Typically Swiss: Toblerone Sandwich and Raclette

The nearest café restaurant from the office in Geneve is selling some Toblerone. Nope they are not the usual chocolates that we see sold in the airports and grocery stores. They are ‘Toblerone Sandwiches’!

This was my first time to see something like this so naturally I snapped a foto =).

The Toblerone chocolate is melted inside the bread. Didn’t buy this for lunch though. I chose a green salad.

Each day the café restaurant has a theme for the chef’s main course and during the week there was a day that they went local with the Swiss specialty, ‘Raclette’. I was quite tempted to take it but my Swiss colleague told me not to. He said its best to take them somewhere else. He mentioned the name of a restaurant that I could not remember.

It is usually 4 Swiss cheeses and they are melted. You can eat this (dip) with bread, thin slices of meat and vegetables (potatoes, pickled gherkins and silverskin onions). When eating raclette do not drink water because water can cause the cheese to become thick/solid in your stomach. Drink wine!

I was not so sure if I was happy not taking the cheese. The only reason why I didn’t take the raclette for lunch was because I had to pay it upfront at the cashier. Well I am lazy and stubborn, I don’t want to pay upfront so I went to the salad bar instead.

On some days I didn’t have lunch. It is too much for me sitting down in trainings and meetings the whole afternoon. It makes me feel so full and heavy, and sleepy as well.

MSC Truck: a Very Rideable Cargo Bike

Finally, a cargo bike I can comfortably ride. A proper, enormous, heavy cargo bike. In the past I've described finding this genre of bicycles challenging to handle, and some of you have suggested that I might find a longtail easier than a front-load system. You were right! But this is not your typical longtail.



The idea of the MSC Truck is similar to that of a box bike or "long john," except that the loading platform is in the rear. Designed by my friend Wolfgang Hoefler for his delivery companyHeavy Pedals (in Vienna, Austria), the bike is manufactured by the Viennese Maderna Cycle Systems.

The mixte-esque frames are made of oversized steel tubing and is manufactured in Europe (Austria and Poland, as far as I understand).

The bike pictured with the aluminum box is Wolfgang's personal version with various customisations, and above is what the production version looks like with the platform empty. The wheelbase is 200cm and the total length is 265cm. The weight as pictured is 28kg (62lb). The wheels are 26". The rear rack is integrated with the frame, and the rack's tubing will fit many pannier systems including Ortlieb. The bike comes standard with a suspension fork, disk brakes, heavy duty kickstand, plastic fenders, padded vinyl saddle, and straight handlebars. There are several different gearing options, including derailleur and internally geared hub. Dynamo lighting is available as an option as well.

The loading platform is 60cm x 60cm.



The platform can house a variety of containers. Heavy Pedals prefer to use the customisable Alu-boxes. But it can also be fitted with a more traditional cargo box, or child seats. Personally I would love an option where slatted sides could be added to the platform so that it becomes a container in of itself.



There are provisions for bungee cord attachments.



The front of the bike has a dock to which you could also attach a front rack. Overall the Truck is rated to transport 150kg (331lb) of weight, not counting the cyclist.



The height of the rack coincides with the height of a typical crate, making it possible to turn the rear into a larger platform still for oversized objects.



When parked, the bike is very sturdy on its double-legged kickstand; there is no wobble.

Very sturdy indeed! As I discovered when handling the Truck, there is no need to lift it either to engage or pull up the kickstand - it works via tapping it with your foot and then rolling the bike either forward or back. Even a person of very slight stature can handle it.

I was reluctant to try riding the Truck, because I did not want to overturn Wolfgang's cargo and chip his paint by crashing it. But he knows my riding style (having taught me to ride a brakeless track bike safely last summer), and assured me I'd be able to ride it. It would feel just like a regular bike, he promised. And there is no dramatic story coming, because it did.Balancing it felt the same as with a regular bike - no twitchiness when starting and braking as I had experienced with front-load bikes. It wasn't especially difficult to maneuver around the very cramped space you see me riding in. I could sense that I had a long tail, but it was intuitive what to do about it. I can't really explain it any better, other than to describe the handling as unremarkable - which, when it comes to cargo bikes, is a compliment. Though I did not ride it through the city, I would feel comfortable trying. According to Wolfgang, the handling is not any different when the platform is empty vs heavily loaded; the only difference is that it's more difficult to go uphill with the extra weight. Typical speed of a moderately loaded Truck is 20 km/h (12.5mph), though it is capable of going over 30 km/h (18.6mph) if the rider prefers to travel faster. The speed depends on the gearing you chose as well.

In addition to the fine handling, the Truck was easy to mount and dismount in a skirt thanks to the unisex frame. The adjustable saddle height (via quick-release) was convenient as well. The bike remained stable when I was walking it. A good design all around, it seems to me. It is not as "cute" as a traditional cargo bike and I am not a fan of the colour, but I have no complaints regarding its functionality. In fact, I am wondering what the benefit of a front-loading cargo bike is, if the same weight can be transported via a longtail system without impacting handling - particularly since stuff can be piled higher in the rear, where it will not block the cyclist's field of vision. This is not so much a criticism of front-load bikes, as a genuine question: What accounts for the fact that traditional makers have favoured the front-load system?

Heavy Pedals is a delivery service and cargo bike shop in one, and they stock all sorts of delivery cycles from different manufacturers - including long johns, bakfietsen and cargo trikes. But the MSC Truck is the one I'd be most comfortable riding on the streets at this stage, given my brief experience with the other styles. Local pricing for the Truck starts at €1999- and there is not currently a North American distributor.

Tubing with Krystal and Austin

Next up was Austin and I. I hated tubing. I'm never going again!

NOT!

Sweet FA (First Ascent)

You've worn his kneepads.

You've read his forum.

You've done his training.

Now let's see him climb.



You know the rules: If you bolt a new route, it's your project. No questions.However, if you leave the State it all gets a bit ambiguous.

William Monks bolted an extension to Friends in High Places, leading intobrave new territory between Gasoline Rainbow and Cleared for Take Off.



Willmade a public announcement opening the project on29th July .

By 10:00am on the 30th Lee had sent it.

The lower section is in common withsedate and slopy Friends in High Places 21





But the top goes nuts !

Along the way there's some spectacular scenery, big strong moves, razor sharp edges and the odd kneebar.













Did I mention the kneebars?





That is one spooky top out.

Climbers, you know the feeling: You are a long way off the deck, your rope is coming from below the overhang, everything slopes the wrong way, and you are pumped spastic.







Lee displays his trophy. The faded red tape that once marked the route's ownership to Mr Monks.

Thanks Will, for a terrifying new addition to an already intimidating wish list at Coolum Cave.

Tentatively graded 26.



Photo: Sam Cujes

Senior climbing photographer and style director from jjobrienclimbing was there to get the story.



jj

More Busch Gardens

Yesterday, the guys went to Busch Gardens together. They managed to lose my cell phone while there, but beyond that I think they had fun.



Today we went back with all three of us. I only snapped a few shots while there. These are of the Ramp Jam show. It was incredible.



Pretty cool, huh? We had another great day here today. We are enjoying having so much to do while in this area. We're going to miss it when we move on.

Tuesday

Another early morning frog encounter!



This little Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor or possibly Hyla chrysoscelis), hiding in a crevice on the porch, was cold and not about to move.



After reading Swamp Things lately, I thought that's what he was, but wasn't sure.

So I pried him up to look underneath, to make sure he wasn't a Bird-voiced Treefrog (he was orange, so he wasn't). He didn't seem to mind much.



What a wonderful bird the frog are!
When he stand he sit almost;
When he hop he fly almost.
He ain't got no sense hardly;
He ain't got no tail hardly either.
When he sit, he sit on what he ain't got almost.

-Anonymous


Of local note:
We'll be at Springfest at Homestead Hollow in Springville Friday - Sunday, so come buy some handmade soap.

Also, the Golden Temple Natural Grocery in Birmingham (Five Points South location) is now carrying our soaps. I love it - they're such a Birmingham tradition.

Labor Day Weekend and Beyond...

I swear summer just arrived in the park about a month or so ago and now it already feels like fall. Sure, it isn't fall YET, as the equinox isn't until Sept. 22, but those folks who have spent a day or two up on the mountain recently may argue that fall is in full effect. A quick check of telemetry up at Camp Muir over the past few days shows below average temperatures this week. In fact, the thermometer didn't go above 50 degrees and in addition to the cold, the wind speeds have steadily averaged 30-40 mph, with spikes reaching 63, 66 and 71. Brrr...

Average high and low temperatures for the month of August at Paradise are generally 63 and and 43 degrees respectively. These days, however, visitors on Rainier are donning fleece jackets, wool hats and even a scarf or two - one doesn’t need a thermometer to guess that the temperatures have been closer to our average lows than highs. With Labor Day Weekend ahead, let’s hope this trend doesn’t extend much longer. A look at the extended forecast provides some hope, but we'll see... Perhaps next week will be different?

Speaking of next week...The public shelter up at Camp Muir will be closed from Tuesday, September 2 thru September 9th. The closure is to complete historic renovations and repairs to the buildings. Therefore, all climbers should be prepared to camp - all parties will need to bring their own shelter. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Some pros and cons to this colder and also wetter weather:

Pros: There is new snow on the mountain, so things are looking beautiful with the fresh coat of snow. The DC is still in great shape (check out the new conditions report), unlike last year (check out our archived 2007 DC fall route reports). Remember that climbers had to veer way out onto the Emmons Shoulder and descend below the Cleaver to climb back to Ingraham Flats.

Cons: Alpine Ascent International (AAI) guides reported that it snowed over a foot on the mountain last Tuesday and Wednesday. The drifts were as high as 3 feet too! Fresh snow on the route meant that climbers will once again have to be cautious of avalanches. AAI kicked off a small slab on their descent through Cathedral Gap BUT it wasn't large enough to wipe out a person... Still, we have concern and want you to know.

So everyone, be prepared for cooler temps, rain at lower elevations and snow on the upper mountain. This shouldn't be a problem for those Pacific Northwest souls accustom to this sort of climate, but those visiting from other places (that actually still enjoy summer temps well into September) should be prepared for the wintry conditions.

Wayne's world

The other day Wayne at Niches caught a cicada emerging and photographed it.

We used to find the shells (exoskeletons) everywhere as kids, but I hadn't found many lately. So after saying that publicly, of course I immediately started finding them everywhere.

I had told Wayne that we used to wear them around like brooches when we were little. I made my husband demonstrate:



Wayne is about four hours east of us, but at almost the same latitude, so why are his Bottlebrush Buckeyes (Aesculus parviflora) blooming so much earlier than ours? Blog-scooper!


Not yet blooming.

Friendly Witches and Scenic Graveyards

Was I a good witch or a bad witch for Halloween? Only Eustacia knows, and she is not talking. I rolled through the night with reflective sidewalls and plenty of lights on my bicycle, and I think only good witches do that. Bad ones tend to hide under the cover of darkness.

On this ghoulish night, I present you also with this photo of me and Marianne cycling through Provincetown Cemetery at dusk. I spent part of my childhood in a small New England town, where we lived down the street from a very old graveyard. Its presence seemed entirely normal; my friends and I would even take walks there after dark. Only later did I discover that graveyards freaked other people out. That and old Victorian houses with floorboards that creak even when no one is walking on them. Go figure!

Pashley and a Burning Bush

The Co-Habitant's Pashley Roadster Sovereign has not made an appearance here in some time, but today he demanded to be featured by posing handsomely next to this beautiful "burning bush." The Co-Habitant loves this bicycle. He has been commuting to work on it since May, and says that it only gets more comfortable with time and that he is even happier with it now than on the day he got it. That is a pretty glowing review! Lately, he even seems to prefer the Pashley for longer rides, like the 25 mile trip we made today.

He is also extremely pleased with the B33 saddle, which is super-sprung to support the weight of a large man in an upright sitting position (the Co-Habitant is around 6ft and 200lb).

Tall, dark, handsome and brooding. Perfect.

You can't really tell in this photo, but the bicycle is enormous for someone with my body-frame. The saddle reaches past my waist, the handlebars to my armpits, and I can't clear the top tube. Still, I like to pose with it and pretend that I can ride it. It is a beautiful bicycle and a great partner to my Eustacia.