Day 20 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today marks day 20 of #ridingeverydayinNovember, two thirds of the way through the challenge.  It rained quite hard during the night in Seattle, but turned more showery as the morning marched toward afternoon.  I had a lot of stuff to do but finally hopped on the bike to go get a birthday card for my friend Julie, who's birthday is today. The trip would be less then 2 miles if I only went there and back.  I managed to miss the showers so it was an easy choice once I had the card to ride a bit more. 

It was a grey day, but still some good views off the west side of Queen Anne.

Looking across the Cruise Ship Terminal toward Magnolia

Elliot Bay

That was all the time I had today.  Tomorrow is predicted to be much wetter. With all the rain free days so far in November, I guess my luck was bound to change.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............6...............0..............0...............0..............6 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.............484...............0..............0...............0............484 Total..........6020...............0..............0...............0...........6020

Day 19 of #30daysofbikinginNovember, 3 rides, two states.

It was the first frost free morning in 8 days.  I started off early and rode the fixie to the ATM to get some cash for an upcoming trip...oh, and for some holiday purchases.

By 8AM I was in Fry's Electronics where I relieved myself of some of that newly acquired cash.

Shortly thereafter brother-in-law Dave joined me on a ride to Portland.  I rode the loaded rain bike to meet the Bolt Bus for a trip to Seattle. Dave was riding light, I was loaded.  I planned the trip for a 10 mph average over the West Hills of Portland and took most of that time.

We arrived at our destination with enough free time to to go to one of Portland's famous food carts and each have a slice of wood fired pizza for lunch.

I took the relaxing and fast trip (today's trip was 3 hours!) to Seattle.  It was notably NOT raining in Seattle as I exited the bus.

From the downtown deboarding location I pedaled northward through downtown and up Queen Anne.

It was another good day of #ridingeverydayinNovember.  I had expected a lot of rain since it is traditionally one of Portland's wettest months, but so far we've had more dry days than wet.

I'm in Seattle now, a wetter place than Portland, it just has better PR so most people don't realize it.


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today...........29...............0..............0...............0.............29 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.............478...............0..............0...............0............478 Total..........6014...............0..............0...............0...........6014

Day 18 of #ridingeverydayinNovember, Over the River and Through the Woods.

 It was another frosty morning as day 18 of #ridingeverydayinNovember started out.  I took the fixie and rode 3 miles round trip for an apple fritter. It would appear that my soft spot for a morning donut/pastry is not condoned by fitday.com, they list apple fritters and maple bars as 2 of the 4 types of donuts to stay away from.  Oh well, I'm too old to change my ways now!

Once back home I swapped the fixie for my Cyclocross "rain" bike. I traded fun for storage capacity.
I rode over a river and through some woods to get to (grand)mother's house.

                            

 Mom needed some "tech support" to hook up a new electronic toy, and I was nominated.

The river was the Tualatin River.

The winds that have been with us for most of the last 7 days weren't as noticeable today.  They were still blowing through the Gorge with reports of 70mph sustained, and gusts to 92 mph at Crown Point, but they just didn't carry into the west metro area with as much intensity as they had been. Along with the reduced winds some high thin clouds now covered the beautiful blue skies that I've been enjoying.

Once I crossed a river, it was time to go through some woods. Today the trees in Cook Park would have to suffice.

When I got to Beaverton and turned west I noted that the expected tailwind was not there.  In fact, as I continued to ride the wind swung around to a north wind, and finally a west (head) wind as I neared Hillsboro.  Along with this change of wind came a thickening of cloud cover.  There is a change in the air!

I got to Mom's and found that what she had would not do what she wanted it to do.  Not even close. But hey, CD, DVD, Blue Ray...........it all looks the same, right?

I turned around and reversed my route.

It was a good day for a ride, good thing.  I would have been much less cheerful if I had biked all the way out there for nothing in the rain!


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today...........59...............0..............0...............0.............59 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.............449...............0..............0...............0............449 Total..........5985...............0..............0...............0...........5985

Day 17 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

It was another nice, if chilly, day for #ridingeverydayinNovember.  I never would have predicted that we'd have so many nice days in what is historically Oregon's wettest (or 2nd wettest, depending on the source) month.

I had a few errands to run.  I hopped on my favorite "go to" bike, the fixed gear and rode first to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles office in Sherwood.  Along the way I noted some new markings on the recently installed painted bike lanes on the remodeled Boone's Ferry Road.

In Oregon it is not legal to orient drain grates so that bike tires may fall into the slots. While there have been metal straps welded across this grate to keep bike tires from falling in, thus complying with the law, I'm surprised that a newly constructed road would have these modified grates, rather than one oriented correctly to start with.  These would present a problem if wet, or the rider was inexperienced. At least they are marked well and easily avoided.

I pedaled along and arrived at DMV.

 This office has been open Tuesday through Saturday for over 15 years, and just recently opened on Mondays as well.  It seems that most people are not yet aware of the new expanded day of operation. I had virtually no waiting to be called up. I got my business taken care of quickly, then pedaled away to do some holiday shopping....er scratch that.... make that holiday buying!

I arrived at the former rock quarry, and now shopping mecca, Bridgeport Village  Here I was proud of myself for finishing up my holiday shopping early, only to find out that even before Thanksgiving this place is already in full on Christmas.

I spent an hour or so selecting "just the right" things, then packed up and pedaled back toward home...........with a nice tailwind helping me along.

I got back to Tualatin and stopped for a late lunch. Despite feeling quite comfortable, the water feature told a different story.  Good thing the ducks were fake, because real ones would have issues with the ice!

I continued on home to wrap the newly acquired gifts.

It was a great day to be on a bike!

...........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.............390...............0..............0...............0............390 Total..........5926...............0..............0...............0...........5926

Day 16 of #ridngeverydayinNovember

 The weather was perfect today for day 16 of #ridingeverydayinNovember.  I should have gone for a looooongggg ride, but I didn't.  I hopped on the fixie and went for a leisurely pedal instead.  I started northward because, unlike yesterday, I wanted the tailwind at the end of the ride instead of the beginning!

Before heading north though I made a loop through Town Center Park and onward to pick up a chocolate milk and donut.  Gotta have power snacks!

I then rode to Tualatin and made a loop through Tualatin Commons hoping to find a photo op.  The sun was still in the wrong location for good photos, but I took one anyway.

I continued northward at a leisurely pace. I pedaled through Cook Park but when I got to Durham Rd I decided to turn around.  I was in a laid back mode and didn't feel like fighting wind and traffic.

With the tailwind, I flew back southward.  I made a few side trips in Wilsonville and ended up at the Coffee Lake Wetlands.  As I was stopped looking over the scene I noticed a Muskrat swimming in the water. 

Before long I counted 3 adults and 2 kits.  There was a skim of ice over the slower moving sections of water, but it didn't seem to bother these guys with their luxuriant fur coats.

 I finally decided that I had spent enough time viewing this live presentation of "Wild Kingdom", and continued on through the Villabois neighborhood. There is a lot of building going on there, and the vacant land is rapidly disappearing under new streets and apartments. Today, the best thing there was a decent view of Mt Hood.

My camera would really benefit from a polarizing filter!

 I could have done far more miles, but the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge is not about the miles, but rather it is about the journey.

Today's journey was great!


...........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.............364...............0..............0...............0............364 Total..........5900...............0..............0...............0...........5900

Day 15, Half way complete with #ridingeverydayinNovember

It was a beautiful blue sky day for day 15 of #ridingeverydayinNovember.  It was 28 degrees in Portland as I shoved off at 8:15 AM.  It would drop another degree in the next hour as the east winds through the Columbia Gorge reappeared.  As those winds spill out the west end of the Gorge they bump up against the Coast Range and bend to the north and south always moving away from the Gorge.  That meant that I picked up a tail wind as the ride south progressed.

But back to the beginning.  I started off with having to get across the Willamette River.  Unless I want to detour 15 miles or so, that means riding about three quarters of a mile along Interstate 5 to access the Boone Bridge.

Taken looking upstream from the Boone Bridge

After exiting the freeway I turned west and rode to historic Butteville.  This little burg is well past it's heyday as a vibrant river traffic terminal. Today even the now tourist oriented Butteville Store was closed. (open summer months only)

I decided on a change of pace and took Champoeg Park's bike path from Butteville to the main park.  I was vigilant for icy spots but none were seen.

 

The Champoeg area is the location where the Provisional Government of the Oregon Territory was voted on and approved.     Today it is a State Park providing both history and camping. 

The Willamette River's flood plain just upstream from Champoeg

The area is an agricultural gold mine.  Mild climate, fertile soils, adequate water supply, and zoning that prohibits urban sprawl all make this area great for growing hops, vineyards, nursery crops, alfalfa, vegetables, berries of all varieties, grass seed, hazelnuts, and cereal grains. Most of the farms have been owned by the same families for generations.

I turned south, following closely the Willamette River upstream. I had a pretty decent tailwind.  Even on the fixed gear bike I was moving along at ~20 mph, with no wind noise at all.  With no derailleur manipulating the chain the bike was moving along in near silence.  I knew I would pay for this later when I had to make my way back north.  For now I just enjoyed the trip.

Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak at 11,250 ft

I rode through St Paul , home to the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest, as well as many Oregon firsts. Today I would stop at the small convenience store and get new batteries for my camera!

I continued south, with some trepidation given the strength of the tail wind.  I was on River Road and just breezing along.

I continued south until I reached Keizer.  At that point I thought it would be a good idea to start in on the long ride back north into that pesky wind.  It wasn't going to get any easier, and with the wind's increasing speed as the day wore on, I figured it could get a lot worse!

I was dressed for the 28 degrees as I started this morning, not for exerting a lot of energy into a head wind.  I had time, so I took it.  I pedaled along as easily as I could given the head wind.  I was able to hold about 10 mph give or take depending on terrain and direction.  It was going to be a long return, but I figured I had time to make it.

The tall poles in the fields on both sides are supports for hops.

I continued plodding along.

If you can ignore the wind (hah, just try that once!) it was a perfect day in November.

Mt Hood behind nursery stock and a "sleeping" hop field

I followed the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway Route back to near Champoeg but turned toward Butteville at the last minute.  I took a short break to wander down to the historic paddle wheel steamboat landing location.

I took one more brief stop at the French Praire Public Access point at mile 41 of the Willamette River. I primarily stopped here to scope out amenities and ease of kayak launching.  The gate was closed though I was able to get around it. I'm not sure if the access point is permanently closed, or just for the season. The Willamette River provides 187 miles of paddling opportunity, plus a few miles additional up it's forks. It would make a great multiday paddle. Today the most scenic part of this stop was the road back to the river. ;-)  There was a deer feeding there, but it scampered away before I could get the camera out.

I took the unofficial alternate river crossing.  I was tired of fighting the wind and instead of riding along I-5 to get across the Willamette River as I had on the outbound ride, I carried my bike up the bank to the train tracks and rode across the railroad bridge.  There is a narrow "worker sidewalk" along the side of the tracks.  I'm not sure the railroad would be too keen on my use, but it made for a low stress way to get back home.

It was a good day on the bike, though challenging given the brisk headwind and choice of fixed gear bike.  Would I do it again?  Sure!

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today...........71...............0..............0...............0.............71 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.............337...............0..............0...............0............337 Total..........5873...............0..............0...............0...........5873

Day 14 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

After yesterday's cold rain it was nice to have a blue sky day, and no ice.  Others were not so lucky with ice on roadways across much of the metro area. Day 14 of #ridingeverydayinNovember was going to be fun

I hopped on the fixie and did what I often do, I rode to the bakery for a fresh donut!  The sky was blue, the temperature a bit chilly, and the roads and trails littered with debris from the last few days of windy weather.

With the nice weather I just knew I was going to ride more..........I got TWO donuts!

I returned home and did a few chores, then hopped back on the fixie.  Since there are no shifters to deal with, I could wear real gloves and I always fight trying to keep my fingers warm.

I pedaled out northward.
The cold weather and windy days have really brought the leaves down.  In windy weather dry leaves can act just like dry snow, and create drifts.  Here they probably had help from passing cars, but they were about 6" deep, and completely covered the curb.

I just pedaled around whichever way I felt "a tug" today.  I ended up in Tualatin along the Hedges Creek Wetland Preserve.

I rode out the path toward Cook Park and crossed over the Tualatin River (more than you probably want to know about the Tualatin River) I've been on every one of the 83 miles of the Tualatin River from its confluence with the Willamette River to its headwaters near Windy Point, in the Oregon Coast Range  Today I'd just see it near river mile 25.

A Facebook cycling friend in Ohio who also kayaks would appreciate that the lower 48 miles of this river are perfect for paddling, with many access points and parks along it's shores. I've kayaked a few miles here and there of it , but am thinking that I should paddle more!

It was a nice ride today, just self touring around the countryside.  I was comfortably dressed for the cool weather.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today...........31...............0..............0...............0.............31 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.............266...............0..............0...............0............266 Total..........5802...............0..............0...............0...........5802

Day 13 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

As the day dawned there was a skiff of snow on the ground.  By the time it was fully daylight the snow was mostly gone, owing to a steady rain. I "needed" a chocolate frosted bakery treat!  After checking conditions for possible freezing rain or ice, I had to decide which bike to take.  I didn't want to take the carbon bike out with the chance of dumping it down, and it is the least maneuverable bike I have. The rain bike, really a Kona Jake cyclocross bike, came with a set of 38mm knobby tires on high spoke count wheels, but to put them back in the bike would mean removing the fenders and adjusting brake clearance. It also has SPD pedals.  If I'm possibly riding on ice I'd prefer to not be clipped in.  That left the mountain bike, that currently has 2.25" slicks on it, with the mtn bike tires being in storage many miles away, and the fixed gear bike that now has 25mm road tires on it, both of which have flat pedals.

I decided to take the fixed gear bike.  It's lighter and more maneuverable.  I pedaled carefully staying to low traffic residential streets, paths, and sidewalks.

I made it!

While at the shopping center that is home to the bakery I noted this sign.  I couldn't resist taking a photo.

click on the photo for full size

Later in the day I again mounted the fixie and rode to Fry's Electronics to do a little pre-holiday price comparisons.  It was still 33 degrees and raining.  Before entering Fry's, fries were calling my name. I managed to get the bike parked under the eaves of McDonalds and went in for a bit.

It was a cold and wet day and my least favorite kind of weather to ride in. Warmer and drier is better, and surprisingly, so is colder and drier.

The #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge says that even around the block is okay.  I rode a bit farther than that, but not much. It was enough to keep the streak alive though!


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today.............6...............0..............0...............0..............6 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.............235...............0..............0...............0............235 Total..........5771...............0..............0...............0...........5771

Day 12 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

The National Weather Service says we can expect 1"-3" of snow on the ground by 6AM tomorrow.  It looks like very soon it will be time to invoke rules #5 and #6 so that we can earn the accolades of rule #9.

Today, day 12 of #ridingeverydayinNovember, was not nearly as epic.

I rode the fixed gear bike to get a couple of chocolate frosted bars this morning.  The wind was still gusting and the leaves were behaving like dry snow, drifting against buildings and curbs.

By afternoon I was on the rain bike.  Not that it was raining, but it is set up for panniers and I had errands to run where the ability to carry stuff would be good.

Before getting too far down the shopping list I had to stop for some junk...er...ride food.

Following my "Whopper meal" I continued about my errands.  The wind was gusty and at times would blow me a foot or two out of line.  Luckily I had the space to give.

I got all my errands checked off the list and arrived back home, just in time to go out to my nephew's CSA farm and help drain water lines before the cold weather settles in.

I guess we'll all see what the morning brings.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............19...............0..............0...............0.............19 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.............232...............0..............0...............0............232 Total..........5768...............0..............0...............0...........5768

Day 11 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today marked the 11th day of the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge.  The middle third of the challenge started off with a crystal clear but windy day.

For readers not familiar with Oregon, the Cascade Mountains divide the state roughly into 1/3 on the west side that is wetter and has milder temperatures than the 2/3 on the east side, that is high desert, has much less rain, and much more extreme temperatures. Portland annual averages look like THIS.  On the east side, Bend annual averages look like THIS, and even farther east Burns isn't much drier, but is significantly colder.

What this all means to the Portland area, which is situated at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge, is subject to the Gorge's famous winds.  Winds of 35mph through the Columbia River Gorge are common, and winds of 80 mph are not uncommon.  When high pressure builds inland, as it is doing now, the pressure differential takes the cold dry air from Eastern Oregon and pushes it into the Portland area on very strong winds.

I just heard the weather guru say that the low in Bend tomorrow morning will be around 10 degrees, and the high will be 30 degrees.   Winds at the Vista House (situated on Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge) will gust near 100 mph.  Humidity is plummeting as fast as the temperatures.

All that just to say that today was a great day to ride a bike, if you don't mind a bit of wind. It will certainly be a lot less enjoyable to be out pedaling by tomorrow.

I took the fixed gear bike out for a shopping run.  I was looking for a particular fungicide for a houseplant that has issues. I didn't find what I was looking for, but did find swirling leaves.

                     

And even some stuff I did NOT expect to see! Gust were to 45, not normally enough to down trees, but there are still a lot of leaves on the trees, giving the wind more to push against.

                    

Nearer the west end of the Columbia Gorge the winds are much higher.  We are "around the corner" and out of the direct blast of the winds.

I pedaled toward home via the Korean War Memorial in Wilsonville.  It looked like a Veteran's Day memorial service had just wrapped up.  There were about 25 people, many wearing medals, and a few using walkers, quietly visiting as they were packing up

With all the coming home empty handed shopping and photo op stopping, I only got 5 miles pedaling in.  In a few hours the wind was blowing harder but the sky was still crystal clear.  I hopped on the rain bike (only because it has the ability to carry panniers) and rode to 24 Hour Fitness for a soak in the hot tub.  With impending snow and ice it just seemed like the thing to do.  The majority of that ride was with a cross wind.  The few sections where I rode into the wind were challenging.

I made it to 24 Hour Fitness and got my hot tub visit, then rode back toward home. As I neared home the shadows were getting long, but still plenty of light.

Despite the wind, it was a gorgeous day.

............road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............23...............0..............0...............0.............23 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.............213...............0..............0...............0............213 Total..........5749...............0..............0...............0...........5749