I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out).
"The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget."
Mario Cipolini
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
John F. Kennedy
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Not the Watermelon Ride Report
Smiles after 154 miles!
4:50 comes early in the morning, but I had to pick up Mark and be down at the town of Independence at 6:00 am. We were riding the Not the Watermelon Ride.
The Watermelon Rides were started years ago by John and Karen Poole as a training ride for the Seattle to Portland Ride (then) at the end of June. Later, Martin Doerfler redesigned the routes to include a 200 mile option, which was Oregon's first organized Double Century.
Unfortunately, the Salem Bicycle Club was unable to recruit a coordinator for this year's ride, so it was canceled. I was not in a position to volunteer, as I have in the past, but I was unwilling to let the ride go without some remembrance. Because of this, the Not the Watermelon was born.
After a limited and low key 'get out the word' process (I emailed a few friends), two veterans of the early Watermelon Doubles stepped forward - Mark Janeba and Rod Beckner. Now, a double century, 200 miles, is a long and difficult ride, and I have been off of the bike for the month of May, I was not ready to ride a full double. So the ride was shorten to a more reasonable distance - 145 miles. Instead of starting in Salem, the ride started south of Salem, in Independence, so we could follow Martin's original route to Mohawk and Colburg.
So, at 6:09, Mark and I headed off toward Jefferson with Rod Beckner joined us.
Riding so early in the morning on Riverside Drive toward Ankeny Wildlife Reserve, but it must have been rush hour for farm workers. Pulling into Jefferson, Rod joined us. As we crossed over Scravel Hill and headed south toward Brownsville, Rod and Mark traded stories about the early Watermelon Doubles. Most had to do with wind on Peroia Road and the "Peroia Road Effect".
Enjoying a morning tailwind, we made very good time to Brownsville. There, we stopped at the market with newly waxed floors. Mark discovered this when his cycling shoes slid out from under him. Luckily, no harm was suffered by Mark.
We left Brownsville by reversing the Strawberry Ride route and headed toward Crawfordsville. This lead us to the only serious hill of the day - Crescent Hill. At the beginning of the climb, I let Mark and Rod know that I was going to climb at an easy pace and take my time to enjoy this hill, or in other words, I was going to be slow. They were nice and waited for me at the top of the hill, where we entered Lane County.
The descent off of Crescent Hill was fun, but it lead to an enjoyment of speed that forced us to ride hard all of the way to the Mohawk General Store. A longish break ensued with vast consumption of calories.
Riding along Hill Mckenzie View Roads, we came across lots of cyclists enjoying the nice, warm weather. One of whom was Mark Newsome, my Race Across Oregon teammate.
After eighty miles, the real fun of a long ride begins, especially when you are riding north on Peroia Road into a strong head wind. But Peroia Road and head wind go together. Peroia Road is thirty miles long, and we stopped three times. The first was in Colburg for water. Next we stopped in Harrisburg for rest and food. Lastly, we stopped at the Peroia Road rest stop for rest.
Sign in the town of Harrisburg
Albany, was our next stop and last stop. Knowing this, we stopped at a Mexican Restaurant where we enjoyed quesadillas.
Leaving Albany, it seemed that the wind was dying down. It was not gone, but the riding was easier. Life was good, that is until the bee came along.
Just before Buena Vista Road, I felt an insect enter my helmet via a vent. "Stopping" I called out and pulled over the the side of the road. Off came the helmet and it was then that I made the mistake of the day. I used my hand to wipe any insects off of my head. This just transferred the bee to my hand where it stung me between the index and middle fingers. Ouch! I pulled the stinger out, got back on the bike and started pedaling. There was nothing else I could do.
After a quick ride through Buena Vista, except for the Buena Vista hill, we arrived back at Independence. Mark and I were finished, but Rod still needed to ride back to his home in Jefferson.
I was feeling good at the end of the ride as well as Mark and Rod, but we were very glad that the ride was over. Well, almost over for Rod.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Dinner in the Pink House Cafe
Tonight, we travelled to the small town of Independence to have dinner in the newly remodeled Pink House Cafe.
April 19, 2009
By Geoff Parks • Special to the Statesman Journal • April 19, 2009
INDEPENDENCE — There's big doings on D Street for Paul Reiter.
During the past quarter-century, he has purchased, remodeled and leased five houses in Independence with a sixth nearing the last stages of completion.
Ask Reiter, 54, why he painted an 1870s-era, Gothic Revival residence a subdued shade of pink with white trim and he answers quickly.
"People are always asking me, 'Where is it?' and I just say, 'It's the pink house,' and they know what I'm talking about," he said.
He owns two more homes in other areas of the city.
The Pink House was orginally at Third and C streets and is known as the J. S. Cooper House to reflect its historical ownership.
Cooper was a pioneer entrepreneur who moved into the home shortly after arrival in the Mid-Willamette Valley in the 1880s, and lived in it for about 20 years, Reiter said.
He built a saloon on nearby Main Street in the 1880s, later replacing the small building with the J. S. Cooper Block building. That distinctive brick structure, with its tower and imposing facade, now houses the Speakeasy Tavern.
Reiter's involvement with refurbishing old houses has a lot to do with his multi-faceted employment background and his love of people.
Raised in Washington by dairy farmers, he learned firsthand the value of the hard work and long days it took to keep milk flowing from farm to consumer.
He began a long career with Boise Cascade in Washington and then was transferred to the company's Valsetz mill in 1979, where he served as a production line supervisor. He moved from Falls City to Dallas in 1981.
The area encompassed within C and D and Second and Third streets represents one of the oldest neighborhoods in Independence, and Reiter has been such a good neighbor that as people moved out, he became the first choice to purchase their homes.
Self taught in construction, he remodeled the first home he ever owned — on D Street — but recently signed it over to his daughter and new son-in-law as a wedding gift. He now lives across the street in a home he purchased from a neighbor and subsequently refurbished.
But Reiter and the Pink House have a slightly different storyline, one that neatly dovetails with neighbor Bill Nix's own history with the Gothic Revival home.
"It was the only structure of its kind built in town," Nix said. "We know that there were none of them built after the American Centennial in 1876 because of (the style's) connection to England." Gothic Revival also is known as Early English.
The Cooper House was originally sited at 3rd and C streets, but in 1907 "was rolled on logs from 3rd and C across the street to 3rd and D," Nix said. "That house was a rental for years and years, then was sold to Mom (Rose Englehaupt) in the early 1980s for $14,000." During the next few years, mother and son lived in the home and worked to "hammer it back together," he said.
At the age of 70, Englehaupt wrote a humorous note on the drywall that Reiter is preserving:
"Whoever strips this (wall) paper should know that on Oct. 24, 1986, Mrs. Rose Englehaupt, aged 70, and her son, Bill Nix, aged 46, did have one hell of a time keeping the line straight! Hope you are having a nice day."
"That sounds like Mom," Nix said. "She was very involved in what I was doing there because she loved old houses."
The block eventually was purchased by the city, which sold it to Reiter for a small sum when the block was being cleared for the new Independence Cinema in the early 2000s. Reiter paid to have it moved to its present location directly across D Street from the movie house.
Reiter earned a degree in horticulture at Linn-Benton Community College a few years ago, and has used that new expertise to liven up the Pink House's front yard with colorful and practical bushes, flowers and other plants.
While Reiter has worked off and on for the past two years to completely rehabilitate the building, Nix plans to help out by turning new spindles to replace missing or damaged ones as Reiter restores the oak balustrade that winds from the entryway to second-floor rooms.
Nix discovered a gothic window frame hidden behind the lath-and-plaster walls at the top of the staircase. The window is now a central feature of the front of the house.
Not the Watermelon Update!
There have been some changes in the plan. The start time has been changed to 6:00 am (rather than 5:30 pm) and the starting location to the town of Independence.
We are starting in Independence as there are services such as markets for after ride nutrition.
We will park my green Astro van near the intersection of "C" St and Main St. in Independence.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Not the Watermelon Ride
The Salem Bicycle Club has not been able to locate anyone to volunteer to coordinate the Watermelon Rides this year. As such, they had no choice but to cancel the ride.
I am proposing an ad hoc Not the Watermelon ride using one of the old Watermelon routes on Saturday, June 27.
We would start from south of Salem and ride south passing though Jefferson, Brownsville, Crawfordsville toward Mohawk. Using McKenzie River Dr, we would head westward to Coburg and then ride north through the towns of Harrisburg, Albany, and Independence finishing back at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge.
It is important to note that this is Not a Salem Bicycle Club ride. You will not receive any SBC mileage credit. There will be no support or SAG vehicles. You will be responsible for finding your own food. If you must DNF, you will be responsible for your own rescue (Death before SAG!). On the up side, there will be no cost to ride.
Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 6:00 am - see Sunrise Sunset data below
Starting Location: Ankeny Wildlife Reserve Parking Lot (with restrooms but no water)
Route Distance: 143 miles
Route Elevation Gain: 1105 meters or 3 625 feet
Route Map (you can download a gpx file if you wish)
Cue Sheet
Note that this follows the original 200 mile Watermelon route as laid out by Martin Doerfler. The difference in the start/finish south of Salem.
Please remember, this is an unsupported ride! No Sag, no road markings (Dan Henry's) and no rest stops. This will be an adventure!
Sunrise information:
Begin civil twilight 4:50 a.m.
Sunrise 5:28 a.m.
Sun transit 1:15 p.m.
Sunset 9:03 p.m.
End civil twilight 9:40 p.m.
Directions to the ride start:
Take I-5 south through Salem
Take the Ankeny Hill Exit
Turn Right at the end of the Exit
Follow Ankeny Hill Road to the right
The parking lot will be on the left in about two miles
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Clatskanie
Joanne and I are in a motel in Clatskanie. We will ride the Clatshanie - Cape Disappointment Perm tomorrow. The weather forecast is not great: "Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs around 60. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.".
This will be the second year that we rode this route. Last year was a bit of a mess. First we missed a ferry and had to wait an hour for the next ferry, we had several flats on the tandem, and it was really hot. So hot that we had to rest in the shade along side of HWY 30.
This year we are riding our singles. Joanne is on her Colnago SLX and I'm on my LeMond Victoire. These are not rain bikes, so we are hoping the chance of showers does not come to pass.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
The LeMond is Back!
After the ride, the neighborhood kids brought their bikes over for some minor repairs. The easy repair was adjusting a canti brake and lubing the chain. The other bike was a bit more intense. I trued the rear wheel and attempted to adjust the brakes, but the quality of this bike was...well, as a very good friend of mine once said "I can't fix this bike, it's a piece of junk!". Too bad the owner was there to hear it.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009