Sunrise through the forest
Laura ready to hike in, 22° and crust packed snow
Snowshoeing in. Still 3'+ of snow under the packed surface
Walking down into the left wall. Best overall shot we got this am.
Still lots of snow under there as I quickly learned
Please stay in, just a few more days.
Enjoying some "bouldering", couldn't resist!That's the report on what it looked like today. The past several weeks we've hardly seen any other climbers out despite the great late season conditions. We (L and I) know the end is near, but we'renot ready to give up just yet!
Toour fellowice climbers: we hopeyou got out and enjoyed the great seasonwe've had here this year in SWPA.Laura and Ihad a great timeclimbingwith friends old and new.Thanks everyone for the great sesason and memories! To our ice friends... see you nextwinter! To our rock friends...see you in a few days after we put the ice season to bed!
On the second morning of our trip I awoke to the sound of vigorous drums, which I soon realised was pelting rain. Outside, the line between sky and ocean was blurred and the patch of rocky beach we occupied was flooded. Inside, everything was damp from humidity - our clothing, the bedding, our faces. We had known that the forecast promised intermittent rain, so this was not a surprise and we didn't despair. We were not planning to cycle every day; we had loads of other things to do. We would see. 
It is perfectly normal to stare at your bikes while out having coffee or dinner. Right?...
Including bicycles in shop window displays seems to be the new thing, and some fashion designers are even making their own. Cynthia Rowley beach cruisers are now available for sale in her shops, including the one on Newbury Street in Boston.
Cynthia Rowley clothing has a flirty, girly, 1950's-era feel to it, so the beach cruiser seems an appropriate complement. I wonder how many people out there are buying designer bicycles. The Rowley cruiser is certainly a more affordable alternative to the Fendi Abici!
You can't quite see this here, but the model's underpants are semi-transparent. And the poster is sized and positioned in such a way, so that the viewer's gaze is directed at the space above the bicycle saddle. Right.
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Snow is accumulating at Paradise. I measured 46" total, with 15" of fresh snow this morning. It looks and feels like winter and if the park were open, skiers, boarders and snowshoers would be enjoying the early snowfall. But the floods really did a number on the roads and as the days pass, it becomes more clear how complicated the damage is, especially with the prompt arrival of winter.
Here is the primary deposition zone for all of the timber that was unearthed in the same landslide. 
The river also moved and in doing so, took a couple of the campsites with it. Here is the new loop C of Ohana. 
I first mentioned Sketchy Cycles last summer, when I went on a ride with Jim and he rode his new custom bike. Since then I have been curious to try one, and now I finally have.
This pink Sketchy belongs to Susan, who works at Harris Cyclery and also writes the blog Twelfth Bike. She has had it for exactly a year now, and has used it for everything from commuting to the D2R2. Susan is an experienced cyclist, who has ridden many other nice bicycles over the years, and she likes her Sketchy the best and has a review of this bicycle here. Susan's bike has a pink, white and black colour scheme going, which I find very pleasant.
Sketchyframes are steel and handmade by Mike Salvatore, who is a welder at Seven Cycles. There is no website yet, but you can get in touch here. What intrigued me about Sketchy, was that some pretty knowledgeable local bike people started getting them: mechanics, bike shop employees, even other frame builders (Brad of Geekhouse Bikeshas just had one made). What is it about Sketchy that has made it the "it" bike for those in the know?
Well, here was my chance to find out. I was able to try Susan's bike, because not only are we the same height, but she uses Campagnolo ergos (my hands don't work with Shimano STIs, which really limits the roadbikes I can competently test ride). 
Threadless stem and modern compact drop bars, the feel of which I quite like. I've been trying to get a feel for whether I prefer handlebars like these to the likes of Nitto Noodles and Grand Bois Maes, but really can't decide. Possibly it depends on the bike.
Is it normal that I find brazed-on brake cable hangers "pretty?"
Paul's cantilever brakes.
A J-Tek adaptor to make the non-Campy drivetrain compatible with the Campagnolo levers.
Carminacrankset and a very cool chainguard.
Velocity wheels with wide tires (usually 35mm) that change based on season and the type of riding Susan is doing.
At the moment they are Schwalble Marathon Supremes.
Dynamo lighting.
Lezynepump mounted next to the waterbottle cage, which I thought was a neat idea.
Berthoud saddle (which Susan is not quite sure she likes yet). 
SKS fenders and Tubus rear rack (which may get replaced with a custom-made rack at a later stage).
And this very cool Nokon beaded cable housing.
In order for me to ride the bike, we had to lower the saddle a bit, and Susan switched her clipless pedals to MKS Touring pedals. Everything else remained the same. I rode the bike with the handlebars just about level with the saddle (though maybe a tad higher) and no foot retention.
My ride was short and did not do justice to what this bicycle is meant for - which is long, spirited rides while transitioning between road and trails with ease. That's the problem with riding somebody else's vey nice custom bike - I just wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on a 40 mile ride on and off road. Still, trying the Sketchy for a few miles along the back roads allowed me to get acquainted with the bicycle's feel and handling - both of which I quite liked. Because the bicycle fit me well and I could comfortably use the levers, I was comfortable on it immediately. I rode from West Newton to Belmont and back, trying to choose hilly streets. In some ways, the handling felt similar to the Seven I rode earlier this summer: the easy acceleration and maneuverability, albeit with wider tires and a more "grounded" feel to it. I can see how it would do especially well on trails for that reason.
The ride was comfortable over bumps and potholes, though in a completely different way that the titaniumSeven had been. On the Sketchy I could feel the road more, but that feeling was springy and cushioned and therefore not painful. On the Seven it was as if I could not feel the road in the first place. I don't know whether that description makes sense, but it is the best comparison I can think of. I felt very natural riding the Sketchy and can readily imagine it as my own bike, with the one exception being that I'd prefer a slightly longer top tube and lower handlebars - this felt a little bit too upright. But otherwise I would not change much about the frame or Susan's build.
I feel privileged to have tried a Sketchy bicycle and give my sincere thanks to Susan for trusting me to ride hers. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to one of Boston's latest custom builders.