I took off mid afternoon with only the vaguest of destinations in mind. Early in the day I had entertained the idea of riding to Multnomah Falls, but life got in the way (and taxes!) so when I finally got on the bike, I knew Multnomah Falls would be too far today. I took off for the Oregon City Bridge thinking I might ride to Portland on the east side of the Willamette River and catch up with my brother-in-law as he cycled home from work. Instead, as I rode past the Clackamas River Trail it sucked me in. :-)
I crossed the Clackamas River near High Rocks and was going to continue on the I-205 path, but heavy traffic and a left turn requiring crossing three lanes in a very short distance modified my plan again. I kept going straight and soon found myself in some pretty nice riding. I was in an area of warehouses, the streets were wide, low traffic, and wide shoulders. I had no need to look for anything different.
In time I crossed Hwy 224 and began to climb. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in for a climb of Mt Scott. I continued in a somewhat northerly direction, and eventually intersected the Springwater Trail.
Suddenly a goal materialized. Women's Forum State Park would be my turnaround point today.
That would add an additional climb, the highest elevation of the day, to my route. I knew it would bring my total distance to over 80 miles, and with a 3:30PM start, I knew I'd have to up the effort a bit. I reached Women's Forum State Park, took in the view for just a few minutes, then proceeded back down to the Sandy River.
I could feel my lack of bike fitness again today. The return route was taxing me a bit. The miles and elevation gain was a workout, especially with the increased pace I had to ride at.
That's good. Exactly what I needed.
I arrived back in Wilsonville before lights were necessary, though I did have them on in flash mode starting in Willamette since I was going to be in shaded roads as I climbed Turner Rd.
I took off with a long sleeved jersey, long pants, and a windbreaker today. I had dark glasses on. It got cloudier as the afternoon progressed, and from time to time it threatened to rain, even spitting a few drips from time to time. It was never enough to even come close to getting things wet. Just enough to make me re-think my decision to not bring rain gear.
It was a good ride.
................road
bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.............86...............0.............0..........0.............86
Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93
Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411
March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653
April..............145.............0...............0.........0............145
Total.............1305.............0...............0.........0..........1305
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
An Old Time Horse and Buggy Doctor
That's what I felt like today! A Seattle friend needed a new chain and cassette. I've got the tools to do that, and know how to use them. (mostly, LOL!) I picked up the parts a couple of days ago and today loaded them in my backpack and took off across Seattle. As I pedaled along, I couldn't help but envision the old country doctors who traveled to patient's homes via horse and buggy with a black satchel in hand. I arrived and set about changing the cassette. That went well and quickly. The chain took a bit longer, first I put the chain on, but did not thread it through the front derailleur. Then I put it together again, this time not getting the path through the idlers correct. Finally, on the third time pressing the pins back in, the bike was ready to test ride. Alas, replacing the rear cassette and chain did not eliminate the jumping chain. The front sprockets show wear, but honestly not enough to be causing the problem, but they are the only parts not replaced. This horse and buggy doctor was not carrying front sprockets. Those will have to wait for another visit. My friend was feeling out of sorts due to a recent relationship breakup so a short ride was out of the question. She went back home, and I turned back northward. The weather had turned fairly decent following a few days of rain. I was feeling bad that I hadn't got out for a good training ride. When I got to Taylor Street, a climb of almost 400 ft in elevation, I did four repeats. Not exactly the workout I was looking for, but it got the old heartrate up a bit.
................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............15...............0.............0..........0.............15 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April...............59.............0...............0.........0............59 Total.............1219.............0...............0.........0..........1219
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
I-205
The weather was nice, I figured I should get out for a ride. I still remember all too well the pain that was climbing the hill between West Linn and Wilsonville on Sunday, so today I started in Willamette. ;-)
I crossed the Oregon City Bridge and got on the Clackamas River Trial again.
I puttered around at the trailhead there a bit, and happened to see an old college roommate ride by. I didn't recognize him in riding gear right off, and he had passed me before I was sure it was him. In fact, it wasn't until I called him on the phone that I knew for sure. We had a good laugh, for as slow as I was in recognizing him, he didn't see me at all! I continued along the Clackamas River until reaching High Rocks, then got on the I-205 path and took it to Washington State. Not having my passport with me, I turned around before getting caught by border patrol. :-)
................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............44...............0.............0..........0.............44 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April...............44.............0...............0.........0............44 Total.............1204.............0...............0.........0..........1204
I puttered around at the trailhead there a bit, and happened to see an old college roommate ride by. I didn't recognize him in riding gear right off, and he had passed me before I was sure it was him. In fact, it wasn't until I called him on the phone that I knew for sure. We had a good laugh, for as slow as I was in recognizing him, he didn't see me at all! I continued along the Clackamas River until reaching High Rocks, then got on the I-205 path and took it to Washington State. Not having my passport with me, I turned around before getting caught by border patrol. :-)
................road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today.............44...............0.............0..........0.............44 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 April...............44.............0...............0.........0............44 Total.............1204.............0...............0.........0..........1204
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Multnomah Falls
Today was a gorgeous day for a bike ride. I took off from Wilsonville and rode to Multnomah Falls and back. I felt adventurous and let Ridewithgps.com determine my route. I've had fun when doing this before. Today was no exception.
I started off by riding out to and over the Oregon City Bridge, no surprises there. But once in Oregon City I was directed in a new way for me. I rode north out of OC and was soon on the Clackamas River Multi-use path. Not only had I never been on it, I didn't know it existed!
Just as the trail ended I recognized where I was. A friend and I had biked here from the opposite direction last year.
Today I just kept pedaling along. From here I turned north and more or less followed next to I-205, sometimes close, sometime farther away. Eventually I reached the southern end of the I-205 bike path and took it northward. When I reached the Springwater Trail I took it east.
Once in Gresham I hopped on Powell Blvd and continued east.
When I reached Hogan Rd I turned north until reaching Stark Street. I took Stark eastward and crossed the Sandy River.
I started up the Historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Hwy. I could tell that I haven't been riding much this year. The hill is not steep, 5% max, but I could feel it. I finally made my way to Women's Forum State Park, the high point of today's ride. I took the obligatory photo of the Vista House across the way.
I then proceeded on and got a photo from a closer vantage point.
Before long I was at Multnomah Falls, my turnaround point for today's ride.
I didn't dally long, I had a late start today and was going to need my time to be able to be home while the sun was still up. It was a nice day for a pedal, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to summer rides in the Gorge as I pedaled along in shorts and short sleeves.
The Gorge never disappoints as far as scenic beauty goes.
Lewis and Clark traveled down the Columbia River over 200 years ago. My mind wandered to thoughts of what they might have been thinking as they traveled this portion of river.
I retraced my route back toward Wilsonville. I crossed the Oregon City Bridge and stopped for a V8 juice at the little store on the west side. I knew that there was a climb coming up, and my legs were feeling the miles. I pedaled out through historic Willamette, and then the climbing became more serious. I made my way up Turner Rd.....S L O W L Y, but made it. The sun was getting low in the sky and Turner Rd is shaded by trees the whole way, I turned my rear blinkies on. There weren't many cars, but it only takes one.
I rolled back into Wilsonville, the sun still up for another 20 minutes or so after I stopped pedaling.
Cut it close, but it was a good day on the bike, and a good workout for this old guy!
Today............104...............0.............0..........0............104 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 Total.............1160.............0...............0.........0..........1160
I started off by riding out to and over the Oregon City Bridge, no surprises there. But once in Oregon City I was directed in a new way for me. I rode north out of OC and was soon on the Clackamas River Multi-use path. Not only had I never been on it, I didn't know it existed!
Just as the trail ended I recognized where I was. A friend and I had biked here from the opposite direction last year.
Today I just kept pedaling along. From here I turned north and more or less followed next to I-205, sometimes close, sometime farther away. Eventually I reached the southern end of the I-205 bike path and took it northward. When I reached the Springwater Trail I took it east.
Once in Gresham I hopped on Powell Blvd and continued east.
When I reached Hogan Rd I turned north until reaching Stark Street. I took Stark eastward and crossed the Sandy River.
I started up the Historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Hwy. I could tell that I haven't been riding much this year. The hill is not steep, 5% max, but I could feel it. I finally made my way to Women's Forum State Park, the high point of today's ride. I took the obligatory photo of the Vista House across the way.
I then proceeded on and got a photo from a closer vantage point.
Before long I was at Multnomah Falls, my turnaround point for today's ride.
I didn't dally long, I had a late start today and was going to need my time to be able to be home while the sun was still up. It was a nice day for a pedal, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to summer rides in the Gorge as I pedaled along in shorts and short sleeves.
The Gorge never disappoints as far as scenic beauty goes.
Lewis and Clark traveled down the Columbia River over 200 years ago. My mind wandered to thoughts of what they might have been thinking as they traveled this portion of river.
I retraced my route back toward Wilsonville. I crossed the Oregon City Bridge and stopped for a V8 juice at the little store on the west side. I knew that there was a climb coming up, and my legs were feeling the miles. I pedaled out through historic Willamette, and then the climbing became more serious. I made my way up Turner Rd.....S L O W L Y, but made it. The sun was getting low in the sky and Turner Rd is shaded by trees the whole way, I turned my rear blinkies on. There weren't many cars, but it only takes one.
I rolled back into Wilsonville, the sun still up for another 20 minutes or so after I stopped pedaling.
Cut it close, but it was a good day on the bike, and a good workout for this old guy!
Today............104...............0.............0..........0............104 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............653..............0.............0.........0............653 Total.............1160.............0...............0.........0..........1160
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Holding air, and holding my breath
Facebook bike group friends and blog followers are aware that I've
been fighting with wheel issues on a new single speed bike that I bought
at a charity auction recently. After way too much time fighting with
tubes, valve extensions, and broken tire levers, I made a last ditch
effort and added 8oz of Slime to the front wheel.
I
didn't dare remove the rear tire which was already holding air. I knew
that removal and reinstallation would certainly cause more punctures.
With
the tires currently holding air, I took off for an inaugural ride. I
rode 3 miles, while holding my breath, and crossing my fingers.
I'll
never be able to change a flat on the road, but may just take it out
for a 12.7 mile ride I have planned for Friday night. The route is such
that I'll never be more than 2.5 miles from the start location. Since
the single speed has flat pedals I'll be in athletic shoes, I can walk
2.5 miles in those if I have to.
If I get one more flat, I'm going to go to airless tires.
Today..............3...............0.............0..........0..............3
Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93
Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411
March.............549..............0.............0.........0............549
Total.............1056.............0...............0.........0..........1056
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Air
Today was all about air. The air was warm, depending on exactly what
time and where one was today, it reached 70. That's the first time
that's happened since something like 6 months ago.
I
bought a single speed bike at a charity auction last week. It was brand
new in a box. It evidently was special made for a wine company to use
in a promotional display. Of all things, the bottle cages won't hold a
bike bottle, but will hold bottles of wine! But you can't pedal if they
are attached, as they are on the sides of the seat tube and feet hit
them as one pedals.
I am having a heck of a time with
the wheels. They are deep profile, probably about 40mm, but made of
steel. Given the number of miles, and the types of rides I'm likely to
ride it, that is not too much of an issue. What is an issue is that
they didn't have rim tape. When I aired the tires the tubes intruded
into the spoke wells and flatted. The wheels don't use standard Presta
valve stems, they drilled out the wheels to be able to use Schrader
valves (just like your car has) . They left the holes very sharp, so
after making a trip to the bike shop to get replacement tubes and
install them, they too flatted. I dressed the drilled holes a bit and
today got more tubes, and found that they don't have long enough stems
to reach out of the deep dish wheels.
I located
Schrader Valve Stem Extenders, at an auto parts store in Canby. This
morning I pedaled off (on my carbon bike!) to get them.
It was a nice day, sunny, warm. Nice.
I
got home and after some installation, aired the tires again. Flat
again. The tires are VERY hard to get on the rims, and I am getting
damage to the tubes as the tire is put on the rim. I have gone through 6
tubes now, and still have the front tire leaking. I talked to a tire
shop about putting foam in the wheels, but they can't do it through the
valve cores, and can't access the stem with the extender off because
it's down in the wheel. They had airless bicycle tires, but not in 700x
sizes. I'm now thinking about filling them with Slime. I hate starting
out on tires that leak, depending only on Slime, but it might be better
than not starting out on the bike at all.
All this for a silly bike that doesn't even have gears!
Today.............31...............0.............0..........0.............31
Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93
Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411
March.............546..............0.............0.........0............546
Total.............1053.............0...............0.........0..........1053
Monday, March 25, 2013
The grass is growing, what would a bike racer do?
The weather is warming, the sun is shining, the grass is growing, the mower deck needs a drive belt.
What would a bike racer do? Well, a bike racer would be out training.
I'm not yet a bike racer, may never be, but I figured I'd better get out for a few miles. I rode to the lawn and garden store to get the belt. Alas, they didn't have one, weren't even sure they could get one. I then rode to an auto parts store, they had a belt. Not THE belt, but one of equivalent size. Sort of like that thing where John Deere bolts are more expensive just because they are green. A bolt is a bolt (well sort of) and a belt is a belt. I brought home the belt and saved a few dollars beside.
My legs were a bit tired. I guess that's to be expected after 4 consecutive days of biking after such a long time of no real riding.
It was a nice day to ride.........and to mow lawn.
Today.............23...............0.............0..........0.............23 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............515..............0.............0.........0............514 Total.............1022.............0...............0.........0...........1022
What would a bike racer do? Well, a bike racer would be out training.
I'm not yet a bike racer, may never be, but I figured I'd better get out for a few miles. I rode to the lawn and garden store to get the belt. Alas, they didn't have one, weren't even sure they could get one. I then rode to an auto parts store, they had a belt. Not THE belt, but one of equivalent size. Sort of like that thing where John Deere bolts are more expensive just because they are green. A bolt is a bolt (well sort of) and a belt is a belt. I brought home the belt and saved a few dollars beside.
My legs were a bit tired. I guess that's to be expected after 4 consecutive days of biking after such a long time of no real riding.
It was a nice day to ride.........and to mow lawn.
Today.............23...............0.............0..........0.............23 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............515..............0.............0.........0............514 Total.............1022.............0...............0.........0...........1022
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Out for a bike ride with Art
My friend Art posts a lot of rides for a Meetup group that he belongs to. In this particular instance he also sent out an invitation to Facebook for folks to join him. Art is noted for putting together rides that are inclusive. Sounded just about right for me!
It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning than it was yesterday morning. I didn't wear booties or the wind pants. We had some hills in the first 15 miles that would warm us up, and it was predicted to reach 60 degrees by mid afternoon.
There were a dozen of us as we started out, just as there were yesterday. Art said he didn't care if some folks wanted to push on ahead, but for us all to regroup on hill tops and turns. Some of us had the route, some didn't.
We had a dozen riders, the same as yesterday, and at nearly the same point our group splintered. Yesterday it was at the 11 mile mark, today it was just over 10 miles. 6 of our riders were off the front by about 75 yds as we reached a high point in the road where we were to take a right turn. We watched them crest the hill and take off at light speed down the other side. A few vocalizations were made, but they didn't hear us. We watched, with just a bit of a smile on our faces, as the rolled down the long grade and began climbing up the other side. That's what happens when you don't follow the leader, and didn't make the effort to get the cue sheet or download the course to a GPS. We pedaled onward. The others knew we were planning a stop at Dairy Queen in Newberg.
We arrived at DQ and placed our orders. I had a banana split.
All 6 of us were pretty much finished with our food and just sitting around waiting for the "lost riders" to arrive.
Finally the others arrived with stories of adventure, not of lions and tigers, but of hills and smart phone mapquest usage! We only had 17 miles done to this point so it was time to get going. We were a mixed group, some strong and fast riders, some challenged and slower riders. It was a no drop ride so now that our jack rabbits had learned their lessons about passing the leader, we pedaled along with a bit more cohesion.
We made a brief stop at the Lake Stop Store near Hagg Lake, then pressed onward. I got out a bit ahead of the rest. Here's what it looks like as the peloton is chasing one down. ;-)
From there we made the final push back to Scholls Heights. One of our riders was having trouble controlling blood sugar and the pace became excruciatingly slow. We finally stopped when she began wobbling around as she pedaled. She had the ability to check her blood sugar and did so. To nobody's surprise, she was very low. She took some food and after a bit a few of us shepherded her in.
We finished up the ride, then 8 of us retired to a local establishment for pizza and beer. Much frivolity ensued.
In some cases, more frivolity than others.
Our friend Max is nursing an injured shoulder (from an encounter with a tree while mtn biking!) but did come to see us off this morning, and returned to join us for the after ride debriefing. My apologies to him for only getting his arm in the above photo!
The change of seasons and the promise of nicer riding weather got us all to talking about upcoming rides that will be put on calendars. It's going to be fun!
Today was a good start on that.
Today.............57...............0.............0..........0.............57 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............492..............0.............0.........0............492 Total..............999.............0...............0.........0............999
It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning than it was yesterday morning. I didn't wear booties or the wind pants. We had some hills in the first 15 miles that would warm us up, and it was predicted to reach 60 degrees by mid afternoon.
There were a dozen of us as we started out, just as there were yesterday. Art said he didn't care if some folks wanted to push on ahead, but for us all to regroup on hill tops and turns. Some of us had the route, some didn't.
We had a dozen riders, the same as yesterday, and at nearly the same point our group splintered. Yesterday it was at the 11 mile mark, today it was just over 10 miles. 6 of our riders were off the front by about 75 yds as we reached a high point in the road where we were to take a right turn. We watched them crest the hill and take off at light speed down the other side. A few vocalizations were made, but they didn't hear us. We watched, with just a bit of a smile on our faces, as the rolled down the long grade and began climbing up the other side. That's what happens when you don't follow the leader, and didn't make the effort to get the cue sheet or download the course to a GPS. We pedaled onward. The others knew we were planning a stop at Dairy Queen in Newberg.
We arrived at DQ and placed our orders. I had a banana split.
All 6 of us were pretty much finished with our food and just sitting around waiting for the "lost riders" to arrive.
Finally the others arrived with stories of adventure, not of lions and tigers, but of hills and smart phone mapquest usage! We only had 17 miles done to this point so it was time to get going. We were a mixed group, some strong and fast riders, some challenged and slower riders. It was a no drop ride so now that our jack rabbits had learned their lessons about passing the leader, we pedaled along with a bit more cohesion.
We made a brief stop at the Lake Stop Store near Hagg Lake, then pressed onward. I got out a bit ahead of the rest. Here's what it looks like as the peloton is chasing one down. ;-)
We stopped again at the Forest Hills Golf Course. No time for a round of golf, but they do have an outdoor water fountain that is popular with cyclists. Eric also helped a fellow cyclist (not one of our group) who was there with a flat tire.
From there we made the final push back to Scholls Heights. One of our riders was having trouble controlling blood sugar and the pace became excruciatingly slow. We finally stopped when she began wobbling around as she pedaled. She had the ability to check her blood sugar and did so. To nobody's surprise, she was very low. She took some food and after a bit a few of us shepherded her in.
We finished up the ride, then 8 of us retired to a local establishment for pizza and beer. Much frivolity ensued.
In some cases, more frivolity than others.
Our friend Max is nursing an injured shoulder (from an encounter with a tree while mtn biking!) but did come to see us off this morning, and returned to join us for the after ride debriefing. My apologies to him for only getting his arm in the above photo!
The change of seasons and the promise of nicer riding weather got us all to talking about upcoming rides that will be put on calendars. It's going to be fun!
Today was a good start on that.
Today.............57...............0.............0..........0.............57 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............492..............0.............0.........0............492 Total..............999.............0...............0.........0............999
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Alternate Realities
Robin posted a ride to a Meetup group, as well as a general invitation on Facebook. I looked at the route , the pace (16mph on the flats), the distance (50 miles) and the weather (cold morning, but blue sky and 60 by afternoon), and decided it was right in line with my current fitness level. I was at Hayden Island by 8:30AM and ready to pedal soon after.
I had loaded the course onto my Garmin, as did some of the other riders so equipped. The rest had to deal with a cue sheet that had over 150 entries. There was some frost this morning so I put my wind pants on over my long riding pants. I figured it would warm up quickly as we pedaled so I took no other precautions against the cold other than riding with booties over my cycling shoes.
The first 11 miles were pretty uneventful, other than a lot of slowing down and/or stopping for those with cue sheets to figure out if we were still on course. At 11 mile in we were to ride about 3 miles total on 39th Ave. For those not familiar with East Portland, 39th is a 4 lane (2 each direction) 35 mph main arterial in the area, with (horrors!) no painted bike lane. Many of the riders weren't comfortable with this. 4 of us rode on, taking the mapped route, and the lane. We had no issues at all, no displeased motor vehicle operators, we just took our place in traffic and pedaled on. As it ended up, this would be the last we saw of the ride leader and the rest of the pack.
We rode the route and the advertised pace. As it ended up, that was way faster than the rest of the group. As we neared Oregon City we stopped at a convenience store for a potty stop as well as a few bites of bars for some of our little entourage. After about 10 minutes we pedaled on, thinking that trying to regroup with the rest of the riders would happen easiest at the Oregon City Bridge. Unless the others completely bailed on the trip, they would have to cross this bridge. We pedaled off with plans to stop near the bridge. I stopped long enough to get a picture of the Oregon City Bridge from under the George Abernathy Bridge (I-205)
We crossed the OC Bridge then pulled off at a convenience store with a view of the bridge and waited.
I also called the ride leader and left a voice mail, saying where we were at, named all 4 of us, and said we would wait there 15 minutes unless we heard from them.
After 15 minutes we rode on. If the group didn't like 39th Ave we wondered aloud what they were going to do when they were confronted with Hwy 43 north of Lake Oswego. It starts out as 4 lanes, but narrows to 2 lanes, and no shoulder. (guard railing within inches of the fog line) It is a busy road. Again, we took the lane when we needed to. We were glad to be off that section, even when it meant getting on a waterfront mutli-use path. The view was nice, but the sunny day meant everybody and their dog was out enjoying the trail. Oh, and those with I-pods were out too. A lot of good a bell or an "on your left" does when they are marching to the beat of a different drummer.
We got to downtown Portland and Saturday Market was in full swing. My group wanted to stop for Elephant Ears. ;-)
We stopped for just over a half hour with an eye on the path for our friends, as we munched on the deep fried delights.
We finally gave up on seeing them, and pedaled on.
We had a good ride and arrived back at Hayden Island in 4.5 hours after we left. That calculated out to a 10.2 mph clock time average. The Garmin showed a 13.3 riding average. We loaded bikes and were partaking in some post ride chatter, when after about 20 minutes some of our group rode up. As it ended up, they took their leave of the remainder of the group near Oregon City. They said there was just too much stopping and getting lost for them.
They were surprised that we had stopped at Saturday Market for over a half hour, and they still hadn't caught us. Frankly, so were we. I milled around where the cars were parked in an effort to thank our ride leader, but alas, they still hadn't pedaled in when it was time for me to get moving.
I guess they didn't quite make their "16 mph on the flats" pace. Some people just don't know what their average pace is. "Hey, I saw 16 mph on my speedometer on that one section" :-(
It was a good day for a ride. I had so much fun I'm going to go for another 50 mile ride tomorrow! :-)
Today.............48...............0.............0..........0.............48 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............435..............0.............0.........0............435 Total..............942.............0...............0.........0............942
I had loaded the course onto my Garmin, as did some of the other riders so equipped. The rest had to deal with a cue sheet that had over 150 entries. There was some frost this morning so I put my wind pants on over my long riding pants. I figured it would warm up quickly as we pedaled so I took no other precautions against the cold other than riding with booties over my cycling shoes.
The first 11 miles were pretty uneventful, other than a lot of slowing down and/or stopping for those with cue sheets to figure out if we were still on course. At 11 mile in we were to ride about 3 miles total on 39th Ave. For those not familiar with East Portland, 39th is a 4 lane (2 each direction) 35 mph main arterial in the area, with (horrors!) no painted bike lane. Many of the riders weren't comfortable with this. 4 of us rode on, taking the mapped route, and the lane. We had no issues at all, no displeased motor vehicle operators, we just took our place in traffic and pedaled on. As it ended up, this would be the last we saw of the ride leader and the rest of the pack.
We rode the route and the advertised pace. As it ended up, that was way faster than the rest of the group. As we neared Oregon City we stopped at a convenience store for a potty stop as well as a few bites of bars for some of our little entourage. After about 10 minutes we pedaled on, thinking that trying to regroup with the rest of the riders would happen easiest at the Oregon City Bridge. Unless the others completely bailed on the trip, they would have to cross this bridge. We pedaled off with plans to stop near the bridge. I stopped long enough to get a picture of the Oregon City Bridge from under the George Abernathy Bridge (I-205)
We crossed the OC Bridge then pulled off at a convenience store with a view of the bridge and waited.
I also called the ride leader and left a voice mail, saying where we were at, named all 4 of us, and said we would wait there 15 minutes unless we heard from them.
After 15 minutes we rode on. If the group didn't like 39th Ave we wondered aloud what they were going to do when they were confronted with Hwy 43 north of Lake Oswego. It starts out as 4 lanes, but narrows to 2 lanes, and no shoulder. (guard railing within inches of the fog line) It is a busy road. Again, we took the lane when we needed to. We were glad to be off that section, even when it meant getting on a waterfront mutli-use path. The view was nice, but the sunny day meant everybody and their dog was out enjoying the trail. Oh, and those with I-pods were out too. A lot of good a bell or an "on your left" does when they are marching to the beat of a different drummer.
We got to downtown Portland and Saturday Market was in full swing. My group wanted to stop for Elephant Ears. ;-)
We stopped for just over a half hour with an eye on the path for our friends, as we munched on the deep fried delights.
We finally gave up on seeing them, and pedaled on.
We had a good ride and arrived back at Hayden Island in 4.5 hours after we left. That calculated out to a 10.2 mph clock time average. The Garmin showed a 13.3 riding average. We loaded bikes and were partaking in some post ride chatter, when after about 20 minutes some of our group rode up. As it ended up, they took their leave of the remainder of the group near Oregon City. They said there was just too much stopping and getting lost for them.
They were surprised that we had stopped at Saturday Market for over a half hour, and they still hadn't caught us. Frankly, so were we. I milled around where the cars were parked in an effort to thank our ride leader, but alas, they still hadn't pedaled in when it was time for me to get moving.
I guess they didn't quite make their "16 mph on the flats" pace. Some people just don't know what their average pace is. "Hey, I saw 16 mph on my speedometer on that one section" :-(
It was a good day for a ride. I had so much fun I'm going to go for another 50 mile ride tomorrow! :-)
Today.............48...............0.............0..........0.............48 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............435..............0.............0.........0............435 Total..............942.............0...............0.........0............942
Friday, March 22, 2013
Spring
Blue sky, hard rain, blue sky, hail, blue sky, SNOW, more blue sky. That's what today was. Ah, Spring in the great Northwest!
I had a bunch of "honey do's" to perform for my mom today. I figured I would have time to ride a few hours, and my brother-in-law Dave had time to join in the fun. He arrived shortly before noon, I wasn't ready yet.
It took me nearly 45 minutes to get things wrapped up, change into bike clothes, and be ready to ride. We had thought that a ride to Hagg Lake might be good (about a 70 mile round trip) but as we prepared to pedal out the sky was BLACK to the west, right where we'd be riding if we rode to Hagg Lake. We took off randomly toward the West Hills of Portland instead, though farther west than Portland.
We dodged around a bit trying to avoid the heavy rain showers that were in the area. They especially seemed to be in the hills. As we made our way up the hill we soon realized we weren't going to be able to out run the rain. A few pellets of hail began to pelt us. As the shower picked up intensity we ducked into a carport and waited it out.
We made the turn at Shadybrook and headed south, when we reached Pumpkin Ridge Road we turned up the hill. We eventually reached 1200 ft elevation, and there was snow/ice pellets falling. There was a skiff of white on the ground. We reached the end of the pavement, and not feeling that it was a day for gravel road exploring we turned around and raced back down the hill. I'm here to tell you that ice pellets at speed feel like getting shot with BB's! The air temperature rose as we descended.
We got through North Plains and had a good view of the surrounding country. We could see another black cloud bearing down on us. As the rain/hail mix starting pelting us we saw a sign telling us exactly where to go.
We took refuge under a nut processing plant's roof. After about 15 minutes of standing under the metal roof the owner came out to see what we were doing. I explained that his sign was an invitation to guys like Dave and I. He chuckled. We talked filberts for a bit, then he went back to his shop and wished us well. Before too long we pedaled off, but not before I donned my raingear that I had been carrying in my pack.
I was glad I had it on. We got hit by a pretty hard rain shower, but kept on pedaling.
We had hoped to ride about 60 miles, but looking at the sky it was obvious that doing so would involve getting hit by some cold, hard rain, from time to time. Discretion being the better part of valor, we turned toward "the barn" and finished our ride up with 35 miles. We did get just over 2000 feet of elevation gain in the ride, so not too bad.
The weather is predicted to get better for the weekend, as well as most of next week. There should be plenty of opportunity to ride in drier weather.
Today.............35...............0.............0..........0.............35 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............387..............0.............0.........0............387 Total..............894.............0...............0.........0............894
I had a bunch of "honey do's" to perform for my mom today. I figured I would have time to ride a few hours, and my brother-in-law Dave had time to join in the fun. He arrived shortly before noon, I wasn't ready yet.
It took me nearly 45 minutes to get things wrapped up, change into bike clothes, and be ready to ride. We had thought that a ride to Hagg Lake might be good (about a 70 mile round trip) but as we prepared to pedal out the sky was BLACK to the west, right where we'd be riding if we rode to Hagg Lake. We took off randomly toward the West Hills of Portland instead, though farther west than Portland.
We dodged around a bit trying to avoid the heavy rain showers that were in the area. They especially seemed to be in the hills. As we made our way up the hill we soon realized we weren't going to be able to out run the rain. A few pellets of hail began to pelt us. As the shower picked up intensity we ducked into a carport and waited it out.
We made the turn at Shadybrook and headed south, when we reached Pumpkin Ridge Road we turned up the hill. We eventually reached 1200 ft elevation, and there was snow/ice pellets falling. There was a skiff of white on the ground. We reached the end of the pavement, and not feeling that it was a day for gravel road exploring we turned around and raced back down the hill. I'm here to tell you that ice pellets at speed feel like getting shot with BB's! The air temperature rose as we descended.
We got through North Plains and had a good view of the surrounding country. We could see another black cloud bearing down on us. As the rain/hail mix starting pelting us we saw a sign telling us exactly where to go.
We took refuge under a nut processing plant's roof. After about 15 minutes of standing under the metal roof the owner came out to see what we were doing. I explained that his sign was an invitation to guys like Dave and I. He chuckled. We talked filberts for a bit, then he went back to his shop and wished us well. Before too long we pedaled off, but not before I donned my raingear that I had been carrying in my pack.
I was glad I had it on. We got hit by a pretty hard rain shower, but kept on pedaling.
We had hoped to ride about 60 miles, but looking at the sky it was obvious that doing so would involve getting hit by some cold, hard rain, from time to time. Discretion being the better part of valor, we turned toward "the barn" and finished our ride up with 35 miles. We did get just over 2000 feet of elevation gain in the ride, so not too bad.
The weather is predicted to get better for the weekend, as well as most of next week. There should be plenty of opportunity to ride in drier weather.
Today.............35...............0.............0..........0.............35 Jan..................93..............0..............0.........0..............93 Feb................411..............0..............0.........0............411 March.............387..............0.............0.........0............387 Total..............894.............0...............0.........0............894
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