Day 9 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

I'm still participating in the #ridingeverydayinNovember cycling challenge.
My plan today was to ride Portland's 40 mile loop before having to get details on an upcoming job in SE Portland.  Unfortunately what can normally be driven in just under 30 minutes turned into the 90 minute commute from hell.

I was not left with enough time to ride 40 miles before I'd need to be in SE, so I turned it into a tootle around the neighborhood.

I rode from Sellwood Riverside Park and headed north toward downtown Portland.  When I got to a trail branch that I've always wondered about I turned onto it.  Hey, with no set route in mind I figured I might as well explore!  The trail worked it's way up from the Willamette River through Oak's Bottom Wildlife Refuge to Milwaukie Avenue.

From the parking lot at the top of the bluff I started following Neighborhood Greenways and other sharrowed streets.

Despite the recent wind and rain in the Portland area, the colored leaves were still in force. As I rode around the neighborhoods I couldn't help but stop for photos from time to time.

I pedaled out to the jobsite and discussed the scope of the project, then tootled around a bit more.

 I finally turned toward the Willamette River and followed the Springwater Trail back to my vehicle.

The Willamette River with Ross Island on the right.

The weather was nice, comfortable temperatures, just a slight southerly breeze, and only a few drops of rain here and there.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....26...............0...............0.............0..............26
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov..........132..............0................3.............0.............135
_________________________________________
total.......4640.............0.............118............0...........4758

Day 8 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today was the 8th day of the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge. There is less than 10 hours of daylight this time of year in NW Oregon, so it should come as no surprise that I was up and about before the sun rose.  It was raining hard.  However, by the time dawn arrived, the rain had stopped.  The lighter it got, the better the day looked!

By the time I hopped on the bike I carried a raincoat (it IS still November in Oregon after all!) but I did not wear it.

I headed north out of Seaside toward Astoria.  I wasn't sure if Ft Clatsop was my goal, or the Astoria Column.

I reached my first photo opportunity as I neared Gearhart. The diminutive Necanicum River ends it's 21 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean here.

I turned onto Business 101, skirting south of Astoria and avoiding the higher traffic count of US 101.  I hadn't pedaled very far before I got to Ft Clatsop.

I had made good time up to this point, so I decided to ride the additional miles to the Astoria Column, thinking that it would provide better photos. I hadn't pedaled too far before I came across a herd of  Roosevelt Elk.  There were about 70 animals spread across the open pasture.

I crossed the Young's River and made my way up Coxcomb Hill. I would climb about 600 ft in just under a mile and a half.  The maximum grade I saw was 16%, but most of the climb was in the 7-8% range. I just put the bike in my lowest gear (30x28) and pedaled up leisurely.  I arrived at the Astoria Column.

Of course no trip to the Astoria Column is complete without walking the 164 steps to the top.

Looking back down the outside of the spiral staircase

The view from the top always makes it worth the walk up.

Young's River (left) flowing into the Columbia River (right)

(clicking on photos in this blog will display them full sized, especially good on the one above)

The Columbia River is just over 4 miles wide at this point, still 12 miles from the bar, known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. (click here for an interesting insight about the Columbia River Bar Pilots)

It was a nice day for a ride.  The temperature was in the high 50's, wind was negligible, and not a single drop of rain.

By the time I got back to Seaside I had logged 41 miles.  Still not a lot, but more than I've done recently.


.........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....41...............0...............0.............0..............41
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov..........106..............0................3.............0.............109
_________________________________________
total.......4614.............0.............118............0...........4732

Day 7 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

The conference that I've been attending the last few days wrapped up at noon today. The nice weather of the last few days wrapped up a few hours earlier. :-(

I ate lunch then put on raingear and hopped on the bike.  As I shoved off the heavy rain had stopped, but there was a brisk south wind blowing.  I decided to ride into the wind to start, hoping for a good tailwind to finish off with.

I pedaled down the coast toward Cannon Beach.  There was a steady climb from near sea level to about 500 ft elevation, at times reaching 11% grade, as I pedaled over Tillamook Head. It was made a bit tougher with the 20 mph headwind.   To add insult to injury, it began raining hard as I neared Cannon Beach.

I rolled down the south side of Tillamook Head and entered the quaint oceanside town of Canon Beach just as the heavy rain turned to pelting hail!

What should have been a nice view back toward Tillamook Head and the Tillamook Rock Light  (Terrible Tillie) ended up being impaired by the stormy weather.

I knew that if I stood around too long I was going to get cold, so I turned around and headed back north.

At least now I had a strong tailwind assisting me.  I pedaled back up Tillamook Head with a hard rain peppering my back.  (always better than a hard rain into the face!)  The long roll down the north side back into Seaside was fun, even in the rain.

Day 7 of #ridingeverydayinNovember is in the book.  Even though it was only 17 miles, it is better than recent days, and with the rain, wind, and hail, I felt worthy to check the box.


.........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....17...............0...............0.............0..............17
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............65..............0................3.............0...............65
_________________________________________
total.......4573.............0.............118............0...........4691

Day 6 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today is the 6th day of the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge.   I had a full day of conference but managed to get out for a few miles before the real stuff started. (I've never been enthralled with the pomp and circumstance of opening ceremonies)

It was a beautiful morning. I went for a short ride along the Prom in Seaside just to satisfy the challenge.

It is scary to realize that I am old enough to witness geologic change.  I remember when the high tide lapped against the seawall in Seaside. Now a grass reinforced sand dune lies between the wall and the ocean.

It is not a tall dune, but tall enough to block the ocean view from the Prom.

I hope to get out for more miles today, but it will likely be after dark



.........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....2...............0...............0.............0...............2
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............48..............0................3.............0...............48
_________________________________________
total.......4556.............0.............118............0...........4674

Day 5 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

I drove to Seaside on the north Oregon coast late last night after our local fire board meeting. The forecast for Portland called for rain showers. I expected it to be wetter on the coast. I was surprised to wakeup this morning to mostly blue sky and dry roads. I had a couple of hours before the conference started so I went for a little bike ride to keep my membership in the #ridingeverydayinNovember challenge active.  Rather than miles, my goal was to explore the area.

I started off with a ride to the beach.

 I rode along the Prom(enade)

Looking north

Looking south

Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery boiled sea water to obtain salt here in the winter of 1805-06.

In the very early 1900's the daughter of one of the Native Americans who helped the expedition located the site of the cairn and a replica was built on the site.

 I rode a little farther up the Prom where a sculpture commemorating Lewis and Clark was erected.

The weather continued to improve, but I was running out of time. I rode to the north end of the Prom then got on roads and made my way back south, doing a little scouting as I did.

I got 7 miles.

..........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....7...............0...............0.............0...............7
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............46..............0................3.............0...............46
_________________________________________
total.......4554.............0.............118............0...........4672

Day 4 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

It was a clear and crisp Autumn morning, with just a hint of frost.  I packaged up an item to mail away for repair, then hopped on the fixed gear bike for a trip to the post office. Along the way I noted the brilliantly colored foliage. I stopped for this one, but noted that the light was coming from the wrong direction.

I couldn't move the sun or the trees, so I pedaled around a bit looking for a better setting.

I think I found it!

I dropped the parcel off at the post office, then picked up a donut from Lamb's Nature's Choice Market

Now energized, I took the fixed gear bike out for bonus miles.  Memorial Park, Boone's Ferry Park, The Korean War Memorial, were all on the agenda.

  I managed to get 12 miles of just puttering around in before it was time to go home and prepare for a meeting and conference.


..........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today ....12...............0...............0.............0..............12
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............39..............0................3.............0...............39
_________________________________________
total.......4547.............0.............118............0...........4665

Day 3 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today is the third day of the #ridingeverydayinNovember cycling challenge. While officially around the block qualifies, I (and others) expect more from me. November is, with Thanksgiving, Fire Service Conference, and travel, challenging to get long rides in.

It was raining lightly with a prediction to dry out a bit as the day progressed.  I didn't have time to wait.  I put on raingear and pedaled out on the rain bike in search of some nearby sights.

I'll call it the "color and cobblestone tour".

Smith Cove

Puget Sound

Elliot Bay in the background

downtown Seattle and Elliot Bay

Today I got 6 miles.  It is more than a ride around the block, but with time constraints today, it is likely all I'll get.

..........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today .....6...............0...............0.............0...............6
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............27..............0................3.............0...............27
_________________________________________
total.......4535.............0.............118............0...........4653

Day 2 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Today is the second day of #ridingeverydayinNovember.

I got geared up to ride, but then waited out a heavy rain shower.  It takes a completely different motivation to walk out of the house into a deluge, especially when the forecast says "scattered showers, but a mostly dry day".

I rolled down 3rd Ave W from Queen Ann to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle.  I crossed the Fremont Bridge then turned toward the west along the Ship Canal.  Some friendly tourists offered to take my photo.

I rode to Fred Meyer's "one stop shopping" mecca and picked up some video connection cables, then continued along the B-G.  I stopped at the 14th Ave NW Boat Ramp and snapped this photo

It began to rain again, I ducked into the nearby Jack in the Box.

The rain never amounted to much and I was soon on my way,  I have afternoon plans so it was time to make my way back.  I returned to the Fremont Bridge and crossed back over to the south side,

Fremont Bridge in foreground, Aurora Bridge in background.

I hope to get back on the bike later this afternoon, but it is not a sure thing.

Evening update:

Well, I did get out for a short ride.  A ride for pizza at Olympic Pizza was in order tonight. I took the mountain bike because it has combination pedals, allowing me the option to ride in street shoes.

It wasn't far, but it was nice to be out on the bike.  It was dry, but a definite chill was in the air.  It's not summer anymore!

..........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today ....13...............0...............0.............0..............13
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............21..............0................3.............0...............24
_________________________________________
total.......4528.............0.............118............0...........4646

Day 1 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

Last year with just a couple of days to go before November I came up with a crazy idea to challenge folks on Facebook to join me and ride every day in November.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think so many people, from so many locations, would take up the challenge.  Riding every day in one of Oregon's traditionally wettest months ended up being way more fun than anyone would dream possible.

This year I again presented the challenge, this time with a bit more notice.  This time there are 48 people accepting the challenge!   The number of folks participating in the challenge has made itself known by the deluge of Facebook notifications I had in my email inbox tonight telling me that people had posted to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ridingeverydayinNovember.

It looks to be an exciting month!

I too got out for day 1 of #ridingeverydayinNovember.

I had an afternoon of driving ahead of me, so I'd have to ride in the morning.  Luckily, the rain of yesterday (2 inches in Portland!) had tapered off.

My friend Julie was in town, but was in a bit of a funk and not feeling at all social.  That, and with the long drive ahead, meant that we pedaled early in the day.  As it was, I felt I was lucky that I had company and wasn't riding this alone.

We waited for one rain shower to pass over then started at Sellwood Riverfront Park and rode toward downtown Portland.

Despite the lingering shower or two, the weather was pretty decent.

Julie is from Seattle, and not fond of travel.  She had never seen or bike across the Tilikum Crossing.  She was in for a treat!

Whether she thought so was still the subject of discussion.

It's too bad that the view from the new bridge is less than one might hope for. The Marquam Bridge (Interstate 5) is hardly an architectural wonder.

We crossed the Tilikum Bridge then turned north and rode along the Waterfront Trail.  We stopped at the Salmon Street Springs and noted that for some reason "the tide was out". (no water emanating from it)

We continued to the Steel Bridge where we made our way back to the east side of the Willamette River.  At that point I weighed the option of riding north to the Columbia River via Williams Ave, but given the brisk south wind, I figured that 4 miles of headwind was going to be about all that Julie would ride without major grumbling.  We turned south and began the headwind ride back to Sellwood. A quick stop was made to get the mandatory bike photo to post to the #ridingeverydayinNovember Facebook group.

#ridingeverydayinNovember

And another quick stop to take a photo of the crews out racing in the river.

As the sky began looking ominous to the south, threatening a good soaking, we finished up.  It was good to get a ride in on the first day of November and not get wet.

..........Road Bike.....Rollers.....MTB.....Lifecycle..Total
Today ....11...............0...............0.............0..............11
Jan.........765..............0...............0.............0............765
Feb........248..............0...............0.............0............248
March....183..............0...............0.............0.............183
April......228...............0..............0..............0.............228
May.......200...............0..............0..............0.............200
June........199..............0..............26............0.............225
July.........246.............0...............0..............0.............246
Aug.........502.............0...............0..............0.............502
Sept.........974.............0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44.............0............1018
Oct.......... 962.............0..............45.............0............1007
Nov............11..............0................0.............0...............11
_________________________________________
total.......4518.............0.............115............0...........4633