Honeybee on a Coneflower

A honeybee pollinates a white coneflower in front of the Bouchon Restaurant in Yountville, California.

Balloon Flower Bud

This is the bud for the balloon flower. It starts out small, gets bigger and finally springs open like the flower in the following post.

Simple solutions, leash, sock and picks

When I start thinking I know what I am doing I usually get a lesson in humility.



Umbilicals? To connect the umbilical to the tools we have mini lockers, flat steel wire gates and a host of do-it-yourself solutions with all offer varying amounts of success. How hard does it really need to be? Not very it seems. For the home made ones just tie a big loop in the end and do the same. Easy on and off for the alpine where you may want to remove the umbilical all together. Thanks Jim for pointing out that obvious solution to my my overly jaded imagination.

















Boots that don't fit perfectly? Feet a little different in size? Not unusual for most folks.



How about using different thickness sock on each foot? It might just be the simple fix you require to get a better fit. Not one I have needed but so simple when it was pointed out to me I had to say, "duuuu, of course!" It is at least worth a try. Thanks for that idea!







Another one that seemed to escape me and most of my climbing mates. Sharpening tools? For most things including vertical ice and the majority of alpine mixed a razor sharp pick isn't required. In fact it is just a waste of good steel (and your hard earned cash) to always be sharpening and resharpening your picks.



I know, BTDT myself on numerous occasions. And until now I am generally loath to go on anything I think is difficult without a set of "properly sharpened" picks. This spring I decided to see just how much difference it really makes. Short of super cold or old hard and brittle ice I suspect it doesn't matter much. Now I intentionally sharpen my picks differently.



I think the ability to hook the tools easily is equally important as getting the initial stick.

With the best of the new tools hooking is easy and secure. Which allows us to worry less about the condition of the pick's tip. Much as we want to think it really does and I have been convinced it does for years.








Pick at the left is now 3.3mm and the newer one on the right is 3.1mm




The difference in how the picks actually climb in the majority of terrain I use them on is nil.























To make a point the two sets of picks below started out new and got some use.









The pair above was used on the first ascent of Dracula, Mt Foraker.





This pair was used on a solo ascent of the Cassin, Denali





As I said unless it is really hard and cold or just old ice the pick can be pretty well worn and still very usable. More so than you might first think. Certainly on a lot of the mixed we do by simply hooking you don't need a razor's edge on your pick. The first time you miss judge a placement and slam the pick into rock you'll end up with a dull edge anyway. The cutting edge of a splitting maul will last a lot longer than that of a scalpel. Each has their own place in the tool box. Best to know which you need for your specific job.



I still have picks I haven't touched with a file that get used on fat Canadian ice. Going a full season there without intentionally hitting rock is not unusual. They start out sharp from the factory and stay that way if I pay attention. I also have the pair of picks I climbed on in Chamonix last winter. Down into the teeth on those simply from wear on the hard granite and old black gully ice there. One is the rounded and shortened pick seen in the first picture. The pair look remarkably the same.









I used that pair of picks on several pure ice climbs this spring including the scariest lead I have been on in a while. Sticks are easy in the spring time slush :) The shape of my picks never once entered my mind.

Calendula

A sunny calendula flower in the garden.

Feedstore Animals

we went to a feedstore one evening to get some feed tubs for my horses, (heck of a note when you go 250 miles to get feed tubs for horses), Landmark Feedstore in Mesquite, NM. They have a few animals for people to see such as Clyde the Camel, a steer, a bison, some miniture donkeys, a horse, some pigs, and sheep. It was almost dark but the photos didn't come out that bad.

A taste of Dutch countryside and Dutch pancakes at Theehuis Rhijnauwen

Dutchman and I brought Dr. Balin to our favourite pancake house, the Theehuis Rhijnauwen in Utrecht for Sunday brunch. Pancakes are typically Dutch and is an all-time popular favourite by Dutch families, especially during weekends.



Because I wanted Dr. Balin to see a little bit of the Dutch countryside, I decided to park the car in Ameliswaard, 2 kilometres away from the pancake house which is located in a small forest. I discovered this area a few years ago when Dutchman and I did a nature walk in Ameliswaard, afterwhich we continued our walk to the pancake house in Rhijnauwen for early dinner.







Dr. Balin walking along the Kromme Rhijn (Rhine) River.





This is the port at the Rhijnauwen Castle (not in picture) which is now a hostel.



It’s a lovely place with a scenic river, the Kromme Rhijn River—a tributary river of the Rhine River that flows to Germany and the Swiss Alps. Rhijnauwen=Rhijn (Kromme Rhijn River). The place also exudes the typical Dutch countryside feel, with farm houses, cows and sheep on the fields.



It was already very busy when we arrived at the pancake house. The restaurant was brewing with activity. We wanted to sit outside by the river but all tables were already taken.









Waiting (impatiently) for our brunch to arrive: pancakes!



Our brunch finally arrived!







Here’s our pancakes: Dutchman's pancake on the right had bacon with raisins. My pancake in the middle had bacon with apple and cheese. Dr. Balin's pancake on the left had ham, mushrooms and cheese.



To go with the pancakes are the typical Dutch supplements of sugar syrup and poedersuiker (fine powdered sugar).









Although the pancakes were thin, they were massive, we couldn’t finish them all, but thankfully Dutchman came in very handy!



Dutchman and I were here at Theehuis Rhijnauwen last May with the Dutch family. Incidentally the Dutch brother-in-law knows the owner who came to our table that day and gave us a free round of drinks.



Going back to the parking, we took the other path across the river and came upon this Dutch farm house. They sell fresh farmer's milk here.







And we passed by some big Dutch cows having an afternoon chill out spree on the grass fields:









A second cow came forward. Think this cow got jealous and needed some attention from Dr. Balin as well =)



Visit Period: September

Destination: Rhijnauwen (Bunnik - Utrecht), The Netherlands

Petzl issues a statement on the New Nomic and Ergos

copy and paste the URL below for full details:



http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/news/products-news-0//12/21/information-griprest-nomic-ergo



As it was pointed out quickly to me this morning Petzl has not issued a recall. Nor is this a safety issue. (in my opinion and Petzl's) But call it what you will, Petzl will fix the faulty tool pommelsin the short term and replace them with a new version once they are available in the fall of .



Bravo to Petzl! for doing the right thing and doing it as quickly as possible. This response is less than a week after seeing the first pair of damaged tools.



Petzl is also setting up a very quick return and repair program (one day turn around in Utah after Jan 1st)for any effected tools. Call your local Petzl rep for the details. The fix is an additional pin through the handle. Petzl will have a team on site at the Ouray Ice Fest adding the pin and extra pommel support to anyone with the newest tools. How cool is that?



What follows is the text of their message.





"Information concerning autumn versions of the NOMIC (ref. U21 2) and ERGO (ref. U22) ice climbing tools :



It has come to our attention that the adjustment system of the GRIPREST (the lower hand rest at the bottom of the handle) on the NOMIC (U21 2) and ERGO (U22) in some cases may not stay fixed in the desired size position.



This issue concerns NOMIC and ERGO ice tools with serial numbers between 10208 and 10329 and all GRIPREST (U21 GR2)

accessory parts. It does not concern the new QUARKs or the older versions of the NOMICs, QUARKs and QUARK ERGOs.



Following conversations with end users and extensive lab testing, we have determined that this problem can occur when an inward force is applied to the GRIPREST, damaging the adjustment teeth at the base of the tool's handle that mesh with the GRIPREST (see photo). Once this damage occurs, users may lose the ability to fix the GRIPREST in the desired size position.



Petzl has developed a solution to reinforce the GRIPREST, which permanently fixes it in the position of your choice (S, M, or L). This procedure will be expedited to reduce any interruption to your climbing season. Because this solution eliminates the ability to adjust the grip's size, we will replace your tools with redesigned versions of the NOMIC or ERGO once they are available in autumn .







Warranty procedure

Anyone with a damaged NOMIC or ERGO or who has concerns about the durability of the GRIPREST adjustment system, is encouraged to contact the Petzl distributor in their country or return the tools to the store from which they were purchased for further information about the warranty procedure. You will be provided with directions on what to do next, as well as an

estimated time to modify your tools and have them returned to you.



We would like to thank the climbers that alerted us to this issue.



We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you,

Paul Petzl (President), Romain Lécot (General Manager) and the entire Petzl team"

Fall in Her Glorious Splendor

Maybe it is because we have missed so many years of this, but I am completely enamored by the fall colors.

Lake Superior Aurora - Grand Portage, MN

Here's what I captured last night. Throughout the afternoon I was watching the Aurora forecast sites predicting STORM-LEVEL Auroras only to watch the index fall just as darkness was approaching in Northern Minnesota. Even though the activity level was no longer classified as "STORM" by the time it got dark here, it was still classified as "ACTIVE", so I decided to head out and watch the sky for a while. It was a good thing I did, as I saw plenty of activity in the first hour that I was looking. At first all I could see were several faint pillars of light dancing from East to West across the sky. Soon those pillars were joined by a glowing green "cloud" of light. Above the lights the sky was saturated with stars. Lake Superior was so calm the only sound coming from the shoreline below my clifftop vantage point was the barely audible, soft lapping sound of the water as it kissed the rocks along the beach. It was a sublime night for sure!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Blueberry Crumb Bars, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A delicious recipe I came across at nookandpantry.blogspot.com/. These bars have warm blueberries on the inside with a crumbly, sweet, and buttery crust. They are easy to make and very satisfying. Try them!

*I would, however, use more sugar than the recipe at Nook & Pantry called for.

Trees at Highland Hammocks Park

While we were at the park, I saw Nathan doing something and couldn't quite figure it out. I snapped a picture first and then asked what he was doing.



He said he was feeling the tree move and when I did the same thing, sure enough you could feel it swaying.



We then talked about all of the cool things to do with trees, and moved to specifically discussing how neat the trees here are.











Next time we visit, I hope to get shots of the giant trees that Auburn calls Jurassic Park trees.



Living the life in sunny Florida!

The Eiger?

Ally Swinton, on the Eiger's summit ice, photo courtesy of Dave Searle




"With 1800m of climbing above us and no bivy kit or down jackets we wanted to get a move on so we put our heads down and soloed up to the base of the Difficult Crack."

Jon Giffith



http://daily.epictv.com/blog//02/11/eiger-north-face-a-must-for-every-alpinist/

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Thursday, September 1st - - With the campsite in shade and temperatures in the low 30s this morning I went and found a nice sunny spot in which to eat breakfast. Then it was off to see the sights!





Sometimes, I guess, Buffalo prefer an easy route to wherever they are going! They were frequently seen alongside and on the road, usually only one or two bison at a time.



My primary destination this morning was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with its beautiful Lower Falls and Upper Falls. Located at the northeastern corner of the southern highway loop, the 40 mile drive from the campground took about two hours, with stops along the way at the Mud Volcano Area and Sulphur Caldron.





My first stop in the “Grand Canyon” area was Artist Point on the South Rim.



Artist Point provides stunning views of the 308-foot Lower Falls. It is, quite simply, breathtaking! The morning light along with a hazy sky enhanced the view allowing details in the sides of the canyon to show up, though the colors are somewhat muted.





A closer view of the Lower Falls.



And, even closer.



The colors of the canyon didn't show up clearly in the photos of the Lower Falls, but, oh my, how they “popped” when looking to the northeast! The fantastic colors of the north side of the canyon come from rhyolite and sediments that have been altered by hydrothermal action (i.e. hot water from springs that were active in years past).





The Upper Falls is not quite as impressive (only 109 feet) or photogenic as the Lower Falls but it was still worth the walk down a short trail to see it.





It was also easier to access the Brink of the Upper Falls from another short trail. The Brink of the Lower Falls was a strenuous trail that dropped 600 feet in a very short distance. I passed on that one but did go to the Brink of the Upper Falls, shown above.





The view from Inspiration Point, on the North Rim, looking to the northeast.





As I drove up to the northwest side of the park to the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces, the clouds moved in.





I walked along most of the boardwalk trails in the lower terraces but my legs were getting a little wobbly by the time I made it to the upper terrace area. Whether it was from the lighting conditions or the fact that many of the springs in that area have gone dormant, I was disappointed with my visit there. The photos I took were rather blah.





The view from the front of the upper terraces was rather impressive though. On the drive back to the campground, I took the “shorter” route along the west side of the northern loop then cutting across to Canyon Village and the eastern side of the southern loop. It was still about a 75 mile drive back to the campground.