Oklahoma's OK!

First Stop is Fort Smith, OK where the Visitors Center is located in an old Brothel.





Forth Smith, OK





Take Route 66 to Tulsa





Tulsa has alot of parks. This one featured a 4 tiered Rose Garden.







View under bridge on walk along the River



Oklahoma City and the Memorial.

A portion of the wall remains.



At each end of the reflecting pool is a wall,

one with the time of the start of the explosion

and the other with the end



Chairs are arranged in rowsfor each floor where victims died . They are different sizes according to whether the person was a child, man or woman.



Names are etched in the clear base which are lit at night.

"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May those who leave here know the impact of violence. May this Memorial offer comort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

Outside the Memorial is a fence where people have left pictures and Momentos.



I can't begin to explain how viewing this Memorial in person makes one feel. The reality of seeing it and realizing that these were just everyday people like you and me living their life, going through the normal day to day things we all go through and their lives, hopes and dreams snuffed out in minutes by a madman. There by the grace of God . . .

It saddened me even more to think that 9 years after 911 there is still no Memorial in place. The Oklahoma Memorial was done within 2 years, I believe, andis a beautiful tribute to the victims.

Don't Mess

Come to Rainier and see the "Biggest scissors you’ve ever seen.” It’s true. More people are impressed by these scissors than they are with the flowers, glaciers or the entire mountain! The conditions are excellent up here and after being inspired by “The Scissors” many climbers summited in the last week.
We’ve had a few wet and cloudy days down low lately, but the upper mountain has remained nice. The freezing level has stayed around 11,000' and is forecast to drop to 8,000' early this week, followed by high pressure and warmer temperatures.

As for general route beta, we would have used our scissors to span the crevasse pictured below, but instead there has been a ladder placed across it. The crossing shown is around 13,800' on the Disappointment Cleaver route. The guide services maintain ladders and other fixed gear at times along the DC. Before using any fixed gear you find, take a moment to check it out and not just assume the other guy made it safe.

If you recall last year the lower sections of the mountain were already melting out and exposing bare ice. Not the case this year, which means you should be here enjoying these terrific late season conditions. Come see our scissors and then get out and crush it!

Choosing a Miracle

"There are only two ways to live your life; One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein
And all the difference in the world is in the choosing.

Paul Bunyan Country

Ya Betcha, that's olde Paul himself. Took this photo when I stopped for lunch after my ride. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

Plans were to ride the Paul Bunyan Trail this morning. When I stuck my head out of the hotel door, it was overcast and threatening rain. Weather.com was showing showers moving in the area, but looks good by 9/10 am. After light breakfast, I went back to bed for some more recovery. Before I knew it, the sun was shining.

The Paul Bunyan State Trail runs some 110 miles through the northcentral Minnesota woods from Brainard (Baxter) to Bemidji. Its a Rails-to-Trails on old railroad bed. The trail is paved the whole length.

Kitted up, prepared supplies, and loaded the road bike onto the car for the drive to the trail. Planned to park in Jenkins, ride South (into the wind) to Nisswa. There is no "trailhead" parking lot for the trail in Jenkins. At the convenience store, I was told most park along the road at the trail, or across the highway at the old "Dollar" store.

As it started heading South on the trail, it was 80+ degrees, humid, and partly cloudy. Wind was gusting, with some places no air moving. Stopped it several times to take photos of the trail. Rode on through Pequot Lakes.

My legs were telling me it was not a good idea to make Nisswa, even if I have the wind with my on the way back. At a little over 8 miles, I came across a bench with a view of Little Cullen Lake. Looked a great place to turn around and head for the car. Drank some of G2 and back on the bike.

Now, I thought I would have the wind with me on the way back, but it seamed at times I was back into the wind! Stopped at the old Depot in Perquot Lakes for a rest and finish my GC. Chatted with a couple others at the depot. I though the trail was very busy (at least Perquot Lakes and South. I was told that the traffic today was actually pretty light today.

North from Perquot Lakes to Jenkins, almost no one on the trail. Think met 2 folks total (counting both ways) on the 3 miles. Getting back to the car, I probably couple have made the extra miles making it to Nisswa. But, it was better to be safe. Did not want to bonk.

As I rode South from Jenkins, I noticed a crowd at A-Pine Restaurant at the South end of Jenkins. Looked it would be a good place to eat my late lunch. It was. After a sandwich (grilled ham & swiss) and wedge fries, treated myself to a slice of wild berry pie with ice cream.

Now that the photos are processed and blog entry is written, time to get horizontal and relax.

Search on hold

The prognosis on my shoulder is a grade 2 muscle-tear (whatever that is). The good news is that I can ride my bike, the bad news is that there won't be any dirt roads or gradients over 20% for a good couple of weeks. Fortunately, this morning's 50km in the rain had none of those things. Some of you may be aware of my obsession -- my need to find Horseshoe Falls, on the western side of Springbrook. There are two possible access routes, and some time ago, I decided to explore one of them. Since I won't be able to complete this search for a little while, now seems an opportune time to discuss my most recent progress.

This particular trip involved heading through the hills of Advancetown (an ironic name if ever I've heard one), alongside Advancetown lake. This is actually quite a pleasant ride, but one that I don't get to do very often these days. In the past it was my chosen route to get to Numinbah Valley, but today I was using it only as an access route for Chesters Road, which is one of the two possible access points I mentioned above. Chesters Road itself is an extremely scenic dirt road which isn't actually as steep as Google maps suggest it should be. Today there was a bonus, an unseasonal display of Banksias.


The road "ends" after a few kilometres, replaced by a dirt track that continues up the mountain. Here, I could see the falls in the distance, but I still needed to find a way to get to them. I continued up the mountain, the number of spider webs I rode through suggested not many venture in this direction. A few tracks branched off mine, and I did take the time to explore a couple of them, but none of them led the way to where I wanted to go. The views did open up at times on the higher areas. Eventually, the "main track" that I was following became impassable on the bike, so I continued on foot for a while. Time constraints, along with the time I had wasted on the side tracks meant that this wasn't a viable option today, but a pink ribbon tied around a tree suggests that this route has potential on another day.



All that was left now was the ride home, after descending the "track" and Chesters Road, I now had two options -- the return via the way I came, or the climb up the western side of Springbrook on the infamous Pine Creek Road, complete with 24% gradients. I opted for Pine Creek Road for the variety, and this ride, too, didn't seem as difficult as I thought it might with one climb in my legs already. At one stage on the climb I could see the falls (now that I knew where to look). Of course, riding home this way provided it's own scenic rewards.

I am close to fulfilling this particular obsession. I have now pinpointed the exact location of the falls, and may have unearthed a potential access route when time and my shoulder get around to co-operating. This is going to happen, one way or another.

Gift From the Sea-Revisited

We're taking a few days vaca at Jekyll Island, GA. I'm reading Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh for the ninth time. It's a book that I never get tired of. If you've never read it, you must. It speaks to every stage of a woman's life.
As I was reading today, a sentence resonated with me. It said, "One falls under their (waves) spell, relaxes, stretches out prone. One becomes, in fact, like the element on which on lies, flattened by the sea; bare, open, empty as the beach, erased by today's tides of all yesterday's scribblings."
I want all my yesterday's scribblings to be erased. I'm up at 1:00 a.m. right now unable to sleep. I'm all out of sorts from all the travelling we've been doing for the past three months. The older I get, the less flexible I get about getting away from my usual routine. Or maybe it's just the back-to-back trips we've been making. Whatever it is, I'm topsy-turvy, and I don't like it.
So while we're here at the beach, I hope to lie flat and let the sun and surf do its good work.

Any Improvement???

Before



During



After

Awash in Purple and White

It looks like someone’s been camping in the back yard, doesn’t it? We had frost warnings last Saturday night, and after we hauled the Plumeria and other tender plants into the garage, Philo rigged up some temporary tents with sheets over the tomato stakes, held together with clamps. We had icy rain and some hail, the official temperature was 34º, and there was ice on the roof, but on Easter Sunday, the tomatoes and peppers were uncovered and look okay.
I hope the peach orchards of the Hill Country made it through the night, too – although we’d hate to lose our tomatoes, we aren’t depending on them as a crop – and we are not expecting crowds of people driving to our house to buy our produce. Fredericksburg’s peaches are not only a crop, but a reason for people to visit Central Texas, enjoying restaurants, shops, Wildseed Farms, an herb farm and the Nimitz museum of the War in the Pacific, a thought-provoking place which juxtaposes weapons of world war two with a Japanese Garden of Peace.
I also hope you like photos of Mockorange and Purple Iris, because I’m still thrilled at seeing them every morning. This particular Mockorange seems to be Philadelphus inodorus, with large individual flowers but not scented, at least none that I can detect. Here’s a closeup to show how really large the flowers are – I’ve heard that an old Southern name for them is English Dogwood.
Maybe this photo can give you an idea of how overwhelming the shrub can be when you stand next to it – the wooden fence is six feet tall, and the mock orange behind the fence extends another 4-to-5 five feet above that. Here are Ellen’s iris once again, still blooming and with more buds in reserve. Ellen handed me the sack of iris divisions in mid-March .., when this iris bed was still in the planning stages. The Divas had already planted the three spiraea, but I was still clearing and digging the ground around them. The iris corms sat in a paper bag on the garage floor for weeks, then took off once their roots hit the soil. I was amazed that these iris bloomed so well just one year after transplanting, and even more amazed at the high bud count of this passalong iris.
The iris are planted in the side garden, fairly close to the sidewalk, in a sort of Bat-shaped bed, honoring Austin’s famous free-tail Bat colony. The three shrubs of spiraea are just finishing their bloom cycle. Until this spring, there has been little in our front yard to slow down anyone who is passing by on foot or bicycle, but this display of purple makes the moms and kids stop.They instinctively lean in to see if the iris smell good, and this variety does have a light, but very pleasant fragrance.
As long as we’re in the front of the house let’s look at the space formerly occupied by the Arizona Ash. A few weeks ago Austex called to say the stump-grinder was fixed, and I watched this powerful tool in action, cutting through the enormous footprint left by the tree, churning the bits of wood together with the surrounding black clay. Since I really wanted the chips and dirt, I asked the workmen to leave the debris… they were kind enough to shovel some into sacks so I could use it for another project, leaving most of the wood/soil mixture mounded in place. For now, we’re just letting it settle and start to decompose.
Philo set the birdbath at the edge, and we planted a new tree off to the side, where it could frame the house rather than block it. We chose a native tree, one that doesn’t get enormous. Here are the leaves of our new Texas Redbud, Cercis canadensis var texensis. The tag also promised that it’s the white-flowering form – the long-desired Texas Whitebud - a promise that I hope will be fulfilled with white bloom next spring. I love the shiny leaves.

There are lots of other plants with buds that should be open for the April Bloom Day, but today I’m happy with green, white and violet-purple. I'd also like to say how grateful and overwhelmed it was to have so many comments on the post about enjoying blogging. Those of you who are still being clobbered by The Winter That Won't Leave touched my heart with your concern at how we in Texas made it through our little cold spell. I hope you will be awash in spring colors very soon!

Capture

I have a new computer that's taking a little getting used to. The pros are obvious: My m and n keys are no longer worn out, the case isn't cracked at the seams, and boy, is it zippy fast.
Really the only con is that many things work differently. As an official old person, I think I'm obliged to resist change. Or whine about it a little, at least.
Photoshop Elements will do so much more than my old mini-featured generic program. I couldn't resist the urge to make my bug photo look like a cartoon, as you see. But the features aren't intuitively obvious, and they're not much like the old Photoshop 3 I used to know.
You people with wide-screen computers were so sweet not to tell me how off-kilter I've been. I like my new screen, but some things (mainly my blog header) appear centered incorrectly. I haven't figured out how to fix that yet.
The screen is also very bright. So I may have trouble getting the photo levels right for a while.
I have a spiffy new Bluetooth mouse. No cords, it's great! But it has a bit of a tendency to drift to the left all on its own when I use my usual sofa-pillow-as-mousepad.
I will figure it all out eventually.

First Snow Ride of the Season

I was getting antsy yesterday. Some of my cycling friends were riding in the snow at Manawa. My "snow bike" was in the shop for new chain and cassette, changing tires to studs, and swapping pedals (clipless to combo), so I was not able to ride with them. The bike was done late in the afternoon, a bit envious that I had not been able to ride with them. (OK, I could have, it meant a full suspension bike but no studs.)
After Sunday Coffee, I was ready for a ride. Put together a winter, snow riding kit and headed to Lake Manawa with the Hardtail.
Once again, it was like learning to ride again! Took it easy to get used to the snow trail. Started with West Sidewinder. Then both trails on the West side. Finally, ended up with East Sidewinder. That was enough for the first snow ride of the season.
It may sound like it was a wimpy ride (4+ miles in about 50 minutes) but that was enough for today.

Duck Creek Road

It took me a while to get around to riding the Duck Creek Road way to Green Mountains. Even as recently as Saturday it looked like I'd have to put it off again, after the area copped four inches of rain in 24 hours -- not always conducive to riding up a mountain on dirt roads. Yesterday I decided to go anyway, as most of the other options seemed decidedly less interesting by comparison. The first part was the early ride through Clagiraba, Canungra and Beaudesert into the Albert River valley. It all passed by relatively uneventfully.

It was here that the climb seriously started, having to open and close a gate along the way, on a rough dirt road. If anything, the previous day's rain seemed to have made the surface smoother than it otherwise would have been. The gradients in the early stretch were another matter. At one point I calculated a 1km stretch at 16%! Of course, travelling this way, it didn't take long for the views to open up.

For a "road" only constructed in 1978, there seem to be a lot of historical monuments in these parts.

Once I'd climbed over 500 metres altitude, the gradients fell into a more sane pattern, steadily winding it's way around the mountain for a while. There was one final assault to get up to the 700 metre mark, but here the view was worth every ounce of effort to get here.

It wasn't far from here that a dramatic change of vegetation occurred on entry to Lamington National Park, from this...

... to this.

Now the temperature was cooling rapidly. From 30 degrees C at the bottom, it had fallen to just 18 degrees C in the rainforest at the top of the plateau. For some reason I managed to arrive the same day as a 4wd rally -- one guy was going to try to complete it in a sports car, I think he was in for a rude shock. After this I was back on the familiar road to O'Reilly's Mountain. The return from here was pretty straight-forward, except that there was a 20 minute delay on the way down the mountain after a tree had fallen and blocked the road. Later there was the promise of a storm to make things a little more interesting on the final stretch from Canungra, but that just never happened.
One thing I did note was the "Goat Track" -- the road climbing Mt Tamborine from the Canungra side was closed. I'm not sure whether it was a permanent or temporary closure and it certainly came as a complete surprise to me. I've ridden up there a few times and never really noticed a problem. I'm even contemplating a renegade run up there in the coming weeks, if I ever get the time to actually do it.