Riding this weekend

I had only planned to do the Velo ride on Saturday. Honest. And Fitz and I did, after he had a flat in the garage (roofing staple, picked up on Friday's commute), and then another flat in the parking lot. So we really hoofed it to catch up. Fortunately (for us, anyway), another rider had a flat just before the Verboort roundabout. Whew! We skipped the climbs, stopped at Maggies for snacks, then back to Longbottom for Second Breakfast. Then, being good little doobies, we took a trailer full of yard debris to Best Buy (the yard supply place, not the electronics store), and dumped it out (itch, itch, itch), stopped at Costco in the way back (we dusted ourselves off outside, first), then rearranged the right side of the garage, so Fitz could get at the walls, to finish mudding the sheetrock (do not ask how long this project has been on hiatus). Moving all that wood around (including some heirloom pieces of black walnut) prompted me to suggest he NEVER comment on the size of my fabric stash or jersey collection again. I will enjoy a painted garage, with working electrical outlets, and places to put things. We then FINALLY got showers...

Cecil had missed the Saturday ride because her knee was annoyed from running. She wanted to ride Sunday. Fitz had a round of golf lined up, so it worked out. We negotiated a 10am meet-up time (I like to sleep in at least 1 day in a weekend), and she suggested one of the Velo routes that involved Iowa Hill, Unger, Clark Hill... in other words, a significant percentage of vertical.

She showed up at the house just before 10, and suggested we try stuff north of Hwy 26 instead, like Pumpkin Ridge and Jackson Quarry. I was up for that, not having ridden there for awhile.

We finally decided to get to Skyline via NW 119th and McDaniel, and head west from there, dropping down on Old Cornelius Pass. I suggested that rather than Pumpkin Ridge, how about Rock Creek/Elliott and Beck for climbs? As well as the one all the way up to Skyline, of course. She'd never done Beck, so it was a go. The weather was amazingly wonderful. The climb up to Skyline was uneventful. Then west on Skyline for miles and miles, rolling along with excellent views to the north and south.



We stopped briefly at Skyline School before crossing Cornelius Pass to Old Cornelius Pass, then descended and turned onto Rock Creek. Got past the potholed bumpy part, enjoyed the yard full of metal sculptures, did not see the very cute donkey at the start of the climb (darn), and headed up. Lots of new houses up there, now.



Then past the house with the extra motor vehicles, and left onto Elliot for the final push up. We headed west again for a short bit, then turned onto Beck - time for a snack stop. Then 1.5 miles down on perfect pavement with no (zip. zero. nada.) traffic and 1.5 miles UP on the same pavement, with the same lack of traffic. This dropped us out onto Johnston, which turns into Logie Trail. We turned left and descended to Helvetia Rd, turned left, and did Jackson Quarry, with the associated hill. Then down Mason Hill, around on Jackson School and Shadybrook, and into North Plains for more Gatorade.

The North Plains Market has remodeled. We both walked in and went "WOW!" Large, clean, well lit, modern... Be sure to stop by and admire it (and buy Gatorade, of course).

We thought some lunch would be nice, so turned back east, working our way to the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse.



The headwind was fierce - the Beaufort scale says around 15-20mph. Slowed us down a bit. Lunch at CPR was yummy, with 2 pitchers of ice water, lots of ice tea, a big order of tater tots, and I FINALLY got that cheeseburger I'd been jonesing for since last Saturday.

Now, moving a bit more slowly, we continued east another 10 miles to finish, for me, anyway. Cecil still had to ride over the hill into Portland and the east side.

Today's route

Not like it is a surprise or anything

but I really am a nerd...

and being that, have my very own Simpson's avatar

Our Summer Vacation, Plana na Luznici to Studena

The morning started out with an early (7am) breakfast, so we could hike into Tabor proper, check out the historic town square, and forage for a camera store.

The hike involved a path and steps up a hill




then through some narrow lanes to the town square. It appeared that there was a small product market just opening up for the day:





We also did find a camera store, but it didn't open until 9, and we were to depart at 9:30. Not quite enough time. So we walked back. Many people were out and about, carrying shopping bags. It may be that most shopping happens first thing in the morning.

Loaded up, and headed out on the 45 minute drive to Plana na Luznici. We started out on a very busy road, but almost immediately turned left onto a much quieter one. We entered Kosice. I've got family members from Kosice, but Zuzana thought it was probably the Kosice in Slovakia, which is much bigger. As this Kosice was tiny, and far away from the Hungarian border, I'm inclined to agree with her.

Mostly rolling hills, poppy fields (grown to make poppy seed filling, yum) and forested areas. We stopped to explore Horni Radoun, a formerly fortified building, now a park, with a real moat and the restored schloss, with an amazing painted archway leading into the courtyard.



It was raining heavily; our Showers Pass jackets got a lot of attention, as did my waterproof glove covers.





We then headed onward and upward for maybe another 2km, for our picnic lunch in the woods. The rain had stopped. There were sliced meats and cheeses, excellent bread, mustard, salad, chips, juice, cookies and fruit. We picked a few wild blueberries as well.



After lunch we continued up, meeting up with a little family of pigs at the summit, all around a bowl of pinecones.



The forest is fairytale forest, evergreen trees and not much undergrowth. More villages and countryside. Apple and cherry trees grow along the roadside, and anyone can pick them. We snacked on cherries all afternoon, Rich especially :-)

We saw many groups of cyclists on the road, some groups of tourists, others locals going from here to there. Bikes are either touring/mtb style (fat 700c wheels, straight handlebars), as are the Sumava Leader bikes provided for this ride, or more like a city bike, but much older, and all with a rear basket on a rack. Not so many clipless pedals, either, and I must have had the only set of drop handlebars in the entire country. Everyone has fat tires - many roads are virgin asphalt, but some, well... aren't.

Czech drivers come zipping along, apparently no worrying what might be around a corner (2 speeds, fast and stopped), but I saw many little children riding with their parents on the roads. The roads are quite narrow - some I would consider a one-lane road, but they are meant for 2 way traffic. Some cyclists wear helmets, but certainly not all.

We saw a little deer hop across the road :-)

Passed a house with a gorgeous garden and beautiful roses.



I then came upon one of the manually operated railroad crossings. It was down, so I waited. Pearce heard it come down, so he came back to see the train. We had a nice long wait until it finally did pass, then another wait for the signal to get back to the guy with the handcrank.



Then downhill to Studena, our destination for the day. Tom and the boys did not appear. Fitz and I rode down the hill to see the town and rode back up. Still no boys and Tom. We loaded up, and took one of the vans to Telc. On the way, Marian called to say they'd shown up. Apparently they missed a turn. Tom figured out an alternate route to get them there (we all had maps).

We arrived in Telc and checked in, then I went in search of a camera store. Telc is a world heritage site, surely there would be someplace selling memory cards. Success!







The center of Telc is a big plaza with shops, pubs and hotels, with a castle and church at the far end. Dinner was in a pub, where we could get the local brew - Zacharias, a tasty Pilsner. I had an excellent sald, potato soup in a bread bowl (ate most of the bowl, too), then chicken. Veggies were extra, and I got a serving that was really enough for an entire family, and clearly frozen mixed veggies...

Zuzana and Marian were wondering about REI (REI contracts with their employer to do the bike tours). Fitz, Kris, Rich and I assured them that it was an excellent gear and an excellent place to shop.

Zuzana was also fascinated by my cycling jerseys - nice cycling gear for women is an underserved market there. I recommended my favorite shop, and told her they'd ship :-)

All the pictures from this day are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20084214@N00/sets/72157600992380506/

Our Summer Vacation, Chateau Konopiste to Sedlec-Prcice

We all started collecting in the lobby around noon. Fitz had wondered if it would be hard to find everyone - I dunno. People in hotel lobby in cycling clothes....nah. As I also had a bicycle, we were certainly easy to locate.



Soon, all 8 of us were there - Rich and Kris from Seattle, Pearce (father), Chapin and Breslin (16 yr old twin boys) from California, Tom from Houston, and us. Our guides, Zuzana, Marian and Bohumil showed up shortly thereafter. Bleriot rode inside the bicycle and equipment van; Fitz and I also rode there with Marian. We drove out from Prague to Chateau Konopiste, a smallish castle. It has gardens, picnic areas, and all that, now. We spent some time in the lower parking lot getting bicycles assigned and seats and pedals swapped (I watched and ate my lunch).



We then rode up the hill to the Chateau proper, for a look around. There is a moat with a bear, gardens, a courtyard, etc. etc.







Then we really started the ride. After getting past the adrenalin rush that I was RIDING MY BICYCLE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC :-), I settled down :-). Rolling countryside, with wheatfields and clumps of trees. We pass through a village, then more countryside, then another village. Not like the USA, where farmhouses are scattered about - everyone appears to live in villages, and farms are much smaller.



My rear brake kept catching on something. We finally decided it was an interaction with the Carradice bag, so I swapped it for the big handlebar bags the tour company provided.

Flowers in windows are a common theme here, as is the large church (Catholic, I'm guessing) in the town square, and many, many roadside shrines. Not the simple car accident ones we see here; these date from the 1800's or earlier, and are stone or wood, and are still in use today (fresh flowers and candles are the giveaway).

The buildings are constructed of (in order of age) stone, brick, and a perforated brick, all stuccoed over and painted a pastel color, yellow, pink, cream. The roofs are red tile. The houses often open right by the road, but it isn't a door into the house, it is a gate into an archway - houses are built around a courtyard.

Our pace is pretty casual, and we stop and take many pictures.



We finish the day by a church, and the van carries us to Tabor, to an inn right on the river. We have a great balcony view of the river, and the town.





After showers, we all meet for a welcome dinner, and Zuzana tells us about the area and geography. We had the Czech national liqueur (very spicy), dinner, Pilsner Urquell, and then go to bed. I realized that I'm just about out of memory card for my camera, and can't find the other card I know I packed. We'll hike into Tabor to see if we can find a card tomorrow morning before we leave.

More pictures from this day are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20084214@N00/sets/72157600994505339/

Our summer vacation, part 2, touring Prague

We had a day to tour Prague before the bike tour started.

I woke up at 5am, tried to sleep until 6, then gave it up, and reassembled my bike. Breakfast started at 7, so we were down there, appetites at the ready. As this is the Land of Excellent Bread and Wonderful Breakfasts, I indulged. Fitz went right for the apple strudel and what looked like miniature hallah. It wasn't really, but it looked like it. Seeded rolls, cheese, fruit, eggs, meat, vegetable salads... coffee, juice. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Thus fortified, we went to the lobby to set out to tour. The plan was to take the tram to Prague Castle, and work our way back from there. In the lobby, we ran into the folks from the REI Vienna to Prague bike tour, which had finished the day before. It turned into a nice long visit. They told us all about their ride (all good things) and the tour guides. We then headed out to catch the tram. Figured out we were going the wrong way, so got off to catch the one headed back. Crossed the Vltava River and headed up the hill to the castle. And, surprise, as we got off our tram, who else gets off but the Vienna to Prague group with their tourguide, the delightful and opinionated Tatiana. We were invited to join in, and did.

Off we went, though the castle grounds (it is really a small city; covers a lot of area), past the Riding School and the Royal Gardens, across a bridge with a fabulous view of St Vitus' Cathedral through the trees, past the guards who do not smile, into a courtyard.



The Czech president's offices are there, plus statues, another church... We went out another archway to the front gate, where there were more guards, a large group of Czech Girl Guides, and a huge crowd waiting for the guard to change.

We then walked around through some gardens, with a great view looking out over Prague. My camera battery gave it up here, so I absconded with Fitz's camera for the rest of the day.





Up some stairs, through an archway, and there we were in the courtyard with St Vitus' Cathedral.



Gargoyles, flying buttresses, mosaics over the entry, carvings... It was built in the 1300's, with additions later on. We walked all the way around the building to the entrance, waiting in line with a light drizzle, w/Tatiana pointing out other churches and Empress Maria Theresa's School for Impoverished Noblewomen (sucks to not be the first born), a monument to Jan Hus, a reformer predating Martin Luther.

Finally, it was our turn to go inside. Wow. Stained glass windows, one by Alfons Mucha, side chapels, tombs of kings and queens, amazing ceiling, King Wenceslas' Tomb in another side chapel (yes, there was a real King Wenceslas). Statues, carved doors, a pipe organ.







Then back outside, where it started to rain. Tatiana: "This gentleman is offering umbrellas for 200 crowns". Fitz bought one. I had a rainjacket and hat, so was quite okay without.

Watched the major change of the guards (music, drums, marching, horses), then walked down a set of stairs outside the castle wall into the old town.



Then across the Charles Bridge, with commentary on each and every statue.



A nice wander throug the Mala Strana, to the town square, where we had an extended goodby to everyone.

We had lunch at the open air rooftop restaurant at the Prince Hotel, right on the square.



Where many of our fellow diners were reading the bestseller: "Prague", available in many languages!

After lunch we walked over to the Jewish Quarter, where we saw the Alt-Neu Shul (built in the 1200's oldest extant synagogue in Europe and MUCH smaller than I thought it would be).



We went through other synagogues as well, including one that was empty, but had the names of all the Czech Holocaust victims on the walls, arranged by town. We then walked through the Jewish Cemetery.



Back to the town square with a shopping trip through the Mucha museum store. Walked through a farmers' market on the way back, where we saw lovely vegetables for sale. Probably just for decoration; we weren't served many veggies on this trip.



Then back to the hotel, for dinner. The service took itself a little too seriously. We just had a main dish and dessert, which, I think disappointed them.

Then, as we were getting ready for bed, Fitz's suitcase arrived!

Bike ride starts tomorrow.

All the Prague pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20084214@N00/sets/72157600992333112/

Our Summer Vacation, part 1

I think I promised a writeup of our Prague to Budapest bike trip. Now that I have some time to sit down and type it in... Thank you for your patience. It will appear in bits and pieces over the next few weeks.

So. We were doing the REI Adventures Prague to Budapest bike trip, from July 3 to July 11.
http://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/europe/praguebk.jsp

Amazingly enough, we had enough frequent flyer miles AND the dates we wanted were available. So we committed :-)

July 30...
All packed the night before. The bike dissassembly and packing went well - the new self-extracting crank bolts worked well, and made packing smoother. I took a picture of the bike all packed, and Photoshopped in orientation text, printed it out, and stuck it in the case for future reference.



My dad picked us up at 4am for airport delivery; and the helpful check-in person checked our bags all the way to Prague, even though she couldn't check us in for the Lufthansa flights from Detroit and Frankfurt. The bike suitcase weighed 49 lbs.

Had a Vienna hotdog with the neon relish in Chicago, then on to Detroit. We had a LOOOOONG layover in Detroit. We arrived in the old North terminal, and discovered that we needed to get over to the MacNamara terminal. Found the shuttle, then checked in at the nearly deserted Lufthansa desk (we were SO early). Once we got past security, the terminal became much nicer. We had to work out a meeting plan for the children at the other end of the trip (they were joining us in Michigan for a week at the family cottage afterward) - found an internet cafe and sent them email to meet us at International Arrivals in the MacNamara terminal, with directions on how to get to the terminal. Then window shopping and dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Watched the shuttle train ride back and forth along the upper level of the terminal.

Long flight to Frankfurt, but we did get fed twice. Then a long layover in Frankfurt. Very few places to sit. We hung out in a Kuwait Airways gate, dozing in chairs for about 90 minutes, then found a couple sets of unoccupied chairs and got some real sleep. I did, anyway.



Got some Haagen Dazs ice cream, then went to a long security line for our gate. My tiny little eyeglass repair screwdriver caused an awful lot of excitement...

Then a short flight to Prague, with a roll w/cheese spread and a candy bar as a snack, which is much better than anything one gets on a US domestic flight.

Entry into the Czech Republic was uneventful, except for Fitz's suitcase not showing up... Did the report, then went and found our driver, who was just about ready to give up.

Hotel Adria is very centrally located, by the Wenceslas monument on Vaclavske Namesti, which used to be the horse market.

Fitz had been paranoid, and packed a change of clothes and a set of cycling clothes, so he was ok for the first couple days, at least.

After checking in (it was early evening), we went for a walk, aiming for the Charles Bridge. We did find it, and were caught in a brief downpour.



After walking most of the way across the bridge, we walked back to the town square to watch the Astronomical Clock strike the hour:



Plus we saw a few interesting museums:



Prague has churches EVERYWHERE. Ornate churches, with statues and gilding. We then foraged for dinner (chicken burger from a street vendor); Fitz had a taste of the original Budweiser. Tastes better than the American version, but not much.

Back to the hotel, to attempt sleep...

All the pictures from the trip can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20084214@N00/collections/72157600975963805/

Riding in Paradise

Every so often, those of us that live and ride in the Pacific Northwest have to remind ourselves what a beautiful place we live in. Yesterday was one of those days.

Cecil, Jason, Rickey and I met by the Beaverton Red Robin to do 45 miles of countryside. It was going to be Rickey's longest (and hilliest) ride since his crash 4 weeks ago.

So, through Beaverton, south on Murray Rd, a shortcut on Teal through an apartment complex parking lot onto Scholls Ferry (we are outside the urban growth boundary now), and south on Roy Rogers. Lots of traffic so far, but also a beautiful wide shoulder. Then into Sherwood, right on Lynley, popping out onto Edy Rd, then Elwert (Elks Lodge coming up!), then onto Kruger Rd.

A steep, twisty descent through a heavily forested area, then the climb... Never very hard, but long. Nice views of Mt Hood to the east, over the valley.

Then a descent on Mountain Home (serious brake usage here - in places it looks like the road drops off a cliff). I had climbed this stretch for the Livestrong Ride in 2005. I think I prefer climbing it to descending it. The scenery was fabulous, though - views to the west, to Bald Peak and the valley. Lots of hayfields with bales of hay, and cornfields that smelled wonderful. Llamas, cows, goats, sheep, chickens...

At the bottom, we cut across 219 onto Vandeschuere Rd. This was the site of my crash at the end of February, and I hadn't had an occasion to ride it since. We topped a rise, and Rickey asked how it felt, riding past the crash site. I didn't even recognize it. The house with the no-trespassing sign had been remodeled and had a fabulous garden now. Of course, the fact that it was not pouring rain contributed as well, I'm sure. I turned around just to get a picture:

and we rode on.

We eventually popped out at the Laurel Store, for a stretch and snack break. Everyone inspected my rear wheel (9500 miles), and thought a look by a professional might be in order. The rims are concave, but I don't know if they've hit the danger point yet.

Still bright and sunny, light wind, moderate temperature. We headed north, skirting the southern edges of Forest Grove, Cornelius, and Hillsboro. You know there is major population there, but you can't see it. Once we got to 229th, we were into neighborhoods, working our way east. This all used to be nothing when I moved out here in 1978. Now, house farms, as far as the eye can see.

Back through the Hyland Hills neighborhood of Beaverton (traffic calmed, speed bumps, big shady trees), then north on Hall back to our start.