The Cyclist's Dwelling

When I talk to cyclists who have recently moved or are looking to move house, most admit that bikes influence the location and layout criteria for their new place. Usually this admission is made sheepishly, with some embarrassment that cycling plays such a prominent role in their lives. Me, I don't bother to be embarrassed anymore. Cycling is not the most important thing in my life, but it is up there. It is also more intertwined with the other important things now than it was before. And it is crucial to my sanity. It follows that any place I live must be bicycling friendly.




As far as location, this can mean different things for different types of cyclists. For some it means being in the middle of a city with good bicycle infrastructure. For others it means being close to good roadcycling - hilly country roads, or networks of dirt roads, or mountain bike trails. For others still the ideal cycling location is climate dependent. And for others, it's dependent on proximity to clubs, races, randonneuring groups, "cycle chic" get-togethers, or other types of cycling-specific communities. Of all these things, for me it is easy access to good back roads and dirt roads that is on top of the list. While I love a city with good infrastructure and loved living in Vienna for that reason, I know that I can also function without it with fairly little stress. And while I appreciate a close-knit cycling community, at heart I am a loner and do just as well on my own. But when it comes to access to open roads, it's more than a matter of liking it or appreciating it, it is a matter of needing it. Living on the edge of town in Boston (rather than deeper in the city) is wonderful, because it allows for easy escape from the congested urban tangle. And living in rural Northern Ireland is a dream, because a network of country roads starts straight out the front door. I would not do well living in an area without easy access to good roadcycling.




As far as the layout of a house or apartment, I am pretty easy: I like a ground floor entrance for dragging my bike out the door. While I joke about having a farm with a bike shed, in reality I am quite content to cram my bikes into a small apartment space. But I do want to be able to roll my bikes out the door with the minimum amount of stairs and narrow hallways. As it is, I am covered in bruises from the narrow hallways in my current place - never failing to hit myself on the shin with a pedal or on the thigh with a brake lever whilst getting my bike out the door.




For someone who loves bicycles, I am unusually indifferent to "bicycle art" - cycling themed photos, paintings, sculptures, housewares and such. But I do tend to have bike parts and tools lying around in a way that they become integrated into the very fabric of the house. After two weeks in my current place, my roadbike looks wonderfully at home leaning against the book case. And the random bike parts scattered throughout look natural mixed with the household objects and appliances. It's funny, because I only have one bike in the house right now (okay, and one more out on the porch), but somehow the place still has that "bikes live here and they are important" feel to it.




Grabbing Desdemona, I roll her out the door, and - cursing affectionately as I bang my ankle lightly on the derailleur - I pedal away and head for the hills, thankful for the quiet, cloudy Sunday morning, for the emerald green sea, and for the warm tiny place that awaits me and my bike upon our return.

The C-T Dream Boot ? One of a few BTW.

In a recent Dynafit TLT 6boot conversation onthe TGR tech forum (skiing specific)

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/266818-Dyna-TLT6



I was asked,



"What would you have done (differently), aside from creating a One/Mercury/Vulcan? (honestly curious)"



My answer if you areinterested is below. Add a commentif this is a bootyou would like to see built. 'Cuz it would be so easy to do!





"Gottarealise where I am coming from. It aint skiing.



My priority was/is a technical winter/ice/mixed climbing boot I could ski in. The TLT5 was the best thing we (climbers) have seen in decades and the best ski boot that climbs well on technical ground any of us have ever seen.



No question the TLT6 skis better...it was a gimme. No real effort there to enhance the technology IMO, Dynafit is resting on their laurels.



TLT 6 and the CR liner in the American market is the perfect example.They want to get reimbursed on some of that technology now. Fair enough. No more hassles or listening to the US skiers bitch about cold feet and a bad fit (in too small of shells) all the while skiing a rando race boot with fat heavy skis while riding a lift. It hardly makes sense to me and I do it. Makes no sense to the Euros if you have played some in both places.



Kinda hard to blame them very much. But it aint what I WANTED so I'll bitch'n now Even though I've bought three new pair of Dynafits before the season has even gotten started yet!



I have no interest in the Vulcan/Mercury. Although I ski in a ONE a good bit on lifts. Face it, ski boots are "easy". Lots of them. And lots of really good ones! Dynafit has just kept spinning the now OLD technology of the DyNA rando race boot into better and better down hill ski boots or offering a better price point. How hard is that!??. They all skin and walk well by comparison. But the bigger and heavier they get, they worse they climb in comparison to a real climbing boot. Even the original DyNA is better as a climbing/ski boot. Really a toss up between the MTN and the P version for a few reasons as to what boot was better in my world. So far for climbing the TLT5 has been the best overall of the entire group including DyNA/PDG/5 or 6 if I had to choose.



Dynafit has all the parts and the technology to build an incredible and very specific boot. The climbing community is small by comparison to the ski community world wide so I understand why they bailed on the project going forward as a "climbing" boot. Even the Rando community in Europe makes the alpine climbing community here look tiny. Here in NA we hardly have a Rando community yet. It is growing butthere really isn't one by comparison.....there wouldn't be any rando gear we didn''t get in NA if there really was a rando community here. Now we only get a small percentage of what is available for gear in Europe. And all of it way too expensive simply because the market base is so small to absorb the investment in technology.



Good on Dynafit for pumping the price of a ski boot up to an "acceptable $1000". I laughed at that price first time I saw them at OR. Thought no way that boot will ever be a commercial success. Scambled and HADto have ahave a pair within a year !



Dynafit built an over whelming commercial hit with the TLT5 based on the DyNA. But it took the new 6 to make it a real commercial success I'd bet. Then Dynafit got by passed by /lambasted with the Alien 1 in the race world. And climbers took note...but a $1800 ski boot? A $1800 climbing boot? You got to be chiting me! That ain't ever going tobe a real commercial success. The Stratos Cube? May be even better as a boot but how durable is it and @ a shocking $2500! Of course I want a pair at -600g per boot in my 29. I am not sure Dynafit ever understood the DyNA/TLT5 series product outside the Rando race world to be honest. Certainly doesn't seem so. But they are running with the design...all the way to the bank. Instead of pushing the technology into something newer yet...which was never a down hill ski boot really. But it is now. An expensive and fragile one at that by comparison.



Ski a Maestrale/ RS/Freedom or a One/Vulcan/Mercury side by side and you'll better understand that comment of "easy" to make a decent ski boot.



The "easy" climbing boot I would have already built given the chance is just a composite of what has been done and parts/materials easily available at Dynafit today. I suspect it is the boot many already want...I know I do and would have given my eye teeth for one in the past working on skis or in the mtns.



this is what I want:



TLT 5 with the toe bellows bottom made of Pebax for more durability, upper cuff made of Fiber glass and another inch higher in the front of the cuff. (see the Alien 1 cuff) I want more support there but no power strap. Stripped of all the faff. No power strap and no tongues. (of course everyone would bitch about that, massive roll of eyes here) A decent seal on the boot so you stay dry. A metal on metal ankle hinge rivet. Better set of buckles than the 6 has and less complicated. Something between a ONE (but only two buckles) and the DyNA. I'd move that second buckle location to better seat the heel...ala One...may be in between the two positions each boot uses. All of that could be done better but I pay cash of my boots so I'm not going to drill extra holes in them just to find out.



That is a boot you could climb Grade 6 ice and M5/6 mixed easy enough. Ski any where I am capable of skiing with a decent width ski and be as light or lighter than what most of us use forwinter climbing now. Lighter for sure than most any other ski boot, short of full on rando race gear. Best part? A reinforced Intuition style liner for skiing (to partially shut the US market up) and a Palau lwt liner for climbing. Which is better for both IMO. Buy one or both. Both heat modable of course. Not required but I might work the rocker and toe some to better fit technical crampons. La Sportiva went too far there. No crampon fits their boots. So ya gotta be careful.Although the Grivel G20/22 work pretty dang good on the TLT5s as is. Every other crampon is rather ho-hum for fit.



I'd pay for that boot..in a heart beat.



For those that know the area..this is the boot youdo the high traverse off first bin on the Grand Montet and ski over to the base of les Droites. Run up the Ginat with G20s snapped on the same boot. With Dynafit Nanga Parbat ski and tech race bindings strapped on your back. Hit the breche, and a few raps later skis on and down before the last train heads back into town.









Likely a decentboot for control work @ Odark30 for the morning bomb run? Lifty boot for warm feetand to catch that quick run on the secret stash of pow? Nice one for guiding long days in the back country. Or a quick run up and down Rainier or Mt Blanc. Call it simply a MOUNTAIN boot.

Summer on Northern Light Lake

I spent a good portion of today kayaking on the Brule River and Northern Light Lake. My hope was to see Moose, but that did not happen. I did, however, see two Bald Eagles, a Kingfisher and several ducks. It was a beautiful day to be on the water!

The Veterans in my Family

Vietnam Era/pre-Korea

• Charles Douglas Wiseman (brother). US Navy 1964-1968. Doug served as a Hospital Corpsman and was stationed with the Marines at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.


• Jack Lynn Wiseman (brother). A Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy 1969-1973, Jack was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station and with the Marines in San Diego, California.


• Gary Wiseman (cousin). US Navy 1969-1973. Enlisted at the same time as my brother, Jack, on the "buddy" program, which meant they got to go through boot camp together. Gary saw shipboard duty.


• Rebeckah R. Wiseman (that would be me). US Navy 1969-1979. Photographer's Mate stationed in Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Iceland, California and Japan. I hesitated to include my name in the list, but what the heck, I am a vet! Read the letters from Boot Camp that I sent to my mother.


• William Roland Conrad (cousin). US Navy Radioman. Served four years in the late 50's and early 60's. He was stationed in Alaska in January 1959 when it became our 49th state.


• Kenneth Eugene Fawley (distant cousin and husband of first cousin). Enlisted in the Army in June of 1957, right after high school. After Basic Training at Ft. Polk, Louisiana Kenny attended camera repair school at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. In December 1957, he was assigned to the 97th Signal Battalion, Photo Platoon, in Boblingen , Germany where they had two camera repairmen, 7 or 8 photographers, and some lab fellows. Kenny spent 30 months in Germany and attained the rank of Spec 5. He was discharged in June of 1960. The 97th Signal Battalion has a reunion group, which meets once a year at different locations. [Added December 4, ..]

Korea

• William Henry Phend (uncle). Bill joined the Army in March 1951. After basic training he was sent to Camp Stewart, Georgia. There he received training as a Combat MP (Military Police). Three times his name was put on the list of those who were to go to Korea, but for some unknown reason he was never sent. He was honorably discharged in March 1953.

World War II



Emery, Perry, and Jack Wiseman - WWII

• Jack William Wiseman (father). Enlisted February 19, 1943. 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division. He saw combat duty in the Pacific and would have been part of the invasion forces in Japan but instead, thankfully, was a member of the occupation forces. Born in Tippecanoe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana on January 29, 1924 to Elsie Shuder and Charles Wilson Wiseman he died December 18, 1995 at Warsaw, Indiana. I have my father's discharge papers and have found some information on the 511th on the internet but sadly do not have any information on the World War II service of my uncles.


• Perry Martin Comfort Wiseman (uncle). Enlisted April 14, 1942. Perry was born August 3, 1906 and died July 9, 1968. On February 6, 1954 he was married to Retha Juanita Rindfusz Wallace. They did not have any children.


• Emery Emerson Wiseman (uncle). Enlisted in the Navy. Emery was born August 1, 1922 and died November 23, 1971. He lived in Kosciusko County, Indiana all his life. On February 24, 1946 he married Jean Ruth Bailey. They had three children.


• Robert Glen Reiff (uncle). Enlisted in the Army on February 27, 1943. Bob was born March 10, 1924 and died February 17, ... He was married on June 17, 1945 to Patricia Eileen Phend. They had four children.


• Carl Emmert Conrad (uncle). Carl was born December 4, 1917 at Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana and died October 15, 1970. He was married to Fern Louise Wiseman on September 22, 1939. They had one daughter.


• Glenn Roland Conrad (uncle, and brother to Carl Emmert Conrad) was born March 2, 1913 at Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana and died October 30, 1949 in Elkhart County. Glenn went into the Army on November 29, 1944. After basic training at Ft McClellan, Alabama, he was went to Fort Ord, California. On May 17, 1945 he went to Manilla leaving there on July 9, 1945 for Luzon where he started driving a 1 1/2 ton Dodge and also a Jeep. In October 1945 he was involved in the occupation of Japan, in the town of Tachigi where they destroyed war equipment. He was discharged April 4, 1946 and landed in Seattle, Washington. He was T/5 in the 158th Infantry, 1st Batallion. Glenn married Jessie Dell Wiseman (sister of Fern who married his brother Carl) on April 1, 1938 in Kosciusko County. They had two children: son, William is mentioned above and Caroline - the cousin who has done a lot of the research on the Wiseman lineage. (Added November 24, ..).
  
  

World War I

• Rolland Victor "Vic" Phend (grandfather). Enlisted Sept. 19, 1917 and discharged June 19, 1919. Served in France.


• Charles Romain Brubaker (great grandfather). Enlisted but dates of service not known. He was 48 years old in 1919 and was not required to register for the draft. I have not yet found record of his service but his gravemarker and his obituary both state that he was a veteran of WWI.

Spanish American War

• Charles Romain Brubaker (great grandfather). Enlisted in Company K, 160th Indiana Volunteer Infantry in June 1898 in Huntington County. He served in Cuba as a Mess Sergeant.

Civil War

• William Brubaker (2nd great grandfather). Enlisted April 21, 1861, in Company E, 17th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving three years and two months in Wilder's Brigade, Army of the Cumberland. In a skirmish he was wounded in the thigh, being disabled for several months and sent to the hospital. After discharge he veteranized in Company I, 152nd Regiment, was made sergeant of his company and served until the close of the war. Pension Claim 69407. On April 28, .. William was inducted as a part of the Charter Member Class into the Society of Civil War Families of Indiana, a program sponsored by the Indiana Genealogical Society.


• Jacob Wise (3rd great grandfather). Was drafted and mustered in on October 5th 1864, at Kendallville, Indiana. He served as a Private in Company "C" of the 30th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. His widow's pension application states "and having served Honestly and Faithfully with his Company to the present date, is now entitled to a Discharge by reason of Death in Hospital at Nashville, Tenn. on May 17, 1865 of chronic diarrhea." Widow's Pension Application 101.119. On April 28, .. Jacob was inducted as a part of the Charter Member Class into the Society of Civil War Families of Indiana, a program sponsored by the Indiana Genealogical Society.


• Eli Yarian (2nd great grandfather). Enlisted January 28, 1862 and served as a private in Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery. Mustered out July 15, 1865. His brother, Benjamin Yarian also served in Battery D and was mustered out at the same time as Eli. Another brother, David Yarian enlisted with Battery A, 1st Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery on August 11, 1862 and was discharged with the regiment in 1865. Yet another brother, Jonathan Yarian. Served with Company A of the 35th Indiana Regiment of Infantry. Jonathan enlisted in September 1864 while living in Noble County, Indiana. On December 16, 1864, during the second days battle at Nashville, he was severely wounded and taken to Cumberland Hospital, where his left leg was amputated. He was honorably discharged on May 26, 1865.


• Jacob Berlin (2nd great granduncle). Enlisted in Company C, Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry on September 5, 1861. He was killed on April 7th, 1862, during the second day's fighting of the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee). The Nappanee G.A.R. Post was named in his honor.


• Henry Robison, Jr. (3rd great granduncle). Enlisted in Company I of the 30th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Wounded on April 7, 1862 at Pittsburgh Landing. Served through the end of the war.


• William Klingaman (husband of 2nd great grandaunt). Served in Company F of the 142nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Moved to Jefferson County, Iowa in 1867.

War of 1812

• Conrad Yarian (4th great grandfather). Served as a Lieutenant in Martin Sittler's Company, from Columbiana County, Ohio along with his brother Mathias.


• Bela Goodrich (5th great grandfather). Served from August 24, 1812 until October 4, 1812 and from May 4, 1813 until May 27, 1813 in Israel P. Case's Company from Franklin County, Ohio. In 1855, applied for Bounty Land. File 143.039.

Revolutionary War

• William Alexander (4th great grandfather). Lived in the area of Cecil County, Maryland and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Enlisted July 24, 1776. By March of 1777, he was a 1st Lieutenant of the 7th Battalion of the Maryland Regulars Regiment. He served in the 5th Company. He was killed on Aug 27, 1777 on the 2nd day of battle at "Landing Head of Elk" Maryland.


• James Ball (4th great grandfather). At age 27, enlisted on August 20, 1776 at Hampshire, Virginia in Captain William Voss' company, 12th Virginia Regiment. Served for three years. He was in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown and Stoney Point. Received two wounds at the battle of Brandywine. Pension claim W8336.


• Henry Bray (5th great grandfather). Signed "Patriot's Oaths of Fidelity and Support" on March 16, 1778 in Washington County, Maryland. Accepted as DAR patriot. File number 3185877.


• John Bray (4th great grandfather, son of Henry Bray). At age 16, enlisted in September 1777 at Romney, Hampshire County, Virginia. Served as a Private in Captain William Voss' Company, 12th Virginia Regiment. Was wounded during the battle of Brandywine (Delaware) and fought at Monmouth and Stoney Point. Discharged in 1780 in Yorktown, Pennsylvania. Pension claim W4145.


• Andrew Brinker (5th great grandfather). He served as a Private in Lieutenant Colonel Cochin's 4th Company, 4th Battalion, of the Northampton County, Pennyslvania Militia. He moved to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania between 1785-1790 then to Columbiana County, Ohio about 1806 where he died in 1828. [Added November 10, ..]


• Johann Heinrich "Henry" Coy/Kau/Cow/Cowe (5th great grandfather). Served from Washington County, Maryland and Franklin County, Pennsylvania along with his brothers Jacob and Frederick.


• John Goodrich (6th great grandfather). Marched for the relief of Boston in the Lexington Alarm April 1775. Served as a Private in Capt. Hezekiah Wells' Company, Colonel Erastus Wollcotts' Regiment January-March 1776. DAR No. 592151 through Juanita (Mrs. Eugene) Beard.


• Joseph Joslin (6th great grandfather). On page 125 of the "The Jocelyn-Joslin-Joslyn-Josselyn Family" (1961), Edith Wessler says that Joseph was a Lieutenant in the Revolution. On page 106 in "Blackman and Allied Families" author Alfred L. Holman says that Joseph was a Sergeant in the Revolution. Joseph's tombstone says "In memory of Lieut. Joseph Joslin..." I've not done any further research to prove or disprove these claims so if he served during the revolution, I don't know where or when or in what capacity.


• Thomas Sprague (4th great grandfather). He resided at Union, Tolland County, Connecticut and Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio. Served as a private in Capt. Christopher Banister's Company, Col. Ezra May's Regiment; enlisted September 20, 1777; discharged October 5, 1777, service 21 days on expedition to Stillwater and Saratoga.


• Jacob Van Keuren (6th great grandfather). Served in the Fourth Regiment from Ulster County, New York.

I'm pretty sure I've listed all of my ancestors and their siblings that have served in the military from the present day through the Revolutionary War.



Other relatives who have served:

• Veterans in my Family :: the War of 1812 and the Civil War


• Veterans in my Family :: Spanish American War and World War I


• Veterans in my Family :: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam

The Age of Ascent

Ian Elliottis a modern sport climber.

Heclips bolts, he grabs draws, he uses tricks, sticks andkneepads.





But he's no slouch.

Tenacity like a cockroach. He comes back from injuries again and again. The kind of stuff that would stop someone half his sons age.











He's known almost exclusively as Old Ian. Not sure how he got that name.



Style:Gandolf meets Harry Butler. Rocking these Arthritis support kneepads in blue, poly pro underwear in black, and red polar tech beanie by Hot Tuna.

He gets the covetedjjobrienclimbing tick.











Ian channels Bhagwan Shree Rajnessh as he works the moves on "Weapon of Choice" 27, Coolum Cave.Spooky, huh?



I somehow feel proud that the cave has such a climber as Ian, as though I gain some prestige just by association.Climbers, I have to confess to being ageist. I know, coming from me! Old people, they gamble, they take drugs, they drive like maniacs.But then there are exceptions that give us an alternative model.







I could watch it again and again:The scene where this kindly old gentleman shows a Forester load ofbumpy boyshow to do the route they've been dogging all day. And then offers to retrieve their draws.Priceless.









Grow old, stay strong.jj

Tuffee

Me and the Rock

I tried to get Tuffee to stay with me while Lee took our picture but she didn't seem to want to.

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A close-up of my Abyssinian banana plant. These really are cool plants, and they grow quickly.

Anyone out there growing banana plants?

Failure to Yield and Crosswalk Design

In Somerville, MA we have this community path for bicyclists and pedestrians that stretches all the way to the neighbouring town of Arlington, grazing Cambridge along the way. The path is great, except that it is frequently interrupted by busy roads and the crossings can be challenging. We had this one particular interruption, where cyclists had to make a complicated series of turns and negotiate a major intersection in order to get from one stretch of the path to another.Then sometime last year, construction began at that intersection. Rumor had it they were making a crosswalk that would cut through the series of islands - a straight line connecting the disjointed stretches of community path. That is exactly what they did, and the new intersection was unveiled a couple of months ago.






It's hard to capture the whole thing in photographs; it is vast and consists of 4 separate crosswalk segments. But the pictures above each show a chunk that should give you an idea of how it's designed. In 3 of the 4 segments there are traffic lights with clear red and green signals. And there is another small segment not visible here where there is just a crosswalk without a traffic light. In theory the design is great, because it creates a direct line of travel connecting the community path, without forcing cyclists to make an elaborate detour. In practice however, there is one big problem: Drivers don't yield. Some drivers make right turns on a red light at full speed without even checking whether anyone is in the crosswalk, others make U-turns on a red light, and others still simply run the red light altogether. In some instances the drivers obviously see me, but proceed anyway, forcing me to stop abruptly in the middle of the intersection or to speed up if I am already in their line of travel.






Roughly half the time I go through this intersection, something like this happens - to the point where I absolutely do not trust it anymore. It's a shame that all this work was done, and drivers' failure to yield ruins it. It is also frightening that the crosswalks look so nice and friendly, while in reality it is quite dangerous. I cannot really think of a solution, but it's clear that something needs to change in the local drivers' mentalities in order for attempts to create decent, convenient infrastructure to be truly successful. The infrastructure itself is not always enough.