bluekat's Journeys

Sunday in the Trees

2011-12-14T00:21:00.000-08:00

Sunday started with the traditional search for the sacrificial Christmas tree. A quick trip to North Albany and we bagged our tree. With the tree hauled to the house, we dumped a bunch of water into it's stand, ate a quick lunch, and loaded the bikes on the car.

Merry Christmas!

We opted to start at the Lewisburg saddle and ride the Davies/Nettleton Loop, 6.35 miles and only 800 feet of climbing. It's an easy loop with a few views if the fog cooperates.

McDonald Forest. Look familiar?

I think I take the same pictures at the same locations. I simply can't resist.
Oh wait...Ron took this one.

One of my favorite viewpoints

I had read online that there was a small pond along the route. All the times we've ridden this ride and I never knew it was there. Tucked into a quarry, and sheltered from sunshine there was a light scum of ice on top. Not particularly scenic, but fun to discover. Apparently it's a happening place in summer for dogs cooling off after the hike.

We had a little bit of daylight left and decided to explore some new routes. We drove past several trail heads but at the 100 Road in Dunn Forest we had to stop.

There is just a little light left, and the trail, unlike most others, is relatively flat to start. It seems a worthwhile effort to get the bikes down from the car and go on a little explore before sunset.

Great light

At an intersection, a road up to a small ridge seemed appealing. It's steep enough that my tire eventually spins out. We leave the bikes and hike up the rest of the way. I don't like fast descents, so why bother to walk them up. At the top of the ridge the road levels out and there is a nice view to the north east.

The view from the top

Later research will tell me that there is some single track at the end of this road. We will definitely be back to explore more!

Happy Birthday Mark Twain

2011-11-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mark Twain
November 30th as you already know if you google (and who doesn't?).
Mark Twain is one of my favorite writers, not that I've read that many of his books. More than his stories it was his biography and his essays that I really enjoyed.

I don't want to give you the idea that I'm some sort of literary type. I also love cheesy horror stories from the likes of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and I grew up on a steady diet of MAD magazines.
For reference my favorite author is JRR Tolkien.

Enough of books, I have eeked out a puny little post thanks to a lovely commute home this evening. The view off my right shoulder:

Ugly freeway, lovely sky

I'm picky about where I stop when riding solo, so the settings are less than ideal - wherever there was a good shoulder to pull off. This was a few minutes after leaving work. Ugly freeway but the sky looks promising.

A few miles later: busy roads and fabulous color.

One more before turning east towards home. Mary's Peak in the coast range. Troubadour and Trobairitz can fill you in on the great road to the top of the peak. Color is fading and so is the light.

Mary's Peak at Sunset

I managed to catch a little of Sam in the second photo. Okay just the bug smeared windscreen. I'm too toasty in the heated jacket to get off the bike for a Sam-glam shot. Some photographers risk dangerous situations, horrendous weather, and cold for the perfect photo. I'm not one of those photographers! :)

Cheers!

Corner Cafe - Brownsville Oregon

2011-11-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I read a story in the newspaper that there had been a fire at one of my favorite cafes. This past weekend we happened to be driving through Brownsville and saw the devastation for ourselves.

We stopped to read some of the notes left on the plywood covering the windows and doors. Very nearly made me cry reading all the little notes of support.

Our bicycle club often rides to Brownsville to have lunch at the the Corner Cafe. Our last visit was on Oct 22. This is a photo from that day.

October 22, 2011

Article and photos of the fire in our local paper if you want more of the details.You can see the room above in some of the photos.

A few more images from past rides.

Smaller room off of the courtyard that appears to have the most damage. 12-29-2007.

Dec. 29 2007

Jan. 27, 2010

I hope they will be able to rebuild.
Thoughts and prayers to the family.

If interested and your in the area, there is a benefit for the family on Dec 9.

Meanwhile Back to the Commute

2011-11-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Rain at the start of the day.
Rain at the end.

And in between?

More rain...

and wind...

and debris.

I think there was about 5 minutes of nice weather tucked in there somewhere.

Wednesday was the big storm day and I took the cage. Thursday was a little tamer, but still wet and windy. I hadn't ridden in stormy weather for a while. Guess it was about time to crawl back on that particular horse. Was it fun? Sometimes, but it was also a little scary, and that's why I ride in bad weather. It keeps that edge off the fear, just a little. The next stormy ride will be a little easier. Eventually it will be exhilarating, the buffeting wind, the crisp air, the patter of raindrops, the crunch of riding over hail... Kidding! I draw the line at frozen crunchy stuff...or frozen stuff of any type.

One from the ride. It was darker than it looks

I managed one dark, blurry snapshot of my ride home on Thursday. Home is that spot just under the darkest cloud in the sky. I saw one other rider that day. I know there were at least a couple others out there somewhere. All the other photos posted today are cheater pics, pulled from the archives or taken from the car. Like I'm going to stop in the middle of a down pour to take a picture

...well...I might.

Tomorrow is bicycling day. Sunday looks to be cold, but dry. Maybe Sam and The Princess will get out for a little ride!

Wilhoit Spring

2011-11-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we went in search of a mysterious little park on the edge of the Cascade foothills, near Scotts Mills. I found the park on google maps, but it doesn't appear on my paper map. My favorite kind of drive, wandering around beautiful back roads looking for a little treasure. We eventually found the tiny park, and frankly when we got there if it wasn't for a sign showing the location it would have felt like we were intruding into someone's yard. A small parking area was located just off of someone's driveway.

Once upon a time Wilhoat Springs was something of a resort. A hydrotherapy resort due to the mineral springs. This sort of place was quite the thing back in the day. Nothing much is left of the resort, part of a foundation, a hand pump (so you too can partake of the mineral spring if you so desire!), and the mineral spring itself.

A pleasant aroma of sulpher

Wilhoit Springs

There were a few trails, but the day was damp and cold so we weren't inclined to explore. The water had that distinctive sulpher odor. Terrible to taste, but rumour has it that it makes a nice pale ale.

A Zombiesque Tale and a 4-wheel Adventure

2011-10-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the season, I have a tale to share. It relates to the reason no 2-wheeled adventures were on the docket for the weekend. Ron had oral surgery this week. Our dentist appears to be a nice enough fellow, but I have to wonder at his motives. Ron needed a skin graft on a portion of his gums, and our Dentist recommended...

...dead skin.

EEEEEW!

Creepy! The dentist has some crazy story that skin from a cadaver is sterile, has no dna or whatever, so there are no rejection issues and so on. Yeah, right! I suspect the real story is that our dentist is secretly turning his patients into zombies piece by cadaver-skin piece. There goes the neighborhood.

To allow the zombie skin to heal, Ron was told to avoid exertion, so no bicycling. A swollen face and no desire to slip into a helmet left motorcycling out as well. Guess that leaves the transportation of last resort for us zombies - the car.

We have two objectives this weekend. Drive the old McKenzie highway and check out the McKenzie River Trail. With low snow levels in the forecast I imagine the highway will be closing for the year. This weekend is probably our last opportunity to travel the route. For those familiar with the area, you know this is one of the premium motorcycle routes in the state. This time of year it is stunningly gorgeous. Today we only see two sport bikes moving at a rather sedate speed. The road often has rock debris in the curves, but one can still travel briskly if you keep a sharp eye out for debris. Today it has the rocks, along with a wet surface, and leaves and needles added to the mix. Let's just say it's a good day to enjoy views at an unhurried pace rather than enjoy the curves.

Alder Springs

On top of the pass I stop for two panoramic views of the lava field. They didn't turn out as I'd hoped, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Windy Point

Ron and Cookie near Dee Wright Observatory

McKenzie River Trail
Ron and I have a goal to mountain bike the McKenzie River Trail next year. 26 miles of beautiful single track with some rather technical sections. Our mountain biking consists of very non-technical easy stuff, so I'm thinking it's a good idea to go take a peek at what kind of mess we'll be getting into.

Lunch was at Carmen Reservoir.

The view at lunch.

Best seat in the house.

Afterwords we stopped at various trail heads to take a peek at the trail . We didn't find much technical stuff, but we did find some lovely views. The Cascades are beautiful this time of year.

McKenzie River

Sahalie Falls

Path at Sahalie Falls

Bridge across the McKenzie River - McKenzie River Trail

McKenzie River Trail

McKenzie River

The road home wasn't bad either...

Highway 20 - Santiam Pass.

Not a bad weekend for Zombies.
Happy Halloween!

Change of Seasons

2011-10-26T01:22:00.000-07:00

Autumn has arrived. The best season, my favorite season. The busyness of Summer settles into the calmness of Autumn. I love this season but I'm not ready yet. Winter seemed to linger into July. When summer did arrive it was nice, but over too quick. Autumn came anyway.

Shadows have grown long on the commute. The sun is low in the sky, shining directly into my eyes. I almost wish for overcast skies to cut the glare, but that's a silly thing to wish for. Grey skies will arrive soon enough.

I've used the heated jacket a couple of mornings. Partly because it's cool and partly to be sure it's all in working order for the really cold mornings. All is good. We're ready for cold.

Light mist over the fields. Today it was thick fog and no view.

I'll Take Two

2011-09-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Two Friends
Some friends invited us to go for a little ride on Sunday. Friends don't let friends climb hills...

and hills...

Linda and Wally

Two Hills
Wally has ridden Dan's trail from Chip Ross Park in Corvallis. Ron and I have ridden Dan's trail from the Jackson Creek access. Wally's version included an extra hill. Thanks Wally!

A Whole Bunch of Climbing
We took the long route to the top of Chip Ross Hill. In this case longer is easier. The view from the top is pretty nice.

Chip Ross Park

We find the lower access to Dan's trail on our way down behind the park. I took one tumble on a sharp switchback, a stupid-can't-unclip-fast-enough fall. Weighted the inside pedal on the turn. Looked at my foot, looked at the ground and .... went where I looked. Miniscule amount of carnage to knees, not enough for bragging rights.
It's been 5 or 6 years since I've biked this area and it's different than I remember. The climbing is the same. I haven't forgotten the climbing. We'll ride up the fire roads and access the trail from the top. The roads have become wide single track. We found our original route (610) up to the intersection on Sulpher Springs Road.

Wally at the intersection with Patterson Road.

We aren't done yet. Up we go to the top of Dimple Hill.

Patterson Road

Made it. I like the view from here.

Wally swears there's a better view from the top.
(Geez, I thought this was the top!)

It's not that far ...

just a wee climb up the trail ...

not far at all ...

and the view is spectacular!

???

Fine, we'll do it. :(

Wally and Ron on the trail. You want us to go up that?

Wally's right. The view is pretty good. We won't have to toss him over the edge.

Corvallis area from Dimple Hill

Bicycle porn - old school and new.

Met a little friend sunning on a rock.

Descent!
What a surprise! No downhill pics. What took several hours to climb only took minutes to descend. I'll manage to fall one more time. Damn clipless pedals! One last minor ascent to return to the truck. A little over eleven hard miles and a great afternoon with friends! What a puny amount of mileage for how tired I feel.

Two Friends
Two Wheels
A Whole Bunch of Climbing
Descent!

An Evening on the Lake

2011-08-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

The waters of Cheadle lake have been calling.

The kayaks have been hanging from the garage rafters for far too long.

It's also time for the little dog to get her sea legs.

It's been on our to do list for a while, but we hadn't yet gone kayaking on Cheadle lake. In fact we haven't done any kayaking anywhere this year. This past weekend we loaded up the yaks, and the dog and took a short drive to the lake. Sadly in all the rush to gather up snacks and gear the camera was left behind. Our dog, Cookie did pretty good. She went in the water once, we pulled her back onto the boat and when she tried to shake off the water, in she went again. After that she attempted a modified shake that didn't really suffice, but kept her on deck. Did I mention that Cookie doesn't like the water all that much. All the more motivation to stay put.

Tonight we went out again. This time we brought the camera. Cookie was calmer and definitely on her way to becoming quite the little sea dog. Calm while on deck there were no swims tonight. One slip, but she fell into the cockpit instead of the water. She even wandered out to the front hatch cover a time or two.

Evening is a nice time to be on the lake.

Serendipity with the camera: caught a few geese in flight.

Blackberries are abundent. The air smelled like blackberries.

Ron found a snack.

I found a bryozoa. Are you impressed I know its name?

I cheated. I read about them a few yeas ago on a kayaking website. I had to look up the website to find out the name. Google it if you want to know more. They're rather strange.

Spatterdock

Yeah didn't know that one either. Google is my friend.

Spatterdock...what a great name!

Really Green

Time to head back.

More Spatterdock floating gracefully on the water.

Calm waters nearing the dock

Load 'em up, it's time to go home.

Sunday Ride to Buena Vista Ferry - Bicycling

2011-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

A busy weekend and Ron and I only have Sunday for ourselves. As always, lots of options on how to spend the day. The tough part is deciding on an activity and sticking to it. Bicycling won the day.

Nursery stock?

We haven't investigated the brand-spanking new Buena Vista Ferry, so that will be the destination of choice. We set out from Albany toward Jefferson then swing around to Ankeny Wildlife Refuge. It's a perfect day for riding. We'll see a lot of other bicyclists on the road, and a few motorcyclists as well. In the fields farmers are preparing and harvesting grass seed.

Combines lined up on a field

We stop at the pond (lake, wetlands?) in the refuge. One look over the bank confirms nothing wet left here. Quite different from winter.

Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Same scene, Jan 2010

The new ferry is lovely to see up close. Everything is fresh and newly painted, like a shiney new toy at Christmas. I've noticed a couple of changes. Reading the Ferry sign just off the freeway I see the new operating hours, open 7 days a week except Thanksgiving and Christimas. Really? Open year round? Cool! The other change as of August 5th, a $1 charge for bicyclists...sounds fair to me.

Buena Vista Ferry

View from the ferry. I love how the engines sound. I love being on the water.

Another change, I see boaters are no longer allowed to use the ferry ramp as a boat launch.

I'm checking out the ramps, to see if I can conquer them. I want to take Sam on a ferry ride.

We take a short break at Buena Vista park, munch on some trail mix, and watch the boaters out fishing on the water. Very peaceful here beside the river.

Buena Vista Ferry from the park

Little flowers in the park

Our return route is along Buena Vista Road to North Albany where we cross over the Willamette River into downtown Albany. A quick trip through town then back to the car where we drive to our hard earned reward!

Luckiamute Landing

My other two wheels

Willamette River along Riverside Drive

Jump? :)

Willamette River from the bridge

For Sale in Albany

A well earned treat

Going to the Sun - Homeward bound

2011-07-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday
Our return from Montana would take us a little farther south, toward Missoula, then westward into Idaho, Washington and Oregon. From Missoula we head up Lolo Pass. This is a pretty road with nice curves and speed limit designed more for sight-seeing than brisk riding. (50 mph - Really?)

The sign I couldn't stop for.

In my defense, I wasn't going all that fast, but the iconic sign snuck up on me, and I only dive into gravel at low speeds after getting a good look at the surface. Ron and Bob capture the sign pic while I wait up ahead at the next gravel patch. We take breaks here and there as needed. At one particular section I was all but falling asleep on the bike and opted to pull over. Apparently everyone else was feeling the same sleepy call to take a break. Everyone was happy to stop this time.

This guy loved having his photo taken - posed for ever.

Swinging bridge that leads to a hiking trail

Lolo Pass

One more stop...

Our stop for the night was the Konkolville Motel in Orofino. If you ever have need of lodging in this area, this is the place to go. Inexpensive, but nice and clean. Family owned and a known jewel among motorcycle and classic car enthusiasts. You can order a steak dinner with baked potato and salad. They set you up with a BBQ and you can BBQ it yourself, or I think they will also do it for you, if preferred. No exaggeration here: these steaks are HUGE! And very good. We met some other riders to share a meal and good discussions on all things motorcycle.

Friday
The next day we set out for John Day, and a goal of riding a couple of great motorcycle roads.The first is the Spiral Highway in Clarkston Washington. Consider this road a public access track with elevation. Only about 10 miles long (go back and do it again!). This is some of the funnest riding to be had. Nice views from the top.

Spiral Highway

After a short break and refuel. we head down Highway 129 (becomes hwy 3), Rattlesnake Grade. This road has scenic straight stretches on each end, with a nice curvy descent in to the canyon, to the Grand Ronde River and back up again. We cross back into Oregon along this route.

Cool looking barn, but not as cool as the one we didn't stop for

Bobskoot riding Rattlesnake Grade

Today is a long riding day, with a chunk of I-84 slab before taking Highway 7 towards John Day, our stop for the night. I guess I didn't get the memo on topography in this area. I didn't realize it was so mountainous.

Saturday
Our final "real" riding day will take us back into Stevenson Washington where we'll spend one more night and see Bob off on his way towards Canada and home.I'm kind of jazzed about today. I've always wanted to see Picture Gorge. (Been there as a kid, but don't remember it.) We'll ride down highway 26 to hwy. 19, ride through picture Gorge then take hwy 207/206 into Condon for lunch.

Picture Gorge

Outside of Condon we run into a small storm that will chase us most of the day. The upside - dramatic skies for some nice photography

Photograph courtesy of Bob Leong

Today is a short ride day, so we take the time to run up to Goldendale and ride back through Klickitat Canyon. This will be Ron's 'fun' road...a run it, turn around, and do it again, kind of road. Bye Hon, see ya at the end. :)

Stonehenge

Klickitat River

We didn't stop for any pics until near the end where we stopped at this narrow gorge with nice views. We were close to the Columbia River now, and a short ride to our destination for the night.We've been very fortunate with regards to weather. This will not be so for the return trip home.

Sunday
Sunday we wake to the pitter patter of rain falling on the satellite dish just outside our room. The ride south will be wet. I will find out later that Bobskoot's ride north will be just as wet. Basically it dumped record amounts of rain all the way home. I can't complain. The rain (for the most part) held off with only a sprinkling here and there during our week. I'd say that's pretty good.

All in all this has been a spectacular journey. One I'll always remember fondly. We threw it together relatively quickly, and it came together without a hitch. That Going to the Sun highway opened on the last day we would be in the area, after plowing and unbelievable amount of snow is icing on the cake!

Going to the Sun - Day Four

2011-07-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. Going to the Sun Highway is OPEN.
I'm not fond of riding in traffic. I'm not fond of crowds. In fact I can get down right claustrophobic if I get too hemmed in by the hoards. There will be traffic and crowds, but none of that matters today. The plows have done their job and the pass is open. It was recommended to us to take Highway 2 over the mountains and ride Going to the Sun from east to west.

Highway 2

Dom and Martha waiting on construction, cameras in hand.

Bobskoot. I don't know why, but I really like this photo of Bob.

Rolling once more.

Requisite sign photos. See? We're here. These prove it!

We ride to Two Medicine Lake, which is one of the loveliest spots in the park.

Two Medicine Lake

Along the highway heading towards our destination ride.

Everywhere you look is fantastic scenery.
I'm pretty sure Bob is not fond of my habit of shooting photos while riding. I've tried to be a little discreet about it, but I throw discretion out the window today. Before the day is through I will be waving my arm around shooting images to the front, the sides and over my shoulder. Most are poorly composed, but somehow that is part of their charm.

Going to the Sun

Just some mountain

Ron and Kari

Snow near Logan Pass

The view from the "parking lot"

To say the road was crowded is an understatement. You can see the line up of cars all along the road on the distant ridge. I would recommend not visiting on opening day, but somehow being a part of the latest (or second latest) opening day ever is kind of cool. There will be no stopping except for construction. Photo ops are based on where you are in the line up.

Mountain Goats, Momma and kid.

The kid came right down to the cars.

Weeping Wall

Dom was drifting ever closer to the waterfalls. It's a good thing Martha has a camera with her in the sidecar, otherwise I think a shower would have been forth coming.

More scenery on the fly

Tunnel

It wasn't long after this that Ron left us to make a run to Kalispell in search of a new rear tire. He thought he had enough tread to make it through the tour, but it was not to be. Leland Honda in Kalispell had a tire and got it on his bike that evening. Thanks Leland Honda! Great service.

Riding Going to the Sun Highway has been the highlight of my time riding. I can't think of a ride I've enjoyed more. Yeah, it was crowded and slow, but I'm ready to go back and try it again...maybe not on the opening day! I'd like to try it by bicycle too, when the construction is wrapped up.

Going to the Sun - Day Three

2011-07-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

In Search of Scenic Venues
Today is a day of exploring our little corner of Montana. We are seeking scenic views to plop our bikes in front of for the requisite bike-scenery porn shots. If we have to ride a few curvy roads, well it's a sacrifice we're willing to make.

The route, more or less, is highways 93 and 37 then a pleasant ride along a small forest service road back to highway 2.

Ron, Dom and Bob along a scenic road in Montana

Roadside loveliness...

... and general bike porn.

Along the way Dom spies a lake and we wander off the highway in search of scenic shorelines. We don't find more than a brief glimpse of the lake, but we discover a fun dirt road full of mud puddles to dodge or bounce through...take your choice. This might be old hat for the guys, but I find it extremely fun and can't keep a smile off my face. I hear Dom's voice over the chatterbox speaking those ever-so well known words...eyes up, look ahead. Hmmm, where have I heard that before?

Secretly I'm thinking am I that obviously fixated on the dirt in front of my front tire? Yeah prolly.

Glorious mud!

I had the pleasure of following Dom and watching his technique for riding a bike with sidecar. It's amazing to watch. I hadn't given any thought to how someone handles a side car rig, but it's obvious you don't just hop on and ride like a regular bike. Right hand corners often had Dom off the side of the seat to maneuver Vikki around the curve. Awesome skills! I attempted some photos on the fly, but of course none turned out.

Bob and Ron at another nice roadside scenic stop.

Lake Koocanusa (say it three times fast!)
Highway 37 follows the shoreline of Lake Koocanusa. We spy a long, tall, and rather lonely looking bridge spanning the lake. This looks like a good opportunity for some shooting. We find the bridge easily enough, and there is virtually no traffic. Out come the cameras.

Dom and Vikki

Sam and the Princess

Bobskoot

Kari and Ron. (Photograph courtesy of Bob Leong)

Another view from above

More scenery, sans bikes, from the bridge...

...and from the roadway above the lake.

Libby Dam - photo by Ron

We come to Libby Dam at the base of Lake Koocanusa. A good place to take a quick break, and work out a nice back road route to return us to highway 2. Not too many stops after this for photos, but still lots of nice scenery and a peaceful ride along a little stream. One final image from the day:


Evening in Abbot Valley

A fantastic day of riding and photography.

Going to the Sun - Day Two

2011-07-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

I had planned to post Day one and two together. Sucks to get old, I was too tired last night to finish the post, so here we go with Day two.

Monday was our day to arrive in Montana. We were up early for a quick breakfast at the motel before setting out for Idaho and finally Montana. First we have to get through Spokane and out of Washington. Spokane wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but we did have to travel a few miles on city streets. I had one near miss with a van. My fault, it was hovering in my blind spot when I decided to change lanes. I saw it in time and all was well. Sam has blindspots that a bus could hide in. I know this and I need to always be vigilant to check over my shoulder.

I don't remember that much traffic

Today would be a nice, simple ride along Highway 2 through Sandpoint and Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, Libby Montana, then on into Kalispell and Martin City, our destination for the day.

Bob at the Montana Border


Bridge over Moyie River Canyon.

The view from the bridge over the Moyie River Canyon had a fantastic view, but alas, no place to pull over. There was a viewpoint just beyond the bridge, but when we explored it more closely we found that the best view was hidden in the trees. We chatted with a couple of Harley riders on a tour themselves. Ron took an opportunity to sit on one of the bikes. Pretty comfortable for the long haul! I didn't think to snap a photo.


Visiting with some fellow travelers

We finally arrive in Martin City and are greeted by this rather "official" looking fellow. Dom has been waiting and watching for our arrival to guide us to the quiet road that leads to our home for the next few days.

Dom described the cabin as "rustic". I think it's quaint. I love it. It retains much of it's old charm with wood floors and a wood burning cookstove. The stove is a decoration, the cabin also has electricity, hot water, and an electric stove. We can pretend to be pioneers, but still have modern comforts! In the yard there are lovely flowers everywhere.

Mickey's Cabin and Bunkhouse

Wildflowers

Dom, Martha and their family graciously welcomed us to the little cabin in Montana.


The view from the cabin.

Each day we see deer out in the field.

Another view across the field from the road.

One of the thunderstorms that put on a show most evenings.

Martha had a wonderful meal ready for us weary travelers. This was more than gracious of her, as she had also traveled that day and did the shopping for the meals. Thanks so much! Very appreciated. That evening the boys, Patrick and Miles got a fire going in the fire pit, and the marshmallow roasting commenced. A very nice ending to another great day!

PS: I'm still tired. So how long does it take to recover from a vacation anyway!

Going to the Sun - Day One

2011-07-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Kat is out of the Bag

I guess it's no secret where Ron and I have been this past week. Out gadding about the countryside with fellow bloggers, Bobskoot from Wet Coast Scootin' and Dom of Redleg's Rides, and his family: Martha, Patrick, Miles and Richard, and Richard's friend from Norway, Jan. We will end up crossing off several things from our bucket list on this trip.

Bob knew that I wanted to ride Going to the Sun Highway, and since Ron now has a reliable bike to ride, he invited us to join him on a journey to Montana and Going to the Sun Highway, and to meet Dom and his family. Ron and I left Oregon on Sunday for a long day of riding. We'll put in over 400 miles before the day is through. Not a lot of mileage by most standards, but it's a record for us. We take the quick path up the I-5 freeway then cross over the Columbia River into Washington.

Windmills near Goldendale

This is only my second time driving the Washington side of the gorge. It's pretty in it's own way, and a fun road for a busy highway. We turn onto highway 97, the route to our first destination for the day: Yakima Canyon.

Kari riding through Yakima Canyon

I first heard of this road on Bobskoot's blog. It was part of the route he and Sonja took to Bend last year, and I knew I had to go there someday. The weather was perfect, not too warm, and while there was some loose gravel in parts of the road, the ride was beautiful. One bucket list ride crossed off.

After the canyon ride and a quick stop for lunch in Ellensburg, we head back to the freeway to slab it the rest of the way to our destination. One more stop recommended by Bobskoot, Wild Horse Monument. This is a viewpoint just off the I-90 near Vantage Washington with a stunning view and a wonderful sculpture. We had just ridden across the bridge pictured below. I'd heard of Wild Horse Monument, but couldn't find any information online as to it's location. I was pleased that Bob found it for us. If you're ambitious you can hike up to the sculptures. If you look close there are people walking around in the photo.

Vantage Bridge Viewpoint

Wild Horse Monument

We have a long, rather tiresome ride to our stop for the night. I forget how far it is across the eastern parts of Washington. We find Bobskoot waiting ever so patiently (like and hour and a half) for our arrival.

Home for the night

We were happy to arrive in Ritzville, Washington for the evening. Must have been tired because we have no decent pics of our arrival in Ritzville. Dinner was to be at Casuela's Mexican Restaurant.

Unfortunately we forgot to consider that small rural towns close up shop early on a slow Sunday evening. Dinner would be found at a diner down near the freeway. Our mexican meal would have to wait.
to be continued...

A Bicycle Ride and a Sunset

2011-07-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Tandem Ride
This weekend found us on a two-wheeled, no motor but us, form of transportation: Kermit, the big green tandem. Once upon a time it was our bike of choice, but these last couple of years we only occasionally take it for a spin. A short jaunt on the bike path should be just the ticket.

Willamette River

Todays ride: the bike paths in Eugene Oregon. As often as I've ridden these bike paths we still manage to find a new route to explore. You could say Eugene has a lot of bike path options.

East Bank Bike Path

Alton Baker Park

Blue Heron on the Willamette River

I-5 Bridge work

DeFazio Bike Bridge

Requisite food porn...fast food porn in this case.
The healthy choice (well, maybe) Wendy's wild berry chicken salad and apple pecan chicken salad. The unhealthy choice: Wild berry parfait!

Wild Berry Chicken Salad

Pecan Apple Chicken Salad

Wild Berry Parfait

It was a good time being back on the tandem.

Sunset #1
Tonight will be my first ride for a sunset photo this summer. Our small town is nestled between several small buttes that effectively block sunrise and sunsets from our view. If the sunset won't come to us...we go to the sunset. We still have time...if we hurry! Motorcycle gear is pulled on over bicycling gear. A quick dash around Peterson's Butte to find nice open vistas across the valley. We ride into the sunset (with sun in our eyes) and into the bugs. Hurry! Hurry! She's sinking fast!! I almost stop early at a wide spot in the road, but no we can make it to the little school on top of the hill.

I plunge into the gravel parking lot with little of my usual anxiety about gravel. Who has time to fret over gravel surfaces, I have a sunset to capture.No time to fuss with camera settings. No time to dig out the tripod. It will be point and shoot tonight. Photos are dark to capture the color in the sky, it really wasn't very dark out.

Straight out of the camera

Well nothing fantastic, but it's the first official sunset run for the summer. More clouds and some dynamic colors would liven up the show a little.

Fussed with and blended in photoshop.

Tire question?

2011-06-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is less a blog post and more of a question. I found some cracks-slits in my tire that I'm worried about. The first had a tiny stone embedded, but it came out easily enough, the other was a bigger slit I found close by. Both are in the thick part of the tread. I'm just wondering, is it normal for bike tires to get little slits like this? Is it safe? I dunno if they're just surface nicks and nothing to worry about, or is the tire going to disintegrate as I roll merrily down the road??

Follow that Bike

2011-06-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's not often I get to view Sam from the seat in my cage. I'm sad to note that her glorious bright green barely shows from the back.

She keeps going...

And why am I following Sam (and Ron) on a ride around the countryside? There's a perfectly plausible reason. We wanted to know Sam's tank range. Ron is riding because I'm sure catastrophic events will occur when Sam runs out of fuel.

"What do I do when she quits?"

"What if she quits in a curve?"

"What if I'm on a hill with no shoulder?"

"Oh, hand over the keys and go get in the car!"

Sam is on what passes for her reserve...the fuel gauge flashes when 3.9 quarts are left in the tank. Two days commute puts me at around 140 miles where I fill up. I think I've gone as far as 160 miles before filling. I am sure we'll romp down the road for 20 or so miles where Sam will conk out on the side of the road. Wrong! We don't know it yet but she has 50 miles left in her.

...and going...

We keep extending the loop

...and going...

"Are we there yet?"

...and...

Finally Sam gives up the ghost somewhere on Richardson Gap Drive. I haul out the gas can from the car. Ron and I chat and laugh at such a silly thing to do...run your bike out of gas. A nice guy on a Harley circles back to check that everything is okay, probably wondering at the strange things kawi owners do. Thanks man, for checking on us.

Sam can go about 190 miles on a tank. It's a useful thing to know. Ron takes her on back home, and even fills her up before returning to her garage.

Pretty skies on my commute this morning

On another note, it dawned on me today that I have seen the sign of summer and didn't even recognize it when it detoured me from my usual route. Don't be put off by the grey skies, construction season is upon us. Some people call it summer.

The Commute Lately

Construction Solstice

This particular detour has left me distraught. They're flattening out my favorite "jump" on Scravel Hill Drive, the railroad crossing, or rather they're bring the intersection up to the level of the tracks.

Railroad crossing as of last winter.

All right, it doesn't look like much, but Sam and I have a lot of fun going up over the tracks. Rubber has never left the pavement, but the suspension gets a little light, and we can imagine that we catch a little air. What can I say, I'm slightly delusional and easily entertained. Rumor has it that a similar crossing can be found in Turner.

The Princess gets a Bath

2011-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have been giving Ron more than his fair share of harassment with regards to The Princess and her baths. He really does have a method to his madness, something he heard from a coworker who rides.

How to wash The Princess in three easy steps:
Hey! I write this kind of tripe...er, information at work all the time!

1. Rinse the bike with water

2. Spray with a mixture of Simple Green cleaner - don't let it dry.

Heavy duty, Industrial strength, royal-sized, Princess sprayer.

Oh God, I hope I'm not next!

3. Rinse with water to remove soap.

The bugs just flow off the windshield!

(Okay four easy steps)...If you're so inclined, sponge off the shiny bits as not all dirt residue is removed by the three step process.

flowery, artsy, glam shot

It takes about 10 minutes to bathe The Princess. Ron has made it perfectly clear that if this didn't make things easier, The Princess wouldn't see soap and water for many long weeks...or months. I may even have to give it a go.

Rain Again, Naturally

2011-06-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

It starts out so promising, but alas it is not to be...a dry ride that is. In preparation for longer trips Ron and I decided it was time for a long ride. The absolute hardest thing about planning a trip is picking a route. So many options, which one to chose. I can fritter away whole weekends with indecisiveness. This weekend we come up with a plan, a trip to the coast, and we stick to it.

The route will take us out to the coast by way of highway 34 to Waldport, down the coast highway to Reedsport where we'll head inland on highway 38 to Drain. Returning north we'll take Territorial Road around the edge of Eugene, and then ride local roads toward home, a total of 277 miles, more or less. When I figure out the mileage later at home we'll realize this is our longest ride ever, most of it with the pitter-patter of raindrops on the face shield.

Fortunately we have a dry highway 34 to ourselves out to the coast. For those not local to the area, this is a great, curve filled, motorcycle road. At least this portion of the trip can be given the appropriate level of appreciation and use. The first raindrops hit us outside of Waldport, and the rain will stay with us for the rest of the day. Needless to say I have very few photos. I had planned the day as a blog post and wanted at least a few nice pics, but with the rain I don't even want to take the camera out of the bag.

No photos in Waldport. We take enough time to add the rain liners, gear back up and "get out of Dodge". It isn't long until we hit one of the few dry sections of the ride, through Yachats and the long climb up Cape Perpetua.

A dry patch

Cape Perpetua & Devil's churn

It's not possible to do justice to this route without photos. It's very pretty, even though much of it is highway miles, both routes through the mountains are beautiful. Gotta say, all this rain has made things extremely lush this year.

We stop for coffee and a snack at a little restaurant in Drain, Oregon. It's time to get out of the rain and take a little break from the saddle. We are accused of bringing the rain with us - guilty. We linger for awhile which is out of character for me. Something I only do on motorcycle, or maybe bicycle. I guess two wheeled travel makes one slow down at times.

Back on the road I miss my turn and end up on the freeway. I'm really going to have to give in and get a GPS. I'm tired of trying to find hidden roads, hoping I find the right route. We finally find our way to Territorial Road, which is another great road...if it isn't raining cats and dogs. One pucker moment on some loose gravel in a corner, but all is good, the tires stick.

We take one final break in Harrisburg. Just a moment to stretch and to fuss with Ron's heated jacket which has been working intermittently lately.

Willamette River in Harrisburg

Rain

Catching up with May

2011-06-06T00:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy spring - It didn't bother to show up this year. My blogger muse seems to have left me as well, and I've hardly posted anything. May started so well. We had the ABCD post, and a little later a new bike came home with us one afternoon. Then nothing. So let me catch up on the month...

Sam spent a week at the shop for some general maintenance and a new chain and sprockets. She is now ready to rock and roll. Emphasis on roll. Logistics of the week required Sam to hitch a ride home in Old Blue. Her first time being hauled anywhere. I'm not sure that she was pleased with this arrangement.

Ron and I took our first ride together with him on the Nighthawk. We went in search of the new Buena Vista ferry and found it in it's place on the river. It won't be running until later this summer, but it's good to see it where it belongs. River levels are still high. It would make a brisk trip in the kayaks.

Buena Vista Ferry

First ride together with the Nighthawk

In anticipation of moto-camping trips (or maybe a nice hotel, motorcycle trip), I've been messing around with packing the bike. I only rode around the neighborhood to see how carrying gear would be, but it still made me feel like a real motorcycle tourist. No that isn't all the gear I'd be carrying. :)

Tourist wannabe

Friday I took Sam for a ride (or she took me). First stop the diversion dam a few miles out of town. I needed to fuss with an earplug, and it's a good spot for a picture or two. Too bad I blew out the highlights in the water. Typical of me when I'm not paying attention to my camera settings. Some days I just want to point and shoot.

Diversion Dam, Santiam River

Afterwords it was off to the back roads of Sweet Home and Foster Reservoir. I was up that way a couple weeks ago, and water levels were still quite low. Surprisingly on this day the reservoir looks full and a few boats were bobbing in the water. How fast can a reservoir be filled anyway?

Foster Reservoir

Foster Reservoir - Blue skies, Unbelievable!

More back roads as I meander towards home. It's a short ride, maybe 65-70 miles, but I will need to rethink how my bike fits for longer rides. Problem is, I don't know that much about fitting a motorcycle. Bicycles, I know exactly what I need, but on Sam I'm not so sure. I scoot too far forward on the seat. I think this is in part because the handle bars are a long reach for me. What I end up with is painful sitbones from not parking my butt where it belongs, or a sore back from leaning and reaching forward. It's bothersome and I'm not sure how to fix it. Start changing stuff, and then you end up changing even more stuff to make the first stuff work. It can turn into a never ending nightmare.

Saturday Ron and I took up our other two-wheel mode of travel and did a short, quick bicycle ride with the club. They went on to do either a 55 or 70 mile route, but we cut it down to 30 miles. Made it home in time for lunch and an afternoon run to Eugene on the motorbikes. I think every motorcycle in the Willamette Valley was out on the road this weekend.

The Princess

Ron has decided he doesn't want a top case on the nighthawk. He doesn't want a rack, or side cases, cuz she's so purdy and all. He's also been given to excessive washing of the bike. We now call her the Princess as she appears to be slightly vain and high maintenance. We went to look at softbag options, but haven't found the right ones yet. Ron did come home with a tank bag. It's a start. The ride was fun and ended at Starbucks for smoothies.

It was a pleasure to sit and soak up the sun. It's not that we haven't sat outside already this year. Riding gear makes it easy to enjoy the outdoors even when cold, but how nice is it to hang your jacket on the back of your chair, and just feel the sunshine radiating warmth.

Sunday finished up with one more short ride. I needed to fill the gas tank, but first I had to empty it. A quick ride along country roads should do the trick.

Larwood Bridge. My month started here with the ABCD blog

With the warm weather there are plenty of bugs to speckle the windscreen. I find a hitchhiker when I stop for gas. I saw this guy coming. He hit me and bounced off. I did a quick panic-brushing off my jacket, but I never noticed who was resting on my tank bag. He was there for most of the ride.

We arrive home and The Princess is dirty again, so out comes the soap. I think she had two baths this weekend. It's a sad thing to witness.

Motorcycle Stuff for Blogger Meltdown Week

2011-05-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

And Then There Were None
The daughter child has decided to try her hand at this riding stuff. She was down for a visit this weekend, and dad got the Honda 200 out for her to take a little ride.

Her riding history consists of riding a little minibike around the backyard a few times. She received some brief instructions from three totally unqualified teachers, dad, mom, and little brother. (Team Oregon instructors can rest assured their jobs are safe.) We left it to our son to explain the finer details of controls.

Is that the only brake?
No, that's your front brake, this one here is your rear brake.
It's not as good as the front brake. Actually on this bike, neither brake is very good. Here's the clutch, the shifter...And when you stop, don't forget to put your feet down.I don't think she got out of first.

It's a very short ride, but by the time she was done, she was smiling.

Don't know if we planted a seed or not. I'm thinking she likes it. If she wants to keep it up, off to a real class she goes.
Riders in the family: 4,
Non-riders: none.

In to the 21st Century
Ron has entered the 21st Century. You may have seen this post last year, about our nephew,his new bride and the first class choice of transportation from the reception.

Well, they've decided to sell their bike, and since we can't let such a sentimental bike out of the family and the Suzuki is getting less reliable everyday, Ron bought the Nighthawk.

Ron's new ride '01 Honda Nighthawk 750

The hike we had planned for this weekend, may get vetoed in lieu of a ride.

ABCD - Centerline

2011-05-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

My photo for A Bloggers Centerline Day

I'm not looking for the sympathy vote (sure I am), but I dragged myself out of bed and off of the couch, away from my warm blanket, where I've been huddled fighting a cold, to ride 10 miles out into the country for my centerline pic.

Photograph by Ron Kropf

Larwood Bridge, one of several covered bridges in our area. Next to the bridge is a small park. I grew up in the area, so as a kid I've gone swimming here (locals know there are better spots), rode over the bridge by bicycle and on horseback until we all grew up and gave up horses and bicycles for cars. On a darker note, a murder victim was found here a few years ago. A friend of ours was the one to discover the body. But for the most part it's a beautiful little place often filled in the summer with families out for a picnic and a swim. One last bit of trivia to bore you with, it's one small claim to fame is being the only place where a river (Roaring River) runs into a creek (Crabtree Creek).

Avian Adventures

2011-04-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ron has noticed a trend among local avians. They have it out for me. The little ones dart in front of me so often, they no longer register on my radar.

I've already written about my buzzard encounter - big buzzard, not enough lift, bouncing off the top of my helmet. It could have been ugly. It ended up being funny. The big guy was lurking in the deep grass of a nearby field, out of sight until he burst out above the grass.

image from the internet

Recently it was a hawk that wanted to count coup on the little green Ninja. I ducked, it missed, no harm done. A killdeer or two have taken their shot at us as well.

I don't know what it is about birds, but perhaps I should use due caution...I have emus on my route.

Happy Travels!

So, who went riding today?

2011-04-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

Ron and I rode to Eugene today. Going south was not a good choice. All the rain was south today. Well, aren't WE the lucky ones. We had some dry roads, but we also had to ride through some standing water. The murky water stretched from one side of the road to the other. Ron went first and hit a pothole on his way through. No way, I'm not go through that. But where I'm stopped I can't turn around. Ron saw the look on my face and knew...he had to ride back. He picked a different line through the water and everything went smoothly. While we sat and discussed the options, a white-haired grandma came cruising through in her Honda Civic, no problem. I watched her wheels, and her smooth ride through the water. Yeah, if grandma can do it, I can do it. Just stay left.

Okay, deep breath...and GO!

Water flying left, water flying right, and according to Ron, a really cool rooster tail. Okay, maybe I didn't need quite that much throttle to get through, but I was a little nervous and I didn't want to lose momentum. Sadly we didn't think to get a photo. It was suggested I could ride through it again. Nope.

Kinda wish I did though.

We made it to Discount Motorcycle. I found some gloves (okay, I found a couple pair of gloves and a tank bag, but I only bought the one pair of gloves). Ron tried some riding pants but nothing really fit. We waited for the rain to stop...shopped more...and waited. The rain was still falling. We we're going to make a few other stops, but it was too much hassle getting in and out of wet gear. Instead we head towards home, still raining but riding was okay.

This...

is our dining room. I think I need more chairs...and more towels

More wet gear and puddles under the rocking chair.

Wait, there's more...

Ignore the mess on table it is standard equipment
(if I clean it, it just fills up again)

And gear spilled into the spare room.

One more...

The worst of the rain soaked goodies gets first dibs on the dryer.

The bikes made less mess in the garage!

Ninety some miles in the rain and all that got wet were my gloves (warm cuz of the heated grips), and my socks (wool so again, wet but warm). I have Joe Rocket alter ego pants and jacket. Water resistent outer and waterproof inner liner. The outer layer was soaked through, but nothing made it past the inner liners. I had been wondering how it would hold up in extended rain. Now I know. One more plus for the day, I didn't need the heated jacket this afternoon. It must be slightly warmer.

Gotta go...the weatherman is on with another tall tale about dry weather.
Cheers!

ABCD - Will You Take Part?

2011-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

ABCD - Will You Take Part?

Maybe you would like to join in with this.....

A Bloggers Centerline Day, or ABCD, will take place on Sunday 1st May 2011.

The plan is to inspire as many bloggers as possible to go outside and take a photograph of themselves on this day, wherever they are in the world. The photo can be creative, arty, contain more than one person, be in any type of location and can contain anything else you like. It must however contain the centerline of a road and at least part of you, the blogger.

There are 5 rules....

Rule 1 - the picture must be taken on 1st May 2011.

Rule 2 - the picture must be of yourself, and you must be a person that publishes a blog. You can include whatever else you like in the picture, including other people if you wish.

Rule 3 - the picture must include the centerline of a road.

Rule 4 – you should publish the picture on your blog on 1st May 2011, along with a few words about the picture and why you chose that location or pose.

Rule 5 - when you have posted the picture on your own blog, put a comment on http://garysusatour.blogspot.com/2011/04/abcd-will-you-take-part.html and include in that comment the address of your own blog post containing your own picture.

Gary France will then pick his favourite photos and publish these as being the winners. There will be a prize of $100 awarded to the overall single winner, as chosen by Gary.

In order to get this event known as widely as possible, please copy and paste this posting onto your own blog, including the title. Please do that today!

As a reminder to yourself to take the photo and post it, put an entry into your diary for 1st May 2011.

Let’s see if we can get as any people to join in as possible.
--------------

Flamingos and an Apology

2011-04-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Flamingos
I haven't posted much motorcycle stuff lately. Last week I went for a little ride. I had a location in mind, for a fellow blogger. Something I stumbled across a couple years ago, but the last time I checked the spot was empty. On this day I hit pay dirt. The flamingos are back! These are for Keith of Twists and Leanings. Can't really top the flamingo lady, but it was nice to see these guys back and congregating at their favorite crossing!

Flamingo Crossing

Apology
Sorry everyone.
You know that weather report that can't decide if it's going to be mostly dry on Saturday, or rainy? Well, it's gonna rain. I washed the bike today. As I type, Sam is in the driveway blissfully soaking up the sunshine, and working on her tan. Well, she's soaking up the sunshine anyway. I guess she deserves a little sunbathing. This was her commute this week.

Wednesday morning

and to emphasize...it was a rainin'

To be fair. We didn't get rain on Thursday. This is because Ron had purchased some fancy-shmancy spray on water repellent that makes the rain simply roll off the face shield. I wanted to try it out. I sprayed it on, and the big, black, nasty rain clouds all stayed just out of range. How about that! It works...sort of...

Okay, back on topic...
Once upon a time I liked to wash my car. I pulled on cutoffs, cranked up the cassette player, Aerosmith will due nicely, and set upon the car with soap and water. I actually thought this was fun. At some point in my life the appeal of car washing faded, and I figured out I could take the car to the car wash, that I didn't need to do all this work myself.

Dirty bike

That was about the time I started riding. Great! Can't take the bike to the car wash!! Well, I suppose I could, but you know...

Soapy Sam

So Sam gets a bath. She better like it, cuz it may be the only one she gets this year.
No music today, except the sweet sound of a bike being ridden somewhere in the neighborhood. No better music than that. It's kind of fun to wash the green parts. There is reward there. Black parts, not so much. I remembered the mirrors this time...but forgot the handguards. I didn't wash the wheels. They're black, it won't matter.

Clean bike (sort of). Look fast, cuz clean and shiny won't last

Afterwords the reward. I rode over to Albany and met Ron after work. Ron requested a quick run on Cold Springs Road. Normally he rides behind me, but on Cold Springs all I see is his tail lights disappearing down the road and around the curve...gone. He waits for me at the other end.

So again, sorry about the rain tomorrow.

Silver Creek Falls State Park, 03-19-11

2011-03-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Warning: Long post alert!
A week or so ago Ron and I took a hike at Silver Falls State Park. Warm summer afternoons will find hundreds of people hiking at the park. It's a constant battle of passing slow hikers...usually in groups, and bumping past oncoming hikers. Not exactly a peaceful forest experience. Take a hike on a cool, wet afternoon, and you'll find far fewer hikers.

The hike is called the Trail of Ten Falls. On this day we will visit 6 of the 10 falls, and be treated to a number of unofficial falls running off the slopes of the canyon.

South Falls is probably the most visited of all the falls. It's close to the day use area, and can be viewed without hiking down the canyon. The trail goes behind the falls, but we opt to take the foot bridge for the better view. An aside, my co-worker claims to have repelled over South Falls (and came up short on rope).

South Falls, 177 ft.

Canyon Trail

Off we go down the trail and to a series of stairs taking us deeper into the canyon. The next fall is Lower South Falls. Plan to get wet. The trail goes behind the falls Refreshing in the summer, a bit brisk in early spring.

Stairs and more stairs

Lower South Falls, 93 ft.

Hiking behind the fall

Once past the falls there is an option to return to the day use area or continue on. We continue on to what is one of my favorite sections of the trail.

Lower North Falls, 30 ft.

Following a short spur trail we come to the largest falls in the park.

Double Falls, 178 ft.

Back to the main trail...

Drake Falls, 27 ft.

Middle North Falls, 106 ft.

We follow another spur trail down to Middle North Falls. Ron took the photo above of Middle North Falls, and it turned out much better than the one I took!

Sign to the right: Trail Closed

Hmmm...Wonder what's back here!

Behind the fall

We return to the main trail and hike a little farther to the next intersection at another bridge. Here is another option to climb up to the canyon rim trail and return to the parking lot. I've done the rim trail, and don't find it all that enjoyable compared to hiking in the canyon along the creek. We decide instead to return the way we came.

We've had nice weather so far, but the dark clouds have rolled in and the rain finally catches us.

The rain catches us...lovely outfit!

Hiking out of the canyon is a climb up about 4 switchbacks, followed by a flat, pleasant jaunt back to the day use area. Total hike: a little over 5 1/2 miles.

Switchbacks out of the canyon

We pay a visit to the little gift shop set up by "Friends of Silver Falls Park". This is new, since my last visit. Afterwords, it's lunch at the old lodge. It used to be that they just served a few snacks, but now they have sanwiches as well. We fuel up before heading down the road. Look what's falling when we get back to the car.

At the parking lot...

Just down the road....

...and a few minutes later.

We had briefly considered taking the bikes, but since we've been surprised by bad weather on past visits to the park, we thought better of it. Good thing we drove. Later we will see a rider outside of Salem. At least someone got a ride in.

A Little Ride one Sunny Afternoon

2011-03-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

This was from a couple Fridays ago. Wrote it up and didn't ever post it.
This was one of those rides most riders would hate. I rarely made it above the speed limit, but rather puttered along, looking for something to photograph. Riding with blue skies has become a rare treat.

Everywhere I look, blue skies.

Requisite mirror reflection photo silliness.

We traveled the back roads north of Albany and out towards Buena Vista.

The very muddy Luckiamute River

The bridge made a convenient camera support, so self portrait time

Stopped by the boat ramp at Buena Vista to see how the Willamette River looked and to take a peek at the ferry repairs.

Beautiful day along the river. No ferry.

In the summer we often kayak starting at the Buena Vista ferry. We start on the opposite bank from where I took this photo, paddle upstream, cross the Willamette, then paddle up the Luckiamute River until we run aground. It's a nice afternoon paddle trip, and a good work out, fighting the current to move upstream.

Looking down the road toward the ferry landing.

No ferry crossing today!

The ferry is always closed in winter, but this year the ferry and landing are being updated. I didn't wander close enough to see what actual work has been done. Looks like a good spot for a u-turn gone bad.

Where did you ride this weekend?

Jackets

2011-03-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today I rode my first motorcycle - one small duck walk across the parking lot, one giant leap...oh wait...someone already used that one...sort of

Happy anniversary to me. It's been a great three years!

Okay, enough of that and on to my lame little jacket review.

I hate bulky, heavy coats. I haven't owned a winter coat for years. Hate them, but if I'm going to ride a motorcycle I'd better have a jacket that's up to the job. My first jacket was a Tourmaster Flex.

Tourmaster Flex

The Flex has a textile outer shell with mesh underneath, and comes with a quilted liner. This has been my warmest jacket and my coolest, suitable for temps from the low 20s F up to the 90s F. The downside of covering a wide range of temperatures is fit. With all layers added it's heavy and restricts arm movement. As a mesh it's very comfortable, but almost too loose. It has snap adjustments to help with fit. It’s listed as water resistant, not waterproof, which seems strange to me. Why make a jacket to cover such a range of conditions then not make it waterproof? That being said, I’ve ridden with it in the rain and have never gotten wet. I suppose it takes a while to get through all those layers. It’s a little baggy around the torso, but the forearm of the sleeves are tight on me. Using this jacket with my heated liner makes a very tight fit in the sleeves. The cuffs have a zipper that inhibits opening the cuff wide when putting on gloves. Then the cuffs don’t want to fasten tight enough to seal well. The elbow pads hang a little low on me, and they can pinch at times.

I like the concept of the Flex, cold to hot in one jacket, but I’m looking for a suitable replacement with better fit and comfort. More on that later.

Tourmaster Trinity

I bought the Trinity in a bigger size so I could add layers in winter. There would be no adding layers in the Flex. It's too tight in the sleeves. The trinity is about 2 sizes too big for me now. It’s waterproof, though I’ve gotten wet in it once when rain got up under the sleeves. It's not as warm as the Flex. The textile material is lighter and lets in more air, but If I add a wind layer under the jacket that seems to help. Because it's big, its comfortable, and I can move my arms pretty well. That loose fit also may be why I feel more air getting in.

The neckline has a flap that is supposed to velcro shut, but with a buff or the neck of my heated liner up, the flap won’t fasten and generally manages to get in the way of everything, tangling in the strap of my helmet or velcro-ing itself to my helmet liner.

I don't like the bulky cargo pockets. It takes both hands to work the zipper, and I like pockets that I can easily slip my hands into. None of these issues are deal breakers but, the jacket is too big for me these days (I was heavier when I bought it). I'll probably keep it as a back up coat, and as a jacket for our daughter when she wants to go for a ride.

First Gear Mesh.

This was a “fun” purchase. It was on clearance for cheap. Pink is a love-hate color. Some women wont’ be caught dead in pink, others will do the whole pink ensemble thing. I can do a little pink if it's not over done. I was okay with a pink jacket when I had a silver helmet. Now that I have a pink, flowery helmet, it seems over the top to add a pink jacket. Silly I know, but that’s how it is.

Leaving the color issue behind, the jacket itself is a perfect fit. Padding stays where it belongs, and nothing is too tight or too baggy. Cuffs are comfortable as is the neckline, and it has nice simple pockets that open easily with one hand. For fit and comfort this is my favorite.

The jacket comes with a waterproof/windproof inner liner that doesn’t quite cover the front along the zipper. I have other liners to use, so it’s no big deal, but I don’t think the supplied liner would be completely waterproof. If you find one cheap enough, it makes a nice summer jacket for when the sun is guaranteed to shine. It comes in other colors.

I have a new jacket added to the closet. Oy, what a gear whore!! More on that (the jacket that is) in another post.

Be safe out there

Who is Tex, and why is his name on all my gloves? Gear Review

2011-02-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

A while back on bolty.net I mentioned it would be good to hear everyone's review on the gear they have collected over time. Stacy called me on it, so I figured I better do my part and try to put together some sort of review. I have to start somewhere, so I pick gloves.

Early on I learned that I liked gloves all the time. I would ride in a tee-shirt and Salomon amphib shoes (Yeah, I know), but I always wanted my gloves.

Technic Mesh glove
My first gloves that weren't leather gardening gloves was a pair of Technic Mesh Gloves, purchased for the warm season. These are rather minimalist gloves. No armor, but there are some thicker parts over the knuckles and other vulnerable spots, and no gauntlet running up the arm. The glove ends at the wrist. Like I said, minimal, but I like them. They're unobtrusive, easy to run controls on the bike or on my camera. I've used them down into the 50's F, and up into the 90/100s F.

Technic Mesh glove

Olympia Wind-tex Gloves
When fall rolled around I needed something warmer. The Olympias were recommended to me, and they've been a favorite. They have been my warmest glove, and were my go-to glove for cold and cool weather. I've used them down into the high 20s F - as cold as I've ever ridden. My finger tips got cold after awhile, but my hands while cool were not uncomfortable. They aren't waterproof, but they held off the rain long enough for my commute (an hour).

Olympia Wind-tex Gloves

Tourmaster Polar-tex gloves
I bought the tourmasters as a waterproof option to the Olympias. They looked like they might be warmer. They're not, though they are equivalent. They're a little bulkier than the Olympias. Not bad, but enough that I only used them in the worst conditions. I picked them up in the spring and by the time cold weather returned, I had added heated grips to the bike so haven't really used them that much. One issue I have with this type of glove is the gauntlet isn't quite big enough to fit over my jacket sleeve, but are too bulky to fit inside the sleeve. I've been told the gauntlet goes on the outside and I've been told they go on the inside, I'm still not sure which works best, but either way is a struggle with this particular glove.

Tourmaster Polar-Tex gloves

Rev'it Hydratex Leather glove, waterproof
This was one of those impulse purchases that seem to happen whenever I walk into a gear shop. Leather and waterproof, with no insulation added, just basic leather gloves. They're snug to pull on, but once on feel pretty good. They tend to ball up under my palm with the throttle, so it may be they're a little big for my hands, though they appear to fit well. The fingers are too long, but that's not unusual for me. At first I didn't like them. They felt clammy, didn't breath like my other gloves, but I've gotten used to that and they are a nice mild weather glove. With heated grips they've become my regular glove once the temps get above 45 F or so. I could probably wear them in colder temps with the grips. I can feel the wind over the back of my hands if it's cold enough out, so the definitely aren't quite as warm as my other gloves.

Rev'it Hydratex Leather glove

Swix Lobster Claw Gloves (REI)
My latest gloves I purchased on a recommendation from Trobairitz. They aren't motorcycle gloves, but rather are for snow sports. They are a lobster claw mitten with good insulation and wind stopping capabilities on the back, and fairly thin over the palms allowing heat from the grips to easily seep in. They are waterproof, though I think eventually water would get in. With hand guards on the ninja, I don't get a lot of moisture to my hands, so it's been a non-issue. The gloves are very warm. I've used them down in the low 30s F. their only downside is that since they're not motorcycle specific, they don't offer protection in a fall. These have become my first choice for cold weather riding. Even though they are very warm, they aren't bulky, and I have nice dexterity, able to easily run controls and the camera when needed.

Swix Lobster Claw Gloves

With my current set up the gloves I'm using are:

Hot/warm weather: Technic Mesh glove
Cool weather: Rev'it Hydratex Leather glove, waterproof
Cold weather: Swix Lobster Claw Gloves

I still don't know who Tex is...

*Most photos from the internet

Spring Sign

2011-02-22T00:06:00.000-08:00

Spring sign has shown itself...twice! Today may be my only day to commute by bike this week. I might get by with one more day on Tuesday. Snow is coming, or so says the weather gurus, and I don't do snow!

This morning I looked out my bedroom window and saw a tiny bit of pink. Is that my plum tree trying to bloom? Camera in hand I went out to the backyard, and sure enough three or four little pink blossoms have sprung forth. Numerous other tiny buds are about to burst open. How did I not see this coming? I'm usually more diligent in watching for spring signs. I'm afraid the snow and cold may do them in.

Flowering Plum Blossom

Bud

On my ride into work I spot daffodils along the road. My second sign of spring! There's no where to stop, so I don't get a photo. I'll hunt for daffys in the afternoon.

For the afternoon commute rain chases me home, and I get tagged with a rain drop or two. I look for more daffodils, I want my photo! I'm easily distracted and I miss three opportunities for daffodils, but I don't bother to go back.

Rain

I checked out the neighbor's yard and sure enough their daffodils are up and showing yellow. They'll do.

Finally, Daffodils

My apologies to the guys, no scantily clad girls, and not even a moto....just a few stupid flowers! :)

Ah well, even though snow is coming, Happy Spring!

The Commute this Week

2011-02-10T23:24:00.000-08:00

Monday

Beautiful morning light

Sunny and crisp

with roads that don't quite dry out.

Afternoon brings dramatic skies.

Tuesday

No morning photos.
I try to take aim at an old barn this afternoon,

...but captured mostly sky.

No traffic, so I stop for a moment.

A little road, less than 10 miles from where I grew up, yet I've never been over it.
Note the snow in the foothills if you can make it out.

Wednesday

Hang the weatherman up by his....thumbs!

He says freezing fog, so I take the car. The fog isn't thick, and it has popped up above freezing before I hit the road. I could have rode. The afternoon...Gorgeous.

Thursday

As my mom used to say, the frost is on the pumpkin. I have no pumpkins, so frost on grass will have to do.

Today I am determined to ride. The afternoon is supposed to be spectacular, and I don't want to be stuck in the car.

Is this slippery???

Oh-oh, there it is...the fog

Fog that wants to freeze on my faceshield, but just can't quite muster enough coldness. A little ice around the edge, but the view is fine.

Salem is sunny and wonderful. At my exit I have to detour due to an accident. I loop back to another street. Accident....detours...good excuses to be late to work. It's so sunny and nice, but I resist temptation to run away and roll into work not even late.

The ride home. Sigh...this is why.

Yamaha V-Star 1100

2011-02-07T01:20:00.000-08:00

Our son brought us along to be the voices of reason, strength in the face of temptation, shining examples ruled by the mind and not by passion. He probably should have brought someone else.

He sold his pickup, and was looking for it's replacement, a four wheeled replacement that is. There were several options to be viewed up in Portland then after that a visit to one of the motorcycle stores to do a little shopping. I wanted try out some jackets - the never ending quest for the perfect jacket.

We should have known it was a mistake to even point the car in the direction of Portland. We knew there was a bike up there, exactly what he was looking for. The whole auto shopping thing was just a ruse, a deception. We were really there to look at bikes. We were only fooling ourselves.

I went to the apparel department, father and son went to the showroom. The bike of his dreams:

2006 Yamaha V-star 1100...with ape hangers

Later when I joined them I found my own Yamaha...don't laugh...a tw200. It was cute, it was short, and it made me smile as soon as I pulled her up off the sidestand.

Yamaha TW200

It's the first dirt/dual bike (or whatever it is) I've sat on where my feet reach the ground. Puppy love! Later I looked it up online and found it gets no respect beyond a "learner" bike, and a "spare" for when company comes along for a ride. Whatever, I was charmed.

Okay back to the real subject, After checking the showroom offerings I returned to jackets and gear. That's where my son found me some time later. It started with, "would it be stupid to buy a bike..." and went downhill from there. We went to lunch to ruminate over our options away from the passion and heat of the moment. Dealerships are dangerous places.

We formulated a plan and returned to the dealership. I went to look at more jackets. Can you tell I don't like the business end of bike shopping? I looked at jackets, I looked at bikes. I looked at jetskis. I looked at quads. Peeked into the showroom...they're still at the bargaining table. I took another lap around the shop.

TU250

I sat on a V-Strom: still too tall. Sat on a sportster, the bike that started it for me....meh. I'm just not a Harley gal. I sat on an FJR...which couldn't be budged from the sidestand. I left the Hayabusa well enough alone, it looked like trouble standing still. Made Ron try a BMW when he had a few minutes away from the wheelin' and dealin'.

I found a Symba. Fun!!

The test ride was at hand....off he goes.

Ape hangers! Where did I go wrong??

Yeah, he likes it. SOLD!

An hour or two later after all the paperwork is done, they lend us a helmet, and Ron picks out some gloves. He grabs every spare layer that is in the car or on us and rode the new bike to Salem. From Salem Chris took it on home via the backroads.

I don't like driving while my loved ones ride. I'm fretful when I ride with them, especially my children, but riding distracts me somewhat. Driving in the car is not distracting, and I fret and fuss all the way home. I'm good, I keep it too myself...most of the time.

We make a rather odd family...a sport bike, an old-school Suzuki, and now a classic cruiser with ape hangers...I wonder what the daughter will pick when she starts to ride?

Sunny day ride and New Tires

2011-01-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

Today (Sunday) Ron and I took the bikes for a spin around the south end of the valley. Nothing special, just a chance to visit a few favorite places and roads, and enjoy the nice weather while it's here.

The Route

Harrisburg Oregon

I love this old building. I need a picture of Sam in front of it.

Willamette River in Harrisburg

Still High and muddy

Ron notices my tread, or lack of it. No comment on how often Bluekat checks such things. After convincing me that Sam can make it home on her "slicks", we head out. We spend more time riding than taking pictures. Only one more photo from the ride...

Sustenance for the ride home

New Tires
These have been sitting around the living room for a couple weeks, the tires that is, not the bicycle.

Bridgestone Battlax 023's.

Quite a while back I solicited advice on tires. I debated trying a different brand, but since Bridgestone had come out with a newer version of my stock tire, I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

This won't be a step by step post on changing tires. Been there, done that already. We hang Sam from the rafters to get the front wheel off and swap out the tires.

Hang in there, baby

Um...maybe should have changed them sooner...

Didn't realize just how bad they'd gotten until we put the new next to the old.

Next we put Sam on her stand and change out the rear tire. In the process we find this:

Seriously must be better about inspecting the bike. Wonder how long I've been carrying around that little bugger. I'd like to think we just picked it up today.

Maybe I shouldn't post this post...

                I'm looking pretty bad right now!

               A puncture and no treads...

                                     hangs head in shame...

This is what Ron pulled out of the tire:

Nasty little sliver of a rock

Last week I posted that I had a slow leak in my bicycle tire from a nail. Well turned out it was a rock similar to the one above. I HATE those little rocks! I don't think I've ever had a rock puncture, and now I've had two in one week!

New Treads, new chicken strips...

To end on a more positive note than worn out tires and puncture wounds, last week Ron and I went to visit our daughter. We had about twenty minutes to kill, so what better way to pass the time than to visit a motorcycle store and play with the new bikes. I didn't expect to see Sam's new big sister, but there she was.

Not really sure if she's Ron's cup of tea, but never hurts to try one for the fun of it.

Lebanon to Brownsville by Bicycle

2011-01-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a club ride from Lebanon to Brownsville.
We had sunshine (SUNSHINE!), and a sweet tailwind!

Self portrait in the sunshine.

Sun spot on yonder field.

There was the nice climb over Washburn Heights which left me breathless and slightly wheezy, recovered and rode on to Brownsville. Lunch was at Main Street Coffee.

Spotted a couple riders of another sort, and talked with a third who didn't make it off the porch before being accosted by a couple of bicyclists. Turns out when he's not on his Yamaha, he also bicycles, and has rode the Strawberry Century a time or two.

Ron and I had turkey wraps for lunch. Actually 2 turkey wraps for each of us. They didn't tell us we'd get two with each meal! We each ate one and packed the others home for later. That is, Ron packed the extras, he had the panniers after all.

Main Street Brownsville. Plenty of cruisers...argh mateys...

We ran into this guy out on Manning Road.

EllipticGo. Elliptical and bicycle all in one.

ElliptiGo

Ron and I will see him again, hours later, on highway 34. His plan was to ride over the freeway toward Tangent before returning to Lebanon. That's pretty decent mileage for a vehicle somewhat slower than a regular bicycle. Good for him!

On Rock Hill Road Ron noticed my rear tire was low. Ron found the nail, but as it was a slow leak we decided to top off the tire and try to make it home. It was only a few miles and the tire graciously held out until we pulled up in front of the house.

Sunk to a new low today...

2011-01-20T00:39:00.000-08:00

I've gotten somewhat comfortable showing up for work in muddy wet gear. It wasn't always that way. Today I sunk to a new low. I went to a dentist appointment wearing (and packing) riding gear. Now I know why riders pack their helmet along. It explains the weird clothes. It doesn't explain why your riding when it's 40 degrees out, but I guess a little mystique is good to maintain.

My dentist thought it was cool! :)

In one corner a pile of gear overflows a small chair. I'm lounging in the dentist's chair, in armored pants and muddy boots getting x-rayed, and probed (sounds like an alien abduction), and feeling rather ridiculous. Truly I must be a princess for I will be receiving another crown (lucky me).

So I wonder, how weird is it to wear a helmet when half your face is numb? Guess I'll be finding out soon enough!

My dentist said he used to ride...

Ride or Drive

2011-01-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

Ride or drive? The deep thoughts I ponder whilst sipping my morning brew. If I let the rain stop me, I won't be riding for quite some time. I'll just slip on my riding pants while I have my coffee, just to see how it feels.

Feels like it's time for a ride!

I chuck the winter gloves in the topcase, and grab some lighter ones. Chuck the balaclava too. Turns out I won't need the heated stuff either. Yeah, I can live with unseasonably warm.Warm being relative.

Troubadour kept us on the edge of our seats posting about his office move, so I'm inspired to take a few pics from my own office. Okay I'm a little bored what with the sales staff off to a trade show.

My nearest window, or the corner of it waaay over there.

And the faithful Sam patiently waiting in the rain.

A little closer look cuz riders will make any excuse to show off photos of their bike. Worse than parents that way...

My kick ass computer, lovingly built by our new, young (read enthusiastic) I.T. kid. I'm supposed to be duly impressed and in awe of it's power and speed. Um, okay. I like it's pretty blue lights.

'puter guts

Like I said, a little bored.

The ride home is a splash....literally. I ride through one downpour but can see the brighter skies coming up on the other side of the storm. Once past the shower the skies brighten and the clouds put on a show that tempts me to pull over and grab the camera. Considering the shoulder, I don't. It's a joy to be riding. I'm glad I chose to ride.

Ice, Cold, and Goals for the Year

2011-01-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been much riding lately, but I rode to work on Monday. Cold (20 something) and sunny. I haven't ridden in this kind of cold before, but the cold wasn't the problem. Ice was.

Frosty stuff from some other day

Not ice on the road (though there was some of that), but ice on my faceshield. I had a few miles of fog which always mists up on my faceshield. On this day it didn't mist up, it iced up. Note to self...toss an ice scraper into the tank bag, Sheesh! I wiped it away as best I could, and even stopped a couple times to give it a good scrub. At the freeway I was back to sunshine and the rest of the ride was pleasant if a little cold. Once again, it's just good to be on two wheels.

Pack an Ice Scraper?

Goals 2010
One of my goals for the year was to ride at least 12,000 miles by motorcycle. Ron and I started out with a competition between us, but we lost track along the way. Between my Suzuki and the Ninja I did 13,644 miles in 2010. 10,384 on the Ninja. First goal well met.

Suzuki C50

Another goal that I wanted to do, but didn't admit it for months, was to take another Team Oregon class. Initally I thought it would be one of the intermediate classes, but then I worked up the nerve (with a lot of great support from Troubadour, Trobairitz, Stacy, Rick , Irondad, and a few others not part of the blogosphere, thank you all!) to sign up for the advanced class. I still can't believe I did that!

Sam on the Old McKenzie Highway, 2010

My last motorcycle goal was to attempt a ferry crossing, probably at Buena Vista Ferry. Not a terribly big deal, but the slope down to the ferry, and crossing the metal ramp make me nervous. I know there is a point where my feet won't touch the ground. It's one of those bite-the-bullet-and-go, there's-no-turning-back type of things. I dilly-dallied on this one, and didn't take into account that the ferry would close early this year. Yeah, I could have run up to the other one, but didn't. It's not a biggie, I can tackle it in 2011.

Wheatland Ferry and the dreaded metal ramp.
Yeah I know, silly things scare me.

My biggest fail of the year: 642 miles by bicycle. This has been my worst bicycling year since I started riding. This was partly due to spending more time on the Ninja, but also because I had struggled with hot weather riding this summer. I don't care so much about the mileage, but I hate how much of my fitness base I lost in the process. (It's not like I had a lot to spare to begin with.) It will be a tough scramble getting that base back. Next year will see a renewed focus on bicycling, and hopefully doing another tour. Mostly I miss spending time on the bicycle.

Crater Lake Tour 2009

I'm not a big goal maker, generally. It's more like I come up with things I want to do, and if I don't lose interest, then maybe they get done. I have a long commute, so it's easy to rack up miles. If I had to do ironbutt rides to get mileage it wouldn't happen. This year we have hopes, dreams, and ideas for a few things we'd like to do. Maybe we'll finally do that multi-day kayak trip some of us have talked about every summer for the past few years. Maybe I'll decide it's ok to camp in a tent once and a while (but only if the weather is perfect!). Maybe we'll squeeze in a motorcycle tour. Lots of great ideas...can't wait to see what the journeys will be in 2011!

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

My apologies to anyone who might be offended by the irreverence shown to the holiday...but this cracked me up!

More nifty-neato projects, videos and ideas to be found at http://whitetrashrepairs.com
I gotta go back and find the white trash motorcycle section. Might find me some really cool do-it-yerself projects!

Valley ride

2010-12-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

Thursday Morning
Thursday I rode to work. The morning and evening rides were beautiful. I wish I could have taken pics, but there wasn't time for stopping. This was the brightest day we'd had in a while. Cold, but at least the heavy gloom had lifted to a degree.

Morning

Friday
I wake up to fog and cold temps, so I spend the morning cleaning house and taking care of errands. After lunch it's time to ride. The first stop is for gas for Sam, where I have a discussion with the attendant about how crazy, cold-weather riders stay warm (Irondad withstanding) using heated gear. He'd never heard of heated gear, but wished he had something like it when working outside. Tank full and off we go.

I've added a neoprene band that goes around the base of my helmet to help seal out wind and cut down on wind noise. Is it quieter? Maybe, but not quiet enough to ditch the earplugs. I stop along Tangent Drive to put in earplugs and add a balaclava as well. It's so nice to be on the road!

Tangent Drive

The route goes west of Tangent, past the Oakville Church, where the historic building is decorated for Christmas, then on to Peoria Road. The plan is to ride towards Albany, but Sam wants a longer ride and so do I. We turn toward Corvallis and head out to Independence Highway.

Oakville Road

I don't stop for photos, I just enjoy the ride. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, I don't care, I simply want to ride. We cross the river at Independence and head towards Ankeny wildlife Refuge. Traffic is light and the back roads quiet. Mt Jefferson gleams with a bright cover of snow in the afternoon sunlight.

Mt. Jefferson

Where did the time go? I turn Sam towards Jefferson following our commute route home. One last break at Knox Butte cemetery, the last stop for the afternoon.

Knox Butte Cemetary

Festive touch

We spotted three other riders out today. Eighty miles, a few stops, and a very nice way to spend the afternoon.

How did this sneak past me?

2010-12-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

Sam passed a milestone recently - 10,010 miles. I missed it by 10 miles. I'm pretty sure that it happened on the commute home in the dark and rain, so my excuse is that I was a bit distracted. It went unoticed until today when I went out to check mileage/gas in case of riding tomorrow, and there it was.

10,000 miles with Sam.

My goal for the year was 12,000 miles total and with the mileage from the Suzuki I've gotten 13,269 so far. A respectable amount for a commuter I think, and who knows, I may get a few more miles before year's end.

I think. I can safely say Sam now has more mileage than some Ninjas will see in a lifetime.

Sublime

2010-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

That would be the description of the first ride after being off the bikes for two and a half weeks, longer for Ron. We went for a ride today. It had to be done or things were gonna get ugly. The Suzuki wasn't sure she wanted to go out. It took some persuasion and a little help from the battery charger to convince her. Sam wasn't sure she wanted to go either, but she took less convincing and started after two tries. Geez girls, I'd think you'd be antsy to get out of the garage. I was able to try my new gloves (thanks Trobairitz, they work well). I didn't use the heated grips for most of the ride and my hands stayed toasty. The new dorky mirrors are still wonderful - what a view! I can see behind me and it isn't just the trunk case. Sam will have to get used to her dorky antennae, cuz they're stayin'.

The ride? It was spectacular, sunshine, pretty clouds, no wind, and most of the sand blown off the road. Perfection in late fall. Ron scrubbed some newness off of his rear tire, and I put a few more miles on mine.

Not many pics. I was afraid to stop somewhere in case the Suzuki decides not to start again. Later I'll find out she has a fouled plug. It's a recurring theme with her, and in the best of old bike/car syndrome, Ron keeps extra plugs around. She'll get a new one tonight.

One pic as evidence we did ride!

One hot apple cider and a peppermint mocha with white chocolate and whipped cream...scrumptious!

There is something wrong with this picture

2010-11-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

This one's for you Richard. Alaska warmer than Oregon. It simply ain't right!

And it's supposed to get even colder.

Troubadour posted a perfect rant for the week, which inspired me to post some pics from this morning.

Sigh...

Big Sigh...

...I'll take the car...

Dang it, I don't have to scrape windows on the Ninja...

Tires and Stuff

2010-11-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Ron picked up a nail in his tire. Why does this always happen with a new tire? My tires are at the end of they're useful life. Will I get a flat? Of course not. We'll come back to my tires in a moment. Ron pondered and puzzled whether there was a way to salvage the tire, but after EVERYONE told him it wasn't a good idea, he bit the bullet and bought a new one. With a uselsss tire available, we took the opportunity to learn a new skill.

Cyclists (the non-motorized kind) carry tools and tubes and an assortment of stuff for basic repairs on the road. Then we look down our snotty, elitist noses at any cyclist who doesn't come properly prepared to fix their own flat or do minor repairs.

No spare tube?

Didn't bring your chain tool?

Sucks to be you!

It's time for Ron and I to learn how to fix a flat on the big bikes. It's really not hard, and I suspect a tire plug kit/air should be a part of every riders kit. We're halfway there. We purchased a plug kit. Nothing special, just something we found in Walmart.

Yank out the offending nail

Ron pulled out the nail from the tire.

Such a tiny hole...

Really?

This can't be fixed??

He used one tool to make a bigger hole, no going back now. He then threaded some sticky black stringy stuff into another tool, and shoved it into the hole. (Did we just violate that tire?) He gave it a quick hard tug to remove the tool leaving a big black blob.

Really, that's it?

That's gonna stay?

You're sure??

Punch a bigger hole.

Sticky black stringy stuff

My turn. We needed another flat. Out came the drill, and a "puncture" was made. My first attempt didn't get the plug in, but we got it on the next try. The next day when we replaced the tire I had a chance to see the inside of the plug. I'm a visual learner, so I appreciated seeing a fat wad of sticky rubber on the inside of the tire. (Having said that, did I take a pic for the blog? Of course not!)

Back to my tires. My tires are nearing 10,000 miles and are looking a little worse for wear. I have no complaints about the stock tires, but I'm curious what other riders like, and what they look for in a set of tires. I'm making some assumptions here. I assume a grippy tire that sticks to the road is a softer tire that will not last as many miles. And I assume different tires give different feed back from the road.

Since confidence isn't one of my strong suits, and I have a strong distrust of tires sticking to the road, I think having tires that would inspire confidence and have good grip to the road would be a better choice for me. Can a tire inspire confidence? Strange question really. Okay, enough rambling, bottom line: What tire's do y'all like?

Damn...new chicken strips...how am I gonna get rid of them this time...

Can it still be called a farkle if it's fugly?

2010-11-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Santa FedEx has paid a visit. Every farkle for Sam paves the way for another farkle to fix the problems aquired with the last farkle. This farkle is to fix the view back, a way to see over the wind deflectors and around the trunk box. I looked at different mirrors. I considered bar end mirrors. In the end extending the mirrors seem the best solution.

This is the best kind of modding. Father/Daughter bonding time, and I don't have to do a thing! They work on getting the stock mirrors off of Sam. After some fussing and fidgeting with the extensions and assorted parts it becomes clear that the fit isn't perfect. The provided washers are too thin. Bummer, Mr. Machinist will just have to dig out the lathe and make thicker ones. Just what he hates...playing with, er running the lathe.

Measure twice, cut once...Ron gives pointers to Rachel who takes her first try at running a lathe. The first washer is tried for size, but it's too big. Measure and cut again, and the next one is just right.

My own personal custom washer. How special is that!!

The windscreen comes off to get the second extension on, and when it's all said and done...

Can it still be called a farkle if it's fugly?

I dunno, it calls to mind an image...

not altogether flattering....

It's probably good that I don't split lanes...

Well, maybe they don't stick out that bad...

Yes, yes they do

Have to wait for the next ride to see if the view back is improved.

One final image for tonight. The view from the commute home this evening. This makes up for the rain and fog this morning. Safe rides out there to all!

35 Miles and 11 Graveyards*

2010-10-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

An auspicious beginning. Do we really want to ride in this? Rain and fog, fog and rain. No one knows we're coming...we won't be missed...

Two wheels, two pedals, no combustion engine, a few of dead bodies, and a promise of free pizza and cupcakes at the end. All righty then. We're off and riding into the soggy, foggy, rain in search of graveyards, ghosts and ghouls.

Millersburg Cemetary

We'll find out later we have an ancestor here.

Egret

I catch up to the others who are hell bent on finishing this ride and have no time to stop for photo ops.

A few more miles, a few more hills and we're close to another stop. There's a little bit of fall color still showing in the trees.

Scravel Hill Road

You can pretend to ignore me, but I'm still gonna get the pic!

A few years ago we saw a ghost at Knox Butte Cemetery, a lady in a white dress walking her dog. She appeared from the side of the cemetery, and in the next moment she was gone. We haven't seen her since, and she didn't show up today.

Knox Butte Cemetery

We wind our way back towards Albany staying well to the right of Oregon Beaver's fans rushing to the game. Eventually we end up at the Masonic Cemetery where we go for a short ride amongst the graves. There is strange music playing, and we hear screams...

What's everyone lookin' at?

OMG!!

He seems a nice enough sort, we invite him to lunch.

Ciddici's Pizza is located in the old Oregon Electric Train Depot, ( Note the OER in the gable), a nicely restored, old historic building in downtown Albany.

Patiently waiting for pizza.

No time to get pizza photos before the gluttonous orgy begins. Do not come between hungry bicyclists and their food. Only got a snap of a few cupcakes that survived the carnage. Okay, not really...I just forgot to take the food pics again!

*Yes I know, not all 11 graveyards are listed...did you really want to read that much about a bicycle ride? I didn't think so! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Last of the Sunny Days?

2010-10-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted up much lately. There hasn't been much to post up. Most mornings this is the view:

From a past commute

The outside of my faceshield mists up badly in the fog. Maybe it's the smaller windscreen on the Ninja, since I never had that happen on the cruiser with it's massive windshield. As quickly as I wipe it off it fogs back up. I'm giving the heated grips mixed reviews. Perhaps my gloves are too thick, but with the colder temps I barely feel the warmth. I'm not sure they'll be warm enough for lower temps. Still, they help keep the edge off even if the fingers still get chilled.

The afternoon commute is payback for the foggy mornings. Dry roads, warm sun. My co-worker is jealous (not my fault he didn't ride). Yeah, the afternoon commute has been a treat. I went for a short ride on Friday that pretty much sums up the afternoon rides this week.

The weekend forecast calls for rain blown in on the wind. Ron and I wimp out on a bicycle ride. 55 miles with lots of climbing, rain and wind...pass, thank you. We'll spend the weekend plotting home improvements, and leave all two-wheeled vehicles in the garage.

Sunday brought hail, thunder, wind, sunshine...you know, typical Pacific northwest weather.

The Storm

Fifteen minutes later

It's supposed to be the same nasty weather tomorrow. I think Sam needs another day off.

Heated Gear, Sunsets, and Library Cards

2010-10-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

Brief update on the heated gear.
I've had a couple of mornings to try out the heated gear. This morning for the first time I had the jacket on high. I turned it back down. I want something left for when I really need it. The grips are nice and toasty, not that I've really needed them yet. It hasn't been cold enough for a true test of them, but cold weather need not hurry on my account. The wind deflectors are instant gratification. I like them. Simple, low-tech and works well. For whatever reason I find that satisfying. A little bigger would be perfection; the wind still creeps over the top and underneath, but it's not bad.

Mundane stuff...
This evening I had an errand to run. My library card has expired, and I can't download ebooks. I don't do well without a stack of reading material. I'm not sure how one "stacks" ebooks, but you get the picture. A quick run to the library is in order. I grab my helmet and jacket, and a couple of overdue books (the printed kind) and head off on Sam. I turn in my old card and am issued a shiny new one. All is right with the world once again.

It's two miles to the library. It takes sixteen miles to return home. Funny how that works. Sam and I went out to enjoy the sunset. It was peaceful along the side of the road.

Perhaps less peaceful on the road. The carnage...

Heated Grips Install

2010-10-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have the bestest husband in the world (Love ya Hon)!! This was a tedious project and he spent most of the weekend working on my bike. I've decided I'm not cut out for the modding stuff, and I suck at trying to document it. I did come up with a great title, but it was, um, a bit over the top, so I went with something simple instead.

After our bicycle ride yesterday (and a nap following) we got started on the heated grips and handguards install. Ron removes the bar end weights.

He uses the air compressor to help slip off the old grips.

We clean off the old glue. Ron uses WD40 on the throttle, and brake parts cleaner on the bar. Brake parts cleaner seems rather harsh, but it worked.

Per the instructions we do a dry run with the grips to be sure everything works before actually gluing them into place.

Weights added. We didn't have to trim anything.

We wire everything up and check if it works. Yes! We have heat.

We mount the controller with the clutch lever bolts to the clutch lever thingy. The wiring runs down through a harness(?) following original wiring when possible. We'll run the wires down under and alongside the gas tank to access an area under the seat.

The next morning we start on the handguards install and windshield modification. I'm using Barkbuster Storm handguards. They're supposed to fit with one simple modification - yeah right! The handguards hit the stock windshield and even more so with the Puig windshield. We basically spend the next couple hours dremeling away the windshield bit by bit until full lock of the handlebars is achieved. That the dremel survived this process is a miracle. It was long, tedious, monotonous, and took for ever. Did I mention boring, and long...and tedious... Slap me if I ever decide to do another mod! But we get the guards installed and the windshield trimmed accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, Ron runs the wiring alongside the gas tank. the wires aren't long enough to get to the relay under the seat. He'll end up splicing and dicing, and replacing the connectors with a style better suited to the relay. With everything wired up, dremeled, fastened and glued. We fire her up, and the Ninja doesn't burst into flame. I see no smoke, and smell nothing burning. These are all good signs. Everything is in good working order including the new, toasty grips.

Closer and closer to becoming a little sport tourer.

Sam now looks like a big green sheep with floppy black ears. Ron and I take a quick ride over to the Beanery in Albany to see if everything works. Grips work. The heated jacket still works. The bike didn't burn up or blow up, and she started up again after running the extra stuff. I think we're good to go!

I put off getting heated gear, because I wasn't really sure I'd stick with this riding stuff. I guess this makes me an official-for-real motorcycle commuter.

Apple Daze

2010-10-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post club rides, but I don't have much motorcycle news this week, so bicycles it is. This weekend was Apple Daze at Detering Orchards near Coburg. We start in Brownsville, and the transportation for today is Kermit, the big green tandem.

There is one "small" hill between us and Deterings. After that it's mostly flat.

The hill on Gap Road

A disease I know, but I like climbing hills. The downhills are pretty good too.

Not as exciting as a motorcycle vid, but fun to ride. I don't have editing software for my videos, so no edits, and no music just rushing wind and muffled dialog.

Soon enough I'm distracted from bicycling. I think the rider was surprised by the crazy cyclist chick taking his picture. Nice road for motorcycling.

BMW

We're under way once again and after getting lost, discovering our connector route is gravel, and having to ride a couple extra miles we finally arrive at Detering's. Kids, pumpkins, fruits and vegetables, and free apple cobbler a la mode, but my favorite item is a Suzuki.

DR650 - Ron can take the tandem home...I"ll take this one.

Apple cobbler a la mode

I happen to go past the Suzuki again and see that it's found a friend.

Kawasaki Spectre - The helmet looks old school too.

Not too many pics on the return trip. The wind is from the northeast...and we're going north and east. We see a group of sport bikes at a gas station once we return to Brownsville. One guy gets gas while the other two wait...did someone forget to fill up this morning? Total mileage for the day is just a tad under 47 miles.

Just before we head home, there is a Ural parked on Main Street. I wish I'd gone back to get a photo. It would be a nice final photo for the day.

Tomorrow: Heated grips. We got started on the install this evening.

Bicyclists in Kayaks and not a Moto in Sight

2010-09-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

For only the second time this year we took the kayaks for a float on the river. We started at Buena Vista Ferry.

We were joined by the usual riff-raff from the bicycle club.

The Ferry is closed for the year. The ramps will be updated and repaired and a new ferry will begin it's run next spring. For a while it didn't look like the ferry would continue operations, but somehow that's no longer the case.

It's very peaceful on the water.

There is time for storytelling.

... and a short break for snacks.

Where have I seen this before?

This wasn't my idea. The crocs came up in conversation and suddenly a croc circle appeared . Funny how that happens whenever crocs are around? Only one pair today, but I know at least two people represented here have their own crocs at home.

Jo and Ace ride recumbents, and have done two cross-country tours. Both can ride circles around most bicyclists. I don't even try to compete. They particularly like breezing past the Lance-wannabes.

Bill puts in a lot of miles himself. This spring he face-planted on a club ride, hopped back on his bike and rode to the next regroup sporting a bloody lip and a few bruises. I want to be fit enough to bounce back from face-plants when I'm 70.

Back to kayaking...

There is no graceful entry into or exit from a kayak.

Everyone has their own technique.

No relaxing until your bum is in the boat!

Onward to Luckiamute River.

This is my first trip up the Luckiamute this year.

The water is cleaner looking, and higher than in the past.

We paddle up a small rapid that was always too shallow to paddle.

The next one will require a portage...so we break for lunch.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, diet soda...

...some of the staples of a paddle trip.

It's time to head back down river. Grandchildren have games to be spectated. We must go.

Back on the Willamette River.

We float along the cliff on the west bank of the Willamette.

I've seen deer on this cliff.

Today we find only rocks and bushes.

It's good to be on the river.

Old McKenzie Highway (242)

2010-09-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Ron and I are on vacation this week. More of a "staycation" than vacation, but that's ok. We aren't lacking for great things to do close to home. Today's itinerary: Highway 242, the Old McKenzie Highway.

We take Marcola Road and Camp Creek Road to Highway 126. Marcola and Camp Creek roads have nice sweeping curves and get us to Highway 126 without having to ride through Eugene/Springfield.

I haven't been over Hwy 126 for many years. It's not anything special for riding, but it has nice scenery, and it's pleasant along the river. We take a short break at a boat ramp, and discover an old swinging bridge crossing the river. There is a sign that says it has historic significance, but no details are given. Now I'll have to research it out and see what I can find. Onward to 242

This is the only picture of the curves on this road. We sacrifice one lowly 35mph corner for a photo opp. We have some nice 15-20 mph curves ahead. You don't waste those curves on picture taking.

Nice little straight stretch before the fun begins.

We have just rode through motorcycle heaven! :)

Coming up on the lava fields with Mt. Washington in the background.

North and Middle Sisters

The ride has been so spectacular I didn't even notice the mountains to the south until we pulled off the road.

Mt. Jefferson

We make the requisite stop at Dee Wright Observatory to stretch our legs and take in the scenery. It's such a surreal setting. It's nice to visit mid-week when the crowds are thin.

We head back down the road toward Sisters and lunch. More sweet curves! Once again I forgot pics of the food. We have deli sandwiches, and a fabulous slice of berry pie before returning to the valley by way of highway 20. We practically have the road to ourselves...not one truck or RV on the trip home. Way to end the ride.

Skyline and Vitae Springs Roads - We got curves

2010-09-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

I think Friday morning was the first morning I've awoken to fog. It didn't last long, and the sun came out as promised.

Ron and I had time to burn and errands to run. Let's go explore some backroads. The destination: Skyline Road and Vitae Springs Road. Skyline Road came up in a past comment and I made a note to go explore it one day. Skyline Road is off of Riverside Drive, south of Salem. Vitae Springs Road completes the loop back to Riverside Drive. I knew Skyline descends in a series of sharp curves coming from Salem, but I planned to climb up from the other direction. Steep and twisty? Oh yeah, more than I guessed. Once past the twisty part the road is pretty tame with some nice views and gentle corners. What goes up must go down.

Fake google map, cuz I suck at map making

Skyline heads back downhill and ends at an annoying intersection that leaves a rider facing the wrong way if said rider wants to go left, which we did. To the right (more like straight ahead) is a nice little hill blocking the view of oncoming traffic. Do they pay people to design roads this way? We make a sharp u-turn left to get onto to Vitae Springs Road, and pick up tailgating rally-boy who shoots in from over the hill.

Vitae Springs Road. O-M-G! I went up Skyline to avoid the challenging descent. I dunno, maybe Vitae Springs was easier, but it was still a challenge for me. 15 mph curves that descend steeply. Once again no pics, cuz I can't peel my death-grip fingers from off the bars. Rally-boy is with us, "cheering" us on from the back fender. Are we having fun yet? I'll get back to you.

Back on Riverside Drive we cross the river and head to Corvallis to pick up some auto parts, then it's back to Albany for a stop at Premier Motogear. We finish the afternoon with a cool drink at The Beanery, where we have the patio to ourselves.

Fruit Smoothie

My faithful steed awaits my return.

A short, sweet ride. I think we added about 100 miles to the bikes. Did the curves scare me? Of course! But everyone else will love them. Did I have fun?? A day later I can say most definitely!

Skyline Road and Vitae Springs Road: Recommended.

Watch out for the nasty intersection where the two roads meet.

Quartzville Road to Highway 22

2010-09-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is a ride I've been wanting to do all summer. Ron and I rode part of this route last January when I still had the Suzuki. Other than that we drove the car over it once many years ago. Always intended to drive it again, it only took us 20 some years to return. We were just waiting for the appropriate mode of transportation. Yeah that's it. I had forgotten what a nice drive (now ride) this is.

This is where the map goes...if I knew how to make a map. Really gotta learn a map program. From Sweet Home we take Quartzville Road heading toward Green Peter Dam. From there just stay on the pavement (Forest Rd. 11). Quartzville Road becomes Forest Road 11 and/or Straight Creek Road. If you come from Detroit it's Straight Creek Road off of highway 22.

Quartzville Road

I'm being followed...

Fallen Bridge under the other bridge. Guys in wetsuits, mining or ??

Quartzville Creek

Requisite moto shot

The weather is perfect. There are a lot of campers along the road, but traffic is spectacularly light. Slower traffic lets faster traffic around, and all is right in the world. It's another case of the riding is too good to stop for photos.

I'm happy when the road loses it's painted lines and becomes a single lane. It's just better that way. We have great scenery and fun, fun curves. There are a few gravel spots, and many corners have gravel and/or debris in them. I have one encounter with some snotty rocks that make the bike wiggle a bit. Did I mention this is a fun road?!

At the top?

We stop too soon, the better view is just around the corner...where we don't stop.

At one point a red sport bike zips by. He's taking full advantage of the corners. I divide my time between cornering and slowing to gawk at the views. We see the sport bike again at the other end of the road. While we're just finishing the ride, he is heading back over the way he came. Considering the somewhat dull ride down Highway 22, I think returning along FR 11 would be the better option. Ride over, stop for lunch and gas, then go back over again. I think I'll do that next time. I'm already wanting to do an Autumn colors ride in a few weeks. I love this ride :)

Highway 22 - Ho Hum!

Ron's commute this morning

2010-08-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Ron Kropf

Paralyzed but riding again

2010-08-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Truly inspirational.
I found this on the rider's forum.