Sometimes An Easy Pace Is Better

The Buena Vista Ferry--cyclists now pay $1 to ride, cash only.

After being sidelined by a nasty virus the last several days, it was nice to wake up and feel a little bit of energy come back. Today's 80-degree weather was perfect for a much-needed spin on the bike, even if I wasn't back to 100%.

The Flower Shop in Buena Vista

But did you know, there's an unspoken rule in cycling that if you've been sick, you can use your car to take your bike  to a flat area for riding? True! Just thought you might want to know that in case you need an excu--umm, have a good reason not to ride a big hill.  Oh, and there's no limitation on how long ago you might have been sick. Yes, you can quote this blog anytime you need. I got your back.

So, I brought the necessary $1 cash fare to ride the Buena Vista Ferry across the Willamette. This loop, Ankeny-Buena Vista-Independence, is almost all flat, and allows a slow pace with lots of enjoyable scenery. Going slow allows you to notice more things, so that was my goal for today. The ferry ride is fun and sort of a novelty, although it's an extremely short ride.  Just off the ferry, the first thing that greets you is a great little flower shop.  Seeing it again reminded me that I need to take Mrs. C there...

A couple of minutes later on Buena Vista Road, a great blue heron took flight right next to me, its vast blue wings dwarfing me and my bike as it rose and turned away. Watching that little sequence happen was the reward for getting out on the bike today.

As I predicted, I didn't have the gas to climb.  I couldn't even make it up a modest little slope. It was a reminder that I’m just a day or two this side of a virus. I rose off the saddle, geared all the way down, huffed and puffed, and still couldn’t do it. I barely clicked out of the pedals in time before falling over...that would have been the icing on the cake. 

Now, here's another cycling tip you must know: the trick to stopping on an uphill is to make it look like you’re not stopping because it's an uphill. Absolutely not.  You’re stopping because you need a drink of water, or making a phone call, whatever. Of course everybody can see right through your motivation because your chest is heaving as you try to get some air, but you do get extra style points if you make the sham look somewhat believable. Like when soccer players fall to the ground writhing in pain when they get bumped, only to make miraculous recoveries as the ball goes back into play. Of course it’s all for show, but it's part of the game. So today, I did the “stop-for-a-drink-of-water-and-take-a-picture” combo. I don’t think the nearby cow who watched it all cared much one way or the other.

The summer weather got off to such a late start that all the timetables are sort of jumbled. I don’t ever recall seeing such an abundance of blackberries still ripening on roadside vines this late into September. They sure smell good as you ride by. Grapes had a rough start too with the cold and rain in June, but the long stretches of warm sun in August and September may have come to the rescue, just in time.  Fall harvests have begun: roadside stands are offering up apples and pumpkins. Sweet corn is plentiful right now. My favorite time of year.

The forests and fields are showing the first hints of the turning to autumn. For the next several weeks the harvests will all come in, the colors will change, the grass and the leaves will fade and fall, and nature will begin to turn inward for a time.

Payette Forward

Maybe it was just the time of year we were traveling, but Eastern Oregon was more spectactular than I’d anticipated.  The sweeping views of valleys and mountains, the people, the obvious care for keeping yards tidy and streets clean.  I could live there.

Oh that’s right, I already did.

Anyway, heading farther east to McCall, Idaho, we enjoyed a few days of play and fun with relatives on the shores of Payette Lake.

Two words to you about McCall, dear readers: get there.

McCall is probably mostly known as a winter resort town, so maybe the summertime is its best kept secret.  A brand-spankin’ new city beach park, a network of bike paths, great vacation homes (it's not hard to find dirt cheap rent prices), this place was a wonderful surprise. In many ways, this place reminds me of how lake resort towns were before being overrun by tourism and expansion.

So, yes, it may seem ironic that I’m encouraging you to go there and add to the tourism and expansion.  Oh well.  I’m stickin’ with my message: get there.

I rode the blue beast on a spin around the perimeter of the lake. Great highway shoulders for riders, and some gravelly roads up on the north end for when you want something other than pavement under your tires.

Payette Lake is gorgeous.  Boating and hiking, kayaking and rock climbing are popular summer pastimes here. So much to do if you like the outdoors. Lots of critters, too. In fact, while riding my bike at a pretty good clip, I almost inadvertently T-boned a deer that jumped right out in front of me! 

It’s also bear country there. We did indeed see bear poop in the woods (um--think noun and not verb, please). 

So, hikers, remember the two main rules: make lots of noise, and always have somebody slower than you along on the hike :)

But oh my goodness, this place needs to be on your next year's summer bucket list.

Like I said, get there.