak being carried down to the shore.
I don't remember what this sea creature was called. They pulled it out of the water to show it to us.

The top side of the same sea creature. Slimy and icky.
The underside of a Sea Star. The small “hairs” help it to cling to rocks.
Sea Stars of various colors – the color of a Sea Star is determined by what it eats.
Barnacles and other little creatures attached to the side of the rocks.
As we paddled our kayaks around the bay, Rick and Dorle gathered “stuff” from the water that would be used to make our lunch of Beach Soup. I didn't get any photos of the kelp and other things they pulled out because I was in the front of the Kayak with Rick and it's a little difficult to take pictures when the subject is behind you! However, Sue got a couple of nice shots.

Dorle is giving Rick some of the ingredients for the Beach Soup.
Rick is explaining what is going into the pot.
Lunchtime! Not being overly fond of seafood of any kind, I was more than a little skeptical about the Beach Soup. But it was surprisingly good – or else I was very hungry! Dorle is of German descent and her father was a baker. She picked up on some of that expertise because her homemade bread was delicious.

The little group of kayakers. Sue and Fred on the left, Me and Rick in the middle, Maggie and Tom on the right. Their son, Thomas, was in the kayak with Dorle who was taking the picture.

We stayed fairly close to shore most of the time to try to avoid the wind and rough seas out in the open water. However, there were several times when I was paddling that I turned to Rick to see whether he was paddling or not – gusts of wind would come out of nowhere and although we were both paddling, we weren't going forwards! Thankfully the gusts didn't last long.

The tide was turning when we reached this channel (photo taken by Sue). Rick and Dorle debated for a few minutes as to whether we should go on in or not, we didn't. It was low tide and when we got to this spot and the water was running towards us. A few minutes later the water started running back the other way and quite quickly as the tide came in. The danger was that we would be able to get into the little bay but not be able to get out because the water would be running too fast. The tide rises here to the base of the trees in the background.

On our way back to the launching area we encountered high winds and waves where we needed to go around a point. Rick and Dorle decided to not chance it – they didn't want to blemish their record of never having had anyone tip over in one of their kayaks. I think we were all secretly glad that they didn't want to take that chance, the seas looked extremely rough. They called the water taxi and arranged for a pickup in a more protected area and while we waited we paddled around in the calmer waters. When the taxi arrived we found out that the wind was blowing 30-35 mph and there were six foot waves in the open water! No wonder it looked rough.

It was an incredible experience. The people we shared it with were nice. Rick and Dorle were fantastic. And the rain held off until after we had returned to the campground later that evening!

Wildlife Clues

I recently found this pile of crawdad claws and bits of shell. (Or crawfish or crayfish, depending on where you live.) I suspect that it's the remains of a red-shouldered hawk's dinner. I've seen them catching crawdads before at Lake Purdy, and just the other day I saw one swooping down to go SPLAT into the water at the pond's edge, catching something small in his talons.

I'm not sure if the hawk opens the shell and eats the good parts, or if he swallows it whole and then regurgitates the shell. (If you know please tell me.) I spread these out a little bit for the picture.

Red-tailed hawks eat crawdads too, but I don't think it's as much a part of their diet as it is for the red-shoulders.

By the way, most of the time on TV when you hear the majestic cry of the bald eagle... it's actually a red-tailed hawk. Bald eagles don't sound impressive enough I guess, so sound editors often make the substitution, figuring that most people won't know the difference. Go here to hear what bald eagles really sound like.

Big Bike, Tiny Tree

On a rare day off for us both we decided to catch up on some errands, including getting a tree. So we pedaled over to a local tree place. Now that I have this big cargo bike on loan, I toyed with the idea of a real, full sized pine. I imagined the fun of lugging it home. Also, in my crazy little fantasy world, I pictured everyone arriving to the tree place by bike - a procession of longtails, bakfietsen and porteurs transporting all manner of prickly greenery, the length of Somerville Avenue filled with the scent of pine. Naturally a brass band played in the background.






Then we got to the tree place. And gosh, I don't know, it was so sad. Our lonely bikes surrounded by SUVs in the parking lot.All the cut-down trees stacked up against a rusty fence. There was no way they would all get bought in time for the holidays.






We hung out for a bit. The place was like a small, dead miniature pine forest amidst an urban landscape.






Finally, we did the same thing we did last year: bought a small potted pine. It doesn't look very impressive, but on the plus side it will live... maybe.






Which brings me to a dark confession: You see, last year I killed one of these little trees. I didn't mean to! My plan was to remove the decorations after the holidays and keep the tree in the house year-round, to be decorated again the following year. But the tree failed to thrive in our apartment and eventually dried up. This time I will read up on replanting, and hopefully this one will survive. A bicycle ride to the forest is in this little tree's future...

Veins

A fallen leaf backlit by the Sun.

My Genea-Mecca Sojourn is Coming to an End

After six weeks in Salt Lake City, I'll be leaving Sunday morning. It has been a satisfying and frustrating experience. Although no breakthroughs have been made, more documents have been gathered that add to the understanding of some of the ancestors. Of course, some of those documents have generated more questions - a few which will likely never be answered. But that is the nature of genealogy and family history research, which is a seemingly never-ending obsession.



In addition to research at the library, I've also been working on cleaning up my Legacy database. It is a slow and tedious process but I'm starting to have a good feeling about it. There is still a lot to be done with it but there is light at the end of the tunnel. One of the benefits of this process is that some of the "holes" in my research have been identified and I was able to obtain a few of those missing documents here in Salt Lake City.



One of the highlights of my visit here was being able to spend some time with Denise Levenick, The Family Curator. Denise was here for five days, coming a few days prior to the Utah Genealogical Association's Spring Conference where she was the keynote speaker and gave several presentations. It was a very nice change of pace to have someone to bounce ideas off of and just talk about stuff.





One evening, A.C. Ivory joined us for dinner at The Garden restaurant on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Building. Lots of laughing and talking - and we also enjoyed the sunset over the valley!







What's up next?



The coast of California will be my next stop, for about a week of "just relaxing" then I'll be meeting up with some of my Joslin cousins in Missouri in mid-May. After that, I'll be returning to Indiana to "settle down" into a somewhat "normal" life - whatever that is!



G.R.I.P. is on the agenda in July. I'll be attending "Your Immigrant Ancestors’ Stories: Writing a Quality Narrative" with John Philip Colletta and Michael Hait and in August I'll be going to the FGS Conference in Fort Wayne. I'm looking forward to seeing some of genea-peeps again and soaking in some knowledge that will, hopefully, help with the research process.

After A Bath

This is Stormy. He was yawning after getting the spa treatment. I gave him a good bath. He looked so shiny and cute.

Researching Mount Rainier's Glaciers

Everyday, climbers inquire about thinly covered crevasses, glacier conditions, or that “bergschrund” on top of the Emmons. And we’re here to share what we know about the Emmons, Kautz, Tahoma and other major glaciers on Mount Rainier. But we also wanted to let you know that the NPS is actively monitoring these glaciers in an effort to better understand how the climate is affecting them and how these glaciers are affecting the mountain and the surrounding areas. This is important stuff when you consider that Mount Rainier’s glaciers are a primary water source for many Washingtonians, while at the same time a potential geological threat to communities in the floodplains downstream.

Basic Science Recap: Glaciers are permanent sheets of flowing ice that erode mountain slopes, carve valleys, and affect the geography of the park. Rainier’s glaciers have an “accumulation zone” (where more snow gathers than melts) and an “ablation zone” (where more snow melts than accumulates). The most recent detailed measurements (1913 to 1994) on Mount Rainier indicate that the combined glacial area has receded by a 1/5th, and that the total volume of glacier mass has decreased by 25%.

The Nisqually and Emmons are part of a long-term monitoring program making them the most scientifically prodded glaciers in the park. The current study is a cooperative venture between Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks and includes field measurements of snow depth, snow density, and snow/ice melt. It includes an annual series of terrestrial, aerial and satellite images. To better understand what's going on, researchers place “ablation sticks” (PVC poles) at various elevations and locations on the Emmons, Ingraham and Nisqually Glaciers. In the spring, researchers us a steam drill to sink these stakes into the winter snowpack until they reach the glacier ice. Then throughout the season, researchers measure the snow accumulation and more importantly, the rate of snow melt. This allows them to calculate the net balance of the overall snow and icepack. The graph below shows the results gathered since 2003. As you can see, the overall mass balance of the ice is decreasing.

So why are we sharing this geeky science information? Well, we like it, but also because climbers have been noting the PVC poles buried on the glacier and have asked, “What’s the plastic pipe all about?” Those PVC poles are the measuring sticks. If you keep your eyes peeled on your next summit attempt, you may note one or two of them on the Muir Snowfield, Nisqually, Emmons, or Ingraham Glaciers. If you do see them, please do not disturb or remove them.

For more information on the glacier monitoring being conducted by North Cascades National Park, check their website. And if you’re interested in the historical Mount Rainier glacier studies referenced above, check out the “Glacier and Glacier Changes” homepage on the Mount Rainier website.

Photo contributed and graph by North Cascades researcher Jeanne Wenger.

Burnout

It used to surprise me when cyclists talked about burnout. Oh no, it could never happen to me. Cycling is my refuge. I need it. I crave it. But of course, that's just the thing: When we feel that way about something, we want to do a whole lot of it. And when we do a whole lot of something, it is possible to overdo it - to burn out.




It's happened to me three times so far. Each case was fairly minor, but felt catastrophic at the time.To look at my bike and not want to ride is a dreadful feeling. What if I never want to ride again? I cannot continue that train of thought.




The first two times it happened were nearly identical. They were working vacation type of situations at the end of summers and . I could only take one bike with me - a bike that would be used for everything from recreational rides, to commuting, to hauling equipment. I took the touring bike I owned at the time. Diamond frame, drop bars, racks, bags. Technically speaking, it did everything I needed it to do - from metric centuries to schlepping equipment back and forth over hills to riding through dense in-town traffic. But after a couple of weeks of this... It's hard to describe the feeling, but it was as if cycling felt heavy and tedious instead of light and liberating. I didn't want to look at drop bars or a diamond frame again. I didn't want to ride up hills with heavy bags again. It was just too much, I was sick of bikes! This state of mind lasted no more than a few weeks, but still it was horrible. After the second time I vowed not to repeat whatever had caused me to feel this way. Clearly riding a loaded touring bike long distances is not something I enjoy. Commuting on a diamond frame bike with drop bars is not something I enjoy. Combining the two, day after day, for weeks, is not a great idea. Lesson learned.




But then it happened a third time, and it was entirely different. Roadcycling. In retrospect I was probably pushing myself too close to my limits, but whatever warning signs there were I missed them. One day I was on an ecstatic high after yet another draining ride, and the next day I suddenly crashed, emotionally - exhausted not so much from the riding itself, as from being in pain every single day and realising that it would never, ever get easier. Suddenly the eagerness to ride just was not there, and in its place was depletion. I know, I could have used self-motivation tactics. But that is not how I view cycling. It should not get to the point where I need to motivate myself to ride. If it does, I don't ride. And so I didn't: For an entire two weeks. Then the sense of depletion left as suddenly as it had set in and I was back on the bike. But the experience changed me; I am more cautious now. How far is it safe to push myself without this horrible thing happening again? This is always in the back of my mind.




When cyclists talk about dealing with burnout, it is mostly about prevention. Some try to identify what it is that makes them overdo it, so that they know what to watch out for. Others take intentional breaks from cycling altogether. Once the burnout sets in, the solution is less clear. For me, focusing on a different type of cycling and/or bike does the trick - that and trying to remind myself that it's just a temporary state!

Minnesota Milky Way

I went out with a few local youth last night to look for the northern lights. While the aurora was visible, it was very, very faint. The Milky Way, however, lit up the sky! This image was made at about 12:30 a.m. Exposure time was 30 seconds, aperture f4.0, ISO 6400. It was also the coolest night (temperature-wise) that we've had in a while. It actually dipped slightly into the 40's last night. This was good for high ISO photography, as the temperature cools the camera's sensor doesn't build up as much heat and therefore generates less noise in the final image. Enjoy!