bluekat's Journeys

Try as I might I cannot come up with a blog post that inspires me. Me thinks my muse has gone vacationing somewhere. We are still having some summer weather, but the mornings are cooler and there are signs of changing season. Only one more week of summer. I think perhaps it's going to be a nice fall. The morning commute. The roads aren't always empty. I'm just more likely to shoot photos when I'm not sharing the road with others. The grass fields are all plowed under. In the afternoon dust devils abound. Main Street, Jefferson. You can barely see the flashing yellow light up ahead. Yep it's school season once again. It's a merry dance requiring perfect timing to avoid getting behind a stopped bus.  Drat! Missed. I've been wanting a picture of some sunflowers on my route. This was my first attempt at capturing them on the fly. Fail. Just one tiny corner caught on the edge of the photo. I'll try again in the afternoon. Blurry, but I got the s...

That was the first clue that there was something other than rain falling from the sky. Maybe not the first clue. Plink, PLINK! There was that sheet of gloom that denotes falling precipitation. There was the giant water globs rolling down my visor. There was the standing water that made the road more suited to a kayak than a motorcycle. PLINK,  PLINK, PLINK, PLINK, PLINK!!! The other clues? Little white pebbles coming to rest on my sleeve and my gloves. The mesh ones - because it's practically summer so why not wear the mesh ones. The hail doesn't pile up, but there are nice little streams of water running down the lane. Like a dependable horse, Sam is a sure footed little bike. She knows where to roll. She doesn't slip or shudder in the water. She doesn't hesitate. She simply follows the line that's laid out for her. Yes, a good bike. I should go give her a polish (except she disdains polishing). Perhaps some tender-lovin' chain maintenance instead. So now I c...

The morning ride was spectacular. Yes, the roads were wet, but the rain had stopped and the clouds were gorgeously wild. I'm sporting a new helmet this week. It's the same model and brand as my last one, but this one seems quieter. I haven't puzzled out why this should be. Still the beautiful skies and a quiet ride made for a very peaceful morning. Too bad I had to go to work. My afternoon commute was not spectacular. Well, maybe it was spectacular, but who could take the time to look around and see if it was so. It started out well enough. Grey and a little rain - big deal. It was quite windy though - great! Wind, my great nemesis. Yellow bike was back - wave, wave. I hadn't seen him for a couple months. Somewhere along Enchanted Way the storm hit. Rain and wind of a caliber that would rule out speeding. I was stuck behind a truck and trailer, so it was a moot issue. As a bonus, there was a cop sitting at the end of the road...and everyone was well under the limit. T...

Yay! I was back on the bike today, and it felt so good! Too good. I wasn't late for work, but with no extra time I should have taken the freeway. I took the back roads anyway. They called and I fell under their spell. I took the backroads home too. No freeway today, none at all. I craved curves and I got them - nice, clean, dry, curves, at their best. No pics from the commute today either. I took the camera, but couldn't be bothered to stop and take a photo. I just can't post without adding a photo, so here's one from our walk on Sunday. My family used to buy farm supplies from Scroggins. Take Care!

That's how many miles I rode this past month. I am so jazzed! Sorry...just some gratuitous back patting. I rode to work three times this week. I drove the car one day. The day I took the car it rained for five minutes. The days I rode the bike it rained solidly the whole time. The upside? Well, apparently my gear is waterproof. Except the gloves. They have been on the drying rack every evening. Might have to rethink those. Earlier this week (while in a downpour) I saw another rider. I looked at him (or her) and he looked at me. I think we both had that "wow, another rider out in the rain" expression on our faces, not that we could tell through the shields. A shared moment, brief, then gone. No pics cuz' it was rainin'. :) Be safe out there...dry weather is coming! Or so they say. kari

It used to tick me off when the weather was dry during the week only to turn to rain on the weekend. Have you ever noticed how chipper some weather forecasters can be? Annoyingly so. I don't want a chipper forecast about good weather when I'm working in my office that has no window! Why save a great ride for the weekend? If I ride to work, I never have to miss a good day. Ok, I admit I have a pretty awesome route to work. If I leave early enough I can forgo the freeway and take the country roads. Today's commute started lovely and ended with rain. The rain fell, but it didn't touch me. A perfect ride doesn't require sunshine. I like dry roads and overcast skies. No glare, no sun in my eyes, no light and shadow play across the road. I consider these ideal conditions.I guess if the sun wants to shine that's ok too. I will deal with it somehow. Gratuitous bike pic

Last night we had a windstorm. A strong one. The kind of storm where I'm checking the yard to see if the canvas garage has blown away...again. By morning it's calm. The eastern sky has that lovely, "partly cloudy" look that promises a pretty sunrise and a scenic ride. The temperature drops as the sun comes up. Was that really necessary? Alas, the fingers will be a little cold on this commute. For the most part the roads are dry, and empty. It's a holiday and traffic is light. No school buses to contend with today! My last rural stretch of road before entering Salem is lined with tall fir trees, and the road is littered with debris from last night's wind. It makes for a good time dodging the pine cones, small limbs, and fluffy green tufts. It smells like Christmas. I would miss this riding in the car. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Texture This photo was taken on a bicycle ride a couple weeks ago. The image was ove...

My morning started early today with Ron waking me...to help him get his bike up. There she is, slumped over the barrel planter next to the driveway. I didn't think he'd appreciate my whipping out the camera before we commence to get the old girl up, so we set to work and have her up in short order. It's a good way to warm up for the day. Ron's statement: ...no pics? It didn't happen! Looking past the backyard I can see just a hint of color to the sky. One quick pic... Not a good photo, but I just want one to remember the morning. I don't think it's cold this morning until I slip on the deck. It's 33 degrees and there's frost on the car, but no need to scrape windows...today is for riding. I have new pants to try out, and some new silk liners for the gloves. I wonder how much they'll help against the cold. On my way out of town I catch a glimpse of a guy in his car. He's looking at me, rubbing his arms to gesture "cold"! It mak...

Yay! I got two commutes in this week! No pics. It's too cold to mess with the camera. Heck the camera is probably frozen too. Tuesday I had a rainbow! It wasn't a rainbow kind of morning, but there it was. I was going to stop and get a photo, but I'd end up behind a school bus if I did, so I rode on. Going home along the freeway I have great views of the sunset. It makes it hard to concentrate on traffic. This morning I had fog. The thick pea soup kind of fog. But every once in a while it would thin out and I'd get these wonderful, misty views of the landscape around me. The fog makes the ride quite cold though. I get off early today so I opt to take the backroads home. It's a lovely ride home. How can I explain how it feels to ride, even when it's cold or damp. It does my soul well.

Shut up alarm. I don't want to get up. It's dark. It's cold... It's morning. I look out the window. Hmmm, maybe not too bad. Some blue sky; Some grey clouds and some white. It's the kind of morning that promises pretty skies. It's also the kind of morning that brings risk...of rain. Still I want to ride. I don't even make it out of town when I feel the drops. I'm warm. I'm bundled in rain gear and fleece. I'm good. I don't want to dig out the camera. I hate stopping on the side of the road with no shoulders. I grab a snapshot at my stop on Scravel hill. Rain. But still...pretty. It's early. I opt to go through Jefferson and stay off the freeway. The rain has stopped, but when I look over at the coastal mountains I see white. Snow! The first snowfall on the foothills. I try for a photo, but there's no place to pull over. In Salem the sun comes out. It's a good day to commute.

From last week... A nice sunrise creates lines of shadow and light across the yard and highlights our plum tree fading into winter. The weatherman says Rain for the afternoon. Beautiful morning I will not be deceived.

Today's commute started with 36 degrees and fog. Where normally I run into fog I find the sun. Lickskillit road or Kampf road? Where does one end and the other begin? More color. Another curve in the road. 230 jobs gone by Christmas. Albany paper mill has been there since before I was born. I've never seen it closed. One of my favorite bridges. Entering Jefferson.

Rode to work today. started out at 33 degrees and wasn't much warmer in Salem. I stayed warm. My fingers stayed tolerable until the Salem hills then they started throbbing. Gear: rainpants and a quilted warm liner over jeans; hiking boots and wool socks; tee shirt, fleece jacket under my TM flex jacket; Olympia winter gloves. No pics again. Too cold for taking pictures. Tomorrow promises some light rain. Think I'll ride anyway. I guess I like the bragging rights to being a cold-weather commuter. Either that or people are right...I am crazy! -kk

Record heat wave this week. Mom and Aunt Ferris packed up and rented a motel room for a couple of days. We're eeking by with our little AC's.

Note to self: Point the camera lower. Sunny skies and no rainpants today. I decided to do a little more practice taking pictures from the bike. Nothing I was aiming for ended up in the frame. Nice to see blue skies though!

So Tuesday morning arrives and I'm going to ride. Yeah it's cloudy and grey, but the afternoon promises to be nice. When I open the garage it's misting! Now this would not be a problem normally, but I washed the bike this past weekend. She's all shiny and clean. Do I really want to take her out in the wet mucky weather?? Oh, get over it. This is Oregon. If I wait for a dry day I'll get to ride about 14 days a year. Besides, my girl loves to get dirty!

No riding so far this week. 27 degrees...I don't think so. Maybe tomorrow. It's supposed to be nice in the afternoon. It might be worth the painful fingers in the morning. If I feel brave enough for the cold. Even the cage looks cold!

This week I notice the first signs of spring. I spot a few crocus and daffodils coming up, and a few that are starting to bloom. The Plum tree in our backyard is showing its first pink buds. I had some nice rides this past week, and a nice bicycle ride yesterday. But while today had some sunshine, it also had some of this: Rain, sleet, snow in passing storm after passing storm. So the Boulevard stayed in the garage. But she is patient. She knows later this week...the sun will return...without the rain...or sleet. And she will be out and about once again. More time in the evenings to ride now too!

It was decided the night before. Today I'm going to ride! I already had on my rainpants when I got online and checked the weather. 32 degrees! Too bad, I'm still riding. The fingers haven't frozen off yet. Packed up lunch, grabbed the camera and headed out to the bike. And we're off. And were back...to make sure the coffee pot is off. Yep, it's ok, off we go again into the cold. The sky was pretty. Some sun, lots of clouds. Soon enough I run into fog. Blecch! Fog is tedious. But I get my first on-the-bike photo (woohoo)! Ok, so it's ugly fog and full of all sorts of photographic no-no's, but it's my first on-the-fly photo, so that trumps all! And I didn't kill myself, run off the road, or plow into any large painful objects. I make it to work and the boss is off to a tradeshow (Hallelujah!) . This afternoon I look out the window. It looks nice out. Partly cloudy, pretty skies. Hmmmm, I won't need the sunglasses though. I head out of town and o...

Another lovely day on the commute...just had to take the bike! I decided to try my hand at on the fly photography. Well, that didn't happen. I couldn't get the camera to turn on with my gloved hand. How do those biker-photographers do it!?? So I settled for a quick pic at a stop sign. Kampf Rd and Scravel Hill looking towards Millersburg . . . . . . but this is the way I go Oh and stayed dry on the ride home even though dark clouds were looming. And the wind! The wind was blowing around 35-40 mph. Still it didn't ruin a good ride. Must spend the evening practicing turning on the camera with gloved hands. =o) kari