A Presidential Visit

 I went out for a walk today, and discovered all the downtown streets and arteries block with heavy equipment and public safety vehicles in preparation for president Obama's visit to Penn State. He was in town to discuss energy efficiency research and jobs. So I followed the closures towards the airport hoping to see something interesting. They were even rerouting pedestrians around some buildings, and there were long lines of students at the Eisenhower auditorium -presumably some of his visit sites.

Sure enough, as I walked along a deserted Park Avenue - normally thick with traffic - here came the presidential motorcade. Quite the entourage - 20 some vehicles including several obviously armored SUV's - including one flying the American and Presidential flags. Who knows if he was actually in that one or not.

All followed by other dignitaries, staff, police, ambulances, and support vehicles. It's nice to see how seriously they take the president's security.

Back to Houghton - Supertour Nordic Ski Race

 It was great to be back in Houghton working with one of the best race crews around. Great folks -smiling faces all around.

Our hosting the January Supertour race was a last minute change. It was moved to Houghton in the fall after the closure of its previous home, and the organizing committee did a great time on short notice getting the event planned, volunteers recruited, and sponsors assembled.

And of course the all-volunteer race crew, veterans all from 3 previous national championship races and countless regional events, pulled it off without a hitch.

It was a complex series of races, with 2 starts areas, 4 courses and nearly a dozen race categories each day. A sprint test event was held Friday evening, then classic races on Saturday and freestyle skate races Sunday - races for all ages and abilities, from 5 year olds to grandparents, from beginners to members of the national development teams from the US and Canada. And the Race Secretaries, the Timing Crew, the Stadium Crew, the Announcer, the Officials all did a bang-up job.

It's quite inspiring to see both the youngest and most inexperienced putting out their best efforts as well as the elites carving up the course at unimaginable paces. Standing at the Nexus seeing the seemingly endless chain of skiers winding up and down the hills on all sides as the course winds it way to the finish is a true spectacle sure to give you shivers.

It was a treat to help with the event and experience the camaraderie of the crew and the excitement of the participants.

Back to Houghton - Nordic Ski Race Grooming

Michigan Tech's Bombarider Plus-MP Snow Groomer

With the closure of Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin last year, the January 2011 SuperTour cross country ski race lost its home. Michigan Tech stepped into the breach and offered to host the event. A national race series, the Supertour attracts many of the top tier of regional and collegiate skiers as well as some of the national development teams from the US and Canada.

Unfortunately, I was in Pennsylvania for the year and my partner at the ski trails, Jim Meese, was left with two groomers-in-training.

First Snowmobile Repair

Jim Repairs Second Snowmobile

After the Tiller Repair

Race grooming is complex and time critical, and requires experienced operators on both the big tiller equipped snow cat and on the tracksetter equipped snowmobile. The trainees were still hard at work learning the recreational grooming patterns and weren't ready yet for race grooming, so Michigan Tech offered to fly me back for the week so I could work the race. I jumped at the chance to head home to see old friends, do some trail grooming, work a race, and get some ski time on the great trails of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan's Lake Superior snow belt.

This year, equipment failures were an added challenge on top of course setup and grooming. One of our main work snowmobiles came back from the shop the day I arrived, supposedly cured of its failure to charge its battery. Not. More parts had to be ordered and we needed the sled working now for the races, so I mounted a deep cycle marine battery on the back, providing a day's worth of operation and easy charging in the shed at night.

Not to be outdone, the backup-backup sled, on load from the city of Houghton to groom the non-race trails, pulled into the trailhead pouring smoke from the engine. A pinhole in the mix-oil line was spraying directly onto the exhaust. It's a wonder it didn't burst into flames and melt into the snow. Jim astutely diagnosed the problem and had it repaired in no time once the muffler had cooled.

Plus-MP Groomer Cab

And between the Saturday and Sunday Races, the big machine suddenly lost the ability to raise, tilt, or center its tiller. It appeared to be a recurrence of a faulty connector on the hydraulic reverser valve control, but repairing this only eliminated some of the symptoms. Further perusal of the schematics and  inspection of the tiller frame revealed that the connector problem had been only the initiator of a cascade of failures. The snow cat is neigh 14  years old now, and its tiller centering sensor rod's flex joint had corroded over the years, becoming rigid. This in turn caused the sensor rod to flex with every pivot of the tiller frame. When the hydraulic control problem caused the frame to swing hard left, it was the last straw and snapped off the end of the fatigued rod. Not a part you'll find down at the hardware store on a Saturday night. Luckily, the rod was not hardened and we were able to drill a temporary hole in what remained. This allowed us to reconnect the sensor rod to the tiller frame and so allowed the tiller to recenter enough that the system could lift it. Phew. And just in time for the 5" of snow we got that night.

Waiting for Jim to Come Around Again

But the grooming itself went off without a hitch. Nothing broke during grooming, the snow let up just as we were finishing each morning, and we didn't forget anything. This event was especially complex to groom since we had so many races each day on so many courses. Each day we had two start areas, a finish, 3 different courses (1 km , 3 km and 5 km), and the wax test and warm-up areas to groom by 8 am (2 hours before race time).  We generally got up at 3 am, got the equipment on the trail by 3:30 am, and began with the wax test and warm-up. Jim ran the tiller and I followed with the snowmobile. 10 tracks on the wax test hill (he set 2 outer tracks with the wide-spaced tiller pans on 3 passes and I set 2 in between with the snowmobile pans on 1.2 m centers on the two outside passes), 4 through the warm-up loop, and 2 on course with best line (meaning that I set the tracks with the snowmobile only, following the shortest distance through the corners that the skiers will naturally ski).

The fun and the challenge of grooming is planning a pattern (since you can't go through an area with the equipment again once you've set track there), the teamwork between the tiller and sled operators, getting a consistent high quality surface with the tiller, and setting tracks that are straight on the straight segments, following best line on the corners, ending when a skier could not hold track through an approaching corner, and begining again at a location they will naturally find themselves after completing a turn.

Parallel Mass Start Tracks

Because we maintain very firm trails to hold up to heavy race traffic, it takes 2 passes with the tiller to sufficiently  loosen the snow for optimal track. We incorporate these two passes into our planning since with overlapping courses, there are points where the sled operator (me) has to wait for the tiller operator (Jim) to come around again and back into a cutoff or crossing. In addition to loosening, the tiller operator is responsible for leveling the course and stadium with the blade before race grooming. The snowmobile operator is responsible for setting the start tracks in the stadium once the tiller operator has leveled and loosened the entire stadium and spectator areas. It's a bit easier to set straight tracks with a snowmobile than the tiller once a reference track has been set, and the start track spacing of 1.5 m is different than the course and wax test spacing of 1.2 m. In straight areas with parallel tracks like a start zone, track straightness is especially obvious and important, so a reference track is set, then re-set with successive passes correcting any errors. The edge of the grooming for the first track can be used as a reference to align and guide the equipment on successive tracks (7 in this race).

Dragging the Sprint Timing Shed with Two Sleds

The day preceding a race, the course and stadium have to be groomed as they will be for the race to allow athlete inspection (and groomer practice). After each race, we remove any tracks from the course with the snowmobile and drag and re-set fences to prepare for the next day's course and grooming that night. So there's not a lot of sleep happening for the groomers (especially Jim the tiller operator) during races. 4 hours is common.

We also held a test race on our new sprint course at the Supertour, which necessitated a temporary timing building. What was the MTU football ticket booth in the fall got skis from Facilities in the winter. It took the big snow cat to get it unstuck and drag it from the trailhead, but we were able (just barely) to drag it from the stadium back to the trailhead with our two work sleds, where the tractor was able to take over and pull it into the parking area.

Grooming for races is aways a challenging, sleepless enterprise. I could do without the 3 am alarms, but to see the perfect corduroy and immaculate tracks in the purple light of dawn, to see the racers competing, enjoying the course, and to know that they appreciate your efforts is a fine reward.

Skiing Blue Knob

Blue Knob Peak

Blue Knob State Park is located on the second highest peak in Pennsylvania at 3,146 feet. Part of the Allegheny Front range, it intercepts moisture off the Great Lakes, making it one of the snowier parts of the state. Home primarily to a downhill skiing concession, it also provides 20 km or so of groomed cross country skiing. Every Saturday (as conditions allow) they bring down a tiller from the hill and groom the golf course and miles of adjacent forest roads.

Condo entrance and Clubhouse

The nordic trails are located below the peak at around 2,700 feet, next to the condos, club house, and golf course. I happened to have time on a Friday, so there was a nice 4 inches of powder on top of last weekend's grooming with a strong wind, temps around 20 F, sun and flurries. Beautiful.

The entrance road took me over the peak past the downhill center and lifts. All the trees were encased in white from the snow making operation, lending a fairy tale look against the grey clouds and blue sky. Then down a steep, well plowed descent to the clubhouse and nordic trails.

Overlook from Ski Trail

Skiing Along the Golf Course Path

I found the trails to be scenic in a small, resorty kind of way, with one spectacular overlook, and with good snow. They're only groomed once a week, but as the nearest groomed trails, just 1.5 hours down US 99, I can't complain. And they are tilled which will be nice when we start into the freeze-thaw season. The next nearest are at Laurel Ridge 2.5 hours away. They are groomed more regularly, but with no tilling.We'll definitely have to go back to Blue Knob some Saturday and try the fresh grooming.

Skiing Laurel Ridge

 Well, we finally got out skiing in Pennsylvania. We've been waiting and watching the Pennsylvania Cross Country Skiers' Association web page, keeping an eye on the snow and grooming reports there. While there is a groomed cross country trail about 1.5 hours away, it's associated the downhill resort at Blue Knob, the second highest peak in Pennsylvania at 3,170 feet, and they both don't get the same snow at 2,100 feet (where the nordic trails are) that Laurel Ridge does and they don't seem to try too hard to get out and groom - cross country is a sideline for them. And they only have snow cats, so it takes more snow before they can groom. We'll try them later in the winter.

Laurel Ridge State Park is at the top of a ridge on the high Allegheny Plateau about 1.5 hours south west of Pittsburgh, with a concession there exclusively for cross country skiing. Since it's all they do, they endeavor to do it well. Run by PACCSA and the folks who run Riversport Paddling and the Lucky Dog Cafe we so enjoyed on our visit to Ohiopyle and the Allegheny Passage bike trail nearby, they have a heated shed, full rental gear, and a limited Lucky Dog menu.

A 2.5 hour drive for us, we pulled in on a Sunday around noon and were treated to a parking lot stuffed with cars - 40 or more. This turns out to be the nordic destination for the Pittsburgh nordic set (1.5 hours for them), as well as the home of the Pennsylvania Cross Country Championships in February. There's a very nice intermediate 5 km skate and stride loop, a 1.5 km beginner loop, a 10 km skate and stride lollipop loop, and an  5 km advanced striding only loop that drops off the side of the ridge.


Grooming was good but not great - early season with a bit of dirt showing in the tracks in a few spots.  State of the art Tidd Tech G2 and a slightly older but fully capable Yamaha 2-stroke VK work sled. The groomer also runs the concession with his family, so they're awfully busy, but took the time at the end of the day after rentals had tapered off to touch up the skate lane after a day of heavy of use. Thanks!

Temps were around 20, and lots of folks seemed to stick to the closer 5 km loops, come in to warm up, then head out again, so the shed was packed and warm. Lots of folks skiing in snowmobile suits, parkas, all bundled up. I felt under dressed. I saw very little skating, but there were a few. Lots and lots of recreational and occasional skiers having a great time in the fresh snow. Families teaching the children, kids pulled in sleds. A nice scene.

The beginner loop wasn't much, but the 5 km intermediate loop had nice flow, some short steep hills with turns, and some nice views. Definitely the best loop there. Ann and I did the 10 km lollipop loop together, and it was nice enough. Started with an exciting downhill from the shed, then settled in to a flat to gently rolling beginner trail. Spent a bit more time along the power line on the way out than I liked, but the return leg was more scenic and wandering. One road crossing - no big deal.

Then I hooked up with the advanced striding trail. Was that a thrill - 400 feet of elevation drop groomed 5 feet wide. A good fast pitch - snow plowing wasn't having the effect I had hoped so I ended up working on staying on the trail more than controlling my speed. A wild ride to the bottom. Luckily, the few bare patches were not on the downhills and did not cross the entire trail. Then 400 feet back to the top on a very nice grade that was just shy herringbone territory that day. Then down 400 feet again for another wild ride along a ravine, then 400 feet back up to the trailhead, with only some herringbone at the final pitch. A little more snow to cover a few spots, and some foreknowledge on my part, and you could really rip those hills. Nice.

A tasty bowl of Southwestern Chili for lunch along with an overly sweet squash and apple soup, and a nice conversation with a couple from Pittsburgh. From their experience, Laural Ridge is the main venue for Pittsburghers, but the best cross country skiing in the region seems universally agreed to be White Grass Touring in Davis West Virginia. Built on an abandoned downhill center, with the Canaan Valley at 3,300 feet and skiing up to 4,300 feet, lots more snow and the cold to hold it. They also have a small Pisten Bulley to take care of the icy days. About 3.5 hours from State College, we already have reservations to meet Jeff's family there in February and give it a try.

Christmas in State College

Christmas in State College in our apartment was a subdued affair. We were going to be away visiting family for most of the holidays, and so selected lighted garland for around our window wall and garland wreaths in the other rooms. The smell of pine and cedar without the floor space crunch of a tree. Nice.

Christmas at a Jimmy V's place (a co-worker of Ann's) was decidedly un-subdued. A lighted motorized airplane flown by Snoopy, penguins on a glacier, endless lights, music. Probably the most impressive display of lights I've ever seen at a private residence. Thanks, Jimmy.

Downtown State College got into the act with lights on the trees of the main cross street, Allen, with a huge Christmas tree at the end. The view was especially nice from the Allen Street Grill. On the second floor projecting over the sidewalk it serves interesting, though not spectacular, entrées with an excellent view of the action downtown. We were treated to a live street concert while we ate above Allen before Christmas.

However, New Years Eve day is the biggest holiday event here. First Night is a spectacular downtown celebration of winter with ice sculptures, an ice slide, carriage rides, live music, street food - the works. The students are away for break, so the adults and families take back the streets. It was great to see everyone out. The concerts are held in numerous historic downtown churches, the nearby school, and downtown theaters. Eight bucks buys you a button that gets you into as many concerts as you can schedule.

We were able to see a brass quartet, a flute-harp-clarinet classical trio (odd), a snippet of the Rockfest high school battle of the bands (Ellen Siberian-Tiger was quite good), and an excellent blue grass band (best show) all in one evening. Ann stopped by the resolution barrels where folks wrote resolutions on tongue depressors and threw them into burning barrels for the new year. A great time. I'd always try to be home for New Years if I lived here.

See Ellen Siberian-Tiger at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwG0xtYX4Ys&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Pittsburgh

The Priory Inn

 After a enjoyable Christmas tour of family in Ann Arbor and Oberlin, we took Ben for a short vacation in Pittsburgh. We've always liked Pittsburgh, but I hadn't been back in 20 years and it's consistently ranked as one of the more interesting and livable cities in the US. Ann came up with a most excellent  place to stay on the north shore across the Allegheny River from downtown - a former Benedictine Priory and Catholic church now a beautiful (and not expensive) inn called The Priory. We settled into our lovely suite - 10 foot ceilings, large bay windowed living room overlooking the courtyard, spacious corner bedroom - after a slight delay. They were in the throws of finishing an expansion before the new year into a new wing next door (very nice too) and didn't have our new RFID lockset installed at check-in. They were great, giving us a substantial discount for the delay and a bottle of wine. Gracious under pressure is a good way for an inn proprietor to be.

Dinner at Legends

Ann continued her winning ways by finding us a cute neighborhood Italian restaurant to go with our wine. A bring your own alcohol establishment with homey atmosphere and simple, well prepared meals. Well worth a visit if you're on the north shore. Legends - right across the street from the hospital.

North Shore Neighborhood

The neighborhood around the Priory is an interesting, vibrant, transitional place. There are many 2 and 3 story brick row houses. Some have been beautifully restored and updated, others down the block are waiting for some love, and a few are boarded up and waiting for an imaginative owner. The area around the Priory was once German and is known as Deutsch Town, but there is a lot of diversity now.  Ohio street, the main commercial street in the area has an eclectic mix of local restaurants that reflect the economic and racial mix like Bistro Soul  (nice, with great carry out if you want to eat back at the Priory) Max's Tavern (German), an Asian restaurant, check cashing joints, a hardware store, hair stylists, and pawn shops. Definitely in the process of remaking itself and not quiet done yet.

Beech Avenue

National Aviary

The North Shore was once Allegheny City until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. In the center of the old city (just west of Deutsch Town) is Allegheny Commons which contains extensive park land, an original Carnegie Library (he lived in Allegheny City), a children's museum in the beautiful old post office, the original Carnegie Hall next to his library, and the National Aviary, along with some newer office towers and housing. We enjoyed several forays into the parks, a visit to the Aviary, which I hadn't seen in 30 years,  and lots of exploring the surrounding neighborhoods.

West of the parks was once the wealthier part of town, and there are still some superb mansions still on the hill above the river. Many were removed to build the community college there, but some were also preserved as classrooms and dorms. Cool! We also found a street of massive row houses, all well preserved. Apparently it's been used in the movies as a stand-in for Victorian England.
.

PPG plaza

 We also popped across the Andy Warhol bridge, (near the Warhol museum - another home boy) to downtown Pittsburgh to explore.This was the dramatic, if not particularly inviting, scene of a skating rink at PPG center. As the cold December wind blew it reminded me of giant ice crystals heaving from the pavement. We quickly made our way to a corner shop for some Italian wedding soup to warm our souls. Point Park where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers form the mighty Ohio were pretty closed up for the winter- we we moved on.

Strip District

We headed back up-river past the massive convention center near where we started and along Penn Avenue to the Strip District. This was a fascinating stretch of wholesale and retail. We stopped in at a Polish shop and got Polish honey, visite a vast Italian sausage and cheese establishment, a Penzy's Spice, and others I forget. Street vendors were everywhere. There was also the Society of Contemporary Craft and the large Heinz history center showing Treasures of the Vatican. We just didn't have time to visit everything nearby. And there was tons more further into the city. Next trip.

Point Park View of Science Museum and Steelers Stadium

On the bridge back to the North Shore we were treated to great views of other North Shore attractions were were going to miss -  Steelers stadium, the science museum, and Pirates stadium. Pittsburgh is a great cultural city, and it would take weeks to see just the high points. For sports fans there'd be even more to see, like the big outdoor NHL hockey game at the football stadium scheduled for Saturday. We also really enjoyed the city setting amidst the steep hills and along the massive rivers (they look almost like lakes). Back on the North Shore with tired feet, we ordered Bistro Soul to go and ate in our room.

Sculpture in Mattress Factory Courtyard

Mattress Factory Annex

Our last day we met up with a co-worker of Ann's and headed to the Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum on the North Shore - we assume situated in an old mattress factory. As we approached the museum the row houses started getting funky - like the Annex with inflatable headgear. Appropriate as the museum was a always fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, mix of traditional media, installation art, and architecture. The current exhibition was focused on Cuban artists offering commentary on gender, race, and economic oppression (hence the car of the rich born on the feet of the poor), but there were many permanent exhibits as well. They had an excellent garden built into the footings of an old adjacent factory making excellent use of the old foundations, drains, and sluices. If you like art that experiments brilliantly, and sometimes fails, this is an exciting place to visit. If sometimes graphic and disturbing art offend you, this is not your place.

Mattress Factory Art Museum

We also had time while in town to spend with the West family. Living - we had a great visit with Ann's 3 cousins one evening.  And dead - the Wests have extensive history in Pittsburgh. Ann's great grandfather owned a glass factory nearby, and there are other family links to long ago industry and wealth. We went to Allegheny Cemetery and visited the graves of many ancestors on both sides of her father's family. Ann had fun explaining the family tree to Ben in front of the David Gillespie mausoleum where her grandmother's wealthy old-maid cousin Mable Gillespie is interred. Mable was a great friend and generous benefactor to Ann's parents in tight times.

So, the verdict on Pittsburgh? One of my favorite big cities. Not the best at any one thing, but so good at so much. For me the best in the mid-west behind Chicago. Another trip is definitely in order before we leave Pennsylvania.