I had my two week follow-up appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon yesterday afternoon.  The pain in my knee was found to be not the result of a fracture, but from a build up of fluid.  The doctor is hoping it will self rectify.

My sore rib was not x-rayed because...... well because there isn't much you can do about a rib that is broken.anyway.


My fractured arm is still fractured.  I didn't get a photo of the x-ray, but there is a longitudinal crack from the elbow to about 1/3 of the way to the wrist. The area of the concern to the doctor is that the crack continues through the elbow joint. I understand that technically this is called a radial head fracture. I've approximated the position of the fracture on this photo.

The doctor tells me that if I put stress on the arm that I may completely break the radial head. I'm told that I'll be immobilized for 4-6 more weeks to allow the bone to heal. At least the new splint allows me some use of my dominant hand. Useful for writing and typing!  Still can't tie my own shoes though.  I've been warned that though my fingers are now free, that any use other than very light duty, risks breaking the elbow joint. :-(


Given that I have plans to join some friends and participate in Race Across Oregon next July I really need to be riding.  I decided to try riding a stationary bike at the gym.  As I mounted the bike, there was some pain in my knee but that stopped as soon as I was seated. I put my one good arm on the handlebars to steady myself, and began pedaling. The knee wasn't hurting too badly, so far so good. As I picked up the pace, and increased the resistance I soon found out that the rib would be the limiting factor today.  Full breaths were painful. I reduced the resistance and slowed the pace.  I just spun pedals for the remainder of my goal of 5 "miles".


Hardly #ridingeverydayinNovember,  but at least I know that in a few months I'll have options.



........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total

Today ....0.................0.................0...............5...............5

Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350

Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0

March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18

April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113

May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155

June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10

July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79

Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76

Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97

Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36

Nov.........205....................0................0................0............205

Total......1099...............15.................0...............36..........1150

Update

Well, my participation in the 4th edition of #ridingeverydayinNovember came to a screeching halt on day 15.  I was treated at the ER for a fractured left arm and have a banged up knee and possible broken rib.  I have a follow up appointment next week with an Orthopedic Surgeon. 

The driver was not issued a citation, but has admitted fault,

I'm now playing games with the driver's insurance company,

Not my first rodeo.

Day 15, #ridingeverydayinNovember

Well, I made it half way through #ridingeverydayinNovember before getting hit by a driver in a car.
:-(  It was a rainy day, there was nearly and inch and a quarter of rain by late afternoon, and a bit cool as well.

 I had errands to run during the day so could not get on the bike until dark. #ridingeverydayinNovember called, so I selected a route that I used to ride when I was training for races, and working full time, a 20+ mile loop that had wide shoulders with bike lanes, plenty of street lights, and mostly low traffic roads. At least the rain had abated.

 I was 4 1/2 miles into my ride when a driver saw me, but thought she could beat me to the intersection (Boones Ferry and Iowa) to make a right turn.  She didn't. I was a victim of the dreaded "right hook". She didn't turn in front of me, she turned right into me.

 I was well lit, and on my highly reflectorized "rain bike".

With an equal amount of reflectivity on my clothing and helmet, as well as wearing a class 2 Safety vest there was no question that I was visible

A witness to the incident stopped and gave his contact information to me, and he also called the Tualatin Police.  Sergeant Jeremy Rankin responded and filled out a report.

I sent an email to Sergeant Rankin asking him to cite the driver under ORS 811.050

I just want the driver to think.  I want all road users to be responsible. The "law of lug nuts" shouldn't be the law of the land.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ....9.................0.................0...............0...............9
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........205....................0................0................0............205
Total......1099...............15.................0...............31..........1145

Day 14, #ridingeverydayinNovember

It was windy today, but the predicted rain steered clear.  I hopped on the fixed gear bike and went for a random ride around the neighborhood. The first stop was at a fast food hamburger place for lunch. My fixie has a kick stand, but the wind blew the bike over twice while I was sitting there.  I finally just let it be.

The wind had dried all the leaves that had blown down in the wind and rain the last few days and were like ice.

                                              

While there are still a few leaves to come down, there are a lot of them down in the streets.

I rode through Graham Oaks Park.

 I stopped here, because sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't.

I got back to the freeway, then decided to turn around and retrace my route.  It was just too nice a day to stop early.  This time I stopped when I was near the Willamette River to get this photo.

Earlier in today's ride I had a good view of Mt Hood, but didn't stop to take a photo.  A Puget Sound friend had mentioned that their "mountain was out". (Mt Rainier is often obscured by clouds, so when it is visible it is cause for celebration!) I rode to a few locations where I knew that Mt Hood would likely be putting on a good show with the fresh snow and bright sunshine.  Alas, the cloud cover had rolled in, and I missed the shot I was hoping for.  I did manage to spy these mushrooms.  Noteworthy because a friend in Keizer, Oregon has been posting her mushroom sightings.

Of equal importance is this photo of today's find.  The spouse of the Keizer friend is always proud of his tool finds along the road.  Here is my find for the day!

20 miles, 56 degrees, mushrooms, and a 7/16 combination wrench.  I'd call that a pretty successful day!

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...20.................0.................0...............0..............20
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........196....................0................0................0............196
Total......1090...............15.................0...............31..........1136

Day 13, #ridingeverydayinNovember

The weather forecast this morning said, ""A steady rain this morning. Windy with showers continuing this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 53F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%."

Added to the mix was this warning posted by the National Weather Service just before 5 AM.

Wind Advisory

Issued: 4:44 AM PST Nov. 13, 2017 – National Weather Service

... Wind Advisory remains in effect until 7 PM PST this evening... 

* winds... south to southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts 40 to 50 
  mph.

* Timing... late Monday morning until early evening, strongest in 
  the afternoon.

* Impacts... strong winds may blow down limbs, trees, and power 
  lines. Scattered power outages are possible.

Precautionary/preparedness actions... 

A Wind Advisory is issued when sustained winds are forecast to be
31 to 39 mph or gusts will range between 45 and 57 mph. Winds of
these magnitudes may cause minor property damage without extra
precautions. Motorists in high profile vehicles should use
caution until the winds subside.

The current conditions looked like this:

It looked like the best conditions to ride in was going to be NOW!

I hopped on my fixed gear bike and went on a donut run.  The wind was already blowing, but I was enjoying a temporary respite from the rain.

I took a direct route to the grocery store (with in house bakery!)  The wind was the most noticeable feature.

I picked up a Boston Cream "donut"

Since my personal minimum acceptable mileage for the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge is 5 miles, and it is only just over a mile to get the donut,(and that it still wasn't raining!) I took the long way home through the neighborhood streets.

I made it home safely.  The Boston Cream wasn't so lucky.  ;-)

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ....6.................0.................0...............0...............6
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........176....................0................0................0............176
Total......1070...............15.................0...............31..........1116

Day 12, #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today was going to be a test.  For the 12th day of #ridingeverydayinNovember I decided to ride Portland's 40 mile loop.  In years gone by this was nothing more than a Sunday saunter for me, or maybe a training ride if I was riding it hard.  Followers of my blog will note that I've not been riding much this year, so just finishing this 38 mile loop would be a challenge for me.

It was raining lightly as I shoved off from Sellwood Riverside Park.  I rode the route counter clockwise today, the opposite direction of the way that I normally would ride it.

Shortly after I began pedaling the rain stopped.
I got to Cartlandia just in time for lunch.  ;-)

The 40 Mile Loop heads north along the I-205 bike path.  As I was slowly climbing near the route's high point, I passed by a friend of mine going the opposite direction.  She stopped, and I turned around and pedaled back.  We hadn't seen each other in quite some time and spent a short time visiting.  She was on a group ride with the Portland Wheelmen and invited me to turn around and join them.  I thanked her for the offer but said I wouldn't be able to keep up. She thought I was joking!  :-(
We didn't talk long, her friends kept riding and she'd have to catch up, and I had a lot of miles to go yet.  The day was brightening up, but Mt Hood was still obscured by clouds when I reached the Columbia River.

I had a decent tailwind as I pedaled along the Columbia.  I turned south as I pedaled along the Peninsula Crossing Trail and lost the tailwind, however, as I left the banks of the Columbia River the wind wasn't nearly as noticeable. I turned left on Willamette Blvd and pedaled by the University of Portland.  There was still a bit of color on the trees there.

 I continued on around the loop.  One of the reasons I don't usually ride counter clockwise is that there are some difficult intersections along Interstate Avenue, one being where Brett Jarolimek died in 2007. His death, and the others that followed in rapid succession, and the lack of holding drivers responsible,  galvanized the local biking community and resulted in some substantial changes in the area.  I was pleased to see several of the more troublesome intersections improved for cyclist's passage since the last time I had pedaled this way around.

When I got to the Willamette River I was surprised to see it so calm.  I suspect that the tide was near high slack, stopping the flow of the river. I had never seen the Willamette so calm.

I was notably tired as I pedaled along the East Bank Esplanade.  It might have been partly caused by being hungry, but more likely just that I'm horribly out of shape!

#ridingeverydayinNovember is a good excuse to start working on that.

It started raining again just shortly after I took that last photo.  It rained all the rest of the way back along the Springwater Trail to Sellwood Riverside Park.....and then some.  Tonight and tomorrow are predicted to be wet and windy.  I guess it will be the rain bike for the next few days (at least!)

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...38.................0.................0...............0..............38
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........170....................0................0................0............170
Total......1064...............15.................0...............31..........1110

Day 11, #ridingeverydayinNovember

Late yesterday I became aware of an event billed as the "Hidden Gems of the Springwater" ride. A group called Puddlecycle sponsored the ride. It is one of their "18 winter rides that will make you jump and shout" series. It wouldn't be fast, but it would allow me to check off another day of #ridingeverydayinNovember.  8 of us met at Westmoreland Park.  The plan was this:

"This ride follows the Springwater Corridor multi use path visiting things just off the trail people may be unaware of like a secret waterfall and some ponds popular with waterfowl. Sites include Johnson Creek City Park, Oregon Pacific vintage railroad yard, Luther Road Restoration Area, Beggars Tick Wildlife Refuge, and the Foster Floodplain Natural Area. The loop ride goes out as far as Leach Botanical Gardens, and gets there going the back way over the bridge now open only to cyclists. There will also be a stop at the Franz Bakery Outlet, and the final stops will be at the nearby Belmont Goats and the new Naya Generations complex."


We followed Johnson Creek drainage via the Springwater Corridor. Most of the early part of our ride was under a steady drizzle, with an occasional heavy rainfall.  Most of us had rain gear on and were comfortable. A couple of recent transplants to the area were unprepared and once wet, were suffering in the high 40's temperatures.

We rode to the "secret waterfall"

One of the highlights of today's saunter was the Leach Botanical Garden. We didn't have time to take a tour of the 16 acre site, but did take a shorter tour of the former home of Lilla and John Leach. Our volunteer tour guide was a sweet older woman who knew the answers to the questions we posed.

One of our last stops today was at the Belmont Goats.

The weather improved as our day progressed.  The rain stopped and roads and trails mostly dried out. By that time however, the damage was done to our unprepared riders.  They were cold and glad we were finishing up.

 I should have gone for a few bonus miles, but I was hungry, and the short daylight was threatening to end the daylight.

There's always tomorrow.  ;-)

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...18.................0.................0...............0..............18
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........132....................0................0................0............132
Total......1026...............15.................0...............31..........1072

Day 10, #ridingeverydayinNovember

It continues to rain.  Not the mid west kind of rain, the Oregon kind.  A heavy drizzle with occasional heavier showers.  I put on my rain gear, (shoe covers, rain pants, rain coat, water proof gloves, and helmet cover) and went out for a spin on the rain bike.

I was dressed adequately for the weather, and it wasn't all that bad.

I did have one interesting interaction.  I was making a left turn onto Wilsonville Rd and took the center of the left turn lane.  I rolled up to the red light and waited for it to turn green.  An old guy (older than me!) came up behind me and started honking his horn.  After 30 seconds of him honking and hollering, I turned around.  It seems that this guy had an issue with me being in HIS lane. I noted the Trump bumper sticker.  I just pointed at the red light and turned back forward.  When the light turned green I got on the pedals and sprinted across the street to the bike lane on the other side as I made the turn.  The guy in the green sedan fell in behind me, continuing to honk his horn. I was beginning to wonder where this was going to lead when after a half mile he pulled back into the lane and proceeded on.  If you are interested his license plate is Oregon UPC 671.

I continued on noting that most of the trees have dropped leaves now and crews are busy vacuuming them up.  For those not in a climate where wet leaves are an issue, wet leaves are as slick as ice. The bike lanes were covered with leaves. It is nice to see the city being proactive.

I pedaled through the Coffee Creek area as the rain was coming down a bit harder.

It was a good ride.  Being prepared can make all the difference. Now if I was just in good bike shape. How much is getting older, and how much is it that I just haven't been riding?  Time will tell.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...15.................0.................0...............0..............15
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov.........114....................0................0................0............114
Total......1008...............15.................0...............31..........1054

Day 9, #ridingeverydayinNovember, it is just water

It was going to be a wet day.



Luckily, I was going to be riding at night, and wasn't too concerned on what the day would bring.  ;-)

I was going to join the Thursday Night Ride, so spent the afternoon preparing the rain bike and finding all my wet weather gear.  It has been many months since I last put the rain bike into service.

As is my custom, I drove to  Sellwood Riverside Park and rode in from there. It was raining lightly. Given the conditions (43 and wet) I was surprised to see so many people. There were about 100 folks milling around.

Two young women teamed up to lead the ride tonight. It was interesting.
There were a few chuckles among the riders when it seemed that the group didn't know where we were going.

We spent quite a bit of time on the west side of the Willamette River, unusual for this group.
We crossed over the Tillicum Bridge as a very heavy rain shower fell upon us.

Our leaders brought the group under a bridge to sit out the rain.

When the group finished up the ride and settled in for late evening social, I continued along the East Bank Esplanade................

...................and Springwater Trail.

It was a good ride.  The temperature had dropped to 42F by the time we finished, but I had made good clothing choices (Goretex gloves, Showers Pass jacket, Waterproof shoe covers, Goretex pants, and a helmet cover) and the rain bike did it's job with full fenders and buddy flaps front and rear. Rain?  It is just water!

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...17.................0.................0...............0..............17
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov..........99....................0................0................0.............99
Total.......996...............15.................0...............31..........1039

Day 8, #ridingeverydayinNovember

The weather forecast today called for rain by late morning.  The radar image confirmed that rain was knocking on the door. It was in the mid 40's as I put a clip on rear fender on my fixed gear and a water repellent wind breaker on me and headed out.  There were just random drops of rain falling.

The trail under I-5 is still officially closed, but careful inspection shows that the work on the path is finished. There is still some drainage and landscaping to be finished up.

I made my way over to Graham Oaks Park almost entirely via multi-use paths.  The rain was increasing in intensity, though still not raining hard. The tires were throwing up a bit of rooster tail, so I was glad I had my rear fender on.

As I rode through Graham Oaks Park the rain increased even more. By the time I got to Villabois it was beginning to look like real rain.

Before long it was wet, and I would be too if I didn't finish up soon.

My feet were wet, but the rest of me was only damp.  I survived my first rainy ride in November.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...13.................0.................0...............0..............13
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov..........82....................0................0................0.............82
Total.......979...............15.................0...............31..........1022

Day 7, #ridingeverydayinNovember

I had a busy day that precluded me from riding later in the day, so I took off early(ish).  It had "warmed up" to 43 degrees by the time I started off, up from the mid 30's earlier in the day. Learning my lesson from yesterday, today I prepared adequately to ride in the cool air. 

I had less than an hour to ride but was determined to make the most of it.  I took off toward town.

I crossed under I-5 at the Boone Bridge then went out to Graham Oaks Park and on up to Villabois. It was a nice day for a ride.  With rain predicted tomorrow, I wished that I had time to ride more today, but alas.

I rode back down to Wilsonville and pulled into the Park and Ride, where I found this bike repair station. 

Often, these are sponsored by a local bike club, but I saw no such signage at this one.

It was time for me to get back home and get on the road to my first appointment.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ....9.................0.................0...............0...............9
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov..........69....................0................0................0.............69
Total.......960...............15.................0...............31..........1009

Day 6, #ridingeverydayinNovember

I'm back home and while dry, it was a shock to ride in cold air.

It was 51 degrees.  It felt much colder.  I expected to see snowflakes at any moment. I started out pedaling into a moderate wind and that increased the chill factor, but 40 degrees colder than what I've been in the last few days is noticeable!

I pedaled the fixed gear bike hard, because, well because training!  It about killed me.  ;-)

5 miles was enough to achieve my personal 5 mile minimum, and enough for me today.


........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ....5.................0.................0...............0...............5
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov..........60....................0................0................0.............60
Total.......951...............15.................0...............31..........1000

Day 5, #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today was another challenging day.  My crew duties finished up last night at 8:30 PM.  I had been awake for 28 hours, and was faced with a 1200 mile drive back home, and still needed to get a ride in every day, with a self imposed 5 mile minimum.  I managed to drive just over 5 hours before I just really needed to sleep. I pushed a bit harder so that I could get through  Los Angeles during the middle of the night, rather than during rush hour the next day.  I also wanted to get as near to Sacramento as I could so that I might be able to ride some miles on the American River bike path tomorrow.

After a well utilized 6 hour sleep, I was back on my way north.  I started out with just a short ride for breakfast before racking my bike for the trip.

It was 58F, with light clouds, a harbinger of what was waiting for me up the road.

I got to Sacramento mid afternoon.  I parked the car and got on the bike. I knew I didn't have time to ride the full 32 miles (and  32 back) so I decided to do a 20 mile out and back.

The temperature was in the low 60's and it was mostly sunny.  Not bad at all for November.  There were even a few folks soaking up the sun in secluded beaches along the river. I decided not to be the creepy guy with a camera!

I did stop for a few other photos though.

I made it back home just a few minutes before midnight.  A long day, but a fun one!


........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ...21.................0.................0...............0...............21
Jan.........304................15................0...............31..........350
Feb..........0..................0..................0...............0.............0
March.......18.................0.................0...............0............18
April.......113................0.................0...............0...........113
May.........155................0.................0...............0...........155
June..........10.................0.................0................0.............10
July..........79..................0.................0................0.............79
Aug..........76...................0.................0................0............76
Sept...........97..................0.................0................0............97
Oct..........36....................0................0................0.............36
Nov..........60....................0................0................0.............60
Total.......949...............15.................0...............31...........995