tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30644681323884130812024-03-27T13:42:00.358-07:00Bicycle KittyBicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.comBlogger480125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-39693165221457883412024-01-24T15:50:00.001-08:002024-01-24T15:52:09.939-08:00Ride Schedule -> -> -> -> -><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><i style="text-align: center;">Please email bicyclekitty at gmail for more details.</i></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-25206910621042596602024-01-24T15:50:00.000-08:002024-02-19T16:39:30.173-08:002024 Bike Fun<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nOzYKNiVjHyzT3UhGx1gmKdTLb2azgoegRtjYbB7fde2Ht_CpgQPYuqWh6zB-O5ZhaScRDrlR880s32CHUMfesuiP7OS0ggtM3h3y8lgeQu-P-1LkgoW8PNZW4t5LiWBvKK6g7UoWukL7zsV9q69nk3WQZQw89Ft7F5BROfT4V9FgcjJcbv1xqiayck/s4032/IMG_5844.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nOzYKNiVjHyzT3UhGx1gmKdTLb2azgoegRtjYbB7fde2Ht_CpgQPYuqWh6zB-O5ZhaScRDrlR880s32CHUMfesuiP7OS0ggtM3h3y8lgeQu-P-1LkgoW8PNZW4t5LiWBvKK6g7UoWukL7zsV9q69nk3WQZQw89Ft7F5BROfT4V9FgcjJcbv1xqiayck/s320/IMG_5844.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p>Here's what's cookin for bike fun I'm organizing this year! </p><div></div><div>I aim to lead a nice variety of rides but two consistent things are
punctual departure times and a lack of store stops. So come on time and
bring your snacks!</div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div></div><div><b>Southerly Ladies -</b> This monthly chill pace
ride has been a lot of fun. We usually get small groups of 4-8 riders
and explore a variety of southern routes. We meet at the north end of
the Trolley Trail at SE 17th & Ochoco and depart punctually at
10:10am. Each ride will be posted both on my blog and on the Shift
list. No
dudes, no e-bikes, no offense.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>French Toast</b>
- Monthly 45 mile road ride starting at my house with breakfast. This
is a faster paced ride with a few regroup stops and a hill option.
These are by invitation only, so drop me a line (bicyclekitty@gmail) if you'd like to be
added to the invite list. Here's the route: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45381807&source=gmail&ust=1706226327153000&usg=AOvVaw0COPvDn4OfNHvqEDbOOjXc" href="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45381807" target="_blank">https://ridewithgps.com/<wbr></wbr>routes/45381807</a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><b>Midnite Mystery Ride</b>
- Friday, May 10th. This long time Portland tradition is led by a
different leader each month and I get a turn this May! Prepare for
adventure and staying out way past your bedtime. Details TBA (keep your
eye on the Shift calendar)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>hill killerz lunch repeats</b>
- every Tuesday from 12:30pm-1pm in June, July and August, come play
bikes on SE 52nd Avenue between Harney and Flavel. Earn a hill killerz sticker.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>hill killerz social rides</b>
- monthly (June 25, July 23, August 20), meet at the top of SE 52nd
near Flavel and enjoy 11 miles of turning it up to 11 on little bitty
hills. 6:10pm punctual roll time<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div></div><b>Swim Across Portland</b> - Saturday, July 7th. We'll ride to a public outdoor pool (bring $5 cash), a secret beach and a public beach. Kids welcome but must be comfortable riding on streets with cars and able to keep a 12mph pace. More details: https://www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/event-18420<br /></div><div><b> <br /></b></div><div><b>Bicycle Kitty Alley Catty</b>
- Saturday, July 13, meet at Brentwood Park at 2 to race or ride bikes
around Brentwood-Darlington, answering clues and finding mystery spots.
Ends at Assembly Brewing with an after party and some small prizes. No
digital way-finding allowed, paper maps provided.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ladies Bike Camping weekends</b> - hoping to lead a couple, dates and destinations TBA, drop me a line (bicyclekitty@gmail) if you'd like to get added to the invite list.</div><br /><p></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-51967928689026884962023-12-18T13:17:00.000-08:002023-12-18T14:06:50.844-08:00Southerly Ladies December Ride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oX3Hpkn8yQZwFLfoQGBjbaV73h9hyphenhyphenRgP2Da9EPNrAh8EwldNgeILrF-Rx8G-ZHoBatL5XJzBMZMa3UW-1hVusUV8ndUuxfQC8jYxDrBucT5y1yyHgAiZ7XokHfvcbBqEPvfuk53tloWHlZOVcfWfZDa3rIthx0tZcSMrYbyaa2UuoZ34XnDhmWHykWs/s640/IMG_5660.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="640" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oX3Hpkn8yQZwFLfoQGBjbaV73h9hyphenhyphenRgP2Da9EPNrAh8EwldNgeILrF-Rx8G-ZHoBatL5XJzBMZMa3UW-1hVusUV8ndUuxfQC8jYxDrBucT5y1yyHgAiZ7XokHfvcbBqEPvfuk53tloWHlZOVcfWfZDa3rIthx0tZcSMrYbyaa2UuoZ34XnDhmWHykWs/s320/IMG_5660.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Six of us set off to enjoy what has become our "classic" loop. <p></p><p>We ride south on the Trolley Trail to Park Avenue, go up the hill and over to Aldercrest. We always stop at Clackamas Park to ride the gravel pathways and visit the bathrooms, then back to Aldercrest, the tiniest section of mountain biking including the tiniest bridge, then on to Johnson City. The little hill out of Johnson City is cute. </p><p>We ride the 205 path over to High Rocks Bridge, then finally the Trolley Trail to the Nature Park and bridge over Kellogg Creek. Soon we are back at the Springwater Trail and saying our goodbyes.</p><p>I'm so thankful for the friends and strangers who show up for this "chill pace" ride. We have been riding together for a year and I'm looking forward to more fun and adventure in the new year.</p><p>Next ride is Saturday January 20th, meet at 10am, punctual roll at 10:10am. Link to event: https://www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/event-18218<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-86918967705420413512023-11-13T11:08:00.000-08:002023-11-13T11:10:30.818-08:00Southerly Ladies November Ride<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMIrQTsoOQN9Y2___VjjL4uakJVrZrJ_gGMzfIMHEZOjL8mlZvDFi6rgmhdUz3734G7djmHG2kHh5d-hSxWo9p_-LQdYuLQzf8khqiVqIK0OuYOy74Rl0nW3p5SNNWCoAafWGPro2iYcS8X5ubgiAlkuI7TqkHaEoeaA5BB63wqPUjNgGSV8QSHKhUdE/s640/IMG_5475.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="640" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMIrQTsoOQN9Y2___VjjL4uakJVrZrJ_gGMzfIMHEZOjL8mlZvDFi6rgmhdUz3734G7djmHG2kHh5d-hSxWo9p_-LQdYuLQzf8khqiVqIK0OuYOy74Rl0nW3p5SNNWCoAafWGPro2iYcS8X5ubgiAlkuI7TqkHaEoeaA5BB63wqPUjNgGSV8QSHKhUdE/s320/IMG_5475.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Southerly Ladies have been riding monthly for a year now!</span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Our November ride was bookended by cemeteries. We rode west over the Sellwood Bridge and up the giant Riverview cemetery hill. A couple of us walked, one of us puked from the effort, and all of us enjoyed the beauty of it all. <br /></span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">We rode on the very pretty, leafy, downhill trail in Tryon Park and into Lake Oswego. After a quick stop to peek at the lake, we headed over to to the bike path that starts with an old Iron Furnace. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">As we exited the trail, we all heard a loud POP! One rider's sidewall gave up the fight. Luckily, we were able to repair it and use a section of old tire I carry in my tool kit to reinforce it.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Onward through Mary S. Young Park trails, which were confusing enough that we doubled back on ourselves. We made it through at last, had a quick regroup and figured out together how to get to the trail through Burnside Park and Maddox Woods. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">The weather continued to shine as we cut through the construction zone under the bridge to Oregon City. Finally, we crossed the bridge and high tailed to the High Rocks Bridge and the Trolley Trail back to our final resting stop at the Milwaukie Pioneer Cemetery.</span></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-87287135900679146112023-10-16T12:41:00.009-07:002023-10-20T10:15:44.386-07:00Southerly Ladies October Ride<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ActEs64jTgI9Hibj7-5YMoDIyuD_oiLYYycXtAfWIC4QCdpO6zP_lv21MIf-TlUahGr4s122HjS0hEfEihhuuPoxvREmNG3xy7MnlSB4VrgmUaZrAD-PHubHGdMe7MMRXKXpkVYriTVm2lRtiJDVxF6-B25RJ9MJic3zTmPdEANP_D0XkWndlXdZQqo/s638/IMG_5283.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="638" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ActEs64jTgI9Hibj7-5YMoDIyuD_oiLYYycXtAfWIC4QCdpO6zP_lv21MIf-TlUahGr4s122HjS0hEfEihhuuPoxvREmNG3xy7MnlSB4VrgmUaZrAD-PHubHGdMe7MMRXKXpkVYriTVm2lRtiJDVxF6-B25RJ9MJic3zTmPdEANP_D0XkWndlXdZQqo/s320/IMG_5283.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>Three riders were quickly caught by our fourth lady, on a fixed gear no less. We headed south on the Trolley Trail and enjoyed taking a quick tour of the new style MAX trains and snacked on some treats provided by Trimet before heading over to Aldercrest.<p></p><p>We enjoyed our typical route, swinging by the little lake at Johnson City and riding down the 205 path to the high rocks bridge over the Clackamas River. After a quick snack, we headed back to the 205 path and exited at Strawberry Lane to go find some Clacky cut-throughs. </p><p>Our exploration into a defunct fish hatchery was fun but didn't go through, so we went around to the other side to see what's what. Nothing is what's what! </p><p></p><p>Back to 82nd Drive and Tolbert and up to Mount Talbert. Our plan was to ride the path up Mount Talbert but the signage made it pretty clear bikes are not allowed, plus just getting to the trailhead was quite a climb!</p><p>Back to the Sunrise Bike Path and 205 for a minute before heading over to the wrong side of the tracks single track. Went by CostCo, not feeling envious of the mob of shoppers there, we made our way to the path near Mt Scott Creek. "We're mountain bikers now!" Onward to the network of cool weird paths near Furnberg Park, up the newly improved Linwood and back to the Springwater Trail.</p><p>Peel offs and goodbyes and see ya next month!<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-66321508323519723432023-10-06T13:52:00.045-07:002023-10-19T16:22:09.512-07:00Palouse Cascade Trail<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6esVyULO-r1w_3m8HXMr-sk_NvCo4aVQyzI6FtaLQOA6ufJ8JE7mQuslFmnFELajOggcHNUmM255onXguBjMWfWqMB9ZlCBZZYLVZ6yJaKQaxNUShyGcxcD-hETWNEimGj51uFZy4b0tQrryKugl0pyz6BDmIZiKvBvzUHZc7U6fHLvqsacvsUrnYA4c/s1799/A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6esVyULO-r1w_3m8HXMr-sk_NvCo4aVQyzI6FtaLQOA6ufJ8JE7mQuslFmnFELajOggcHNUmM255onXguBjMWfWqMB9ZlCBZZYLVZ6yJaKQaxNUShyGcxcD-hETWNEimGj51uFZy4b0tQrryKugl0pyz6BDmIZiKvBvzUHZc7U6fHLvqsacvsUrnYA4c/s320/A.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>The Palouse To Cascade Trail has been known by many names and the name is a bone of contention amongst many trail users. Some current on-trail signage still denotes it as the <span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Iron Horse Trail, and after all, it sits in the middle of the Iron Horse National Park Other signage refers to it as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, apparently so named because John Wayne rode part of it on horseback once. The original railway that had been here, which transported passengers and cargo like raw silk, was named the Milwaukee Road. Whatever it is called, it is a gorgeous place to ride bikes, and we even made it work as an eight day out and back bike camping trip. </span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBwhNLc5rBbCxoFuPhYU3zjoBe87FRogucTUu_Se7TH0z5E96uYykN0my-EkGT89baPwzlnThdtF0r4Tr2Yp0pGA0exoZvSzisDYs3g5GSMWYp7zHFpjWwn48MtjyB4ThcgSqLgdkqEB0S6d1ynRTWwqd24py9U8Ise8cZRewWlbwhF9YWwjrpIuXEHE/s1800/C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBwhNLc5rBbCxoFuPhYU3zjoBe87FRogucTUu_Se7TH0z5E96uYykN0my-EkGT89baPwzlnThdtF0r4Tr2Yp0pGA0exoZvSzisDYs3g5GSMWYp7zHFpjWwn48MtjyB4ThcgSqLgdkqEB0S6d1ynRTWwqd24py9U8Ise8cZRewWlbwhF9YWwjrpIuXEHE/s320/C.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 1 it seemed appropriate to start our rail to trail adventure by taking a train there, so we jumped the Amtrak in Portland to and arrived in Tukwila
a few hours later. It's a 50 mile ride (on some beautiful city & regional
trails) to the trailhead near Rattlesnake Lake. We had expected to camp
there but learned it’s not allowed and daylight was fading so we set up
camp right on the side of the trail about a mile in. We could hear
a waterfall beneath us but never saw it. </span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUPaJ_zfo7oEYmmlAkWl66JAUpDMnj_wPdhuZQq10aki5YOgPwsryL5uclZ8Wd1tc5saGYoDpT0mFnkka37qXUbaZ1xI_OxMEV5PuvEUIAUDbdev24pp-Akn1UiCXd9QlAmAcXrOYeueT6OsC6qI4P8hxcuLHlrwbhSiErv6VbRZMREgZrFSZn4klX0g/s1800/D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUPaJ_zfo7oEYmmlAkWl66JAUpDMnj_wPdhuZQq10aki5YOgPwsryL5uclZ8Wd1tc5saGYoDpT0mFnkka37qXUbaZ1xI_OxMEV5PuvEUIAUDbdev24pp-Akn1UiCXd9QlAmAcXrOYeueT6OsC6qI4P8hxcuLHlrwbhSiErv6VbRZMREgZrFSZn4klX0g/s320/D.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 2 we </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">awoke trailside to the sound of the occasional cyclist passing by our campsite. This was the beginning of a phenomenon wherein we say hello and the passerby says nothing and glares at us. That continued for the next several days. After packing up, I noticed my rear tire was flat and I recalled hitting a steep ledge on a bridge a few miles before camp the night before. Kids
ride tubeless but I’m no kid. We rode 40 miles filled with tunnels and trestles
and beautiful views. Railroad grade climbing appears flat and makes you
think you’re riding sluggishly, but you’re not! The Snoqualmie Tunnel
is 2.5 miles of cold dark drippiness. We grabbed burgers in Easton and
enjoyed the hiker-biker site at the Lake Easton campground. Glad to have earplugs to drown out the drone of I-90.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBpigVqBatzrb-cNdkVSpb_0hq2y8_A7kjf-6CBZISDplNKo5i98n_Lt2nOwIn6mQ8jtNtOnpVFhyFnzqFzHdcQHuomSeyShSs8rpB1QHmNu0wFCpV-hMfZMFnviFF32nWaqKj9HLIxjWNZdrBRhs37ocYnt0syXCY5PoKPz0dsXCSAY42c50FrNCrq8/s1800/B.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBpigVqBatzrb-cNdkVSpb_0hq2y8_A7kjf-6CBZISDplNKo5i98n_Lt2nOwIn6mQ8jtNtOnpVFhyFnzqFzHdcQHuomSeyShSs8rpB1QHmNu0wFCpV-hMfZMFnviFF32nWaqKj9HLIxjWNZdrBRhs37ocYnt0syXCY5PoKPz0dsXCSAY42c50FrNCrq8/s320/B.jpg" width="256" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1042yZiSdv6J2mgKKUZ_mcmP5cKTL0RqTBScuMd2frZVmU6xpTKVHRyS9dFQDuLQ8TIPs3kHXqiZP9Wg_iJyhFRXRjea27pnMyiQrIfxXHNhnvsw_9wbFuRybe-KvrMHcw8WztAQEvan_J9Zcgh6Kb28O6ksQLeU0sivjcxFH4Tw_rAzqVAvlV3hSai4/s1800/E.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1042yZiSdv6J2mgKKUZ_mcmP5cKTL0RqTBScuMd2frZVmU6xpTKVHRyS9dFQDuLQ8TIPs3kHXqiZP9Wg_iJyhFRXRjea27pnMyiQrIfxXHNhnvsw_9wbFuRybe-KvrMHcw8WztAQEvan_J9Zcgh6Kb28O6ksQLeU0sivjcxFH4Tw_rAzqVAvlV3hSai4/s320/E.jpg" width="256" /></a></div></div><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 3 was a bluebird day that took us 50 miles from the hiker/biker sites at
Lake Easton, past many gates, old depots and informative placards. My
train brain started to grow! We dipped into the I-90 hellscape to grab
snacks from a loud and stinky truck stop. Later on we got lost in Ellensburg for a while
before heading south on the delightfully beautiful (and paved!) Canyon
River Road to find our best camp spot of the trip: Big Horn alongside
the Yakima River. It was so breezy I had to put rocks in my tent!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5-ZHCA5uYSVYDD-Gp-Yr5K0YsOxLDJrU7SkMmFqpxyn2U8md-1dCQEzvEoBO3_NRH-L19PZ_C3c8oxJyAlnyPOTXi-R59MTU6TDdQEun5l5Lz2Ekt9XTiCk7UDw8ViO2Fg4tuKZMtuO-7Eg5fZXgLy4b9hN4ozS-r84YjqbDLDBMMv2e9ATGNxKIkS4/s1440/G.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5-ZHCA5uYSVYDD-Gp-Yr5K0YsOxLDJrU7SkMmFqpxyn2U8md-1dCQEzvEoBO3_NRH-L19PZ_C3c8oxJyAlnyPOTXi-R59MTU6TDdQEun5l5Lz2Ekt9XTiCk7UDw8ViO2Fg4tuKZMtuO-7Eg5fZXgLy4b9hN4ozS-r84YjqbDLDBMMv2e9ATGNxKIkS4/s320/G.jpg" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgz_bc4r9Qh31EPa4L5Fvt6uFHLaODElQDmJxCe1TlXQwMGQ0jvVdDvdQKhiAnHgiPdoeIEsh8DGDteZdAuHbYM2OaNwkhLS91xTq_SiuU8eSHDAxPMueSmkWbLKlZYzdHeK9poYY-bCfRKRrlbplfFwc4a6_jUCoFMSx7_ZwoPeuyXccVLXsNYPUnMs/s1440/H.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgz_bc4r9Qh31EPa4L5Fvt6uFHLaODElQDmJxCe1TlXQwMGQ0jvVdDvdQKhiAnHgiPdoeIEsh8DGDteZdAuHbYM2OaNwkhLS91xTq_SiuU8eSHDAxPMueSmkWbLKlZYzdHeK9poYY-bCfRKRrlbplfFwc4a6_jUCoFMSx7_ZwoPeuyXccVLXsNYPUnMs/s320/H.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day
4’s 60 mile ride started off with breakfast at Big Horn camp by the
Yakima River, then a short ride to Ellensburg to see if the bike shop
was open. The one pair of bike shorts I brought were failing miserably
(my panties were in a twist!). No luck at the shop so we lubed
our chains and hopped on the trail to Boylston. The loose deep sand
section was listed as 4.5 miles long but it was more like 25 miles. Rock
formations with cut-outs for the trail
started to appear, and these were often full of fist sized rocks. We
had a tailwind and it was downhill yet it was still one of hardest days
I’ve had on two wheels. I cried a bit. </span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWstlDpt_cUmfzi1cFoXv6U8U3XbFvTYf22CMEFCs8AKysKFD8ObzpjKFlLFyLeNWRdq-nA029yZC0L8CDCM15ND6yfJY5oxAbRFv-NJq2Wo9Y_1XbrzkucJlLIj_-uMbJxptAjuoBKx-UGEFjclQbl7pFpOlpXynn2Ui9v-csTJK98duGIVAO7Wdpj8/s1440/F.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWstlDpt_cUmfzi1cFoXv6U8U3XbFvTYf22CMEFCs8AKysKFD8ObzpjKFlLFyLeNWRdq-nA029yZC0L8CDCM15ND6yfJY5oxAbRFv-NJq2Wo9Y_1XbrzkucJlLIj_-uMbJxptAjuoBKx-UGEFjclQbl7pFpOlpXynn2Ui9v-csTJK98duGIVAO7Wdpj8/s320/F.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Reaching the spectacular Beverly
Bridge felt victorious, after all this was our destination and the impetus behind the entire trip. On the other side, we met lots of friendly dogs before getting on the highway. We noticed a sign
reading “secure your load - it’s the law”, alongside an onion orchard and a shoulder littered with loose onions. Soon a truck
passed filled with unsecured onions. We ate Mexican food (all of the
restaurants in Mattawa are Mexican), then rode to our reserved airbnb, named “A-frame hot tub”, which is not a great name for your rental if
the hot tub isn’t available. I cried again. We found an ice cream truck
and enjoyed sleeping in beds.</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujiQid2tKFi1Gt0SIT1VZ78WQMzrZbeJytnDkCllaqycr_crMv2ru2vAVIBwDAVbLOz6CTKRk1rPTMafKmHg-e_bv1SH9i3GKygFSQ2l2uGUfMpffXLDTvPcRK7zLrvVfsvG4b-mF7-7P_qPevav9hErYBxQA92uvKyAinS3JFwite0Uh8g6Pa3Cd9YU/s1440/I.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujiQid2tKFi1Gt0SIT1VZ78WQMzrZbeJytnDkCllaqycr_crMv2ru2vAVIBwDAVbLOz6CTKRk1rPTMafKmHg-e_bv1SH9i3GKygFSQ2l2uGUfMpffXLDTvPcRK7zLrvVfsvG4b-mF7-7P_qPevav9hErYBxQA92uvKyAinS3JFwite0Uh8g6Pa3Cd9YU/s320/I.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">D</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">ay
5 started at 6am with a team decision to hire a van (Rodeo Town Taxi) to
take us to Ellensburg (from Mattawa). The prospect of riding that brutal
sandy rocky trail again, uphill and into a headwind, was highly
dreaded. We weren’t sure if the paved Huntzinger and Vantage Highway
would be safe on bicycles. Streetview showed the Highway had no shoulder
and it appeared well-maintained, which we took to mean well-used. We
learned later that it’s a great biking <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>route
and it’s kept up because of the wind farm maintenance trucks that
occasionally use it. </span></p><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Ah well, for the low cost of $50 each, we enjoyed
playing tetris with our bikes and gear and had a lovely rest day in
Ellensburg. After a delicious second breakfast at the Country Cafe, we visited the
fascinating Kittatas Museum and the friendly folks at the Recycle
Bicycle shop repaired my broken brake noodle and sold me a pair of shiny
new bike shorts. I even got to do a short lube clinic for the
mechanics! (I work for Dumonde Tech). After beers at the
pub and an 8 mile ride to the KOA, I hung out and did laundry while my
friends explored some local trails.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDiIrvXjFQWSgssIJF-uh9kGl7vUMXCN1mLKP8FP4_Gbp2rxRXDUZ3Xi8CEOh1j-9eRQOuSQwiNAMGJSjxXzHY7Ni-SyAxMBPOJ77ObaTn-LT4cRMPrbcS8eTuYqcm9H3iOSvGCkel02KGLlPt9Z2aeCkYdLwNsdSl2lQ0GfVschnbTzFj9OlZy2FoOI/s1800/J.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDiIrvXjFQWSgssIJF-uh9kGl7vUMXCN1mLKP8FP4_Gbp2rxRXDUZ3Xi8CEOh1j-9eRQOuSQwiNAMGJSjxXzHY7Ni-SyAxMBPOJ77ObaTn-LT4cRMPrbcS8eTuYqcm9H3iOSvGCkel02KGLlPt9Z2aeCkYdLwNsdSl2lQ0GfVschnbTzFj9OlZy2FoOI/s320/J.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">D</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">ay
6 had been planned as an low mileage recovery day, as we had anticipated a
hard day 5. We rode a nice easy 25 miles from Ellensburg to Cle Ellum. I
love an “out and back” ride. It’s fun seeing the same terrain twice,
and how different it is in the other direction. I hadn’t noticed a carved wooden troll just off the trail the first time we rode by it. We stayed at the amazing Iron Horse
Bed & Breakfast (with hot tub!). Our host went above and beyond to
share his extensive knowledge of the
Old Milwaukee Road rail history. The caboose was quaint and comfy and we
could hear a train in the distance as we drifted off.</span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRAAuxqaXYV7AGXPTOiccXyYF9vYy1HvJnPGYTdsIw_GvbI4hULv9yE-3Z_HbRrdwqQGau4fO73x9A9ARtLLhQpPyY6HND4Qr9JbrxP3krfO3eV7lE-ghj-T7Y1OO6VUYGlXbuDm0gAvzdswym0CS_hHDoRL50ql3NtwrvZoAHXg8n01oMXKA224c10/s2016/IMG_5010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRAAuxqaXYV7AGXPTOiccXyYF9vYy1HvJnPGYTdsIw_GvbI4hULv9yE-3Z_HbRrdwqQGau4fO73x9A9ARtLLhQpPyY6HND4Qr9JbrxP3krfO3eV7lE-ghj-T7Y1OO6VUYGlXbuDm0gAvzdswym0CS_hHDoRL50ql3NtwrvZoAHXg8n01oMXKA224c10/s320/IMG_5010.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">D</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">ay
7’s 55 mile day began with the most delicious scones I’ve ever had and a
farm-to-table breakfast at the Iron Horse b&b. It felt like a
lifetime ago since we’d ridden this section between Cle Ellum and
Rattlesnake Lake. It was summer and we were young. The leaves had started
changing and the temps were cooler outside of the Snoqualmie tunnel as
well as in. We met lots of riders near the tunnel, including a gentleman
who didn’t ride through the tunnel but OVER
it - from mouth to mouth! Later on the trail, a sheriff in a pickup
truck asked if we’d seen a blonde lady. We saw him several times and
wondered what happened to the poor blonde lady. We raced daylight to
find a camp spot after the leaving the trailhead, but there aren’t
any campgrounds in that area so we got a “warm showers” host to put us
up in their backyard. I was stressed out and not stoked to camp on turf
until the hosts invited me to jump on their trampoline with their kids
and fed us brownies with ice cream.</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"> </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"> </span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41TKsrdnFb1MVobWCgfUU8YwkjE4fULSYSYY6NHax8ERz3KzEE088qkXNlcnZTvZg5MMTE846NFOCVZInzQxTUS19P0jLXGZWX4VsTDk91DBguDhGAsemBDTy3r2cVN4O2XJpcUrTGKTJgmmEKumtXJeELGYmCuKumiUh32RU3RrJZAjEqJzupS6Edlg/s1800/L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41TKsrdnFb1MVobWCgfUU8YwkjE4fULSYSYY6NHax8ERz3KzEE088qkXNlcnZTvZg5MMTE846NFOCVZInzQxTUS19P0jLXGZWX4VsTDk91DBguDhGAsemBDTy3r2cVN4O2XJpcUrTGKTJgmmEKumtXJeELGYmCuKumiUh32RU3RrJZAjEqJzupS6Edlg/s320/L.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">D</span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">ay
8 was our final day and took us 45 miles from North Bend to the Amtrak station
in Tukwila. That morning, we learned that the diner made famous by Twin
Peaks was nearby so went to check if their coffee really was damn fine. When
I took a selfie inside, I swear there was no one behind me. We pondered
on the blonde lady the sheriff had asked us about the day before. We
found a shortcut so we wouldn’t have to scramble down the ditch to the
Tokul tunnel but it did lead us to a
closed bridge for our scrambling pleasure. The
Snoqualmie Trail felt even funner now that it was familiar. </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Our first rain of the trip
started in the early afternoon, pretty ideal timing overall. </span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">We continued
to undo our day one and made it with an hour to spare. It felt like tying a bow on the whole trip to take a train to the lovely Union Station in
Portland and hop the light rail home. </span><p></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><b>Here's a summary of our trip:</b></span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 1: Tukwila to Rattlesnake Lake: 50 miles</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 2: Rattlesnake Lake to Lake Easton campground: 40 miles (includes Snoqualmie Tunnel)<br /></span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 3: Lake Easton campground to Camp Big Horn: 50 miles</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 4: Big Horn camp to Mattaway airbnb: 60 miles (includes Beverly Bridge)<br /></span></p><p>Day 5: Mattaway to Ellensburg KOA: 52 miles (IN A VAN!) we rode just 8 miles <br /></p><p>Day 6: Ellensburg KOA to Iron Horse B & B in Cle Elum: 25 miles</p><p>Day 7: Cle Elum to North Bend: 57 miles<br /></p><p>Day 8: North Bend to Tukwila: 40 miles</p><p></p><p><b>And here's what I'll plan to do next time:</b></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 1: Tukwila to North Bend hip camp: 42 miles</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 2: North Bend to Lake Easton campground: 46 miles (includes Snoqualmie Tunnel)<br /></span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 3: Lake Easton campground to Camp Big Horn: 50 miles</span></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto">Day 4: Big Horn camp to Beverly Bridge to Wanapum camp: 52 miles<br /></span></p><p>Day 5: Wanapum to Ellensburg KOA (by way of Huntzinger and Vantage Hwy): 35 miles <br /></p><p>Day 6: Ellensburg KOA to Iron Horse B & B in Cle Elum: 25 miles</p><p>Day 7: Cle Elum to North Bend hip camp: 57 miles<br /></p><p>Day 8: North Bend to Tukwila: 40 miles</p><p></p><p><b>PROS:</b></p><p>The trail was easy to navigate and the surface was easy to ride until east of Boylston </p><p>The plentiful placards made for fun mini rest stops to learn the history of the rail and trail </p><p>There are lots of vault toilets on the trail and a couple spigots (at Hyak and Easton)</p><p>Doing several weekend bike camping trips over the summer helped me dial in my gear</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sleeping in beds two of the 7 nights was a luxury. Laundry at the KOA was essential. </p><p>To make loading and unloading my bags from my bike quick and easy at the train station, I carried a collapsible shopping bag so I could put my trunk bag & water bottle inside.<br /></p><p>I cannot say enough about the pros of the "out and back" route. Seeing everything twice is cool because it looks both familiar and new. It also creates a safety net feeling in case you need to turn back early. <br /></p><p><b>CONS: </b></p><p>I am extremely uncomfortable riding in unfamiliar terrain in the dark but both the first and last night really pushed that boundary because campgrounds are so scarce in that area. Next time, I'll have accommodations reserved for every night.</p><p>My friends (who are much faster paced than me) enjoy stopping at many stores and restaurants. I prefer to take lots of short breaks on the trail (especially since I had toted much of the food I needed). Next time instead of waiting, I'll tell folks "see ya on the trail!"</p><p>It felt like a failure to take a van back from Mattawa to Ellensburg, but it also felt like our only safe choice and I'm grateful it was available. Next time, we'll ride back on the paved route.</p><p>I pledge to always bring two pairs of bike shorts on trips longer than one night! I would've given anything for a backup pair of shorts when my only pair failed so miserably.</p><p>If you are counting on a hot tub at one of your reserved accommodations, double, triple and quadruple check it will be available for you to avoid a big disappointment after a hard day of riding.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGC_Ds0eW19YBrZ5UlLdfxxECWKCXCmq6FYEgnKpGELba-FXwBb3cveqE0w-SyNPr7DDvO9wfszpBeJnne8Cn1EZfc_s6aUYmqxj9z7y7YMTCDEC7YWuVcpFN-vpnrT7HdsYZMBOMDJLNbSi6KU4_ejv4GrT9j8qrq_4anh_1nz9QuiwykUXmdHN6WKc/s3024/IMG_4764.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2354" data-original-width="3024" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGC_Ds0eW19YBrZ5UlLdfxxECWKCXCmq6FYEgnKpGELba-FXwBb3cveqE0w-SyNPr7DDvO9wfszpBeJnne8Cn1EZfc_s6aUYmqxj9z7y7YMTCDEC7YWuVcpFN-vpnrT7HdsYZMBOMDJLNbSi6KU4_ejv4GrT9j8qrq_4anh_1nz9QuiwykUXmdHN6WKc/s320/IMG_4764.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqw7XoWBcHkO-iWy7GwpzS6GjQVjZZ85PRd0PXNmhHHn_2FYvVJSXvmOjNzE8Rc7HvEdoHB76ss4Sl05p3yxbLRuaTneOs9wn2qrDFVm884EibdEuOiDCDvcoxlh2Ws-If5IJgI-iQ23_duoEH58wsbIGeTQwB4waHGpLjYuWN9orYDoNo9yCezC2SKk/s2016/IMG_4812.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqw7XoWBcHkO-iWy7GwpzS6GjQVjZZ85PRd0PXNmhHHn_2FYvVJSXvmOjNzE8Rc7HvEdoHB76ss4Sl05p3yxbLRuaTneOs9wn2qrDFVm884EibdEuOiDCDvcoxlh2Ws-If5IJgI-iQ23_duoEH58wsbIGeTQwB4waHGpLjYuWN9orYDoNo9yCezC2SKk/s320/IMG_4812.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjdezenT2QYboUjApx_KLqL4D11OvInTJ7XgDJeHQwW-cm_6WGXnKZlF2eUWHLUWu509uIem_WedypldWG4x3krQIqrZtjQuc8I7VcC4d7-9wNLmQoXr82wTHYwsuvi8nYMbVE9fa6yCO6wOWu1jiOt3KTbuDDljyCQ4OHKgHzEcYoSVBPpNlZHva8qI/s320/A.jpg" width="320" /></div><br /><b>BIKE AND GEAR:</b><p></p><p>I rode a 26" aluminum mountain bike with 2.25" wide knobby tires. As always, I carry my gear in a rear trunk bag and rear panniers, along with a front kids' basket to carry my everyday tool kit, which includes a C02 inflator and two
C02 cartridges, a multi-tool, tire levers, tweezers, a chain breaker and
spare link, spoke tool, spare bolts, schraeder adapter, patch kit and
tire boot. I also had a frame-mounted pump and 3 spare tubes.</p><p>In addition to the expected tent, thermarest and sleeping bag, I carried a small fleece blanket which made for a nice lap blanket in the mornings and evenings. </p><p></p><p>I brought enough snacks (nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, clif bars) for half the trip and enough oatmeal and ramen for every camp meal. I carried two 32oz water bottles on the bike and a 2 liter water bladder, along with MSR tabs for sterilization (which I used only once at Camp Big Horn). I carried the tiniest cook stove there is, which is great for getting water hot. I packed instant coffee and a tube of sweetened condensed milk, along with a variety of teas for each evening.<br /></p><p>For fashion statements, I carried a compressive dry bag to squish my clothes, which included: leggings, long sleeve wool shirt, short sleeve wool shirt, jeans, mini-skirt, 3 pairs panties, 1 spare bra, 1 spare pair riding socks, 2 pair camp socks, fleece cap, neck muff and mittens. I also packed both a puffy jacket and a rain coat and was glad to have both. I wore shorts and a jersey and a bolero (connected armwarmers).<br /></p><p>For luxury, I brought my Bumease sitting pillow for trail rest stops, along with a small polyfill head pillow for sleeping. I don't like sleeping on bunched up clothes. I brought small tins with tiny candles for camp ambiance. The big luxury winner were my "mega warmers" which are like little hotties on steroids. I brought one for every camp night and they made my sleeping bag warmer and also soothed whatever body part felt sore.</p><p>For self-care, I was glad to have my earplugs and eye mask along. I had my
homemade first-aid kit and was glad to have the neosporin available when
my chammy butt'r stash ran out. My kit also contains bandaids,
bandages, butterfly bandages, eyedrops, hydrocortisone, tweezers and ace
bandage. My tiny toiletry kit includes micro reusable paint pots (from the art store) so I could have the assortment of lotions and potions I need to feel good and look beautiful. My face cream hack is to combine SPF cream, primer, tinted moisturizer and highlighter cream in one pot. Who needs a five minute face when you can do a five second face!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEDzvwYaqwMKhVifD1TxkGKH7zbmTY6Vxxh9IJgbEAsqBpK9KKYTisG0nGxzaj7UCSptpk1gK3qHbksh_2lOw-3nVG7t5mULCt7ULy9BUeIYiFlaDshj7T_g8yb24m4oPRBG5u5ffHdnSGFuKS3NTuT-njnfKm4MxRrGsC7QMumchK8tC1EuTBkIPCEg/s1800/Z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEDzvwYaqwMKhVifD1TxkGKH7zbmTY6Vxxh9IJgbEAsqBpK9KKYTisG0nGxzaj7UCSptpk1gK3qHbksh_2lOw-3nVG7t5mULCt7ULy9BUeIYiFlaDshj7T_g8yb24m4oPRBG5u5ffHdnSGFuKS3NTuT-njnfKm4MxRrGsC7QMumchK8tC1EuTBkIPCEg/s320/Z.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>I will definitely be going back next year and am planning on putting together a group of 4 riders. Would you like to join me?</p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-61104057059119072822023-09-09T14:36:00.003-07:002023-09-09T14:36:26.157-07:00Southerly Ladies September Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLakanvEtyh8m-KjrpzzzrhkIyUZQOL44RlXB49r8t0xlBwPAh60i4c33fKvsMXF8o_J94XVB4q_9N-eaMdEag1yhHoC4M15S9q21wH1plrNX310N8LTgd_9ZdSWxwgyDUz0_tGQoJRLEJpKnndnZQHWX7Ynt4EZIlH_DLGYSFKGZew9E27dK6oZpJ6a0/s1622/IMG_4645(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="1622" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLakanvEtyh8m-KjrpzzzrhkIyUZQOL44RlXB49r8t0xlBwPAh60i4c33fKvsMXF8o_J94XVB4q_9N-eaMdEag1yhHoC4M15S9q21wH1plrNX310N8LTgd_9ZdSWxwgyDUz0_tGQoJRLEJpKnndnZQHWX7Ynt4EZIlH_DLGYSFKGZew9E27dK6oZpJ6a0/s320/IMG_4645(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Five of us met at the Trolley Trail trailhead - one lady stopping by to tell us she keeps wanting to join us and it keeps not working out. She was doing a tour of catios (cat patios!) instead.</p><p></p><p>The remaining four us headed south on the Trolley Trail, turning off at Park Avenue to ride the lovely Aldercrest. We took a quick tour of Clackamas Park's grass and gravel byways and bridges, enjoyed a rest stop and continued on Aldercrest to the rocky single track at its end.</p><p>We visited No Trespassing Lake (actually Lake Leona at Johnson City), then onward to the "good part" of the 205 bike path and on to High Rocks bridge. After a snack and a chat, we turned back northward.<br /></p><p>One lady opted to head back on the Trolley Trail, while the remaining three of us agreed to go get weird! We explored a dead end Fish Hatchery road and some industrial roads before reaching the Sunrise Trail. From there, things got bizarre as we tried our luck on some single track cutties, crossing Mount Scott Creek and riding along the wrong side of the tracks.</p><p>The huge unnamed swatch of land north of Furnberg features a labyrinth of hard-packed dirt single track, some gravel and some densely wooded dark haunted sections. I could play there all day!<br /></p><p>Finally we lost another rider due to time constraints and the two of us remaining headed to the secret lake, took a look, and booked it back to Linwood, the Springwater Trail and a bonus climb up 55th Avenue.<br /></p><p>I forgot to take a photo of the group, so am instead showing a photo of the spoke card each rider gets for joining this chill pace ladies ride.<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-27965857409795368122023-08-17T12:13:00.002-07:002023-08-17T12:13:34.246-07:00Southerly Ladies August Ride<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2A9EDTpxjF9oLwnI24bpdEtQKdLs6z5-pYRUTucfsW6NZlSTpXXZF9xn5vrPkcjjYuy_LmorrgLYwALTpyVVSTqxx-5IzvnsSXLxvS_PvAanN0mBUJcg1tKniOrKNyTmn7JllgDnmQu-V51BEULo4Xqj-BVtLGHyP2csnG5unI3JX99jb6UQjiQOqu3U/s630/IMG_4343.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="630" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2A9EDTpxjF9oLwnI24bpdEtQKdLs6z5-pYRUTucfsW6NZlSTpXXZF9xn5vrPkcjjYuy_LmorrgLYwALTpyVVSTqxx-5IzvnsSXLxvS_PvAanN0mBUJcg1tKniOrKNyTmn7JllgDnmQu-V51BEULo4Xqj-BVtLGHyP2csnG5unI3JX99jb6UQjiQOqu3U/s320/IMG_4343.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Four rad ladies showed up for our longest, hardest, hilliest and hottest ride so far in our series - 45 miles with plenty of hills. </p><p>We bee-lined on the Trolley Trail to the bridge over the Clackamas River at the crowded High Rocks swim spot, then onward and upward south of Oregon City. After a nice taste of the gorgeous country road called Central Point, we headed east toward Beaver Creek.</p><p>A long stop at the market for lunch refreshed us for the remainder of our adventure. On to Henrici and a gorgeous descent to the Mompano Reservoir (pictured), then more country roads to the busy ugly Redland Road. One mile on Redland Road feels like ten, but we managed and took our turn at Potter. </p><p>Lots of views of WyEast were on display for us. We took the grody Brady hill up to the wholesome Holcomb back to Oregon City. It was fun to try a new road out.</p><p>Soon we were back on the Trolley Trail and all of us agreed we needed to jump into the Willamette River at Milwaukie Bay Park before continuing to our Final Resting Spot and goodbyes.<br /></p><p></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-89989774215830001622023-07-11T13:57:00.001-07:002023-07-11T13:57:30.048-07:00Southerly Ladies July Ride<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0mD9jHGuz4fxvJocvgblqnsXQbREMdeaJ8g_HxMq1-eoDZExn0rIvl4NYsCLUoEHSbydzFkxNzkKk7VDM0AaXiOqnvAY8HRkhTyiRgBPfPsOusCZbCpDwNy91XPUAAVfkzMjla8qhHOOUGGF_ntmuYAvzyOjdHbqzyartgJecnBj4ELXLDT8QZB460Q/s640/IMG_4026.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0mD9jHGuz4fxvJocvgblqnsXQbREMdeaJ8g_HxMq1-eoDZExn0rIvl4NYsCLUoEHSbydzFkxNzkKk7VDM0AaXiOqnvAY8HRkhTyiRgBPfPsOusCZbCpDwNy91XPUAAVfkzMjla8qhHOOUGGF_ntmuYAvzyOjdHbqzyartgJecnBj4ELXLDT8QZB460Q/s320/IMG_4026.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Five of us headed east to Boring on Saturday. The weather was ideal, cloudy and 70s, and our group was ideal too!</p><p>We talked about bike camping aspirations, how fun Pedalpalooza has been and riding in gravel. Then we enjoyed riding on the lovely gravel path called the Cazadera. At the dead end (one day there will be a bridge!), we met a couple of retired ladies who'd ridden out with their dog in a trailer. They are exploring rail to trails all over the US on bicycles and had many stories to share.</p><p>Next month will be a sort of "graduation ride" - our longest and hardest to date! Consider joining us, and remember, we always stay together as a chill pace gang of gal pals.<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-1159862888339718382023-06-19T10:52:00.011-07:002023-07-10T10:55:09.104-07:00Southerly Ladies June Ride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtTWepPEQBTVul0cgvyHlOXMT6dAi2YFVNIY-dUxjhdEYdQB0RShK_-IJWmKfpjoPLQESH6MelSd5Hbf9f9rrkhaCrBEFMGtR6ZqtBV7P9iMs4CcWprPlT_girvMdn4MgY-P1Rjczc9k2CtC5F7fFx5MRS8RwHgUNpQZaWKgQqQebLsvIAFsnExddVdA/s640/IMG_3834.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtTWepPEQBTVul0cgvyHlOXMT6dAi2YFVNIY-dUxjhdEYdQB0RShK_-IJWmKfpjoPLQESH6MelSd5Hbf9f9rrkhaCrBEFMGtR6ZqtBV7P9iMs4CcWprPlT_girvMdn4MgY-P1Rjczc9k2CtC5F7fFx5MRS8RwHgUNpQZaWKgQqQebLsvIAFsnExddVdA/s640/IMG_3834.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkkpJ5m156tdX0LZAU6vMjlTJvh_lAyyoCIAq6vE7YeffHM82NS0rX0z8vKpskYdX4tT074XBG2PCobuEMC2OqHywPbqApZptHB9RRf4xa7a5sWPqXw3dKwn8p0AHAz2oObG7NUkcoGOzJ-sgeorliyehAaVY1q45rpgJDm6OOCHYUAMd8h2XzDnExXw/s774/IMG_3832.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkkpJ5m156tdX0LZAU6vMjlTJvh_lAyyoCIAq6vE7YeffHM82NS0rX0z8vKpskYdX4tT074XBG2PCobuEMC2OqHywPbqApZptHB9RRf4xa7a5sWPqXw3dKwn8p0AHAz2oObG7NUkcoGOzJ-sgeorliyehAaVY1q45rpgJDm6OOCHYUAMd8h2XzDnExXw/s320/IMG_3832.jpeg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="text-align: left;">A small but mighty crew showed up for the June edition of the Southerly
Ladies ride. We enjoyed cheering for runners on the Trolley Trail who were participating in the "Grateful Dad" run. </span> <br /></p><p>On to Aldercrest and Clackamas Park to mingle with the softball tournament players and their families. From there we went back to Aldercrest and on to No Trespassing Lake, the 205 path and High Rocks Bridge over the Clackamas. </p><p>Now for the mega hill! Up, then up, a little more up and finally up at the top we took a break at a crowded kids splash fountain, refilled and refueled and got ready for our dessert coast down the mega hill. </p><p>We took a photo opp stop at the "Gun Shop" mural and said our goodbyes at our final resting place. Very fun ride!</p><p>Join us on July 8th as we head east on a "Boring Not Boring" 30 mile flat ride with 5 miles on a very user-friendly gravel path through the woods.<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-21945835969562124182023-05-15T14:48:00.007-07:002023-06-09T14:16:05.619-07:00Southerly Ladies May Ride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QW3tabVjJ_pfL7jZK4kfr3-r80Dbf26AM5vj1YA1jRRyZbh4imCDeDWdmHhjdRGQP_rZx6qqzhHUZeW1YF_7SjDp4rf7nJRsgIr16Ac44JkjkpUTlTyczCGI19sYjIN3jbMNZYrJynCUD5xDz4rd_5a3a5JRVTH7oXFwSOrm_4X344CTri5qm5NL/s640/IMG_3638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QW3tabVjJ_pfL7jZK4kfr3-r80Dbf26AM5vj1YA1jRRyZbh4imCDeDWdmHhjdRGQP_rZx6qqzhHUZeW1YF_7SjDp4rf7nJRsgIr16Ac44JkjkpUTlTyczCGI19sYjIN3jbMNZYrJynCUD5xDz4rd_5a3a5JRVTH7oXFwSOrm_4X344CTri5qm5NL/s320/IMG_3638.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Four of us Southerly Ladies broke from tradition and headed east to Boring. We enjoyed a nice headwind for the 15 mile bike path trip, stopped at the trailhead to exchange fluids and forged ahead to ride the nice gravel Cazadero Trail.<p></p><p>A quick snack stop at the dead-end and a photo opp to show my riders how much I love them. The heat started to kick up and the wind changed direction so we had another chance to practice riding into a headwind.</p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-85716701216003765152023-04-10T16:25:00.002-07:002023-04-10T16:25:21.051-07:00Southerly Ladies April Ride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOt2Zaq2AiFh_01dAX_XeCs2Fd_ihEoQBRqsvUgqLCkn-4YwTRi9aDWTRlzNh-2rdB9ugtJcXbd35T0oo8da5Eof8N2sHnbGVa14zGTzQ2NvgyuB3pCyQfWajgPG5qG5sUObSO2ihjQLo65sjnbMRK6AA6Hz4rLIPd7bkLwk6ppq5bEsn1UoRVcZ1/s640/IMG_3466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="640" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOt2Zaq2AiFh_01dAX_XeCs2Fd_ihEoQBRqsvUgqLCkn-4YwTRi9aDWTRlzNh-2rdB9ugtJcXbd35T0oo8da5Eof8N2sHnbGVa14zGTzQ2NvgyuB3pCyQfWajgPG5qG5sUObSO2ihjQLo65sjnbMRK6AA6Hz4rLIPd7bkLwk6ppq5bEsn1UoRVcZ1/s320/IMG_3466.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Another great ride! Four of us enjoyed beautifully sunny and dry weather. While at the meeting spot, we saw a rather large group ride go by (Portland Cycling Club). Then, later, while at the regoup at Park Avenue, the Sorellas stopped to chat with us. It's great seeing so many riders out!<br /><p></p><p>Onward to Aldercrest, some mixed terrain fun at the park, a little single track cut-through, then to "the lake" for a quick regroup. Another quick stop at the Crossing Park bridge, then back to the Trolley Trail and our "final resting spot" stop for a photo opp. </p><p><br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-2493461025596362602023-03-13T09:12:00.007-07:002023-03-13T09:21:30.359-07:00Southerly Ladies March Ride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8znSWGRcIXNi-KgOe5wOJ-elfGdbsOVujVqKKIC5E0w4peveO_SSr3vILX9YEUoTbgiiqzw9cKRRq5b2CSS1KXmY5NXbnka34RmCnkoN17F_7zO2MMSdxw72GRoZUYaC4hiO4e4z_ffJW4Epmc8xb2qcqAeQ8hrNP6SVlX0Gz5NY_f0UlUtDTHwK/s640/14CFECF6-3C1A-4F77-AD1D-FBE04BDE9855.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="640" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8znSWGRcIXNi-KgOe5wOJ-elfGdbsOVujVqKKIC5E0w4peveO_SSr3vILX9YEUoTbgiiqzw9cKRRq5b2CSS1KXmY5NXbnka34RmCnkoN17F_7zO2MMSdxw72GRoZUYaC4hiO4e4z_ffJW4Epmc8xb2qcqAeQ8hrNP6SVlX0Gz5NY_f0UlUtDTHwK/s320/14CFECF6-3C1A-4F77-AD1D-FBE04BDE9855.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Six of us enjoyed a gorgeous sunny Spring day together. </p><p>We rode on the Trolley Trail for a couple of miles, then peeled over to Aldercrest. At Clackamas Park, we experimented riding on bumpy grass and gravel paths before taking our rest break. Everyone got a spoke card and help installing it. </p><p>Everyone shared their cycling goals and dreams. A couple of riders are planning to ride Seattle to Portland, and some are planning to try their first bike camping trip this year.<br /></p><p>Once we reached the Crossing Park bridge over the Clackamas River, we decided together that we should go see what's at the top of the giant hill in Oregon City. It took us around twenty minutes to the top, (one rider even got a bloody nose!) and only about 2 minutes to get back down.</p><p>Finally, at our final resting place at my favorite cemetery, we said our goodbyes. <br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-9711718048137085972023-02-13T11:01:00.004-08:002023-03-13T09:20:49.395-07:00Southerly Ladies February Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5adkr7vH6sU3E0Vt9G0uGx__KNPl_TiHzGPjK0E9Q3y-3bIyJmDktoqwdif6WMqhNZs7JNJJIgRLQXuUUq-HZ0BRIfHz05NHrsXYy60uAa8ChYL5oEo0ZTZ2L62S1iIAIFSAiQNsMHPbCpcDIY__b7J9L4DbFZcPp6ufBja4sT0fHTiaf59Xyex9/s616/5B474E1F-109F-478D-9C79-641BADE8E5AF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="616" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5adkr7vH6sU3E0Vt9G0uGx__KNPl_TiHzGPjK0E9Q3y-3bIyJmDktoqwdif6WMqhNZs7JNJJIgRLQXuUUq-HZ0BRIfHz05NHrsXYy60uAa8ChYL5oEo0ZTZ2L62S1iIAIFSAiQNsMHPbCpcDIY__b7J9L4DbFZcPp6ufBja4sT0fHTiaf59Xyex9/s320/5B474E1F-109F-478D-9C79-641BADE8E5AF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Five of us braved the bright February sunshine for an almost 20 mile romp on the Trolley Trail and Aldercrest Road. It was a fun day, uneventful in a good way, and we said our goodbyes at the "final resting spot" as usual.</p><p>We saw lots of future friends on the bike path and invited them to future rides. As the season progresses, maybe our group size will also progress! <br /></p><p>Next month, we'll be aiming to add about 5 more miles to our loop. </p><p>Southerly Ladies will get first dibs on the limited spots for the Champoeg and Oxbow weekend bikecamping trips (see list to right for dates, email me to sign up).<br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-39259289122867165382023-01-15T13:12:00.021-08:002023-03-13T12:03:59.816-07:00Southerly Ladies January Ride<p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbtowXGGrqUoyPqKX6EvFNyWnCU3DEZ9FAoD52ZucjTiDW08s72bUStE5kF324ntPGVWJdZhjfcvmxbVWDHS5Z5kT3YTPrTUUk61e-G-7e3gRPAgtN1q4oneb8Jbzjj47jcJ6mxhXRaV379f8_0ZWBtD3cAx3BMCfRK68EU8WtUzKBhtE2aBx6GgJ/s640/57DB341F-26A0-48AE-BB0D-997FCB8571EF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbtowXGGrqUoyPqKX6EvFNyWnCU3DEZ9FAoD52ZucjTiDW08s72bUStE5kF324ntPGVWJdZhjfcvmxbVWDHS5Z5kT3YTPrTUUk61e-G-7e3gRPAgtN1q4oneb8Jbzjj47jcJ6mxhXRaV379f8_0ZWBtD3cAx3BMCfRK68EU8WtUzKBhtE2aBx6GgJ/s320/57DB341F-26A0-48AE-BB0D-997FCB8571EF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Seven ladies huddled under the bus shelter across the street from our start spot. We lost one rider right out of the gate as she hopped a bus home to deal with her flat tire. It continued to pour on us as we rode down the Trolley Trail over to Oatfield and on to Aldercrest. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We laughed our way through the muddy grass and cute gravel paths at Clackamas Park, then made a group decision by the bathrooms that we should shorten our route and head north. I had not planned for this particular contingency, so we did a little extra riding including a u-turn until we found ourselves on the newly improved Linwood Avenue and back to the Springwater. </div><p></p><p>Here's what we rode: <a href="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41791765">https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41791765</a><br /></p><p></p><p>As we crossed one of the three bridges headed toward the river, clear, blue skies started to come into view to our south. </p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-44008006369790429762022-08-08T13:48:00.009-07:002023-03-13T12:03:39.096-07:00<p>—————————————— <br /></p><p>A lot has changed since my last post, not the least of which is the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/28/sport/tour-de-france-femmes-spt-intl/index.html ">Tour de France allowing women</a> to compete on the same course as men, for the first time in 33 years. The exclusion of women from this world famous race, along with the lack of discussion in the mainstream sports arena around this topic, has chaffed this lady cyclist for a very long time. When I learned the exciting news, I decided to celebrate by coming out of blog retirement. Hurrah!!!<br /></p><p>During pandemic-times, I gained a new appreciation for one-on-one rides and I crafted some new routes (a 25 miler and a 50 miler) that I have enjoyed doing over and over again with friends. I've also enjoyed a ton of camping, with an increased joy in the fact that my favorite hobbies (biking and camping) are "safe".<br /></p><p></p><p>My little <a href="https://bikeportland.org/2021/04/07/hill-killerz-trend-has-managed-to-make-climbing-hills-fun-329778">hill killerz</a> idea really took off, much more than I ever dreamed. In 2020, I challenged folks to report all hillz they rode, which resulted in lots of great texts and social media communiques. In 2021, I redesigned the challenge to be more specific and also to benefit my own fitness. I invited participants to tell me where they live, then I'd ride to their hood and find a nice little hill for them. Their assignment was to ride their personal hill 5x in a row once a week for 5 weeks. I was absolutely flabbergasted when 155 (!!!) riders signed up. </p><p></p><p>Spending the year doing "hill hunts" had a big impact on my perspective: riding with an eye on the horizon, hunting for hills instead of avoiding them was a real game changer for me. There are hill killerz in every quadrant of Portland, along with one in Canby, a couple in Milwaukie, a couple in Beaverton and a couple in Vancouver. I am done finding hillz in that way for now, but there are lunch hill killz (5 repeats on the hill (SE 52nd & Flavel) every Tuesday in June, July & August from 12:30-1pm. There's also a hill killerz social ride that happens every third Tuesday during Pedalpaloozas. The social ride is 11 miles of ez hills, no one left behind, and ends at the start of the Foster Night Ride.</p><p>Come play bikes with us!<br /></p><p>——————————————</p><p><br /></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-42811515831331539762020-02-27T12:00:00.002-08:002023-01-15T15:27:11.055-08:00What is Fast? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l_HIfHoMQhAWsHxJ8LNrjKwzjQNIGUp6DlPemBmDWv8_tp-SS2nRs-RmGZOZb-0tkC3CeU7sfqCrred2W0eEmYz7MJzUewR_x7RFdGOV6pRMQOoRWo_xf9o0bqEVksNY_T32MrDHPZI/s1600/IMG_2989.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l_HIfHoMQhAWsHxJ8LNrjKwzjQNIGUp6DlPemBmDWv8_tp-SS2nRs-RmGZOZb-0tkC3CeU7sfqCrred2W0eEmYz7MJzUewR_x7RFdGOV6pRMQOoRWo_xf9o0bqEVksNY_T32MrDHPZI/s320/IMG_2989.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
What is fast? <span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> How do we measure these things? Who gets to decide how these things are measured? If we are observing a pair of imaginary hamsters running on hamster wheels, how can we judge which hamster is better, faster, stronger? Is the hamster who moves the wheel fastest the fastest hamster? Or is the hamster who stays on the wheel the longest actually faster in the long run? </span><br />
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What if we measured in terms of destination? The slow hamster that pedaled all the way to the moon was faster to the moon than the lazy hamster who quit, right?</span><br />
<br />
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I've noticed while climbing hills lately, (check out my new club: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/341063656752325/" target="_blank">hill killerz</a>), that some riders go much faster down the hills than up, and vice versa. Which counts as faster? </span><br />
<br />
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What about e-bikes? Are they faster in the way that counts on two wheels? They often pass me but I can sometimes beat them, does that mean I'm fast?</span><br />
<br />
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">How about cheetahs? You can be the fastest cyclist in the world and still get caught. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When females of the human species are referred to as the weaker sex, who is doing the talking? Is proclaiming superior strength an indication of weakness in itself? Where does mental fortitude fit into the picture of strength and how much mental fortitude does it take to exist on a planet where half of your species is allegedly superior to yours? </span><br />
<br />
Why aren't women allowed to compete in the Tour de
France? Normalizing exclusion of <span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x">half
of the population from top level bike races may have led to the alleged
poorer performance that is used as an argument from continuing to bar
women from competing in this and other grand tours. I was debating this
on facebook recently, and a (male) friend tried flattered me while
claiming men are stronger:</span></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x">"You are one of the toughest
people I have ever met, on the bicycle, male or female. But men, just by
nature of being male, have an advantage."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></blockquote>
Men do not have a "natural" advantage, they have a "cultural" advantage. When women are systematically excluded, they <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-girls-bad-at-chess/?fbclid=IwAR25_zu4xYV2LvRDplejqfM8k1u8ieu5GL-wtwhnq03trYiaGBxdMpHsXxQ" target="_blank">don't exceed their male peers</a>.<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<br />
Puzzling over these questions, along with coming to terms with my aging body and potentially declining performance, I've been mesmerized by social media posts from riders kicking ass in every segment of the sport. Man, does it make me jealous. I don't covet my neighbor's possessions, I covet their fitness. I've come to realize, I don't even really covet their fitness, I covet their speed.<br />
<br />
Measuring bike speed by comparing ourselves to other riders is a perfect metaphor for life. Competing at life and comparing yourself to others won't make you happier, faster, or better, it'll just make you feel jealous.<br />
<br />
In my own quest to be happy (I mean fast), I've learned a few strategies. One is to roll out with the leaders, at the start of the ride and after every regroup, always ready to saddle up quickly. Averaging 22mph is great, but if you take 10 minutes to put your helmet and gloves on, you're getting dropped. Information (about speed) is power. It's easy to go one mile or two miles per hour faster than your current speed, but it's harder to accomplish that if you don't know your current speed.<br />
<br />
I am not alone in my struggle to understand speed. My friend Jan, who
first encouraged me to lead rides, shared her story with me. <br />
<br />
<b><i>Jan's Story - Speed, Like Everything, is Relative</i></b><br />
<i>When once you were perceived as fast by your friends, they may continue to </i><i>consider you fast, even though you’ve slowed down. Before my husband Bob's crash*, I was fast</i><i>. After the crash, I still biked, but I was paralyzed with fear at every intersection. I </i><i>dropped my speed because I simply couldn't think or read situations without difficulty.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>After getting over that initial fear of being hit, the bike became my safe place to be alone as I commuted back and forth to the hospital. I needed that time, and found myself slowing even more to extend the solitude. A year later, when Bob finally came home from the hospital, I </i><i>stopped biking and became his full-time caregiver. After five years, Bob got a toe-hold on life beyond </i><i>severe depression and grief at losing himself and his ability to walk. He started biking on a loaner trike. </i><i>We rode very gently a few days a week in nice weather. I was grateful that we could ride together again. </i><i>It was good for us.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We needed cruiser rides in our bike club: shorter, slower, flatter
rides that Bob could enjoy. I started a casual ride series and our
friends were very supportive and came out to ride with us. Meanwhile, although a caregiver life isn’t full of free hours, I began to ride occasionally with some of </i><i>the moderate riders while Bob stayed home. He was doing better.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My friend Britt and I had been teammates on Race Across Oregon several years before Bob’s collision. </i><i>She was still riding steadily, and of all my friends, she had the hardest time realizing that I wasn'</i><i>t choosing my new slow pace and inability to climb a hill like in the good old days. </i><i>Britt and others just saw was that I biked a lot, as I </i><i>was developing a commuter life-style. </i><i>If you've been walking daily for several years, that’s great, but you aren’t </i><i>ready to run a marathon. That's where I am now.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Many of my friends have quit riding. I’m grateful for the wonderful new friends I’ve made, but miss the old </i><i>ones because we shared years of experiences that will always bond us together. I'm biking again, getting </i><i>stronger, and even a little bit…faster.</i><br />
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<i>*Bob sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2007 when he was hit by a car in a Marine Drive crosswalk.</i><br />
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Out in the real world, the world of co-ed bike racing and endurance events, I've been inspired bythe victories and stories of <span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEEGIt6FC34&fbclid=IwAR3KRtY5HDMn3Itn0q4tsuzPvf2wt8wRaTTvIvq7hz1GcPu4clUvj0xrpaQ" target="_blank">Lael Wilcox</a>', who set a Tour Divide record and won a TransAm (yes, a
mere girl beat ALL the boys!). There are lots of <a href="https://www.rei.com/blog/cycle/more-women-than-ever-are-winning-endurance-cycling-events?cm_mmc=sm_fb_76501-_-content-_-208626907-_-journal-_-link-_-TRAFFIC&fbclid=IwAR1Gf5ccceBX3d_NncpGbppnogeoxcJzyu9mz5us9H4fdsT7GffMYMB38Fo" target="_blank">other stories</a> of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYvhKDHsWRE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1y2SWc5vcNNOz3RKN7zt7L0RHrHttKTtqkbKMaJ_jaP6DS_SyRyLHsN18" target="_blank">females exceeding</a> when we're given the chance to. My hope and wish and dream is that future generations can get a chance to be inspired by women athletes, and by women participating in grand tours like the Tour de France. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g">In the meanwhile, I'm going to ride as fast as I can.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span><br />
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<br />Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-87465112963893784372019-10-21T10:53:00.000-07:002019-10-21T10:53:05.351-07:00Three Speed October 2019Well, it's that time again, time for the Society of Three Speed's <a href="https://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/threespeedoctober/" target="_blank">Three Speed Octobe</a>r challenge!<br />
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My inaugural ride of the challenge took place on a perfect fall day - crisp and sunny. I rode to Goodwill to drop off a donation, then over to Grocery Outlet to pick up some groceries. I rode my beloved forest green Ross three speed bicycle a grand total of 3.4 miles. <br />
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The next ride took me 4.3 miles over to the newly-striped bike lanes on Foster and an early morning accupuncture session. When I came out, I was delighted to see another 3 speed locked alongside mine! The weather was just gorgeous that day, sunny and dry.<br />
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For number three, I rode the bus downtown with my niece and delivered her to Union Station so she could take the Amtrak home. Then I rode my beautiful Ross 11 miles to get home, which took me along the Esplanade and the Springwater Trail. I ran into a friend on the way home and was hard tasked to keep up with him and his titanium road bike. Later, close to home, I stopped to take a photo on the bridge over the tracks, when the train containing my niece whooshed by underneath me!<br />
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Ride number four, or ride number one of week two (three speed challenge tracking can be complex) started off with the Felony Flats Hill Killerz, but I cheated and took a bike with two derailleurs. So that doesn't count. I dropped by home and changed clothes and bikes and headed over to the Portland Mercado for the Foster Night Ride. It was a fun night, clear and very cold for this time of year. We went over to Rose City golf course and rode the single track. The Ross handles surprisingly well on that terrain and everything was great except that my pannier fell off. Pretty bumpy! We swung by Woodstock Park to hang out on the sea-saws on the way home. 12 miles total.<br />
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Ride number five happened on a windy and sunny with brilliant fall leaves swirling around. I rode over to Goodwill to make a donation, then to BiMart to pick up a prescription and around the hood until I made it to 3 miles.<br />
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Ride number six took me to a facial on Friday night, then to a party. The weather was absolutely fantastic. A little chilly, dry, sunny and a slight breeze to help the leaves fall. The party featured a backyard bonfire and the Ross got to attend that as well. 13 miles all in all. I'm not sure who this vest guy is, but he stepped right into the picture, so why not.<br />
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Lucky ride number seven featured gorgeous weather yet again. On Tuesday, October 15th, I took my lunch break to drop off a get well card at the postal box, then tooled around gravel "unimproved" roadways in my neighborhood until I reached 3 1/3 miles.<br />
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My eighth ride was both a failure and a success. I only made it 2 miles, so it won't count toward my Three Speed October status. But, it was super fun. It was rainy and dusky and ended up being a pretty creepy evening. I passed one house with every sort of terrifying thing in their yard imaginable. I ended up at a Jewish graveyard. The graves were all set into just a few rows and there was something about all that empty grass that gave me the shivers.<br />
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The second attempt at an eighth ride took me over to visit and feed my friends' kittens. I built in as many bonus blocks as possible to make it to 3 miles. The threat of rain never materialized. It was dark and fun to find as many "unimproved" blocks as possible.<br />
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My ninth and final ride of the challenge happened on a Sunday evening. I'd already gone riding and errand running with multiple derailleurs in tow, so this final ride served no other purpose than three speed fun. It was a bit misty as I headed out. I packed some books with me to leave at free libraries and ended up coming home with more books than I started with! I visited three free libraries in all and rode 3 miles.<br />
<br />
This year's three speed challenge is complete! And I'm grateful for all the fun miles I had, and especially for re-learning a valuable lesson about biking - there's no distance too short. I've really enjoyed getting out and exploring my neighborhood. <br />
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<br />Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-48184902502120427062019-09-25T15:40:00.000-07:002019-09-25T15:40:43.888-07:00Tnr 231What a crazy ride it’s been. What a crazy ride it was last night. So much happened. Of course there were the friends and the fountain, the riding and the music - all the usual fun.<br />
<br />
I peeled off downtown, just to take a break and go fast for a minute, then I lost them. I was in Chinatown, which can be a tricky place to stop and look at the ride tracker. But I did it anyway at a spot where I felt I had at least two minutes before anybody could approach me physically. A man walked up out of nowhere. He was wearing a sea captains hat and introduced himself as Captain Curtis. He said I matched my bike - we were both elegant and fast-looking. He asked politely if he could touch my handlebars and I surprised both off us when I said yes. I did follow it up with a "but don’t mess with me". He agreed, touched the handlebars and moved on.<br />
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From there I rode up Broadway, and I do mean up. It's an uphill multi-lane road in the middle of downtown with no bike lanes. About a dozen motorcycles soon engulfed me. We rode together for a dozen blocks and it was tantalizing! I felt I had joined a new club, a motorcycle club. Then they turned left and I continued on and re-joined my real club.<br />
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To the amazement and dismay of the group, we headed to the Burnside skate park, a swarm of us showed up in a place that is clearly not our territory. Several dudes from our group climbed up on a box truck and a lady nearby freaked out yelling at them. Another man without a shirt jumped out from behind a van and pushed over my bike, along with a few others. Then he continued to rampage through the crowd tossing bikes here and there while I ran ahead of him yelling "Danger! Danger!". I don’t know if it helped.<br />
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We finally moved on and right after we left a skateboarder in our group flew off his skateboard, which skated on its own right in between my two wheels as I was moving. I feel lucky not to have fallen.<br />
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Soon we were at Ladd's Circle hanging around causing trouble. After a while the group took off heading north and alas I live south and had to work in the morning, so I began to peel off. But then I saw a friend pull offer and we decided to have a peel off end party on our own and sit together on the bench and look at the moon and talk about old times. As I was leaving, he asked if we should listen to one more song and I said yes if I can sing it! <br />
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I rolled out soon after and was almost creamed by a pizza delivery driver, who cut the corner into his driveway as I was proceeding forward on the road, with my headlight blaring and my useless right of way being disrespected. I followed him into the pizza place, letting him know he was not getting away with it. I asked for the boss and told him what happened. Meanwhile, the driver jerk guy kept saying, "lady, you zipped around the corner" and "lady, I didn't see you" and "lady, you came out of nowhere" and even "lady, did you expect me to slam my brakes on?!". I made sure he understood I did not zip anywhere, I merely rode my bike in a forward motion and that seeing me is his job as a driver, not to mention a paid driver, and that, yes, I expect him to slam his brakes on instead of hit a human. <br />
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After that lovely exchange, I rode the few remaining miles home expecting another story at every turn but happily finding just quiet and peace. I do love my peripheral urban address. I talked myself into doing one small bonus hill in preparation for the next felony flats hill killerz ride and finally made it home to bed.Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-24901576123048178272019-09-04T11:15:00.005-07:002019-09-04T11:15:44.146-07:00Swift Summit 200/100<br />
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<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was too busy doing urban rides and out partying all summer to train, but since I'd already registered, I showed up to "race" the 100 mile Swift Summit. While the 200-mile-racers started at 5am, us 100-milers got to sleep in and start at 9am. There was a good-sized crowd milling around, checking in and attaching beautifully-crafted race numbers to their bikes, so I circulated to ask riders to share their strategies for the race with me. </span><br />
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<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are the answers I got: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Start slow, taper off
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep my cadence consistent</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Pedal and finish</span> </span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ride a light bike and just fucking do it </span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Just keep pedaling</span> </span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Have fun
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Go from the gun
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Pedaling, more pedaling, followed by more pedaling</span></li>
<li>
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Cry on the hill to focus on emotional pain over physical
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Have fun, fun, fun
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep working the legs
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stretch the hamstrings
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">One foot in front of the other
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span></li>
<li>
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope my tires hold pressure because I had too many beers last night
</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ride my ride</span></li>
<li>
<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ride with piglet (while brandishing tiny pink plush toy)</span></li>
<li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Pedal as hard and fast as possible at all times (this one's mine!)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We had gorgeous weather for riding - cool temps and a bit of mist, which is always preferable over hot hot heat. The route was absolutely stunning. The "controls" were perfect - small and stocked with my favorite things: potato chips and PBJs. </span><br />
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<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The finish line party at Conversion Brewing was a blast. One advantage of choosing to race the shorter distance is more time to hang around, drink beer, listen to live music and watch others finish. Our race director treated us to a recited poem at the start, an anonymous pen pal exchange prior to the event, a can of IPA with the Swift Summit logo and a cap for finishers (top cap for 100 milers, hat for 200 milers).</span><br />
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<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It took me 8 hours, which I feel pretty good about considering somehow I got to August without riding a century yet this year. I lost 12 minutes to a flat tire and another 15 to getting lost on the way to the finish line. Otherwise it was a perfect day!</span><br />
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</span>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-6383686480839424992019-07-24T16:42:00.000-07:002019-07-25T11:08:03.439-07:00Memorializing Lance<br />
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Family, friends, bike riders and activists showed up at Flavel Park to memorialize Lance Hart, the gentleman cyclist killed by a drunk driver on June 24th. It happened just 20 blocks from my front door - too far away to hear it - but I did get up suddenly that night to run to the window, thinking I'd heard a scream.<br />
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A lady spoke about how her son was killed while riding a bike, years ago, also on June 24th. A man from a politician's office spoke about prioritizing safety improvements on the streets in my neighborhood. Another couple of men spoke about their work with local activist groups, and the importance of Vision Zero.<br />
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The streets in my neighborhood don't seem any more unsafe than any other streets. I do understand the importance of improving infrastructure, as a tool to influence the perception that cyclists are present and allowed on the roadways. In my view, the real problem is with the hegemony of car culture. I'm aware I live on the fringe, outside much of our society because of my unwillingness to participate in this car culture. Sentences like "everyone needs to drive", "you need a car", "free street parking is important" and the like, are not ones you'll hear me uttering. But I hear them often.<br />
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The group of 20 or so riders departed eastbound on Flavel Street for a silent ride. Each bike carried a bouquet of flowers and had several white streamers tied on. We solemnly took the lane. These streets belong to people, not just to motorists, and fatality should not be a price of admission for mobility.<br />
<br />
Soon after we started off, we saw a man on a bike going the other way. He said, over and over, "I'm a ghost". He wore a white t-shirt. I have no idea what in the heck made him say that but it was effectively haunting.<br />
<br />
We stopped at the light at the corner of Flavel and 82nd, the same spot where Lydia Johnson was right hooked and killed by a truck. A ghost bike appeared after her death, then quickly disappeared. It's a rough corner. There are new sidewalk ramps there now, along with a new utility box. I'm making it my mission to get a ghost bike painted on that utility box. Stay tuned for more on that.<br />
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We continued a couple more blocks, then u-turned at the cross walk. Our white streamers blew around us, marking us as a memorial procession to drivers, most of whom were respectful. We arrived at the sight of Lance's death and each rider kneeled in turn to tie flowers to the white ghost bike locked there. I tied mine to the chain and cried at this unnecessary and tragic loss of life.<br />
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An angry driver, annoyed we'd been in her way, and claiming that one of us had been aggressive, stopped, parked illegally and jumped out of her vehicle to confront us. I ran over to her, told her this was not the time, informed her this was a memorial and asked her to leave. She didn't seem to care and continued to accuse us of being aggressive. I was bewildered by the lack of compassion and the apparent obliviousness to the difference between road rage and grief. This confrontation served as a bleak reminder of the difference between an angry cyclist and an angry driver. An angry cyclist annoys, an angry driver kills. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBItBuYO_E-SMS0VCGFNgxPWboydO2MCPGpF0XD8NN_X4twayVT9RrOtKcPB9AtvqGqAfC7k48C-iT_W04SQkAnU-DBjJsR-Q4stR2Dvk55W6BbHsKxIR8mFwnl1AhzATpiaAepitCGUQ/s1600/IMG_3735.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1198" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBItBuYO_E-SMS0VCGFNgxPWboydO2MCPGpF0XD8NN_X4twayVT9RrOtKcPB9AtvqGqAfC7k48C-iT_W04SQkAnU-DBjJsR-Q4stR2Dvk55W6BbHsKxIR8mFwnl1AhzATpiaAepitCGUQ/s320/IMG_3735.JPEG" width="239" /></a></div>
Lance's best friend met us at the corner. He started to tell us about the details of the crash and I just couldn't take any more, so I headed down the block slowly. A few minutes later the rest of the group rolled out together. We passed a home made "SLOW" sign on the way to the community center. It made me wonder about the family that made and posted such a sign on this tiny residential street, and how these hand made signs are a sign of the dark times we live in.<br />
<br />Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-39671756452122866712019-07-17T10:26:00.002-07:002019-07-17T10:26:59.547-07:00TiresI changed the tires on the KHS today using a mixed batch from my basement stash. I put a Schwalbe Durano on the rear and a Continental on the front. I don’t really care for Schwalbe. Their tires are fine but most of their model names are men’s names like Racing Ralph, Rocket Ron, Nobby Nic - you get the idea. Continental has a cool logo and I mounted a "Force" on the front, even though it's actually meant for the rear as part of the Force/Attack road race tires so popular last century and early this century. These tires only came in skinny mini sizes, and that was at the tail end of the skinny mini road race tire trend, although we didn’t know it then, fat would become the new skinny. Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-52007070497031803112019-06-03T11:14:00.041-07:002022-08-08T13:31:00.116-07:00Pedalpalooza 2019<p><a href="https://www.shift2bikes.org/pedalpalooza-calendar/" target="_blank">Pedalpalooza</a> in Portland is like Christmas at the North Pole, only better. There's a pervading sense of joy and fun and community. This frenzy of bike rides takes place every June and includes all sorts of bike fun for all sorts of riders.<br />
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The first ride I attended, and the first I led this year, was the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/341063656752325/" target="_blank">hill killerz</a> "Which Hill Is Worse" ride. I started this little club a few months ago with the idea that a few of us could meet up in my 'hood and crush some hills together. We're now 30 members strong and have had about a dozen rides all told. Rides are usually short and local, but once we did a longer ride that took us up a steep butte in Gresham. There's only one rule: no driving to the ride. If it's so far away a person needs to drive, I'd encourage them to start their own local hill kill club. Maybe one day there'll be a network of hill killerz clubs all over town!<br />
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The Which Hill Is Worse ride attracted 15 riders, much to my astonishment. In past Pedalpalooza rides, I'd only heard complaints about hills, so I was surprised and delighted that this many people would show up to do multiple hills on purpose. Sure, Pedalpalooza is a party, but it's ok to get some exercise too! After we killed the hills together, I handed out ballots. We headed over to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/foponr/" target="_blank">Foster Night Ride</a>, which is a year round, every-other-Tuesday evening jaunt from Portland Mercado. I tabulated the votes, one cast in blood, and 55th Avenue won by a landslide.</div>
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Next up, I led the <a href="https://portlandsociety.org/" target="_blank">Portland Society</a>'s mural tour. Over 100 riders awaited me at the start! Luckily I had drawn up a giant route map and studied it a lot in advance. Making a wrong turn with 100 riders in tow is not fun. We visited 12 murals over 6 miles, with no theme other than art I liked. </div>
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A week earlier, when I went out to find murals, I rode my bike on Division. A driver straddled the dotted yellow line, opened his window and took his eyes off the road to warn me of how dangerous it was here and that the greenway was just a block over. I refrained from telling him the freeway was only a mile over. Greenways are nice, but all roads are for all users and I will persist in using the roads I need to. On the evening of the mural ride, a woman from a nearby business, also on Division, came out to find me and warn me that this area of Division is dangerous. I reassured her that each and every cyclist there, who were all owning their space in the street, is well aware of how deadly the behavior of motor vehicle operators can be.</div>
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A few nights later, I met up with my Analog Alley Cat co-organizers to make our race plans. While we were strategizing, the Hawaiian ride swooped in on us. Lots of friends tried to sit with us and we had to shoo them away from our top secret papers and maps. It seems wherever you go in June, you're bound to run into a ride!</div>
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That Friday after work, Armando led a half century ride - not 50 miles but for people aged 50+. It was really refreshing to ride with my peers and not feel like "the old one". It was also inspiring to know that these badasses were my age and still fit and fun.</div>
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The Analog Alley Cat had been on my mind for years. This is the way alley cat races used to be - no phones, no GPS, no lady robot voice guiding your route. We had a lot of fun creating a challenging list of checkpoints, including sending folks to <a href="https://futelco.tumblr.com/post/182726046349" target="_blank">Futel free payphones</a>, where they had to call in to prove they'd been there. 25 racers braved Portland, armed only with a manifest and a paper map. Two ladies tied for the win, and there were prizes for the top 5 places, along with a special prize package for DFL (a slow triangle, Trimet day pass and chain lube).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: No Lens Cap</td></tr>
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I learned that the Plaid to Plaid ride started just down the street from the Analog Alley Cat finish line, and I remembered I was wearing plaid underwear, so I headed on over. I bought snacks and drinks at one Plaid Pantry and carried them to the next Plaid Pantry. After two stores, I'd had my fill so I peeled off to check out the Missy Elliott ride.</div>
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Laurelhust was mobbed with riders and dancers and mobile sound systems blasting Missy Elliott tunes. I ran into some friends and stayed for a while. On the way out from the park, one of my rack bolts broke and by the time I'd zip-tied it back on, the ride was long gone. My day felt complete, so I headed home.</div>
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The first felony flats hill killerz ride was such a success, I spontaneously led another one. This one was a bit smaller, but still fun. We wrapped up in time for riders to join the Thursday Night Ride (TNR). One rider in street clothes told another rider in lycra that he shouldn't come to TNR dressed that way and I got a golden opportunity to school him on lycra-shaming. I so often hear riders encouraged to wear regular clothes, and I support that, but I also think it's a-ok to wear spandex or a tutu or a unicorn costume or your birthday suit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: No Lens Cap</td></tr>
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The next evening was Dropout Prom. This is one of the most special and popular rides, and there were rumors it would be the last year the Dropouts would organize it. A certain handsome gentleman asked me to be his date, adding to the magic and romance of the evening. I turned into a pumpkin around 2am and darted home to get to bed, as I had a 6am pick up to go do a road ride in the valley. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KLLsQedoVCzp_LzNHW3_bJmTQ7YspSx4h7DndiOoSEp5J0vqf0xTLPWYuvjEMTPvHSGH7A4RIk4_8rPuzjrihMFXrTdcCSoUYCUWC8kG8TRH9bUsZ4t53U-X3joIA2cWF9vfAnzE5aw/s1600/59921A6F-6D99-42A7-8F76-F9B41C288D51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KLLsQedoVCzp_LzNHW3_bJmTQ7YspSx4h7DndiOoSEp5J0vqf0xTLPWYuvjEMTPvHSGH7A4RIk4_8rPuzjrihMFXrTdcCSoUYCUWC8kG8TRH9bUsZ4t53U-X3joIA2cWF9vfAnzE5aw/s320/59921A6F-6D99-42A7-8F76-F9B41C288D51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the rest stops on the road ride featured a playground with 3 giant tube slides. It was nice to get in some giant slide time, as I had recently learned the giant slide at Wilson Pool, which had been a highlight of the Swim Across Portland, had burned. Yes, burned. Some idiot broke into the pool and lit it on fire. It's too expensive to replace, so that's it for slide fun at that pool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsJ2bVkbPjBd43Akp9cHOfLfZSpFC9lfaMqCVR3PidW0HoiUO7M7I_mHQR_91mCICjT92kfeVBj0Y2XPt8epLy5HP7qG1vNOBvpRmXy06n4avGKGVQNmIX9gvxD85K-PTO6Inid-velI/s1600/58277775944__DF3C693B-20D6-40AC-87E3-93DE57A55EE6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsJ2bVkbPjBd43Akp9cHOfLfZSpFC9lfaMqCVR3PidW0HoiUO7M7I_mHQR_91mCICjT92kfeVBj0Y2XPt8epLy5HP7qG1vNOBvpRmXy06n4avGKGVQNmIX9gvxD85K-PTO6Inid-velI/s320/58277775944__DF3C693B-20D6-40AC-87E3-93DE57A55EE6.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Nine riders rode up the giant hill to the pool. It was overcast and cool, ensuring we pretty much owned the pool. Although there was no slide, we still had fun on the diving board, in the lazy river and in the vortex. Bucket roulette wasn't bad either. Full of nachos with fake cheese and fully chlorinated, riders headed down the hill to the Willamette. We skipped the beach swim because it just felt too chilly, and headed across the Tilikum Bridge. Soon, rider after rider peeled off. The remaining three of us decided to skip the last pool to try to grab some Grilled By Bike snacks on our way to the Dock O'Clock. </div>
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I jumped in the river and promptly got back out - it was chilly! Soon the ride was leaving and I was caught behind the tiki bike. The box held a lady, who held out skewers of barbecued yumminess, so I took a chance and grabbed one. A bit later, I had a nice little crash with a bike toting a trailer. Turns out they have a wide turning radius. It's great to crash in front of everyone and create a bike traffic jam while disentangling from the bike. We soon arrived at the dock beneath the Fremont Bridge, where very brave swimmers jumped off, swam across to a pier, jumped off and returned. </div>
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Our next beach was also our last stop, and I refrained from going in as I now had open wounds. The tunes and the fun folks and the campfire were superb. I finally joined some southbound friends and wove my way home, stopping only to lube squeaky chains. </div>
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The next Thursday Night Ride planned to meet up with my perennial favorite, the Rocky Butte Sunset Dance Party ride. It misted on us, then it rained, then drizzled and sprinkled. I had worn my rain jeans, which are actually just wet jeans that feel like a cold sponge. I got lost in the store and almost lost my money, then came out to find the group was gone. I chased and chased and finally caught them on the way up the Butte. I raced up it, passed by two kids on fixies, then a dude with two derailleurs. Fourth up ain't so bad. At the top, the tiki bike awaited us with tunes and a disco ball and even a propane heater.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bt78V3Wyo0fXhVUFAu5Tj6fZ0mzwkYBPtaSxYwsB8pkF5cqg5ZKA0lWUo1TeQifXZUAwNGSqETBIUGWx6A0Iw44y7JWlAQ0gtDOQ7Md1CqHRYbEiLoLvvn3OxTzEQayDSL4o-dB0We0/s1600/IMG_3491.JPEG" style="display: inline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bt78V3Wyo0fXhVUFAu5Tj6fZ0mzwkYBPtaSxYwsB8pkF5cqg5ZKA0lWUo1TeQifXZUAwNGSqETBIUGWx6A0Iw44y7JWlAQ0gtDOQ7Md1CqHRYbEiLoLvvn3OxTzEQayDSL4o-dB0We0/s320/IMG_3491.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next night was Loud 'n Lit, and I'd volunteered as an official corker. It felt super fun and punk rock to show up to PAZ to spray paint high viz vests and witness the debacle of last minute welding and wrenching on two bikes to create a chariot to lead the ride. I pitched in where I could, adding bar end plugs, taping off derailleur cable ends and greasing anything threaded.<br />
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The Loud 'n Lit start was packed with over 4000 well-lit and sound-systemed riders. It was difficult to find anything, but also easy to run into lots of friends. Our corking strategy required us to stay near the front, corking the first few blocks, then catching back up. Even getting to the front as we left proved tricky, but I made it. Soon corking was afoot. </div>
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In the early '90s, when I was riding in the first Critical Mass rides in San Francisco, I saw corking for the first time. We didn't have a term for it then, but it was necessary to guide drivers to stop and be patient while the train of riders went through. For the riders to stop at every light and break the ride up into several small groups not only created chaos and danger for riders, but it could actually clog motor vehicle traffic more. </div>
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Pedalpalooza is about bike fun, but it's also about owning the streets. It's a protest against the hegemony of car culture, and the motor vehicles that usually dominate the streets. This is our turn. Corking is fraught with tension, and a good exercise in self-control, patience and compassion. My method is to smile and wave at drivers. I apologize for the delay and thank them for their patience. Many smile and wave back, tooting their horns in beat with the music. Some turn their engines off and climb on top of their hood for a good view of the light show. Some get angry. Sometimes that anger takes a dark delve into attempted murder. To me, it's a clear sign of how toxic car culture is. Drivers are cut off from the physical reality of the street, and they feel entitled to GO GO GO and every stop is a major inconvenience. I was able to help three such drivers take a breath and resist their urge to plow into the crowd. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAsQooYEl_Stsr_bE6481e2ojlhx_T7RxbjXnfSHnSeeUzCZTTl3n-EgAls3J8Vwsp-ED0ZR8rPNlCScefazOFs-FQJtduMPFEHnYyM7RzeNTOc6ivm9CPSEa7LE1yi0Xic4ODLrTe9M/s1600/IMG_3499.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAsQooYEl_Stsr_bE6481e2ojlhx_T7RxbjXnfSHnSeeUzCZTTl3n-EgAls3J8Vwsp-ED0ZR8rPNlCScefazOFs-FQJtduMPFEHnYyM7RzeNTOc6ivm9CPSEa7LE1yi0Xic4ODLrTe9M/s320/IMG_3499.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The fun really starts at the end party on this ride. It's like a giant impromptu night club, set up right on the Esplanade near downtown. There are disco balls and dancing, fire juggling and hula hoops. Once again, I became a pumpkin around 2am, this time so I could get up the next morning to lead a French Toast Ride for the Gladys Century Curious club. </div>
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Bike fun of every flavor abounds in Portland and I'm grateful and delighted to take part in it. There's a ton more bike fun coming this summer, but I'll admit there's always a little bit of a sadness on July 1st, when the official Pedalpalooza is over. It's as if the veil of fun has lifted, and there's more fun behind it, just with less sequins and sparkles overlayed.</div>
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<br /><p></p>Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-55939504618556414532019-05-31T18:18:00.014-07:002019-06-19T09:15:52.621-07:00The Backs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z7I8hBf6SVUA0SYtBWO_LUoR8ByGPucmz9lrC2QUGWD6N-4EE6aknSIfZ5nLNnSUZEyyI4SINdMt7fHf1kW-i_XLPsFp765iA6zsH515FBNsPZ3bsZP5PXbjIAJKtrS8oSTfKtn-T_E/s1600/IMG_2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="none" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z7I8hBf6SVUA0SYtBWO_LUoR8ByGPucmz9lrC2QUGWD6N-4EE6aknSIfZ5nLNnSUZEyyI4SINdMt7fHf1kW-i_XLPsFp765iA6zsH515FBNsPZ3bsZP5PXbjIAJKtrS8oSTfKtn-T_E/s320/IMG_2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Bikepacking the <a href="https://bicyclekitty.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-oregon-outback-2014-edition.html" target="_blank">Oregon Outback in 2014</a> set me off in a whole new direction as a cyclist. This little blog gained a lot of attention and even influenced some to do the ride the following year. The former is great but the latter is my mission - helping motivate people to ride, to do any ride at all, feels very important to me.<br />
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When some friends asked how challenging the Oregon Outback is (kinda hard but not soul crushing) and if it was something they could do (hell yes!), I decided to create a team. In <a href="https://bicyclekitty.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-oregon-outback-2015-edition.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, "my" nine riders joined me at the start, and every single one of them finished. Since then, I’ve put together some other bikepacking adventures and it's been fun to include "back" in the name, which is meant as a tip of the cap to the original.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmXvOJFkjufz9riSzs6DyH_tYKBqjMSC27VWl1gmyeHzSgog4U1qBYFoV97a10BrNNjJwUrae5SNeyRlO42UpOrCjY0NqokUyHHsSu5Jr2J0cC6cEW7fbHHZpZTuubOCp4ktPvMMbmJ4/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmXvOJFkjufz9riSzs6DyH_tYKBqjMSC27VWl1gmyeHzSgog4U1qBYFoV97a10BrNNjJwUrae5SNeyRlO42UpOrCjY0NqokUyHHsSu5Jr2J0cC6cEW7fbHHZpZTuubOCp4ktPvMMbmJ4/s320/IMG_1167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In 2016 I took a break from the "Backs" to compete in the <a href="https://bicyclekitty.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-steens-mazama-1000.html" target="_blank">Steens Mazama 1000</a>. I suppose that race counts as bikepacking but it felt harder because it was so dang long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaYkEYfWKtc3eCY3eSt2hGqwRt7GR2kkqj28jeZlZ0o0qdIB-9x5hvbFH_SxMsq4gsLUmr_n4wIZIBzPxUpx-1e6qj4G0faGbwrLI6DAccFMkzIyecFNjJMFZ3d_cSdURPU2JUo_GlsY/s1600/IMG_4063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaYkEYfWKtc3eCY3eSt2hGqwRt7GR2kkqj28jeZlZ0o0qdIB-9x5hvbFH_SxMsq4gsLUmr_n4wIZIBzPxUpx-1e6qj4G0faGbwrLI6DAccFMkzIyecFNjJMFZ3d_cSdURPU2JUo_GlsY/s320/IMG_4063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2uCNfy-NbglhLd4iluamMI0CR-4GRpFSlAkisfwJQ1NqxaCoozSzlHmIsrIPIj_idW_DI658m-npTL_hQFLmvI-E2rfg0mRDjDWxL-rYRwFD1syVkn78hXUkC20QhvbvBNe74KAmxuk/s1600/IMG_4171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2uCNfy-NbglhLd4iluamMI0CR-4GRpFSlAkisfwJQ1NqxaCoozSzlHmIsrIPIj_idW_DI658m-npTL_hQFLmvI-E2rfg0mRDjDWxL-rYRwFD1syVkn78hXUkC20QhvbvBNe74KAmxuk/s320/IMG_4171.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXHSge1jjKE5MezMhylCJNiI0YRm5jDas4CYGP5ZNiZj4wpnjRYn1YcWYmJu_E5k1EajJdUYCLkZaUdYDV0OJAdScZGuMw5N2Yit213Tym1z632aQhhdIVQhoEPuLSdnCNWEtR4YKUi8/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXHSge1jjKE5MezMhylCJNiI0YRm5jDas4CYGP5ZNiZj4wpnjRYn1YcWYmJu_E5k1EajJdUYCLkZaUdYDV0OJAdScZGuMw5N2Yit213Tym1z632aQhhdIVQhoEPuLSdnCNWEtR4YKUi8/s320/IMG_1754.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In 2017, a group of us rode the <a href="https://bicyclekitty.blogspot.com/2017/03/oregon-out-n-back.html" target="_blank">Out-n-Back</a>, a six day trek starting in Klamath Falls, tracing the route of the original Oregon Outback and u-turning near Fort Rock to ride south back to Klamath Falls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC-fL4J7xDRHc9D2dR8-DsaeefgEQO7djmLBT5Kpxq-D9hXshmAkqBG0EH0QB44MvLfuJ6XF7wKPW-aEDJxU99lten_nM-49pHLuldu6gYP8xWSUvGTquK3gI-b8ulgO3Y2AkrRP5IT4/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC-fL4J7xDRHc9D2dR8-DsaeefgEQO7djmLBT5Kpxq-D9hXshmAkqBG0EH0QB44MvLfuJ6XF7wKPW-aEDJxU99lten_nM-49pHLuldu6gYP8xWSUvGTquK3gI-b8ulgO3Y2AkrRP5IT4/s320/IMG_1290.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In 2018, we rode a fictional route called the <a href="https://bicyclekitty.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-northback.html" target="_blank">NorthBack</a>, a 500 mile mixed-terrain loop from Bend to the Crooked River, Prineville, the Ochocos, Mitchell, Condon, Cottonwood Canyon, Grass Valley, Maupin, Madras, Lake Billy Chinook and Sisters. The list of town names might imply a civilized trip, but much of it felt remote.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtGy3T9xcWgH4ibUgHCTzvld3_2d8Ac0e-kp0nusumPPyDKT3KZCEd2KI8opn3vuspyzpUmf3nc8NSdCBf9tJnkUJ2Mr3bKAzz64yYZ2UiqY97bD4FnaGVlfri0IXaMvZkfGiFImd7TQ/s1600/IMG_3143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtGy3T9xcWgH4ibUgHCTzvld3_2d8Ac0e-kp0nusumPPyDKT3KZCEd2KI8opn3vuspyzpUmf3nc8NSdCBf9tJnkUJ2Mr3bKAzz64yYZ2UiqY97bD4FnaGVlfri0IXaMvZkfGiFImd7TQ/s320/IMG_3143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
For 2019, we put together a mini-tour and called it the Baby Back. Nine riders, some from other "Backs", some experienced, some on their first bikepacking trip, set out on Saturday morning from the Cup and Bar café on MLK, which is a deluxe spot to meet due to its central location and indoor bike parking. We headed up to Washington Park, and soon found ourselves in a rainy portion of the western suburbs, picking up our 10th and final rider for the weekend.<br />
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The rain and the traffic picked up right around the same time. We kept riding anyway. Finally to Gales Creek, I ignored intuition and passed a diner with a large "milkshakes" sign on my way to another store a couple miles down. The second store had apparently been closed for a couple of years so I turned back and arrived at the first diner just as two other riders were getting their milkshakes delivered. After the break, we went back out to find the rain had dried up. A few miles later, I heard dogs barking so I thought we were in Timber, but not quite! Some more climbing took us to an innocent-looking street sign with some discreet yellow zip ties poking through the base. These were Randonneur markings, I was sure of it, so I added my own pink zip tie to the mix and carried on.<br />
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The cabin in Timber made the whole ride worthwhile. Tired riders congregated on the couch. It was a cozy getaway complete with a kitchen, woodburning stove and laundry. The next morning our enjoyment came to a quick halt as we headed up a steep little climb on a nice quiet gravel road. Once again, I ignored the intuition beckoning me onto a paved downhill slope to second breakfast in Vernonia. Instead, I joined the group and we all rode up, up and more up onto gravel that ascended into single track, with lots of stunning and well-earned vistas. We made it to Vernonia barely in time for a late lunch. Our planned bonus miles to Yankton pie were a joke now. In a handy twist of fate, we did yank a pie plate from Cosmo’s wheel before leaving lunch for Pittsburg gravel.<br />
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We made it to Camp Wilkerson and enjoyed the luxury of a large group site with leantos and picnic tables and a fire pit. After a fun and restful evening, we were all charged up and ready for our day three. We decided to nix the somewhat dull planned route, which would've taken us to North Plains and back through the suburbs. Instead we headed down Camp Nine Road, which is a new favorite, to the Crown Zellerbach Trail. We quickly passed through Scappoose, then headed west into the Dutch Mountain Canyon to climb Otto Miller Road and Dixie Mountain Road and finally regrouped at Skyline Tavern for a well-deserved beer and dinner.<br />
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Some of us had done one or all of the Backs, some were new to the posse, and some were new to bikepacking. By the end, we were all fast friends. Some shed tears, justifying the name of our tour, all laughed, and all had a fantastic time!<br />
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Just for kicks, here are my three bikepacking (or loaded touring) rigs, each in their native environment.<br />
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<br />Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064468132388413081.post-89562241139491367472019-03-04T14:53:00.003-08:002019-04-22T13:25:20.686-07:00The Dogs of Timber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's something special about the town, or lack of town, of Timber. I've ridden through it many times, and always with a feeling of nostalgia, and always with a nice soundtrack of dogs barking. The town does not contain any open businesses, just houses and a pretty bridge over the Nehalem River. And now the town contains a newly built cabin belonging to a friend, and the promise of many future adventures on the approved but unbuilt Salmonberry Trail.<br />
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Our first day out riding was my first day out riding, or doing any exercise for that matter, in three weeks. This year, for the first time I can remember, I hibernated. On purpose, and without guilt. I gave myself many long winter naps, lots of sauntering walks, craft projects, time with the cat and even healthy nutrition.<br />
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So it shouldn't have surprised me how bad I sucked. Chasing my two fast friends up the snowy slushy roads proved more than my legs or my derailleur could handle, and I found myself struggling to walk, ice balls forming on my cleats.<br />
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After eighteen miles, I decided to retreat back to the cabin with its promise of hot chili, a roaring fireplace and a wall-sized map to plot future adventures. On the way there, my tail tucked firmly between my saddle rails, I met a canine who barked and gave chase until I pulled out my old alpha voice. <br />
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<br />Bicycle Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07022789398429575301noreply@blogger.com0