PUPPY

Over the weekend we made a trip to Performance...for no real good reason really, just seemed like the thing to do as we were in Portland. We made our purchase and were on our way out and stopped by the shop to say good-bye to Mark and lo and behold Cory was there! It had been quite a while since we last saw Cory who I think is a pretty great bike mechanic - he built my bike and it is AWESOME!

He instructed us to look in the Red Honda Element to see his puppy....PUPPY?!

I'm outta here...

WAIT, did he say a RED ELEMENT?! I never pegged Cory as a person that would drive an Element...at least it is RED...

Check this little guy out - so CUTE!

Weekend of too much FUN

This last weekend was another busy one...this may be the last jam-packed weekend for a while or at least until our vacation in a couple of weeks. Although that promises to be nothing more than hanging out at home and paying attention to neglected home projects.

Morning Ride
Saturday AM I met Kristen for a ride around 8:00 and we rode to the Vancouver Farmer's Market and did a quick walk-thru and then made our way back to our starting point via Fruit Valley / Lakeshore / 36th Avenue which turned out to be a very pleasant 20 mile ride. It was a lot of fun because I got to ride with someone other than Tom. I don't have many choices for cycling partners who are women, so when Kristen mentioned riding I jumped at the opportunity. It's been a while since we last had the opportunity to ride - way over a year or more. Also, all I have really been doing is commuting to work mostly and the organized rides in and around Portland. Hopefully this fall we'll get some Saturday rides in.

Company Picnic

Saturday afternoon we went to Tom's Company Picnic which was at the Oregon Zoo this year - a nice change from all the masses at Oaks Park. I can't even remember the last time we went to a DEA picnic...at least 4 years! Tom asked if I would be interested and that it would be at the zoo I thought it would be more interesting at least. The day turned out to be pretty nice and we had lunch then walked around for a little while before heading out. I would probably go to this picnic again if they don't change the location for next year. The funny thing is that at the picnic, Tom didn't recognize hardly anyone, just a couple of people! He met up with a fellow geek engineer and they were chit chatting a bit and his buddy said that these people work in their office. I mentioned that they might want to leave the 7th floor every once in a while, there are other people and other departments within the David Evans world.

Damara Zebras

Portland Century
I don't know what happened between last year and this year, but I thoroughly did not enjoy this ride. First I forgot my computer, so that was a huge let down AND the sports drink that I had ready to go....well I remember having it in my hands at one point, but it never made it to my gear tub.

Also, it is official, I am NOT in love with the Springwater Corridor, I don't even like it. It's a long bumpy trail and even a carbon bike doesn't help dampen the roughness of the path. There are too many approach roads that we had to slow down for and many cross overs at streets. The first 18 miles were so bumpy and unpleasant and tiring that by the time we got to the rest stop I was pretty much spent. Not totally, but enough to leave me with a poor attitude.

I did not take much advantage of the first rest stop except for the porta-potty and I was pretty excited to be using this one for the handicap which is quite roomy, but once I stepped foot in it and took a look at the toilet, I was done....I am not THAT desperate! Can you say Porta-Poopie? SO GROSS, I don't think that one was sufficiently serviced before being put in use especially since there could not have been THAT many people using it to cause that sort of mess. I went back to the line, informed the gal that was next and she was grateful for the tip...and promptly took my place back at that spot in the line-up for a less gross porta-potty.

The next part of the ride to the next rest stop was about 10 miles which went pretty easy and I was feeling pretty good still - we were actually on the road in traffic instead of trying to avoid being broadsided, we got to ride WITH traffic! Always a good thing. Got to the next rest stop and had a slice of pizza after using real FLUSH toilets and then made our way back on the course. Once we reach Marine Drive I was feeling the full extent of my tiredness and the wind was not helping. So my attitude sunk even further and I was just not having a good time at all. The last rest stop at Smith & Bybee Lakes was a welcome sight and I was able to regain a little bit of my sunken spirit to make it back to PSU which would be more than 7-10 miles or so - a piece of cake!

After spying the line for the gourmet salmon lunch provided by Madison's Grill, which was at least 150 people deep, we decided that we were not THAT hungry, so we grabbed one "goody bag" and headed back to the car at Tom's office. After a quick change into clean non-cycling specific clothing we went home.

Pizza Break

Still in good spirits...

Concert...????

You would think that doing so much to this point - a 20 mile ride Saturday for me, the zoo and then the 50 mile Portland Century - we would actually relax at home. Nope, we had concert tickets to see Lulu LaFever at Bethany. The only problem with that plan was that it started to rain and we were to go with Matt & Kristen. The sprinkles that came about mid-afternoon had turned into rain so after a couple of phone calls Tom and I went over to Matt & Kristen's and we had our picnic dinner and some wine in their backyard, under the patio! It was great to spend some time with them and catch up with recent happenings. You would think that I would have been disappointed by not going to the concert, but it was nice to hang out and relax with some good friends talking about cycling and cycling and more cycling. Well it wasn't all cycling, but they are a unique couple in our circle of friends - in that they both ride road bikes - and they are pretty laid back with a couple of really great kids. We certainly have enjoyed their friendship during the past almost 4 years that they have been here.

Kristen & I in her kitchen...

It's amazing that the month has gone by so quickly. Tom and I haven't been to church all of this month so far and he has decided that we will spend the remaining Sunday away from church and make up our own ride to end our month of Sunday Cycling Events - and one running event. It will be good to get back and worship with our church family, I've been missing my friends!

NO TV?

This week Tom and I went without TV in the evenings after dinner - we spent some time hanging out with each other instead of focusing on mindless shows, turning our brains to mush. We spent a lot of the week working on our bikes - I rotated my tires while Tom worked on his bottom bracket along with a good bath for my bike - there was Gleukos all over it from the Vine Ride.

This is good though, we have yet another busy weekend ahead of us with me going for a ride with Kristen, to Tom's company picnic at the zoo and the Portland Century on Sunday and a concert at Bethany Vineyards in the evening.

Mt Hood Jazz 5K Fun Run

Today was the first Mt Hood Jazz 5K Fun Run. As I was searching for 5K runs to do in the near future I spied this one which I thought would be fun to do after doing a 65 (71) mile ride the day before.

I was feeling pretty good after a good night's rest, going to bed at 7:30 last night, and was hoping to do pretty well. Unfortunately I did not count on the humidity to be a factor - and I was feeling sapped after mile 1! Even with 3 walk breaks and taking both water breaks we still did better than Livestrong and finished strong - 36:40 (11:48 mile). Not bad! We'll be training a little more after we are done with our August cycling events for the Gresham Jazz 5K on October 12.

Getting Ready to run... Post Run...non-sweaty clothes...
Corn Dogs!
I'm Hungry!

2008 VINE RIDE

This is our 4th year participating in this event and as always it was a blast! We signed up for the 65 mile route and as a bonus actually rode 71, I don't know what happened, I guess it was just the way that the organizers routed us around . After 3 rest stops, a couple of potty stops and a few hills we made it back to Newberg in 5:03:50. We beat last years time by 30 minutes AND the route was a little longer. (CORRECTION - A quick search in my previous posts show that we did 67 miles last year and finished in 4 hours 53 minutes.)

We started the ride around 6:40 a.m. and enjoyed the cool weather for 3/4th of the ride - it felt good to get off the bike at the finish!

Before heading out for the day....

A short break on the road...

Rest stop in Dayton - SNACK TIME! Fresh bales of straw/hay... A very tired and hot finish back at Newberg High School! Despite the heat it was a great ride and we always look forward to this one every year. Next week is the Portland Century!

BATS

Not the kind you swing, the kind with WINGS....as per usual, Tom was not around when I encountered the bat in the KITCHEN, just flittin' about and all. That is not a sight that one would expect at 5:25 in the morning and I was freaked out, but not so much that I would be crazy - I closed doors to key areas and then called Tom at his office and to let him know that things were not quite right. Then decided that I needed to document this momentus occasion with a 30 second movie taken with the digital camera.

I did not realize that I would not be able to rotate the movie like I am able to with photos afterwards, but here it is....

Tom assured me that the bat wouldn't hurt me or anything, but the thing is, it's a bat and it's in the house and I'm not a fan of things that can fly - that are flying around my kitchen. After about 15 minutes I was able to continue with my morning routine as the bat, I'm guessing, made it down to the basement. I wasn't really in the mood to find out so I got ready for work and headed out. Tom will have to deal with it when he gets home.

On a positive note, Decaf jumped up on the counter next to the refrigerator in an effort to get to the bat and immediately jumped down. Turns out that the plastic carpet runners (with the pokey nubbins on the reverse side) when placed on counter tops with the pokey side up work well to deter small furry animals from being in places they shouldn't be in.

Weekend Fun

Friday Night was the Portland Twilight Criterium - Yesterday we went to the Providence Bridge Pedal Health and Wellness Expo at the Double Tree across from Lloyd Center. That was loads of fun, I got a massage, had my gait analyzed so I know what sort of running shoes to invest in and I had my blood pressure taken - 104/82 pretty good for an old chick! We got to look at some really cool hand made bikes at the expo too...sooo cool and amazing! A handmade bike would be a special luxury investment...drool drool drool...

Afterwards we checked in at the hotel and then ventured over to Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro for a couple of flights of wine and some antipasto. We spied a Cascadia Cabs pedicab going by and decided that it would be fun to go for a tour of the Waterfront. Naturally when we were ready for a ride there was no pedicab in sight so we hoofed it over to the Salmon Street Fountain and sat around waiting for one to show. We must have been there for 45 minutes when this little scrawny fella came riding up and parked it waiting for his next fare. We went for it, but just opted to be taken back to the hotel instead of going for a mini tour. He was so scrawny that we had to get out and walk up the rise in the path...besides towing us, the cab itself weighs 200+ pounds. I didn't mind walking...I felt bad for him. It kind of felt like we were in a parade as we passed by people along the RiverPlace Esplanade.

The start of this years 11 Bridge route started at the Kerby Street on-ramp to the Fremont Bridge. That was totally cool because it was a straight shot to the bridge and onto 405 to the Marquam which was totally cool to be able to do that! Man oh man, 405 is quite bumpy and I had a hard time just because I felt like I was going to shake my fillings right out! The entire route was pretty well lined out and the signage was excellent, hardly any time spent waiting to get on a bridge or anything - that was a plus! 3 hours later we arrived at the finish and it was so fun!

I'm tired tonight though, the bed at the hotel is not comfortable compared to our new mattress, so sleep will come easily this evening.

Will be commuting most days this week and then gearing up for the Vine Ride on Saturday and will be signing up for the Mt Hood Jazz 5K on Sunday.

I love August!

2008 Portland Twilight Criterium

Last night was the Twilight Criterium and is one of our favorite events to go to...this year Matt figured out that this race was coming and he, Justin and Dee came down on their bikes.

Race Action

No event is complete without a self portrait shot.

(l-r Matt, Dee, me & Tom)

This year was different because usually it's just Tom and I. I knew that Matt had invited a few people to come and it was inevitable that we would see them I guess. Also, Matt & Justin each had a Growler in their backpacks, so we didn't have to go to the beer garden.

Chase or be chased...

It isn't very often that I see another bike commuter on my way to work - that is, one that is going in the same direction/route that I am. A couple of months ago there were two other people ahead of me commuting to work (I can only hope) and that was it until today. I have gotten used to being one of the very few people on the road at the time that I head to work.

So this morning as I crossed over Hwy 99 on 117th Street I spied another cyclist ahead of me. I thought for sure that they would be going onto the Salmon Creek Trail at KlineLine, but they continued on. Dang it! My first thought was that I would just keep a respectful distance and stay behind.

NOPE - not gonna happen.

Well, now I figure out that I am riding just slightly faster than they are and quickly approaching them on the road. This guy was being downright leisurely and that was almost rude. I didn't want to appear as I was drafting off him going up to Hazel Dell Avenue, but I also didn't want to lag behind. So as I passed him I greeted him and kept going. At this point I think I continued with my pace, but it's hard to tell when you have just passed someone and you don't want to be passed in return.

Things started to get annoying after that - I ended up having to stop at every light after Hwy 99 - which stinks as I had some momentum because I wanted to keep slowpoke behind me - and stopping would allow him to make up some ground on me. The first light I had to stop at was the light at the "new" intersection of 117th/119th Street & Hazel Dell Avenue which was surprising because I almost never have to stop at that one and at that point I had worked so hard to get there (it's a grind all the way to 99th Street). Then a stop at 99th Street and a quick check in my mirror and I could see his blinking light getting closer and closer. Man it's a good thing I can clip in really quick when I need to! Then again at the stupid loser light at 94th Street. He never caught me and I wasn't going to let him.

So, in the end what I thought would be a nice relaxing quick ride to work ended up being a lot of work!

I'm really not competetive.

Cranky

I have officially christened my new FSA Compact Crank by riding up to Mt Tabor on our most recent organized ride. I have to say that it was with relative ease that I made it to the park and I'm psyched! That thing makes my bike really awesome!

winged creatures, Part 3

When I started chemo in September 2004 I continued to work thru the treatments even though the drugs made me incredibly tired and it was getting harder each month to deal with the side affects. So in November I started taking medical leave from work so I wouldn't have to worry about work and just focus on resting and taking care of myself during chemo week.

Most months were uneventful, but there were a couple where something totally unexpected popped up. My morning routine was to sleep in as much as possible and then spend the day doing stuff around the house and resting as much as I needed to. This one particular morning I made the trek to the kitchen and this is what I encountered...

There are a few questions that run thru my mind - First, how is it that it was the FIRST thing I saw when I stepped into the kitchen? HOW did it get into the house? Is the bird going to move? WHAT am I going to do?! Also, how is it that the cats don't see this bird and if they do what will happen?

NOT GOOD.

Well, since I didn't know what to do I called Tom. He has been at work for hours by the time I call him and really, this bird was disturbing. Just its mere presence was enough to send me into a slight panic. I don't think he liked the idea of having to come home to take care of this problem, but I really wasn't ready to spend the day sitting in the kitchen making sure that the bird doesn't go anywhere. Besides, who knows how long it had already been frozen in that position, it might want to stretch it's wings and I really wasn't in the mood for that to happen.

So Tom came home and took care of removing the bird from the house and went back to work. I have to admit that I felt bad, but when something is not right what do you do?

Hottest Day Ride 2008

It really wasn't that hot, but it was a great ride! This year we decided to give the 40 mile route a shot - the first time we rode this one the 40 mile route was really horrible and it was just not that fun. So much that we did the 15 mile route last year.

Whoever came up with the new route deserves an award of some sort...it was that great! On this route we actually were riding more than we were waiting at intersections to get across the street. The other best thing and my favorite was going up Mt. Tabor! We were routed up Yamhill to get to the park and the first part of the hill was pretty steep, fortunately not that long. At the top of that one I decided that it finally warmed up enough to peel off the armwarmers, Tom got to stuff those into one of his pockets. Then two more short climbs and we were in the park. The other good thing about this was that there was a restroom...I knew as soon as I left the last rest stop that I would regret not using the Honey Bucket before leaving which I realized a couple of miles down the road.

The climb into the park was good, but when you go up, you have to go down and I may actually like climbing better than descending. Mostly because the steep parts of the road are relatively short and require attention as the roads are not closed to traffic. I may have to check my brakes now - I wasn't entirely sure that my brakes were going to hold on!

August is great because there is a ride every weekend (usually on Sunday) and we try to get them all each year!

Getting ready to go.... At the first rest stop enjoying a Gorge Delight fruit bar...
Tom enjoying the same bar (actually just the wrapper)... A watermelon eating contest at the second rest stop...
And a bridge lift at the Steel Bridge...that was a first for me! We usually get stopped because of trains. We almost did at Columbia (as usual), but took a short cut to avoid stopping!

It's getting harder to round up some people to ride with us. I realize that it is summer and everyone is busy with kids and family stuff. I miss riding with our buddies, but we always have a blast when it is just the two of us.

winged creatures, Part 2

As I was thinking about all the weird stuff that we have encountered at our house the most disturbing has got to be the bats and the birds that have found their way in.

Alright, so I am a pretty schedule oriented person and I know what should happen when, more specifically, morning routines. Tom is up at 4:25 most mornings, rises soon after the alarm goes off, goes downstairs and feeds the boys. After that he is in the shower and then back upstairs to get dressed for work. Well this one particular morning I was keeping track of the routine and there was a long period of time between Tom getting out of the shower and coming up to dress...in fact, he never did come upstairs.

So, I am pretty sure that something is not quite right so I make my way down the stairs and open the door and Tom is standing in the hallway waiting for me to look out and he tells me

"You might want to go back upstairs. There is a bat in the house".

I don't need to be told twice, I immediately went back upstairs and stayed there until Tom said the coast was clear.

It was hard to say if the bat was really gone, but it certainly wasn't making it's presence known. So when Tom did finally come back upstairs I asked him how he knew there was a bat and he said it was Decaf. Decaf was sitting on the arm of the couch and tracking the bat flying around the living room...good boy! Can't catch him though, but at least Tom got the clue and figured it out before I was to rise and get ready for my day.

I am pretty sure that I was ready for work lickety-split that day...can't risk another bat situation.