Sunday Drive #2

Even though this is almost a week old by now, I still wanted to share another one of our Sunday drives. This one we kept pretty local, circling in a radius of about 20 miles and seeing exactly what is here. We headed down to Arcadia where we saw our old campground, which is also named Peace River.





We have a lot of good memories of our time there. We had no idea when we first started hanging out there that it was a part of our journey to become full timers. Now I feel even more warm and fuzzy towards the place knowing it was a key part of getting us from there to here.



We saw a local country club near Ona. Really snooty looking place, isn't it?



We saw many other cool buildings, and another snooty looking pub named Charlotte's Web.



We saw lots of animals. A cactus. A lumberyard.



And my personal favorite from this week, an old barn.



Living the life in Sunny Florida!

Campobello Island :: Mulholland Point and Seals in the Narrows

Thursday, September 20th - - In 1958 the governments of Canada and the United States entered into an agreement to construct a bridge across the Lubec Narrows to provide easy access to and from Campobello Island.






The Roosevelt Memorial Bridge was opened for operation in 1962. A portion of Campobello Island can be seen on the left while the town of Lubec, Maine is on the right. Taken from Mulholland Point.





There is a small park at Mulholland Point, which includes the Mulholland Lighthouse. Several signposts provide information about the bridge, the lighthouse, and give a brief history of the town of Lubec, Maine.



But what fascinated me, not visible in that first photo, was the high waves caused by the out-going tide. And then, there were those little black specks in the water, which upon closer examination with the help of the zoom lens, turned out to be seals!





I happened to arrive just as the tide was starting to go out. The water was moving very fast out in the middle of the narrows where the waves were the highest.





The larger seals would fight their way up the current and then rapidly float back downstream. They were certainly having fun, and I was certainly enjoying watching them.





There were probably about 25-30 seals in the group. I'm guessing that it must have been a good feeding area. The seagulls were flying all around also dipping in and out of the water.





The seals were continually diving and disappearing into the water, resurfacing some distance away from where they went under.





The next morning on my return to the United States, I stopped to get a shot of the Mulholland Lighthouse and the town of Lubec, Maine on the other side of the narrows. Even though the tide was low and not moving rapidly, there were seals floating in the water. I even saw an eagle flying amongst the seagulls.

Unique RV in Tennessee

As we headed to the National Park today, we stopped at the Visitor Center to grab maps. This truck/RV pulled in next to us. I've seen a lot of different RV's over the years, but this one was the first of its kind.



I just had to jump out and snap some pictures and talk to the creator of this interesting space.

Lucky for me, the guys was more than happy to show and tell. This made my day. I love stuff like this!

Sarasota Expo Pickleball Tournament

Due to my work schedule and being sick schedule, I have not been able to play in any pickleball tournaments yet this winter. Karen asked if I'd partner with her for one that happened to be on my day off and I was thrilled to do so. I had not been out on the courts for weeks so I went out a few days before to get some practice in.



Tuesday, March 6th, we headed out with Art, Hedy and Donna to Port Charlotte for an expo that ELS hosted. There were four communities playing in the expo, Peace River, Harbor Lakes, Terra Ceia and Bay Indies.



Sadly, Karen and I did not end up getting to play as partners because the women played Round Robin games. We really enjoyed the group of women that we did play with and we had a fun day. I forgot my camera, so the pictures here are ones that Donna took that day.



Our community did very well in the tournament with Rene and John taking first place in the men's games.



We really cleaned up in the ladies games, with Karla taking first, me
taking second, Donna taking third and Karen taking sixth.



The park did a great job with the entire event, even providing us with a wonderful lunch.




This is one tournament that I'd show up for next year if they repeat it again!

Grand Canyon :: Desert View

On Friday (April 16th) Sue and Fred hiked another trail into the Canyon. They did a portion of the Hermit trail going 3 miles and 1400 feet down to Dripping Springs! Of course, it was 3 miles and 1400 feet back up! One of the lesser used trails, they saw only a dozen people while on the trail.

My legs were feeling okay, but I begged off that hike as the thought of having to ascend another 1400 feet left me weary just thinking about it! Instead, I walked nearly six miles along the South Rim Trail, which is paved in some spots and more or less level. Though not excessive, there were a few more people on the South Rim Trail than what Sue and Fred encountered. I did take some pictures, but they pale in comparison to what has already been posted.

Saturday was to be our last full day at the Canyon and we decided to be “tourists” driving east on Arizona Highway 64 from the Grand Canyon Village to Desert View, about 25-30 miles.

Aside from the Canyon itself, the main draw at Desert View is the Watch Tower, which is currently undergoing some renovations. I hadn't read anything about the Watch Tower so I didn't know what to expect – simply a building with several floors and stairs taking you up to viewing windows was about it. However, I was blown away by the architecture, the décor, the symbolism . As Sue said, “It spoke to me.”

Designed by architect Mary Jane Colter for the Fred Harvey Company, the Watch Tower is not a replica of any specific building but was intended to symbolize the many prehistoric Native American structures. The steel beams supporting the structure are hidden within the walls which are individually placed stones on the exterior and smooth adobe on the inside.

The interior artwork, under the supervision of Ms. Colter, was done by Fred Kabotie, a Hopi painter who was also a guide and musician at the Grand Canyon at the time (1930s). The artwork was designed to communicate the physical and spiritual origins of Hopi Life.

The Watch Tower at Desert View.

A portion of a large mural on the first floor, along with a chair and stool.

A portion of the ceiling and the 3rd level as seen from the 2nd level.

Just a few of the “hieroglyphs” decorating the interior walls (photo by Fred).

The exterior of the first floor stairway.

The stairways were wide enough for one person at a time.

Desert View is at the east end of the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River, wider and not as deep, is clearly visible from the Rim. I didn't notice it at the time, but I rather like how the stone pillar to the left somewhat mimics the shape of the Watch Tower.

SWPA ice climbing season continues (without ice)

This is by far the worst ice season I've encountered in my 15 years of South Western PA ice climbing. The 10 day forecast isn't looking so favorable either. This morning the Laurel Highlands were dusted with a little snow. Enough to motivate me to load up a full winter kit and set off for the woods in search of some new climbs. I figured if nothing else i'd get some mileage in whilst bushwhacking through the greenbriar filled jungles of Dunbar in "Fayetteville Cong".



I took a hike into a seldom climbed area named Rattlesnake Rocks. It's in the vicinity of Krahlick and Elk Rocks. Climbed mostly in the 80's by Ray Burnsworth and pals. It's a short crag that houses a fair number of climbs in the 20 to 30' range. No sport climbing here. All routes were either top roped or led trad. There are numerous moderate cracks and flake options for the aspiring trad climber. Rattlesnake Rocks got its name from the rattlesnakes that are known to frequent the area during the warmer months. I spent some time dry tooling across the base of an overhanging wall.

The left end of Rattlesnake Rocks is a great place for dry tool training

It's a great place to dry tool train with many variations and a nice flat landing. I was alone and climbed sans crampons in my mountain boots. After about an hour of bouldering and a few shots of the area I set off further across the ridge to see what I could find new. I was bushwhacking and scrambling around the hillsides. All of a sudden out of no where I stumbled into this little place.

Slabs stacked like dominos this newly discovered crag is

approximately 50' tall and has some very clean looking trad lines.

There's more crag to the right of what is visible in this photo.

The climbing looks awesome. I didn't notice any signs of previous climbers, but a few ascents may have taken place here over the years. Ed Coll, Ivan Jirak, Cal Swogar... There were a few folks that thrashed through the thickets, climbed what they could and moved on. Unfortunately many of the pioneers of the area are now deceased or have moved on leaving the history a little less than known. Either way, the routes look like a lot of fun and we're planning our first climbing visit this New Years Day. Here's a few of the plums that adorn this crag.

The first line I walked up to,

a seam system unlike many in these parts

Center section of the crag. Nice flakes and corners awaiting us

It was getting later in the day and I still had quite a hike out. I finished exploring a little and made my way to the car dreaming of the great new climbs I found. I had a great day exploring old crags and finding new. After all the time I've spent wandering the ridges and valleys of SWPA, the thing that I enjoy most is what I find next...

Not only new crags, but this is one of the things you might find in SWPA???

Lululemon Ride On Blazer: A Modern Take on the Riding Jacket

Having recently added a cycling collection to their lines ofyoga and running apparel,Vancouver-basedLululemon sent me and a couple of other bloggers some samples to test and review.The cycling collection is called Ride On and consists of some rather diverse items, from stretch-denim shorts to exuberant raincoats. I found the blazer to be the most interesting and versatile piece overall, shown here in "deep indigo."





At its core, the Ride On blazer is a classic Edwardian riding jacket, re-imagined for cycling in the 21st century. Tailored in the torso and cinched at the waist, it skims the lower abdomen in the front, then lengthens and flares out in the rear to fully cover the derriere. As someone who rides a bike and also likes to sneak yoga pants and leggings into my wardrobe, I like this design for two reasons: (1) It is long enough to cover my lower back when I am leaning over my bike's handlebars, and (2) it allows me to wear stretch pants as street-wear without worrying how my butt looks. Just being honest here.





The pleats at the rear have held their shape after a week of rather careless wear on my part. Despite its structured appearance, this garment is not something you will have to take an iron to.






Though visually the fabric resembles denim, it is in fact a stretchy jersey material - a cotton/poly/spandex blend. It allows for a great amount of stretch, and the jacket does not restrict movement even when worn on a bike with drop bars. The fabric is on the heavy side and I would rate it as best for temperatures between 50°F and 70°F.




Aside from the length in the rear and the stretch, the Ride On blazer is designed with a number of cycling-specific elements. The extra-long sleeves feature thumb loops that I find to be quite ergonomic both in their placement and in the shape of the opening.





If you read customer reviews of this blazer on Lululemon's online store, there are lots of complaints about the sleeves being too long. However, I doubt that those who voice these complaints ride a bike. The sleeves have to be this long, or else the thumb loops will dig into the space between your thumb and forefinger when your arms are stretched out over the handlebars. I'd say the length is appropriate if you want this jacket for cycling, and there are plenty of other jackets with standard length sleeves for those who do not ride a bike.





Another cycling-specific feature is the reflective detailing on the sleeves and on the back of the collar. The narrow scalloped ribbon used for this is very pretty, but I wonder why they were so stingy with it. For instance, why not incorporate it into the seams on the back of the jacket?





In the front of the blazer, there is a lot going on. It's mostly good, just overwhelming at first. In addition to the standard lapel design, the Ride On blazer is fitted with a second, detachable inner lapel with a stand-up collar.





Zipping up the inner lapel and then closing the outer one around it provides several layers of protection against the wind in the chest and throat area, which is quite useful for cycling. Those who don't cycle might find these features unnecessary and bulky.





There are lots of buttons and zippers to facilitate opening and closing the jacket to different degrees, as well as two zip pockets. The benefit is that everything is kept tucked in at all times; nothing dangles or flaps around in the wind as you ride. The downside is that it's a little cluttered and complicated. The exposed zippers also give the front of the jacket an edgy "biker" look that competes with the refined equestrian look of the rear of the jacket.





The two front pockets with zip closure are large enough to house things like a wallet, phone, and other small items, but they are designed in a way that keep these objects tightly enclosed - so that when you're leaned over on the bike the weight doesn't make the pockets hang down. This is an especially useful feature if you're riding a roadbike.






All things considered, the Ride On blazer impressed me with how comfortable and convenient it is to actually ride a bike in, while being wearable as everyday clothing off the bike as well. I find it flattering for my body type, though the sizing isn't perfect (loose in the abdomen and torso, but would be narrow in the shoulders had I gone a size smaller). One thing to note is that, being made of soft and stretchy fabric, this blazer undergoes wear at the rate of a jersey garment and not a traditional blazer. The hem and the sleeves on mine are kind of filthy already and need washing.




The biggest negative for me about this garment, is the faux denim print. They have other colour options, but the "black" is also faux denim and the "fossil" looks a little sweatshirty. I gather they were going for the edgy urban look, but the result is too "hip teenager" for me. I also wish the zipper-happy biker aesthetic of the front of the jacket could be toned down and brought in line with the more classic and elegant design of the rear. As it stands, the overall look doesn'treallyfeel like "me" and I am torn about whether to keep it or not, despite how comfortable it is. Most likely I will give it away to a local cycling acquaintance - lots of women here like Lululemon and want to try it [edited to add: I have now given the blazer away; the new owner loves it!].





I was never a fan of Lululemon's yoga apparel, but the Ride On collection intrigues me. The ladies at Let's Go Ride a Bike are testing it as well, and their review of the Ride On blazer is posted here. Lululemon's foray into cycling-specific designs goes hand in hand with them having become a co-sponsor of a women's pro cycling team, which I think is great. Though I'd love to see some modifications to the Ride On blazer (adjust the sizing and nix the faux denim, please!), overall I feel that Lululemon is on the right track here, and I appreciate the opportunity to test and review their products. Full set of pictures posted here.