Sandhill Crane

Jeff Lowe?

Jeff Lowe at the base of Metanoia. Alone, in the winter of 1991 overnine days of climbing he climbed throughbadweather, took a near-fatal fall and suceededin establishing the new route on the Eiger, Metanoia. Photo courtesy of Jon Krakauer



Jeff at court and everyone including Mark smiling :)

I was lucky enough to attend Jeff's birthday party in Utah at the Snow Basin Ski Area a few weeks ago.







The attending crowd of a hundred or so was like a who's who' in American alpine climbing. With Colorado and Utah obviously giving a good showing. Huge pleasure and an honor for me to be able to be there.









I have tried to keep on on Jeff's Metanoia Film Project but am always learning new things.



First was, with even some of the best of the current generation trying no one has repeated the route. Not on a top rope for the film and notwithout trying including a big fall on a serious attempt last year.



The most recent climbers have included Ueli Steck, Josh Wharton and Daniel Mader. None beginners.



Heard that Jeff got buy some of the most difficult sections of the climb via free climbing and a whisk broom to brush away the snow. Jeff took a big fall on this route as well. Makes modern dry tooling seem....well seemingly ineffective may be in this case.



I may have posted this previous but thought it worth while again.







More video and ways to support the filming effort here:



http://jeffloweclimber.com/

French Summer Color

French Summer, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Red-hot marigolds in a garden at a countryside home in the Dauphiné region.

The marigolds in France are amazing - they grow to be bushes 3 feet tall, the largest I've ever seen. Maybe it's the soil, maybe it's the weather, but the gardens in France grow lush and healthy. There are vegetable gardens, or potagers, in the yards of many of the old homes.

Have any of you grown marigolds that just get huge? Most of the marigolds around here are piddly little dwarves...

Santa Fe and Taos, NM

Santa Fe is a great little Town I wouldn't mind living here (if it was warmer in the winter). There is so much to do and see in the area.Old Town is full of little places to shop

Allthe turquoise and Indianjewelry you could want.

Great Sculptures

At the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail stands the Loretto Chapel.

Inside the Gothic structure is the staircase referred to as miraculous, inexplicable, marvelous and is sometimes called St. Joseph’s Staircase. The stairway confounds architects, engineers and master craftsmen. It makes over two complete 360-degree turns, stands 20’ tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir loft. The risers of the 33 steps are all of the same height. Made of an apparently extinct wood species, it was constructed with only square wooden pegs without glue or nails. It was built sometime between 1877 and 1881The handrails were added at the request of the Nuns some 10 years after it was built.

The oldest Church in the US



And the oldest house- dates back to the Analco Indians of 1200's then Spanish colonization in 1607. They just don't build them like they used to.

Sadly our journey thru Santa Fe comes to an end

From here a quick tour thru Taos - not a whole lot of interest - probably better during Ski Season. Drove the "Enchanted Loop" for 68 miles but again not very enchanting this time of year. Had we had it to do over I would have visited the Taos Pueblo - a Pueblo Indian village inhabited continuously for over 1,000 years.

San Francisco de Asisi Church built in 1850. There is a painting of Christ which at night glows and shows the crucifix at night. When the lights go out. The life-size image of Jesus standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee fades to a shadow as the wispy white clouds in pale blue sky and green water begin to glow around Him, as if all were bathed in moonlight. Soon the silhouette of Jesus grows three-dimensional and appears more like a dark statue than flat image. His robes seem to billow in a breeze. Over his left shoulder the shadow of a cross is distinct to most. Some can see a halo over his head and the bow of a small fishing boat.

A cool solar panel at the visitor's center

A view of the Rio Grande from theBridge





And then there was the Earthship Biotecture Headquarters



A community built with natrual and recycled materials, thermal/solar heating and cooling, water by harvesting, cointained sewage treatment and Solar and Wind Electricity

It is the worlld's largest self-sufficient residenial development.

The Euro Earthship 3 BR/2BA $100/Yr utility bill for sale at $400,000



Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n

Later,Melissa and Gary

Lance again?

Here is a link to the complete USADA

report on Lance Armstrong.



http://d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net/ReasonedDecision.pdf



The referenced George Hincapie signed affadavit can be found here:



http://d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net/Hincapie%2c+George+Affidavit.pdf



I was likely the last to believe it but there should be no doubt LA doped now.

Is winter season over in SWPA?

There's still ice at Upper Meadow.

If you don't mind it being a little detached.

Here's what's left of the Schoolyard climbs.

The warm weather sure has put a hurting on our local ice. The winter season has ended for most local tool swinging folks, but Laura and I have been making the most of the ice still left. The recent below freezing temps and snowfall has helped to prolong our climbing just a bit. We thought all hope was lost, but low and behold we squeezed in a few more days of winter climbing since my last post. We spent a few days at Lower Meadow Run in Ohiopyle. Up until yesterday most of the mixed lines were still climbable. Many of the lines are running with a lot of water. Anger Management was in great condition and offered great dry tooling up to the plastic ice at the finish. We managed to climb Season Finale via the direct ice start in the AM only to see most of it come down by afternoon. Yesterday was the last day we climbed. There may be a little left, but I wouldn't expect much. If you're like us and don't want to hang up the tools just yet, get dry tooling. We've got plenty of great choss climbing around to keep your forearms pumped until next season.

Did you ever have the feeling that someone or something is watching you?

Wednesday, August 10th - - This tree stump was hidden near the rear of my campsite at Itasca State Park. I noticed the rock on top and went to investigate. And what I saw brought a smile to my face...





Little beady eyes attached to all manner of forest detritus ;-)



You just never know what you'll see! Or where you'll see it!