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.