More of the same I am afraid. A little trip around Longford and a visit to the shop. This time the local Bottlo to purchase the weekend supply of IPA. How are you all going in this time of restrictions? We are knocking over home type tasks that have been wanting for some time. Cleaned … Continue reading "CLC #4. Longford, TAS"
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All the parks in Sonoma County where I regularly hike and bike are closed as part of our pandemic lockdown. I decided to take a look at a couple of the nearest parks. I knew I couldn’t get into them, but I wanted to investigate, trying various entrances. Here’s what I found. It must be … Continue reading "Parks Closed: Tour d’Apocalypse"
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Yesterday Sonoma County ordered all parks to close due to an excess of congregating by self-isolated, locked down, sheltered in place, stay at home folks. When closing parks, that meant every state park, county park, regional park, city park, etc, plus every open space, schoolyard, playground, and multi-use path in the county. Wait. What? Paths? … Continue reading "Closed: Tour de Lockdown"
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After taking two days off the saddle to keep pressure off her injured elbow, Rocky was ready to roll. We drove out to Sauvie Island to join the masses, surprised to find that we didn’t have the whole island to ourselves. I’ve never seen so many hikers and bikers out there, as everyone is looking … Continue reading "Rocky returns"
Read More“Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?”
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Rachael’s fortunately doing fine after her brush with disaster. She slept poorly last night because she couldn’t lie comfortably, but today she doesn’t have any signs of injury other than the scrapes she walked off with yesterday. She took the day off her bike while her abrasions heal up and went for a 12 mile … Continue reading "Date night"
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I pedaled out the Greenway and back this morning. Saw quite a few people along the path. This guy is usually very good about social distancing, but it looks like everyone is taking extra precautions.
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It’s Autumn. Sometimes summer hangs on well into autumn. This year it loosened it’s grip on day 1 so the cold and COVID-19 eases its way in. Tasmania has closed it’s borders to anyone not Tasmanian. Today a friend from Hobart is attempting to fly back from Hanoi. He has cut his cycling tour from … Continue reading "Cycle Life Challenge #2 : Longford"
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Wednesday was mostly an errand day for me, as we started preparing to break camp and move on to The Dalles, our next temporary home. This is such a strange and unnerving time, and the first time I’ve had any misgivings about not having our own home. It might be nice to be sheltering in … Continue reading "A near miss for the missus"
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We didn’t buy anything, because the Butteville Store is closed for the season or the duration. I haven’t included a song, because I don’t know how to upload one. How are folks doing this? How-to instructions would be welcome. So, our ride through French Prairie is not a challenge ride of any kind. Still though, … Continue reading "French Prairie"
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Today’s cold ride to Powell Butte surprises me by having just enough snow to craft a small snowman at its summit. I’ve checked with the Rules Committee, and they’ve assured me that it’s fine to post another snowman for Greg. With it so cold today, it might as well still be February anyway. Also, I … Continue reading "Powell Butte"
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We’re a third of the way through March and I still haven’t come up with that perfect tune yet. And I can’t claim any coffeeneuring credit for today’s short ride either, Since I didn’t have time to stop for coffee or buy anything. And I hardly did any biking to speak of, so today’s tree … Continue reading "Unchallenged in March"
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As much as I enjoy Tolay Lake Regional Park, it takes at least 45 minutes to drive there. That means I don’t get there too often because when heading for a park I usually opt for something closer. Also, Tolay—with practically no shade—tends to be very hot in the summer and—with dirt ranch “roads”—tends to … Continue reading "Tour de Tolay"
Read MoreFor my CLC Ride #1 I decided to take a trip to Launceston and buy a Trangia Triangle. What is it? A mini support and windshield for a Trangia stove burner. They do exist and here is a picture of one from the Interweb. I tried to find one and failed, so I bought something … Continue reading "CLC 2020. Ride #1. Launceston"
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Lately I’ve been doing a preponderance of comparatively short off-pavement rides. Steep, rough trails make up for distance. Today I decided I wanted to stretch out the mileage a little on pavement. I haven’t been up toward Shiloh Ranch Regional Park or Foothill Regional Park since the wildfires in that area last year. Must be … Continue reading "Yellow"
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I’ve pedaled past Helen Putnam Regional Park without stopping. I’ve pedaled into the parking lot and utilized the restrooms. But never have I bicycled through HPRP. It’s a relatively small, busy park on the edge of Petaluma, known mostly for hiking rather than biking. But I decided to give it a try today in more … Continue reading "HPRP"
Read MoreOkay, one more musical oldie while warming up for the March Challenge before I actually accomplish something new for this month’s challenge. This was my commute to campus nearly every morning before I retired, but in the dark for almost half the year. Looking back, I think the music (live performance of “Bicycle” by Livingston … Continue reading "Bill Bikes to Work"
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I won’t claim this for the Challenge of the Month, because the ride is a couple of years old, but I couldn’t resist jumping on Greg’s challenge for March. Note that in this one I don’t sing or dance. Yet…. The ride The music (on YouTube)
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What luck – with our long month this year, I’ve got time to squeeze one last rust photo, from my latest Heritage Tree Quest outing. Here, Rodriguez is leaning against one of a trio of rusting steel pillars bearing sculptures by Native American artists. Besides the usual assortment of fine trees today’s run netted a … Continue reading "Leaping out of February"
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I thought I was done with February, but these brilliant cycling days just keep coming in Portland. If I could share some of them with you, I would. Yesterday on our ride to Gresham we crossed a new but already nicely rusting steel bridge; saw six bunnies; and to top things off, saw another shady … Continue reading "Saving the best rust for last"
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In 2017, I met John from Berkeley when the Mad Marauders terrorized San Francisco. Earlier this year he spotted me while we were both riding the new bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Since then we’ve been trying to get together for a ride, and it finally worked out today. Read more at Bill … Continue reading "Mad Marauders mini-reunion"
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Not sure if advertising on side of beer delivery truck counts as a mural. Can we get a ruling from the judges? Little-known fact: Earlier in his life, Old Grumble-Face was sometimes known as the Emaciated Rasputin. Read more at Bill Bikes
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I confess. I’m having trouble keeping track of the personal themes this month, and who chose each theme. I think I already screwed it up. Now I’ve probably done it again. But I pedaled today and photographed rusty farm equipment and a duplex Little Free Library. Maybe I got something right. Read more at Bill … Continue reading "Thematically confused"
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Once when my ace support crew and I visited our son and his family in Yreka in far northern California, they drove us over the mountains to Scotts Valley via a quiet road that turned into dirt. It seemed like it would make a great bicycling route. Now, every time we’re in Yreka I try … Continue reading "Greenhorn Road"
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At last – the picture I have been looking for. Almost. The image above includes cycle plus sheep. You can’t really see though so here is the sheep in shadow. The front one thinks she is in the shade, or just enjoys snuggling with a wheel. The other one really is in the shade of … Continue reading "Sheep in Shadow – again"
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What did I have to do for Greg? My ace support crew and I had to drive 300 miles north to visit our son and his family. I had to pedal the Ogre into the mountains, up a steep road that turned into dirt. I had to search desperately in the shady ditches near the … Continue reading "The things I do for Greg"
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Well, with February fast drawing to a close I’d about given up on finding a silly snowman for Greg. We got lucky though on our ride to Chinook Landing yesterday. Doubly lucky too – this one looks right up Greg’s alley, with a goofy grin that makes him look like his alter ego G-2. Perfect! … Continue reading "Snowman!"
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Finally, a rusty object that I can get my bicycle up next to. I found this prize on my latest PHTQ outing, embarrassingly truncated after only finding two new heritage trees. This is my third rust submission for the month, so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Still keeping my eyes peeled for those elusive shadowy sheep and snowman … Continue reading "A rusty bucket"
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In order to repair the dam, the park maintenance crew drained Lake Ilsanjo in Annadel State Park to a level as low as possible. According to Cap’n Will (he and Jeff often swim the lake) if you tried to swim it right now you’d scrape your chest across rocks on the bottom. I suggested he … Continue reading "Ilsanjo"
Read MoreI didn’t have any particular aspiration to copy anyone’s personal Challenge this month, but that changed a little today. My buddy Jeff has been almost entirely out of the saddle for months and months after a long series of medical issues. Last time we rode together was when he was rehabbing about ten months ago, … Continue reading "Cloning themes"
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Today’s ride has three goals: honor many but not all of our presidents, and support the Holiday Challenge; copycat some of the themes of this month’s choose your own adventure challenge; and visit another set of trees in my Portland Heritage Tree Quest. I think I did quite well: one dead President, (Teddy Roosevelt, shown … Continue reading "Triple challenge on Presidents Day"
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I drove to and from Nevada in order to undertake some riding from a temporary base in Las Vegas. In both directions on the drive I made sure I had enough extra time to be able to stop in the desert whenever I spotted something worth exploring. I could pause for a quick photo, or … Continue reading "Desert Highway"
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Today there were plenty of sheep but none in shadow. Although the sun was getting up there, the cool wind from the east was keeping the sheep in the field. When it gets hot they often seek shade in the shadows thrown by the pivot wheels (sometimes even the shadow from the main bar!) – … Continue reading "Hunting Sheep in Shadows"
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I had three rides planned from my temporary base in Las Vegas. On Friday I bicycled the River Mountains Loop. Yesterday I rode through Red Rock Canyon. Today I intended to ride through Valley of Fire State Park. Unfortunately, by Saturday evening the weather forecast deteriorated considerably. The wind was already blowing like crazy when … Continue reading "Valley of Fire"
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Yesterday I rode the River Mountains Loop. For the second ride from my temporary base in Las Vegas, I chose Red Rock Canyon. According to what I read online, that National Conservation Area featured a paved road for cars through a stunningly scenic area. But it was a wide, low-speed, one-way loop with plenty of … Continue reading "Red Rock Canyon"
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This past autumn I started scouting around for possible bicycling getaways to have up my sleeve when wintertime rains began to inundate Santa Rosa. One of the destinations that caught my eye? The River Mountains Loop trail outside Las Vegas. Although I had never considered Vegas as a cycling destination, a little more research revealed … Continue reading "River Mountains Loop"
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Because I knew I’d have plenty of time to drive across the desert from Mojave to Las Vegas, I kept my eyes open for interesting sites to explore by bike along the way. In addition to my planned ride to Zzyzx, I figured I might find some out-of-the-way, oddball places to spend a little time … Continue reading "Baker"
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I have been pushing the ever-decreasing “Little Grey Cells” to set a challenge for myself. I set out this morning on a short, slow ride around Longford deliberately looking for inspiration. Then, AHA!. While out cycling we often see sheep sitting or standing or fighting for space in the shadows – to get out of … Continue reading "Sheep in the Shadows"
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Definition of rust 1a: the reddish brittle coating formed on iron especially when chemically attacked by moist air and composed essentially of hydrated ferric oxide b: a comparable coating produced on a metal other than iron by corrosion c: something resembling rust : ACCRETION 2: corrosive or injurious influence or effect 3: any of numerous … Continue reading "Challeng of the month: Desert rust"
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On my two-day drive to the Las Vegas area for a few days of bicycling, I expected to have plenty of time for some short rides at places of interest en route. In particular, I wanted to explore the Mojave National Preserve, a place I’d never visited. While studying maps, I discovered within the Preserve … Continue reading "Zzyzx"
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I should be home tomorrow, so I can finally start catching up on several days of riding, taking photos, and pondering the theme — now chosen, I think — for the month. Meanwhile, here are the last two teases. Valley of Fire and Desert Highway
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Actually, I’m surprised that I haven’t come across more rusty relics here in Southern Arizona this month. It seemed like we were biking past agricultural implements rusting away in the basin or mining relics up in the hills every day in late January – it’s why I came up with this theme, thinking I was … Continue reading "Rusty Tucson"
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After today’s ride, one plus and one minus. The bad news. Didn’t see anybody in a corn jerkers t-shirt, didn’t meet anyone from Hoopeston. Bummer. The good news. I have a theme for this month’s Challenge! Yay! I’m way behind in posting rides and photos, but will try to catch up soon and reveal the … Continue reading "A Theme at Last!"
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Pedaled for more than five hours today. Constantly thinking about a theme. I think I need some suggestions. Let me know if you have any ideas. PS: TRUE STORY! When I stopped to take this photo, a couple about my age politely inquired if I knew how far it was to the dam. One thing … Continue reading "Need help with theme, plus a true story about Minnesota"
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Gotta come up with my own personal theme for the February Challenge. Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm…. Four serious teases for themes
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Well, this morning Dave and I repeated our loop — he too thought the groundhog den was on 6th Avenue It is! That one and 3 more!! In my defense, if there is one, (there isn’t) he was over on the side of the road where they are much more visible. Thats my story and … Continue reading "Park & South Loop Ride"
Read MoreThis afternoon, we added air to Violet’s almost flat tires. I was thinking I may get a chance to ride soon on a Tuesday or Thursday when Jim attends an Adult Day Center. That was my only goal for today, as I cannot leave him home alone. Right after that my son stopped by to … Continue reading "Perfect Timing!"
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Well, I’m still looking around for something rusty so I can start on my own challenge. While I’m waiting though, I’ll take a stab at Em’s theme, with my own twist. The featured photo, taken in on our ride from Douglas to Bisbee, brings together Mesquite, Mistletoe, and Mountains. MMM!
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I thought I was done for the month until coming across this riddled rock in Tombstone, with the shadow of an ocotillo fanned across it. I could have shoved the bike into the frame but it seemed cleaner without it. And, if you like birds, you might check out the rest of this day’s ride … Continue reading "Oh, holey rock"
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Looks like a stretch of rain-free weather on the horizon, so I should be able to get out and about on two wheels without driving a few hundred miles. Today I took a short spin on the Brush Creek Trail, through Howarth Park, and into Spring Lake Park. On that route I can always find … Continue reading "Winter Lake"
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As ever, there’s always more I want to do in Death Valley. I already have ideas for rides during my next visit, which I hope isn’t too far in the future. Meanwhile, here are some random thoughts about pedaling through the lowest, hottest, driest national park. Read more at Bill Bikes
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Well, not really. There are probably a few left to be discovered here, but this is the last one I’ll tell you about. It’s almost February, and time to move on to a different challenge. And actually, the rock that gets me in the door today is pretty modest. Maybe the least interesting thing we … Continue reading "The last rock in Arizona"
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Less wind last night. No rain. No urinating coyote. I slept better. This morning I took down the tent, packed up, and was on the move by about 8:00. My plan involved driving up Big Pine Road, turning down to Eureka Dunes, and parking there. Assuming entire Sahara deserts of sand didn’t block my route, … Continue reading "Death Valley: Steel Pass Road"
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We’ve been riding but nothing unusual or especially interesting…..so here are some photos from the month.
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The wind blew and rustled the tent most of the night. I slept poorly. As forecast, it rained briefly, or perhaps a disgruntled coyote urinated on the tent — I didn’t bother to get up to check — in retaliation for my dubious decision to avoid the long walk to the bio-hazard restroom in the … Continue reading "Death Valley: Racetrack Road"
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After arriving in Death Valley and setting up base camp at Mesquite Springs, I wanted to get out and pedal for a couple of hours. In particular, I wanted another crack at Big Pine Road, which gave me and the Long Haul Trucker a great deal of trouble back in 2012. I wasn’t planning to … Continue reading "Death Valley: Big Pine Road"
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What, you’ve never heard of Winkelman? After this you’ll surely want to look it up to see where it is and what’s there. I’m talking serious attractions here: a huge, colorful copper mine; a smelter smokestack 1,001 feet high that you can see for miles; the railroad that Dwight Yoakam rode on his video of … Continue reading "Some blue rocks in Winkelman"
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Rocks, sand, and sweat. I’ve been to Death Valley, so I know what bicycling is like in that environment. I’ve lost track of the total number of times I’ve visited the biggest, hottest, lowest National Park, but I know this was the fifth time I’ve done some pedaling there. Read more at Bill Bikes
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Just a few days ago we biked past Hoover Dam, awed by the dam itself but also by the huge new Hoover Dam Bridge that finally rerouted the highway that used to run across the narrow top of the dam. It worked fine when the dam was young, cars were small, and people living out … Continue reading "Stuck in a dam rut"
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We’ve seen a few rocks this month, but none that excited me enough to write home about it. Until we came across this beauty, on our ride from Boulder City to Boulder Dam (it’s really called Hoover Dam, but I like its older name better). Pretty irresistable rock, don’t, you think?
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Today the weather turned cool, gray, breezy, and sprinkling rain. I decided it was perfect for a (very) short ride up at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. When the rain picked up, I decided enough was enough, and headed for home. Read more at Bill Bikes (Part 1 and Part 2)
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Quick spin for last day of the year. Ran into John, a former colleague and fellow retiree. Stopped by Bud and Marsha’s on the way home to learn how she broke her toe. Now to guzzle hard cider tonight in preparation for early morning hike up Bald Mountain tomorrow. Read more at Bill Bikes
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My challenge to self for 2019 was to cycle 6,000 kilometers in the year. “Ride with GPS” kept my totals with a difference between two of the 2019 counters. I could not work out why this was so. By yesterday I was still short by one of the measures but a ride this morning on … Continue reading "2019 Challenge – Success at last !!"
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It’s hard to believe it’s almost 2020! It seems like only yesterday that our software shop was anxiously awaiting the new millennium to see if all our hard work over the last year had paid off or if our company’s systems were going to hemorrhage under a barrage of Y2K bugs. before we ring in … Continue reading "One last red before we go"
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Late this morning I drove down to the former Hamilton Army airfield—now a pleasant residential neighborhood with old hangars transformed into tidy businesses and offices—where I’ve pedaled a couple times before. Having already explored some of the trails through marshes and wetlands along the Bay in that area, I wanted to revisit some of that … Continue reading "mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful"
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The weather has relented considerably — highs in the 50 range, give or take a few degrees — and very little wind for a change. Although more in the high 20’s for morning rides — still quite better than its been. Out for some rides — nothing too outstanding to look at — but great … Continue reading "Late December Rides"
Read MoreI tried to get a summer picture at the same place – but couldn’t see the sun! So I have to stand further back. Brompton is in there standing against the house. Thank you all for your recent comments. Our area has no fires at the moment but friends both here is Tasmania and on … Continue reading "Solstice in Tasmania"
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Hi there, I haven’t posted for a while. The last 2 months have been awful with weather patterns being driven by unusual sea temps in the Southern and Indian Oceans causing winds normally south of us to be lifted to Tasmania. The winds have been strong. Cycling has been difficult. I have my annual challenge … Continue reading "The wind has dropped !!"
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We’re leaving Spain this morning, our Iberian adventure having run its course. We’d have been happy to stay a bit longer but unfortunately our visa expired. We’re on our way to San Diego, the starting point for our next tour, but taking the long way around – by flying East two time zones to Istanbul. … Continue reading "One last red for the road"
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The final ride of our Iberian tour was a hill climb, to a minor pass north of Valencia, Alto del Garbi. It was a great ride, and the perfect ending to the tour. Surprisingly, we saw several figures dressed in red along the way; so of course I have to post them.
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The Trail House is our local coffee shop / brew pub / bike shop near the Annadel mountain bike trails. Lots of serious mountain bikers hang there. Serious I’m not, but I’ve been known to frequent the joint with Jeff and/or Cap’n Will. This year the Trail House sponsored its Second Annual Lighted Bicycle Parade, … Continue reading "Lighted Bicycle Parade"
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Well the trial is over. It took a full three weeks. We ended last Friday about 5pm. I have to say it was an experience and one that I will not soon forget. I will give a brief overview at the end of this post…… The weekend was still rainy but yesterday and today I … Continue reading "Back On My Bike…."
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After our rainy season officially began a few weeks ago, we had no rain, only fire. By Thanksgiving we remained barely above zero percent of average accumulated rainfall through that date. Then the rain arrived with a vengeance. After about a week of non-stop downpour, we hit one hundred percent of average rainfall for the … Continue reading "Autumn Lake"
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OK. No more snake photos. My friend Frank Hates snakes and says he’ll quit following my blog if I keep that up. Plenty of reds though in Aguilas, a small coastal fishing town south of Valencia. Poinsettias everywhere.
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It’s Spain’s Constitution Day, and it seems appropriate to celebrate their holiday while we’re over here. When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do. Actually, we didn’t see anything very holidayish here in Mojácar on our day ride to El Marchal, but we did have an awesome ride. The featured photo is of a ladder snake … Continue reading "Holiday/Monthly challenge: a red and a rescue"
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I assume the few citizens of Rodalquivar eventually just shorten their village’s name to Rod. I’m not that excited about today’s shot in Rodalquivar from our ride to Aqua Amarga because bougainvillea in bloom is still pretty common here. Like Em though, I’m not seeing a lot of reds in this environment and I feel … Continue reading "December Challenge: Red in Rod"
Read MoreWe are still here!! Until the past two weeks I was riding Surly Girl daily…..you know the ‘normal’ ride. However, two weeks ago I was selected for Jury Duty in Salinas. The case is lasting at a minimum three weeks…..that means NO BIKE RIDES for me. The only good news is that just about that … Continue reading "MIA In Monterey"
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Yesterday we received the first serious rainfall of the season, which means fire weather might be behind us. Also thanks to the rain, our creeks are flowing again after the usual dry summer. And the rain brought cooler weather. The high today only reached about 50° F. I almost decided to phone RJ, Rich, and … Continue reading "Oh, summer"
Read MoreIt is rather cold today — maybe 50? But that seems so very cold here by the water with what feels like icy wind on my face. I will be posting my Thanksgiving Holiday entry tomorrow, but in the mean time I wanted to share something. The story is about those green panniers. Rather than … Continue reading "THE GREAT PANNIER STORY"
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Sunset at JR’s Recyclables Said to be among the coldest Novembers on record, that didn’t deter some riding — in fact 21 of 25 days so far saw at least some excursion by bicycle. The 4 days not ridden occurred when a snow and then ice covered roads made riding a dicey thing to do. … Continue reading "November Sunset Ride"
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When I bicycled the grand opening of the new bike path on the Richmond – San Rafael Bridge last week, I expected to be able to photograph some interesting views from the top deck on the summit of the structure. Along with several hundred (maybe a couple thousand) other cyclists, I enjoyed the inaugural ride, … Continue reading "Bike the Bridge, again"
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Hi cycle touring people, I’m Joshua and I like downhill mountain biking and my favourite mountain biker is Sam Pilgrim, he does slopestyle, gravity enduro, Audi nine’s and many other famous MTB events. As much as I like Tom Cardy, Blake Samson and Matt jones, Sam is lit and has got to be my favourite. … Continue reading "The ‘Kid’ does his first post."
Read MoreI’ve deleted this post, but am leaving its place here for the sake of the attached comments. The reactions to this month’s challenge have been quite a surprise to me, and educational. I’ve got mixed feelings about the subject but thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I’ll come up with something hopefully less controversial … Continue reading "November’s Challenge:a kid in Córdoba"
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After decades during which bicycles were forbidden from crossing the Richmond – San Rafael Bridge, today the bike and pedestrian path across the bridge held its long-awaited grand opening, celebrated by hundreds if not thousands of cyclists. I was one of them. Read more at Bill Bikes
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Taking pictures of kids on bikes isn’t that hard, really. Just shrewdly choose a well placed bind in a strategic spot, take position, and lurk (erm, I mean just patiently wait) for the right moment. Not hard if you’re a patient person, and don’t mind risking getting picked up as a perv. Me, I’m neither … Continue reading "November Challenge: Jackpot!"
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Marin County might be the wealthiest in California, but you wouldn’t know it from this odd little pocket east of Novato. After riding nearby last week, I consulted a map to double-check my route. It didn’t take long to notice this hidden—practically remote—area along the Petaluma River and the northwest shore of the Bay. The … Continue reading "Black Point"
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I haven’t been up to the burn zone since full containment was attained a couple of days ago, but I’ve certainly bicycled through the area on multiple occasions in the past. Here’s a collection of some of my photos of locales as seen before they were consumed by the Kincade Fire…. Read more at Bill … Continue reading "Fire Tour"
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First off, I have to apologize to the 365 crowd. It didn’t occur to me that this might be a sensitive subject. I’m so out of touch – my mind is still stuck back in mid last century somewhere, when life seemed much simpler. in any case, I did manage to find a few kids … Continue reading "November’s challenge: a few kids"
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Around here the official rainy season begins on 1 October. Based on annual averages, by now we should have received some significant rainfall. Not the case. Not a drop has fallen, and we’re dry. Dangerously dry. Santa Rosa and northern Sonoma County just survived—barely—the impact of multiple days of “public safety” power shutdowns, mandatory evacuations, … Continue reading "Rush Creek Open Space"
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We had been having some very cold days that made one take pause before actually taking a bike ride ;’-). I did bundle up against the cold a couple of times and got out for short jaunts around. But this day was a perfect day for a ride. The numerous Heron that were out thought … Continue reading "A BEAUTIFUL FALL BIKE RIDE"
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And I don’t mean Normal, Illinois. Still some smoke in the air, but trying to get back to usual routine. Slipped out the Greenway. Spotted new, “unauthorized” artwork along the trail, but in an awkward location where I couldn’t get into position to photograph the entire piece without a wide-angle lens. Vineyards turning autumn colors. … Continue reading "Back to normal?"
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I was rueing the fact that the November kid’s challenge came too late for Halloween this year, but little did I know that Portugal doesn’t celebrate Halloween. They celebrate All Souls Day, the day after Halloween and the first of November. Perfect for the November challenge, and perfect for doing double duty for the Holiday … Continue reading "November/holiday challenges: All Souls Day"
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Two years ago Santa Rosa suffered major loss of lives, homes, and property when a wildfire swept across the northern part of town, just a couple of blocks from us. This year the fire was a couple of miles farther to the north when it was finally stopped — we hope — last night. This … Continue reading "Deja vu all over again"
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This month’s challenge was inspired by Halloween, because it’s such a great time for children watching. Unfortunately Halloween falls in October this year, but maybe you could trick the judges and treat us with an early entry. Whatever. This month is dedicated to children – yours, trick or treaters, kids on bikes, waifs on the … Continue reading "Challenge of the month, November 2019: let’s hear it for the children!"
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I’ve been enjoying plenty of off-road riding with the Ogre lately, especially on trails in our local parks. Today, having almost beaten a never-ending computer project into submission, I decided I needed to get out and stretch my legs for a few miles on pavement. Off I went into the wild west county, where they … Continue reading "West County"
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Well, here’s luck of a sort. We found another pair of flags flying low enough to work well with the bike. And it was really lucky that the wind was so strong that they’re blowing out like sheets of cardboard. The flag on the left is the national flag of Spain, and the other is … Continue reading "Totally flagged"
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Flags have been very hard to find in the areas I ride. Aussies don’t tend to fly flags in their yards much and I haven’t been by businesses in business hours to get any business-related flags. The only Aussie flag I have found sits outside a house that has an old caravan and many old … Continue reading "Rhymes with Flag"
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Trestle over the Middle Fork River near Danville This will become part of the KRT once renovations are made Rich, Dave, and Dwight ride the Kickapoo Rail Trail — (link includes a video) After the River to Rail ride, we decided to try to get in a few more out of area rides before the … Continue reading "KRT 2019"
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Despite increasingly shrill warnings from Pacific Gas & Electric—they who already admitted liability for previous conflagrations and dozens of deaths, and who entered bankruptcy in order to protect their asses, I mean assets—about the likelihood of an impending shutdown of the electric grid across northern California to prevent more wildfires sparked by their power lines, … Continue reading "Tolay Again"
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I’ve been surprised to find that this challenge is harder than I expected – maybe the hardest one yet for me. There are plenty of flags around, but I’ve been looking for one that would work well in a photo with a bike. It’s a problem – the flags are always way up in the … Continue reading "A flag in Toro"
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