A Lean Green Machine

Cyclists are constantly seeking ways to make our feather-light bikes just a little bit lighter and faster. Even if your bike only weighs 17 lbs, you'll lay down a big wad of money to shave off another few ounces, and maybe get it down to 16.5.


Well, how about making the cyclist a little lighter and faster? That's been my focus lately. I'm thinking I can drop more than just a few ounces, too.


Part of what I'm doing to get lighter is that I'm eating differently. I've started drinking my vegetables.




My mother-in-law suggested we try this green smoothie recipe.  I think it was introduced a couple of years ago by Dr. Oz.  You know, the wizard.


So, we've been giving it a try...a half glass in the morning. One look at the ingredients will tell you that this is some seriously healthy stuff; high in fiber and vitamins, low in calories.




It takes some effort just to chop up all the fresh vegetables and fruit, then you mash it up in a blender for a while. I'm not convinced it really qualifies as a smoothie, however. It's still a bit gritty and grassy-tasting.




But you know, now that a few of those stubborn pounds have suddenly fallen off, this stuff doesn't taste half bad!




Cheers!

President's Day: Jefferson

Apparently we’re going to get some snow on the valley floor in a couple of days. You sure couldn’t tell from today’s weather: sunny, dry, and 50 degrees.  Perfect for a President’s Day holiday ride. 

Today’s route: the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, from Salem to Jefferson and back.

I couldn’t resist stopping at the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge on my way by.  It’s such a treat.  As I pulled into the viewpoint at Eagle Marsh, I startled a Blue Heron just a few feet away. Unfolding its huge wings, it flapped a few times, and glided fifty yards over the water to the opposite shore. 

A photographer with several cameras on tripods had been the only person there, sitting quietly inside the viewing structure filming the birds. I’m sure he wasn’t happy that I scared off the heron. I decided to not make things worse by walking up and starting a conversation with him. I found my own viewing spot and ate a sandwich. 

Outside Seating at Papa's Place, Jefferson OR

Across the water I could see a Great Egret, ducks and geese, and several other birds that I couldn’t possibly identify. I don’t think it’s just my imagination; many birds seem to be pairing up a lot these days.  Hmmm....I wonder what that’s all about...

Back on the road, I headed south for Buena Vista, then Talbot, and finally Jefferson. That was a quick, delightful 20 mile stretch of road ridng!  Along the ride, there are countless farms, fantastic views across the valley, and miles of smooth, uninterrupted riding. You can go for several minutes without encountering a single car. In fact, from downtown Jefferson to Ankeny Wildlife Refuge (about 11 miles), three vehicles passed me. I’m tellin’ ya, Portlanders, you have to come down and ride these roads!

I stopped in at Papa’s Place in Jefferson for--what else--a cup of coffee. “Papa” was there, although he seems a bit young for the name.  He visited with me while I sipped my coffee. I got a lesson on small-town life, and enjoyed the personal interaction from this self-admitted, larger-than-life character. His place is a good spot for a pit-stop if you’re riding the Scenic Bikeway. There’s plenty of seating indoors and out, and they’re super friendly to out-of-town visitors. Especially us two-wheeling types. 

I headed back for home against a slight headwind, glad for the occasional windbreaks from the trees, the sunshine, and the flat roads. It was nice to reach for the drops, hit the right gear and sustain a good cadence for a while. 


This Scenic Bikeway is really great for folks who want to enjoy great views without having to fight the car traffic.

A Minto-Brown Island Ride Pairs Well With Clockworks Cafe

Mrs. C and I had some fun together riding our bikes at Minto-Brown Island Park, followed by a visit to our new favorite coffee spot, Clockworks Cafe.

Winter shows no signs yet of relinquishing its hold at Minto-Brown Island; while some of the trees in residential areas have already popped open with early blossoms, that’s not the case here.  Spring still seems a long way off. 

The multi-use paths are wide enough to accommodate everyone fairly well. There was much more foot and paw traffic than bikes today, which I think is usually the case.  This is not the place to get on your bike and wind it out on the pedals. It’s a place to roll at a more leisurely speed, have a conversation with your riding partner, and enjoy the scenery.

At one point in the ride we were in a heavily wooded area and bounced over some huge tree ruts in the pavement. At the same time the path took an abrupt turn on a bit of a slope. The path was a lot slicker than it appeared, and Mrs. C’s back wheel slid out as she cornered. This appeared to be an over-the-handlebars crash in the making, with a very large boulder directly in her path. However, she pulled an impressive maneuver by releasing her brake, rolling back upright and then turning the front wheel just before it slammed the boulder. Still sitting upright, not so much as an owie. Nobody could have done it any better!  We did a commemorative knuckle-bump, and kept on riding.

We had promised ourselves a trip to Clockworks Cafe after riding. This is one of our new favorite spots. It’s spacious, they serve good coffee and other stuff, they offer wireless, and they have a place all set for live entertainment. This is a great spot to meet a friend for conversation, or to just find a table and do some people-watching out the window. Definitely worth a visit, especially after a ride.

Pardon the Pun...

No bikes, no coffee in this post.  Today, we turn to another favorite topic: puns. For me, the most delightful pun deliveries take some set-up. Following is the telling of a true story, one of my greatest pun deliveries of all time.

Set-ups are fun. If you can sound factual and keep from smiling, you might just pull it off. Like the time a group of us had somebody believing that the Department of Interior was in charge of interior decorating for the entire nation. And the smarter they are, the harder they fall. You just have to be patient with the set-up. Then, just hook ‘em and reel ‘em in.

If you don't enjoy a good pun, stop reading now.

Some years ago I was with a large group touring Europe. We were in the very quaint Bavarian village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany, a unique town because of its many buildings that have been preserved since medieval times. A large portion of the town has remained undisturbed for centuries, and now draws thousands of tourists each year because of its historic charm. As you walk the cobblestone streets within the city wall that has protected this town for so long, you are experiencing history in a way that’s difficult to put into words. You literally feel you’ve walked into a movie set.

One of the very oldest structures in the town is Zur Höll, a restaurant/tavern that dates back to about 900 A.D. Its name literally means “To Hell,” and it’s a popular place with the tourists for obvious reasons. I mean, who could resist telling a friend to meet up there later in the day, just so you could tell them, “I’ll see you in Höll!” The food there is pretty good and the decor is quite tasteful, but it’s the name that draws people there, I’m sure.

Also on this tour was a good friend and colleague, Gary the Saint.  He had been to this town several times before, and told me all the places I should go see.  Yes, he actually told me to “Go to Höll,” but of course he was meaning the restaurant, not the place of eternal suffering.  At least, I think that’s what he meant...

Anyway, we decided we’d both meet up there later on that evening, but first, I wanted to catch the Night Watchman’s tour.  It was fascinating and well worth the time. I learned so much about the town and its history and was glad just to walk the streets and imagine what village life was like so long ago.

Just as the tour ended I saw Gary and he asked me how the tour went. He would regret asking me that. This was the opportunity for the set-up.

“You wouldn’t believe everything I learned,” I said. I decided to tell him a few truths first, just to set the bait for the pun.

“The night watchman would sing from the walls every hour, just to assure the people that all was well. He’d be on the lookout all night for intruders and thieves, but the real danger to the town was fire.”

This went on for a little while, and I could tell he was eager to hear more. It was time to reel him in. Keep in mind, we were getting closer to “Höll” at this point.

“Even these cobblestones have a story,” I said as we walked on them. “Many have worn down over time, but if you look closely you can still find some that have inscriptions on them.”

“What? I’ve never heard that before.” He said.

Of course not...I’m making this part up.

“True story.  The townspeople thought it brought them good luck. The village cobbler would inscribe things on the stones like, ‘Make peace,’ or ‘Help the poor.’ Always good things, though. They’d never say bad things. That might bring them harm. I saw a couple of these stones. I wish I’d had my camera along.”

I had him now.  I could tell because his eyes got wider, and he pressed for more information. It was as if he’d thought maybe I could show him one of these inscribed cobblestones right on the spot. “Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely. As a matter of fact, this is where the phrase originated, “The road to Höll is paved with good intentions!”

Stunned silence...never saw that coming. 

Punned.

Honk

It had been a while since I last rode out to Ankeny Wildlife Refuge.  What a treasure for our community. It's only a few miles, and there's just enough of a climb leaving town to make it a workout getting there and back.

I wondered what critters I might get to see today, and I certainly wasn't disappointed when I got there. 

Over a dozen great egrets were acting as the greeting committee on Ankeny Hill Road. 

A few bald eagles sat perched in trees, and several ducks were basking in the ponds. 

Other birds were busy chattering, and you could hear some frogs chiming in occasionally. 

Most entertaining of all were the hundreds of geese, squawking and moving from place to place. When they took flight together, they became a low-flying cloud of flapping, honking mayhem.  If you click on the second picture, you can see them just above the tree line. Several hundreds at a time, they owned the sky, loud and proud.

None of the birds seemed willing to pose for “up close and personal” photo opportunities. I snapped a few landscape pics where the birds look like little specks...man, I need a telephoto lens. 

Still, it was special just being there, clearing the mind, looking at nature.

And some old tires.

I checked the entire internet from start to finish, and nowhere could I find a tire recycling center that was part of the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge.  

It’s as if somebody just...just dumped the tires there.  Could that be?

Naah.  

Nobody would be that thoughtless, right?

The "Souper Bowl"

This one Sunday, when a singular sporting event captures the imagination and hype like no other in America, the Super Bowl...

...this one day, on which a game is the pinnacle of professional success for those who play and love the sport of football...

...this one Sunday when folks actually look forward to watching the commercials...

...is also known as “Souper Bowl Sunday.”

True story.  Back in 1990, a simple prayer offered at a church in South Carolina went something like this: "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.”

From that simple prayer arose an inspired thought, then a vision, then an action, and finally, a movement. It’s all about fighting hunger. Since 1990, Souper Bowl Sunday has generated over $70 million for food banks and soup kitchens in America, thanks to energized youth and their leaders, who have mobilized by collecting donations in soup pots and given the money over to a local charity of their choosing.

A simple idea, gone viral. 

Last year alone, Souper Bowl Sunday generated $10 million. That’s a lot of prime time commercials on game day.  And the trend is moving upward.  It’s now an organization that has a staff, a mission statement, a board, the whole thing is growing.

Oregonians should be familiar with an ugly statistic: we are in the third hungriest state in the nation.  

Third. Hungriest. 

Over 500,000 people face food insecurity every day in this state. That includes people who have struggled to get back on their feet after losing a job, a home, a future, in a really difficult economy. It means that they have to make choices between food and other basic necessities, and often times, they are going without adequate food. 


Those of us with enough, and with more than enough, must continue to see ourselves in the solutions to this problem.  And what a better time than right now--as we gather around the guacamole--to remind ourselves of this fact.

So, as we dip the chips, watch the game, cheer for our favorite team, laugh at the ridiculous commercials, and rock out to the Black Eyed Peas at halftime, I encourage us all, dear readers, to make a contribution.

You can donate directly to the Souper Bowl Website, or just choose a hunger organization locally to donate to and make it count as part of this special effort.

Go team.

Stopped In Our Tracks

Pablo sent me this picture yesterday. He just returned from New Zealand, which he says is very friendly place for cyclists. This picture reminds us that in most corners of the planet, wherever lots of people are, there will be multiple modes of transportation, and they inevitably must intersect.   Cars, buses, trains, trolleys, bikes, and pedestrians, we all have to look out for each other...and for ourselves.

Steve-O can tell you from personal experience what it feels like to have your front wheel get sucked down into a rail channel, and to be hurtled over your handlebars onto the pavement. It certainly has changed how I ride around rails now.


Steve-O's no daredevil, and he doesn't take unnecessary risks. He's not exactly certain what all happened in that instant when he went down. Who knows. His advice now is, don't cheat the angle. Be overly careful. It's not worth losing a season over it. Sign or no sign, riders must slow way down and take a perpendicular path when crossing. Knowing what he's gone through since that mishap, I feel compelled to remind us all to heed this advice.

Rails are dangerous for other reasons as well. 

• They can be slick in cold or wet weather. Keep that in mind if you're on skinny slick tires.
• Rails can be extremely uneven with the pavement. Watch your path, and stay loose as you roll over them.
• Rails usually have moving trains on them! One may be coming your way, so be observant.

I've been part of some ride events where the route is out on a country road, there's a train track, and the pavement around it has been patched multiple times. It's really uneven and dangerous. Some ride organizers have actually put sheets of plywood or thick rubber matting over the rails as a precaution. They also post signs advising riders to slow down.  Here's the thing: after the event, they take the plywood home with them. The bumpy rails are still just as bumpy. So, slow down.

Sure it's not as much fun going slower. Taking a few mph off our speed, adding a few extra seconds to the trip, and the additional energy it takes to bring the pedaling cadence back up, it's all worth it if it means we're still out there, doin' our thing and havin' fun.

So...thanks, Pablo, for the picture! Can't wait to hear more about your trip. Steve-O, I'm looking forward to seeing you back on your bike soon. It's been too long.

Cyclists: when you cross tracks, take it slow, Joe.