Happy Dad's Day Pa!

Huggers and Licks,
xo Sammie

Go to Buggary!

Last weekend's tour was a great one, culminating in the ride over Mt Buggary in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It all began with a trainride to Caboolture, before heading west through Wamuran and Kilcoy. Even at this early stage, the scenery was starting to pick up, as was the temperature, although whether it's necessarily this hot remains to be seen.


Kilcoy won an award for being the friendliest town in South East Queensland in 2001, and it was certainly living up to it's reputation. A local cancer fund raiser even offered to keep an eye on my bike when I went into the supermarket. We ended up having quite an extensive chat about New Zealand, having both been there previously. She said I was a "real man" for riding a bike across from Caboolture -- then I later found out she was actually a cancer survivor. That puts things into perspective, but I think I might stop short of calling her a "real man" just in case.

The next stretch toward Jimna was dotted with war memorials and bushfires over the surrounding hills. I notice the locals in these parts actually warn people about smoke hazards (they don't in the areas around the Gold Coast). It was now 30 degrees C for the climb of Jinker Hill. The warning signs proclaimed a "very steep climb", but it was more of a long grind than anything else.


Reaching the summit of the climb was a triumph in itself due to the heat. It's going to be a long summer, six months starting this weekend, but if I can reproduce the form I showed on the climb I should slaughter it. I was now in the forest riding through the bellbirds. This was just beautiful riding, I really should do a podcast of somewhere like this when I get the sound working on my computer.
I visited the township of Jimna, where not much was happening, so I continued on my way. I really should have stocked up on water here, because I was later told that the "treated" water at the campsite was undrinkable (this was after I'd consumed a litre of it already). Still, I didn't suffer any ill effects, and there was enough fruit left over to ensure that I didn't dry out too much. I fixed a flat tyre that I'd picked up at the end of the ride, then settled in for a relaxed evening in my tent.

* * * * *
Sunday opened with another flat tyre. Evidently the glass I'd removed from the tyre the night before wasn't the cause. I fixed that one too, found another potential cause, then went on my way. The plan was to take Old Yabba road to the coast, then a train home. Easy I thought, wrong I found! The first stretch on the dirt through the forest, and later the open country was easy enough.

The rest of the ride toward Imbil was, however, dominated by mountains. A sign warned of a rough road over Mt Buggary, however, the condition of the road itself wasn't too bad. The gradients were another matter! At one stage I walked down a particular pinch because it would have been impossible to stop the bike for a corner on the dirt had it had any speed (it was hard enough to walk down).
I also had to contend with a dwindling water supply -- I had another bottle of campsite water in reserve, but I didn't particularly want to use it. The plan had been to moderate my pace to reduce the amount of water I lost through sweat, but the gradients on the road put paid to that idea. The scenery, however, was just spectacular.


As I headed east, the moisture in the air started to increase, and after one almighty downhill the steep gradients dissipated. I was basically back on the coast, except for another 40km or so to contend with. I found my way into the town of Imbil just as the last of the water from Kilcoy was consumed -- perfect timing. A town like this wouldn't get a second thought from most people, but from a bike tourist who has been out in the heat, it's a really good place to stock up on whatever I need.
An old steam train passed through the town while I ate lunch. Everyone in the town was rushing over for a look, but as an old Werris Creek boy, and having seen thousands of these things myself, it didn't quite hold the same fascination. It might be an interesting ride to take one day, however. I lined up the final stretch to Eumundi for the ride home. Initially I went through a relatively flat area that is intended to be flooded to build a massive dam. The locals were just about ready to lynch Peter Beattie over this one, although I can only assume that somebody must have voted for him, because he actually gained seats at the State election. More on that later.

There were even a few hills to contend with at the end. I had actually forgotten how hilly the final stretch between Kenilworth and Eumundi was. Perhaps it's because the only time I've ridden through that stretch previously was in a downpour that made long range visibility just about impossible. This time, however, I was able to enjoy the scenery.

It took a while for the train to arrive at Eumundi. If I hadn't lost time fixing the flat tyre earlier in the day, I may have ridden to Noosa and back. As it was I just waited until it arrived. This bike touring caper seems to impress a lot of people. The guards on the train wanted to hear all about my adventure. One of them even suggested the possibility of keeping a log of all my tours and writing a book about them one day. It might be a project to think about if I ever get the time.

Half moon half tree

Half moon Half tree

CDX at Santa Cruz Kennel Club Show - 3/24!

It was a dark and stormy day... Picture Snoopy uptop his doggehouse, typing. It was like that. As we pulled into the parking lot and readied our rollermobile complete with doggehcrate, chair for Momma and lotsa other stuffs, the downpour soaked us. Course... I didn't mind, cause I love the wet stuffs, but the hoomans were having a fuss over it!

This was the event where I was 'sposed to do some sorta magic that had sumpin' to do with the letters, C, D and X. There were a ton of doggehs here. (Even though there was a torrent.)

Here I am in my doggeh house. Waiting...
This is a furry cool day, for it seems to be just Mamma and me. I don't see Avalon anywhere and that's okay, cause I gots to concentrate. Next door is my pal, Shanti, who got her third UDX today. WOW! And next to Shanti is Quinn, a gorgeously handsome Sibe. I'll tell you how I feel about him a bit later heheh!
After a brief trip outside, I posed by the window. You can't see, but it is simply pouring out there!
You can see my performance in the movies below, but here we are lined up for the placements. Only four of us "qualified" out of a lot of doggehs.
I ended up with a second, but the best part was.... I earned my CDX! Whatever that means! Momma was furry happy!
Here I am posing with da Judge, who was most pawesome! If you'd like to see three short vids of my performancing, you can look at these, below!
Part I herePart II herePart III here Momma still can't get the youtube movies to embed anymore... anybody got any suggestions? Thanks heaps! xo PS: Wanna know who got first? Quinn!!! I gave him some kissies - Congrats Quinn!

Las Trampas Leaves

Las Trampas Leaves, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Although it's not as pronounced as on the East Coast, there is some fall color in California. This tree in Las Trampas was particularly bright.
Anybody else have fall colors nearby?

Chilly Peppers

We've had our usual up-and-down weather here in Austin - mild weather interrupted by several freezes and some rain to soften the ground. I missed GBBD, but a few days ago the sun felt warm as I clipped back some of the dead plants. What a surprise to find a handful of peppers still firm & fresh on the two plants next to the back house wall next to the Meyer's Lemon tree. The leaves of the pepper plants had been hit by frost but the stems were still green. These are 'Holy Mole' peppers - very hot little devils. These will belong to Philo ... not me!
I didn't make a Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post - but there are a few photos of January flowers and a late GBBD List with botanical names over at Annie's Addendum.

Gloomy Evening at Whitecaps Point

Last night's sunset wasn't much of a sunset at all, with dark clouds dominating the sky. It was still very much a scene worth photographing, however. The dark clouds and dark foreground rocks made for an ominous image. I thought the grasses in the foreground made for a nice touch to the overall scene. Hard to believe that we are a week into December already and there isn't a lick of ice to be found anywhere along this shoreline!

A Very Special Day...

Helen Keller said: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Our day started with a trip up to Mom's alma mater, Sonoma State University, where grandpeep, H, was competing in a Cheer competition. Here she is on top - woo hoo!
Since we were close to Crane Park, where Mama used to play frisbee golf (yeah... funny!) with some pals, Ma and Pa thought it would be a great parkie for some fun!
Unfortunately, the rules said that we had to be on leash - yuck! So we soldiered on, even though we caught these guys below with a pupper offleash!
If you haven't ever played frisbee golf, it is really cool! You have to have special disks and do they ever fly!
Some pix of the scenery on the way to Crane Park. The vineyards are in their fall majesty! Momzers and Dad decided that we would spend our special MOMENT at the Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve, where we could go offleash and see precious views of the San Francisco Bay and beyond.
Pretty soon, it was approaching 4pm... for us, 11:00 pm GMT. Mom gathered us to her as best she could and we all thought about those we loved and missed as well as those we love and are in pain. We couldn't light a candle here, cause we didn't want to start a grass fire or anything. but we felt the power of thinking... with so many of you across the planet. It was very powerful.
Then, we had to go and play in the grasses, before it got dark.
And before we had to go home.
And before we died of thirst... We spent today extremely grateful for what we have... life itself.
Helen Keller got it right.

Tragedy in the Gunks: Stephanie Prezant, Age 22

(Photo:Stephanie Prezant, age 22.)



On Sunday something unthinkable happened.



A young woman full of life, just a few months away from college graduation, went outside climbing for the first time. She had no reason to think she was doing anything risky. She climbed an easy route,andbelieved the rope to which she was tied was secured to a massive tree on the ledge above her.



But when she weighted that rope the systemthat was supposed to protecther collapsed.Climbers who were nearby reported thatthe rope didn't catch her. Instead it (and the slings to whichit was attached) came tumbling down.With nothing holding her weight, the woman fellabout twenty feet to the ground.



Eyewitnesses said that rescue personnel came immediately, tending to her injuries and quickly getting her to an ambulance. Despite these efforts, they could not save her.



Young Stephanie Prezant died.



I never knew her, but as a member of the community of Gunks climbers, and as an ordinary human being, I feel such pain at this tragic loss. I can only guess at theanguish her family must be feeling.Being a parent myself, Ihave the barest inkling of the grief they must be dealing with. And as for the people who were with Stephanie when it happened, for them too this must be such a terrible time. I am so sorry.



I wish I'd been there. I wish I could have done something to prevent this horrible event before it all unfolded.



Whenever an accident like this happens, we climbers tend to come together and speculate about it on the internet. It may appear insensitive, but it is inevitable and probably cannot be prevented.



Part of this phenomenon, I think, is just the morbid curiosity we all share.But there is a more positive side to the internet postings.Thereis genuine concern in the communityfor the well-being of others. Another part of it is the worry we all feel as climbers. We trust our gear with our lives and when we hear of an accident wefear that our trust is misplaced and that we could be the next casualty. We want to know the details bothso that we mayavoid whatever mistakesmight have been made and also so that we can distance ourselves from the accident.If we canestablish that this accident was caused by one mistake or another, we can feel assured of our own safety because we would never make THAT mistake, whatever THAT mistake may be.



I am as guilty as anyone of participating in thisorgy ofcuriosity and speculation. When I heard there had been an accident I started a thread on Gunks.com seeking more information. Mostly I just wanted to hear that the young woman would be okay. But like everyone else I also wanted to analyze the event, to learn from whatever went wrong.



I guess I should have restrained myself. My own post on the accident was an example of how these internet feeding frenzies produce misinformation. I provided the few details I'd heard and one of them-- the name of the climb from which Stephanie fell--turned out to beincorrect. And then after some useful information surfaced, the thread devolved into the usual speculations and know-it-all prescriptive arguments, none of which were at all helpful to anyone. Another thread, on rockclimbing.com, followed a similarly depressingtrajectory.



I hope the Mohonk Preserve rangers who responded to the scene will eventually be able to make some determination of what really caused Stephanie's anchor to fail.



Here, on my blog, I do not wish to presume I know exactly what went wrong.Nor do I wantto make her climbing partners or family feel any worse.



Of course without knowing whatcaused the accident onecan offerno formula for avoiding this kind of disaster.



But the temptation to preach is irresistible.



I want to say:



Please, all you climbers out there, do not assume this accident was solely the result of inexperience.We don't know what level of experience these climbers had. Even if in this case it turns out they were all first-timers, we all know that experienced climbers toohave beeninjured and killed when they trusted faulty anchors. Whatever went wrong here, do not delude yourself: it could happen to you or me.



Be careful out there.



The systems we employas climbersare very simple. But inabriefmoment of complacency, or exhaustion, or distraction, it is all tooeasy to set upthese systems incorrectly. Here I am speaking not just of top rope anchors, but of all the systems we climbers use.And I speak from experience. We are all capable of failure. Eventhe best of us under some circumstanceswill fail to double back a harness, finish a knot, lock a carabiner, or attach ourselves properly to an anchor. Anyone can fail to ensure the ends of the rope are even or that both strands are through the rappel device. Anyone canload a GriGri backwards.



It can happen at any time.



Please remain vigilant. Double-check everything. And employ a partner check whenever you can. A fresh set of eyes is so often helpful. I have no idea whether it would have made any difference in this case. But it never hurts.



I have been fortunate. The times when I have screwed up, partners have been there watching for me. There have been no consequences. Others, obviously, havenot always been so lucky.



I like to think I have come through to the other side. ThatI have graduated from the screw-up years. But I know it only takes one lapse. When you trust your weight to your gear, it has to be right every time.



I want to do right by Stephanie. I want to honor her memory. I intend to do so by watching out, for myself and my partners. And for others. In the future Imay be less prone to walk away from situations that seem unsafe, and more prone to offer some friendly advice to strangers. It is allI can think to do.



I hope you will do the same.

First Autumn Snow

Autumn at Mount Rainier, especially in the alpine and subalpine zones, does not last long. In fact, some argue whether it exists at all. Camp Muir had beach-like weather last Thursday; by the next night there was 70 mph gusts slinging fresh snow into climber's tents. Summer conditions to winter conditions in less than 24 hours.

Last weekend about 2" of melted precipitation dropped on the mountain. This caused drifts of snow "knee to mid-thigh" deep on the climbing routes. Snow and high winds can make navigation, especially on the upper mountain, difficult. Be sure to have a solid navigation technique, whether it's using a GPS or map/compass/altimeter, before venturing onto the mountain.

The high winds associated with the storm cycle resulted in poor skiing conditions. Some leeward locations have loosely wind packed freshies, while other windward locations are scoured, grit-covered, hardpack. Though the skiing hasn't become great, the climbing conditions have held out! The lower freezing levels have solidified the sketchier crevasse crossings and the feshly plastered snow has kept loose rock in place.

This upcoming weekend, September 24th and 25th, will be the last weekend that the Climbing Information Center in Paradise is open. Please come on by to chat, chill, and register. We'll be open from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. After this weekend climbers can self-register in Paradise at the self-registration kiosk on the porch of the Paradise Old Station (the small A-frame right next to the toilet tunnel in the upper parking lot). Directions on how to self-register are posted.

I Am Soooo Over Winter

Two blizzards and temperatures in the deep freeze, I have had enough of this winter. As of the start of the new year, the Omaha/Council Bluffs area has received more snow than we normally receive the whole winter. Yesterday we got another 5 more inches.
Add that to we have had one day above freezing since Christmas. The winds have been blowing the snow all around, closing the roads. Christmas Eve I got home in a freezing drizzle. The road was closed here from then til Sunday 27th. Today, the road closed again - my car is stuck in a drift about a mile from home.
More photos and my commentary on The Winter of 09-10 is posted on my web site.

Great Smoky Mountains continued

The drive thru the Smokies continues:



We drive up to Clingman's Dome the highest peak in the park at around 6600 feet. Our hopes for a spectacular view are clouded over!



We continue the Hike a Day up to yet another Waterfall!







Mingus Mill

A Beatifull Sunset over the Mountains