Thursday again

Today was Thursday, and time once again for the Thursday Night Ride! Art, Bettina, and Dave joined me for a 40 mile preride of the Springwater Corridor to Boring and back.

It was a beautiful day!  We pedaled along at a moderate pace, enjoying a long overdue visit.

We got to the trail end in Boring, where we had a chance to talk to a Death Ride participant. In short order we were back on our way to Portland.  Bettina picked up the pace a bit, and we boys did our best to hang on!

                             

She rode fast enough that I had nearly an hour to waste before TNR started.  What better way to waste time on an 85 degree day than to have a chocolate sundae?  ;-)

TNR was going to be fun tonight.  There were more mobile sound systems and more decorative bikes than usual.

The crowd was a little smaller than it has been in recent weeks, possibly owing to other rides going on tonight.

There were still about 200 people on bikes.  Nathan was back at the helm after working the Trans Am Bike Race.  He led us on a slightly longer than normal route tonight, ending at Irving Park were we met up with a sizable crowd that was already well into bike party mode.

I didn't hang around the party for long.  I noted that by the time I finished riding it was 9:38 PM PDT, and the sky was still blue with no stars yet visible.  The days of course are getting shorter again, but the long daylight is certainly nice.

Another fun day on the bike, and despite only having 75 miles in June as of the 26th, I managed to end up the month with 337. Hardly stellar, but at least decent by this year's standards.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........59................0..................0.......................0............59
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June........337...............0..................0.......................0...........337
YTD...... 1708.............0...................0.......................0..........1708

Another nice day!

It was going to be another nice day in NW Oregon........despite a cloudy start. I finally got out for the 50-100 mile route that I had hoped to ride yesterday before computer problems changed my plans.
I searched my past routes using the search criteria of starting close to home, and being between 50 and 100 miles.  This 73 mile route fit the bill perfectly.

It was in the high 50's as I started off, and I wore a light windbreaker to ward away the chill.  The clouds held out longer than expected, and I kept the jacket on for about 30 miles. This was a pretty flat course, only climbing about 1600 ft in the 73 miles.  There were a couple of 5% grades near the Willamette River, but they weren't long.

By half way through the ride, the clouds vanished and the temperature began to climb.  It would reach 81 before I was finished.  That is a few degrees cooler than it has been the last few days, and not "hot", but actually quite comfortable today. The wind was out of the north, and not overly troublesome.

It was a good day on the bike!

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........73................0..................0.......................0............73
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June........278...............0..................0.......................0...........278
YTD...... 1649.............0...................0.......................0..........1649

To the rescue!

It was going to be another gorgeous day in NW Oregon, just slightly cooler than yesterday, but still in the upper 80's.  This morning I was going over options for a 50-100 mile ride, leaning toward somewhere out by Salem.  While I was winnowing the choices down, my mom notified me that she was having more computer issues.  Suddenly, a 50 mile round trip ride to Hillsboro became the ride for today.

It was 56 degrees as I started out, so I put on a windbreaker.
There was an east wind blowing through The Gorge today and that translates to a north wind in the Willamette Valley south of Portland. It wasn't a big wind, but was noticeable as I rode toward Beaverton.  Once in Beaverton I had tailwinds to Hillsboro. By this time it had warmed up a bit, and so had I.  I stopped and took off the windbreaker.

I fixed mom's computer rather easily, and was on my way back before noon.

As I rode near the Washington County Fairgrounds, I couldn't resist a quick stop for a photo. ;-)

I rode easily against the headwind.  It would have been much more work if I were riding race pace, but I had all afternoon to get home.  When I got to Beaverton I turned south, and enjoyed an increasing tailwind all the way home.

It was a good ride.  Now I've got to come up with a plan for tomorrow!

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........50................0..................0.......................0............50
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June........205...............0..................0.......................0...........205
YTD...... 1576.............0...................0.......................0..........1576

Oregon!

Another 90+ degree day was on tap in NW Oregon.  I talked my friend Carol into a ride today, to celebrate sunshine.  She had suggested a hike, but I thought that hiking was taking a step backward on the evolutionary scale.

I had been up shortly before 5AM, but Carol is not a morning person. We finally shoved off about 10:15AM, already 78 degrees.  At Carol's request, I had mapped out a 40-ish mile route.  It was 42.4 miles to be precise.

I rode to the ride, giving me a few bonus miles.

We rode a comfortable pace, holding for the most part, in the mid teens.

As the mileage got larger, and the day got hotter, Carol slowed a bit.  I pressed onward, but waited at turns.

We finally finished up, both happy that the ride was done. Carol was especially happy that her car was still in the shade!

Carol C photo

With my commute to and from, I got 47 miles today, and with the slower pace, I felt great.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........47................0...................0.......................0............47
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June........155...............0..................0.......................0...........155
YTD...... 1526...............0...................0.......................0..........1526

Sunday Parkways

Portland has a monthly event called Sunday Parkways, where they close off roads in several neighborhoods to motor vehicles and open them to neighborhood walkers and cyclists.  At several locations on each route there will be food vendors, art booths, and neighborhood organizatons. The Portland Police used their space to hand out U-locks in trade for cable locks (deemed nearly worthless by almost everybody)  With blue sky and temperatures in the upper 80's (92 in Wilsonville!) I decided that a leisurely ride around might be just right.  I scrounged up the cable lock I found on a road recently and headed into the big city.

In advance statements there was no mention of a limited number of locks, though with the thousands of riders who show up to these events, I wouldn't have been surprised if at some point of the 5 hour event they would run out.  I arrived 10 minutes before the event started and got into the already building line.  Rumors started floating around that the police had 50 locks to pass out today. After an hour in line, I found out that I was #53.

I took the fixie for a spin around on the 9 mile route. It was slow going.  People were enjoying the day, and not there to cover ground.

After I completed the loop I loaded the bike and headed to nearby Sauvie Island to ride a lap around the island.  It was a nice day, so nice in fact that hundreds of people flocked to the island and it's sandy beaches.  There was a steady stream of automobiles, most patient with cyclists, a minority not so much.

I rode clockwise and once past the turn for the beaches traffic thinned drastically.

It was a good ride, my first back in Oregon in several weeks.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........33................0...................0.......................0............33
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June........108...............0..................0.......................0...........108
YTD...... 1479...............0...................0.......................0..........1479

Needing a bike fix

I've been occupied as crew chief for Race Across the West and unable to ride my bike.  It has been my longest bikeless stretch in many, many years. Though I'm still in California and not near my bike, Robert offered me his mountain bike (flat pedals) and an opportunity to join him on a short late morning ride. I put on a reflective vest and went for a ride in the Jackson, CA area!

My tour guide led us up Clinton Rd, following the South Fork of Jackson Creek.  Even though it was not yet noon, the temperature was in the upper 80's.  Luckily we were pedaling a tourist pace and not race pace and there was a lot of available shade as we made our way upward.

We had travel plans for early afternoon and other destinations to pedal to so after a few miles of climbing we turned around.

We pedaled back down and crossed the North Fork of Jackson Creek and pedaled up to a local business where Robert checked on an order he had made.  We then pedaled back down through the historic old town section of Jackson.

Robert then took me up N Main St/Jackson Gate Rd to Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park to see some old large gold mining artifacts. The last 150 yds up to the display was very steep. Robert, on his road bike, and having seen this many times stayed at the bottom. I was riding his mtn bike with lower gearing and having never seen this before rode up the hill to take a look.

click on the photo for a full sized version if you want to read the sign

Having run out of time, and somewhat satisfying my curiosity, we rode back to Robert's house and ended the ride.

It was nice to be back on a bike, and nice to ride with a Furnace Creek Hall of Fame member.

Thanks for the fun ride Robert!

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........13................0...................0.......................0............13
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June.........75...............0..................0.......................0............75
YTD...... 1446...............0...................0.......................0..........1446

RAW

Nearing the end of "daylight" on day 1. The guys have been racing for almost 6 hours.  We just passed through Borrego Springs. Doing well,  a lot of tailwind so far. 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Race Across the West

I am crew chief for Robert Baldino and Brian Martin as they compete in Race Across the West.

They race as  Houndstooth Ultra/Cyclonauts, R201

We start at noon today.

You can view satellite tracking of the race HERE

Video reports can be found HERE

and George Thomas hosts RAAM Radio HERE

Pedalpalooza Kickoff!

By a strange and magical stroke of luck, it is Thursday AND the start of Pedalpalooza.  The Thursday Night Ride's normal group of 200 people on bikes swelled to nearly 1000 based on my estimate.  (number of people in one block) X (number of block occupied.)

After a few weeks of hot and dry weather, today was a bit of a change.  It actually started raining lightly about 3PM.  I drove to Sellwood with windshield wipers running on delay.  By the time I got on my bike it had stopped.  The rain didn't amount to much. My home weather station reported a total of 0.07",  my buddy John's weather station near the Vista Ridge Tunnel showed 0.00".

The afternoon rain didn't dissuade the masses.  The group was large as we gathered at the Salmon Street Springs.

Riders were invited to bring bike mounted boom boxes and to wear costumes.

The wookie put his head on before riding
Josh C photo

Nathan, the ride's founder and usual leader, was away chronicling  the self supported TransAm Bike Race participants. Mark B stepped up, with the help of a small army of volunteers to help keep things orderly.

It was amazing to see the number of bikes on the streets.  We were legion!

Josh C photo

Daniel G photo

Bike Portland even was in attendance to report on the fun.

Most of the motor vehicle drivers honked and waved.  Only a few needed to be reminded that tonight the streets were ours.

"We were here first, you'll need to wait your turn"
Josh C photo

We rode a familiar route, but tonight there were no snack stops. My guess is that ride leaders decided the crowd was just too large to be accommodated.  We ended back up under the Hawthorne Bridge with plenty of daylight left.

With all the bikes with amplified sound, it was turning into a dance party.

Josh C photo

It was a great night for a ride, and a great start to the nearly month long Pedalpalooza celebration.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........14................0...................0.......................0............14
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June.........62...............0..................0.......................0............62
YTD...... 1433...............0...................0.......................0..........1433

Hot on the Oregon Coast

It is unseasonably warm on the Oregon coast, today would reach 88 degrees.  We repeated the ritual of morning clam digging.  The entertainment for the day was watching a driver of a Mercedes SLK convertible determining that the sign that said "WARNING- 4 Wheel Drive Vehicles only beyond this point" did not apply to his 2 wheel drive, low ground clearance vehicle.  There was much cheering and "you can't fix stupid" statements as we watched the idiot try to dig his car out, only to have it sit firmly on the undercarriage.  After at least a half hour, a better good Samaritan than I hooked a winch cable to the car and pulled it 100 ft back to a solid surface.  It took several rehooks to get it, and the Mercedes driver wasn't helping at all, turning the wheels the wrong way, despite good coaching by the Good Samaritan's co pilot.  I didn't have my camera or phone with me, or I would surely post a photo for your enjoyment.  I talked to the Good Samaritan later and found that the Mercedes driver gave him $20...........for the half hour of work to pull him out.  A tow truck would easily have cost 10x that amount.

Anyway, back to the biking.  I rode to the beach in the afternoon and puttered around just a bit in the warm sunshine.  I got 7 miles total before having to break camp and get on the road.


.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ..........7................0...................0.......................0.............7
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June.........48...............0..................0.......................0............48
YTD...... 1419...............0...................0.......................0..........1419

An ice run

I am on the North Oregon coast joining family members for a weekend of razor clam digging. After the clams were dug, cleaned, and clam chowder consumed, it was time for margaritas.  I was elected to go on an ice run!

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ..........1................0...................0.......................0.............1
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June.........41...............0..................0.......................0............41
YTD...... 1412...............0...................0.......................0..........1412

Another Boring Ride

It was going to be a warm day, expected to be in the low 90's. There was a high overcast that promised to moderate that a bit. I got on the fixed gear bike in the early afternoon with plans to ride from Sellwood to Boring and back.  As I was preparing to ride, Carol called and asked if I wanted to go for a ride.  I pedaled around the parking lot a bit while I waited for her to arrive.  While doing that I was approached by a local television reporter who interviewed me about the new Sellwood Bridge, and the impending removal of the old bridge.

Carol arrived, then also was interviewed.  Who knew that we were bridge experts!

I ended up with just over a mile of pre ride before starting out with Carol.

It was an uneventful ride, we just pedaled along.

We got to Boring and struck up a conversation with two Sorella Forte members.  They were lounging on the grass taking a break during a ride from Sellwood out to the Cascade foothills and back.  These ladies were no slouches!

Carol and I turned around and pedaled back toward Sellwood.  Carol has not been riding much lately and was lagging a bit. She had to be back to her car no later than 4:30 to make it to work on time,  so I kept the pressure up.

The wild flowers were out in full force.  Wild peas, vetch, and especially the foxglove were especially showy today.

We got back to Sellwood Riverfront Park at 4:11, Perfect!

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .........40................0...................0.......................0............40
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......559................0..................0........................0..........559
May.........414...............0..................0.......................0...........414
June.........40...............0..................0.......................0............40
YTD...... 1411...............0...................0.......................0..........1411