month end

I drove to Eugene today to pick up a pair of Zipp 404's for my FC 508 "climbing bike", thus shaving off a few more grams. By the time I got that done, and a visit to a bike shop for new tires to mount up most of my day was shot. However with the 1600 monthly mileage milestone looming close I did have some added impetus to ride.

I drove to the 24 Hour Fitness near Scholls Ferry Rd and Murray late in the afternoon and unloaded the bike. I headed out on a ride to Hagg Lake knowing it would give me the miles necessary as well as have me on less busy roads if I were to lose light before getting back.

I rode quickly, the light held, and I achieved my goal. Amazing to me really, since I WASTED a week in Southern California and didn't have my bike with me. 1600 miles in 3 weeks is a lot of riding........to me at least. But then again I'm signed up to ride 509 in less than 48 hours in just a few weeks!

And the best thing about starting where I did? I'm a member of 24 Hr Fitness, and when I finished they had a hot tub all ready for me to soak in!

1 month to go......ride, Ride, RIDE!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............69...............0.................69
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Year to date...7193.....+.........30.......=......7213
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1+1+1=

100 miles.
(or a total of 100 miles in three rides today)

I attended a pedal and potluck event for our social bike group today. I rode to the event today starting my day off with 30 miles. The event started with two rides, one shorter, one longer. I led the longer leading Art and James on a ride to Silverton, Mt Angel, Gervais, St Louis, and back to Keizer, a ride of 38 miles.
Being the "country boy" of our group I got to teach the others the value of proper nutrition on longer rides. ;-)
After the potluck and mandatory visiting I rode back, added 2 miles in Champoeg Park, and ended up with 100 miles.



A really nice day, with the company of nice people.

Not sure how much riding I will get in tomorrow, I have to be in Eugene to pick up a set of Zipp wheels. Gotta get my climbing bike for the 508 lighter!

UPDATE:
My Furnace Creek 508 support crew underwent a personnel change and our new configuration met this evening to get introduced and go over some details. In this photo L-R is me, Dave, Joanne (John Henry's wife) John Henry, and J Murray. John Henry Maurice (and Joanne!) is an accomplished endurance cyclist as well as an experienced crew member. He will be a valuable asset to the team.



Our previous crew member, Niki, was just too far away to be fair to her (seeking 508 experience) or to our team looking to put things together. We wish her well and hope she can team up with a rider/crew based in Southern California.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........100...............0................100
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1534.....+.........0........=......1534
Year to date...7124.....+.........30.......=......7144
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

a few more miles

I rode across the Canby Ferry again today with no real destination in mind, just a search for miles. When I got to Canby there was a car show going on that took over much of the downtown.
I made my way around looking at cars and visiting with car owners ("My, they don't make bikes like they used to when I was a kid do they?") :-) There was a very reasonably priced bbq lunch being served so I took that in while there too.

It's tough to stay focused when I'm riding solo!

After killing some time there I headed out towards Lone Elder on familiar roads then pieced together a loop through Oregon City riding some roads I knew, and some seat of my pants navigating. (er..riding shorts)

I ended my ride today with 46 miles on the odometer, but about a mile of that was walking the bike around looking at cars!

Here's the route

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............45...............0.................45
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1434.....+.........0........=......1434
Year to date...7024.....+.........30.......=......7044
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Timing is everything

My mind just was not into riding today, but the body said it needed to ride. I hopped on the bike and started pedaling........albeit without much "push" Even at my slow pace it didn't take long for me to get enough miles to set a new one month record for me. Somewhat surprising really, since I spent a week off the bike while in Southern California. Of all things, I was on a bike path when I reached this milestone.

It was here, about half way between the Butteville Store and the Champoeg Park Visitor Center, where my odometer said I had set a new mileage record for me.

I continued along the Willamette River until I reached Hwy 219 then turned towards Newberg. I stopped for a fast food fix in Newberg then rode back down stream along Wilsonville Rd. Once back in Wilsonville I again crossed the Boone Bridge and followed the same route that Dave, Art, and I rode yesterday.

Here's my route.

The sky kept darkening as the day progressed and it increasingly "felt like" rain was impending. Within 30 minutes of garaging the bike it was indeed raining.

Good ride, good timing.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............77...............0.................77
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1389.....+.........0........=......1389
Year to date...6979.....+.........30.......=......7009
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Riding with Art and Dave

I posted on Facebook that I really should go for a 70 mile ride today and was looking for route suggestions. Instead I got Art and Dave joining in on a shorter ride in the Wilsonville/Donald/Hubbard/Canby area. The ride itself was 35 miles since Art had afternoon plans and needed to be off the bike early. I rode to the ride adding a few miles, bringing me to 43 miles.

We started off across the Boone Bridge on I-5 through Wilsonville. The slight downhill along with the vehicle induced draft gave us a fast 26-30 mph crossing. We exited and headed to Butteville.


We kept up a pretty quick pace today and before long we entered Hubbard. It almost looked like one of those Norman Rockwell "Look" magazine covers.


We made our way to Canby via some secondary roads and soon came to the Canby Ferry, Art's first crossing of this ferry!


It was a good ride!

UPDATE:
I received an email early this afternoon that a jersey I had ordered from REI.com had arrived at the local REI. That was enough reason to get back on the bike. I added 16 miles to the day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............59...............0.................59
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1312.....+.........0........=......1312
Year to date...6902.....+.........30.......=......6932
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

split shift

I was dealing with other "stuff" this morning but finally jumped on the bike and went for a ride. I headed for the hills and rode THIS.

26 miles, 3040 ft of climbing............that I rode at a rather leisurely pace. Hardly "training" but it was at least miles and saddle time.
(from Ladd Hill Rd)

(from Parrett Mtn Rd)


I will join a few folks early this evening for another 20-25 miles in the hills of the Helvetia area.

Update:

A group of us did in fact ride from near Cornelius Pass Rd and US 26 tonight.The larger group took a "hills light" version out to Shadybrook and back. James, Frank, Mark, and I opted for the "bring `em on" version and climbed up to Skyline via Logie Trail.
We descended via Elliot, Rock Creek Rd, Old Cornelius Pass Rd, and finally took Cornelius Pass Rd back to our beginning point because of concerns about remaining daylight. (our group started about a half hour late tonight because of late arrivals)

I logged another 23 miles when taking into account the ride across the street for a post ride brew with a few of the riders today. Added another 1967 ft of climbing too.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............49...............0.................49
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1253.....+.........0........=......1253
Year to date...6843.....+.........30.......=......6873
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

short and fast

I was in need of a slow day. It was cool this morning and drippy from time to time. I just couldn't get motivated. I had an afternoon appointment to attend to. My local bike shop invites folks to ride on Tuesday evenings and I finally got in gear and rode with them tonight. I know those folks to be much faster riders than I am and tonight was no different. We left the shop on the Hillside Route a nice little 21 mile route with just under 700 ft of climbing. We started off into a moderate wind and held a 22 mph pace for the first 5 miles or so, then bumped it up to the mid 20's. I have no pride, and fell off the back. As I watched them pedal off I toggled through my speedo's functions and noted that I had a 23 mph average for the first 10 miles. I keep telling my social bike group that I don't have to go far to find stronger and or faster riders. Tonight was a prime example!

The rabbits stopped about half way through and waited for the 4 of us who dropped to catch up. From there on I did a bit better. We had rollers and I could hold up pretty well in those compared to the others. By the time we got back to Forest Grove I was 2nd to the finish line. That darn Mike got the jump on me at the last light! :-)

After the ride we visited a bit at the store and ogled the new Kestral bikes. drool...drool

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............21...............0.................21
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1204.....+.........0........=......1204
Year to date...6794.....+.........30.......=......6824
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

day 11

......of what was to have been a 12 day adventure. It morphed into a "ride, Ride, RIDE" and today I logged my 6th day in a row of 100 miles or more, 702 miles since last Tuesday.

Today I rode from Wilsonville to Tualatin to return a cycling jersey that had arrived too large. Once there I decided to ride to Sherwood thinking I might loop around via Oregon St and Tooze Rd. Instead when I got there I decided to ride to Newberg and loop around via Wilsonville Rd. Before I got to Newberg the plan changed again and I ended up riding the first half of the Oregon Randonneurs "Three Prairies Permanent". That brought me to Dallas and back to Newberg before I finally turned back towards Wilsonville. 117 miles. Nice weather. Saddle time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........117...............0................117
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1183.....+.........0........=......1183
Year to date...6773.....+.........30.......=......6803
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Riding the Gorge

I joined my social bike group today for a ride of the Historic Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway today. We had 22 folks show up, a pretty good showing for a ride that has a bit of climbing. Most were starting at Glen Otto Park in Troutdale. A few brave souls began at 33rd and Marine Drive about an hour earlier. I had a little pre-ride to the pre-ride commuting 5 miles to 33rd St (primarily because I don't feel comfortable leaving my pickup all day in the secluded gravel lot at 33rd)

Since our group was relatively large we split up by pace for the ride. 3 of us planned a 16-17 mph pace and took off. We had a pretty easy ride up to Chanticlear Pt. We all regrouped there and took a photo.

We blasted down the hill and arrived at Multnomah Falls. It was here that I turned my 1000th mile for the month.

It was a cool day and many of us had hot chocolate or a hot coffee drink. Before too long a few of us opted for a bonus out and back to Oneonta Gorge to see the gorge and the newly re-opened tunnel.

We all made our way back to Troutdale without incident. Along the way we all decided to have a post ride event at "The Dock" at McCuddy's Marina. While snacking and visiting there James and I decided that we really "needed" to ride a bit more.

Off we went in search of 30 miles. We rode along Marine Drive to Kelley Pt Park then made the turn over to Columbia and made our way as far as I-5 before we logged 15 miles, our half way point. The wind had picked up as the day wore on. James and I took advantage of a brisk tailwind to assist us on our way eastward back to McCuddy's where we were parked.

We arrived back there as planned with our additional 30 miles. Enough to give me 100 miles for the day.......for the 5th day in a row.

With almost 600 miles in the last 6 days I think I've made pretty good progress on my agenda after some dashed plans.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........100...............0................100
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1066.....+.........0........=......1066
Year to date...6656.....+.........30.......=......6686
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Riding around the Willamette Valley

Always a pretty drive, but................

I had planned to be riding around Puget Sound beginning in an hour, instead I'm driving back across Santiam Pass and will ride around part of the Willamette Valley. Funny how plans change. Well, maybe not so funny, but that's life. :-O

I met my brother-in-law Dave for a ride generally following what we call the Wilsonville Century. The route soon takes us across the Canby Ferry where today there were more bikes than cars, and the little boat had a full load of cars!


After disembarking the ferry we pedaled to Lone Elder. Towns visited today included Hubbard, Mt Angel, and Silverton.


In Silverton we stopped at a grocery store and had a few snacks and drinks.


As we rode northward we climbed the infamous Bird Hill, but since we were riding the route in reverse the climb wasn't too bad. The view was good.

One thing nice about this route is the frequency of small markets to resupply. We took advantage of a few of them today!


With our lack of diligence in following the route..........or seeking an easier day we finished up with 80 miles rather than the full century.
I remedied the shortfall by riding to the Tualatin REI where they had a bike jersey waiting for me.
With a few laps around the parking lot I managed to bring my total to 101 for the day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........101...............0................101
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total....966.....+.........0........=.......966
Year to date...6556.....+.........30.......=......6586
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Into the mouth of the beast

Well, technically it was into the caldera of an old volcano, and the ride wasn't all that bad. Today was my "easy" day, with a plan of about 85 miles, and after yesterday's hot, dry, and windy ride this was to be cooler, plenty of water, and less wind. The morning started out cooler and I had my arm warmers on for the first time this trip. I made my way on side streets until jumping on Hwy 97 was inevitable. Hwy 97 has good wide shoulders but plenty of traffic.



When I got to Lava Butte my GPS told me to turn to the right then make an immediate left. I was following the route I had mapped for my Century Drive ride the first day here. I had varied from my route that day because of construction and thought this would be a good chance to scope out that road.

Well.......the road to the left was what I was supposed to follow!
They need to put a check box on those mapping programs so I can choose "paved roads only"!!!!

Since today was a short day I decided I had time and energy to follow the paved road to Benham Falls.

I hadn't been there in years.

I thought I remembered being able to see the falls from the road, but I was wrong.
There were plenty of people coming and going, and in the interest of making sure my bike wasn't going anywhere I decided I could skip getting a close up and personal look this time.


After watching the river flow for a bit (thinking of my previous life as a whitewater enthusiast) I rode on to Cottonwood Rd and into Sunriver for a snack. As I made my way into Sunriver I came across the other end of the "road" I was supposed to be on!


Before long I was back at the IGA store getting some refreshments and noticed that there were more bikes there than cars! :-)


This resort community is famous for it's partying... er, I mean wildlife!


I continued southward on Huntington Road towards La Pine. Just a few miles from La Pine I turned east, and within a very short distance started climbing. I was rewarded for the work by some pretty decent views.


It was a long relentless climb up the slopes of this old volcano but I eventually reached Paulina Lake.


And unlike the little stores of yesterday, the Paulina Lake store was OPEN!


I continued around the inner edge of the cauldera to East Lake. East Lake is at a slightly higher elevation than Paulina Lake and marked my highest elevation today, nearly 6400 ft.

I turned around and took advantage of the long descent to really fly! I continued a fast pace once back on Hwy 97 by taking advantage of the gentle down slope and a tailwind.
I braked at the High Desert Museum and turned in.

The staff there was nice enough to let me bring my bike inside where they watched it while I went to the cafe!

A 1/3 lb Angus burger and lemonade! I figured with less than 10 miles to go, and a tailwind I could splurge on real food!

With all my side trips today I ended up with not such a short ride after all! Today's ride just made the century mark, my third day in a row. I also logged 7766 ft of climbing, the highest daily total this week.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........100...............0................100
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total....865.....+.........0........=.......865
Year to date...6455.....+.........30.......=......6485
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The dry side of the state

Rode from Bend out to Powell Butte, Prineville, Millican!, and back to Bend. 100 degrees, 17 mph wind, an unexpected 60 mile stretch without water. Are we having fun yet?

The ROUTE


As I headed east out of Bend this morning it didn't take long for the manicured and watered lawns to give way to juniper and desert.




As I neared Powell Butte irrigation began to turn the sageland green.


This was the road I had mapped. Obviously a change of plan was called for!


My stop in Powell Butte for snacks. If I had known this was the last opportunity for 60 miles I would have stocked up!



Pretty desolate country


Except for the greenery this reminded me an awful lot of the Furnace Creek 508 route.


A hoped for opportunity to hydrate was dashed when I saw that the Millican Store had not been in business for quite some time.



I was hot, thirsty, and tired. It didn't help that the scenery reminded me of crossing the Mojave Desert on the Furnace Creek 508!



Any resemblance to looking back at the Panamint Valley from the start of Townes Pass?




no water in the river!

I was pushing against what turned out to be a 17 mph headwind, temps reached a new record for the day, 100 degrees. I had drained all three water bottles quite some time ago and was parched. I rode well over 25 miles without any water at all.
I stopped at the first house I saw. I rang the bell but there was no answer. The garage door was open but either no one was answering this brightly colored stranger or there was in fact nobody home. I said "thank you" anyway and filled two bottles from the hose that was attached to the outside of the house, as well as drank as much as I dared straight from the hose before pedaling off.

In about another 15 miles I reached the outskirts of Bend


and a much needed slushy 5 miles from the end!

UPDATE:
I didn't bring lube with me and my chain was in need of some TLC. I rode a meandering route to REI late today to get a bottle of lube and in the process added 8 miles to today's total.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........101...............0................101
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total....765.....+.........0........=.......765
Year to date...6355.....+.........30.......=......6385
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chocolate Milk Century

I rode from Bend today and headed up to Mt Bachelor then continued on around planning to ride the Century Drive loop. However after I got to South Century Drive I found it was under construction and had a 9-10 mile stretch of ugly gravel. I back tracked a bit and took a detour to LaPine then headed back towards Bend. It added just over 10 miles to my route.

Why the Chocolate Milk Century? Well, I managed to stop at 4 different markets during the ride and had a chocolate milk at each! I also had a lemonade at 3, the Sunriver store didn't have lemonade!

It was a great ride, long sustained climb, heat, high elevation. All the things a person training for the Furnace Creek 508 looks for!



Started off early in the ride with a stop at The Inn at the Seventh Mountain's little store for some goodies. Breakfast was many hours ago! (my first serving of chocolate milk, and a lemonade)

The road tips upward ever so slightly and begins the climb.

The South Sister comes into view. (10,358 ft, Oregon's 3rd hightest)

As you ride over the north shoulder of Mt Bachelor you see South, Middle, and North Sister as well as Broken Top. Elevation ~6300ft

A little closer look at South and Middle Sister.

Broken Top, not looking so broken from this angle!

Mt Bachelor as seen from over Sparks Lake.

Devils Lake, the starting point for many who climb South Sister. Just about a mile high!

Elk Lake

Elk Lake Lodge, a good spot to stop for a break and my second chocolate milk, and another lemonade.

After making the turn southward at Elk Lake the road travels along at near 4500 ft elevation for many miles.

A meadow near Wikiup Reservoir.

A turn on South Century Drive starts the descent through a Ponderosa Pine forest.

Crossing the Deschutes River

Oops...not only "under construction" but the end of the road today! I flagged down an oncoming motorist and they informed me that the route was gravel for the next 9-10 miles! I backtracked to the turnoff to La Pine and followed that road down. It would only add about 10 miles to the ride today.


The detour I took brought me right past a small store on the edge of La Pine where I availed myself of my third chocolate milk of the day, and a lemonade.


One last stop to get my 4th chocolate milk in Sun River. I didn't see any lemonade so a regular water would have to be enough to get me back to Bend.

107 miles,
6103 ft of climbing
15.4 mph average

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........107...............0................107
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total....664.....+.........0........=.......664
Year to date...6254.....+.........30.......=......6284
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++