Vertical Gardens

I went to the Vegetable Gardening 101 class at the Charleston Horticultural Society and left there thinking about the reasons people don't garden. For one, if you've never done it, it can be intimidating. And two, some people don't have the space for a vegetable garden in their yards. Or maybe no yard at all!
I found these vertical gardens on a couple of websites. Easy, easy, easy. And a great solution for those with limited space or sunlight.
OPTION ONE
This garden is made from reclaimed gutters that have been nailed to the side of the house. Drill holes in the bottom, fill with potting soil and plant shallow-rooted plants like lettuces and herbs (this will not work for potatoes, carrots or onions). I found this image on Green Upgrader:
OPTION TWO
A canvas shoe organizer is an even easier solution for small-scale gardening. Just hang this in a sunny spot, fill with potting soil and plant with herbs. I like it.
OPTION THREE
My favorite interpretation of a vertical garden is Flora Grubb's design:
Of course I loathe her for being incredibly talented and for being born with a horticultural name. She used felt pieces(made from recycled soda bottles) that have been attached as pouches on a board. Instead of herbs and vegetables, this is an ornamental display of succulents. Perfect for a screened porch.

Techie stuff/moving on

Here's one of the techie things that I want to be able to do - not to have a white sky when focusing on something in the foreground. On this occasion I was so taken up by the combination of new camera (courtesy of my mother-in-law - thanks so much, Barbara!) and of my son deciding that the shot would be improved by his presence that I couldn't even think about what the background would look like. The thing is, numbers just escape me. If dyscalculia had been invented when I was at school I would have had it, in spades. I still remember the look of horror on my mother's face (she was a primary school teacher) when I told her that my IQ test had been easy and that I'd 'just' missed out all the questions with numbers. She obviously saw a future for me that consisted of sitting at the back of the class with raffia (any other British readers remember Thora Hird in 'Pat and Margaret'?). But I need to get to grips with numbers to do what I want with my camera. As always, I turn to a book for help. At the moment I'm thinking of getting 'Digital Photography for Dummies'. Any other suggestions?
When this photo was taken in early May it didn't seem all that poignant to me. The school chamber choir had just reprised their 'Jephte' at choral evensong in Dunfermline Abbey. Now, I realise that my son is about to leave behind all things to do with school, including school uniform. With a few days left of school, and that newfangled invention of 'study leave' having morphed into a few weeks of limbo before the end of term, the sight of him in uniform already belongs to the past.

Three Crashes - Ouch

Well, I started out the Festival of the Trails with a big bang. After getting registered and checking out where the punches will be located, I was ready to start riding.
Bill (whom rode with me first afternoon last year) arrived. Stopped to visit for a little. Then headed down the new trail which had the closest punch. A few yards dorn the trail I hit a large rock - ENDO! Took it easy and walked lost of that trail and eventually got my ticket punched.
Photo with this posting is a photo of the first trail I rode today. Pretty tame, eh. until the up/downs and rocks get thrown in.
After a walk back up the hill on the pavement, it was time to check up the trail being used for the night ride. Right away there was a good climb, more than I wanted ed to tackle in the dark.
Now, I wanted to accumulate some punches on my ticket. Checked out the gravel/dirt rode which comes close to some of the spots - Phipps Fire Lane. Found 3 punches without a lot of trouble. Only one light crash.
Things were going so well, I figured I would do one more ride to find a punch. Big error! I violated my own rule - never take that last run of the day. That's when you get hurt, when tired.
Could not find the punch I was looking for. Decided to turn back to the car. That's when I had my SECOND endo of the day. At it was a doozy - a full face plant into the sand.
A little sore when I got back to the room. Figured that was enough riding for the day. Cleaned up and had dinner (at the Angry Minnow). Now time to drive up to the Meet and Greet. Leaving my bike in the room!

The skiers are taking over!

New snow and warm temperatures this final weekend in June brought out the most skiers I have ever seen on Rainier. The DC, Emmons, Winthrop, and Fuhrer Finger were all skied. The ski conditions were great for the most part. The snow was firm but somewhat punchy down to 13,000 feet. Conditions improved as the snow softened and became less wind- affected. There was good corn skiing from about 11,500' to about 10,000'. The snow became heavy and wet below that altitude. Above is a photo of one of those skiers descending the Cleaver. Although the skiing can be fabulous, be realistic about conditions and your ability, and be sure to be "on your game", as exposure to cliffs below can severely impact your outing in the event of an uncontrolled slip!

Conditions and weather have combined this week to give us stable weather and great climbing. Climbers summitted via the Disappointment Cleaver, Ingraham Direct, Fuhrer Finger, Kautz Glacier, Tahoma Glacier, Liberty Ridge, Winthrop Glacier, and the Emmons Glacier. Of course, the warm weather has its downside: rock fall and ice fall have increased exponentially, and a few routes have started to melt out... notably Gibralter Ledges, which had seen quite a few ascents this year.
--Adrienne Sherred - Photo by Andy Anderson

Reminder - Black Hill Fat Tire Festival

Three weeks to the Black Hill Fat Tire Festival. Last year I attended - the first year for the festival and the first festival I had attended.
Those that came last year - there are some new trails, rides, and functions. The big one for me is the Mickelson Trail Ride Friday and Saturday. The Mickelson is an old railroad bed and runs for 109 miles.
For you singletrack racers, there are races galore - downhill, xc, hill climb and more.
Singletrack tours are held a couple of times a day (you need to sign up before the ride). Tour rides are "no one left behind" and lead by members of BHMBA (Black Hills Mountain Bike Association).
Another addition for this year's festival is a film festival. There will also be a showing of Season the new film from The Collective.
You need to take part in Beer-muda Triangle. You earn raffle tickets for attending functions and making purchases at sponsors (stuff you will need anyway - like gas, food, and souvenirs).
I had a great time last (even if the trails were over my ability). I have been told that they have new trails, including an easier trail. This will be a great way to checkout my new bike!
Good trails, good friends, good food, good scenery - a great festival. Check out my photos from last year's Festival.
While you are in the area, check out Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Needles Highway (Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway), and Custer State Park.
Hope you can attend - looking forward to meet you there...

Missouri River At Lake Manawa

I have been watching the Missouri River slowly recede back into its banks. Though the flood waters were contained by the levee, this is the second time this year and the third time in the last 3 years the river has flooded.
Of particular interest to me and dirt riders has been the mountain bike trails at Lake Manawa SP.
The trails were rideable except for the ditch at the black pipe, when the June floods hit. This year was the highest I have seen since I have been riding there. It the photo above, note the stain on the blue trail marker - that was the high-water mark. In the distance you can see a utility pole across the trail. The flood waters floated the pole from the parking lot to its current location.
Most of the parking lot was under water. Those of you that are familiar with the parking lot - you will notice the utility poles are missing or have moved.

I have not been out on the trails here to check them out. Because of what I had seen, I have been spending time riding paved trails or the Wabash Trace. I expect that West Sidewinder it high and dry. One of these days I will wander out and check them out. As long as if it stays in its banks, eventually we should be able to get back on the trails. For now, just consider the mountain bike trails at Lake Manawa are CLOSED.
The high waters are not just a problem here in Iowa/Nebraska. Word is that the Corps of Engineers will be continuing releasing waste from the reservoirs. The third photo is of the Missouri River at the river board ramps - Lake Manawa SP. The docking is still sitting in the parking lot. As you can see, the river is very high.
It looks like the river will be high for most of the year. And the dirt trails have not been the only trails effected.

I had heard that the Iowa Rivrfront Trails was flooding under the Harrahs parking garage. Last report, the trail is passable with a detour. You just will not be riding right next to the river.
That is not the case for the section of the Iowa Riverfront Trail near the Western Historic Trails Center. There is a low spot in the trail that is still underwater. The final photo in this posting is of that trail. You can see the high-water mark on the pavement. There is a signed detour that takes riders on the gravel levee access road. The detour meets up back after the flooded area. I have not ridden this detour because I have been riding my road bike on the paved trails.
For a comparison - checkout the blog posting from Tuesday, July 6th. The water IS receding - slowly. Since my road bike is in the shops for adjustments, I may have to take the hybrid for a ride to checkout the rest of the Iowa Riverfront Trail.

For those of you interested in my personal riding - yesterday I hit the 700 mile mark for the year - 200 miles on the new road bike. While not good compared with the 1500+ miles last year by this time, I am please, with the weather and what Ihave been though this year.
Keep on Pedaling!

A Summer Beauty

Isn't this butterfly a beauty? I was standing beside the Hiwassee River with one of my grandsons waiting for Gayle (husband) and Darcie (daughter) to come floating by so I could snap their photos. There were butterflies everywhere. This one cooperated by being still for a few seconds. So beautiful yet so delicate.
Double click on it and you can really see the colors.

McDowell Mountain Park

Yesterday I was up early to ride. (The day-time highs are running in the mid/upper 100s this week in Scottsdale!) Drove to McDowell Mountain Park for a singletrack ride. By the time I drove to the park, payed the entrance fee ($6 for the car - $1 had I arrived by bike), I was about 6:45.
The trails is mostly fine gravels with sections of rocks. No "dirt" as we consider at home. Lots of up and down with portions of flowing singletrack. I rode the "Long Loop" - just short of 8 miles.
During one f the climbs I heard a ominous sounds of rattling. Stopped and saw the rattlesnake. Backed off, and waited for it to slither away (and shot this photo). He was rattling a litlle as a hiked the bike pst him, at what I felt was a save distance.
After the ride, I high-tailed back to the room to pick up my camera to shoot the tee-off of the reunion golf tournament. Finally shower and breakfast.
Didn't do much anything the rest of the day. Worked a little on organizing my photos, napped, visited at the reunion, napped, etc.
Dinner was at Pinnacle Peak Patio. Was a relatively long drive for steak & beans.
The day capped with a Memorial for Reuel Baughman - one of my army friends.
Pavement ride with Pallette in the morning.

Photo Shoot

Since weather and trails were not good for riding, I was out to Xtreme Wheels for a photo shoot. The goal was take bracketed exposures to test and learn more with High Dynamic Range photography.
The software combines several images to enhance the photo. Most the ones I made today where tone-mapped 5 bracketed exposures. Many of the photos I processed this afternoon are on my Facebook page.
Think it will be time to create a page (or section) on my web site. Having lots of fun. Gets some my creating juices flowing!