Tree in Daylight

Grippy and Wooly

Even once I had the rest of my winter attirefigured out, the article of clothing that gave me the most trouble was gloves. I've probably gone through half a dozen pairs since I began cycling, and nothing worked quite the way I wanted it to. The big puffy gloves made it difficult to move my fingers and interferedwith shifting and braking, even if the design was supposedly cycling-specific. Also, I do photography work outdoors in the winter, and operating a camera with those is out of the question. Thermally-lined leather gloves can be just as warm while allowing for more mobility, but the leather gets stretched out and worn when used repeatedly on a bike. Wool gloves are hit and miss as far as warmth and some can be quite slippery on the handlebars. My salvation finally came in the form of these charcoal gray wool gloves by DeFeet which I bought on a whim at a local bike shop. They may not look like much, but I love them.



The DeFeet Duraglove is very densely knit, and warmer than any other thin wool gloves I've worn thus far. Once the temperature drops into the low 20s and I spend more than an hour outside I do begin to feel a chill in the finger tips, but above that they keep my hands perfectly warm (for comparison, I have a pair of stretchy-fleecy cross-country ski gloves rated for 20s temps that in reality give out in the low 30s). Aside from the warmth, the DeFeet gloves are form-fitting and stretchy, making it easy to operate both city bike and roadbike levers. And I can press all of my camera controls without removing them. They are not beautiful, but not horrendous looking either. They cost under $20. And the underside is covered with these silicone grippy things that ensure a firm hold on handlebars and camera equipment.



The Co-Habitant is also pleased with his Ibex Knitty Gritty gloves that are similarly designed. He has a pair of both the full fingered and the fingerless versions and he uses both, depending on the temperature, for cycling and photography. The wool on these is softer and a bit chunkier than the wool of the DeFeet gloves, but the idea is the same: stretchy wool for ease of movement, with silicone grips on the underside for a firm hold. The grippy bits here are in the form of little Ibex logos, which I find very cute.

Unfortunately the Ibex Knitty-Gritty gloves do not work for me, because even the smallest size is too big for my hands (beware, these run large), so I cannot compare them to myDeFeetgloves directly.The prices are about the same. To my eye the Ibexgloves are more attractive, but of course this says nothing about performance. The cuff on the Ibex is a tad longer, but on both gloves the length is sufficient.The softer Ibex wool is nice, but I am suspicious that the looser knit might translate into less warmth. Also, I have noticed a bit of pilling on the Co-Habitant's full-fingered gloves after a season's use, whereas the wool on my DeFeet gloves seems less prone to this.

Sadly, I did experience wear and tear with my DeFeet gloves: After 300+ miles of use on the bike, I wore a hole in the tip of the right index finger. While this is apparently a common problem to have with wool gloves, in my case I have to underscore that (1) I'd been wearing these on a roadbike and constantly pressing the ergo lever with my right hand, and (2) I have long fingernails, which no doubt contributed to this. Had I used them solely for transportation cycling on an upright bike, they probably would have been fine. In any case, I've now mended the hole (there is a special way to do this without destroying the articulated fingertip) and will see how long that lasts. If need be, I am willing to keep mending them and to buy a new pair every now and again, because as far as functionality and warmth go these gloves really work for me. I love the dense stretchy wool and the grippy underside; the versatility this style affords has made it my favourite winter cycling glove thus far.

The Keweenaw Peninsula :: Breakfast Nook

Monday, August 8th - - As nice as the weather was, I decided to leave the Keweenaw Peninsula and move on to other places. The campground was great – in full shade for the most part, which would have been really nice in warmer temperatures. But as it was, with temps in the mid-70s and lots of shade, it was a little cool. (Yeah, I know, some people are never satisfied!)



I left the campground early without eating breakfast, hoping to find a nice warm spot in the sunshine.





A beautiful spot for breakfast!



A few geese were the only things around.



How do these things manage to find a foothold, and survive?



It was a most enjoyable interlude.

Light and toasty,.. The Lowa Mountain Expert boot review

Putting the Lowa Mountain Expert to the test

Over the years I've tried many boots, starting with leathers, upgrading to plastics then moving back into leather during the lightweight leather craze of the late 90's and now well into the 2000's. Lightweight leather boots now seem to be the choice of most new climbers. During the Early 2000's the boots of my choice were the LaSportiva Trangos of various models, and the Sportiva Nepals of various models. One common thing I noticed about all the boots were that my feet always seemed to be cold. In after manymiserablefrozen toe days (even with toe heaters) I decided it was time to change. Was it possible that my LaSportiva boots had a death grip on my toes that was keeping them from being warm and cozy? I didn't want to think it possible, but had to try. Since I mostly climbed in the Sportiva Trango's I figured I'd do some research and see what I could find that closely matched that boot. I had good luck with the Lowa Civetta Exteme plastics years ago and thought why not see what Lowa had to offer in a mixed climbing boot. I checked their lineup and ordered up a pair of the Ice Expert GTX boots. The Ice Expert GTX (currently unavailable) was a Silver and Green leather and hybrid boot sporting an ankle gasket similar to the Trangos. First point is that the Lowas are less expensive. Reatil of about $350.00 compared to the $400.00 of the La Sportiva. The insulation used in the Lowa boots is 200g of Primaloft and a kick ass radiant footbed. I ordered both a US men's size 11.5 and 12. After trying them on I decided to go with the 12 which was a 1/2 size upgrade from my "normal" street shoe size. First thing I noticed when I pulled them on was how much WIDER the toe area is in the Lowa boots. Much more wiggle room then the cramped Sportiva. I was very pleased with the fit out of the box. My only problem was that I had a little heel lift. I ended up placing a partial memory foam footbed liner under the heel to take up the space and solve the problem. I used these boots for 2 seasons often questioning as to whether I should've went with the 11.5. I think being gun shy of having tight boots again prompted the 1/2 size upgrade. After 2 seasons of heavy use the only issues were with a broken lace lock which was easily remedied with some Gorilla Glue and ripped velcro on the ankle gasket. Despite these minor issues, I was very satisfied with the boots and my warm toes. Who could believe that the tight toebox was the cause of so many days of cold toes.



Moving ahead... This season Laura wanted to get a pair of lighter boots. She was wearing women's LaSportiva Nepal EVO's. Hearing me praise my Lowa's so many times I convinced her to try the Lowa women's Mountain Expert GTX which is the replacement boot for my beloved Ice Expert GTX. right out of the box she praised the fit. She too was having problems with cold feet in her Nepal EVO's She's climbed in her new Lowa's a dozen days so far this season and is amazed how much warmer her toes are after the switch.



After checking out Laura's NEW boots, I am fairly certain that its basically the same boot as the Ice Expert without the ankle gasket and with a cool new tongue stud to keep it in the center of your ankle. Which was great to see. I thought the gasket wasn't of the best design and was often irritated by the tongue sliding around to the outside of my foot. I REALLY liked the design of her new boots. After careful thought and questioning my previous 1/2 size upgrade, I decided I NEEDED some. I again ordered 11.5 and 12. After we picked them up from Fred's, I went straight for the 11.5. Bingo this was it. Perfect fit. I've been climbing in them a couple weeks now and have been very pleased with the fit and performance so far. Virtually the same as the Ice Expert with improvements.

• No gasket


• Lace locks redesigned into a less breakable design


• The tongue stud gizmo

Ice Expert GTX and the Mountain Expert GTX, very similar

Lowa's tongue stud keeps the tongue centered, works great!

So if you're looking for a high quality, light weight, ice/mixed climbing boot, don't overlook the seldom seen Lowa Mountain Expert GTX. Its a top performer that offers great ankle mobility, approaches well, stiff enough for pure ice and still light enough to throw above your head like a pretzel if the urge arises. I'd also like to add that for additional warmth on cold days Laura and I both use shake and bake style toe heaters to boost the boots cold weather performance.





Since were talking feet, I thought it also be good to discuss that I currently use Petzl Darts and Darwin crampons on these boots with the Leverlock heel spur rears (with the spurs mostly chopped) I've found this rear provides a much more solid fit than the standard quick adjust heel piece. This combo provides a more snug fit with minimal crampon movement and is lighter weight on the Lowas. I usually get several fronts worth of use out of the heels and its cheaper to pay $130.00 for dart or dartwin fronts for use on old rears, than to pay full price for new crampons. See the photos below

Modified heel spurs, still functional but less to catch the rope and

invert you in a fall.Plus the bolt to linking bar system makes a perfectly

flat platform foryour boots heel to sit on (less crampon heel

movement on your boot)

Old rears, new fronts = $130.00 new darts

NOTE: I have no affiliation with Lowa boots. I get nothing in return for writing this review. I just thought I'd pass on a little learned knowledge that might be useful to other folks with wide toes looking for a warm mixed boot! Hope this helps someone.





I'dalso like to say your welcome to all who've benefited from my expensive boot experiments and purchased my like new, ill fitting boots, for next to nothing. Happy climbing!

Fruitlands: a Ride of Passage

It was a remarkable day that I want to be sure to remember. Pamela must have sensed this before I did, because she offered to take a picture at the top. I didn't even know there would be an "at the top." I thought we were riding to yet another small town in the next county over. Nobody warned me it would be so beautiful.






It seems like sooner or later, every roadcyclist in Greater Boston does the ride to Harvard. Not Harvard the university half a mile from my house, but Harvard the town in central Massachusetts. Depending on the club or event, these rides are called things like "Hammer to Harvard" or "Hills of Harvard" or "the Harvard 100K." There are several routes and all involve some climbing at the end. I guess it's a rite of passage of sorts. The ride reports I'd read tended to stress the distance, pace or climbing. But Pamela's attitude was nonchalant. "I'm going to try out a new lunch spot in Harvard on Thursday, would you like to join me?" She was essentially just inviting me for a bite to eat. Well, why not. A girl's got to eat.






So here is the straight dope about the Harvard ride from a cyclist of my meager abilities: Forget milage, speed, climbing. Just forget that stuff for a second. What you need to know about this ride is that it is a gorgeous destination. You will be stunned. You will be grateful. Take one of the harder routes, take one of the easier routes, hammer, meander, ride however you like. But know that the destination is worth it. And for the love of the universe, don't stop at the Harvard General Store and turn around - you will only be cheating yourself out of a breathtaking view. Continue to Fruitlands, which is the true destination. Adjacent to the formerutopian agrarian commune (now a museum) is a scenic overlook with a view of every mountain in proximity. That's six mountains!






As we lunched at the surprisingly fancy Fruitlands Cafe (patio seating with a view, pretty silverware, reasonable prices) I was almost too stunned to make conversation. Pinch me, was I dreaming? Why did nobody tell me what a glorious place this was? The land, densely forested, spread out in front of us in shades of blues and greens. There was Mt. Wachusett, a flat-top stodgy thing. And there was the Monadnock range in New Hampshire, hazy and delicate. They all seemed so close, so inviting. The special thing about this destination, I realised, is that it inspires to ride further.It turned out to be an 80 mile day for me, a distance I'd never before done so casually.And though we rode home after lunch, one day I'd like to keep going - toward and across those other mountains.

The 1913 Hoffman Family Reunion

This article (and a second one) was brought to my attention a few days ago by Bob Hoffman (see this post), courtesy of the two wonderful ladies who volunteer at the Columbiana County Archives and Research Center.



The Chronicling America website (part of the Library of Congress) shows that The Mahoning Dispatch was published weekly on Fridays in Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio beginning on May 4, 1877 with the last issue printed on April 26, 1968. The site currently has digitized issues available from October 2, 1908 through September 30, 1921. I haven't yet taken the time to go through all of the issues but a search for Hoffman and related surnames provides quite a few hits.



As a side note, there are two options for downloading the images - a high quality, large "jp2" file and a smaller pdf file of lower quality. After downloading the jp2 file I discovered that I didn't have a graphics program that would open the file! A quick search showed that Irfanview along with a JPEG.. plugin will open the downloaded images.



The article consumes the entire first column of the first page and a small portion of the second column so it had to be "clipped" in sections. It includes quite a few surnames, some of which I recognized from information that was given to me in September .. by Stephanie Martin Shively. She is a descendant of Daniel Coy, half-brother of Catherine Coy who married John Hoffman. Catherine and John are my 4th great-grandparents.



Stephanie had some information on all of the eleven children of John and Catherine, more on some than on others. This article contains quite a bit of information on the family of John Hoffman, Jr., which is one of the children for which Stephanie had little information.



Since obtaining the article two days ago, I have found quite a bit more information on the family of John Jr. and have been able to trace all of his children and some of the grandchildren through census records from ancestry.com as well as marriage and death records from FamilySearch. but still have a few holes to fill in. Several passages have been emphasized in bold and will be discussed in future posts, as will other portions of the article.




The Mahoning Dispatch ~Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio ~Vol. XXXVII

Friday, August 15, 1913




WASHINGTONVILLE

Bright, Breezy Paragraphs Telling

The Happenings in the Village on

Mahoning's Southern

Border.

By Peter M. Herold.




Hoffman Family Reunion.

When we asunder part,

It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart

And hope to meet again.




The largest family gathering held in Washingtonville for many years assembled in town hall last Saturday, when the Hoffman family held their annual reunion and picnic. Other families have had larger gatherings, but they are held statedly in groves especially fitted up for the purpose; while that of the Hoffman family held last Saturday was all under cover and had the privileges of the town property and the school grounds.



The out-of-town members of the family came by electric line and automobiles from Cleveland, Chagrin Falls, Canton, Homeworth, Alliance, Freeburg, Paris, Salem, North Lima and Leetonia - the Washingtonville kinship being divided among the Weikarts, the Bostons, the Hilemans, the Fitzsimmons' and their intermarried relatives, so that when dinner was announced 138 relatives surrounded the tables and partook of a bountiful meal, which none can prepare and enjoy than persons of German extraction. Before adjournment everybody present was served with ice-cream and cake.




Order being restored, the meeting was opened with devotional exercises conducted by Rev. S. Z. Cowgill of Salem, whose mother was a Hoffman. Then followed the following program, conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Howard C. Hoffman, president and secretary of the reunion:
Piano solo..... Marie Weikart


Recitations by Willie Bowker and Ethel Weikart.

Vocal solo..... Thelma Bossert

Recitation........Helen Woods

Song - "Count Your Blessings," by Dr. H. K. Yaggie of Salem, whose mother was a Hoffman.

Recitation....... Mary Grim

Piano duet... Ruby and Marie Weikart

Recitations... Rose Woods and Glen Van Skiver

Piano solo......... Freeda Paisley

Recitation....... Dorothy Woods

Vocal solo..... Mercedes Gilbert




Short talks by Rev. S. Z. Cowgill,J. R. Hoffman and others interested and entertained the audience. Some of these talks were for the benefit of the family historian who is preparing a book of some 800 pages and dates the family tree to Germany in the 17th century, when Adam Hoffman and his brothers Michael and Robert sailed for America, locating in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.Another branch whose paternal head is Didrich Hoffman (first son of Michael Hoffman) was born in Philadephia, Pa., and located in this part of Ohio. He owned the Cherry Valley farm now covered by the coke ovens. The brown stone marker in the Lutheran graveyard at Washingtonville bears the following inscription:



"In memory of Didrich Hoffman who was born June 23rd, 1751, and departed this life on the 10 of March A. D. 1826, aged 74 years, 8 months and 13 days."



His son, John Hoffman, sr., owned the Fairview farm north of town and his son, John Hoffman, jr., resided in Washingtonville; was thrice married, all of whom bore him children - Mrs. N. C. Fitzsimmons of this place being by his first marriage with Nancy Koons. His second marriage was to Tabitha Crane, whose sons were here from Cleveland at the reunion. Of his third marriage with Elizabeth Hess are Mattie and Curtis Hoffman, both married. Mattie Graduated from the Washingtonville high school in the class of 1890, and was afterwards married to Grant Greasel, now of Cleveland. Curtis was in the employ of the Brown-hoist Co of Cleveland and represented his company in Cuba for a while, then in Russia and in Egypt. Both were here Saturday.And inasmuch as many of the Hoffman family attended school here, A. L. Taylor of the school board opened the new school building, and all those in attendance went through the various rooms, and some from basement to bell tower. Curtis Hoffman was one of the Hoffman Bicycle Co. a few years ago, but now resides upon a small farm near Chagrin Falls. When going through the various school rooms on Saturday with his wife and three children he remarked to "Buck" Taylor that after all the carving he had done, getting his name and initials, upon the seats and benches in the old building, it was a pity to have all his labor destroyed by fire. So that it can be seen that C. C. Hoffman was much like the average boy of his day.



It should have been stated in the proper connection that the elder John Hoffman and his wife Catharine are also buried in the Lutheran grave yard with the following inscriptions:

"Catharine, wife of John Hoffman died Feb. 10, 1857, aged 77 years."

"John Hoffman died Feb. 8, 1869, aged 80 years, 3 months."



John Hoffman, jr., was buried in the Odd Fellows (or Oakland) cemetery west of town; his first wife having been buried in the Methodist grave yard. His third wife was at the reunion on Saturday and enjoyed the day's proceedings with her children and grandchildren.



A business session was held near the close of the reunion. The old officers were retained for the coming year and Washingtonville was unanimously chosen as the place of next meeting to be held the second Saturday of August, 1914. A collection was taken and enough money was raised to pay for the use of town hall and other incidentals, leaving $6 in the hands of J. C. Weikart, treasurer of the Hoffman Reunion.



Relatives visited both church yards after adjournment, and while they found the names and dates they sought for, they found neither grave yard in an inviting condition. They may get some needed attention before next year's reunion.

Something Special

Having a special bicycle is not about following the latest chic trend. It is not about hunting down a frame made of famous tubing. It is not about obsessing about period-correct components. And it is not about trying to evoke a specific country of origin.It's really about focusing on your preferences and your needs. Only you can make your bicycle uniquely yours.



My fellow Bostonian C.P. - or "cycler" on Biking in Heels - has done an impressive job in this regard. Her bicycle, Gilbert, is completely and utterly hers - and very special. CP comes from a family of cyclists and has ridden a bike for as long as she can remember. But it was not until she lived in Italy as a young adult, that her love of city bicycles with step-through frames was ignited. Upon returning to the US, she brought a vintage Italian city bike with her, and the rest is history. An architect by profession and a DIY enthusiast by nature, C.P. enjoys wrenching on her own bikes and now owns a modest stable of vintage ladies' models from the 1930s through the 1970s.



As her ultimate bicycle for transportation, C.P. wanted something that handled like her favourite vintage bikes, yet was as clean and reliable as a new bike. And so her project began. She rescued a 1970s Raleigh Lady's Sports frame and fork, and had them repainted a colour she loved. She bought a suitable chaincase and had it painted to match, along with the fenders. She built modern wheels with alloy rims around a Shimano 8-speed hub in the rear and a Shimano dynamo hub in the front.



Gilbert's set-up includes handsome and effective lighting,



cushy cream tires,



front and rear racks for maximum hauling capacity,



Nitto "Albatross" handlebars with city brake levers and a classic bell,



a wheel stabiliser,

and, last but not least, this fantastic fishing creel basket, made of wicker with leather accents. For the holidays, the basket is decorated with battery-operated Christmas lights.Eccentric? Delightfully so! I imagine this style of basket is quite useful for storing small to medium objects within reach, secured by the closed lid. One thing that never fails to impress me about Biking in Heels, is the amount of stuff "cycler" is able to carry on that bike. This has included: a stack of shipping parcels, large plants, household appliances, and building supplies - most of these, of course, on the rear rack and not in the creel basket. While the Raleigh Lady's Sports was not specifically designed as a utility bike, it seems that Gilbert cab haul pretty much anything.



Given the way Gilbert came into existence, it is difficult to categorise him. The bicycle is no longer a vintage Raleigh 3-speed, yet it certainly isn't a modern bike either. But why categorise him at all? You will not find another like him in any catalogue or bicycle blog.Gilbert is C.P.'s personal bicycle, and he is unique. Visit them both at Biking in Heels.

Congrats Sally!

We just want to send a "Big Ups" to Sally Jewell for her recent confirmation to the office of Secretary of the Interior! Sally is a longtime friend of the Rainier climbing rangers, even letting her son work with us for a few years. We wish her all the best in her new job.

Photo courtesy of Biden office

Gunnar Bikes: the Accessible Waterford

Given the references to Waterford in a recent post, as well as the company's presence at Interbike (that's a briefcase full of head tube samples in the picture above), I wanted to bring readers' attention to a line of bicycles that I think is mighty nice: Gunnar Bikes. Made in Wisconsin, USA in the factory of Waterford Precision Cycles, Gunnar is the simpler, budget-conscious offspring of the famous custom manufacturer - named after a beloved pet dog.






Advances in steel tubing design led to the TIG-welded Gunnar line's 1998 launch, and Waterford has been producing them ever since. There are now 10 stock models available, including road, cyclocross, touring, and mountain bikes. The local-to-me Harris Cyclery is a Gunnar dealer, and recently I finally got around to test riding one of the bikes.






The Gunnar I rode is the CrossHairs model: a cyclocross bike with cantilever brakes, clearances for 38mm tires and provisions for fenders and racks. The colour is described as "burnt orange."The 54cm floor model was slightly too big for me, but doable as far as getting a sense of the bike over the course of the test ride.My interest was mainly in theCrossHairs'potential as a road-to-trail bike - for which its aggressive geometry, fairly light weight, and wide tire clearances made it look like a good candidate. Others might also be interested in it as a randonneuring bike or even a commuter, given the rack and fender possibilities.





The cleanly welded frame is fitted with a curved, steel fork with a brazed fork crown.





Eyelets for fenders.







Cantilever bosses and rack mounts.





This is the third SRAM-equipped bike I have test ridden this year (see the others here and here), and I am becoming pleasantly familiar with SRAM components.







The canti brakes are Avid Shorty, and they worked fairly well for me.





Alexrims B450 wheelset and 700C x 32mm Panaracer Pasela tires with black sidewalls.






On the 54cm bike there was no toe overlap for me (size 38 shoes, clipless pedals), with plenty of toe room for 35mm tires (but not if I were to add fenders). In conversation with Waterford, I learned that the toe clearance on the 52cm frame is nearly identical, so the same would hold true for one size down. For sizes smaller than 52cm, the clearance decreases.






Riding the Gunnar CrossHairs I found the handling familiar and intuitive from the get-go: Fast to accelerate, responsive to pedaling efforts, stable. No twitchiness and nothing weird about the handling, just an easy, fast, fun ride. The finish on the Gunnar looks excellent: extremely smooth joints, precise braze-ons, nice paint (some attractive stock colour options, as well as custom choices). Geometry can be slightly tweaked from the stock options as well, particularly top tube length. If ordering a Gunnar bike from scratch, lead time is about 4 weeks.






The complete bicycle pictured here is currently for sale at Harris Cyclery (in West Newton, MA), retailing at under $2,500. Prices will vary depending on the components used. For a US-made, handbuilt bicycle with lightweight tubing, responsive but easy handling, clearance for wide tires and provisions for fenders and racks, the Gunnar CrossHairs is worth considering for road-to-trail riding. It's a handmade-on-demand, yet available and accessible bike - from the legendary builder Waterford.

Laughing Lizard Cafe

The Laughing Lizard Cafe in Jemez Springs, NM has been there for over thirty year that I know of. But I think it has changed hands several times. It sits right on the main road almost in the middle of town. We have eaten there a few times and it was excelent food. They have a few rooms for rent but I've never heard anything about them.