An Unplanned Frozen Yogurt Run

 It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  I couldn't resist, I took the fixed gear bike and went for a ride.  I started at the McDonalds near Oregon City and rode north to the Clackamas River. I followed that until I could access the I-205 Bike Path and then followed that toward the Columbia River.
As I'd cross over I-205 I noted how nice it was to be on a bike, and just how frustrating it would be to be in a motor vehicle.

 Once I got to the Columbia River I goofed around. I toured a path that followed the Columbia Slough.

 I watched three fighter jets swoop in for a landing.  I could not get my camera out in time to get a photo, but did see the pilots' faces as they dropped from the sky.  The commercial jet that lumbered in was easier to frame. The fighter jets were MUCH closer!

I rode into Cascade Station and was hijacked by the opportunity to score some frozen yogurt.

On the return trip I rode through the City of Maywood Park, unique for several things, one being that the city is completely surrounded by Portland.

As I waited at one of the road crossings for my signal I had a little altercation.  The bike path's signal indicated it was my turn to go.  The motor vehicles had a red light. I started into the cross walk, when a SUV decided that they were in too much of a hurry to get on the clogged up freeway and failed to stop as required,  and swerved closely around me to get on the on-ramp.  I gave the rear quarter panel a good hard slap is it passed. The driver looked surprised.  Duh.

I had a favorable breeze assisting me on my return  It was a nice day despite the crazy driver, nearly 60 degrees, and the little push just made it all the better.  What a great day on the bike!


............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........45................0..............0...............0.............45 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........439.............0..............0...............0............439 Total..........1727...............0..............0...............0.........1727

A great day for a bike ride!

I was invited to join a few folks on a 65ish mile ride on the dry side of Washington State.  For my readers who are not in the Oregon/Washington area, the Cascade Mountains run north-south down the states, leaving about 1/3 of the states in the moist maritime zone, and 2/3rd in the much more arid interior.  Especially in Oregon, this zone is noted for cold winters, hot summers, and lots of sage brush and basalt.  What that means to a cyclist, is that except for ice in the winter, and oppressive heat in the summer, Spring and Fall are great times to ride "on the dry side".

I loaded my carbon bike for only the second time since the Southern California trip last November and drove through the Columbia River Gorge to the town of Lyle, WA.

6 of us were riding today, 4 lads and 2 lasses.  We started from a trailhead at the intersection of SR 14 and Hwy 142.  The trailhead was for a gravel rails to trails path the runs up the Klickitat River. We didn't take the gravel path, but instead started right off with a 8.5 mile sustained climb from 200 ft to nearly 1900 ft, with another 1.5 miles of rolling climbing to our high point of the day at about 2000 ft elevation.

When we got to the top we transitioned from tree covered hills to wide open grasslands.
There was a noticeable tail wind.  Right on schedule, as they predicted 15-20 mph West winds.

There were a few sights to see as we pedaled along.  3 does were as interested in us as we were in them.

A long abandoned house led us to wonder what stories it could tell.

We were pedaling along easily at +/- 25 mph, aided by the tailwind.  We knew to enjoy it now, for we'd have to pay for it when we turned back the other direction at Goldendale.  Jan, our leader had a slightly different route than I normally ride.  We turned north before reaching Hwy 97.  It didn't cost or save any miles, but did keep us on less traveled roads.

 We would have had a great view of Mt Adams, but there were a few clouds that direction making it impossible to see.

We arrived in Goldendale at about our halfway point. It was a perfect excuse to gather in the lee of a building and eat some of our snacks while sitting in the warm sun.  The temperature was only in the upper 40's so we were mindful of not cooling down.

After a short stop, we continued on.  We knew there would be a brisk headwind.  There was some joking around that the gang was going to just tuck in behind me and draft.  I was the last one out of our rest stop, having to finish my snack and toss the packaging in a trash can.

As I rolled out I made a couple of turns to get on the route.  As I turned onto Hwy 142 I saw the gang stretched out in front of me out to about 1/2 mile.  I got on my aerobars and started the chase.
I caught them and passed them one by one.  I expected them to latch on, but alas, nobody took the bait.
I continued to pedal along.  I wasn't at race pace, but I was putting distance on the rest of the peloton. I knew the wind would likely continue to build, so I wasn't too interested in spending any more time getting back than necessary.  I continued a steady pressure on the pedals.  The wind was brisk, at time slowing me to 11 mph for short stretches.  I just kept in my mind that this was still nearly 3 times faster than I was able to ride in Death Valley in 2009.  I also knew that as I dropped into the Klickitat Canyon that I'd likely get shelter from the canyon walls and trees.  The sooner I got there the happier I'd be.  I kept pedaling.

Except when I stopped to take a photo!

Or two!

being a whitewater enthusiast in a former life I was fascinated

I was surprised by the amount of wind in the canyon. Luckily the road twists around enough that the wind would come and go in pain in the butt factor.  I counted down the miles as I neared the Columbia River and the end of today's ride.

I pulled in, loaded my bike, changed out of bike clothes, and waited with camera in hand for the others to finish.  Finish they did, anywhere from 28 minutes behind me, to 56 minutes. I was amazed that I'd put nearly a minute each mile into them.  They all were happy to be finished.

 28 minutes behind me

 finishing 56 minutes after me.

We all remarked on how nice the ride was, despite the challenges the wind presented.  I tossed out the option of finishing up with pizza and brew, but got no takers.  We turned vehicles westward and headed toward home.  I was running windshield wipers by the time I got to Cascade Locks.

Better map detail HERE

It was a good day to be on the dry side!


............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........66................0..............0...............0.............66 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........394.............0..............0...............0............394 Total..........1682...............0..............0...............0.........1682

Sunshine!

I was driving down I-5 today.  How fortuitous that I should  have two bikes with me as I crossed into Oregon and saw Mt Hood glistening in the sunshine to the east.  I exited I-5 at the very first Oregon exit, changed into bike clothes, and took the fixie out for a little spin along the Columbia River.

It may not yet be Spring, but it was a nice Spring ride!  The temperature was pretty close to 60 as I pedaled eastward along the Marine Drive bike path with a bit of tailwind.

I was just over ten miles out when I figured I'd better turn around to avoid darkness.  I was about 4 mph slower going into the wind. It was a nice break from driving down I-5.  As I crossed back over the water to Hayden Island I noted how nice Mt Hood was looking in the dimming light.

As I stood there taking the photo and taking in the sights my mind wandered to the Waffle Rides of old. It would have been a good night to stage one of those.  Alas, that was then, this is now.

It was a good evening for a ride, glad I had my bike with me!


............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........21................0..............0...............0.............21 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........328.............0..............0...............0............328 Total..........1616...............0..............0...............0.........1616

St Patrick Day Miles

 It is St Patrick's Day.  Some will celebrate with Irish Whiskey, some with corned beef and cabbage, some with green beer.  Me?  I'll go for a bike ride.  I figured I should ride 50 miles, because I slacked off over the weekend, and just because it seemed like a nice round number.

The sky was mostly blue and temperature was in the mid 50's.  I took the fixie down Queen Ann, across the Fremont Bridge, and out the Burke-Gilman Trail for 25 miles total, and back.

Nothing fancy, but the climb back up Queen Ann on a 43x15 is always a bit of a challenge.

Nice day for a bike ride.

............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........50................0..............0...............0.............50 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........307.............0..............0...............0............307 Total..........1595...............0..............0...............0.........1595

The McClinchy Mile

 The forecast called for 100% chance of rain today in the Arlington, WA area.  I loaded my rain bike up and made my way northward.  The McClinchy Mile ride started at Haller Middle School.   Given the forecast, there were only about half the number of riders in attendance as would normally be expected. I teamed up with 4 friends and rode off with dry roads and cloudy skies.  The McClinchy Mile has three main loops, plus a short family friendly loop. John H and I hoped to ride all three loops for the full 100 mile ride.  We chose the 48 mile loop to start off with, because we heard it was the hilliest.  We figured we'd get the more difficult stuff out of the way. 

As we got the route sheets in our hand we noted that hilly is subjective, there was less than 2000 ft elevation gain in the 48 miles.  We were a group of varying bike readiness.  Craig D was on a brand new Specialized Robaix with DI2 shifting. The other 4 started out in rain coats, but I started with just a windbreaker on.  The temperature was in the mid 50's, and I was afraid of overheating.

There were no big hills, but a lot of shorter ones.  At the top of each hill we'd regroup.  About 10 miles into the ride it started to sprinkle.  We all presumed our luck had run out.  I put my windbreaker away and put my rain coat on while we regrouped.  As it ended up, it never rained much.  Craig had not got fenders on the new bike yet, and so little rain fell that he didn't get that muddy stripe up his back.

We noted that we were doing a lot of waiting to regroup.  In two hours we had covered 17 miles. We got to Granite Falls and missed the first food stop.  The stop was poorly marked, as was the course in a few places.  None of us were hurting too bad, so we decided to ride on toward Machias, the location of the second food stop, another 15 miles down the course.

 After another few miles, and few more hills, Julie needed a food break. She didn't have a big breakfast and was getting hungry.  We stopped along the side of the road and she attacked some of the snacks she was carrying.  Having refueled we continued on. We regrouped at the right turn onto Carpenter Rd, and as we were waiting, who would ride by other than friend Geoff H!  He was on an SIR (Seattle International Randonneurs) ride. He continued straight, we turned right.

We arrived at Machias and feasted on cookies, peanut butter bagels, grapes and bananas.

At Machias the route turned onto the Centennial Trail, not to be confused with the Centennial Trail near Spokane.  There was a 15 mph speed limit on the trail, not that we were in too much danger of exceeding that today.

We pedaled along, visiting and watching the scenery go by.  After a few miles of trail, we got back on roads for the last few miles into town.  I understand that the trail is not paved all the way into Arlington, but they are currently working on completing it.

In no time we were back in Arlington.  We decided we'd better get a group photo.

John H, Scott B., Julie P, Me, Craig D

It was 2:30 PM, the course closed at 4 PM.  There was a stiff wind blowing.  My pickup was right there.  I decided to not make Julie wait as I rode.  John thought he might go for a few bonus miles, but was unsure how many he'd go for.

We walked into the school and nibbled on rider snacks.  After 30 minutes John hopped on his bike, and the rest of us got in vehicles and called it a day after just the 48 mile loop.

............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........48................0..............0...............0.............48 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........257.............0..............0...............0............257 Total..........1545...............0..............0...............0.........1545

Just in time

 I drove up to Seattle this afternoon in anticipation of this weekend's McClinchy Mile ride. I arrived with 30 minutes to unload gear, change into bike clothes, hop on the bike and ride down to Gasworks Park to join a group of folks on a ride to Alki Beach.  We left Gasworks at 6:15 PM.  We picked up a couple of riders at various points as we pedaled toward Alki Beach.  By the time we got to Jack Block Park we were 9 strong. It was a nice evening and there were others out for bike rides too.  We passed by friend Eric S who was riding the other direction.  We exchanged shout outs.  We were all invited to Bob D's place in Alki where he had turkey sandwiches all made up, and several varieties of beer.  I graciously accepted a sandwich, I passed on the beer.

  As it ended up, Martha, one of the last riders to join our group had biked the San Diego Christmas Bike Ride this year. She crashed on the last day of that ride, very near the end, and had been off the bike since then.  Today was her second time on the bike since December.  It was nice to hear about that ride, as I've done it for the last 5 years, but did not do it with the group this year.

Before we left Bob's I put my headlight on.  I would have had it on a bit earlier, but it was buried in my pack, and I was in a group of bikes with headlights.  I did have my rear blinkie on the entire ride.

As we passed under the ramps of the West Seattle Bridge we came across a large group of folks on bikes. It turned out to be an outing of the fun loving .83 bike group. They were about 45 of them!  As we passed, they pointed out that we should join them, and that we were going the wrong way to find fun.  They were probably right!

When we got back along the piers in Seattle I was a bit ahead of the group. I stopped to take this photo.
I was a nice night, despite the forecast for rain by dark.  I was riding in a thin long sleeved top with a windbreaker.  Long pants, but not my windproof ones.  I was very comfortable.

The rest of the gang was going to take a pitstop at the Nickerson Street Saloon  but I turned up Queen Ann instead.

What a nice night to be on the bike.

............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........32................0..............0...............0.............32 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........209.............0..............0...............0............209 Total..........1497...............0..............0...............0.........1497

Hardly worth blogging about

I'm attending to last minute details before taking off on a little road trip.

I put some toe straps on the fixie in an effort to stabilize my feet, especially when spinning fast down hills.

It is another absolutely gorgeous day, but alas, no time for a real ride today, but I did want to test the toe clips.  I went for a two mile spin before coming back home, and promptly taking a tumble because I couldn't get my foot off the pedal quick enough!

At least nobody saw me tip over!  ;-)

Evening update:

  It was just too nice to not be on a bike.
Dave, Bev, and I biked to "dinner".

High class people be we!
In the process, I more than doubled the daily mileage total.  ;-)

............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today...........5................0..............0...............0..............5 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........177.............0..............0...............0............177 Total..........1465...............0..............0...............0.........1465

A Beautiful Day to Boring

It was a beautiful day. I dilly dallied around in the morning, but finally got on the bike mid afternoon. I drove to Sellwood Riverfront Park and unloaded the bike. One had to look really hard to find any clouds at all.

I was on my fixed gear bike again. I've got to get in some miles on it so that I have at least a chance of doing a one day STP on it.

I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to pedal to, but started out on the Springwater Corridor.

When I got to Cartlandia there were a couple of Voodoo Donuts calling my name.

Seattle likes to talk about the views from the Burke-Gilman Trail, but IMHO they have to go a way to beat this.

I continued to pedal until I got bored, or more precisely, until I got to Boring. While the Springwater Trail runs generally east from Sellwood to Boring, it wiggles around a bit.  At the end point turn around the north wind was at my back as I rode up.

I turned around and pedaled back toward Portland, against the wind and uphill..........at least for the first half mile or so, then it was downhill and the route gradually changed direction enough that the wind wasn't a bother.

I got to Gresham to find a police car blocking the path, and fire trucks and ambulance blocking the nearby road.  It seems that one of those little mobility scooters that some folks use had gone off the path an into Johnson Creek.  Johnson Creek was running chocolate colored and fast.  The police and fire personal were setting up a "z-drag" to pull the little scooter out of the water.

After watching for a bit I pedaled off.  It seems nobody was hurt.  I'm guessing that maybe the operator just got too close to the edge to watch the water, and got a closer look than they planned on.

I was pedaling along about 17 mph, a pretty good pace for the heavy fixie with it's high rolling resistance tires.  I caught up to a young guy wearing a Cross Crusade jersey.  We rode together for a few miles, visiting about bikes, wheels, fixed gear, and STP.  Good stuff!

After a few miles he exited the Springwater Corridor and headed toward home.  I continued on to Sellwood.

I was a nice day, temperature was in the upper 50's and the sun was shining!


............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........39................0..............0...............0.............39 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........172.............0..............0...............0............172
Total..........1460...............0..............0...............0.........1460

An Adventure

 The word "adventure" is rarely used to describe a 3 mile round trip to the post office, but today it describes it quite well.

  I went to the post office to mail a couple of registrations to ride the McClinchy Mile bike ride in Arlington, Washington next weekend and payment for the Portland Wheelmen's STP bus.  The sun was shining through the windows at home, it looked to be the perfect day to bike there.  As I rolled out the driveway I noted some puffy dark clouds around, but no concerns, after all, I was only going to the post office!

I made it there and was sliding the envelopes through when the first big drops of rain fell.  I made my way under the post office covered entry and waited about 5 minutes as an intense rain shower passed. I took off as the rain tapered off to a few scattered drips. 

Before I could get 2 blocks, the rain came down in torrents.  I ducked under Ace Hardware's covered entry.  The rain turned to hail. The cashier stuck her head out the door and complimented me on my timing.

This time I waited longer to make sure it had really stopped before I rolled out again.  I pedaled over to McD for a bite to eat, and lo and behold, it started hailing hard again!

I took a refill on my soda and waited a bit longer.

I guess that's the kind of day I should expect when I can look one way and see this:

Then look the other way and see this:

In between there was this:

Only 3 miles, but it was an adventure!  I made it home without getting wet.



............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today...........3................0..............0...............0.............3 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........133.............0..............0...............0............133
Total..........1421...............0..............0...............0.........1421