Friday, June 26, 2015

Summer Time!

It was going to be another warm day.  That's okay, it is supposed to warm and dry in Oregon in the summer.  So what if it is just a bit warmer and drier than normal?  Summer bike events are in full swing.  The World Naked Bike Ride is tomorrow. Pedapalooza is in full swing.  The annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic and Race Across Oregon are both rapidly approaching.

I even have a friend from Chino coming up to Portland to participate in the WNBR and ride the Oregon coast.  Me?  I hopped on the fixie this morning and rode to Portland, where I loaded the bike on a bus and traveled to Seattle.  A few miles UP a hill and I'm done for the day.

 .........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
  Today.............26..............0...............4...............0...................26
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200   June................199.................0..............26...............0.................199
Total............1791...............0...............26...............0..............1816

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Will Ride for PIE!

A few weeks ago my investment adviser informed me that his office was having an open house today.  Ok, whatever.  Then he tells me that they will be serving pie and ice cream.  I'm all over that!
He also bikes, and will be joining my Crater Lake ride in August.

Today was warm and sunny, the open house was just a smidge over 30 miles away, and was opening at 3PM.  The route was relatively flat.  A perfect recipe for a fixed gear ride!

It was in the low 90's as I made my way out there.  I only have 1 water bottle on the fixie, but was traveling by many opportunities to refill.

I arrived in Forest Grove and sure enough, they were serving a choice of berry or apple pie with the option of a scoop of ice cream!  They didn't have to twist my arm too hard for me to agree to seconds!  Along with several servings of lemonade, I was good to go.

Most indications were that the temperature was in the low to mid nineties.  I did stop to take a photo of this outlier as I passed through Beaverton. 


I suspect it was reading a couple of degrees high, but it still made a good reason to stop and take a photo.  If the forecast is correct, it will be over 100 degrees this weekend.

It was a good ride on the fixie.  

 .........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
  Today.............63..............0...............4...............0...................63
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200   June................173.................0..............26...............0.................173
Total............1765...............0...............26...............0..............1790

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Another Sauvie Island Ride

A nice afternoon and a sandy beach beckoned.


 I hauled the fixie to Sauvie Island and went for a ride. In order to get the bike in I had to zoom out a bit, but Mt St Helens looks like it is within reaching distance in real life.

.

Much of Sauvie Island is owned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The island, and it's marshland, provide a valuable stopover for migratory waterfowl, and the predators of waterfowl. The entire west end of the island is wildlife refuge.


On the east end of the island agriculture is predominant. Hay and grain predominate, but here flowers provide the show.

 .........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
  Today.............26..............0...............4...............0...................26
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200   June................110.................0..............26...............0.................136
Total............1702...............0...............26...............0..............1727



Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Will Bike for Fried Rice!

Just a short 5 mile round trip this evening for some really yummy pork fried rice.

..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today.............5...............0...............4...............0....................5
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200
  
June.................84.................0..............26...............0.................116
Total............1676...............0...............26...............0..............1701

Monday, June 22, 2015

2 days in a row!

In a month where I've not been on a bike for the majority of days,  today marked a milestone.  Two consecutive days on a bike!

I started at Clackamas Town Center and rode the fixie along the I-205 mult-use trail northward to the Columbia River.


As I neared the river I passed a time/temperature display that showed. 72 degrees.  There were a few clouds over the Cascade Mtns to the east that mostly obscured the view of Mt Hood that one would have from this vantage point.

I turned down stream (west) and followed Portland's 40 Mile Loop.  I was getting hungry as I pedaled back eastward on the Springwater Corridor.  It didn't take much arm twisting to get me to stop at Cartlandia, where I had big helping of BBQ Pork Fried Rice.


In short order I had completed the loop and was now southbound again along the I-205 path.
The high temperature today was a very comfortable 79.  There was about a 7-10 mph wind out of the N-NW for most of the ride.

I ended up with 47 miles.


..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today............47...............0...............4...............0...................47
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200
  
June.................79.................0..............26...............0.................111
Total............1671...............0...............26...............0..............1696


Sunday, June 21, 2015

A gentle ride on a warm sunny day

Today was the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice.  

I invited friend Carol to join me as I rode the fixed gear around Sauvie Island.  I have not biked around the island in years, but used to ride from Hillsboro up and over the West Hills to get there just for added miles.  Today just around the island would be sufficient.  There was a lot of traffic, but it was bike friendly. (perhaps owing to a heavy police presence)







There were chicks in the nest and the Osprey pair were busy bringing in food.  I didn't get any good photos of delivery.

We rode out to the beaches and spent a few hours just watching the river roll by.  Carol was brave and spent some time swimming.  The water was too cold for me!






The beach was busy, and it was a good day for people watching.


After a few hours it was time to pedal back.  I was getting hungry!





 
..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today............25...............0...............4...............0...................25
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200
  

June.................32.................0..............26...............0..................64
Total............1624...............0...............26...............0..............1649

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Race Across the West tracking

I am crew chief for Barry Dickson, Race Across the West solo rider #R100.  He will begin racing his bike from Oceanside, CA to Durango, CO on Tuesday shortly after noon.  Up until that time we are busy with inspections, rider meetings, crew seminars, etc.  After the race starts I will try to give an audio update to this blog as well as my personal Facebook page everyday around 1PM PDT.  You can also get a wealth of information, interviews, and satellite tracking  at the following links:

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Parts run

My last day here before taking off for RAAM/RAW.  I needed to get a few supplies from the hardware store and auto parts store.  I took the mountain bike, because it was handy.
A beautiful day for a ride!


..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
  Today.............0...............0...............4...............0....................4
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200

 June................. 7.................0..............26...............0..................32
Total............1599...............0...............26...............0..............1624

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Final day at the coast for this trip.  Just the normal puttering around.  Photos coming later.


  ..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today.............0...............0...............5...............0....................5
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200

June................. 7.................0..............22...............0..................29
Total............1599...............0...............22...............0..............1620

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Oregon Coast day 2

Just rode around the campground doing some errands.

Photos coming later.

  ..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today.............0...............0...............4...............0....................4
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200

June................. 7.................0..............17...............0..................24
Total............1599...............0...............17...............0..............1615

Friday, June 5, 2015

Oregon Coast

I took the mountain bike out for the first time in well over a year.  Today I was on the North Oregon Coast and rode around Ft Stevens State Park.

Photos coming later

  ..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total 
  Today.............0...............0..............13...............0...................13
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200

June................. 7.................0..............13...............0..................20
Total............1599...............0...............13...............0..............1611

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

June

June is a month where I will be away from my bike for a good portion of the month.  I'll be crew chief for Barry Dickson at Race Across the West.  As we get closer I'll provide links where you can follow Barry's progress.  As for me, today I made my way back home from the Lopez Island bike camping weekend. I rode down Queen Anne under heavy grew skies, but dry.  It was raining hard as I arrived in Portland on the Bolt Bus.  It was way too easy to exit the Bolt Bus and enter the TriMet bus with my bike and take it to within two miles of home.

  ..........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total  Today.............7...............0..............0...............0....................7
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200

June..................7.................0...............0...............0...................7
Total............1599...............0...............0...............0..............1599