Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Shopping

Well, really "Buying". I rarely "shop".

I needed a number of items for upcoming adventures.  Quite a few items, but all small, and the sun is shining.  A perfect reason to ride the bike!

I rode to Fred Meyer, the place that coined the phrase "one stop shopping".  I picked up my items, stopped in at a nearby Jack in the Box for lunch, and rode back.

 
Now ready for my Mom's birthday, kayaks ready for some night paddling, and candy for trick or treaters!

  ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today...............9...........0................0............0..............9 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............307...............0................0...........0..............307 Total...........5470.............0...............0..........0.............5470

Monday, October 28, 2013

Can You Hear Me Now?

I was invited to join a small group today on a lunch ride.  Deb and Gerald were coming across the water from the Kitsap Peninsula via ferry. I rode 11 miles from Queen Ann and met them at the ferry terminal. It was going to be a great day.


 I met Gerald and Deb at the ferry terminal and three of us rode along a path in Lincoln Park where in a short time we were joined by Ric.


We pedaled a leisurely pace along Alki Beach and made a stop at Jack Block Park. There is a good view of Seattle's Terminal 5 working waterfront and some informational signs telling the history of container shipping.


Following our stop at Jack Block Park we pedaled over to The Chelan Cafe in the shadow of the one-of-a-kind West Seattle Bridge,   Lunch was tasty and reasonably priced.

We started back toward the Vashon Ferry terminal.  We stopped to get a few photos capturing fall colors.




We started off again and I snapped this photo with my phone as we pedaled away.


It would be the last I saw of my phone today. As I pedaled I slid the phone back into my vest pocket and secured it with the velcro closure.  ....or so I thought.



It was a windy day, and our course wiggled around enough that sometimes we had a head wind, and other times a tail wind.  As we pedaled back along Alki we had a howling tail wind.  I love a good tail wind!  I shifted into 56x11, exited the path and moved to the center of the traffic lane, and pedaled along at 30-35 mph.  After a couple of miles of this the main road turned slightly left and we were to continue straight.  I pulled over to wait for my riding partners.  I waited for several minutes then reached for my phone to see if there was a message from them/to take a photo.  Alas, no phone.  It had fallen out somewhere along that fast pedal.  I hopped on the bike and backtracked my route, keeping a sharp eye out for my phone.  I got all the way back to where we had taken photos of the fall foliage without finding the phone, or seeing my riding partners.  I was busy focusing on the pavement so I probably rode by them without seeing them.

I turned back around and searched the road again. Still no phone.  I figured that someone must have picked it up. I was hoping that whoever found it would be a stand up type person.  I had no way to call my phone.
I pedaled back to Lincoln Park but did not continue on to the ferry terminal, presuming that my partners were already making their way across the water.

It was a windy day, and the normally placid Puget Sound was looking almost like ocean surf.  While I was riding back and forth looking for a cell phone my partners were noticing the rough water.



After climbing the hill to Lincoln Park I returned to the West Seattle Bridge via Faunterloy Ave rather making another trip along the water.  I crossed the bridge and headed toward downtown Seattle where my plan was to stop by the Paramount Theater to get tickets for an upcoming event.  As I was buying the tickets at the box office I was asked to give an email address for a receipt.  My email address is "Kevin97116@........." and as I put the tickets in my pack and was preparing to pedal a guy comes around the corner of the building and says "Do you know a Julie?".  It's a joke between Julie and I, she's a native Seattleite and has many friends here.  This was unreal though!  It seems that a series of stars had aligned.  I normally have my phone on "auto lock" and it would require a password to operate.  I had disabled that feature during my recent crew chief duty at Furnace Creek to allow all crew members to use it and had not yet turned it back on.  The finder of my phone turned it into a nearby restaurant, Saltys,  someone there started going down my contact list and calling people from Seattle to San Diego trying to find out who the phone belonged to.  Julie got one of those calls. She was at work in Bellevue. She called the Paramount knowing that I was to be there buying tickets at some point.  The guy who took the call at the theater just happened to be standing outside of the front door as I was around the corner at the box office buying tickets......and heard "Kevin".
After an hour or so I finally made connections with Julie via phone.
Julie has an out of town friend visiting and was planning to take her to dinner in Alki tonight. She would swing by and pick it up following dinner.

With the phone now found, if not back in my hand, I put lights on the bike and continued on to a SDOT Open House on a planned cycle track.  It was billed as a presentation on options with a Q&A session.  The crowd was MUCH larger than the organizers had planned and the room would not accommodate all of us.  The organizers decided to give the presentation several times and have attendees shuffle between static displays in an adjoining room and the presentation. The Q&A opportunity was lost in the shuffle.

No phone, no opportunity for Q&A.   Can you hear me now?


  ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............54...........0................0............0.............54 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............298...............0................0...........0..............298 Total...........5461.............0...............0..........0.............5461

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Last Commuter Ride

The job hasn't ended, but my chances to bike commute for the next few weeks have.  I've got errands to run tomorrow that require a vehicle, and Friday I'm taking off on a road trip directly after my duties.

I did my best to enjoy today's ride.  It was also the third day in a row with highs over 70.  I got into a few spirited chase games with the real commuters.  They were strong, but were outgunned.  They had heavier bikes with full fenders, and most had flat bars.  Being proud, I didn't want a mere commuter to catch me, and being the "Desert Coyote" I wanted to catch every rider in front of me.  Success on all fronts.

I carried my "real" camera today, having been merely getting by with the cell phone the last week as the fall colors were exploding.  Already, today I could see that the best is past.  Many leaves are now turning away from the bright reds and oranges, and are now simply brown, or falling.  There were big banks of fallen leaves along Terwilliger Blvd.

I took one photo as I came back into Cook Park this evening.  Not so much that it was a good photo op, but more that I felt I had to take a photo of something since I had carried the camera today. The sun was just setting, but the clear sky didn't give much sunset color.


Just a few minutes later I took another one as I crossed the lazy river.  The camera gathered much more light than was actually there.  I didn't want to take time to make adjustments.


  ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............28...........0................0............0.............28 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............272...............0................0...........0..............272 Total...........5435.............0...............0..........0.............5435


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Back on the bike

Monday I had some supplies to haul to my "job" that required me to drive.  Today I was back to playing bike commuter. Boones Ferry is still under construction, and will be for some time, so I opted to drive to the Tualatin Park and Ride and begin pedaling from there.


It is unseasonably nice for this time of year.  The high today was 78 (Hillsboro) , and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The fall colors are just stupendous.  I'm enjoying it while I can, it can't last long.

  ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............28...........0................0............0.............28 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............244...............0................0...........0..............244 Total...........5407.............0...............0..........0.............5407

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Multnomah Falls in the Fall

Another beautiful autumn day in NW Oregon.  Today I started from Sellwood Park in SE Portland and rode to Multnomah Falls.   No clouds, no wind,(a rarity in the Gorge!) just a sunny day, with just a bit of haze.  If there were any forest fires around I'd say it looked like a bit of smoke in the air, but as far as I know there are no fires around.

When I got to the Vista House I took the obligatory picture.


I continued along eastward until I reached Multnomah Falls.  The haze in the air along with afternoon shadows took away the perfect photo.  I settled for second best.


Never being a fan of out and back routes, on the return trip I followed the Sandy River to it's confluence with the Columbia River, then rode Marine Drive back to the I-205 path.  As I crossed the Columbia Slough I found this guy looking for dinner.


In short order I was back in Sellwood Park and my ride was done for today.  



It was a good day on the bike, even more special since this late in the season, we know that rainy days are just around the corner.

  ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............74...........0................0............0.............74 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............216...............0................0...........0..............216 Total...........5379.............0...............0..........0.............5379







Saturday, October 19, 2013

Park and Ride

Any ride north from Wilsonville usually involves riding on Boone's Ferry Rd.  Boone's Ferry is under construction from Day Road on the north end of Wilsonville, on and off all the way to just beyond Tualatin. That really puts the crimp on trying to bike northward.

I've been helping a former college roommate on a property upgrade project in Portland and have found biking there to be a fun way to avoid Interstate 5 traffic.  In order to avoid the construction today I drove to a park and ride lot in Tualatin and ....parked and rode!

It was another beautiful day.  As I rode through Cook Park I noticed that other people were out enjoying the day as well.


Not having any set schedule I enjoyed the ride in a leisurely fashion.  My destination was Pill Hill and I did eventually arrive and get in a few hours of helping out. After a bit it was time to pedal back home.  I had a little better lighting than in recent days, due to an earlier commute time.  With the cool nights, and bright sunlight, the fall colors are vibrant.


As I neared the end of my trip I crossed the Tualatin River.  The Tualatin River takes its name from the Native American Atafalati band whose name for it translates to lazy or sluggish.  Indeed, the river is 83 miles long, but in the last 68 miles it drops only 220 feet.  Most of the river in the last 68 miles shows little signs of current.


It was another great day to be biking!


 ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............29...........0................0............0.............29 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............142...............0................0...........0..............142 Total...........5305.............0...............0..........0.............5305

Friday, October 18, 2013

A bike commuter part two

I had so much fun yesterday, that I decided to repeat today.

I took off this morning with a full moon hanging over the western horizon, looking very much like a big scoop of orange sherbet.

I tried to get a photo with my cell phone, but alas, this is the best I managed to get. The blurry white glob in the upper right is the moon.  The other blurry white globs are street lights.


By the time I reached Terwilliger Blvd the sun was up.  The autumn colors were pretty awesome.



There was a little bit of fog hanging over Portland and the sun was low in the sky so any attempt to take a photo of Mt Hood was thwarted by a bright haze!  It would have been a much better picture with afternoon light, the fog would have been gone and the sun behind me, but alas, it was too dark when I pedaled back this evening.

It is a nice ride, a bike friendly route, and just over 1200 ft of climbing on the way in. 

 ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............27...........0................0............0.............27 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct...............113...............0................0...........0..............113 Total...........5276.............0...............0..........0.............5276

Thursday, October 17, 2013

A bike commuter

The last few days I've been helping out a friend.  The weather has been nice, and I finally got all the tools and supplies I needed for the job moved in place.  Today I hopped on the bike and played bike commuter.
It was only just over 13 miles, but did include a pretty decent climb.  For those familiar with Portland, my destination was just above OHSU on "Pill Hill".  I took off before the sun was up, and finished the return trip after the sun set.  I had full reflectivity on, as well as two headlights and 4 tail lights.

Yup, riding like a guy who's been hit while riding before.


 ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............27...........0................0............0.............27 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct................86...............0................0...........0...............86
Total...........5249.............0...............0..........0.............5249

Monday, October 14, 2013

Double Trouble

      I haven't been on the bike much lately, as readers of my blog have probably noticed.  A series of  "other things" have been taking priorities.  I enjoy Double Trouble, a non competitive double metric century mostly on the Race Across Oregon course (ie Hilly!).  I was wondering just how well I would be able to get over those hills, but it wasn't a race, so off I went.

     My friend Julie and I teamed up for the event as a ride and tie team.  The event centered around Maupin, located in Oregon's High Desert.  Despite being on the dry side of the Cascade Mountains, the morning was damp with a light rain falling.


       Julie is a bit smarter on the bike than I am, I took off on the first leg of the ride, UP Bakeoven Rd. while she shuttled my pickup up the route.  We began the ride about 8:45 AM and it rained very lightly until noon. Like most of the riders, I did not have fenders on my bike.  I didn't have rain gear along but didn't find it necessary. I had booties on, full fingered gloves and a windbreaker.  That was enough to keep me comfortable for most of the ride.  The rain was constant, but so light that my windbreaker was enough to keep me dry and the tires never threw up a rooster tail. I pedaled the section from Shaniko until the Clarno Summit. In that section is the sinewy descent into Antelope and it was a cold ride down.  My only exposed skin was on my face, and before reaching the bottom I had what felt like a brain freeze headache.  I welcomed the long climb up to Clarno summit, knowing that I would get warmed up.


     I at least had my windbreaker on.  Another rider wasn't so lucky.  He reached Antelope shivering uncontrollably.   He was our guest in the warm pickup for the remainder of the ride.

     Julie and I continued our trading back and forth on bikes.  Though it is not a race, almost every attendee has racing in their blood. There can't help but be a spirited competition. Julie and I finished by mid afternoon, reaching all our goals.   She ended up riding 53 miles and I rode 59.  Though we rode nearly the same distance, as mentioned earlier, Julie is a bit smarter. I rode all the bigger hills.  The climb both ways out of the Deschutes Canyon were mine, as were the climb out of Antelope and the Clarno Summit.  It's all good, we both ended up the day with smiles on our faces.

 ...............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle........total
Today..............59...........0................0............0.............59 Jan..................93..............0...............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653.............0..............0.........0............653 April..............696..............0...............0.........0............696 May...............900...............0...............0.........0.............900
June..............484...............0..............0..........0...........484
July..............1300................0...............0..........0.............1300
 Aug................638.............0.................0..........0.............638
 Sept...............232..............0................0...........0.............232
 Oct................59...............0................0...........0...............59
Total...........5222.............0...............0..........0.............5222
   

Monday, October 7, 2013

Furnace Creek 508, and a Clean Sweep

I haven't been on the bike nearly as much as in past years.  It will be the first time in 5 years that I won't reach 10,000 miles in a year.  It has been a bikey few months though.

In June I was crew chief for Gary Feldstein as he rode Race Across the West. The Race Across the West starts the same time and place as Race Across America, and follows the same route,  but finishes about 860 miles in, at Durango Colorado.


I was joined by Jason Liao and Gary's son Simon in supporting our rider.
 While Gary was the last official finisher, he did finish, and set a personal record for miles covered, by a huge margin.



        In July, I teamed up with John Henry Maurice to compete in the 538 mile Race Across Oregon as a Two Man 50+ team.  It has been said that the difference between a solo ride and a team ..........is fun.
We had fun, we finished, and also set a new course record for our division. I was happy with my effort. I rode more miles, and climbed more elevation than my partner. Thanks to our crew chief Keith Kohen, and crew members Lorie Bickford and Lauren Bayard for keeping us on track and moving down the road.



       In August I joined crew chief Elton Bryant in supporting Joel Sothern as he raced the 519 mile Hoodoo 500.


Joel finished, but as stupendous as this is, his goal was to set a course record.  He did just that, coming in first, over 5 hours ahead of second place, and set a new course record for a solo rider.



       In October I was crew chief for Steven "Kookaburra" Burns as he challenged the Furnace Creek 508.  I was joined by crew members Charles "Brooklyn Beast" Olson and Steven's daughter Sophie. This year because of an inept Congress and a greedy Forest Service the course was shortened to 353 miles. It was a trip to Trona and back. Steven was a rookie to ultra racing, and set his goal as an official finish.  That is a pretty lofty goal for a rookie, as in any given year, 30-50% of participants don't finish.  He added that he'd like to finish in 32 hours.  Steven got the challenge he had hoped and trained for.  Most of the first day was spent riding into a 30-40mph headwind.


 He kept up a solid and consistent pace throughout the race despite the wind and was successful on all counts. He finished, and finished in 30 hours 50 minutes. In the process he also set a personal best for miles covered.



      For those keeping track, that gives me a clean sweep.  4 Ultracycling events, all four involved finishes, and either course records or personal bests.   It was an honor to help out on these record setting performances, and an honor to ride with John Henry as we set a divisional course record.  Not a bad way to spend a summer!