Border Collie

Tuffee thinks she is herding Sunny. Sunny says he is way to old to pay attention to a little dog.

Don't Mess

Come to Rainier and see the "Biggest scissors you’ve ever seen.” It’s true. More people are impressed by these scissors than they are with the flowers, glaciers or the entire mountain! The conditions are excellent up here and after being inspired by “The Scissors” many climbers summited in the last week.
We’ve had a few wet and cloudy days down low lately, but the upper mountain has remained nice. The freezing level has stayed around 11,000' and is forecast to drop to 8,000' early this week, followed by high pressure and warmer temperatures.

As for general route beta, we would have used our scissors to span the crevasse pictured below, but instead there has been a ladder placed across it. The crossing shown is around 13,800' on the Disappointment Cleaver route. The guide services maintain ladders and other fixed gear at times along the DC. Before using any fixed gear you find, take a moment to check it out and not just assume the other guy made it safe.


If you recall last year the lower sections of the mountain were already melting out and exposing bare ice. Not the case this year, which means you should be here enjoying these terrific late season conditions. Come see our scissors and then get out and crush it!

Water Abstract - Pigeon River

I haven't been posting many pictures lately. My apologies to those that might be missing my posts. I have been busy going through a selection process to determine which photos I want to display in my upcoming "Visual Stories" exhibition in Grand Marais. Also, I have been without my camera for the past week! It turns out it got a little too wet during my last outing (remember the lightning photo at the Spirit Tree from a week ago?) and would not let me shoot anymore. I was getting an "Error 30" message and had to send it in to a Canon Service Center. I should have it back sometime this week.



In the meantime, here is a photo from this spring. This was taken at Middle Falls on the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park. The water just above the falls has many areas where the flow is silky smooth, which makes for some very intriguing abstract images when shooting with a telephoto lens. Another interesting thing is that the water here often nicely reflects the colors of the sky. On this particular day there was some blue sky along with patchy clouds and you can see both reflected here in the water.

Happy Birthday America!

Lots of sun and blue sky up here on Rainier are adding to our celebration of America's 237th year of existence. The forecast for the holiday weekend looks great, and conditions should be great for summit bids. We are expecting a very busy weekend so climbersshouldshow up early at the ranger station to improve chances of getting their preferred camping spot. The popular camps such as Muir, Schurman and Ingraham Flats will be busy places. Climbers are encouraged to have a backup plan since there are many places on Rainier that will not be crowded at all. Looking for moderate routes? Try the Tahoma, the Kautz, the Success Cleaver or Couloirs, or the Wilson Headwall just to suggest just a few. Skiing conditions still seem to be holding strong but some booting is required from most trailheads these days. Check out recent route reports from the DC, The Tahoma Glacier and Ptarmigan Ridge among others.







On this fourth of July remember that you have the freedom to bring celebration items such as watermelon, spareribs, and refreshing drinks into your national park. You even have the freedom to share your goodies with rangers or other people you meet. You do not have the freedom to bring fireworks, explosives, or share your edible goodies with any non-human species such as foxes or marmots.



Come on out and enjoy the natural wonders this country has to offer.

Success!

Congrads to all involved on this one! Awesome trip....



http://www.getstrongergolonger.com/journal//6/9/teton-link-up.html



Picture courtesy of Brian and his blog.

Rapha Women's Line... I Don't Get It

Rapha is one of those companies that people tend to either love, or love to hate. Essentially a manufacturer of high-end cycling clothing, but also a magazine publisher, racing sponsor, event organiser, bicycle design collaborator, and general "lifestyle brand," Rapha promotes an unapologetically romantic vision of roadcycling via an endless output of dreamy images as part of its advertising and social media campaigns. Slender, beautifully backlit cyclists suffer exquisitely as they scale mountains - often in black and white, and often to the accompaniment of haunting music, fostering a sense of nostalgia for a time that is not yet in the past. The garments offered are minimalist and expensive. That is Rapha in a nutshell.

Now, let me make it clear that I have nothing against Rapha's marketing tactics. I appreciate an effective advertising campaign achieved through emotional channels, and for this they surely deserve an award. When something inspires suchexcellent parody, you know it's reached iconic status. I also have nothing against brands that are considered luxury or high end, if the quality of their products reflects the price. So what's my problem with Rapha? It's not so much a problem, as a genuine feeling of dissonance - at least when it comes to the women's line. When I encounter their clothing in person, what's in front of me does not match the image cultivated by the impressive adverts.



Take, for instance, theWomen's Stowaway Jacket. Last summer I was desperate for a cycling rain jacket after my old windbreaker came apart. I wanted the jacket to be form-fitting, waterproof, and, ideally, red. Having exhausted the less pricey alternatives, I followed up on a suggestion to try Rapha. The Stowaway happened to be on sale at the Ride Studio Cafe at the time, and I came prepared to buy it. I tried on the jacket. It wasn't bad. I mean, not horrendous. Basically, it looked like a tracksuit top circa 1982 - something you'd expect to see on, say, an East German gymnast of that era. It's an intriguing look if you can pull that sort of thing off,but not especially flattering. The shade of red also strikes me as uninspired: not an exciting bright red and not a classic vintagey-brick either, but a dated crimson that I do not readily associate with cycling.



True to '80s tracksuits styling, the fit is tight in the chest, but mysteriously baggy above the chest - forming strange folds at the collar that threatened to constrict my breathing.



And do you see that bulge in the back? You're probably thinking that's the rear pockets. Nope. This cycling jacket has no rear pockets; that's just a bulge that forms on its own.



Although there are side pockets, they are small - so small, that I had trouble sticking my hands inside. Mind you, none of these design flaws are at all unusual in the sadistic world of women's cycling apparel, and if anything Rapha is not as bad as some of the alternatives. But for me, that is just not good enough given what I was made to expect.



Moving on to the Classic Women's Jersey - which I had considered when looking for wool cycling clothing: The styling in itself is all right, except that the full-length zipper creates artificial "tummy folds," as is common with this type of jersey.



The fabric is described as "sportwool," but as soon as I put it on, it became clear that this was a euphemism for a polyester-heavy blend. I later checked and yup: "sportwool" is 60% polyester.



Though the minimalist design is tasteful and subtle, I would rate the texture of the fabric as average on the rough vs silky scale. And for a hot weather jersey, it seemed somewhat heavy to me.



One nice thing about the Rapha jerseys, is that they come with arm warmers. Problem is (and I am not the only one to have noted this), that the arm warmers seem to be one size smaller than the jersey - rendering them essentially useless for those whose arms are not stick-thin. Too bad, because including matching arm warmers is a wonderful idea.



I could go on about other items in the Rapha women's line, but that's probably enough for now. Suffice to say that I find all of it more or less all right, but by no means extraordinary either in quality or looks. I am supportive of what Rapha is trying to do - create inspiring, classic, tasteful, well made cycling clothing. We can certainly use more brands that create such clothing for female cyclists, so really, I am all for it. But come on Rapha: Live up to your image. Watching all those dreamy backlit videos, I expected some truly "epic" women's cycling apparel... and this ain't it.

Going for a scooter ride in the mountains of Lesvos, Greece and a lunch stopover in Vafeios

When Dutchman and I are not doing this, this, this, this, this, and this(this one is unforgettable)during our holiday last summer in Lesvos, Greece, we were out and about exploring the island with our rental scooter.











One of the afternoons we took the scooter for a mountain ride nearby. We were not planning on driving far, we’re just going for a ride, enjoy the views and the fresh sea air and then have late lunch at a taverna in Vafeios that I read about—Taverna Vafios.



In Mithymna, they are offering donkey rides to Vafeios where participants rest for lunch at Taverna Vafios and back. Indeed, Dutchman and I saw the donkey tour group as we went up the mountain. The poor donkeys were so cute, I don’t think I could ever let one of these animals carry me.



On other matters, I have become an expert in taking pictures behind the Dutchman on a moving scooter.








More pictures below... actually, LOTS of pictures =)









A very typical afternoon scene in the mountain villages of Lesvos.





An interesting way of piling up tables and chairs. It almost looked like art installation.











Here were are at Taverna Vafios having a light lunch of Greek salad and yoghurt with honey and crushed walnuts.









I prefer Greek yoghurt with crushed walnuts than with whole walnuts.





It was late for lunch, we almost had the taverna to ourselves except for a table in the corner with English holidaymakers.









Stuffed zucchini flowers.









Stops to enjoy the views... that is Turkey from the distance.











I really, really, really miss summer now.



I think I need to get out of this country for a long weekend. But where? It is still cold everywhere....

Fruits de Mer at Hotel New York Rotterdam

After much googling of possible cool with great reviews places to eat seafood in Rotterdam, I came across Hotel New York’s Oyster (& Seafood) Bar. Ah, give me seafood anytime and I am a very happy island gal.



Fruits de Mer at the Oyster Bar





Platter of Fruits de Mer.





Souvenir shop of vintage items at the Hotel New York Rotterdam located beside the entrance of the restaurant.



So glad MadamE could join me for Saturday lunch when I was staying in Rotterdam for a weekend. She told me that she had some clairvoyance moment, that she was picturing herself eating seafood very soon. Well she’s right.



We arrived at the height of lunch time and it took awhile before we were led to our table. This place is incredibly buzzing! It is hands down a super popular place for people from all walks of life to lunch during weekends. I cannot blame them really because the Oyster Bar alone is enough to tempt and beckon seafood lovers like moi.



Finally we were seated and pouring over the lunch menu.





Cheers for chardonnay!



It didn’t take a long time to decide what lunch will be. MadamE beamed in delight when I ordered the fresh seafood platter, ‘Plateau Fruits de Mer’. Oooooh, we cannot wait.



While waiting for the seafood bounty, our Chardonnay drinks arrived. Cheers! Proost!





Busy preparing for our fresh seafood platter?





And here she is. Plateau Fruits de Mer. Love.











I wished I ordered an extra half dozen of fresh oysters.



Creme Brulee



For desserts, we both had creme brulee which was quite good. Creamy, and the sweetness is bearable. Then I had coffee of course as well. Lunch is not complete without this.







I love the ‘Oyster Bar’ at Hotel New York Rotterdam. I can come here every week!!! I will definitely come back.



Hotel New York Rotterdam



Here’s some history of Hotel New York Rotterdam, excerpt taken from their website:



“In earlier times, many Europeans escaped poverty and/or religious persecution by leaving from Rotterdam. These emigrants usually left for North America, hoping for a better life. In 1873 the Nederlandsch Amerikaanse Stoomvaart Maatschappij company was founded, officially renamed ‘Holland America Line’ in 1896. Emigrants embarked in Rotterdam in large numbers, most of them debarking in New York City on arrival in the ‘Promised Land’ of America.



In 1971, after more than 100 years of transporting passengers, the Nieuw Amsterdam left the city on the Maas for its last crossing. An important episode in Rotterdam’s nautical history had come to an end.”



The New York Hotel Rotterdam was previously Holland America Line’s headquarters. And New York City, USA was previously called New Amsterdam.



And the pictures of this bygone yesteryears hotel:















So there, some history lesson about Rotterdam. The hotel, a bit nostalgic isn’t she?



It was a lovely fresh seafood lunch and catch up with MadamE that spontaneously got extended to having tea in North Brabant.