Sunday, June 10, 2007

Gray Whale Cove -- McNee Ranch State Park, CA

Oh -- many of you will recognize this Gray Whale Cove beach. Today I went out for a day on the coast with my friend John -- and took a hike above the the beach right out near Devil's slide, from Montara beach to the beach at Gray Whale Cove. I think we may have hiked 3-4 miles total. Afterwards, we had lunch at some Brewing Company nearby, and then wandered around a bit at Pillar Point Harbor and Princeton.











Despite the current abundance of Humpback whales on the California coast now, and the name of the cove being Gray Whale Cove, we didn't see any whales. It was quite foggy -- so we didn't see much beyond the immediate vicinity. We did hear some sea lions, and see one in the harbor finally.

You can see 89 photos from today here.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

New Drops


Old Skool ... wow that's a kinda wild color. They will go great with some cotton tape and shellac. They have a new owner.

One of those Days

It was with absolute and complete amazement that I found myself still intact and on my bike, just a split second after noticing a vehicle bumber just inches from me and approaching quickly. I've never been so close to being hit.

Then I got a flat during dinner at my mother's. And another on the way home. I think I may need to walk for a few days.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Hmmm, Trouble in Paradise


This is a fancy-butt 4 battery Cat-Eye headlamp for my bicycle. Nice big beam, lots of light. Lasts a long time. Trouble is, it doesn't turn off. Fortunately, I have another one just like it.

Maybe I should send it back to Cat-eye.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Graflex Graphic View 4x5


This is my camera, in the McLoed river in Northern California, as photographed by Cindy Diaz, sometime in 2005. Here's a picture of me just moments before that (photo Cindy Diaz).

Friday, June 1, 2007

What'cha got in That Bag of Yours?

Jill asks? Nothin' really.


Lately, I am using a North Face Yavapai daypack. In it is:

The Canon 20D + 80-200 EF Zoom lens. This is kinda important, albeit pretty hefty.

A book about Ant (not ants -- silly) . The fact that I need a book about ant is proof that I am not actually a geek. All geeks already know ant.

A small tire repair kit -- This typically is used to repair other people's tires, or my own in a dire emergency.

A hair brush -- left over from when I had more hair. Notice the hair bob.

No less than 2 checkbooks.

An Aurora headlamp.

A new copy of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. I gave the last copy to a young woman headed for New Zealand. Hopefully she'll show up one day soon to tell me she was too busy having fun to read it.

Serfas'™ Multi-tool, Spare tube, and 3 tire gadgets. These used to be iron ...

CalTrain Schedule.

Reflective stickers that say Real®.

Jar of Icy Hot®

Registration and smog paperwork for two different cars.

Jar of cod liver oil capsules.

Well, that's maybe too much stuff. At least it's not winter. In which case there would be an extra pair of socks, and shoes, rain gear, and something decidedly warm.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Bennies



Corporate kicked down some cool items for those of us who rode in on bike to work day. Logo emblazend reflective gadgets and a sand control device for having sex picnics at the beach. Also included was a very nice bike map of Seattle, which I am going to post on the wall of the San Francisco office so we can all use it for reference. I looked around for the free bike to work jerseys with the Rolling Stone cover image of John Lennon naked ... but no ... there wasn't any of those. There was a little hacky sack though -- that said "Real".

Anyone care to guess where I work? I never talk about my work on my blog. I am breaking one of my basic rules. "Thou shall not yak about one's work". It seems my readers want to know. They're curious.

So for the further curious, I work for Real, as a Transportation Consultant bike enthusiast. Technically, I am a Software Test Engineer, which means I listen to the music I download to my mp3 player, and if it doesn't sound right I write up a report. Otherwise, I continue to listen and try not to steal any one's scooter or drop any juggling balls on anyone's desk, or spill my granola into my keyboard, interrupting my game of COD. I ride a skateboard on the hardwood indoors to test the gain -- is it loud enough?

Since I am actually really a test and release engineer for the software tools that publish stuff (content) for Rhapsody™, mostly I write tests and build tools, take out trash, and do the dishes. I try not to think of release day as hellweek, but then again, sometimes you can crash when your riding a stolen scooter.

It's a cool job, in a cool spot, and seriously, I work hard, and hopefully, everything sounds better, looks better, feels better, because of it.

And now this recruiter over at Netflix is poking at me. But I am so jealous of the guy I met on the train that works at Flickr. Now that's a cool job. But me -- I work at the place where music lives, and I like it.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Oh Yeah

I thought you said you had a bike. I said I had a broken computer on my bike. The car has a broken speedometer. My daughter borrowed the car. I had to try and register it. My daughter came home from college and she borrowed the car so now I am back on my bike. I have to get my truck on the road again, so I can drive too. My son is learning to drive. I get scared easily.

I miss the new Jane -- I saw her last week and that made me want to move. I have a brand new job, I work where music lives, and I listen to music for a living (not really, but sometimes I am actually supposed to listen to music). It's a good job if you can get it. It's a cool place where people juggle and wear headphones, and ride scooters around in the office, and there's free organic fruit, organic beer, and organic granola. It is less than a block from my old job. The company provides us with free copies of Rolling Stone Magazine. If you're my friend and I recommend you to work there -- they will give me money and I will buy you lunch. Then you can listen to music too, forget to shave, look like Peter Falk, threaten to grow your hair out again, and get paid with organic money. Unfortunately, I can't move right now. I have a new job.

But -- I thought you said you had a bike. Well, it's busy where music lives, and so I don't get to play on the blog quite as much. But, hey -- I still get to ride my bike.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

The Coefficient of Juju


So it started, a small idea for a little trip. A short pack trip. One night with a modest hike near Phoenix. Here we three are at the start, at the Reavis Ranch trail head. 3.5 miles up and a steep uphill -- to find this view --

and then we descend into Shawn's Garden, proclaimed to be so by me, because of it reminding me of Garden Valley. It was confirmed immediately by the Happy Hiking Guy™, and Dale was there to witness it, so now it is true, and I think the USGS is going to add the place name to the maps. You'll see another picture of it later, because, frankly, I liked it.



These are Beavertail Cactus of some sort or another. They are spiny and I think I still have some spines sticking out from my neck from when I smacked one with my face.

The descent into Reavis Creek was steep and despite a lot of preparation my right knee was threatening to disable me slow me down. Add vitamin I.

We saw this Horny Toad (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum, technically a Horned Lizard), which was cool. The horned toad has a very high coefficient of juju. One might ask, what is the coefficient of juju? This was actually Dale's terminology. I was talking about juju, as it relates to desert critters, like coyotes or lizards. I always thought juju was sort of like luck plus savvy. A lizard can run across hot desert sand and hide through camouflage, and then just when you've managed to get ahold of his tail, he breaks it off, combining surprise with speed to escape to safety. That's some large coefficient of juju. Man makes water from a desert mud hole and gets a desert survival badge. I was a bit worried the pain in my knee would lower my juju.



This is the Sierra Designs Light Year single and my home for the night. My playmates went off to find Reavis Falls while I looked around for an ice pack for my knee, made water and ate.

My legs were seriously cooked and my feet (dogs in the vernacular of Dale) were throbbing, which proved a bit difficult in the somewhat limited space of the SD Light Year.

The trip out went well.

This is the overview of Shawn's Garden. It is difficult to do this any justice with a camera. It might be the biggest collection of Beavertail cactus in one place in the world, who knows. Enlarge this photo and look at how many thousands of pads there are. Although I wasn't lame at all on the trip out, as you can see in this picture, Dale has my food bag hanging from his backpack, and I am following him like Pavlov's dog. Despite being 4 miles from the car, I am seriously ready for a bowl of screaming hot chili at Tortilla Flat. I stopped for lunch about 45 minutes later.

Me with Apache Lake in the background.

There's the car and two bowls of that chili.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Gilded Flicker


Be sure not to miss the fledgling in the nest. This is really just a little tease I pulled out of about 400 images taken over the last few days.

Monday, May 7, 2007

On the Other Side

I made it out. It was great fun and I hurt in more than a few places. My thighs are burning and my feet are still throbbing, but right now I am looking for some Thai food and resting for the drive home. Some 15 miles in two days, with about 3000' of vertical, each way. I took a short recovery hike this morning.

I can't get the photos into the computer here at the Mesa Public Library, so you'll have to wait. There will be pictures in a few days.

Superstition Wilderness, Camp at Reavis Creek


Starring Dale. There was just a small amount of running water in Reavis Creek. This is Saturday after the 8 mile trek.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Whoa, a Pile of Stuff.



So that's it -- everything required for a four day wilderness trip except the camera (which is in my hand). One has to wonder how we are going to get it all into a pack. I think I am going to need to hire a Sherpa. I don't have that great of a scale, but with 2 liters of water it is 48 lbs.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Packing


Getting Ready -- The Ten Essentials

Whenever you go on a hike, whether it's a short walk or an extended wilderness trip, you should always bring these with you. It's hard to foresee what may happen or what you may need. Know your gear completely before setting out.

10 Hiking Essentials

1. Water
Water is the most vital necessity in a survival situation. You can' t live long without it, especially in the desert where you lose water rapidly through perspiration. Your body loses fluid as a result of heat, cold, stress and exertion. Even in cold areas, you need a minimum of 2 liters of water each day to maintain efficiency. You can live for up to a month without food, but only a few days without water.

2. Map
So you can get where you're going or communicate your location to rescuers. If you get lost you may be able to find features on the map to help pinpoint your location.

3. Compass
Critical for navigation!

4. Flashlight or Headlamp
Walking in the dark can be dangerous. Not seeing a pot hole or loose rock can make your situation even worse. Don't forget spare bulbs and batteries.

5. Extra Food
To generate warmth and increase strength.

6. Extra Clothing
Temperatures at night can drop dramatically. Wet clothes can deplete your body of essential heat. Having spare clothes can save your life.

7. Sunglasses
Eyes are especially vulnerable to bright sunlight and damaging UV rays typical in the desert and mountains. These can help avoid eye damage.

8. First Aid Supplies
A ready-made, store-bought kit may not have everything you need. It is best to construct your own, based on expert advice. Some standard elements include, but are not limited to:

sterile gauze pads
band-aids
antiseptic
roll of 2" gauze
moleskin
tweezers
adhesive tape
triangular bandage
personal medication (if applicable)
Bandana
Anti-diarrheal
Ibuprofen

9. Knife or Multi-tool
Can be incredibly versatile in time of need.

10. Matches or Fire Starter
Being able to start a fire can be the difference between life and death. Be sure to keep them in a waterproof container. A fire starter, such as a candle, kindling or chemical accelerant, increases your odds of successfully getting a blaze going. If you must start a fire, be responsible! Wildfires are a real threat to the Wilderness as well as to victims and rescuers!

This list of ten essentials started from the list I found here on the Superstition Search and Rescue site.

Water Report for Springs located in the Superstition Wilderness.
Map of the area.
Route description.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

ShawnKielty.com


I know -- I told you before that it was back, but -- now -- I have made some repairs. This image is from Death Valley National Park.

Most of it works now. If you've never seen it there's an occasionally good shot out there -- take a look around.

For the techy geeks -- I quit trying to use an Apache server with PHP, and went bck to the oh so totally awesome tclhttpd server. It took me about 20 minutes to get up and running -- and fix the little bit of brokeness that I introduced trying to make it work with Apache.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Trail Cooking Trial


Many people don't understand the need to test your gear before going afield. With a remarkable boil time of 3.75 minutes the MSR Whisperlite™ is truly a great stove and came highly recommended by the elder brother. The 2 cup sized stainless cup is great, because you can cook in it and drink from it and eat from it and it's fairly light and easy to clean. My friend Jim gave it to me ...

Does anyone notice a problem in the above picture?

Just a note [Edited]: This was a dry run. I didn't actually light the gas stove in my house. It produces a basketball sized fireball, which is probably normal. I'd recommend never lighting a gas camping stove inside a house. Please don't light your house on fire testing out your stove.

Backpack Checklist

CLOTHES

___ 2 pair extra socks smartwool hiking & Wigwam Gobi liners 7.0 oz.
___ North Face convertible pants 1 lb.
___ SmartWool Microweight Long-Sleeve Crew 6.3 oz.
___ Patagonia Capilene 3 bottoms 5.1 oz.
___ Alpaca Hat 1.90 oz.
___ Outdoor Research Wool Pullover 14.1 oz.
___ North Face Summit Rain Parka 1 lb. 12.2 oz
___ marmot precip rain/wind pants w/stuff sack 7.80

Subtotal for Clothes: 4 lbs 11 oz

SHELTER & SLEEPING SYSTEM

___ Sierra Designs Light Year Tent 3 lbs. 15 oz
___ North Face Snowshoe sleeping bag, 3 lbs. 10 oz.
___ Therm-a-rest Pro-Lite 4 Regular 4-season ultralite mattress 1 lb 9.5 oz

Subtotal for Shelter & Sleeping System: 9 lbs. 1.5 oz.

PACKING

___ Kelty RedCloud 5600 6 lbs. 0.5 oz.
___ equinox pack rain cover 3.67
___ stuff sacks, freezer bags, & garbage sacks 4.00

Subtotal for Packing: 6 lbs. 7.72 oz.

COOKING & WATER

___ Katadyn Hiker Microfilter with stuff sack 14.8 oz.
___ 2 Nalgene 1-liter water bottles 12.50 oz.
___ 1 Platypus 2-3 liter hydration bag/pouch.
___ coffee pot w/lid, cup, fork, and spoon 1 lb.
___ mesh “kitchen” bag (includes condiments, toothbrush & powder)
___ MSR Whisperlite Stove 15.4 oz.
___ matches 0.35 oz
___ cigarette lighter
___ bear bag 3.49

Subtotal for Cooking (without food & fuel): 3 lbs. 0.72 oz.

NAVIGATION

___ monocular 2.1 oz
___ Silva Ranger compass 1 oz
___ maps (2 @ .2 oz per map) 0.5 oz
___ Waterproof notebook, pencil, reading specs 0.5 oz
___ Aurora Princeton led headlamp w/ 6 AAA batteries 4.2 oz.
___ (1)Streamlight Scorpion Stinger Flashlight 3.3 oz

Subtotal for Navigation: 11.60

ESSENTIALS & OTHER ITEMS

___ first aid kit 6.0
___ (*) waterproof matches
___ (*) firestarter ~
___ Gerber Folding Saw
___ (*) duct tape ~
___ (*) fox plastic whistle ~
___ all (*) items in small freezer bag 3.30
___ signal mirror
___ bug guard/sun block 3.00
___ sting-eze bug-bite/bee-sting relief 0.78
___ Dermatone Lip Balm with Lanyard 0.35
___ tent repair kit 0.5
___ expedition sewing kit 0.74
___ pack towel 1.52
___ toilet paper 1.50
___ candle

Subtotal for Essentials & Other: 17.69

PACK WEIGHT NOT INCLUDING FOOD, WATER & FUEL: 22 lbs. 6.63 oz

___ Fuel for 3 days (includes extra): 13.20 oz
___ Food for 3 days (23 oz per day x 3 "full" days): 4 lbs. 5oz.
___ 2L Water 4 lbs. 4 oz.

Total weight: 9 lbs. 7.83 oz.


TOTAL PACK WEIGHT: 31 lbs 7.25 oz

CAMERA

Canon 20d with 17-85 lens 3 lbs. 4 oz.

THE GEAR I WOULD BE WEARING

___ Gerber Freeman folding knife 7.8 oz.
___ Nordstrom Off white cotton oxford shirt 11 oz.
___ North Face Polargaurd vest 1 lb.
___ GPS with neck lanyard
___ REI Men's Sahara convertible pants 1 lb 3.4 oz
___ smartwool hiking socks & Wigwam Gobi liners 3.5 oz
___ Merrill Wilderness Boots 3 lbs. 10 oz.
___ Manfrotto 679B Monopod, to double as a hiking pole. 1 lb 4 oz.
___ Smith Factor Sunglasses 4 oz.

Wearing weight 148.97 oz or 9 lbs. 4.97 oz.

GEAR TOTALS

Pack 31 lbs 7.25 oz.
Camera 3 lbs. 4 oz.
Body 9 lbs. 4.97 oz.

Total Burden 44 lbs 0.22 oz.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Back to the Desert

I am getting ready for a trip to the desert; a backpacking trip. The last real backpacking trip I made was in the spring when I was 20 or so to Cloud's Rest in Yosemite. I might even be as strong as I was then, although a lot less likely to make that hike.

This is a Banded Gila Monster, (Heloderma suspectum cinctum) in Bluff Springs Canyon, Superstition Wilderness. August 6th, 2006.

*******************

John awarded me this:

because I offered him a choice between beer and food, which he clearly decided was thought provoking. Then he immediately used up some choices for tagging granting this wonderful award. Folks like Jill and Joanne, good thinking bloggers, very deserving of such prizes. A nice guy. I am proud to be in such good company.

I have previously declared myself immune to tagging, but apparently unilateral decisions like that don't necessarily work. In my acceptance speech, I'll say something nice about him.

Five people who have made me think ... recently. Dillon, who leaves me fascinated that he can be so objective about such a polemic subject. Paul, for reminding me of Phoenix's darker side. BirdChick, when I was young the Whooping Cranes fascinated me. Lauren who has left me wondering about poop habits or poo, more than once ... And Marscat, whose story I can't wait to finish. Thinking Blogger Awards to each of you.

The rules:

1. If, and only if, you got tagged an award, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the irritant award.
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

Monday, April 16, 2007

A Pound a Day

2 Folgers Coffee singles 0
2 creamer packets ?
2 Granola Bar 360
12 triscuits 240
2 3 oz Tuna Pouch 220
2 Gu Honey Stinger 200
One Top Ramen 360
Box Raisins 130
2 Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate packages 240
6 whole wheat fig newtons 330
2 instant oatmeal packages 320
1 bag of tea 0
Quart of Gatorade (dry) 300

Total Calories 2600

Weight: 1 lb. 4 oz.

A 12 ounce Guinness in the bottle weighs about 1 lb. 4 oz and contains 153 calories, so the question has to be -- which would you pick?

Friday, April 13, 2007

Images from Tokyo, Thanksgiving 1997


Aerial view of Tokyo. It's literally a sea of 10 story buildings for as far as the eye can see.
The Yellow Raincoat

See more shots here.

Monday, April 9, 2007

My Library

I used to enjoy reading, when I was in the fourth grade. When I got to be a grad student I kind of lost my taste for it. 4 solid years of serious study and research, left me literarily bereft of any desire to read.

I have been unpacking a few things recently, and since I came across yet another box of books, that's the 16th, it reminded me of how good it feels to read for the fun of it. I have been reading on the way back and forth on the train everyday, and I am seeriously enjoying having an hour to read everyday.

It is always fun to meet someone new and then get to see their library. It's so fascinating. "Oh, look, Strunk and White." "She has a bird book." "There's Janson's History of Art right next to
Latin America at the Crossroads
." So much to learn about a person from their library. "He has a dictionary in the bathroom."

I started a list of books in the sidebar.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Ohhh -- I Remember When ..

Slim: Hey -- want to go fishing Sunday?
Me: Sure, where?
Slim: in the ocean. In Pacifica.
Me: Really? OK.

Sunday morning we get up and go over the hill to Pacifica and rent a sixteen foot outboard rowboat and they launch (drop) us off a steep, long ramp made out of telephone poles and we paddle through the breakers, drop the outboard, and poof -- we're in the Pacific in a 16' wood (freakin) outboard rowboat. Fishing for Ling-Cod.

"Just point right at the beach and the waves will take you home -- and {stay to the left of) try to miss the rocks and you'll be ok ... pull the motor up at the last minute ..." I can remember the shoreline from the ocean as if it were yesterday, but the odds of finding it from the beach side today are impossible.

I was sixteen, and Slim was about sixty-nine and my neighbor. I never was scared, and I never felt in danger. I never caught a fish, and I never was seasick. Slim threatened to throw his teeth up over the gunwale and told a shark story or two ... "The shark bit at the back end of the boat and left a bunch of teeth in it -- see -- here's a few," and he holds out a fistful of shark's teeth tied together with a string. If he were here today, I'd get in that boat with him again.

Holy crap. I wish I had taken a camera. You can't imagine the feeling of being on the very edge of the world, beyond the edge of the world -- and out there in the water. Looking back at the land with childish wonder. Holy crap. I wish I had taken a camera. I think it was here where the pillars are in the water.

And, damn, I won that camera the year before at the county fair, by shooting little targets with serious deadly accuracy, or some other crazy game.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

400+ March

Date: 31 March 2007
Mileage for the week: 82.37
March total: 407.84
On the Ipod: Nothing