Stormy Weather

After considerable thought regarding my options, I decided to head south again, to southern Arizona and revisit Chiricahua National Monument. I had some unfinished business there involving several trails and I (perhaps somewhat foolishly) thought that it would be warmer there. The days were nice at the Grand Canyon and in northern Arizona but the nights were still a little cool for comfort.

Returning to Holbrook, I turned south onto Arizona 77, which takes you through the towns of Snowflake and Show Low. Noticing that there was a scenic highway “sort of” on my way I continued east on Arizona 260 then picked up U.S. 180/191 south through the White Mountains. It was an absolutely beautiful drive, and I highly recommend it, but only if you aren't in a hurry, aren't easily excited and you have a great deal of patience. Whew! I'll just say that I was very happy when I got through those mountains!

The weather had taken a turn – from a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine to just plain weird looking. It was a hazy-foggy mix with a little sunshine penetrating the gloom. I decided to stop at Roper Lake State Park, a few miles south of Safford on U.S. 191. As I pulled into the registration booth it started to rain, poured down, but just for a minute.

About an hour later this appeared to the west (click on image to view a larger version):

With the dark clouds came strong winds, rain and snow.

A close-up view of the mountains beneath those big gray clouds. This particular storm passed by quickly. But other storms and more wind came again during the night. It was a very restless night!

In the morning we were greeted with sunshine, blue skies, and somewhat cooler temperatures. As I headed a few miles south toward Willcox and Chiricahua, I wondered what more Mother Nature could bring my way.

Gunks Routes: Sixish (5.4+)

(Photo: following the 5.3 pitch two of Sixish)



Sixish was one of my first outdoor climbing experiences. It may well have been THE first experience I had in the Gunks.



It was the summer of 2006. I was with my friend Greg, who'd introduced me to climbing in April of the same year. Greg had been climbing for a couple years. He had some leading under his belt, but not much.



I was little more than a liability to him. My experience was limited to toproping indoors with a GriGri. When we climbed outdoors, Greg had to teach me the standard commands and tutor me in ATC usage at the start of every pitch. I was just along for the ride, willing to follow Greg up anything. I was enthusiastic, but I brought nothing to the team. By agreeing to climb with me, Greg knew he was taking responsibility for both of us.



I remember nothing about the first two pitches. As I recall they went uneventfully enough.



What has stayed with me is what happened at the end of pitch two. We arrived at the GT Ledge and Greg began to scope out the 5.4 pitch three. And he wasn't at all pleased, because it looked scary. Over our heads was a gigantic roof. The guidebook said to move left to where the roof met the wall, and to climb up on the outside face of the cliff. Then we were to traverse back right just above the lip of the giant roof, and underneath a second roof, for about 15 feet to a notch, where we would head straight up to the top.



Greg thought the traverse looked precarious. It didn't appear to him that it could possibly be only 5.4. He worried that if he fell he'd hang below the roof and have trouble getting back on the rock. He was especially upset about a pointy dead tree stump, about ten feet tall, that stood on the GT Ledge just below the finishing notch. Greg envisioned taking a fall at the end of the traverse and being impaled on this stump. This was an unlikely event, but Greg can be morbid like that.



Of course, at the time, I had no tools with which to judge the likelihood of any of Greg's fears coming to pass. I just sat there impotently as he thought out loud about the risks of continuing, and about bailing. He considered leaving gear behind so we could rappel off. He worried about whether we could get down to the station atop pitch one with a single rope rappel. Unsure of this, he decided we had no choice but to continue.



Of course, I now know that we could have easily reached the next station with a single rappel. And I now know that we could have done even better: a short walk left on the GT Ledge would have taken us to the bolts above Kama Sutra, an unbelievably easy two raps to the ground. No need to leave any gear behind. But back then I was a blank slate, with nothing to offer, which turned out to be a good thing in this instance because our collective lack of information led us to continue with the climb.



Finally Greg led pitch three of Sixish; he got through it with no problems. Then I followed the pitch and it turned out to be a formative experience in my climbing life. I had no expectations, but the pitch nevertheless surprised and delighted me. No pitch in a gym was ever like this. The climbing up the face was straightforward, and then a perfect foot rail appeared just where you needed it to move back to the right above the giant roof. Traversing felt entirely different than moving upward; the most elementary of steps seemed somehow insecure when the movement was sideways. The position between the two roofs added a thrilling element of exposure. Then the exit through the notch to the top featured good holds, but the features of the real rock again seemed entirely new to me. Maneuvering my body through the notch was unlike any climbing I'd done before.



I arrived atop the cliff to find Greg totally high on having successfully done it. The lesson for him was that Dick Williams can be trusted. If Dick says the pitch is 5.4, you should have faith the holds will be there.



For me, the lessons were different. I was learning what real climbing was like. I was at a stage where I still found pulling on plastic to be novel, great fun. But doing a climb like Sixish made me see that climbing outside had so much more to offer. And I began to fall in love with the special features of the Gunks: the wandering traverses, the roofs, the escapes. The peace of sitting on the GT Ledge, comfortably belaying your partner in an atmosphere of seeming isolation among giant rocky overhangs. The pleasure of watching the birds slowly circle, of admiring the green valley below.



Fast-forward five years to . I was climbing with Margaret on a very hot day. She was looking for easy leads, and after I led Son of Easy O (5.8) in the bright sunshine, I was looking to collapse, I was so dehydrated. We took the very short walk over to Sixish, and upon finding out it was in the shade, we decided to do it.





(Photo: Placing gear at the crux of the 5.4+ pitch one of Sixish)



I was figuring I'd lead pitch one because Margaret seemed interested in taking the easiest pitches. In the case of Sixish, the easiest pitch is the middle one, which is only 5.3. I also thought it might be fun to try the 5.6 variation start to the climb. But then we looked at the traditional 5.4+ start to the climb, which ascends a large left-facing flake and then moves left into the big corner system, and it seemed pretty straightforward. Margaret said she thought she'd be fine leading it. I was sure she'd be more than fine leading it and I was thrilled to follow her.



It turned out to be a bit of a sandbag. If I'd been told this pitch was rated 5.6 I wouldn't have argued. The climbing past the initial crux flake is steep and pumpy. The holds are very good, but hanging out to deal with pro is surprisingly strenuous. Then the pitch moves left to the big corner and it gets pretty pumpy all over again. This pitch is not very long, maybe 60 feet or so, but it packs a lot of value in.



Margaret had no trouble with the climbing, of course, but she did get a bit confused about where to belay. I told her I thought I remembered that she was to go all the way around the big corner to the left and onto the main face to finish the pitch. But she found a small ledge in the big corner which seemed to match the "small belay stance" mentioned in Dick's guidebook, so she stopped there. When I arrived I thought she'd made the right choice, but then I began to lead pitch two and as soon as I moved onto the main face I reached a much better stance with some fixed gear. This was obviously the right place to do it. It wasn't an issue of safety or even really of convenience, and Margaret didn't miss any important high-quality climbing by stopping where she did. But you'll find if you lead pitch one of Sixish that you'll have a more comfy belay if you move all the way around the corner onto the main face.



I led the 5.3 pitch two, and it was such a pleasure. The pitch goes up and slightly left, passing an overhang. Then it moves right to a vertical crack system that provides plentiful holds all the way to the GT Ledge. As I led the pitch I was struck by how nice the climbing was, and how I hadn't realized what I was missing by not doing these easy classics much any more. I couldn't remember the last time I considered doing a 5.4 like Sixish. There are so many of them in the Gunks; it is so easy to take them for granted. How many climbing areas have such high-quality super-moderates like this? In most places a 5.4 would be an unpleasant thrash up a gully. But in the Gunks you get clean climbing up steep rock with great holds and pro. What more can you ask for?





(Photo: At the end of the traverse on the 5.4 pitch three of Sixish)



When we reached the GT Ledge I found the scene unchanged from 2006. The big, pointy, dead tree stump was still there. I assured Margaret she'd find the perfect foot rail up there above the roof, and she cast off on the lead. While she took care of the lead I looked at the 5.10 b/c variation, which is the original aid route directly out the huge roof. Standing on the ledge it appeared to me there'd be good pro in the crack running out the roof but later I saw Dick gives this variation a PG/R rating. I'm not sure whether he gives it this rating because of the pro through the roof, or because of poor protection for the face climbing below. It looked like it would be fun to try it out if the pro were good. I'd wager it would be easy to rig a toprope from above by climbing Sixish through the traverse and then bulding a gear anchor above the roof, but I would be a little concerned about the swing you'd take if you blew it before making much progress out the roof, or during the face climbing below the roof. You might swing out and hit a tree pretty hard.



Soon enough it was my turn to follow pitch three. The traverse was great, still exciting and exposed even after a little more experience. I was surprised by one aspect of the pitch I didn't remember: the notch at the finish is kind of hard for 5.4! Like pitch one, it is surprisingly pumpy. The holds are there but they aren't quite the jugs I was expecting, and pulling through the notch felt to me a lot like pulling a small roof. It is a fitting finish to a great three pitches of climbing, well worth doing regardless of whether 5.4 is your leading limit.

Abbie and Kaylah's Baby Lambs

Nathan's brother, Chris, and his wife, Katee lived in Arizona when we were out west. We had fun visiting different places there and even went to the Grand Canyon together. They have moved back to Virginia since then and now live in the house that the three brothers lived in while growing up. We knew they had added animals to their space, but I have not been up there to see all that is going on until this visit.



I hit the jackpot when I did go up, because two babies were born that day. One of them was born minutes before Mom and I arrived and was still all sticky and wet. What a beautiful thing to be a part of!







They are all active in 4-H, and shared some of what they are doing there. Abbie showed us her skills with bracing.



Katee showed off some of the beauties that live here. It was clear to me that she spends a lot of time bonding with the animals and really loves it.











We can't forget about the chickens. Well, you really can't forget about chickens because they won't let you if you are anywhere near them.



Every farm needs a great dog and this was one great dog. I wanted to bring Zoe home with me.



It was so heartwarming to see life and love filling the place that had sat empty for far too long. Do you think I could fit one of these in the RV? It could sleep right next to the horse I am wanting to bring along when we start to travel again! That will be one downside to our lifestyle, no space for the cool animals that the other family members get to own. I guess I will just have to be content to soak up the goodness of their animals when I visit and be the aunt to both the children and the pets.





Living the life in VA!

Upper Calf Creek Falls

Being that we had just spent 4 days and 3 nights camping along Hole in the Rock Road, we figured it was a good time to head into the town of Escalante and stay in a motel and get some nice restaurant food, a hot shower and do some laundry. We completed all of those tasks last night, wrapping up our evening with dinner at the restaurant at Escalante Outfitters, where we had arguably the BEST pizza we've ever eaten! No joke, their pizza was AWESOME!!! And, we're not just saying because we had eaten nothing but camp food for 3 days ;-)






This morning after getting a good night's rest in the motel and some yummy breakfast coffee cake from Escalante Outfitters, we headed out on our next adventure. The first hike of the day: Upper Calf Creek Falls. We were excited about this hike because there would be WATER! We had been hiking mostly in sand and rock for the past 4 days, with very little water. Indeed, Upper Calf Creek Falls was a riparian paradise! We heard a ton of birds along this hike, and saw a lot of vegetation along the creek. It was like a little desert oasis :-)





















































The hike was fairly short, but still quite strenuous as we had to hike down a steep slickrock hill that dropped several hundred feet in elevation. Hiking down wasn't all that difficult, but we definitely broke a sweat going back up! Seeing the falls was definitely worth the workout, though. The main falls was beautiful and tall, but difficult to photograph. I had more fun photographing the small waterfalls and pools above the main falls, as they were much more photogenic. The main falls was the most fun to just take in and view, though. All in all, it was another wonderful hike to add to our list of beautiful honeymoon hikes :-)

Firefighter & Dragon

The firefighter has his foot on the dragons head.

The Deer's View

Later, after the deer had gone - where ever they go - I wondered up to where they had been and took a photo of their view. You can see it was a long way from the house which is alm ost hid behind trees and a grape view. To the right is an old barn that has been converted to a garage, and to the left is Jim's workshop.

Ridden to Distraction

[image via Amsterdamized]

I have noticed that I feel a greater need to concentrate on the road when riding for transportation than other cyclists I know. This is not a criticism of others, but an admission of my own cognitive deficit: Whilein many ways I am a multi-tasker, this trait has bypassed anything that involvessensorimotor coordination, and sadly I am one of those people who has a difficult time chewing gum and walking at the same time. I am also a scary-horrible driver, never quite sure when it's safe to merge or at what angle to approach a parking spot.

When it comes to cycling for transportation, I am actually remarkably calm and collected - provided that I pay attention to the task at hand. For that reason I am uncomfortable chatting while navigating traffic, and no doubt appear rude to those who innocently attempt to socialise with me during their commutes. Sometimes another cyclist will pull up and start talking to me when I am on my way somewhere, and all I can think is "Oh my God, you're blocking me in and I need to make a left turn!" - not feeling very friendly at all. Needless to say, talking on the phone or texting is out of the question for me, and I am always stunned to see cyclists who are proficient at this - texting away as they execute complex traffic maneuvers in the most relaxed manner imaginable. Listening to music is something I can do on quiet country roads, but not in busy urban traffic. Drinking coffee on the bike? Forget it. I can sometimes rummage in my front basket for my sunglasses and put them on without stopping, but that is probably the height of my achievements.

Though I believe it is "dangerous" to perform sensory demanding tasks while riding a bike, I am aware that my views on this are influenced by my own inability to do these things safely.So, out of curiosity, what is your distraction threshold when you're cycling in traffic? And if you're also a driver, does it differ from being behind the wheel of a car?

Turkey Feast at Rich and Donna's

Rich and Donna invited Nathan, Ava and I to their place for dinner. Dinner doesn't really cover it though because she really made a full Thanksgiving feast. She had so much there, I could even fully remember all she cooked for us so I took this from her blog:

Hors d'oeuvres included fresh carrots, celery and tomatoes with ranch dipping, and crackers -and cheese.


Pre - dinner cocktails: Your choice of straberry dacquari, pina colada, marguarita, wine or beer

Dinner include a 13 lb turkey, beautifully browned and perfectly moist with sausage stuffing, ( that's the dish with the foil still on it!) mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, fresh rolls and cranberry bread, and cranberry sauce.



Unfortunately I had to take the pictures from her blog also, because they were not on Nathan's phone when I went to get them. Not sure what I did wrong there, but I sure am glad that she had some.





This was a wonderful treat for me, because I did not get Thanksgiving dinner this past year due to having strep throat on that day. Donna more than made up for it because everything was fabulous!



After dinner we headed to the pickleball courts which is always an interesting experience for Donna and I. We hobbled along, while the guys barely broke a sweat. We had great fun though! I love nights like this and we sure have been spoiled by them since we have been at The Villages!



On a completely unrelated note, our poor girl came back from her nightly walk with green feet! I'm not sure what was on the grass to make her feet look this way but she was not a happy camper and I imagine it is probably not a healthy thing for her to be walking on grass that produces this result:

Into the Park

Getting around in Denali National Park can be problematic. There is but one main road and, if followed to the end, it will take you 92 miles into the park. However, access to that road is restricted except for the first 15 miles. Beyond that point a special permit is needed and those are given to people using the campgrounds in the interior. Even then, once they get to the campground, their vehicle must remain parked until they are ready to leave.

Essentially, access to the interior of the park is via bus whether a park shuttle or tour bus. Both have a fee over and above the price of admission and in most cases, reservations are required. If you don't have reservations and you show up in Denali one day don't expect to be able to go beyond the 15 mile limit that same day!

Sue and Fred had made reservations for the Kantishna Experience, which would take them as far into the park as you can go. Several days after they made their reservations I tried to get the same tour but it was filled up! The next best thing I could get was the shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center, which was 67 miles in.

There are two primary reasons that the vast majority of people go to Denali – to see The Mountain and to see The Wildlife. Only 30% of those people will see The Mountain (it is hidden by clouds much of the time) but most will see some Wildlife though the most “prized” are Bear, Moose, Caribou, Wolf, and Red Fox. The further into the park you go the more likely it is that you will see them all, sometimes rather close.

Early Tuesday morning we made our way to the Wilderness Access Center to board the buses, which left within a few minutes of each other, mine following theirs out to the 67 mile marker.

A small section of the mountains in Polychrome Valley.

Grizzly Bear! One of two cubs who crossed under a bridge with their mama.

Dall Sheep. There were five of them scattered around the top and sides of this rock outcropping not far from the road.

These were the closest shots that I got. In total on the trip out and back, at various spots along the way (in other words not all at the same time), the bus I was on saw 20 bears (including 4 different sets of two cubs and mama), a moose with her calf, two wolf cubs, a lone wolf, a dozen Dall Sheep (most were “white spots” on the mountainside while others were “white spots with legs”), quite a few small herds of Caribou, and one Bald Eagle. I gave up on taking pictures since most were so far away. I did see them somewhat “up close” though with the binoculars and they were quite splendid.

Though our buses were only a few minutes apart, we didn't see the same wildlife. Sue got some terrific shots, some quite close. Please, go check out her photos! You'll be glad you did...

And, we got lucky for the second day in a row – Denali was “out” once again!

This is from about 35 miles away from The Mountain. Everyone on the bus was thrilled to be able to see this much of Denali.

I like how you can see parts of the mountain through the clouds.

The peaks are two miles apart!

Twenty minutes later, at the Eielson Visitor Center, Denali was nearly obscured by the clouds.

Gone! Denali is to the left of that center peak. I stayed at Eielson for more than an hour and The Mountain didn't come back out.

ANT Truss Bike... Mine!

For some time now I've had a trade deal in the works with Mike Flanigan of ANT. In the early stages we discussed what kind of bike it would be, but couldn't decide with certainty. A loop frame with faux lugs? A basket cargo bike? Then one day I knew: a truss frame. And trying one that belonged to a friend cinched that decision.





The truss frame bicycle is a Massachusetts classic, the original having been built by Iver Johnson in 1910 as a pathracer. Mike Flanigan revived the design about a decade ago and made it his own. The basic ANT Truss is what I would call a "civilised recreation" bike: a simple single speed with a reinforced frame, wide tires and low but swept-back handlebars, intended for casual road-to-trail cycling in one's regular clothing. Over the years, the Truss has become one of ANT's signature designs. This, and its relevance to local bicycle manufacturing, is why it appeals to me. I consider this bike to be a ridable collector's item and a piece of local history.





An additional aspect of owning this bike that's interesting to me, is that it is a prototypical ANT and in no way a "collaboration" with me. I merely signed off on features that the builder himself thought best to use. And yet, I like everything about it; I agreed with all the choices Mike made. The bike shows off the shared aspects of mine and the builder's tastes, with neither of us having had to compromise.





This Truss is a 52cm x 54cm lightweight cro-moly steel frame. It is a hybrid between a classic pathracer and a modern track frame, with a high bottom bracket, aggressive geometry, clearances for 35mm tires, and a generous wheelbase. There is no toe overlap with the 35mm tires. The Eastwood (not RAL) powdercoat is an interesting colour half-way between sage green and slate blue. It looks greenish in the sun, bluish in the shade.





The fork is also handbuilt by Mike Flanigan, with a brazed double-plated fork crown. These forks are Mike's specialty.





The main tubes are TIG-welded with a superbly smooth finish. The headtube features decorative lugwork. The handmade ANT headbadge was made right in front of me, with the process shown here.






The seat cluster features the signature ANT stays and a lugged collar.





This bike does not require a rear brake bridge, and in its place is a signature ANT plate.





Paul dropouts were used for the rear fork ends.






The stem is handmade by ANT, fitted with Soma Oxford handlebars flipped upside down, a Dia Compe front brake lever, and classic grips from Gripworks.






The stem is rather stunningly made and finished, and also one of the builder's specialties.





The hard plastic grips are made in Missouri. Gripworks only sells them wholesale in large batches, but Mike has individual pairs available, if anyone is interested. They are very firm to grip, which I prefer to the softer rubber ones. I also like the shape quite a lot - gently fluted and not too thick.






The crankset is Paul's, with 170mm cranks. I love the beautiful circles design and the classic look.






MKS Touring Pedals were customised with ANT cutouts and the cages powdercoated black.





Chris King headset and a Paul centerpull front brake with Kool-Stop pads.






Paul's seatpost with a standard amount of setback.






And a Selle Anatomica saddle.






Mike Flanigan prefers to make as many parts of the bike on his own as he can, and to source as many of the remaining components as possible from the US. On this bike Mike made the frame, fork, headbadge, stem, and pedal cages. The headset, crankset, brake,seatpost, saddle, and grips are US-made.





We wanted this bike to be a single speed with free/fixed possibilities, but we agreed that it should not be drilled for a rear brake. So the natural solution was to have two wheelsets: one fixed and one with a coaster brake. We installed the coaster brake wheels to start with and I will probably leave it this way for a while. The rear hub is VeloSteel, made in the Czech Republic. Harris Cyclery built this wheel around a spare Bella Ciao rim I had left over from an earlier project. The front wheel is also a Bella Ciao left-over. The rims are aluminum and made in Germany. My fixed gear wheelset is a very low-end one, but some day I will save up and replace it with one built around Phil Wood hubs, to honor the builder's US-made preferences.





You don't need me to tell you that ANT makes good bikes; Mike has been on the scene for decades and has a legendary reputation without my help. Having known him for three years now, to me Mike is a very real person - creative, independent, open-minded and kind, with great stories and valuable advice. I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to own one of his bicycles, and I think the unique Truss was the right choice. The bike fits me wonderfully, it rides nicely, and I will surely post more about it as I get to know it better. Full set of pictures here.