Crossed the final finish line

 Kevin "Desert Coyote" Van Dyke crossed the final finish line on January 13, 2022, less than one year after being diagnosed with ALS (aka Lou Gerig's Disease), a progressive disease that destroys the ability to control voluntary muscles. Kevin had a very aggressive form of the disease, but he faced the rapid cascade of losses with grace and endurance. Today we had his celebration of life, on what would have been his 67th birthday. Kevin took his final bicycle ride from the church to the cemetery today, carried by family and accompanied by more than 40 members of the cycling community followed by vehicles.

It was a chilly afternoon, but the sun came out as we gathered around, sang happy birthday, and laid him to his final rest. You've earned a well-deserved rest, Desert Coyote. Only smooth roads and tailwinds from here forward. For an 11-minute video journey of his life, see: Kevin Van Dyke Memorial 1955-2022.

9 Months and 27 days

 Let it be known that after 9 months and 27 days I actually rode bike again.  I was in Eugene to help a friend and was talked into bringing a bike along. After getting chores done we hopped on our bikes and rode mostly MUTs around a series of ponds that were prime turtle habitat for Oregon's native turtle species and protected for them.  I didn't get any photos, my riding partner was making me pedal my fixed gear bike too hard!

Just by chance I did get just over 5 miles, which was my self imposed daily minimum for the Riding Every Day in November, though November was a long time ago. 

5.3 miles on a perfect day for a pedal. ......and it was plenty for this old former cyclist

....................Road Bike....Rollers.....MTB......Fixed Gear..........Total

Jan...............0.....................0................0................0..........................0

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

March..........0.....................0.................0...............0..........................0

April............0.....................0..................0..............0..........................0

May..............0.....................0..................0..............0..........................0

June..............0.....................0..................0..............0..........................0

July...............0.....................0..................0..............0..........................0

Aug...............0.....................0..................0..............0..........................0

Sept......,,,......0.....................0..................0..............5..........................5

Day 30 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Well, I successfully rode my bike outside for at least 5 miles every day in November. The #ridingeverydayinNovember group started out with the most participants ever (63) but within 2 weeks nearly half dropped out, or were removed for not participating.  We ended up with 36 folks doing their best to ride outside every day. Less than half of those were successful in riding every day. The results will filter in over the next few days, but I suspect this is our lowest success rate in the 6 years we've been doing this.

In NW Oregon we've had record setting weather. We recorded 1.3" of rain this month, far less than our normal 5.3" and just had our first frost this past week. At least in our part of the country, the weather wasn't what kept people from riding bike. I felt a little guilty that here we had such nice weather, but not as guilty as I did 4 years ago.  Most cited not having enough time.

I've had a busier month than normal with some several real estate deals, fire service, and bike crewing gigs vying for my time. I am most proud of getting my daily miles in even on the day I drove over 1100 miles home from crewing for Lisa Bliss at the 6/12/24 World Time Trail Championships. I even managed to get on the bike while crewing for Lisa.

My longest ride was only 64 miles, but that ended up being my longest ride this year. My total miles for the month was a paltry 437 but they were all on the fixie, and that nearly doubled my miles for the year.

Last year I was trying to get 508 miles in the month in homage to my Furnace Creek 508 finish, but the garbage truck had other plans. If I had been thinking about it sooner, I certainly could have biked another 2.36 miles each day and got the 508 miles.

As it was, I ended up about two days short of getting those miles. All that aside, I did have a great ride today!

The weather forecast calls for a good chance of snow tonight, but the morning looked good (though cold at 21 degrees!)  The sky to the north looked like this:

 But toward the south (where our weather usually comes from) looked like this.

I started from Juanita Pohl Center in downtown Tualatin at 11:30, waiting for it to get a bit warmer and melt any ice.  ......as if that was going to happen.  The lakes along the trail had a thin layer of ice covering them all day.

I took alternate routes on the way out just to keep things interesting.

The Tualatin River was as lazy as ever, with just the slightest visible current.

With my late start, it was lunch time by the time I got just over half way in.  Luckily, this is a semi urban ride.  City services are never far away.

I reached Garden Home, the terminus of the Fanno Creek Trail.  I turned around and started back down river with a nice tailwind.
The clouds kept creeping in.  By 2 PM the sun was nearly blotted out by the whispy clouds.

I got back to Juanita Pohl Center and it was not yet raining, and I wanted a few more miles, so I turned down the Tualatin River Greenway trail and rode to Browns Ferry Landing Park, and took a few side loops along the way.

I ended up with 32 miles, exactly half as far as I rode yesterday, but I'm okay with that.

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

Today ....32...................0.................0......................0.............32
Jan...........0.................. 0..................0......................0...............0
Feb...........0..................0..................0......................0...............0
March.......0..................0..................0......................0...............0
April.........0..................0..................0......................0...............0
May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80
June........63.................0..................59.....................0............122
July.........86.................0..................78.....................0............164
August....24.................0...................0......................0..............24
September.23...............0...................0......................0..............23
October.......0...............0...................0......................0................0
November...437...........0...................0......................0............437

YTD.........633...............0................217...................0.............950

Day 29 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today is the 29th day of  the #ridingeverydayinNovember cycling challenge.  The weather was clear, and the coldest morning so far this month at 30.9 F, though it has been unusually warm and dry. I decided to go for a longer ride since my calendar was clear, just like the sky!

I loaded up the bike, and some warmer than usual clothing, and drove to Sellwood Riverside Park, thinking I'd ride to Boring and back as well as a loop into downtown Portland on the Eastbank Esplanade. It would be my longest ride this month, and this year!  I planned to ride eastward to Boring first, but as I was preparing to pedal I heard a steam whistle. I hopped on the bike and quickly pedaled up to the RR tracks to capture the Holiday Express.

                              

I continued on toward the Eastbank Esplanade since I was already a half mile into the trip.  It was a beautiful day and perfect for photos.  I took photos of all the bridges when I did my bridge tour, so today I only stopped to get a photo of the Ross Island Bridge, since I didn't get a very good angle from the opposite side of the river last time.

I continued on up to the Steel Bridge and crossed the Willamette River then followed the trail on the west side of the river back upstream to the Hawthorne Bridge where I crossed back over the river   again.  I took a little exploratory detour out Tilikum Way and followed it to SE 17th, knowing that it connected to the Springwater Corridor in the Sellwood neighborhood.  17th got a bit too busy and congested to suit me, so I moved over to the more friendly SE 22nd and rode down through Westmoreland Park.  The annual Milk Carton Boat Races are held here. I was surprised to see that the shallow pond is drained this time of year.

The ducks were relegated to the adjacent Crystal Springs Creek.

I got down to the Sprinwater Corridor and followed it out to Cartlandia where I had a much needed Shrimp Basket!

I finished lunch then continued my trip up the slightly uphill path and into the wind.  I got to Boring and turned around without much delay.  I wanted to get a photo of Mt Hood today, and there aren't many places better than from Marine Drive.  I was hoping to have time to make that out and back trip.  I pedaled pretty hard and managed to make it. The sun is only up 9 hours this time of year and though I had my lights along, I'd prefer to ride in daylight.

I turned around and used the tailwind and descending trail to make good time.  I arrived back at Sellwood Riverside Park before needing lights.

I was a good day, and my longest ride of the year! :-O

It looks like the unusually dry weather will continue long enough to get a dry ride in tomorrow for the last day of the challenge.  Snow is predicted tomorrow night.  It will be cold though, it is already 23F as I type this. (just after 10 PM)

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

Today ....64...................0.................0......................0.............64
Jan...........0.................. 0..................0......................0...............0
Feb...........0..................0..................0......................0...............0
March.......0..................0..................0......................0...............0
April.........0..................0..................0......................0...............0
May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80
June........63.................0..................59.....................0............122
July.........86.................0..................78.....................0............164
August....24.................0...................0......................0..............24
September.23...............0...................0......................0..............23
October.......0...............0...................0......................0................0
November...405...........0...................0......................0............405

YTD.........601...............0................217...................0.............918

Day 28 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Happy Thanksgiving!  It was 33 degrees as I loaded up my bike and went to Tualatin in search of 5 miles (my self imposed minimum for my daily ride in the #ridingeverydayinNovember cycling challenge.) Being a national holiday there were very few cars on the road this early in the day, and the parking lots were empty.

I rode the quarter mile to the boat ramp where I met two women preparing to paddle on this beautiful, but chilly, morning. We chatted for a bit about the river and kayaking. They put their kayaks in the water and I pedaled onward.

The lazy river offered perfect reflections, despite the windy morning.

Before too long the two women appeared as they paddled their way up stream.

I didn't wait for them to get close enough for a good photo.  I was trying to get my miles in, get cleaned up, and get to Hillsboro by 11:30 to give my mom a ride to family Thanksgiving festivities.

There was a "turkey trot" taking place around Cook Park that put a lot of folks on the trails this morning. The single participants were not too much of a problem, the herds of a half dozen or more stretched across the full width of the trail and chattering loudly were another story!  I didn't take a photo of the runners, I was too busy negotiating my way through the groups.

Despite a low temperature at home this morning that did not reach the freezing point (low temp 32.5F) there was frost on the trails here. The paved trails were dry, but the pea gravel trails were damp and frozen.

The run was finishing up and the trails cleared out.  I was able to keep my "speed" up. I completed my 5 mile minimum.

I got back to the Juanita Pohl Center, loaded my bike up, drove down the road to 24 Hour Fitness for a quick shower and change into holiday clothes and drove out to mom's place arriving with 6 minutes to spare. :-)

I got mom to Thanksgiving dinner on time (even a bit early!)

The color scheme might have been red, but the politics was most definitely deep blue!

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

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

Jan...........0.................. 0..................0.....................0................0

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

March.......0..................0..................0.....................0................0

April..........0.................0..................0......................0...............0

May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80

June........63.................0..................59....................0..............122

July..........86.................0..................78...................0..............164

August......24.................0.................0.....................0...............24

September.23................0.................0......................0...............23

October........0................0.................0.....................0................0

November...341..............0.................0.....................0............341

YTD.........537...............0................217...................0.............754

Day 27 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

I was in Salem today and finally found time for a ride around noon.  The weather was cool, but much nicer than the surrounding areas, especially south, where snow and wind were the weather de jour.
I searched for bike paths to ride and came up with a network of trails that stretched from Minto-Brown Park to Wallace Marine Park. I have biked by and in Wallace Marine Park previously.  Today I started from Minto-Brown Park, a place I have biked by and floated by, but never actually been in.

I started off following the Willamette River, considerably smaller than it is in Portland, about 57 river miles downstream from Salem.

 As I neared Salem I noted a bridge that had been built since I was last in this area (MANY years ago!)

The bridge crossed a former channel of the Willamette.

I crossed over the former railroad bridge heading toward West Salem and Wallace Marine Park.

It was a beautiful day for a ride, but I had to be back in Portland by 3PM, so I had to be mindful of time. I started back, but did take a quick photo stop at the carousel in the park.

I also stopped to read a sign about the namesakes of Minto-Brown Park.

It was a nice ride, with just about perfect timing.  I arrived at my 3PM appointment in Portland with 1 minute to spare!

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

Today .....9....................0.................0......................0................9

Jan...........0.................. 0..................0.....................0................0

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

March.......0..................0..................0.....................0................0

April..........0.................0..................0......................0...............0

May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80

June........63.................0..................59....................0..............122

July..........86.................0..................78...................0..............164

August......24.................0.................0.....................0...............24

September.23................0.................0......................0...............23

October........0................0.................0.....................0................0

November...336..............0.................0.....................0............336

YTD.........532...............0................217...................0.............749

Day 26 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today I was in Hillsboro helping my mom with some errands and "honey do's" in the morning. The weather forecast said rain in the morning and dry in the afternoon.  At 11:30 AM it still looked pretty darn wet.  I thought the forecasters had missed it.  But alas, by noon it stopped raining. I loaded up the bike and went to the library to ride the trails that I had brought my girls to when they were just wee tykes. It was easier for them to ride their 12" bikes on the paved paths that it was on our long gravel driveway. The area was changing from open farm land to high tech industrial. The paths were in, but the surrounding area was still mostly agricultural. The street tree trunks were about the diameter of broom sticks,  In the passing 30 years the fields have turned to buildings and the tree trunks have grown!

The water features that were once just lakes surrounded by lawn have now taken on the role of wildlife havens.

The largest flock of Wood Ducks I've ever seen

Despite the changes that have occurred here, they aren't quite finished doing the makeover yet.  I could see eleven construction cranes from this location.

It was a nice afternoon for a ride.


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

Today ...11....................0.................0......................0..............11

Jan...........0.................. 0..................0.....................0................0

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

March.......0..................0..................0.....................0................0

April..........0.................0..................0......................0...............0

May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80

June........63.................0..................59....................0..............122

July..........86.................0..................78...................0..............164

August......24.................0.................0.....................0...............24

September.23................0.................0......................0...............23

October........0................0.................0.....................0................0

November...327..............0.................0.....................0............327

YTD.........523...............0................217...................0.............740

Day 25 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

I checked the hourly forecast on this day that had a 100% chance of rain.  It looked like it would be dry until noon, then rain the rest of the day.  I loaded up the fixie and took off for Tualatin figuring I could ride my 5 mile minimum and not ever get too far away if the weather turned wet.

As I arrived I looked at the sky.

It didn't look too bad so I decided right then that I might go for 10 miles.  I rode along the Tualatin River and noted that summer is over.  The rope swing sat silently waiting for kids to return when the weather warms back up.

The ducks didn't seem to mind the cooler weather.

I rode through Cook Park and looked for the portion of the Fanno Creek Trail that I saw on a map but have never actually seen in person.  I navigated by the lay of the land.  I could find Fanno Creek (via a dirt trail) but never found a paved path until I got to the library.

I followed the Fanno Creek Trail to Tigard.  The underside of a highway bridge was lit up for cyclist's enjoyment.

As I got to Hall Blvd (10 miles in)   I looked back at the sky. (I was heading north, and our weather usually comes from the south) There were definitely some dark clouds rolling in, but they didn't appear to be posing an imminent threat.  I decided to continue on my way northward.

I crossed over Denney Rd and at mile 13 I turned east as the Fanno Creek Trail follows the old Oregon Electric Railroad right of way. In the early years of the 20th century Garden Home was a transportation hub.  A branch line from here transported passengers to and from Forest Grove and stops between.

I reached the end of the trail at the Garden Home Recreation Center with 15.6 miles on the odometer.  Still no rain, but the sky was getting darker.

I took a more direct route back, skipping the dirt path.  It shaved a few miles off the route.

As I rolled into Cook Park (at 12:20 PM) I got the first drops of rain.  No big deal since I had my rain coat on, as well as rain booties, and it was not hard rain.

The rain was so light that I did not take the quickest route back but followed the non road options.

I got back to the Juanita Pohl Center just as the rain stopped.

Perfect timing and an nice ride.

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

Today ...29....................0.................0......................0..............29

Jan...........0.................. 0..................0.....................0................0

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

March.......0..................0..................0.....................0................0

April..........0.................0..................0......................0...............0

May..........0..................0..................80....................0..............80

June........63.................0..................59....................0..............122

July..........86.................0..................78...................0..............164

August......24.................0.................0.....................0...............24

September.23................0.................0......................0...............23

October........0................0.................0.....................0................0

November...316..............0.................0.....................0............316

YTD.........512...............0................217...................0.............729