Mark Twain wrote a book called Life on the Mississippi and this post is called Life on the Mississippi. Both are outstanding works of American literature. But that’s where the similarities end. Mark Twain’s book was written in the 1860’s. My story is written in the 2010’s. Twain’s book is about three years of his life in which … Continue reading "Life On The Mississippi"
Read More
Well, somebody needs to be first! Thanks, Suzanne, for posting the Cycle Days Challenge. My challenge to myself is to bike on 150 days between now and the end of year – should be attainable, given our plans for the rest of the year. I’ll post them here through monthly posts, beginning with the tiny … Continue reading "The Cycle Days Challenge: April (photos 1-4)"
Read MoreChallenge for March, 2020: This month’s theme is Music, hosted by Greg. All you have to do in order to meet the March Challenge is match a bike ride to a piece of music. There are NO RULES! Well, there are two rules, I guess. 1) Provide the title of your song, and 2) tell us … Continue reading "Cycle365 Challenge of the Month"
Read More
Date: 2018/04/29 (Sun) Place: Kau Lung Hang, Fanling, Hong Kong Remark: My road bike taken in a group ride.
Read MoreI suspect what will be remembered most about today’s ride to Pulau Carey (Carey Island) is how hot it was while we were riding back to Kota Kemuning. It got up to 37° C / 99° F. Combine the temperature with the humidity of almost 70%, and the temperature felt like 45° C / … Continue reading "CLC Ride #14: Fried"
Read MoreOur week-long tour was cut short on Day 3 with bike issues, but we did manage a CLC purchase on Day 2. Check out the aborted ride in the link below, and see if Verne and Kermit got in a float before we had to abort the ride. Plan B – April Ride 3 – … Continue reading "CLC Ride 8: The tour that wasn’t"
Read More
With four rides of varying length and success under my belt, I was ready for another. In fact, today’s ride was really the one I was most looking forward to. In all my visits to Death Valley, for some reason I had never made it up to Aguereberry Point in the Panamint Range above Badwater … Continue reading "Death Valley: Ride 5, Aguereberry Point"
Read MoreBike E test ride. 26 April 2018. Bishopsbourne Road, Tasmania
Read More
Plan B involved driving up to a higher elevation and pedaling from Wildrose to the Charcoal Kilns. This would be steep, but not too long and mostly on pavement. It would also be cooler and, I was confident, without sand traps. Wind? Hard to say, but at least no billowing dust. I loaded the Ogre … Continue reading "Death Valley: Ride 4, Charcoal Kilns"
Read MoreI got some responses from Cycle 365 readers. Thank you! Click on the link below to see the results. Enough already!
Read More
Along the rec trail in Monterey near Cannery Row there is a cute little Red Caboose. It’s been sitting on the last thirty feet of train track left in Monterey. The trains were a vital part of the canning industry and the history of the Monterey Peninsula. This particular caboose serves as a little museum. … Continue reading "Caboose Rescue….."
Read More
April 26, 2018 Day 1/100 Victoria in front of Der Ring, sculpture by Paolo Staccioli, located near Munich main train station. For my 100 Cycle Days Challenge I already had started on my own website and had 20 so far but thought I’d start fresh here. My goal is 100 rides with pictures of my … Continue reading "Cycle Days Challenge with Victoria – 1"
Read More
Many years ago, when our son, Ben, was a Boy Scout, his Troop undertook a multi-day backpacking expedition through Cottonwood Canyon in Death Valley. Unfortunately, most of the Scouts and adults were defeated by the combination of distance, terrain, heat, and lack of water, and couldn’t hike out on the last day. Ben, his friend … Continue reading "Death Valley: Ride 3, Cottonwood Canyon"
Read More
Coming Full Circle … from Garching to Dachau Sunday April 22,2018 D-Day, the day I complete the circle! Sunday and spectacular weather – I know what that means. I want to do another ride but there are going to be a lot of people out and about. Europe is a small and densely populated place, … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle"
Read More
My seventh and final ride for this year’s CLC is actually a number of rides melded into one. There’s a reason for this though. This week I’ve been on holiday along the North Coast of Tasmania so took the opportunity to do a bit of exploring by bicycle. My wife April knows I get a … Continue reading "CLC2018 Ride 7: Tourism Tasmania"
Read More
So, the end of CLC is closing in fast and with this cold and life in general getting in the way we…well I’ve, been out very little on my bike. We decided to change that today. Load um up and head um out….yes we loaded the bikes in the Transit and headed North. We had … Continue reading "CLC#7 Utah Utah Utah"
Read More
After the rainy, windy ride to Badwater this morning, the weather improved and I was ready for another excursion. I had a quick, nearby route in mind, including a few miles off pavement, so I ate a second lunch, downed about a gallon of tea, and climbed back on the Ogre. Read more at Bill … Continue reading "Death Valley: Ride 2, Mustard Canyon"
Read MoreWe are looking for a new challenge – how about a challenge for the whole year? I do something I call “The 100 Rides Challenge”. The challenge is simple: take pictures of your bike or others’ bikes who are riding with you from rides in one year. No rules except that you can only post … Continue reading "Life after CLC – The 100 Days Challenge"
Read More
My plan for today involved an easy warm-up cruise on pavement to Badwater and back for just under 40 miles. Having pedaled it once previously, I knew that despite the flatness of the valley between Badwater and Furnace Creek, the road ran right at the edge of the eastern hills, making interesting rollers and curves. … Continue reading "Death Valley: Ride 1, Badwater"
Read More
This is my 7th ride for the 2018 Cycle Life Challenge which took place on last Sunday, 22 April 2018. This time I will take you to one of the historical spots of Hong Kong – the old Hong Kong Frontier at Lo Wu. With the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United … Continue reading "2018 CYCLE LIFE CHALLENGE – 7th RIDE – FoTan to the old Hong Kong Frontier at Lo Wu, Hong Kong"
Read More
The Canby Ferry is the northernmost of the three ferries that cross the Willamette. It’s not that far south of Portland, but just far enough that from our home it was a bit out of range for our normal day rides. I’ve only ridden it a handful of times, and I think only once with … Continue reading "The Canby Ferry"
Read More
I could not rely on Kathleen’s good nature to let me off again (for not proving a purchase). So I remedied the situation asap with this ride around the Norfolk Plains area. Story HERE.
Read More
On the way home from Death Valley, west of Trona I met Laura from France. She has bicycled the length of New Zealand and across Australia. Now she’s on her way across the USA from LA to NY, heading for DV. Don’t tell my ace support crew, but I think I might fall in love … Continue reading "Laura from France"
Read MoreSo, the big question. The end of this season’s Cycle Life Challenge is fast approaching, but what then? Most of the traffic on the site has been CLC-related, but our name is based on the idea of cycling throughout the year, including during the hot or cold solstice months ahead. Should we invent a new … Continue reading "Will there be life after CLC?"
Read More
For anyone interested in Death Valley, I’ve started putting up the first bits about my expedition here: http://bike365.org/bike/news/ More to come as time permits while I’m cleaning the sand out of all my camping gear, putting away everything, and tending to the battered, abused Ogre.
Read MoreI’ve had four punctures in the past eight days. Including one during a CLC 2018 ride, so I thought I would take advantage of that to post this here. The slew of flats has made me curious about the common causes of punctures amongst cyclists. There is a particular culprit in Malaysia which I have … Continue reading "What causes your flat tires?"
Read More
Whoops. I did it again. Again. A ride enjoyed, lots of photographs but none of the purchase to support local communities. But it was a good ride from Penguin to Turner’s Beach and you can read about it here.
Read More
Hi there, folks and fellow cyclists! I’m having a hard time catching up. So many lovely comments that I haven’t answered, so many rides that I haven’t commented. For the time being, thank you all so much. Here is the sixth segment – Circling in the sun … from Ottenhofen to Garching Wednesday April 18, … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 17"
Read MorePerfection can be boring, I know. But with the weather we’ve been having, that is the only way I know to describe the ride I had today. I’m sure that before too much longer I’ll be back to complaining about the rain, or the wind, or the cold, or all three, so let’s enjoy it … Continue reading "CLC18.7 Mustard city and the Dukes"
Read More
Love em or hate em, hills are a part of cycling. They call your name, taunt you, entice you. I like climbing, but there was a time in the not-so-distant past where I would avoid any big climbs in favour of posting higher average speeds and more miles on the clock. These days I’m learning … Continue reading "CLC2018 Ride 6: Mornings on the mountain"
Read More
After weeks of unstable weather and a string of damp, chilly days, the pattern looks like it is changing for the better. Starting today, we’re looking at great riding conditions from now until we depart for Chania. It’s about time. I in particular need to start putting some miles in, beginning today. Continue reading here.
Read MoreWe did ride on Saturday. Taipei’s bike path system must be seen to be believed. Read about the ride and see the photographs here.
Read MoreA ride was planned for this day, but it didn’t happen. I thought I would share more sights of Taiwan nonetheless. Click here to read about why we didn’t ride, and to see the photographs.
Read MoreThe spirit is willing … another ride to the German Heart Center Tuesday April 17, 2018 Results finally! Six weeks ago I wrote my first CLC entry and I promised a follow-up – it was my visit to the German Heart Center in Munich, one of Europe’s leading heart clinics, which is a ten-minute bicycle … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 16"
Read MoreHoly wow, when it stops raining this is a beautiful place to cycle! Today was perfect, light winds, sun, warm enough that I could ride in shorts, etc. So I set out for a ride up the Burgundy canal. The first hotel boats of the season are arriving. While seeing the world go by at … Continue reading "CLC18.6 Can’t Get Any Better Than This"
Read MoreRead about my Taiwan Day 2 ride here.
Read MoreLike Gary Lee, I have just been to Taiwan. My R@SKL buddies and I spent four days there, not counting the travel days at either end. We rode on three of those days. The plan to ride on the other day was thwarted by traffic. Read about Day 1 here.
Read More
It’s a slow and gentle ride through the forest alone. Verne is off indulging in beer and chips and crumbed lamb cutlets for the week. And Kermit decided he didn’t want to ride in the gloomy mist. But it rounds out our CLC rides – next week we’ll be on tour. Check it out at … Continue reading "CLC Ride 7 – Misty Sprinkles"
Read MoreSunday, April 15, 2018 6 miles The wife had a book to return to the library. I needed a little ride. So off I trundled to downtown Mountain View. It was a bit breezy but a beautiful day otherwise. Nothing but blue sky, like so: The weather forecast was for rain to come in around … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 8: Many Happy Returns"
Read More
So many interesting rides to read about from you Cyclelife challengers – I can hardly keep up with all your great posts. It looks like I might be able to complete my circle theme, although I have certainly posted enough rides, unashamedly using the challenge as an excuse to post pictures and write about (almost) … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 15"
Read More
A few days ago I pedaled from my front door up to Healdsburg and back. Today I tossed the Ogre in the back of the Forester (actually, the big Ogre barely fits) and drove to Healdsburg where I began my ride. I rode up Dry Creek Road to Warm Springs dam, consumed my lunch, then … Continue reading "Grapes and Fish"
Read More
I am managing one CLC ride a week and, with 2 weeks left in the Challenge, should be able to hit the magic number 7 in time. This week’s ride was a tiny one so I will have to do better for #7. For the details click HERE. I have to say I am enjoying … Continue reading "CLC 2018 Ride #6 – one to go and 2 weeks left"
Read More
The Goddess has been spooking me, threatening to disqualify my entries as a goad to keep me posting new ones. Trying to stay one step ahead of her, here’s my latest effort: Read on
Read More
Here I am again, another post from Munich. But first of all greetings to all the challenge riders. Many thanks for all your kind comments on previous posts. This ride is a loop from home, not part of the great circle. Nothing new for us, it’s a route we have often cycled, but nonetheless very … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 14"
Read More
My bum arm means I can only ride a bike that allows my right hand to steer, shift, and brake from one position. The Long Haul Trucker with its bar end shifters is right out. The Ogre is fine. So is the Sirrus, although it has been up on the trainer since October or November. … Continue reading "Sunshine on Sirrus"
Read More
This is my 6th ride for the 2018 Cycle Life Challenge which took place on 2 April 2018. Today we will take a look at one of the most successfult revitalisation projects in Kaohsiung, the Pier 2 Art Centre located in YanChang District. In the afternoon, we will also have a relaxing ride along the … Continue reading "2018 CYCLE LIFE CHALLENGE – 6th RIDE – Journey to Revitalisation"
Read More
Have you watched season one of “Big Little Lies”? You may recall that it was filmed here in Monterey and that Jack was cut from several scenes. Well, season two is being fillmed now so we thought we would see what all the excitement is about around town. In the original book the story took … Continue reading "CLC Ride #6 – LA LA Land – Off To The Movies"
Read More
Riding the end moraine … from Gauting to Sauerlach Wednesday April 11, 2018 We got back from our trip to Italy sooner than expected. We had been invited to a birthday celebration which unfortunately had to be called off. Then the weather surprised us by being much cooler than at home. What’s worse – we … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going around in a Circle 13"
Read MoreWednesday, 11 April 2018: I took a ride east of town again today. Still nothing much springy to look at. Although, the trees in town are starting to show a bit of life. The forecast for Friday and the weekend is looking pretty ugly—lots rain and/or snow with strong winds. Rides 6 and 7 will … Continue reading "CLC 2018 #5: Gregg Gravel Grinds"
Read MoreBonjour les cyclos! Today was another sunny day. Having two in less than a week is something of a shock to the system, but one I can live with . The waters are slowly receeding, so it seemed like a good idea to go for a ride and enjoy the warm-ish weather. The chestnut trees … Continue reading "CLC 18.5 Another fine day"
Read More
My weekday morning routine is pretty standard. Wake up early, bowl of porridge for breakfast, get ready, then wheel the Ninja out of the garage for a blast into the office. I plan my departure time depending on how long I want to be out cycling before work. There’s nothing like and hour’s sunrise pedalling … Continue reading "CLC2018 Ride 5: The seven switchbacks of Mount Nelson"
Read More
I think this is my big break to make it big-time in the high-fashion world as an alluring male model! While I was bicycling through Tempe last month, I was flagged down by two ASU grad students who needed a studly mature model to showcase the snazzy ebike their startup is soon to produce. Who … Continue reading "My New Life as a Male Model"
Read More
This is my 5th ride for the 2018 Cycle Life Challenge on 30 March 2018. For the past Easter holidays, I have been to Kaohsiung in Taiwan with my family and friends. Other than sightseeing, I have also arranged a number of short bike trips in Kaohsiung. The first ride was along the Love … Continue reading "2018 CYCLE LIFE CHALLENGE – 5th RIDE – Riding in Love"
Read More
My ace support crew had musical business which needed attention in Healdsburg today, and I was planning to bicycle in that direction, so we agreed to meet there for lunch on the plaza. I pedaled a rather indirect route in order to enjoy quiet roads and admire some rural countryside. After encountering a battalion of … Continue reading "Le Sacre du printemps"
Read More
We’re going into CLC overtime, folks. I’ve completed my required seven events, but who knows whether The Goddess will disqualify any of them on a technicality. To be on the safe side I decide to submit a “cycler’s seven” this year to insure against blowback from the judges. Read more
Read More
We had a couple of days of heavy rainfall and localized flooding. I headed out on the Ogre to take a look at Brush Creek and Santa Rosa Creek along the Greenway to see what the damage looked like. Ran into two women I worked with on campus. At the end of the Greenway, at … Continue reading "Gone fishing"
Read MoreSaturday April 7: The temp got up to freezing around 1:00pm and the wind was calm. It was time for a ride. I rode out east of town again, on SD38. I got about 6 or 7 miles east of town before turning around. I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing some of the … Continue reading "CLC 2018 #4: I get ideas"
Read More
Earlier this week we checked in to the last of the series of Airbnb lodgings we’ve been staying at since we moved out of our condo two months ago: Amy’s place, in the Sellwood District. Last stop before our departure for Greece, just 18 days away now. Portland’s weather has been pretty discouraging lately, and … Continue reading "CLC18-G: Last stop"
Read MoreWell, folks, its been a long time coming, but it seems like we have finally turned the corner on spring. Today the sun was in full evidence and the temperatures were finally getting comfortable enough to ride without adding enough layers to cut off circulation in the extremities. Its not like I haven’t been on … Continue reading "CLC18.4 Spring is here, or so we hope."
Read MoreWe were way too tired to do an overnight ride this weekend, so it was a couple easy rides on our local loop. The guys did manage a couple floatie sessions and I finally had the chance to take naps both days (I don’t have that chance at work!). Check it all out in the … Continue reading "CLC Ride 6 – To the market"
Read More
This morning I set out on my ride with two goals: to clock up 100km and to average 30kph over the ride. I had a plan to ride my local “Bakery Loop” training circuit until I had the job done. I love this loop as it snakes along the coastline offering beautiful views across the … Continue reading "CLC2018 Ride 4: Local loops and meeting new friends"
Read More
My nephew is getting married Saturday so I’m here in Kansas for a few days. When I arrived it was 29 degrees and got up to 50 yesterday….but today it was 72 with no wind and guess who took the bike out of the storage shed because tomorrow it’s supposed to SNOW. Welcome to weather … Continue reading "CLC #5 Back In Kansas"
Read MoreTuesday, April 3, 2018 2.5 miles And now we get to the turf part of our day. After finishing my ride along Half Moon Bay, I drove about 20 miles south to the town of Pescadero. I’ve taken you here before in one of the BLCs I think. What I didn’t get to show before … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 7: … and Turf"
Read More
Today I rode to Four Springs Lake. The Lake is an artificial construct developed to provide low altitude fishing and is much used early and late in the fishing season when the highlands can be cool.
Read MoreTuesday, April 3, 2018 10 miles I took today off just for me. I headed over to the coast to ride the along Half Moon Bay and its delightful Coastal Trail. I’ve shown it to you before, but like all special places it’s different every time. One thing I wanted to accomplish was to buy … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 6: Surf and …"
Read More
More Circling … from Sauerlach to Grafing Tuesday, April 3, 2018 Here comes the third segment of the circle. We set out on the warmest and springy-est day so far and are dressed in layers that we hope we can peel as the day warms up. Again I have planned a route to follow and … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 12"
Read MoreMonday, April 2, 2018 9 miles Today’s support of the local economy was a visit to my chiropractor, whose office is in a business district of Palo Alto called California Avenue, or, Cal Ave. It’s a pretty easy, flat ride, and there’s lots of bike parking on the avenue. This chiropractor is new to me, … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 5: Well-Adjusted on Cal Ave"
Read MoreSunday, April 1, 2018 8 miles Today was going to be a family day. A brother and his family were visiting from out of town, so those of us living out here on the Best Coast – three other siblings, mother, a cousin – were gathering for a late brunch. That meant I had the … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 4: Course Change"
Read More
I bicycled from the Golden Gate Bridge to McCovey Cove for the home opener of the Giants in 2016 and again in 2017, the first time solo and the second time with Jeff and Bud. No tickets to the game. Just for the fun of pedaling down the waterfront and hanging out by the stadium … Continue reading "CLC2018, Ride 7: Home Opener with Bud"
Read MoreWednesday, March 28, 2018 6 miles Ho Hi, Ho Hi, It’s Off From Work Am I Back on my first CLC18 ride I showed you what my ride to work looks like, which is usually near dawn this time of year. This time I thought I’d show you what it looks like on the way … Continue reading "CLC18 Ride 3: Ho Hi, Ho Hi"
Read MoreIt’s Easter Sunday and April Fool’s Day and it’s 35F degrees at about 3:00pm. Time for a bike ride. Today I will take a 10-mile ride to get to a place about 2 blocks from home. I hope the place is open. The grocery store is closed today (Easter); it’s usually open from … Continue reading "CLC 2018 #3: I get belted"
Read More
To add a little variation to my CLC rides, I decided to throw a virtual one into the mix! My virtual cycling software of choice is Zwift and so far I’ve pedalled over 7000 virtual kilometres on the platform. For those who are unaware, Zwift is a virtual cycling program that allows you to “ride” … Continue reading "CLC2018 Ride 3: Do you even Zwift?"
Read More
I became an Australian citizen well over a decade ago. Back then, there was no written citizenship test, as there is today. At some stage in the application process, I had to rock up to a post office at an appointed time where some poor postal service staff member read me a paragraph and then … Continue reading "CLC Ride 5 – Heathen Heaven"
Read More
I went our for a little 19mi ride around town and it just seemed like one big Easter Parade! Hope everyone had a nice day.
Read More
A wrap-up of the week’s cycling for me. I tried a new local cycle trail that came into view as we were finally allowed to drive a new section of 4 lane highway on the Midland Highway. Unbeknown to us the works had included a shared cycleway. It currently runs from a difficult to access … Continue reading "Whoops – forgot a title"
Read More
Easter Sunday … and the hunt for spring Sunday April 1, 2018 Cold and windy, rain predicted, but Janos has a new bike and that was reason enough to go for a ride. Besides, rain had been predicted for the whole day and it hadn’t rained all morning, so obviously the weather forecast was wrong. … Continue reading "CLC 2018 – Going Around in a Circle 11"
Read More