bikejournal.com journal

6/1/2007
(Fri)

4.05

00:17:48

23.50

13.80

0

65

Min: 75
Max: 89

220

471

0

86

123

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Variable breezes.

Hottest ride to date.

6/2/2007
(Sat)

2.78

00:17:58

22.70

9.30

0

50

Min: 56
Max: 79

225

89

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode to fencing tournament and back. I guess that counts as a commute for me.

Weather Conditions: Warm and muggy. Dry. Variable breezes

6/4/2007
(Mon)

26.51

01:36:02

43.20

16.60

0

10

682

1,176

Min: 61
Avg: 64
Max: 66

227

2327

0

91

138

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Out State Street to Cascade Hwy, the south to Waldo Hills Dr and west to Edmunsen Dr/Deschutes/Macleay Road to Cordon to State and home.

A nice ride. Like many shorter rides lately, I didn't really have a destination in mind when I left the house. I stopped at Howell Prairie Road to make up my mind where to go next.

I am definitely getting stronger. The hills on State Street past Howell Prairie used to seem interminable. Now they aren't that bad at all.

Hadn't ever been on Deschutes/Edmunsen/Waldo Hill before (MFT). Pretty farmland, with nice rollers and turns. I especially liked the short stretch through the oak grove on the eastern end.

Non-wildlife spotted: Got to see the burros at Macleay and Howell Prairie! OMGBBQP0N13S!!! Cute little guys....
Also, the amazing large whit dog on State Street that spins in circles has two clones -- there are actually three of these ridiculous spinning beasts in the same yard!
Had my can of Halt in hand for the first time ever today as a chocolate lab was loose on the shoulder out around Edmunsen. But the dog just looked at me and decided to mind his own business. Good dog!

Technical: Trikey did great today. I suspect there is a bit of chain rub goin on in a couple of gears, so I need to track that down. I still haven't swapped the front tires yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Had trouble with the Edge 305 cadence sensor. Maybe Torka's theory about high humidity has some grounds, as humidity was 63-72% during ride. It seems like the magnet was just a millimeter too far away from the sensor. Will be curious if it's better in lower humidity.
Also learned that it is easy to become insanely distracted/confused when using two alternate data layouts on the Edge 305 if one has a similar but different piece of data displayed in the same field in each layout. In this case, I was getting cadence (layout 1) confused with HR (layout 2), as I didn't have my HRM with me and the cadence sensor was being flaky. I would see a blank field for HR and think the cadence sensor was being flaky, forgetting which layout I was on. Ugh. HR needs to be in the same place in both layouts!

Wardrobe used: Neon green Mt. Borah jersey, Pearl Izumi cycling shorts (I really like these!), Specialized fingerless gloves, DeFeet Wollie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat.

Food and water: one Quaker granola bar and about 1/3 liter of water.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, muggy, dry except for a couple of sprinkles. Warm southwesterly winds 10-15, gusting to 20 mph.

6/5/2007
(Tue)

30.32

01:48:30

32.00

16.70

0

5

152

610

Min: 57
Avg: 58
Max: 62

227

2400

0

123

155

92

125

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Stopped by the LBS to order new rear wheel with Capreo hub and cassette, then north on Commercial to Salem Parkway to Hazelgreen to Cordon to Lardon to Howell Prairie to State and home. Dried off a bit, then commuted to the salle and back (and stayed dry both ways).

Another nice ride, with dramatic contrasts in the sky between clouds and blue, with occasional brief sunbreaks. I got caught in two cloudbursts and sprinkled on another time, but otherwise dodged the rain. Still ended up soaked, but my feet stayed dry until I stood up and the water ran down my legs.... Even with the rain, still a nice ride.

Wasn't watching my average speed, and was only pushing a little bit, so I was very pleased that the day's average speed (including commute) was so high.

The new "golf ball" water tank at Keizer Station only has one panel to go. It's been interesting watching it being built over the last few weeks.

Technical: Trikey did great today. I still need to track down the chain rub issue. And I still haven't swapped the front tires yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Cadence sensor for the Edge 305 behaved fine today -- even in pouring rain. On the other hand, the Edge shut itself off for no apparent reason. Turned it back on and it seemed happy again, though.

Also, this was the first rain test for the AiroShield -- two thumbs up! Rain stayed off my glasses (except for a couple of drops) and streamed off the shield. Kept my face warmer and more comfortable, and had much better vision.

Wardrobe used: BJ jersey, Adidas cycling shorts, Specialized fingerless gloves (switched to neoprene gloves for commut in order to get warm), DeFeet Woolie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat, Gore jacket.

Food and water: one package of Ritz peanut butter crackers and about 1/4 liter of water (plus however much rainwater I drank).

Weather Conditions: Overcast with occasional sunbreaks. Wet pavement and cloudbursts. Variable winds 6-10 mph, gusting 16-18.

6/8/2007
(Fri)

44.64

02:36:28

32.80

17.10

0

8

407

600

Min: 68
Avg: 71
Max: 72

227

3501

0

136

156

92

118

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Ran an errand and then headed south to Lebanon for tomorrow's Strawberry Century after finally getting through delay after delay in hitting the road at 5:00 p.m.

A nice evening for riding! Headed south on Turner Road, through Turner to Marion Road to Marion, then southwest to Greens Bridge Road, then south to Jefferson-Scio Road briefly before heading south on Kelly Road for a few miles to Gilkey Road. Kelly and Gilkey had nice farmland. Passed a rollover accident that had police on site -- apparently no one hurt -- lucky people. Continued south on Gilkey to Crabtree.

Crabtree is a former railstop cum wide spot that time and the highway have semi-bypassed. The goin' concerns include a church, a post office, a fire hall, and a tavern. There are also several long-abandoned storefronts indicating that Crabtree was once more prosperous. The tavern was doing a good business, and if I had had more time, it would have been interesting to quaff a pint. The place needs a Wikipedia article. Next time I'll take a camera and have a beer....

Continued south on Cold Springs Road (more nice farmland) to Brewster, and then followed Brewster (which was not especially memorable) across the South Santiam River into Lebanon.

There was a narrow 25-mph construction zone around the bridge that prompted some bozo to try to pass a 20-mph trike. Fortunately, he/she thought better of it. After crossing a yucky 50-meter patch of gravel, I was in Lebanon, whereupon I proceeded to miss a turn and end up in strip-mall land on the south side of town. I had directions, but no street map of Lebanon and was on a moderately hostile stretch of 5-lane road when I spotted a familiar street name and a sign for the high school where the ride would begin tomorrow.

Properly oriented again, I stopped at the Safeway store and bought a half-gallon of chocolate milk, which I managed to strap onto the top of my Tailrider. A few minutes later, I arrived at my friends' house. We visited and played games until far too late (note to self: don't do that again the night before a century).

My motel (Shanico inn) was only a mile or so away, so I got checked in just before 1 a.m. by a friendly night clerk (the owner, I think). The place was reasonably bike friendly. Rooms were inexpensive ($40 including tax) and clean, if slightly shabby. My room included a small 'fridge and a microwave and a reasonably comfortable bed. I washed clothes, plugged in battery chargers, and slept beautifully.

My first times: MFT riding that far south; MFT ever on roads between Greens Bridge Road and Lebanon; MFT on an unsupported overnight ride.

Wildlife spotted:Goldfinches, killdeer, crows.

Interesting non-wildlife: The usual livestock.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah neon yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, new Pearl Izumi bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens.

Food and water: the aforementioned 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk, about 1 liter of water, 1 liter of Powerade, 1 package of Ritz peanut butter crackers. Chips and salsa with Wes and Carol, plus some heavenly smoked almonds.

Technical notes: Installed new middle and outer chainrings: 40T and 52T, both Q-rings. Also adjusted position of inner ring, which I neglected to do when I built up the new frame. A change in ring size means a front derailleur adjustment. And that's when the fun started (I actually started installing the rings on Thursday!). The FD didn't have enough capacity to handle the extreme downward angle on the power side of the chain. So I tweaked and twiddled and bent and adjusted and... broke my FD.

I called the LBS, and they had a Shimano 105 FD in stock. But I knew I was going to have the same problem. After about an hour of tinkering, I found the only other possible location for my second idler wheel and re-routed the power side of the chain to its original path between the tie rod and the crossbar. The idler fits exactly behind the boom clamp, making the water bottle holder a bit awkward (even with a CatCage holder mounted on its side). Installed the new FD and, voila! All is well. Finally.

Also changed the front tires back to my MPs. That put the front-end geometry back where it should be, so no shimmy at all now. Having the frame tipped forward slightly with an MP rear and Stelvio fronts must have been just enough to make things unhappy (I did not ever try to adjust the toe-in to compensate, as I knew it was a temporary thing.)

Rings behaved well on the ride down, except I need to shorten the chain a few inches. New chain route worked well, too, except that I need to make sure the water bottle cage doesn't rub against the front idler.

Used my FastBack 4.0 for cargo, which worked well.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny, light variable breezes.

6/9/2007
(Sat)

142.00

08:52:49

40.30

16.00

0

14

876

3,524

Min: 52
Avg: 56
Max: 60

225

11883

0

134

160

91

102

Road: Hills

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Double metric century #2
Metric century #10
Statute century #3
Double thermometer ride
Total time: 12:26:50

Personal bests:
Weekly and 7-day mileage: 243.47
2- and 3-day mileage: 186.64, which is more than 40 and 20 miles better respectively
Weekly avg speed: 16.3 mph, which blows away the previous best of 15.8

Strawberry Century and the ride home

Click here for ride details (long)

Things I learned:
A bright taillight (DiNotte) is a great conversation starter for other cyclists -- possibly even better than a trike!

Fairings are Very Good Things in the rain.

Eat. And keep eating steadily all day.

Don't visit with friends whom you rarely see the night before a ride (I only got 5.5 hours of sleep).

I still have a lot of work to do on my pedaling technique (all push and very little pull).

My first times: MFT riding that far south; MFT ever on all roads in the century except for Hwy 20; MFT on an organized century; my first century in unpleasant weather.

Wildlife spotted: A chipmunk and some ground squirrels. And a hummingbird and a few other birds. Mostly, it was too wet for critters to be out.

Interesting non-wildlife: The usual livestock.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah neon yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves (wished I woulda brought 3- or 4-season gloves), Headsweat, Pearl Izumi bike shorts, amber AiroShield lens, Specialized arm warmers, Gore leg warmers, Gore jacket (last part of century only), Showers Pass rain pants (new -- wore only on ride home).

The rain pants were a bit snug in the seat, so I had my doubts going into the ride. But they worked very well. The lycra in the knees was really nice. I didn't feel significantly restricted, and I was much more comfortable with them than without them. As I continue to lose weight, I think the fit will improve and I'll be even happier with them.

I want to try treating the AiroShield with Rain-X. I actually was getting a sore neck from peering out under the visor to see past the raindrops on it (but it was sure nice to have a mostly dry face).

Food and water: I honestly lost track. I know I had two helpings of strawberry shortcake and ice cream, a bag of jerky, 1 liter of Powerade, one box of raisins, two packages of Ritz peanut butter crackers, one Quaker granola bar, about 2 bananas, 3 or 4 fig bars, several cups of Gatorade and All-Sport, a cookie, a helping of pasta salad, a whole bagel with PB&J, and about 1.75 liters of water. I think that's about it.

Technical notes: The shorter chain worked well. I might need to take out one more link, though.

The middle chain ring is not set correctly. I think I marked it backwards, so it is not in phase with the other two.

The ID tag pull thingy is working great to keep my bite tube accessible but out of the way while not connecting me to Trikey.

I don't think my Marathon Plus tires had any negative impact on my speed except for the extra 1500 grams or so (about 3.3 pounds total) when climbing. But, I didn't have to worry about flats in the rain.

I was puzzled at the end of the ride by a faint dusting of bright blue on my left leg and my instruments. I eventually figured out that the rubber/silicone seal around the mouth of the water bottle was pilling up (like a pencil eraser) from rubbing against my leg.

The Garmin cadence sensor was very unhappy and only rarely worked today. I think I need to put in a shim to bring it a millimeter closer to the magnet.

My Garmin HR monitor was also cutting in and out every few miles, but not as badly. It would resume working if I just repositioned it a little. Not sure if it was just losing skin conductivity on my chest or if I need a new battery. I tried moving my cell phone away from it, but apparently it isn't an interference problem. I use the HRM data more and more, so not having it reliably there was quite distracting.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, drizzle/mist almost all day, southerly winds to 10-15 mph all day.

6/10/2007
(Sun)

19.60

01:30:04

27.90

13.00

0

7

292

473

Min: 60
Avg: 61
Max: 61

225

518

0

106

135

89

97

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Okay, now THIS was an interesting ride....

Personal bests:
3-day mileage: 206.24
7-day mileage: 263.07
A 20-mile improvement for both

Rode out State Street to Howell Prairie, then north to Pratum. I have always just ridden through Pratum (what there is of it), so this time I decided to go TO Pratum and poke about.

That took less than five minutes. A couple of short side streets, a fire hall, a school, and grain elevators.

After checking out the grain elevators, I stopped, facing southwest, in order to rest for a minute and have a snack.

There had been a cold-core funnel cloud sighted at 2:20 p.m. about 10 miles NNE of Salem Airport (it was spotted from the control tower). These cold-core funnel clouds occur a few times a year in the Willamette Valley, but very rarely touch down. This would be at about Howell Prairie Road and Hazelgreen, just a couple of miles north of Pratum.

So, I had been watching the clouds on my ride, but hadn't seen anything more ominous than dark rain clouds, with steady winds of about 10 mph out of the WNW (a nice quartering tailwind for the first part of my ride).

I was just watching the clouds at about 5:00 p.m. when just west of directly overhead a small area of cloud began to exhibit counter-clockwise motion, with gradually more wisps of cloud spinning slowly. The center of this motion was open to higher clouds, covering an area roughly the size of my fist held at arm's length (possibly smaller). I thought, "Holy crap! That's a funnel cloud forming, and I'm looking right into the core of it! Yikes!"

The wind on the ground where I was abruptly increased in speed and quickly went through the compass points to come out of the east -- opposite what it had been a moment before -- and even then the direction was not especially stable (I used my bike flag to watch wind direction, as I wasn't moving).

As I watched, the funnel got a bit larger and more defined, but still maintained a clear inner edge. The winds got stronger on the ground -- strong enough to buffet me and the trike a little bit -- and it felt, well, very weird. While I knew that this would likely dissipate in a moment, it was just way too creepy for me to sit there exposed in a parking lot with a funnel cloud forming above me.

So I pedaled about 100 feet to under a sturdy tree in front of the school and within easy reach of shelter and went back to observing. The funnel quickly passed eastward and apparently dissipated -- all in the time it took me to change position. The weather still felt very unsettled -- unlike anything I had ever experienced. The wind went back to blowing out of the west, but was still gusty and shifty.

About ten minutes later, another counter-clockwise motion began overhead, but it never was well defined and dissipated after a minute or so. There was no change in ground wind, except for a possible brief slight increase in intensity.

The experience of even a dinky little cold-core funnel cloud forming very close to me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I think being anywhere in the vicinity of an actual tornado would be terrifying. I would still like to see a tornado someday, but from several (many?) miles away.

I needed to get home for supper, so I headed west on Sunnyview with a strong quartering headwind all the way to Cordon Road. I took Cordon South to Center, Center to Hawthorne, Hawthorne south, cut through Geer Park to State and then home.

My first times: MFT seeing a funnel cloud up close and personal.

Food and water: I honestly don't remember. Yes, and yes.

Wardrobe: Gore leg warmers, Gore jacket (first few miles, then it stopped raining, so I took it off), bike shorts, DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, BikeJournal jersey, Headsweat, Specialized fingerless gloves, amber AiroShield.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with sunbreaks, damp pavement, a brief bit of rain for the first few miles. Winds 9-14 from WNW, except for stronger shifting winds under the funnel cloud (yes, you read that right -- see above for details). Very unsettled weather.

6/11/2007
(Mon)

3.86

00:19:05

20.50

12.20

0

55

Min: 64
Avg: 64
Max: 64

225

348

0

84

115

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back

Weather Conditions: Party cloudy, dry, light northerly breezes.

6/12/2007
(Tue)

36.15

02:16:20

31.60

15.90

0

10

350

629

Min: 70
Avg: 74
Max: 76

227

2243

0

90

121

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Heading to downtown, had a close call at Bellevue and Winter. I was in the bike lane at just under 24 mph and about 100 feet from the intersection when an SUV pulled even with me... and stayed there. I glanced over and saw the front right turn signal blinking. It nosed ahead about 1/2 car-length (I'm still beside it) and began slowing down to turn right as we entered the intersection. It got two good blasts with the AirZound, which got the driver's attention. I passed and threw my arms up in the air in a "whaddaya doin'?" gesture (using all fingers), and I noticed that the driver had the nerve to look surprised. I couldn't see if the driver was on a cell phone or not, but I suspect driving while distracted.

Rode out Hwy 22/Rickreall Road to Hwy 99W, then north to Coville Road, which is a gravel road that leads into Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.

Bumped my way along at 5-6 mph on Coville Road to the NWR parking area and then spent about 15 minutes just sitting and listening to crickets and birds and the wind. And I had a snack.

I continued on Coville (more gravel, including one short hill that I had to walk for lack of traction) to where it meets up with Kings Valley Hwy and Hwy 22. I crossed Hwy 22, having arrived exactly when there was a long break in traffic, and headed south on Kings Valley Hwy to Dallas. Nice smooth pavement....

I headed east on Ellensdale Road when I got to Dallas and rode back to Rickreall and then home by the same route I took outbound.

I had a little bit of tailwind at times on the way home, but my legs felt great, so I just flew along at 19.0 mpg average, setting a new personal best (by more than 1.5 mph) for Rickreall to the Edgewater exit.

My cadence sensor was still giving me grief, so I don't have data, but my average cadence during that stretch was 100-102 instead of the usual 90-92. I was really trying to use my glutes and hamstrings more, and I think that helped. I also think I am going to be a bit sore tomorrow....

I caught almost every light green all the way home through central Salem. Whee!

My first times: MFT riding to BSNWR; MFT riding on that stretch of Kings Valley Hwy.

Wildlife spotted: harrier, swallows (rusty red breast), Western meadowlark, dragonfly, bumblebee, bluejay, ground squirrel. Heard but not seen: crickets, mourning dove. Was hoping to spot deer or coyotes, but no joy.

Interesting non-wildlife: alpacas! And lots of goats.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah red jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens (amber would almost have been better).

Food and water: 1 package of Ritz peanut butter crackers, 1/3 liter of Powerade, 1/3 liter of water.

Technical notes: I forgot my HR monitor and couldn't be bothered to go back and get it.

I added a shim to the Garmin cadence sensor mount, which helped for a few miles until it apparently shifted position and only worked intermittently. Argh. More work needed.

I repositioned the middle chainring. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I mounted it last week, because it was nowhere close to correct. Huge difference -- now it's nice and smooth. And, surprise! It shifts onto the big ring much more smoothly now, too.

Overall, the 52T Q-ring seems to be just a little bit lower gear ratio than a 52T round. I want to get some solid cadence/speed data from it to compare with historical data to be sure.

The GPS unit itself was also giving me trouble. Apparently I forgot to plug it in last night. I tried using backup power, but it was a bit flaky and I had problems with vibration on the gravel road disconnecting the charger. So, I dismounted the charger and the GPS and put them both in my jersey pocket and it worked fine.

Weather Conditions: Scattered clouds, dry, with light westerly breezes.

6/13/2007
(Wed)

6.54

00:34:13

21.50

11.50

0

3

0

144

Min: 57
Max: 66

227

339

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to the salle and back, plus some errands.

Well, another interesting ride... And not "good" interesting.

My first times: MFT being hit today.

Here's the short version: I was riding in the traffic lane (no bike lane) in downtown Salem. A guy in a minivan stopped in the traffic lane immediately ahead of me. I stopped about 10 feet behind him. Then be puts the car in reverse. I blast my AirZound long and hard (115 db). He backs up. I have nowhere to go. I start yelling. He hits my front fairing and caves it in before he stops. I am unhurt, but a bit shaken. He sticks his head out the window and says he's sorry and mumbles something else about parking, and then drives off. Thinking he is going to find a safe place to pull over and exchange information, I punch my fairing back out (wince!) and pedal after him. He wanders through a parking lot and I'm blocked by a median. By the time I get into the lot he is in, he's off down the street again. Then around the corner. Then I lose sight of him. Disgusted, I head back to my original destination -- the LBS, ironically. As I ride down the alley, there's a familiar looking minivan. Hey! It's my guy nonchalantly unloading stuff for his shop. I point out the damaged fairing and mounting bar, and he goes instantly from, "I'm sorry" to "You shouldn't be on the road." And his wife(?) was much worse. There was the usual anti-bike baloney, plus some new ones I hadn't heard before. At first, he didn't want to give me his information. Eventually, I got his name and the phone number of his insurance agent. And I found a witness.

The Mueller Windwrap XT fairing certainly saved my bike from serious damage. It probably also saved me getting hurt, as Catrikes have a high bottom bracket. I never thought of a fairing as a crumple zone, but I'm sold on it for that purpose now.

At least the guys at the LBS were sympathetic (as have been friends and family). It was just a shock that this guy and his wife so instantly decided to blame the victim for their illegal actions.

So far, their insurance company has been nice to deal with. It's only a coupla hundred bucks for the claim, and it sounds like they're (hopefully) just going to pay it.

I certainly have no desire to be in that position of utter helplessness again watching a car back into me, but after replaying it many times in my mind, I don't see what I could have done differently with the information I had at the time, other than simply not be there.

Not 30 minutes earlier, I had a close call with a panel truck who turned left onto the street I was on without looking my way. I ended up pushing off of his bumper. At least he was genuinely sorry. And, no blood or paint scrapes, no foul.

I think my idiot magnet is stuck in the on position....

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry. Light variable breezes.

6/14/2007
(Thu)

3.87

00:19:18

19.70

12.10

0

2

0

87

Min: 65
Max: 71

225

415

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.

Weather Conditions: Clear to partly cloudy, dry, light variable breezes.

6/17/2007
(Sun)

101.34

06:16:49

33.90

16.10

0

10

218

1,350

Min: 61
Avg: 65
Max: 67

225

6470

0

136

162

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Metric century #11
Statute century #4
Thermometer ride
Total time: 7:23:47

A very pleasant ride. First 25 miles was solo. I headed north to Salem Parkway (water tower just needs paint now). Hopped on the MUP up to Keizer Station (bottom of bike path still unfinished, with NO warnings!). North to Quinaby, then west to River Road. North on River Road to French Prairie Road (past the remains of a fiery car crash), and then on to Champoeg, where I met OregonKC. Averaged just over 17.2 mph from home to Champoeg SP.

Middle 50 miles was with OregonKC at a comfortable 14.5+ mph. We rode west from Champoeg along the river to come in to St. Paul from the northwest.

Along the way, I had to use Halt! on a dog (first time ever). Direct hit on the nose with a half-second burst. Worked beautifully. No whimpers of pain. The dog just stopped in its tracks with a very surprised expression. I hope it will stop chasing bikes now.

Otherwise, we went at a leisurely 13.4 mph average, mostly side by side chatting. We rolled through farms and orchards with a wide variety of crops, including, of course, hops (which are not green bean plants). We came into St. Paul and stopped by the church for a photo before continuing south on River Road.

On River Road, we picked up the pace. I pulled us along at a 17.3 mph average, at times aided by a light tailwind. We stopped for a snack at the Grange Hall just before we got to French Prairie Road.

We made a dogleg on French Prairie to St. Louis Road and continued east. The road was quiet enough that we spent a fair bit of time abreast. We paused at the 1847 church in St. Louis, crossed I-5, and rolled through Gervais. Gervais was clearly built as a railroad town, but travelers on Hwy 99E or I-5 will be oblivious to this fact. Nice little town. 15.0 mph for this segment.

From Gervais, we headed due north and caught a headwind on Butteville Road. At I-5, we headed east on Parr Road, which took us into the south end of Woodburn. We rode in on Settlemeier, which has some nice early homes and lovely old trees lining the street. It almost felt Southern. We averaged 16.5 for this segment.

We headed east again through Woodburn's mall sprawl on Hwy 214/211 and crossed Hwy 99E. We continued east, crossing the Pudding River. This was the least pleasant portion of the ride due to high speed traffic. The road had good pavement and shoulders except for the last bit up a hill where our shoulder vanished and a few drivers made stupid passes. We were glad to reach Meridian Road, our next turn. Speed through here was 17.1.

Meridian Road was a huge relief. The pavement was chipseal, but that was fine. It was quiet and low traffic. It was also one of the nicest legs of the ride, with small farmsteads one after another, gentle rolling hills and occasional gentle turns in the road. We came into the crossroads of Whisk(e)y Hill and passed 91 School (that's really the name of the school). Just north of the school was an airpark, which was interesting. Meridian kept going north, with the occasional turn to follow some natural feature (here's some background on Meridian Road's name). On we went until we got to our turn at Lone Elder Road, which we followed down a nice drop to the Pudding River again. Sometimes we rode side by side, sometimes with me pulling. Thanks to some short but moderately steep climbs, we only averaged 15.1 mph through here, despite two 30 mph descents.

We re-crossed the Pudding on Hwy 99E and came into Aurora, which is a very nice old town. We stopped at the Aurora Colony Museum Park for a snack, but it was closed. So we settled for a snack in front of the Presbyterian Church across the street. I did a quick oil job on my chain (didn't have time before I left) and was (as usual) startled at how much quieter the driveline was.

We had to wait for a slow freight train to pass through Aurora, and then we headed west again for the final leg of the loop. Ehlen Road wasn't a whole lot better than Hwy 211/214 out of Woodburn, but the shoulder was better at least. 2.8 miles later, we crossed under I-5 and headed north again on Bents Road. Nice and quiet. A right turn at Arndt Road brought us into Butteville with a nice 28 mph descent.

Butteville is just a few houses now, but it held an unexpected treat: a historic general store operated by Oregon State Parks. And it gets better. The store has fresh-baked pie! One piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie (a la mode) later, with the help of a Tillamook strawberry yogurt smoothie, I was a happy rider sitting at a picnic table outside! The store also serves sandwiches, soup, hot dogs, etc. Open 9-6 p.m. 7 days during the summer. We averaged 15.0 for this stretch.

There is a bike path from Butteville to Champoeg SP, which we decided to check out as a possible future family ride for OregonKC. There are a couple of short hills on this paved multi-use path. There are also plenty of tree root ridges in the pavement, unfortunately, which affect recumbents more than uprights. But the path is very pretty. It is heavily shaded for most of the way and goes along the river (limited views).

That brought us back to Champoeg. We rode up to the day use area where OregonKC's car was parked. He did one more lap around the parking lot to get his 50 miles, and then he was all smiles, reporting that for the first time in years he actually felt good after that long a ride.

I bid him adieu and then headed back to Salem on almost the same route I had taken up. I took River Road all the way into Keizer to Cherry Avenue. Traffic was light, and when the bike lane of River Road vanished, I just took a lane and went for it. It worked. I had a lovely tailwind for most of the way, averaging 18.2 mph from Champoeg to Salem Parkway.

I averaged of just over 17.3 mph from Champoeg all the way to home -- even faster than the early afternoon northbound run when I was fresh. Musta been the pie!

My first time: MFT riding with OregonKC, MFT using Halt!, MFT having pie on a ride, MFT on almost all of the roads OregonKC and I rode on (except for River Road south of St. Paul).

Wildlife spotted: Osprey (in nest), robins, bluejays, crows, killdeer, redtail hawks.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah lime yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Pearl Izumi bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens.

Food and water: About 2 liters of water, plus 1 liter of Powerade. Two bowls of cereal for breakfast and a cheese sammich just before the ride. 2-1/2 packages of Ritz peanut butter crackers, two granola bars, a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode, and a Tillamook strawberry yogurt smoothie (kefir, basically). Was tired when I got home, but not bonky.

(The Edge had an issue with calorie calculation, so the stat is from BJ.)

Technical notes: Trikey behaved very well. Left pedal needs oil on the clip mechanism (squeak on just one side of the pedal). HRM continued to skip in and out, but would resume after some repositioning.

I relaxed my upper body more -- especially on the solo parts -- and leaned back into the recline. Felt good, except that I started getting neck fatigue on the final 25 miles. Need to adjust neck rest.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with sunbreaks. Dry, except for one or two raindrops. Wind wandered between north and WNW, with speeds from 0 to 7 or 8 early, strengthening to 10-14 later.

6/18/2007
(Mon)

21.06

01:26:04

30.30

14.70

0

8

308

476

Min: 69
Avg: 70
Max: 71

225

1229

0

122

142

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Recovery ride.

This ride puts me over 2,500 miles for 2007. Yea!

Out State Street to Howell Prairie, then north to Lardon, west to Cordon, south to State again and home.

Headwinds on Howell Prairie meant lovely tailwinds on Cordon -- my reward for taking it easy.

Notes to self:
1. Double-check that the Tailrider is zipped shut before leaving.

2. When you think you hear something falling off the bike, stop to see what it was -- don't just dismiss it as a piece of gravel and keep riding.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Northerly winds 8-15 mph.

6/21/2007
(Thu)

5.91

00:29:56

23.70

11.90

0

3

0

146

Min: 61
Avg: 74
Max: 75

225

271

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to the salle and home, plus an appointment.

Felt very good to ride.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry. Nice. Light variable breezes.

6/22/2007
(Fri)

27.01

01:38:13

33.70

16.50

0

8

278

661

Min: 65
Avg: 67
Max: 68

225

2226

0

138

159

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode out Hwy 22 to the bike overpass, got onto Rickreall Road, then headed south on Greenwood Road to Hwy 51. Rode through Independence, which I always enjoy, then over the bridge and back to Salem via River Road and Riverdale Road. Met Kim downtown for dinner and walked Trikey home with her (miles not included).

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry, variable westerlies at 6-9 mph.

6/23/2007
(Sat)

28.22

02:03:51

41.10

13.70

0

12

699

1,437

Min: 64
Max: 69

227

1458

0

Road: Hills

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode to CHAOS and back for the asthma fair (was the featured speaker and no one showed up... hmmm!).

Then was determined to shake my blahs, so rode a bog loop: east on State to Cordon, then south to Kuebler, then west to Skyline. I was not in the best of moods. There was a lot of traffic noise, and the GPS kept shutting down. And I had a headwind all along Kuebler. Ugh.

I then went south on Skyline to Vitae Springs Road, climbing as I went. (Actually, the climbing started on Kuebler and just got more pronounced.) Once I got onto Vitae Springs, my mood lifted. There was no traffic to speak of, and the scenery was pastoral. I hit the summit and was rewarded with a fine view to the west. I happily called Kim to give her an update.

Then I headed down for a nice descent. The road was a bit rough, so the GPS unit continued to give me problems. The heavy shade interspersed with patches of sunlight made visibility a challenge at times.

Toward the bottom, I turned north on Riverdale Road and continued descending (other than a couple of small rollers) through more small farms all the way to River Road (at Roberts). From there, I rode home.

On a whim, I tried riding on the MUP on the last stretch of River Road before it comes into Salem. I'm not doing that again. Cracked pavement and tree root humps galore -- so bad that it lifted a wheel at one point. Yuk!

Wildlife: There was a deer grazing by the side of River Road. I slowed down, concerned the cars behind me would spook it into leaping the wrong way. I passed with ten feet of it and it just looked at me with big, well, doey eyes. Theere was also the usual assortment of hawks, crows, turkey vultures, and songbirds.

Technical: GPS unit! Argh! Seems to be shock related.

Wardrobe: the usual.

My first time: MFT on Skyline, Vitae Springs, and the upper art of Riverdale; MFT being that close to a deer.

Food and water: 1 Quaker Oats granola bar, about 1/2 liter of Powerade (I think), about 1.5 liters of water.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, westerly wind 5-15.