Surfacing

Haven't posted anything lately, because, well, I haven't been riding.

So, it is 6 weeks out from surgery, and the doctor cleared me to do whatever I wanted, but not all at once.

I rode out to meet Susan O for lunch, day before yesterday.  I enjoy having lunch with Susan, and she is located in the relatively flat direction.  15.75 miles on the Bleriot.  Heart rate was way up there, although I didn't feel bad.  Pace was a couple mph below my usual for that route.  And I felt every single vertical foot on the return.  I have to start somewhere.

A picture

Bikes, to prove it happened (Susan's new Wicked built by Corey Thompson)

And some new handknit socks, made with yarn I had just laying around the house

Yesterday I dug up the baby hand weights (2 lbs!), and started on the lifting program which is safe for little old ladies in nursing homes.  It does progress from there, truly.  For some of the exercises, I started with the 2lb weight, decided that was ridiculous, and used the 5lb weight.  My arms are stronger than my core at the moment.

Baby steps.

TL;DR, or, Coffeeneuring 2015 Summary

The summary.

My theme within a theme was Fibers.  Mostly knitting, but not always.  Finished projects:
Handspun Elemental Shawl
Thuja Socks

Still in process:
Flower Fair Isle Socks

Being retired, I got out whenever I wanted.

Ride: 1
Writeup
Date: Sunday, Oct 4
Destination: Council Crest Park, Portland, OR
Beverage: coffee brewed right at my picnic table, with milk and sweetner
Bike friendliness: picnic tables under shady trees.  Pretty nice!
Total mileage: 15.75 miles
Fiber tie-in: Elemental Shawl





By the way, the shawl was finally finished.



Ride: 2
Writeup
Destination: Jim and Patty's Coffee, Beaverton, OR
Date: Saturday, Oct 10
Beverage: Borgia Mocha
Bike friendliness: strip mall has the same crap wheel-breaker bike rack.  Baristas make up for it.
Total mileage: 2.73 miles
Fiber tie-in: Flower Fair Isle Socks



Ride: 3
Writeup
Destination: Nike West Campus, Edo Building coffee cart, Beaverton, OR (just across SW Walker from the THRPD ball fields)
Date: Thursday, Oct 15
Beverage: Mocha
Bike friendliness: When I worked there, I was used to wheeling my bike into any building and leaving it unlocked in the lobby, or in a corner, or under some stairs.  This day, I locked it outside.
Total mileage: 11.59 miles
Fiber tie-in: delivered 3 skeins of handspun wool, which I processed all the way from the dirty fleece right off the sheep.

Finally delivering some handspun yarn to the former co-worker who gave me four bags of fleece.



Ride: 4
Writeup
Date: Friday, Oct 16
Distance: 28.47 mi
Vertical feet: 2000
Location: Saint Cupcake SW,  1138 SW Morrison St
Bike Friendliness: Adorable whisk bike rack.  See the picture.
Bike: Rivendell
Beverage: Americano
Food: a Lemon dot and an Chocolate Hazelnut dot (mini cupcakes)
Fiber tie-in: Thuja socks, because I hit a roadblock on the Fair Isle Flower Socks.



Ride: 5? (might be too many in a week...)
Writeup
Date: Sunday, Oct 18
Distance: 4.8 miles
Destination: Ava Roasteria Beaverton
Bike: Rivendell
Beverage: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Bike Friendliness: well, they've got a rack
Fiber tie-in: Thuja socks



Ride: 6
Writeup
Date: Saturday, October 24
Distance: 2.42 miles
Destination: Hits the Spot Cafe, North Plains, OR
Bike: Sweetpea
Beverage: Coffee
Bike Friendliness: just lean it outside somewhere, don't block the door.
Fibers tie-in: Thuja socks



Finished  the socks that evening.



Ride: 7  (I think.  I might have 3 rides in one week and will need another ride)
Writeup
Date: Monday, November 2
Distance: 4.72 miles
Destination: Bogza Coffee, Beaverton, OR
Bike: Rivendell
Beverage: Borgia Mocha
Bike Friendliness: Super nice today; garage door was open, so I parked it behind my chair
Fibers tie-in: Flower Fair Isle Socks



Ride: 8  (Although my official #7)
Writeup
Date: Saturday, November 7
Distance: 2.1 miles
Destination: Verboort Sausage Festival, Verboort, OR
Bike: Sweetpea
Beverage: Coffee
Bike Friendliness: Leaned it up against a building, no lock
Fibers tie-in: Flower Fair Isle Socks



Ride: 9
Writeup
Date: Tuesday, November 10
Distance: 22 miles
Destination: Symposium Coffee, Tigard, OR
Bike: Rivendell Bleriot
Beverage: Mocha
Bike Friendliness: Bike rack outside; viewable from large windows
Fibers tie-in: Flower Fair Isle Socks

Expedient Coffeeneuring: Verboort Sausage Festival

Ride: 8  (Although my official #7)
Date: Saturday, November 7
Distance: 2.1 miles
Destination: Verboort Sausage Festival, Verboort, OR
Bike: Sweetpea
Beverage: Coffee
Bike Friendliness: Leaned it up against a building, no lock

Although I had plans to end up at a coffee shop with ceramic mugs, a fancy coffee drink, and some classy ambiance, well, it just didn't happen.

After finishing the Oregon Randonneurs Verboort Populaire, which ends at the annual Verboort Sausage Festival, I was sodden (why, yes, it did rain.  Quite a bit.), and under a time constraint to get home.



So I bought some sausage on a stick and a cup of coffee, sat down with some folks, ate the sausage, drank the coffee and knitted a bit on Sock #2.



Then I gathered myself up and rode the 2+ miles back to the start in Forest Grove with a few of the other riders.

Coffeeneuring: Civic Duty and Bogza Coffee

Ride: 7  (I think.  I might have 3 rides in one week and will need another ride)
Date: Monday, November 2
Distance: 4.72 miles
Destination: Bogza Coffee, Beaverton, OR
Bike: Rivendell
Beverage: Borgia Mocha
Bike Friendliness: Super nice today; garage door was open, so I parked it behind my chair

Library book needed returning and voting needed to happen.  All voting in Oregon is by mail, so we get our voters' pamphlet, campaign mail and ballot in plenty of time to read through it all, vote, and mail it back.  Except the election is TOMORROW, and mail might not do it.  Fortunately, the library is a official drop-off site.  For that matter, the central official ballot drop-off site is not much further, but I didn't want to go there today.

Zipped over to the library, put the book in the magic return slot (scans the book's RFID chip and checks it right back in, probably triggering an email to the next person in line for the book), and, then, VERY trustingly, did not lock the bike before going inside to drop off the ballot.  There were some missionaries hanging right by the bike rack, so they'd see if it went off with someone who wasn't me.



Contemplated a route from the library to Bogza - most direct is north on Hall Blvd, then left on Millikan Way.  A bit dicey between Broadway and Millikan, because the bike lane vanishes, the lanes are narrow, and the traffic can be swift.  Fortunately, many red lights today, so I could merge in and take the lane.

It was a nice day today, so they had one of the glass doors rolled up.  Made bike parking easy - I put it right behind the squashy chair that I wanted to sit in anyway!



Borgia Mocha, and some forward progress on the Fair Isle Flower Sock.  This sock has been very frustrating - the first contrast color I chose didn't work out (unravel!), then the sock seemed overly baggy (unravel to the end of the stranded work) and use a smaller needle.  I think I've got it now.

Fitz joined me for awhile, and then headed home to get ready for woodworking class.

I then rode home via the brand new extension of Rose Biggi Ave - it used to be a parking lot cut through, followed by some outstanding potholes, and another parking lot which gave onto Dawson St.  Now it is an excellent street and shiny new bridge over Beaverton Creek, which is formed by the confluence of Hall Creek and Messinger Creek.  Messinger Creek is currently channeled into a storm sewer which terminates right at the edge of our property, and is currently overwhelming the catch basin and private diversion pipe, and flooding our downhill neighbor.  More than you wanted to know.

Coffeeneuring, Now With More Social!

Ride: 6
Date: Saturday, October 24

Distance: 2.42 miles

Destination: Hits the Spot Cafe, North Plains, OR 

Bike: Sweetpea 

Beverage: Coffee
Bike Friendliness: just lean it outside somewhere, don't block the door.

Many of us were gathering for a friend's Big Milestone Ride this past Saturday.  Our out-of-town guest wondered if we could work in a coffeeneur expedition.  Sure, there were a couple of options.

We got ourselves to the start about a half hour early, and unloaded the bikes.  As we were doing so, Corey and Stefanie (both all the way from Olympia) drove up.  We told them where we were ending up; they thought they'd take the 1.5 block route :-)



I led Michal on a circumnavigation of North Plains, ending up at Hits the Spot Cafe, a popular permanent finish location.



Corey and Stefanie were already there, eating breakfast.  We got coffee.  Ray wandered through, but elected to skip the coffee this time.

me, Stefanie, and Corey.  Pic by Michal Young

I knitted a bit.

Then we all adjourned to the start, 1.5 blocks down the street.

Finished up the sock later, so on to the next sock project, which, with a better contrasting second yarn, is now off the back burner.  Stay tuned.

Coffeeneuring: Dive Run to Ava Roasteria

Ride: 5?
Date: Sunday, Oct 18

Distance: 4.8 miles

Destination: Ava Roasteria Beaverton

Bike: Rivendell

Beverage: Pumpkin Spice Latte

The library sent me a "book ready" notice, and, as I had two books to return, and hadn't coffeeneured yet this week, I thought I'd combine the two.  Grabbed the sock I am knitting, and headed out.

The library closes at 5 on Sunday, and I zipped in just under the wire.  Books managed, I coasted over the couple blocks to Ava.  As I noted last year, it is open 24/7 (good if, say, someone is finishing a permanent in the middle of the night), and appears to be very popular with the "I want to study in a coffeeshop with my textbooks and laptop" crowd.



So popular that I locked up in the rack, ordered a pumpkin spice latte, and found an open table outside.

Careful examination of the sock revealed that I only needed 1.5" more knitting before I could start the toe, so I interspersed knitting, drinking, and people-watching.  Got to where I could start the toe decreases, and headed home, because toes are easier to knit with double point needles, or a long cable circular needle, and I did not have either with me.

Sadly, looking at the bag I use on the porteur rack, I am again feeling the need to make a somewhat larger and more esthetically pleasing bag.  I have the materials, just need to come up with a design and get to it.

Coffeeneuring: Coffee with Beth

Ride: 4
Date: Friday, Oct 16

Distance: 28.47 mi

Vertical feet: 2000

Location: Saint Cupcake SW,  1138 SW Morrison St

Bike Friendliness: Adorable whisk bike rack.  See the picture.

Beverage: Americano

Food: a Lemon dot and an Chocolate Hazelnut dot (mini cupcakes)

Beth and I have been promising ourselves that we'd get together for coffee for much too long.  We finally pulled it off.

Our meetup place was Saint Cupcake, which, while not the original Saint Cupcake, still makes a very nice array of cupcakes, both standard and mini sizes.

My route into Portland includes going over Sylvan summit, then coasting to the Zoo, up a bit to Kingston Rd, then downhill through Washington Park and SW Portland.

Saint Cupcake has an adorable bike rack.

Beth arrived as I was locking up.  We got ourselves coffee, and in my case, a couple of exceptionally tasty dots (mini cupcakes).

In my case there was some knitting on a sock, and we spent a fair amount of time catching up.

My other agenda for day was to ride over the shiny new Tillikum Bridge, and stop in at Rivelo on the other side, to buy some leather/crochet cycling gloves.  We rode down to the Willamette RIver, then started working our way south to the bridge.  Eventually, we just took ourselves to where the endless stream of cyclists was riding from.

The views from the bridge are wonderful.







Now, I could fill this post up with a stupid number of pictures of the bridge, but you could just view them here.

As well as mission accomplished at Rivelo, we met another Google Riv lister, and visited with John.  He walked us out to meet our bikes.

Casting about for what to do next, I suggested we ride on the Springwater Corridor Trail.  it was clear and sunny as we rode along the Willamette River.  And then we found ourselves in Sellwood, it was after 1pm, and we wanted some lunch.

A burger place was located, and we sat down to some yummy burgers and fries.  And more catching up.

Then Beth had to get home, so we headed our separate ways.  I got to ride over the Tillikum Bridge (oooh! more pictures!).  I followed the other cyclists to see where I'd end up, which turned out to be Portland State University.  So, four blocks north, and I was on Jefferson, headed back up to Washington Park, and then home.

The elevation profile

Coffeeneuring 2015: A Trip to Jim and Patty's Coffee, And Knitting Socks

Ride: 2
Destination: Jim and Patty's Coffee, Beaverton, OR
Date: Saturday, Oct 10
Beverage: Borgia Mocha
Bike friendliness: strip mall has the same crap wheel-breaker bike rack.  Baristas make up for it.
Total mileage: 2.73 miles

As my Theme this year is Fibers, and as I had completed my Elemental Lace Shawl (yay!), I had to start another project, or do something else fiber-related.  I did have a project in mind, and had only to print out the pattern and forage around for a contrast yarn and properly sized needles.  With the depth of my knitting supplies, that didn't take too long.



A storm is working its way through, and, as it was going to be another solo outing, I picked my closest favorite coffee shop, Jim and Patty's.  I managed to drop down the hill in between showers.



After locking the bike up in a suboptimal fashion to the wheel-breaker rack, I went inside and had a great chat with the barista - she is looking for a way to commute from the east end of SW Beaverton-Hillsdale to the store, without much riding ON Beaverton Hillsdale.  Sadly, most of the other options involve a some climbing, although investigating does reveal one good possibility.

Ordered a Borgia Mocha (mocha with orange), sat down, cast on a sock, and tried to start knitting on it.



Learning: the back of the store is too dark for knitting, especially with dark yarn.  I relocated to the front of the store, tinked back half the first row (there was an extra knit in the knit 2 purl 2, and it didn't come out right), and then zipped through 8 rows of ribbing.  The pattern calls for 6, but I am going to do 12, just to get a good ribbing band at the top.  The only thing I am really using the pattern FOR is the design chart for the leg.  I can knit a sock without any pattern at all.

Jim and Patty's used to be Coffee People, and there was a display of CP mugs on the counter.  I amused myself by counting out how many of them I had.  Four, and some may still be in the house.



Enjoyed the Borgia mocha, and headed home.  There was another period of non-rain, at least for the first quarter mile or so.  Luckily, it was a warm rain.

Coffeeneuring 2015: Coffee Outside

Ride: 1
Destination: Council Crest Park, Portland, OR
Date: Sunday, Oct 4
Beverage: coffee brewed right at my picnic table, with milk and sweetner
Bike friendliness: picnic tables under shady trees.  Pretty nice!
Total mileage: 15.75 miles



Coffeeneuring 2015 is underway, with its delightful collection of rules.  Given the traffic on the Coffeeneuring facebook group yesterday, it looks like participation has exploded this year.  There are postings from Kyiv (Ukraine), and somewhere in the Central Asian Steppe!

Rule 2 allows for Coffee Shop Without Walls (Coffee Outside).  At its simplest, one procures coffee, rides somewhere, and drinks it.  More elaborate undertakings include collecting all the equipment needed to grind and brew coffee in the Great Outdoors, and doing that.

Every year I have said to myself "gonna do Coffee Outside!", and then I don't locate the needed equipment, and it doesn't happen.

Part of the plan was to do this with the gear already at the house.  I used to backpack, and had certainly made coffee outside!

This year, I rummaged in the shed, went through my backpack twice; no Svea 123 stove...  More shed rummaging (this includes climbing over the riding mower, and balancing on a few things to reach the upper shelves, without inside lighting, so it is kind of dim), and I finally spotted my Sigg Tourist cookset, which I knew contained the stove.

The stove has not been used for a couple of decades.  It had some fuel, and right next to the cookset was my old fuel bottle, which had more fuel.  Filled up the stove, and it fired right up.

Next up was to get a mug and a drip thingie.  Mugs are easy.  For that matter, so was the drip thingie.  I had a choice of the cone, or a Bodum Solo.  Grabbed the Bodum Solo, just because I hadn't used it before.  I think it, and the mug, came into the house many years before as part of a Drum Corps Auction.

My destination was Council Crest Park, one of the two high points in the Portland area, and a popular destination for cyclists wanting a climb.  From my house to the summit is about 6 miles and 800 vertical feet.

Got to the park, and as usual, rode to the very top, to enjoy the view.  Another cyclist started a conversation by admiring my bike :-) and we went on from there.





Then I prospected for a spot to set up.  There are some picnic tables under some tall trees down below - no path, and a steep embankment, so I had them all to myself.



I had ground the coffee at home (blend of Mocha Java and Espresso Decaf), so had only to heat up the water and brew away.



Pulled out my knitting while the water was heating, and worked away on my lace Elemental Shawl.  Now in the final 8 rows, but each row is 855 stitches.  Won't finish quickly!

So I'd knit 50 stitches, and then sip some coffee.  Coffee was ok; maybe I'll use the drip cone next time.  Or more coffee.

Coffee consumption complete, 2/3 of a row complete, and the stove cooled down, I packed everything up to finish the ride.  Tradition dictates that one circumnavigate Council Crest on Fairmount Blvd before returning, so that's what I did.

It was SUCH a nice afternoon that there were many cyclists out on Fairmount, and even more on Hewett Blvd on the return.

A Longish Weekend Ride with Many High Points

As I understand it, Cecil was planning to ride out to the BTA board retreat in Hillsboro at Team Estrogen.  Susan thought she'd ride into Portland, meet Cecil and they'd ride back together.  That's 34 miles for Susan, 17 miles for Cecil.  They invited me to join in on the ride part, and, as Team Estrogen isn't all that far from Longbottom's, I'd be back in plenty of time to lead a Portland Velo ride.  And then ride home.  But of course.

Bicycle of choice was Sweetpea because I'd need the lights, and it is the default bike for winter club rides (fast, yet fendered and luggaged).

Susan was riding in over Springville-Skyline-Thompson-Cornell.  That's kind of out of my way.  So, up at 4:15am, riding by 5am along the Sunset Hwy bike path, down through Washington Park, through downtown, over the Hawthorne Bridge, then right on 11th to meet at Kettleman's around 6am.  It being dark, I didn't bomb down the hills with quite my usual verve, and arrived a bit after 6.  Cecil was there, eating a bagel.  I'd had peanut butter toast and a banana at home, and, as Cecil said: "well, it got you over the hill".  Time for an everything bagel with lox cream cheese and a cup of coffee.

I had started out with a long sleeved wool knit shirt under a long sleeved wool jersey.  Ride leader vest over that, and Portland Velo Showers Pass jacket.  Took off the wool base layer and Showers Pass jacket - too hot!

Did I mention the three of us are in a weight loss death pact?  I was looking forward to the ride today because I could EAT with relative impunity.

So.  No Susan.  She appeared at 6:25am, and, at 6:30am, give or take, we were headed back west.  I'd never ridden UP Cornell-Thompson, but it was not a big deal.  4+ miles of climbing, no traffic.  It got light somewhere along there.  Then a delightful zip along Skyline, and the steep drop down Springville.

We passed the historic house on NW Kaiser, completely surrounded by suburbs.  I remember riding by it when there was Nothing There At All but Fields.  Nothing.  Kind of sad.

Susan took us on the Bethany Meadows Trail from NW Kaiser to NW West Union.  Nice!

A wander through her neighborhood with a brief stop, then they headed off for the meeting, and I headed off to Longbottom's.  30 miles, 2500 vertical feet, climbing the West Hills twice.  I had 90 minutes to kill, but I had brought some knitting along, and a full coffee card.  So I redeemed it for the largest orange-mocha they offered, and settled down to knit.

Eventually JRod came by and some others, and then it was time to go out and lead a 40 mile ride.  Brian C was in my group (yay!), Bill, and Ron.  Ron left us, and Mike Y joined us until Forest Grove.  Ate a well-buttered Rye-Molasses muffin in Forest Grove (brought from home, I add raisins and walnuts to the recipe).  I'd get ahead and then slow down for Bill to catch up.  We finished about 1:20, and Brian and I found a spot at the tables of Portland Velo riders and enjoyed a leisurely, um, fourth breakfast.  70 miles.

Time to head home.  A reasonably mindless 10 miles.

80 miles in all, 4400 vertical feet, My average for the Velo portion of the ride was 14.15 mph.

High points.  Well.  Sylvan summit.  Skyline at Thompson.  Riding with Cecil and Susan.  Eating with Impunity.  Nice day.  Riding with Brian C.  What else is there?