Day 10 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

It was a beautiful day in NW Oregon.  A day to be cherished since it is November, and these kind of days are few and far between this time of year.  It is even more special since there is ice and snow predicted mid week.

I went for a random fixie ride.  Lunch, library, a tour of the local town, were all fair game today. The sun was out and the last of the Fall colors were still evident.

I was out most of the day just pedaling around, with a two hour stop at the library mid trip to read the current issues of Rolling Stone and National Geographic.

I rode back home to grab a headlight and headed back out as the sun settled lower in the sky.
I biked to Love's Teriyaki and availed myself of a #3 dinner special. :-)

By the time that was all accomplished the sun had set and it was dark.

The return home was all on paths with the exception of 2 blocks of deserted residential streets.

Tonight my Light and Motion Stella 300 was lighting the way.

Okay, so I'm a little wobbly when taking video with the cell phone while riding with one hand!

............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............27...............0..............0...............0.............27 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov.............190...............0..............0...............0............190 Total..........5726...............0..............0...............0...........5726

Day 9 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

 Today was my last day in the "dry side of Oregon".  Even with that, I had to be on my way back home by 8AM. I left Bend at 7AM, hoping to find an opportunity to go for a short ride before getting back into the rain.

I found a good opportunity in the town of Tumalo where I noted that Bailey Road climbed away from Hwy 20 along a small ridge that looked like it should afford a good view.  I slipped into bike clothes and pedaled away.  It wasn't a very big hill, but enough to get a view over the trees.

Middle Sister and North Sister

I wasn't gone long, and like every day this trip, I wish that I had more time to ride. The weather and scenery are just superb.  But alas, I was on a schedule.

I loaded the bike up, changed back into street clothes, and headed for the rainy side.  Right on schedule, as I crossed over Santiam Pass I turned on the windshield wipers.

I already miss the smell of juniper and pine, and the sun on my shoulder.

Evening Update:

I hopped on the fixie and bought some remedy for spider mites that have attacked my Red Ti plant.  

My trip was timed perfectly to coincide with a friend who was on her way back from San Diego.  We met for dinner at McMenamins. Following dinner and a visit I made my way back home via bike paths and a short distance on low traffic residential streets.

 
It added 5 miles to my day, and it was fun to be out on the fixed gear bike.


 ............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............17...............0..............0...............0.............17 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov.............163...............0..............0...............0............163 Total..........5699...............0..............0...............0...........5699

Day 8 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

The conference I was attending wrapped up today following lunch.  My plan for today was to get back to Bend then ride the bike up to Mt Bachelor.
Mt Bachelor was named Bachelor Butte until marketers thought that promotion of the ski resort there, and the resulting economic advantages to Bend, would benefit from changing the name from Bachelor Butte to Mt Bachelor.  They lobbied the Oregon Geographic Names Board and in 1983 the name was officially changed.  By either name, it's a good climb to pedal up there from Bend. gaining just over 3000 ft.

Despite the climbing, or more precisely because of the climbing, there are some pretty nice views.
The first good view is of Mt Bachelor as you round a turn.

Normally by this time of year there would be snow on the road at this elevation (6000 ft), but this year the orange snow poles sit as silent sentinels awaiting the first accumulation of snow.

It had been a steady climb since I left Bend, but at the point I took the above photo there was a moderate descent loosing 100 ft, before climbing back up to 6400 ft on the north shoulder of Mt Bachelor.  From there the view northwest was of several snow capped volcanoes.

L to R- South Sister, Middle Sister, and just a glimpse of North Sister.

I've got many fond memories of taking my two little blonde topped girls on many adventures in the area.  We've rafted the little rivers, numerous lakes, and hiked to the top of South Sister many times.  Those memories (and a descent!) drew me farther along the road, past the surprisingly OPEN snow gate to Sparks Lake (elevation 5433 ft).

Sparks Lake was a favorite haunt of Oregon's Photographer Laureate, Ray Atkeson, and there is a trail there that bears his name.  From that trail there is a perfect shot of South Sister over a small island in the lake. Being in bike shoes, I did not take the time to walk the trail today.  I'd have to settle for these photos.

South Sister with Soda Creek in the foreground

Broken Top

I checked my watch and figured I had a little more time.  I continued on to Devil's Lake, the starting point for climbing South Sister.

The sign might have had warm fuzzy memories for me, but the better views were of Devil's Lake.

I was far enough down this rabbit hole, it was time to turn around and pedal back to Bend. I still had enough time to make a few brief stops to "educate myself".  ;-)

My kids and I used to joke that every year we climbed South Sister it was just a little bit higher

I pedaled back up to the road's high point, 6400 ft, on the north side of Mt Bachelor.  From there it was down hill all the way back to Bend.  With a 56x11 high gear, this was going to be fun!

It is not terribly steep, but it is long, and today terminal velocity would be 47 mph.

I did stop to take this photo.  There was some prescribed burns going on and the smoke settling into the low spots made for some good photo ops.

It was my only decent mileage ride of this 3 day "business" trip. I have to be back in the Willamette Valley tomorrow morning, so it will my last ride here.

It was nice to get a few miles in.

 ............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............58...............0..............0...............0.............58 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov.............146...............0..............0...............0............146 Total..........5682...............0..............0...............0...........5682

Day 7 of #bikingeverydayofNovember

I was in Sunriver today and found myself with a couple of hours more or less free in the late afternoon, and a bike in the car.  It didn't take long to come up with a plan.

I started out from Sunriver and pedaled around the resort for a bit.  I rode out to the boat landing, then back along the airport.  I knew it was the right thing to do when I saw that a High Desert Coyote was welcoming me

He finally decided to have dinner, and not invite me, so I went on my way.

Evidently mouse was today's special

We were not the first to be enjoying this large meadow along the banks of the Deschutes River.

I wound my way around the paths and eventually started heading west on South Century Drive.  Compared to  North Century Drive, the views of the mountains are not as spectacular. There is a line of hills between here and the snowcapped peaks, hiding most of them.  One thing I was able to see was that there was little snow on them. It's November, there should be a blanket of snow down to 5000 ft or even lower.  Not this year however.

9068 ft Mt Bachelor

The top of 9177 ft  Broken Top

The top of 10,358 ft South Sister

I kept pedaling along, hoping to get a better view, but I didn't have much time.

I crossed the Little Deschutes River.

Shortly thereafter I crossed the Deschutes River.

The bridge I crossed was the Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Memorial Bridge.

What the memorial sign does not say, is that while Maxwell saved his fellow soldiers by using his body to shield them from a hand grenade blast, he survived that deed! With Veteran's Day approaching, let's not forget the sacrifices and valor of those who served.

I continued on up the road a bit, but soon I had to turn around in order to be back in Sunriver in time for my next meeting.

Unlike on the way over to Central Oregon early Thursday morning, it was going to be a cold night.  As the sun slipped lower in the sky, the air grew markedly colder.  I was glad to roll back into Sunriver before the sun set, and before it got much colder.

It was a great day to be on a bike. (and it's going to be even better tomorrow!)

 ............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............26...............0..............0...............0.............26 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............88...............0..............0...............0.............88 Total..........5624...............0..............0...............0...........5624

A long day but a short ride for day 6 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

The day started at 3AM with a 3 1/2 hour drive to Sunriver to attend the Oregon Fire District Directors Association annual conference.  I brought my carbon bike because I'm committed to #ridingeverydayinNovember, and the weather in Oregon's High Desert is ....... well dry.

I spent 12 hours in meetings, looking out windows from time to time and the beautiful Central Oregon weather.  It was unseasonably warm, and just a bit breezy.

It was well after dark before I had a chance to get on the bike.  After hearing of friends riding in heavy wind and rain today, it would have been nice to go for a longer ride tonight.  It was in the low 50's, very warm for this time of year at this elevation (4163 ft) but I have another long day of meetings tomorrow.  The weather is supposed to be even better this weekend, so I'll go for a longer ride on Saturday afternoon when I have more time.  Tonight I rode a paltry 3 miles before taking this picture.

I was short, but a nice night to ride

 ............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 ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............62...............0..............0...............0.............62 Total..........5598...............0..............0...............0...........5598

Day 5 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today begins a 5 day stretch of fire service meetings for me.  I begin tonight with the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District's board meeting, followed by a 7AM start to the Oregon Fire Service Conference in Sunriver the next morning.  I'll bring a bike, but not sure how much riding I'll have time for. 

After a few wet days, the day dawned partly cloudy and dry.  I had a hankering for a chocolate donut.  I hopped on my fixed gear bike and made a dash to the in house bakery at my local grocery store.  It is a nice route mostly on paths.

a needle covered asphalt path

I arrived at the store and got a chocolate frosted Bismark and some chocolate milk.  (I am  my mother's son!

I made the ride back and started to pack for the weekend trip.  It was such a nice morning, it would have been nice to ride more miles, but alas.

 ............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 ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............59...............0..............0...............0.............59 Total..........5595...............0..............0...............0...........5595

Day 4 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today was a travel day for me. I started off in Seattle with a ride down Queen Ann hill. As I neared the bottom of the hill I took a picture of the iconic Space Needle, a remnant of the 1962 World's Fair.

I took the center of the right lane on 2nd Ave, despite, or more precisely because, the presence of a "protected bike lane" on the right hand side of this three lane one direction street.  IMHO it was a big waste of money to build it, and it provides no protection from a problem that didn't exist.

I made it to the train station a bit early, where I would be boarding a Bolt Bus to Portland.

 It was a relaxing 3.25 hour trip to Portland.  The weather improved as we made our way south. By the time I got to Portland it was 8 degrees warmer than it was in Seattle, and the roads were dry.

It was such a nice day that I decided to ride home, rather than transfer to a TriMet bus. It was nearly 60 degrees as I pedaled along. With the recent time change, it was likely going to get dark before I got home but I had my lights along so it wouldn't be an issue.  I pedaled casually along, partly because I'm lazy ;-) and partly because I had a heavy load which affected handling and braking so I didn't want to get too exuberant.

When I got to Tualatin I detoured into the center of town.

I stopped for a quick bite to eat then continued on.  As I predicted, it got dark as I neared home.

It was election day, and I was carrying my completed ballot with me with plans to drop it by a ballot drop location.  Oregon has mail in balloting, but I was out of town when the ballots were mailed, and didn't get mine forwarded to me until it was too late to get it in the mail. (Oregon's ballots must be received by the elections division by the deadline, postmark is not sufficient)

I pedaled to the library, a ballot drop off location, where a smiling volunteer collected my ballot and cheered me for biking in.

Day 4 of #ridingeverydayinNovember complete, as was my civic duty.
Here's the route I pedaled from Portland to Wilsonville:

............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............25...............0..............0...............0.............25 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............54...............0..............0...............0.............54
Total..........5590...............0..............0...............0...........5590

Day 3 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Yes, I rode my bike today.  But before I get into that I want to share this:
When I challenged friends to ride every day in November, set the hashtag #ridingeverydayinNovember, created a Facebook group , and a Facebook Page, I didn't expect to change anyone's life.  I just wanted to have some fun, have friends support each other in the endeavor, and "share the pain".

It was nice to find that folks from New Zealand to Ohio, Southern California to Seattle thought it was worth accepting the challenge.

Today a young gal living in central Western Oregon who hasn't biked in over a decade posted this to the group:

For someone who doesn't ride bikes, at all, I can be assured that I won't "remember" every day in November. But I'm encouraged by the challenge and would like to put forth effort to "try" and do more tomorrow than I did today, with an increase as I "try." Given that, yesterday morning I was very excited that I even remembered it was the first day of November for the #ridingeverydayinNovember! I was actually looking forward to finishing up my "work" so I could jump on the bike. However as my work took longer, then the Duck Football game began, with work in between Touchdowns, the entire concept totally slipped my thoughts. It was a normal day and I never again thought about the bike. So this morning, on my way out of the garage heading to church, I see the bike, comfortably resting by its hangers, up high and out of the way. "Ack ~ how could I have so easily forgotten something the previous day, which seemed so excited that I really wanted to do?" I'm adjusting to this (age) life phase of forgetfulness, but it continues to bother me at times. "Ok, just because I failed at day one, doesn't mean I give up already, right? Can I start "riding everyday in November" on day 2 and still be encouraged? Will I be able to finish on December 2 and still get my 30 days in? Yikes!!" I'm pretty sure that Kevin didn't mean to cause me this extra stress... :-D
Regroup My Thoughts ~ I "still" need to start. One day at a time... LOL So, I wrote down a Reminder Note ~ Yep, they can work "sometimes!" After lunch, I "got started" and realized I wasn't very prepared!! Of course I wasn't, why would I be... I don't even remember the last time I rode my bike. The ONLY reason I have a bike is because when I met my "now" Husband, he had two bikes. Therefore, by marriage, I inherited the one that wasn't his. ;-) I still, sixteen years later, refer to both of them as "his" bikes, but he often corrects me to point out his and mine. It was a bit tricky getting the bike down from the ceiling hanger, I'm not very tall and my arms aren't very strong. Plus, I didn't think to pull the vehicle OUT from the garage before this process. As my Husband comes through the garage, probably in curiosity of loud noises and clanking, he sees my position (and probably struggle) and quickly offers to help. My reply, "opening the garage door would be great!" After all, I want the gratification that "I" did it! Thankfully, he was in perfect alignment to reach his arm out and push the button for the automatic garage door opener. Today, this technology meant a lot to me and I AM grateful!
Once his bike was down, I wised up and asked for permission to take his bike for a spin, rather than repeat my struggle aiming for the "other" bike. To which he happily replied, "as long as it doesn't get stolen." Yea, there's a story behind that, but for now, just know I wasn't going to let that happen, after all, it's my day 1! I slowly jumped on and rode around the drive-way, as in acknowledgement that I CAN do this! Knowing that with Most Activities, the proper gear makes all the difference; I needed, at minimum, a helmet. I'm not sure I even have a helmet, I almost started to panic that I needed a trip to the store before my bike ride! I can't preach to my niece and nephew about using their helmet then carelessly take a spin without one. What kind of Rock-star Auntie does that? Not This One!! Back to the basics, if my Husband had two bikes, he's bound to have a helmet, or two! Sure enough, he tells me the location to successfully locate (and borrow) his helmet, but what is right beside it? Yep, a second helmet. I didn't even know which was the front or the back. The kids helmets at least give you a kindly little reference of "Front" that allows you to figure out the rest. Apparently a feature missing on adult helmets, darn it! Back to my Husband, who is now completely intrigued about why I want to go on a bicycle ride so badly, given my history of not, and all... I conceded once again to needing help, this helmet was a crazy fit either way. Laughing, we got it adjusted "enough" for a spin on the bike, or so he thought. It felt okay, with little movement upon shaking my head, so I was ready for the adventure ~ to Finally begin.
Whew!! Our dog was all excited that I was going somewhere, that she wanted to go too. Could I really watch her and concentrate all my attention on this adventure, after all, it's been ... a while? For her excitement for my excitement, I was willing to give it a try! And we were off... she loved it! She was jogging down the road, to the point I even had to peddle more to keep up with her. My new adventure was looking more promising with her enjoyment in it also, I would never have guessed! She loves walks, but preferred the faster pace. She's usually scared with noises, especially the new noises a bicycle produces. But she did Great! We only went around the block per say, but it was invigorating and fun! Once we were back home, she was off to the water dish and rest...so I snuck back out and headed for another spin, as the first one was just not enough to fulfill my excitement, I was just getting started. Now on my own, I quickly learned my pants weren't properly positioned to avoid the chain, etc. Again, proper gear is the key, and I'm way out of date. A quick few rolls to the pant leg and I'm off like the 10 year old me would have been ~ Enjoying It! The relaxing noise of the trees, the birds singing, sure things I can get in the back yard in a heartbeat. But, the wind on my face while hearing those noises ~ Priceless! I may not make it everyday, but I'm willing to try to make it happen when I can. It was easy to see how it takes a conscious effort to the thinking process when it's not part of the routine. But since I'm not perfect, I'm willing to try knowing I still fail, but get back up! DAY 1 OF DAY 2!

More than any other story posted so far, this gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. To think that this goofy challenge might be responsible for getting one more person on a bike is almost unbelievable.  Here's a shout out to Shannon and a big atta girl to her. I hope the end of the month finds her enjoying her bike even more.

Now back to today's ride.

I had a pair of battery operated flashing lights that my crew borrowed in the middle of the Nevada desert to keep our racer on the road. Today I finally got my ducks in a row to return them.

I rode from Queen Ann to North Seattle and returned them. It was raining in the morning but by noon had mostly stopped. I had heard rumors that high winds and heavy rain were predicted for later in the day. I figured I had better "git while the gitting was good" and pedaled out..........in full rain gear.

I did get one light shower about 6 miles into the ride as I was climbing up Roosevelt Ave in Seattle.

I dropped the lights off then turned back, hoping to be back before the wind and rain hit.

I made it, but as the sun was setting there was still no wind so I'm not sure I had to "beat" anything.

It was a good, if slightly damp ride.

It amounted to 18 miles total.

After it got dark my friend Julie and I rode to Menchies for a frozen yogurt treat. The trip added 2 miles, and a few smiles to the day.

..........road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total Today............20...............0..............0...............0.............20 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............49...............0..............0...............0.............49
Total..........5585...............0..............0...............0...........5585

Day 2

November 2nd, the second day of #ridingeverydayinNovember.  The morning dawned at 42 degrees and was raining lightly.  I had about 90 minutes to ride as my mom's 80th birthday celebration and a drive to Seattle will take up most of the day.  Julie brought her bike to Oregon without her fenders, raincoat, or warm gloves. What was she thinking? She was probably thinking that she didn't have to ride if it was wet and cold. She was right.  ;-)

I didn't have that option.  I'm committed to riding every day in November.

I pedaled out, pointing the bike west on Evergreen Rd in Hillsboro.  It was raining lightly.

It made it to Glencoe Rd then turned south.  I looped back around to my mom's house and stopped in, but alas, she was still sleeping. (what's up with that?)

As I pedaled along, the weather was gradually improving. It stopped raining and was warming up a bit.

I pulled through McDonalds for a breakfast burrito...............because I was hungry.

I finished up with 22 miles, still not a lot, but better than yesterday.

Randonneurs have a saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.  That is certainly true. It was a nice ride today.

..........road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total Today............22...............0..............0...............0.............22 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov..............29.................0...............0...............0.............29
 Total..........5565...............0..............0...............0...........5565 

The first day

Today is November 1st. The first day of the month, and the first day of the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge.  Julie and I rode from Hillsboro to Beaverton to have breakfast at IHOP . Okay, it was only about 3.5 miles, but we did cross the city boundaries.

There was a little bit of fog around

 Julie, a Seattleite, was surprised that it was so "cold".  It was 48 degrees as we pedaled out.  Seattle's proximity to large bodies of water keeps it more moderate.  They were probably about 5 degrees warmer this morning.  No big deal.  She survived.

We arrived at IHOP easily, and best of all given the weather the last week, we were dry!

We had a tasty breakfast then rode back via a slightly different route, just to get a different view.
We had a busy day planned, oil change in her vehicle, a new battery for her car, a new vacuum for her home, a few birthday cards for family members, clean my mother's gutters, put up her Christmas lights, and we hoped to get in another bike ride yet today as we traveled to the Verboort Sausage and Kraut Dinner.

By the time we got all the other duties checked off the list, we were running short of time to get a ride in.  We drove to Verboort, running windshield wipers as we neared our destination.

After walking around taking in the sights, we drove back to Hillsboro under a steady rain.

So, we only got 7 miles today, but it was a nice 7 miles.  ;-)


..........road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total Today.............7...............0..............0...............0..............7 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov...............7.................0...............0...............0..............7
 Total..........5543...............0..............0...............0...........5543