Fire Tower and the Milky Way Galaxy

My favorite shot from this weekend :-) This photo was taken while we were watching the Perseid meteor shower. My camera had been set up doing a sequence of images for a timelapse video when I noticed the nice alignment of the Milky Way between the fire tower and these trees. I had to take a break from shooting the timelapse sequence in order to capture this photo before the Milky Way moved too far to the west. Sure was a beautiful night for photographing the Milky Way.



Below: A couple more shots from the weekend.

Excursion to Antelope Island

Wednesday, May 25th - - Today was a “play” day! Carol's husband, Man, had informed us yesterday that today was supposed to be a gorgeous day, and rain free at that!



Antelope Island, which is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, was our destination. At the entrance to the State Park there was a sign warning us that the biting gnats or “no see ums” were out in full force and the midges, which don't bite, were swarming along the causeway.





We made it across the causeway and up to the visitor center, where this photo was taken.



These are midges. They covered the windshield and front end of the truck. Gross. And yeah, the biting gnats were biting. Bigtime.





The Fielding Garr Ranch was established in 1848 and was in continuous operation until 1981. This is a corner of the barn where a wide variety of objects are on display.









That white stuff on the ground (and floating on the breeze, everywhere) is the “fluff” from numerous cottonwood trees around the ranch. In some areas it literally looked like it was snowing.





Indiana has cottonwood trees but I've never seen this much of the fluff before. Definitely soft and fluffy.





Little bits of the white fluff even landed on the Iris. It just adds a little texture!

It was a most pleasant day. The clouds moved in during the late afternoon but no rain came. Man sure picked a great day for a little excursion! Thank you for a wonderful time, in spite of all the icky, little bugs!

A Tale of Two Pensioners

A little over a year ago (before NARA raised their prices) I ordered the Civil War Pension files for three of my relatives (my 2nd great granduncle Samuel Fisher, Aaron Conroy the husband of my 2nd great grandaunt Lydia Fisher, and for Eli Yarian who is my 2nd great grandfather). They all have lots of useful and interesting information.

One problem though. I ordered the file for the wrong Samuel Fisher ;-(

Of course, I didn't know that until I opened the package from NARA. I had searched the Civil War Pension Cards on Footnote. I saw the card for Samuel Fisher that had served in Co. A 9th Regiment, Kansas Cavalry and ordered the file.

Anyway, after I got the NARA package I located the pension card for the other Samuel Fisher, the one I really wanted. The weird thing is that at the bottom of both of their pension cards it makes reference to the "other" Samuel. I just didn't see it. Or else I ignored the information. Not only that, the one I wanted also included his date of death, which matched my information. Sure wish I had clicked through a few more cards though. . .

But the government got them mixed up back in 1894, so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad. The moral of the story is don't assume there is only one person with the right name in the right unit (even though its wrong), or in the right location. I still haven't ordered the file on the "right" Samuel Fisher, primarily because of the cost. (I wonder how long it will be before Footnote has the Civil War Pension files online?)

On October 5, 1891 the Samuel Fisher who resided at Alfred in Douglas County, Kansas (the one who is my relative) filed an application (1064047) for pension based on his service in Co. A of the 9th Regiment Kansas Infantry for which he received pension certificate 1028602. Card shown above, image from footnote.

On March 3, 1894 the Samuel Fisher who resided at Osceola, Missouri filed application 1260663 based on his service in Co. B 9th Reg't Provisional Mo. Mil. [Missouri Militia]. He received pension certificate 890462 that was based on the service of the Kansas Samuel. Image from footnote.

If anyone out there is related to the Samuel Fisher described below, I'd be happy to send the file to you. . . it's about 100 pages.

Samuel Fisher resided in Lowery City, St. Clair, Missouri when he filed his application in August 1894. He was 67 years old and asked for a pension due to rheumatism and general debility. He stated that he had served in three different regiments of Missouri Militia. His original declaration also stated he served in the 9th Kansas Cavalry though he later said he didn't know how that got included.

On June 7th 1900, Missouri Samuel was living in Trenton, Hitchcock county, Nebraska. A special examination was held on that date. In his deposition, Samuel states that he was 74 years old on the 17th day of last March. He is a farmer and resides about five miles southeast of Trenton. He was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky near Mt. Sterling. In the fall of 1859 he moved to Grundy County, Missouri. Twelve years ago he moved to St. Clair, Missouri and in January 1899 moved to Hitchcock County, Nebraska.

He served six months in Co. E 9th Mo. Provisional Cavalry. The regiment was on duty at Chillicothe, Missouri doing guard duty and moving around Missouri guarding block houses and rail roads. In 1863 he was called to duty in Co. D 2nd Batt'n Mo. S.M. Cav. and also served in Co. E 8th Reg't Mo. State Militia. He states that he never served in Co. A 9th Kansas Cavalry. On August 9, 1894 he received a pension of $10 and saw that his certificate was for Co. A 9th Kans. Cav. and thought it was just a mistake. It was noticed when he was changed to the Des Moines, Iowa agency a short time ago.

He goes on to say that he has been married twice. First to Mary Dennis in Bass County, Kentucky in March of 1853. He thinks she died in 1872 in Grundy County, Missouri. He next married his present wife, Elizabeth Blue, on January 20, 1880 in Livingston County, Missouri. She had been married once before to John Mason who "disappeared and never could be found and my wife obtained a divorce from him about 1878 or 1879".

Samuel and Elizabeth have three children under the age of 16 years (dates recorded in the family bible): Otto Fisher, born Oct. 9, 1884; Everett Fisher, born Oct. 9, 1886; Edna M. Fisher, born Nov. 20, 1890. Witnesses to the deposition were Elizabeth A. Fisher and Richard Fisher.

I wish my ancestors were as easy to find in the census records as this Samuel was. Of course, it helps to know where he was. . .

In 1850, Samuel Fisher was a 22 year old farmer living in Division 2, Bath County, Kentucky. In his household was Mary Fisher, age 20; Levi Fisher, age 3/12; and John J. Fisher, age 10. All were born in Kentucky.

Samuel Fisher was 32 years old and living in Trenton township, Grundy county, Missouri in 1860. He was a farmer with a personal estate valued at $250. In the household was Mary, age 30; Martha, 8; Lydia, 5; Levi, 10; Moses, 3; and Moses, age 44, a farmer with real estate valued at $4000 and a personal estate of $500. Everyone except Martha was born in Kentucky, she was born in Indiana.

In 1870, Samuel Fisher was found in Liberty Township, Grundy County, Missouri. He was 44 years old, a farmer, real estate valued at $1600 and a personal estate valued at $900. He had been born in Kentucky. There were six children listed in the household, no wife: Martha, age 18, born Indiana; Lyddia, 15, born Kentucky; Moses, 12, born Kentucky; Mary, 9; John, 6; and Jesse J., 3. The last three were born in Missouri.

Samuel Fisher, age 53, was found in Lincoln Township, Grundy County, Missouri in 1880. He was a farmer, born in Kentucky. Listed with him was his 19 year old daughter, Mary M. and two sons, John R., age 15 and Jesse J., age 12. Also a 13 year old female with no relationship given - Annie Mason, age 13. His children and Annie were all born in Missouri.

The 1900 census for Grant Precinct, Hitchcock County, Nebraska shows Samuel Fisher, age 73, born June 1826 in Missouri, married 28 years, his parents were born in Kentucky, and he was a farmer. Listed in the household are: Betsey R., wife, born June 1880, age 59, had 12 children with 7 living; Richard, son, born Nov 1882, age 17; Otto, son born Oct 1885, age 14; Everett, daugt [sic, sex is male], born Oct 1886, age 13; and Edna, daughter, born Nov 1889, age 10. Betsey and the children were all born in Missouri.

Now, back to the pension file: In the letter submitted by the special examiner it states that Samuel "is drawing pension based upon the service of another man, although it is the service stated in his original declaration. How he came to hit upon that service is not clear, but there is nothing at this state of the investigation that indicates design or criminal intent."

It was recommended that his claim should be put on hold until it could be determined if the pensioner "was in the U. S. Service or not." For possible use in identification, a tintype picture of the man, taken about 20 years ago, was obtained, which is to be returned to the claimant. The examiner goes on to say "I do not put much reliance upon some of his statements regarding his services as he seemed to be somewhat muddled on this question." The examiner also recommended that the files of the two Samuel Fisher's should be separated to help eliminate future confusion. (Duh!)

On November 17, 1900 a letter was sent to Samuel Fisher at Trenton, Nebraska informing him that he would be dropped from the pension rolls because he was not the same Samuel Fisher who had served in Company A of the 9th Regiment Kansas Cavalry. He was officially dropped from the rolls on January 7, 1901 though he continued his battle for another four years. On October 11, 1905 his application was rejected "for the reason that the claimant has no title to pension. . . he did not render ninety days military service during the War of the Rebellion."

Weekend Summary

Something is up with this memory card, twisting up images

The summary of the weekend is easy. Warm weather SUCKS for ice season and turf sticks! Laura and I were motivated enough to try to find a little something to climb. We took a drive to see if we could get on some of the better formed lines as of recent, but to little surprise it was a bust. The ice took a severe beating with multiple 55°+ days. Now the ground is thawed and things are back to square one. Here's a photo of what we set off to climb today.

From almost good to almost gone!

Son of Beastwas looking good a few short days ago

We left and headed for Rattlesnake rocks salvage the day and get in some dry tool groveling. The woods felt like spring not winter. The ground is no longer firm and has turned to muck. My hopes for a serious winter season are hanging by a thread. Blah, Blah, Blah, enough about our lack of cold... Our hike up to the rocks was pleasant with temps in the mid 30's. We were excited to get on some climbs, hoping to get on or up something new. We decided to warm up on the climb we had done the last time we were there. Its about M5 or so and was a pure blast to climb, so seemed like a great place to start and clear the cobwebs. The climb went well until I realized that the last time we climbed the line the ground was frozen and the rock has ice plastered in some of the cracks. The climb today was nothing like the friendly M5 we had climbed last week. This time the lovely, frozen turf and roots were merely unusable loose dirt. The roots weren't frozen and a couple crucial small blocks that were mortared into place by ice now wiggled unnervingly in their current location. They were quite questionable indeed, but needed to support full weight as the wall doesn't offer much in the way of feet. These moves came near the top at a distance out from my last gear that would land me quite close to the ground. The blocks held and so did my nerves. The fun, warmup climb turned into a different experience.

Laura seconding our warm up and only climb of the day

Laura seconded the climb agreeing that the climb took on a little difficulty and upped the commitment level considerably. We enjoyed a cup of coffee at the top and made our way to the bottom. I decided to do a little dry tool bouldering across the blood wall. I started out with everything going well. Hooking, camming, steining I was like hercules making my way across, well not really, but I went to make a move left and my crampon got a little stuck. No big deal happens all the time. A little jostle and ping out it came. Thinking nothing of it I moved on making moves left. All of a sudden I realized I had no front point.

My dart became a DA. Time for some new ones.

I might have to try the new Grivel G20.

Watch for an upcoming review!

Shittttt! I busted the front point off of my dart. It must've been jammed a little tighter than I thought. Low on morale and motivation, we decided that the broken crampon was the deciding factor. Time to call it a day.

We set off to climb ice, got shut out. Went to drytool, climbed a cool line again. Broke a crampon and called it a day... Par for the season. Maybe our luck will be better next time! Happy climbing to all

Sunbeam on a Nasturtium

An illuminated nasturtium is a sight to behold.

A drive to Taylor Reservoir, Tin Cup and Cumberland Pass

It's May 20th and we havea day off so we take off to explore. We decide to drive to Taylor Park Reservoir then on to the town of Tin Cup and across the Cottonwood Pass and back home. Taylor Park Dam is located on Taylor River a tributary of the Gunnison River and was built to catch and store snow melt for irrigation of summer crops. It also provided recreational fishing. 300 men constructed it from 1935-1937. At 9300 feet they had to work in temperatures up to 40 below. It holds 106,200 acre feet of water






The backdrop of the reservoir isthesnow capped Continental Divide.










We continue on to Tin Cup and come across a couple of ghost towns.










Tin Cup got its name because one of the original prospectors carried the gold he found there out in a tin cup. It was one of the top 3 unruliest mining towns in Colorado.






There is a small store and restaurant






Once a ghost town, summer residents have restored the buildings to their original state.






Unfortunately nothing was open yet so we moved on to Cottonwood Pass at 12,126 feet above sea level.






We're getting higher up






We come across a couple of deserted mine shafts. Didn't find any gold though.






We put Tucson on the trail, but no luck.






It's getting snowier and I ask Gary if he's sure we are on the road to Cottonwood Pass and not Cumberland Pass. He is sure it's Cottonwood






I'm not so sure . .






Oops, guess it was Cumberland Pass after all. 12,200 feet but it looks like we won't make it that far!






Doesn't seem to bother Tucson at all






Hey! Don't forget me Dad!






Guess we'll be back after the snow melts!




Till Later!




Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n




Melissa, Gary & Tucson

Yellow Rock

The second hike we did on Easter Sunday was the hike to "Yellow Rock". This was kind of a difficult trail to find, since there is no marked trailhead for Yellow Rock. Once you find the trail, however, it is quite easy to follow. Easy to follow, but not easy to hike! The first part of the hike was a very steep hill with tight switchbacks and the trail surface was a mixture of gravel, sand and very loose rock. We had to be extremely careful and proceed up the trail very slowly. One false move here and it's a longtumble to the bottom! We were super glad we stuck it out and climbed the hill, though, as once we got to the top and Yellow Rock first came into view, we knew we were in for something special.





































First off, Yellow Rock is HUGE. Basically, the rock is sort of a solid sandstone "mountain". The dominant color of the rock is indeed yellow, but there were so many other colors as well. We walked around part of the base of the rock and found many fascinating lines and colors all over the place. This ended up being one of our favorite sights of the entire trip. What made it even more fascinating was the fact that there were thunderstorms developing slowly in the distance all afternoon, so we had incredible clouds and light throughout our time at Yellow Rock. We spent close to a couple of hours at the rock, then decided we better head back as the storm clouds were getting closer. The hike down the steep hill was a bit more stressful than the hike up, but we made it just fine.

Keeping Your Bicycle Saddle Dry

After the previous post, I’ve had some inquiries about the polka dot saddle cover pictured on my bike. It is from Basil and yes, it is waterproof. But let me backtrack and use this opportunity to discuss saddle covers more generally.



If your bike is equipped with a leather saddle and you tend to leave it outdoors, a saddle cover is essential. Without it, the leather will sag prematurely after getting wet – especially if you ride the bike without letting it dry first. But even many synthetic saddles, if left in the rain long enough, can get soggy – resulting in a wet butt on the ride home. Saddle covers are generally inexpensive and easy to carry around, taking up little room at the bottom of a pannier and saddlebag. If you are wondering which to get, here are some factors to consider.



Waterproofness

This may seem like an obvious one. However saddle covers are not always waterproof. Some are designed to protect the saddle from fading in the sun, or to provide a bit of extra cushioning, but have no water repellant qualities. Others are water resistant, but are not intended for all-day or overnight use. Read the product description to determine whether the level of waterproofness is what you need, and ask the manufacturer if this information is missing.



Shape and size

Bicycle saddles come in different shapes and sizes, as do saddle covers. A cover designed for a narrow road bike saddle may not fit over a wide city bike saddle, and vise versa. Some covers are designed with more stretch than others and are more versatile, but overall it's a good idea to check dimensions.



Coverage

Some covers are designed to stretch over the top of the saddle only, whereas others are designed to also cover the underside. The latter style is useful when you are riding the bike on wet roads, especially if your bike does not have fenders.



Surface Texture

If a saddle cover has a slick surface texture, it can feel slippery to sit on. If you want a saddle cover that you can keep on when you ride the bike, look for a matte or textured surface.






Sources for Saddle Covers

If you purchase a Brooks leather saddle, a cover is usually included (not sure whether it is the same cover they sell individually - possibly). However, these covers are not fully waterproof and will not fit all saddle shapes.




On my roadbike, I use an excellent cover that Rivendell used to sell, but no longer does. They've now replaced it with this Aardvark cover, which they describe as equally waterproof and designed to fit a similar range of saddle shapes. I have not tried it, but hear that others are satisfied. They also sell the fancierRandi Jo coverthat offers extra coverage and is available in road and city sizes.




On my city bikes I recently started using the Basil Katharina saddle cover (the polka dotted one in the pictures), which the US Basil rep sent me to demo. I know that a number of US bike shops sell these covers in person (try Clevercycles in Portland, Houndstooth Road in Atlanta, Dutch Bike in Seattle and Rolling Orange in NYC) but online they are not always easy to locate. If you do manage to find one (either the Katherina or the Elements series), they are inexpensive, completely waterproof, and available in a variety of patterns. The shape is just right for wide, thick city bike saddles, including those with heavy springs.




I am sure there are other quality sources, and your suggestions are welcome.






Alternatives to Saddle Covers

In a pinch, a decent plastic bag makes for a fine saddle cover. I do this all the time when I forget my real cover at home or am riding a borrowed bike. The trick is towrap and tie the bag securely, so that the wind does not blow it away. Granted, sitting on a bag-wrapped saddle is sub-optimal (slippery), but it is better than nothing.




A more elegant method for those who do not want to buy a cover, is to use a shower cap. Usually they hold in place, but some choose to attach velcro straps for extra security. And of course, if you are the crafty type, you can also make your own cover from scratch using waterproof fabric and elastic.




Well, I think that pretty much covers it. Lots of options for keeping your saddle dry, for happy riding in wet weather.

Quail

I heard this little scaled quail calling and calling the other morning so went out and took his (or her) photo. First it sat in the old, dead cactus then it made its way to the ground and just walked off. These are called scaled quail as the feathers are supposed to look like the scales on a fish. (dumb) We have lots of these quail here. They are one of the few birds I really like but they aren't that smart or so it seems. They frequently run out in front of cars. If one goes the whole flock goes. I keep water for them in metal hubcaps. They like their water on the ground and not very deep. I tried a deeper pan once and the tiny puff-ball babies drowned. I was so sad I had caused their death. They got in and couldn't get out. Now only very shallow pans for the quail.

Nisqually Rock Avalanches - Frequency and Size

For those of you still watching these large rockslides from the Nisqually Cleaver, here's a little more information for you. I called Kate Allstadt of the Earth and Space Sciences Department at the University of Washington and asked her for some seismic data that may show a better picture of the frequency of rock avalanche events.


She was able to graph some data that shows the distribution of the major rock avalanche events over the period from June 24th to July 7th. You can see in the graph that there is a trend decreasing in frequency and size. So it appears that the danger could be abating - but only gradually.


I must say that this correlates with direct observation, as there have not been any major rock flows down the mountain in the last week or more. The lowest extent of the largest debris path is to an elevation of about 8200 feet. Here is a graph Kate produced that shows the data from the seismic sensors installed on Mt. Rainier. The horizontal axis represents the date. The vertical axis represents the number of events per hour. The top row identifies single and large events.

Leavenworth Givler's Dome ..

Adam and I discussed an outing, but I had to be back in town in time for my class. So cragging was an obvious choice. I wanted to do something that involved placing gear and not just clipping bolts, so I convinced Adam to head to Leavenworth. Being that it is November we didn't get an early start, as it is usually a little too cold in the mornings to make climbing not fun. When we arrived in the Icicle, the temp was around 36° and clouds/fog were keeping us from direct sunlight.

November morning in the Icicle

Our plan was to hike up to Givler's Dome to climb Givler's Crack. This extra 45 minutes of hiking would give us more time for the day to warm up. Within ten minutes or so we were above the fog and receiving the warmth of the sun. We got off route a few times on the way up and had to scramble a bit to get back on track, but eventually made it to the base.

Since Adam was not up to leading the route, I would lead both pitches. And for whatever reason, the first pitch scares me. Perhaps because I flailed on it the first time I climbed the route. I've climbed it twice since then with no problems though. I placed a nut high and started up. I found the hands difficult as I had placed the piece where it interfered where I wanted to put them. I down climbed to the ground and restarted. After a few moves, I placed a second piece which then interfered with further hands. But I was able to move past it and continue. I finished the pitch feeling like it was the worst I had ever climbed it.

I brought Adam up and he had to hang on the rope to remove my stuck #4 from down low. He then climbed the second half of the pitch not using much crack technique for his hands. He arrived at the belay stating the first section wasn't as hard as I made it look.

Adam on the first pitch

We exchanged gear, and I was off leading the next pitch. I don't recall how I previously climbed it, but this time I wanted to try and keep my feet in the crack as much as possible. This proved a bit uncomfortable, but I persevered. Instead of going all the way to the top, I set up an intermediate belay once the angle eased, so I could see Adam climb. Unfortunately, the best spot for a comfortable belay did not offer a good view of the pitch, and I only got pics of him on the last portion of the pitch.

Adam on the second pitch

When Adam arrived at the belay, he kept going to the top finishing with the easy section to the boulder. We quickly hiked down to our packs. We took a lunch break and basked in the sun before heading to another destination, Rare Earth.

Adam finishing the route

For the second time this year, the Rare Earth crag has eluded me. Adam and I hiked around trying to find it, but wasted all of our time. Even consulting the newer guide book was unhelpful as it shows the crag to be down and right of Mastodon Roof. Turns out it is really down and left of it. After almost two hours of scrambling, hiking and bushwhacking, we found it but not with enough time to complete it and get back to Seattle. So we made note of where it was at, and hiked out.

It was great to be out on such a beautiful November day. It was a bummer that we only climbed one route. And even though we pitched it out to three pitches, it really is only two. I think we'll have a better idea of how to find Rare Earth the next time as well. I think this trip satisfied my urge to get out and rock climb, and perhaps my next trip this year will be to climb snow or ice.