bluekat's Journeys

I love an abysmal rainy forecast. If you hurry, they said, you might be done before the deluge. Check out that blue sky. Warm weather (for winter). A little headwind near the end, but nothing to deter these intrepid riders. I had some hill intervals to work on, and when I finished I discovered I was still in the big ring. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I could have used those few extra gears! Lunch was at the Downtown Waffle and Pasta place. Of course I had to try a waffle. Sugar crash in 3-2-1... The gang Dennis Tim Mary Ellen Santiam River I love this barn. It’s prettier from the other side, but the light was wrong for that photo. Lunch at Down Waffle and the Pasta place.  Ss Lynn Roger Yum!

Saturday's Ride: Tangent to Brownsville. Yay - cooler weather, but some wind. First things first, we had a flat, but a quick change and we were on the road. Finished up with sub-sandwiches 40 miles and just a few hills along Washburn Heights.

“… a lot of medium hills but no killer ones,” The email said. I still have the email to prove it. Greg, Barbi, Al and Emma on Northern Drive An early start today, to beat the heat. Perhaps it was the wrong map, or a miscommunication, but somewhere along the route, after I was already halfway ‘round the mountain, we were suddenly going to ride over Fern Ridge. What happened to Old Holley Road? Scenic. Rolly hills. Lovely. Why? Yours truly I spent Northern Drive desperately chugging down gummy-drop-nutrition-thingies, in a last ditch effort to stave off the dreaded bonk that would surely ensue somewhere on the ascent of Fern Ridge. Northern Drive, Brownsville It was suggested by one rider that we could turn back and still catch Old Holley Road, but of course no one would actually be the first to turn back down the hill. We would have all followed. Really we would. But no. Up we go. Al, Emma and Greg at the top of Fern Ridge - Whew! I’m happy to say I ha...

A few days ago was one of those typical PNW, spring days. Sunshine. Puffy clouds. Dark, ominous clouds. Something different in every direction. Grabbed the dog and the cameras and headed out into the center of the valley. 1/160 • f/16  • ISO 200 1/320 sec  • f/16  • ISO 20 kkk 1/200 sec  • f/16  • ISO 200 1/80 sec  • f/16  • ISO 200

The big climb. We finally did it. Good idea? Who knows. It was there and had to be climbed. Sodaville-Mtn Home road is about a 5 mile climb with some serious grades. We stopped once for a stretch and as seems to be the status quo for me, I got weak and slightly nauseous and had to sit down for a bit. I don't know why I do this. It's not a bonk because I recover in a few minutes after downing some fuel. Whatever, it's annoying. I had a few stingers and some trail mix. A little rest then I was back in the saddle and feeling fine. (As fine as one gets on a 5 mile climb with steep grades!) A stop at the top to goof around and take a few pics, then a sweet downhill that went on forever. I wasn't feeling confident on the downhill. Kept my speed down below 30 for the most part and was afraid to grab the brakes or let go of the handlebars with either hand. At the bottom of the hill at our turn my bike got squirrely in the corner. Somewhere coming down the hill the back tire had...

It sounds worse than it was. It was windy and rainy, sometimes very rainy, but there is something about being out in the rain that can be so peaceful at the same time. Probably has something to do with the warm temps. Stopping didn't mean freezing. We headed toward Brownsville with no particular destination in mind, and options were considered at most intersections. One of my favorite barns All the pretty horses We turned back before Brownsville since we had no desire to stop in town. Headed back along the flat route. 24.51 miles 2:05 time 11.73 av ... we were kicking back a bit. Kinda nice. 26.72 mx 5026 odo Oh, and I climbed the hills without using the granny ring. :)

The ride to Detering Orchard is one of my favorite rides. The weather has been spectacular this fall, and Saturday was no exception. It was a crisp, cold start in the morning, but eventually the day warmed up. We were joined by a few folks from MVBC making for a fairly sizable group of riders for the day. Pretty flowers along the way Who wants to pack one of these babies home? Apples, apples, and more apples And the best apple?   Carmel Apples! Man's best friend and Duck Fan! A little bike porn on the way home Motobloggery None. Zip. Nada. This is my chariot of choice this week: A little bit of Mopar in my life - Dodge Charger Not ours. Our car is in the shop for a couple of days, getting a boo-boo fixed (minor fender bump, minimal damage). Ron requested a little economy car, but this is what they gave us. Sadly it's not the hemi (after all if you aren't going to have an econo-car, you may as well have the hemi!).  It's rather...

On Saturday Ron and I slept in and missed our club ride, so we opted for something closer to home and later in the morning. Looking for Autumn I was hoping for more fall color, but it's still rather subdued. The dust devils were whirling away across the valley floor. Nice when it's a tailwind. Not so nice fighting headwinds. On this day we'll have both. Dust devils Hazelnut Orchard. I could hear nuts falling in there. At least, I hope it was nuts! We stopped for an espresso at a lovely spot with a waterfront view. Espresso time! Our less than spectacular espresso Um, that's not quite what I meant! Our even less than spectacular waterfront view. :) I just can't end it with a picture of a ditch. Here,s a little nicer scene from earlier in the day. All that's missing is a nice little pumpkin patch! Cheers!