Out with the Old, in with the New

The New

My plan all along had been to keep the Outback until it hit 180,000 miles and Ben was out of college. Since we're paying the equivalent of a new economy car each year to the University of Michigan (a much better deal than the luxury-car-a-year prices at private schools), we figured we'd hardly notice a buying a car after 4 years of university.

The Old (rust, bald tires, and all)

But life rarely pays attention to our plans. We've been traveling so much since we've come to State College that we're already at 176,000 miles,  two years ahead of schedule. Then the tires need replacement - $450. And the rear end is making funny noises -$???. And its getting hard to jack up to change a tire the rear rocker panel 's so rusty. And the rear O2 sensor is bad, and the rear wiper. We decided to cut our losses, take the Outback when we go home and sell it to a student needing something to get them to classes in the winter.

We decided we wanted a car with better gas mileage to replace it. With another low-mile Subaru back home, we figured one all-wheel-drive car was sufficient - we could look at front wheel drive. Especially with the economy recovering and unrest in the Middle East, we knew fuel prices were only going to go up in the future. So I was researching the VW TDI (high efficiency, low pollution diesel) Golf and the new Prius hybrid.

The Golf TDI drove like a sports car - it was huge fun. With practical space inside and styling we liked, we were smitten, though the interior was a bit uninspired. With the diesel, it would get low 30's to high 40's for mileage. I wanted to make it work, but reviews called into question the non-engine reliability of Volkswagens and raised the specter of high maintenance costs to boot. Plus diesel is only available at half of all gas stations, costs significantly more than gas, has higher carbon emissions per gallon, and even with a high tech engine like the TDI has higher overall emissions that gas. And the diesel is best run a little hard for the emissions controls to work efficiently. Great for highway cruising, but this car was to be a work commuter for Ann as well as a highway cruiser, and she only drives 2 miles to work. It'd never warm up most days. Sigh. We looked at the Prius.

The Prius hasn't struck me with its styling, but the new design for 2010 was a vast improvement. Not only that, it was bigger than before, competing head on with Golf on interior space, while also raising its efficiency to 50 miles per gallon. I especially liked the new interior with its raised console arcing to the dash where subdued shifter, radio and climate controls artfully curved between the driver and passenger. Gone was most of the boy-wonder styling of the previous model. We found it more tasteful than many new cars in any category. It also drove pretty nicely. Maybe not sporty, and certainly not like the fast, nimble Golf, but taught, and smooth. It handles better than the Outback for sure. And how often would we really use "fun mode" on the Golf? I guess in the end we're car-as-appliance folks. The Prius has excellent city mileage, perfect technology for short run stop-and-go city traffic as well as cross country tours, and cheaper easier fuel.. Add in a lower sticker price and 0% financing for a 2010 Prius (a boon to cash-strapped parents with kids in college), and we new it had to be.

The 0% financing ended soon, so I got on the internet and scrambled to find a dealer with some selection of 2010s at this late date. I found one in Ithaca, NY that had three on the lot, and the lowest price around (one of those lowest-price, no-dicker dealers - fine by me). Better yet, we like vising Ithaca, and owed some friends there a dinner.

We drove to Ithaca that weekend, and the dealership was hopping - folks all over the lot. One of the Prius was already gone. We got a salesman, told him we wanted the base model, went for a test drive, and liked the it better than we had expected (it was even a dark grey instead of the silver Ann dislikes). So we told him "sold". He feigned mock disappointment that he hadn't had to work the sale, but was a very agreeable guy. We walked down the street to do some shopping while he finished the paperwork and prep.

Then things started to get interesting. He called back to say we were all set, except it was Saturday and our little insurance company wasn't open on weekends so he couldn't release the car till he got proof-of-insurance Monday. Bah! Three hours home, then 3 hours back on Monday - no thanks. So we decided to spend the weekend (again - we had been in Ithaca a month ago as tourists). Ann called her friend and colleague, Andrea, to ask for lodging recommendations and she insisted we stay at their blueberry farm. We felt kind of bad dropping in on such short notice, but Andrea and John are such great folks.

We had a fine weekend with them, exploring their historic house, touring their farm 30 minutes from Ithaca, learning about their fruit wine business, treating them to their favorite restaurant in nearby Trumansburg, touring a local gorge and waterfall, and generally hanging out. If you're ever in the Finger Lakes region, stop in at their place to pick some blueberries, or sample their homemade wine.

http://www.glenhavenfarm.com/ghw_about.html

So Monday rolls around, we meet our salesman, Mick, and ... wait ... he's left the second key to our new car at home. No problem he says, he'll FedEx it to us the next day. We say goodbye, then pop in to use the restrooms. "Wait, I forgot to give you your manuals, here they are." Hmmm. We make the scenic drive home, only to find he gave us Tacoma pickup manuals. The after-sale service is quickly heading downhill. Ann calls. "Yeah, yeah, I'll put the correct manuals in with the key". A week later no key, no nothing. Ann calls Mick. "Sure I sent it Next Day."A few more days - nothing. Ann calls Mick again. "Sure I'll get you the tracking number to you tomorrow." Nothing. The man refuses to return calls. After another try, Ann calls the sales manager. Mick calls back at 9:50 pm. "I'll call you with it tomorrow." Nothing. Another message with the sales manager. Mick calls only when his boss sits on him, I guess. Turns out he did send it FedEx, who can't deliver to our apartment. But he lost our phone number or something, so he put some phone number we've never seen as our number on the package. Of course, FedEx can't deliver and can't reach us, so after 5 tries, it goes back to the dealer. Mick just sends it back out again, UNCHANGED. UNBELIEVABLE! So of course it's undeliverable again, and stuck in the FedEx system for another week unless we get that tracking number. Finally he somehow finally manages to get the tracking number for Ann after 3 weeks and she arranges it to be held at the local Kinkos. Pick it up after the weekend - key's there, some manuals are there - wait, no owner's manual. UNBELIEVABLE. It's been over 4 weeks now and we're still waiting to finish this out.

We love the car, he was a pleasant enough guy, the price was good. But after the sale, what a sordid tale of poor communication, lack of organization, no attention to detail, and general cluelessness. I'm glad we'll be using another dealer back home.

Dave Brubeck!Ramsey Lewis!!

 The high light of our concert season at Penn State this year was an incredible double header with Dave Brubeck, the father of "Cool Jazz", and Ramsey Lewis, one of the great pop-jazz pianists of the late 20th century. Arriving in the Eisenhower Auditorium (not THAT Eisenhower, but his brother, former president of Penn State - an accomplished family), we were treated to two jazz legends in one evening.

Brubeck is now 92, and has been touring with Lewis for a some years to share some of the performance load. Brubeck opened the show with his quartet. A little fumbly on the first piece, he settled in nicely for the rest of the first show. We especially liked his bassist, and the saxaphonist was pretty good too. I've always know Brubeck as more of a composer and rhythmic genius, and that was born out here. Not a lot of pyrotechnics at the keyboard, but an incredible sense of timing and space in the music. Ann had seen Brubeck in the mid 1970's in Ann Arbor near the peak of his career, and it was a treat for her to see him again at the end of his career.

Nearing intermission, Brubeck had a conversation with his crew, and announced that he'd played about as much as he could. Apparently, he'd just had a pacemaker implanted recently, and was kind of performing against his doctor's wishes! So his band helped him to his feet, and he shuffled off the stage to a standing ovation. We wondered aloud if this was going to be his last tour.

Ramsey Lewis

After the break out comes Ramsey Lewis and his trio. I was unfamiliar with Lewis besides his name, but wow, what a player! Great technical skill, dynamics, and showmanship. Interpretations of classic jazz and popular tunes that really swung, super smooth and accomplished playing, and a wonderfully precise and fluid percussionist. He seemed to dance at the drums. One of the great live concerts I've been to, and a memorable close to a memorable evening.

Vanderbilt's Biltmore

The Front Door

Biltmore, the Vanderbilt estate in Asheville, North Carolina at 135,000 square feet is the largest private residence in the U.S. Beautifully sited on a hill top outside town, it is surrounded by 8,000 acres of gardens, farms, and forest. I've always wanted to visit Asheville, with its southern mountain climate at 2,000 feet elevation, and specifically Biltmore as an example of the heights Guilded Age private architecture achieved. Originally part of a working estate of 125,000 acres, 85,000 acres of its forestland were sold upon Vanderbilt's death to the federal government, forming Pigsah National Forest.

The Stalls in the Stable

Not only does it have 250 rooms, but the rooms are ginormous. They remind me more of civic or ecclesiastical spaces than a home. In fact the entire building has the feel of a castle and cathedral mash-up. The cut limestone, the complex and idiosyncratic carving, statuary, and old-world art work make it a museum too.

Still owned by a descendant of the original owner George Vanderbilt, it is operated as a for-profit enterprise with the purpose its of restoration and preservation. And they have gone to great lengths, including recreation of original fabrics on 100 year old hand looms and the commissioning of hand printed wall paper. We did our part paying $50 each for admission.

And there's a hint of Disney here too, with lots of subtle and not so subtle ways to part tourists from their money. One of our favorites was the restaurant in the old stables. My house should be as nice as those stables. The had done a great job turning each stall into a booth, and preserving much of the contents amidst a busy cafe. Food wasn't bad either.

Wisteria!

The house of course was over the top, and the finishes exquisite. We spent 2.5 hours on a self guided tour and had a great time. But what we really came for was the spring gardens. From the gargantuan wisteria on the patio overlooking the mountains to the redbud, forsythia, and magnolias nestled in the cozy valley to the expansive millpond, it was a treat for our winter-dulled eyes.

Lori and Ann Examine the Andromeda

Biltmore's grounds were designed by Fredrick Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City, late in life. From the moment you leave the highway and follow along the river, your views are orchestrated and your approach controlled. You leave the river and climb, turning, through the woods past towering trees and blooming shrubs, finally springing onto a vast lawn forming a tableau for the mansion and distant mountains. Large fountains are (still inactive from the winter) front and center, with gardens descending the hill to the left, in successive cascades of increasing informality. The highly structured Italian Garden with its pools and statuary leading to the formal walled garden filled with bulbs and ringed with espalier opening to the informal English Landscape Garden descending finally to the mill pond.

Spring Garden Valley Lawn

We spent many more hours exploring the gardens. They were so photogenic that many of our pictures of each other are of the one of us taking a picture! We even went through some sections twice.

Walking the Magnolias

Our final goal for the day was to try out the mountain biking at Biltmore. Yes, you heard that right, mountain biking. As part of the for-profit nature of the enterprise, a resort has been constructed away from the house near the farming areas. Called Antler Hill Village, it preserves the unique original brick barn structures, but adds a tourist village and resort hotel nearby. As part of the resort, there area several newer buildings housing restaurants, a pub, a winery, and an outdoor center. Many activities are offered to guests, including an equestrian center, fishing, a Land Rover off-road school, trap shooting, Segue tours, and of course, biking.

Mill Pond Bridge

To our surprise, we found almost 10 miles of single track, much of it professionally built, along with another 5 miles or more of two track and paths around the grounds. It was a fun end-of-day experience to wander about the farms and wooded hills along the river on our bikes and step back from the ostentation of the mansion and grounds proper. And it was reasonably priced at $5 a day.

Overall, worth visiting, and in the end I could get past some of the tourist vibe - it didn't dominate the experience like some places. You could still easily see the vision of the Vanderbilts for their home, the working farms and forests that were meant to maintain it (though I hear it was never fully self supporting), and the beautiful setting. It was at times busy in some of the buildings, even on the first weekend of high-season, but with good scheduling, you can get around that.

Riding DuPont State Forest. Asheville, NC

Snowy April Mountains in Northern NC

Friends from Houghton organize semi-annual road trips to nationally recognized mountain biking sites, usually early spring and late fall when the riding in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is poor or non-existent.

I've never joined them before - they do some hard core tag-team straight-through driving (often 20 or more hours) to maximize riding and minimize vacation time. I can fall asleep in a car fine, my problem is not being able to stay asleep. I'd be toast. I'm more of a 12 hours-then-a-comfy-bed explorer. This year they chose to explore the South East so that Ann and I could more easily join them from our temporary digs in Central Pennsylvania.

View East from Rental House at Saluda

We planned a few side trips along the way (see my University of Virgina blog entry) and some overnight stops for ourselves, but the ultimate goal was Asheville, North Carolina and environs. The folks from up north found a sweet mountaintop house near Saluda, NC to rent and rounded up 12 likely suspects to share the cost. Great view from the deck for $57 a person, no?

Saluda is a cute little town about 40 minutes south of Asheville, and about 40 minutes east of our ride at Dupont State Forest. Perfect for us, cause while much of the group was bent on riding all day, every day, a couple of us were corrupted by nearby Biltmore mansion (see my Biltmore blog entry) on Saturday. But Sunday it was all Dupont.

Dupont is famous for its waterfalls and exposed granite slick rock. Parts of the 1999 movie, Last of the Mohicans, was filmed here, including the memorable waterfall scenes. So we started out with an all-group ride to the 4 easily accessible falls. Fantastic.

Waterfall Up Close

We'd ride as close as we could, then park the bikes and clamber across the rocks for a closer look. Especially, Bill. Real close. I joined him on the rock at the base of the falls. It was an awe inspiring, moving experience to stand feet from the thundering cascade, your body shaken by the roar, your face washed by the spray, the water leaping and falling past with immense power. A highlight of the whole trip for me.

Really Close

After the falls, we broke up into a long group and a short group. The long group would ride the 30 mile IMBA Epic the encompasses the best riding throughout the forest. The short group would hit some of the highlights closer in, then find other entertainment in town. 

The trails were a mix of dirt road, old two track, and sweet modern single track. On the dirt roads you might find some of the many equestrians out on a beautiful spring day (even some sporting carriages). And plenty of hikers closer in. Further out, we saw almost nobody.

Some of the old two tracks pre-date modern building methods and were severely eroded, providing a nice technical climbing challenge. Sometimes it got to be too much to sustain, turning us into pedestrians walking 25 pound wheeled weights. 

Too Much

The newest single track was ultra nice, giving sweeping, flowing descents that went on and on. Some of the best were Ridgeline Trail, Reasonover Creek, and Airstrip.

There also visited some more remote waterfalls, including Bridal Vail Falls, which you could walk behind. They did this in Last of the Mohicans as the bad guys chased our heros, torches in hand, through the night. Somehow it looked much more spacious in the movie.

The coolest way to get to this falls is from the bottom. There's a long walk up gently sloping granite to the top where a ledge forms the upper falls. Most of the water is in the rapids to the right of the slope, but it has such an even face that much of it is covered with a thin sheen of flowing water, separated by occasional dry patches. My bike shoes were too slick to make much headway, so I went barefoot. Fine on the dry patches, but where there was little flow, algae had accumulated and it was incredibly slick. I began sliding backwards several times and had to spin and drop on my butt to keep from accelerating to the bottom. Eventually I discovered that if I walked where the flow was higher, there was little algae and traction was good. On to the top.

Bill Climbs a Slick Rock Falls

It was quite dramatic to crawl behind the falls on one side and come out the other. Again the feel of the spray and the sound of the powerful flow were awe inspiring. This time we could reach out and touch it. Sitting on the granite next to the falls in the middle of the river was a great place for second lunch. On the way down we discovered a bathtub sized pothole in the bedrock full of water. If had been a bit warmer, I'd have popped in for a soak next to the roaring cascade.

Under Bridal Vail Falls

Riding the slick rock of Cedar Rock Trail was another treat. After an arduous climb up a once-eroded and now armored fall line trail, we arrived at the dome, covered in moss and with sparse trees where soil had built up in cracks. The path was marked by small cairns and was quite steep, but traction was superb. A very unusual environment offering excellent views of the surrounding mountains. The descent was equally steep, and got to be pretty exciting on the eroded lower reaches when we got off bed rock. A very fun trail.

On the trail by 11 am, back at the car by 6 pm, it was a eventful, tiring day. We had time for one more trail - a quick out and back on the buff single track of Ridgeline. We raced to the top, turned around, and raced back down, Bill and Pat in the lead and me bringing up the rear, while Mike and Kathy spotted the Burb in the nearby parking lot for an end-of-day pickup. Good times were had by all.

Mike Ridin' the Slick Rock

Folks had to be back at work on Tuesday, so we headed back to the house, ate a quick supper of leftovers, packed up the cars, and hit the road as the light was failing. We spent the night in Tennessee, the Houghton crew drove on through the night, from 70's and sun to 5 inches of fresh snow back home. We hit 85 F on the way through Virginia. But it was raining and cold back in State College. Spring was over for another few weeks.

The Crew Takes a Break

University of Virgina

The Academical Village and Lawn

Driving down US-81 on our way to Asheville, North Carolina to mountain bike with friends, we made a last minute detour to visit Ann's mom's home town of Waynesboro, Virgina. One thing leads to another of course, and with Charlottesville only 30 miles further, we just had to press on - the University of Virginia's iconic campus tugged at our architectural and  historical selves. Designed by Thomas Jefferson late in life, it is one of his crowning achievements, along with Monticello, the Declaration of Independence, and the Louisiana Purchase. We'd visited Monticello years ago and absolutely loved it, this would complete our exposure to his most famous architecture.

Prime Real Estate

It's a pretty drive down the mountain from Waynesboro to the piedmont and Charlottesville. Entering town, we got the impression one gets at many thriving university towns. Students everywhere, small shops in historic buildings, difficult parking - all the usual aspects. But once parked, we crossed the street and stepped back 200 years.

The core historic campus is immaculately preserved, yet alive. Arranged as ranks of attached student rooms and faculty homes facing across the quad, each in its own style, the high ground is anchored by the Rotunda.

Back Garden Serpentine Wall

Students and faculty still live in the historic rooms, still have wood for their fireplaces stacked outside their doors, and compete for the privilege to stay there. Behind the residences are fantastic gardens with all manner of bulbs, blooming shrubs, and trees. All are surrounded by serpentine brick walls. One of Thomas Jefferson's innovations, they allow a wall to be built on brick thick, making them both stable, economical, and graceful. At the corner of each garden are attractive brick 4 holers - the classiest vault toilets I've had the pleasure to meet.

T.J. in the Rotunda Entry

The Rotunda sits at the north end of the lawn, inspired by and half the scale of the Pantheon. Burned, re-built, then restored in the 1970's to it's original design, it's a gorgeous structure. Interior walls on the entry level inscribe ellipses inside rectangular base forming conference and sitting rooms. Upstairs the former library, with radial shelves around the perimeter under the gallery, rises several stories to the skylit dome overhead. Convocations, doctoral defenses, and tours fill the days of this classic space. 

The Rotunda Upstairs

The historic campus, what Jefferson called his Academical Village, is an institutional treasure of one of our great American universities. And we found upon returning home, of the world. In conjunction with Monticello, it is one of 8 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in the U.S. How many schools can claim that?

Elton Comes to Town

The Surprise Tickets

Elton came to town. Sir John, that is. We were in Huntingdon Sunday afternoon getting in an early season mountain bike ride through the hills overlooking Raystown Lake, when Ann got a call from Renee - free tickets to Elton John at the Bryce-Jordan arena back in State College if we could get home and ready in the next 2 hours.

Now I've never been a big fan of arena concerts (not even 30 years ago seeing Genesis at the Cleveland Colliseum - my last such event), and though I like some of John's songs, he's never been top of my list. But what an opportunity to try something we haven't done in decades. To join the crowds in town and see a Pop Icon, one of the most popular and successful male singer/songwriters of all time, in his natural environment - the arena. A can't miss event.

Ann Approaches Bryce-Jordan

Why he's never been tops with me? Maybe I never got over the 8th grade debate that split my class for my weeks - should John Denver or Elton John get the Grammy? I was in the Denver camp, but Elton got the Grammy. Of  course if you look at my music collection now, John Denver is nowhere to be seen, but I do count an "Elton John's Greatest Hits" among my possessions. In retrospect, I'd say the industry got it right, Elton is the better musician. So letting bygones be bygones, we scarfed a quick supper, and hiked up the hill through campus for an evening of entertainment.

Our tickets were for mid court, about half way up. Unfortunately, it wasn't a basket ball game, so all the action was at the end of the arena. The crowd was good, but not a sell out. The addition of large projection screens since my last arena concert is a big plus - now you can see who that tiny figure under the lights really is. Really this type of concert is more a live light show to music - the people are so small as to be incidental to the entertainment.

Vending Lines at the Concert

But there were lots of the tiny people. John travels with quite a band. A drummer (with the biggest, longest kick drum I've ever seen), a percussionist (with a second full drum kit in addition to the xylophone, bells, triange, etc.), keyboardist, electric bass, electric guitar, John himself on concert grand, and four backup singers. And Leon Russel for the second half of the show on another concert grand, highlighting their new joint album (including a nice song called "Ride that Whale"). Amazingly, the guitarist and drummer had been with Elton on his 1970 tour. All of 'em still making music 40 years later.

Elton John on the Big Screen

As soon as the music started, I remembered why I never liked arena concerts. It's loud, yes, but the real drag is the sound quality. The acoustics of a sports arena are horrific. I'd hoped that 30 years would have lead to some improvements in signal processing to improve the situation (and a well funded artist like this could certainly afford state of the art), but it was not to be. There really was no point in him playing a concert grand - you couldn't tell by the sound. He might as well have been playing an electronic piano. And the kick drum dominated everything - it didn't take long for every song to start sounding like the other.

Elton John has written some very good songs over the years, and I enjoyed hearing them again, but when everything sounds the same and has the same volume level, it detracts from experience for me. I longed for a big reduction in distortion and a greater use of dynamic range. In the end, it's the light show that's changed the most since 1982.

Interestingly, the best live rock concert I've ever been to was also in 1982 - King Crimson live at E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Center at Akron University. This time we're talking concert hall, newly built at the time with careful attention to acoustics. And a band very conscious of musicianship and musicality (this was the first reconstitution of King Crimson with Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, and Bill Bruford). Superb playing, attention to dynamic range, and sound quality. I've always wished I could go to that concert again - some of the best live music I've experienced of any style.

Still, the Elton John concert was worth doing as part of our State College experience. To step out of our every day habits and try something new (or something old long since left behind), even if only to confirm our past prejudices still hold.