Putting Your Foot Down

Enough people have asked me about this now that I thought it worth writing about: How do I put a toe down in traffic while remaining on the saddle, and also manage to get full leg extension on the downstroke? I will try to explain.



First off, let me clarify that I get "more or less" full leg extension, and obviously my leg would be even straighter if I had the saddle higher. So there is a bit of give and take to it. But the idea that your leg needs to be arrow-straight on the downstroke with the toe on the pedal and the heel raised, is not one that everyone subscribes to - especially not cyclists in cities where riding a bike for transportation is common. In Vienna, I would say that about half the cyclists I saw had their saddles adjusted so that they could touch the ground with a toe. Based on the pictures here, this seems to be the case in Copenhagen as well. When riding in cities with frequent intersections and stop signs, it can be tedious to get on and off the bike every 3 minutes. Being able to put a toe down makes things easier.



Another point, is that some bicycles' geometries work better for this than others: Typically, Dutch-style city bicycles have very relaxed seat tube angles, which increases the distance between the saddle and the pedals while keeping the saddle height constant. A lower bottom bracket helps as well, though not as much as a slack seat tube. You can watch this video of Dottie starting and stopping on her bike to get a better idea of how this works on a Dutch bike.



Finally, this may not be sufficiently noticeable in pictures, but I lean my bike to the side in order to reach the ground with a toe. I also keep my other foot on the pedal for balance. I cannot reach the ground with both toes, and I cannot even really reach with one toe unless I lean. This is something that becomes instinctive if you do it often enough. Alternatively, you could set the saddle lower. I've basically raised mine as far as I possibly can, while still managing to reach with one tip-toe while leaning.



Adjusting your saddle so that you can stop with a toe down is mainly about convenience. Some cyclists prefer this method, while others feel that not having their leg 100% straight on the downstroke robs them of power. How do you stop in traffic when cycling for transportation? And is it the method you've always used, or did you develop it after some trial and error?

65 Miles Later

Despite our idyllically mild summer, I have not been doing much in the way of long or difficult rides. Somehow I just haven't been able to get into the rhythm of things after returning from Ireland. My body is absolutely treacherous when it comes to things like this, too. The more and harder I ride, the more and harder it wants to ride. But if I ease up, it quickly gets lethargic and soft, creating a vicious cycle. "I can't join that fast group ride today, I am too out of shape!..." but of course that only makes it worse for next time.




Today, however, I woke up with a calm sense of certainty. This was the day I would get off my butt, move my schedule around, and go on a long ride. I didn't know how long, but it was going to happen. Setting off in the early afternoon, I eased myself into it by stoppingat the Ride Studio Cafe10 miles in. I think secretly I hoped there would be someone there who'd ride with me, saving me from the urge to sit around drinking coffee and reading magazines all day. But no such luck. Summoning my willpower I pressed on.




And after that, something strange happened. Namely, I sort of relaxed on the bike and got lost in daydreaming. This happens to me sometimes, but never for this long. Before I knew it I was approaching the end of a familiar training loop on auto-pilot. Surprised and not feeling very creative, I could think of nothing to do but repeat the loop, determined to be more mindful this time around. There is a hill along the way, and it's one I have always disliked. How was it possible that I hadn't noticed it, daydreaming while climbing and not even feeling the dreaded "out of shape" pain?




The second time around the loop, I approached the hill with awareness. Okay, so here it was ahead. I downshifted. Now here I was, cycling up the hill. I waited for the misery of it to wash over me, but it didn't. Instead, it was almost meditative. Enjoying the shade of the leafy trees, my mind wandered in the middle of the climb. Before I knew it, I'd completed the entire loop again and it was time to ride home before it got dark.




I rode a total of 65 miles and it took me about 4 hours. It was not a difficult route, but I am still surprised that I was able to just go out and do it. My muscles may have turned to jelly over the past couple of months, but apparently some of the endurance I'd built up is still there.The mysterious ways in which the human body responds to cycling and changes because of it never cease to amaze me.Several hours and a cheeseburger later, I am now clutching my aching legs,reaching for Ibuprofen,and complaining - but also feeling deliciously alive.No matter what we might think, we are never too out of shape for a ride.

Pioneer Park Days in Zolfo Springs, FL

Every year since we have been wintering at Peace River TT's, we have heard people talk about Pioneer Park Days at the park across the street. And every year we have somehow missed getting over there to check it out. So we made sure to do it this year.





So what is this event, that has been happening here for 43 years? Well, it is part flea market and part celebration of pioneer living. There are many demonstrations that show how the pioneers lived such as dutch oven cooking, basket weaving and other 1800's activities. Then there are rows and rows of stuff. Stuff to browse and stuff to buy.



Then there are tractors, tractors and more tractors. Real ones and toy ones. Over 400 exhibits of them.



Lots of cool cars.



Lots of hit and miss steam engines which I find fascinating.



Really cool RV's.



Opinions.



Yummy food.



And fun!





We had a great time here and now we know that it is something we will be sure to want to visit each time we are here!

Climbing and skiing, and advice on cell phone use

If you haven't noticed, few posts means lots of work and activity here at Mount Rainier. The weather has remained stellar over much of the past week and things have been busy. During this period, climbers and skiers have been tackling the mountain from all directions. Of particular interest are new and extensive reports for Liberty Ridge, Ptarmigan Ridge and the Fuhrer Finger (photos included).

It seems that a few people are just itching to be rescued or call 911. We've had a number of "alarms" or "callouts" over the past few weeks, thankfully nothing has been serious! That said, one callout is in progress and involves a 2 person team pinned down in a whiteout on Liberty Ridge near 13,700 feet. We suspect that they will be fine, as they are well prepared for 2 more days on the mountain. As a reminder, if you carry a cell phone, make SURE you call 911 during an incident or emergency, not your family members.

On the other hand, two separate teams had somewhat serious accidents but self-rescued. Neither of those teams used a cell phone to alert friends. One incident involved the skier who fell 300 feet on the Emmons Glacier last weekend. A more recent event involved a 2 person team on the Kautz Glacier. One member dislocated his shoulder while descending (balled up crampons). As a reminder, we're still working on that streak of NO NEW MAJOR RESCUES since 2005. We hope to continue this trend...

First photo is by Josh Farris near 12k on Ptarmigan Ridge; the second is of a climber on Liberty Ridge by Dmitry Shapvalov.

Bodie Island Light Station

Today we headed over to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse. It is the second tallest lighthouse on the OBX.

Quick Facts

• Popular folklore says that the island got its name because of the many bodies that were found around it, washed up from shipwrecks


• The inside plaque reads “Body Island” – no one is certain on the spelling change


• Bodie Lighthouse stands 156 feet tall


• The height of each stripe is 22 feet


• It has 214 stairs to the lantern


• The beacon is visible up to 19 miles


• It currently has One 1000 watt lightbulb activated by photocell


• The land for Bodie Lighthouse cost $150 in 1846


• The total cost of construction was $140,000


• The first keeper of Bodie Island Lighthouse was paid an annual salary of $400.


• The tower still houses a 1st-order Fresnel lens

The brick lighthouse with alternating stripes of white and black that we see today is not the original lighthouse on Bodie Island. There were actually two lighthouses that came before it. Because Oregon Inlet continually shifts southward, the remains of the two original lighthouses have since been washed away.

The lighthouse is currently awaiting funds so a restoration can take place. The gentleman working there told us all about that. I missed most of it because I was fascinated (grossed out) by a snakeskin on his desk. I did get the impression that you might be able to walk inside of the building once it is restored. We had fun just touring the outside today.

I love lighthouses so it is a real treat to me when we can visit them up close and personal. It was a great day!



Living the life in North Carolina!

Jonas Joslin :: 1850 Ohio Census

The Jonas Joslin family was originally found on microfilm of the 1850 census in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio. Knowing that the surname was misspelled by the census taker as "Gloslin" an alternate name request was submitted to ancestry. As a result, they now show up in the online index when searching for Joslin.

Page 417/208a Dwelling 1511 Family 1514

• Jonas Gloslin, 81, Real Estate valued at $1500, born Mass
• Jonas Gloslin Jr., 42, born Canada
• Lucy Gloslin, 42, born NY
• John Gloslin, 21, born Ohio
• Leucretia Gloslin, 19, born Ohio
• Nancy Gloslin, 16, born Ohio
• Jane Gloslin, 15, born Ohio
• Wm Gloslin, 14, born Ohio
• Mary Gloslin, 9, born Ohio
• Elisabeth Gloslin, 7, born Ohio
• Charles Gloslin, 2, born Ohio

Page 418/208b continuation of Dwelling 1511 Family 1514

• Fanny Gloslin, 40, born Canada

Page 418/208b Dwelling 1512 Family 1515

• Benjamin Bartholomew, 70, born Conn
• J Gloslin, 21, born Ohio
• Lovina Gloslin, 21, born Ohio
• Franklin Gloslin, 1, born Ohio

==+====+====+==

Note that Jonas Sr. is listed with a real estate valuation rather than Jonas Jr., which I find a bit odd since James Joslin sold the original homestead to Jonas Jr. in 1837. The land records need to be checked to see if there are other transactions for them, it could be that Jonas Jr. sold that land.

The J Gloslin enumerated in the household of Benjamin Bartholomew is probably John Joslin, son of Jonas Jr., although John is also listed in the household of Jonas Sr. (John H. Joslin was married on June 13, 1848 to Lovina M. Pain).

The other item of interest revealed in this record is birthplaces: Jonas Sr. was listed as born in Massachusetts; Jonas Jr. and Fanny were both born in Canada.

Vegan Options for Classic Saddles

[image via somafab.com]

Though I am personally not against using animal products, some of my friends and readers are - which makes bicycle saddle purchases especially difficult for them. The problem is the basic construction of the saddles: There simply aren't any vegan options on the market today that are made in the same manner as suspended leather saddles, whereby a tough yet breathable material is stretched over metal railings like a hammock. So, what is the next best thing in terms of construction? Since saddle preferences are highly personal, I can only tell you what works for me, and hopefully it will be useful to some of you as well.If not suspended leather, then the next best thing for me is anergonomically-shapedsaddle that is a hard plastic shell, covered with a thin layer of synthetic material and very minimal padding in between. I prefer this construction by far over heavy padding or gel, which I find completely unridable. A number of experienced cyclists, such as Jon Forester, recommend these hard saddles over padded ones - the reasoning being, that the padding/gel bunches up under your sitbones and becomes uncomfortable over the course of a ride, whereas a hard plastic support with minimal padding holds up your weight equally.



[image viasomafab.com]

For roadbikes, there are several vegan options available as far as these types of saddles go. Notably, SOMA has recently released the Okami series (above, and the previous image), which comes in black, white, and embossed floral "synthetic leather," with copper-plated rivets. I've heard good things about this saddle, though I personally have not tried it. And it certainly looks classic.



[image via tokyofixedgear.com]

The Japanese manufacturer Kashimax has recently re-issued several colourful models in this tradition, many of which are vegan (just look for the models labeled "plastic" rather than "suede"). Though theKashimaxsaddles look scary-long and uncushioned, I've tried one on a friend's bike and really liked it.

[image via cinelli.it]

Another all-plastic option is the Cinelli Unicanitor re-issue - "the first saddle with a plastic shell in the history of cycling".

[image via cinelli.it]

And a limited edition Barry McGee version, covered with a lightly padded synthetic leather.

[image via chari &co]

Two Italian manufacturers have re-issued their original versions of these classic saddles as well. Selle Italia has released several versions of the classic "Turbo" model. I have ridden on several vintage Turbo saddles and loved them, so this would probably my vegan saddle of choice for a roadbike. There is something about the squarish back, the sloping sides and the down-turned nose that I find very comfortable.

[image via sellesanmarco.it]

The Concor release by Selle San Marco is a similar design to the Turbo, though I have not tried these personally. And SOMA's Ta-Bois yet another version.



[image via selleroyal.com]

Now, as far as saddles for upright bicycles go, I am not really sure what to tell you. I have not found a good vegan alternative to a sprung leather saddle, so these are more like "the lesser evil" suggestions. The Ondina model by Selle Royal (above image) is a mattress-style saddle. It is more evenly padded than other models I've tried, and resists bunching up. I have ridden on this saddle and thought it was fine for a short urban ride.



[image via lepper.nl]

I have also tried the mattress-styleLepper saddles (which come standard on many Dutch bikes), and those are similar to the Selle Royal, though with a more boxy profile. They are also usually quite heavy and the springs are enormous.



[image viaelectrabike.com]



Electra offers a number of vintage-inspired saddles that look the part, and aren't as horrendously over-padded as others I've seen - including these narrower styles that would work well on a mixte.

[image via electrabike.com]

Electra alsosells a lot of colourful models that could work well on a traditional bike. After all, a classic look does not necessarily need to imitate leather.

[image via nirve.com]

The cruiser manufacturer Nirve offers a number of traditional styles as well, including the riveted saddle pictured above and a number of floral-embossed models.

[image vianirve.com]

And another classic design by Nirve, with the "diamond" pattern popular on cruisers. If you are going for looks alone, there is a great deal to choose from between Nirve and Electra, but ride quality reports for these vary considerably.

If you have experience with any of the saddles listed here, please share your thoughts. And if you have other vegan alternatives to recommend for those who do not wish to buy leather saddles, your suggestions would be much appreciated.