Devils Claw Wild Flower

Each summer I get a couple of these Devils Claw Wild Flowers. They are more common in other areas of the Southwest states than here, so I try to keep some of the seeds to replant. This is the leaves and blossom on one.

Edmunds Headwall and Romance

A pair of climbers took on the Edmunds Headwall last week. They opted for the climbing line after witnessing a fair amount of rockfall off Ptarmigan Ridge and Mowich Face... It seems that the west face of Mt Rainier is melting rather quickly.

On the fun side of things, I found this. It seems that romance for the broken hearted is alive and well on Mt. Rainier. According to Seattle author and dating maven "Breakup Babe" (AKA Rebecca Agiewich,) climbing could be good for your personal life (or not)! Of course, you’d have to read the book to find out how and why. But one fan was compelled enough to carry his copy to the summit. Maybe Ms. Agiewich will send us her Rainier trip reports for public consumption???

The weather looks quite good this weekend; the standard routes seem to be in good climbing shape.

Driving As a Cyclist

Until last week I had not been behind the wheel of a car since 2007. ButI knew this day would come - the day I would want to drive again.




Over my years as a driver, the cars I've owned have always had automatic transmission - I never learned how to drive manual. When I mention this to an Irish friend, he shakes his head and roars with laughter. "Automatic!"He says it as if the word itself, used in relation to cars, is amusing in its absurdity."Automatic?! Okay, so you never learned to drive properly in the first place. Well come on - I'll learn ya!"




And just like that, I am in the driver's seat. I feel ready for this, looking forward not only to being behind the wheel after such a long time, but specifically to trying the manual gear-shifting. And the funny thing is - this enthusiasm comesfrombeing a cyclist, not in spite of it.





The 8 mile stretch of Benone Beach is like an unpaved extension of the road. Cautiously I maneuver the rickety Saab along the sand, my left hand on the gear shift knob, my senses heightened, trying to listen to the engine's sounds and feel the give in the clutch.



Things do not go as badly as I thought they might. I am not stalling out. I press the correct pedals. My hand is getting used to the positions of the gears, so that I can shift without looking. Operating the gear box makes sense, having gotten used to the concept and feel of gears on the bike. When the gear is too high, the car makes a straining noise - not unlike a cyclist grinding along at a painfully low cadence. When the gear is too low, the car feels as if it is spinning out, unable to pick up speed efficiently. It is not a perfect analogy by any means, but it is just enough to make sense. And I can feel that with some practice this will become intuitive.



I think of driving now differently than I did 5 years ago. Cycling is a very physical activity, and it has made me more viscerally aware of the mechanics involved in operating a vehicle. I think of driving as a serious skill, rather than a perfunctory action. When in the passenger's seatI now find myself more aware of the driver's technique and degree of control under different road surface conditions and speeds.Having worked so hard to learn how to handle my bike on winding mountain roads, I appreciate the handling skills involved in operating all vehicles - be they motorcycles, tractors or cars.Some of the people I know here are extremely skilled drivers, and I must admit that riding with them is exciting. I am impressed with the smoothness and precision with which they operate their complicated, heavy 4-wheel motorised vehicles. And if I do drive myself, I aspire to aim for the same degree of proficiency.

North Wind, Meet Dirt Roads: the Rawland Nordavinden 650B

The Nordavinden is a newly released bicycle model from the small West-Coast company Rawland Cycles. Earlier this year I featured a friend's Rawland rSogn, which I could not ride because it was too big. At the time Rawland did not make a bike in my size, but they informed me that one would be coming out later in the year. We talked about a test ride, and as luck would have it, a demo bike was ready just before D2R2. I had it in my possession for a nice long weekend - most of it spent riding local and not so local dirt roads.






Norwegian for "the north wind," the Nordavinden was designed as a lighter, sportier frameset than its more rugged predecessors: a zippy bike with low trail geometry that accepts fat tires. Full geometry and tubing specs are available here. Like all Rawland models, the Nordavinden is designed in California and handbuilt in Taiwan.






The larger sizes are built for 700C and will fit a tire up to 35mm. The small size is built for 650B and will fit a tire up to 42mm (pictured here with Grand Bois Hetres).






The frame is designed for sidepull or centerpull brakes. The demo bike came fitted with Rivendell's (discontinued) Silver big-mouth sidepulls.






The dramatic curvature of the fork is immediately noticeable - prompting lots of low trail questions from those who saw the bike whilst in my possession. The trail is 30mm,with 650Bx42mm tires.






Unlike its predecessor rSogn's double plated crown, the Nordavinden's fork crown is the more minimal Pacenti Artisan II, with lighter fork blades.






The "ice blue" paint is a light, shimmery sky-blue. I tried to take some pictures that eliminated the shimmer and showed the true colour underneath. In person, the shimmer makes the blue look lighter. Compared to the (very similar) colour of the rSogn, the Nordavinden is cooler and a bit more saturated.






Looking at the Nordavinden next to the rSogn (front), they are similar at first glance, but less so upon closer inspection. The Nordavinden has an almost level top tube (1.5° slope), compared to the rSogn's more prominent slope. The Norvavinden's appearance is sleeker and more roadish - with fewer braze-ons, narrower tire clearances, lower bottom bracket, shorter chainstays.





Still, the Nordavinden is sufficiently versatile, with eyelets for fenders and braze-ons for a front rack (on the fork blades; optimised for Rivendell's Nitto Mark's rack).







The frame itself is welded cro-moly steel, with some decorative flourishes.






A Rawland chain-slap protector is included with the frame set,






As well as a Rawland seat collar.






The size Small is described as a 54cm frame, measured by its top tube. My ideal frame size for a road fit would have a 53cm top tube, but the small Nordavinden worked nicely with a slightly shorter stem.





Rawland advertises no toe overlap in any of their frame sizes. This held true for me (in size 38 clipless shoes), with room for a fender.







The demo model was built up with Velocity Synergy rims, White Industries hubs, a SRAM Apex drivetrain,






Chris King headset, Soma threadless stem and handlebars, Tektro short reach brake levers and bar-end shifters. The build was not done for me specifically, but I did have a say in stem length and handlebar width, to ensure the bike would fit me. Were this my own bicycle, I would do some things differently for sure. But sometimes it can be interesting to use unfamiliar components.






For shifters, I had a choice between SRAM brifters and bar-ends, and opted for the latter. Prior to this I had not used bar-end shifters in over a year, and it took me a bit to free my brain from Campagnolo ergo mode. By the end, the SRAM bar-ends grew on me, though I still prefer Campagnolo ergos on my own bike.






I used my own pedals and saddle, and installed two bottle cages. The bike did not come equipped for carrying a front load, as it was optimised to do, so I used a saddlebag when I needed to carry a camera and other items.The bike - as shown here, but without bag and water bottles - weighed just over 24lb.






I rode the Rawland Nordavinden for a total of 150 miles over the course of 4 days. First was a 30 mile shake-down ride, which included 12 miles of local dirt roads. The following day, I rode a 50 mile route at the D2R2, over half of which was dirt. The day after, I did a 40 mile local ride that included a paved road, a dirt road, and a rather technical dirt trail. And after that, I did a final 30 mile ride on paved roads - including a couple of hill climbs - before returning the bike.






What I noticed about the Rawland immediately, was that my sense of balance was different on it than on other roadbikes I've ridden recently. I found tight cornering easier than it typically is for me, and I found it surprisingly easy to change my position on the bike without disturbing its balance - allowing me the freedom of activities I usually have trouble with, such as drinking from the water bottle while riding. I remember similar handling when riding the Royal H. Randonneur last summer, but this time I think I was able to appreciate it more - particularly on unpaved terrain. At the D2R2, I was able to descend on loose dirt and gravel faster than I was comfortable doing previously, and to drink all the water I wanted without having to stop. It certainly added to my enjoyment of the day. The following morning, I rode unceremoniously on a somewhat challenging local dirt trail that I've never been willing to ride before.






As far as speed, the Rawland is plenty fast and accelerates with no hesitation. There is a snappy, responsive, roadish feel to it. On pavement it is not quite as fast as my Seven roadbike, and it does not climb quite as effortlessly. But as soon as the pavement ends, the dynamic changes. It's as if the two bikes were made to be friends and supplement each other. The Rawland glides over dirt and gravel, seemingly preferring them to pavement. In part, of course, it is the wide tires - which don't bounce me around the way narrow road tires do. But it's also the handling -again, that peculiar flavour of maneuverability that comes with low trail - that makes it easy for me to pick a line through rutted out areas and to corner on loose sections without reducing speed.On a bike with standard front end handling, I feel less confident riding on winding, unpaved roads and trails - especially descending. This preference might be particular to me, I don't know. But I found the Rawland's handling exceptionally agreeable for riding on dirt.






Notably, carrying weight in the rear was not a problem despite the bike's low trail design. It did not feel much different than riding without a saddlebag, except on steep climbs (with a full saddlebag, the front end "wandered" a bit). I do not know what the bike feels like to ride with a handlebar bag, but I can only imagine that not worse, considering that it's designed for one. I should also point out that I do not know what the bike feels like to ride long distances; my longest single ride on it was only 50 miles. With its front rack braze-ons, a bike like this just begs to be taken on a long, self-supported ride, and I hope to soon read some reviews from owners who've done that.






To think of criticisms is not an easy task here. I suppose I would like the bike even better if it were lighter, though I recognise the weight is pretty good for a bike of its kind. Anotherthing I can say is that I am fairly spoiled at this point as far as ride quality, and from that perspective the Rawland is not the cushiest bike I've ever ridden. It isn't a harsh ride by any means, but I feel that much of the cush is due to the fat tires - and that with narrower ones I would feel the bumpy roads more. Finally, as I've mentioned already,on pavementthe Rawland is not as fast as my Seven - but then I don't think it makes sense to pit them against each other; they are not meant for the same kind of riding. I would not mind owning a bike like the Rawland to supplement my skinny tire roadbike.






While showing off the demo bike, more than a couple of times I was asked why only the smallest Nordavinden size is offered in 650B. I must say I wonder as well, as it is precisely the combination of the wide 42mm Grand Bois Hetre tires and the handling that draws me to the bike. There is demand out there for lightweight, sporty low trail 650B bikes without having to spend a fortune on custom work. The Rawland Nordavinden retails at $725 for the frameset (available from Rawland Cycles directly). While I cannot vouch for the other sizes, I suspect the 650B Nordavinden is a bike that many would appreciate for road-to-trail riding.




Many thanks to Rawland Cycles for loaning out the demo bike, and thanks to the Ride Studio Cafe for putting it together.
More pictures here.

Southwick circular

Led by Barry, with Maureen, Eddie, Gordon and me. Fine, coldish wind. 8 miles approx. I managed to screw up my garmin trace. The route is similar to the one we did on 19th September, but slightly longer, and walked in the reverse direction.



We started from Southwick church, and followed the lane where the two benches are. At the bottom end of the lane, if you look to the right, you will see Henrietta, of whom more later.









The lane crossed the stream via a bridge just beyond the ground of the Hall. The path wends its muddy way across the field straight into the woods, but we turned right (east) instead of straight ahead, then later left (north) through Howe Wood.





We followed the path around the wood, turning left alongside the wood, then right along a field boundary. The huge Apethorpe Grange came into view, and we followed the 'diverted bridleway' around the small lake, where we saw three herons, as well as a few gulls. The path took us round more or less three sides of a square, coming out near Lodge Farm. We climbed up gradually pausing for a break at a 'bothy'. (Not often you find a flush toilet out in the sticks!)

The walk continued past Morehay Lawn and into Holey Brookes, where we turned right, then left just before Southwick Wood. The path runs slightly south-west, alongside the wood, and past Boars Head Farm and Cottage, and becomes a surfaced track, leading gently downhill, past Crossway Hand Farm, down to the Southwick Road.



Across the road, we crossed a bridge and followed the path uphill along the hedge as far as the derelict Tottenhoe Lodge. Here we turned left following the hedge, then through a gate and diagonally across the field to another gateway. Here the path dips down into the hollow. There is a stream marked on the map, but even in January, there was no more than a muddy trench with the odd puddle. A bit of a drag up hill to the farm at Provost Lodge, where we walked between two outbuildings, then followed the road until at the top of a slight rise there is a gate, and the path turns left. We continued along the path beside the dried bamboo, past the Short Wood Nature Reserve and emerged on the Glapthorn Road, near the Water Tower. A short half-mile down the road, and we were back at our start point.





Eddie wanted to dip his wellies in water. I wanted to photograph Henrietta (see above). Off we went to the bridge where we met a man with a dog. He told us he'd made the figure, inspired by Henrietta Moraeswho was a 'muse' of Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon. Bacon's portrait of her is being auctioned at Christie's next month, as it happens.





Bill Richardson, a resident of Southwick for 76 years, also showed me these two works representing the changes in agriculture over the period.



































I was reminded of the implement gate we saw at Holly Lodge near Moulton, on Monday 8 August . No connection apparently.





Bill Richardson also made the stone village sign, which I'll photograph later, and produced a book (The Arm of Coincidence?) under the name of Bill James.



- health warning - chunk in middle where I'd switched tracker/timer off, and chunk at end part of homeward car journey

Afternoon Sun over Caribou Falls

Taken last Tuesday during our impromptu 'waterfall tour' down the shore. We stopped at a few different waterfalls that day, but Caribou Falls is always a highlight. Not very many people visit this one compared to many of the other north shore waterfalls, which means that you usually have some time to yourself to enjoy this beautiful drop in the river. We were lucky and got there just as the sun was dropping down behind the trees.

Hot heron?

OK, we've established that chickens pant in the heat. But do wild birds do this too?


I guess so.

Or maybe he was just hoping that a fish would hop right on in.


We've gone for the "natural look" around the ponds this year, can you tell?

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias).

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Edited to add:

Leave it to Swamp Things to know that this behavior has a name: Gular fluttering! I looked it up, and it's not exactly the same as panting: the bird is rapidly vibrating the floor of its mouth and upper area of its throat. According to what I read, this does not require as much energy as panting, and is exclusive to birds.