Tripieper Tales and Travels

Soaking Up the Sun

2010-11-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

The in-laws wanted to spend time in Death Valley for their 50th Wedding Anniversary. In late October who am I to argue?

The family enjoying the sun at Furnace Creek and checking out the charcoal kilns

Tracks in the sand dunes: Can you identify 1) roadrunner 2) a twig blown in the wind and 3) Robin aka dunewalker?

Then we popped over to Yosemite for some pretty fall colors:

Two, Two, Two Goals in One!

2010-09-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

I had 2 goals I wanted to reach this year and I had the good luck to achieve them both in one day - and - more importantly - had fun doing it.

Saturday, August 7 I finished up the last ride needed for my R-12 while completing the 3 Volcanoes 300km on tandem with rando extraordinaire, Peg Winczewski. I have a feeling our "record" for an all female tandem on that course will stand for some time.

A few pics courtesy of Jason Dul:

Me and my special Peg 3000 engine

Where to find randos in the early morning hours

Checking out views along the route

Jason, the photographer, his front wheel encountering gravel, and Kole and Jennifer climbing Babyshoe Pass

Randos at a watering hole - gotta watch out for crocodiles!

The tandem conquers Babyshoe and a group shot at the top while donating blood to the mosquitos (apparently the atmosphere at Babyshoe has a special quality that makes me extremely UNphotogenic)

A river crossing just outside of Trout Lake

Beautiful scenery to distract us from that final climb up to Elk Summit and and ominous looking sight at the top

A Soul Reviving Day

2010-06-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Robin was planning to join the boys for a 1000km brevet in the Blue Mountains of Oregon leaving me unsupervised and gazing in wonderment at the weekend forecast. Mitchel suggested the Flying Wheels Summer Century which I hadn't done in dogs' years but he invited Jason too so it was tempting. Then Jason's anti-social side emerged saying he hated crowds and waiting in line at sani-huts so how about doing the Mountain Loop Highway 200km permanent? FISH ON! I had been wanting to do this route and the prospect of getting to ride with Jason made it a "must do". At the risk of jinxing myself I'll also say that I needed to do a 200km this month to make it 10 out of 12 for my R-12 endeavor.

After what seemed like decades of grey, wet, and cold weather Saturday emerged like a sparkling jewel. Clear blue skies, singing birds, children frolicking, and BBQ's smoking. I picked Jason up in Redmond (I offered to drive in order to ensure he wouldn't desert me!) and we headed to Snohomish. I stuffed a Snickers Dark in my mouth just before Jason took our "start" picture outside the 7-11.

We started about 20 minutes late but neither of us seemed to feel any pressure. Unlike recent rides where I wanted to get done before it got TOO dark, TOO wet, and TOO cold today promised endless warmth and sunshine.

Given the 14 miles of unpaved road on this route Robin had fitted my Rambouillet with no fenders and extra fat and cushy tires. Being extra fat and cushy they felt pretty sluggish on the pavement - or maybe that was the engine's fault - and Jason gave me a hard time for stopping to check first if a brake was dragging and second if my tire was going flat. We did discover that the rear tire was mounted with the tread in the wrong direction so I had my excuse for riding so slowly! I could complain about shoddy work to my mechanic but I can already anticipate the reply. Something along the lines of "you can mount your own *&^%&^% tire from now on" so I think I'll keep my mouth shut on that one.

First control in Arlington and we got water to top off our bottles. Jason found one of the two zip ties attaching his light to his helmet had broken and the second was looking iffy. He didn't have cutters so he removed the light and then just tightened the remaining zip tie into a stylish "horn" and dubbed himself rhinocesquatch (a version of sasquatch which is his usual self-imposed moniker)

(now THAT's Rando!)

Most of the route from Arlington to Darrington is along Hwy 530 which is fine for about 15-20 miles and then you are really ready to be done with it but you still have about 7+ miles to go. Jason employed his time along the route taking pictures and waiting for me.

We had our first lunch stop in Darrington. Most of the times I have visited this little town it has been cold so it was a real treat to sit at the little picnic table in the sun munching a sandwich and chips and reapplying sunscreen. We had about 2 hours in the bank even with our late start but we had the big, unpaved climb ahead of us so off we went. Just a few miles later we are greeted by the "pavement ends" sign which, in this case, translates "and the fun begins"! I was so impressed with this road. It was packed solid and smoother than 95% of the roads in Skagit County. There were a few potholes but easy to navigate and the vehicle traffic was low and slow. Most of the road followed the Sauk River through the Mt Baker National Forest so we had the beautiful rushing river and breathtaking mountain views complete with snow topped peaks and gorgeous waterfalls.

Pavement Ends:

This was the place to be on this gorgeous day:

The climb did get steeper towards the top but there were only 2 or 3 sections where I had to hit the granny gear and plenty of thigh relieving flat and even short downhills spots along the way.

After we reached the summit the pavement picked up again and we dove down the mountain triumphantly. We stopped at a picnic site for second lunch and some intense sandwich trading negotiations. A lovely lady with a foreign accent told us what great cyclists we were and our heads swelled so much we had a hard time getting our helmets back on.

We did have some headwind on the way to Granite Falls but I had wisely brought along my own personal windscreen. I only had to relieve his efforts for short periods to keep him going! Somewhere around Verlot we saw a guy riding a penny farthing bicycle in the opposite direction - too cool!

In Granite Falls I luxuriated outside a mini-mart by sitting on the sidewalk while munching a giant ice cream cookie sandwich. There are times when Granite Falls, a piece of concrete, and a fat-loaded dairy product are my idea of heaven and this was one of them. My big revelation here was that for the first time in a very long time I was saying to myself "we only have 21 miles left to enjoy" rather than "I only have to survive another 21 miles". It was a nice feeling which lasted for about 10 minutes after we left Granite Falls and started hitting the hills. Dubuque Rd was engineered by evil men with the sole intention of reducing randonneurs to tears. They didn't get the best of me this time however so they quickly regrouped and threw 131st Ave SE at me. Still no tears but Jason noted that I had to use my 24 inch gear for the upper half of the climb. After that we were home free cruising into Snohomish where we were greeted by cheering throngs cleverly disguised as mildly impressed mini-mart cashiers. As I've said before, I only do it for the fame and the glamour.

Why Two-Year-Olds Rock

2010-05-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

I should have posted about the great trip we took to Tucson in April to celebrate Archie's 60th birthday. We hiked, biked up Mt Lemmon (where I met Matt who has spent the last 2 years cycling around the US), watched the Huies rock climb, ate and drank around the pool, enjoyed hanging out with Spud and Tater, and were treated to a delicious dinner by my cousin John and his wife Peggy:

And I should have posted about the fun long weekend in East Wenatchee for SIR's Northwest Crank training camp.

And I should have posted about riding a 400km brevet in Oregon which was a fabulous route including 7 covered bridges and, unbelievably, headwinds no matter which direction I was riding and finished hearing the same birds at 4:30am that I had heard the previous morning at 5:00am:

But what finally got me to post was the simple wisdom of my grand-nephew Henry.

On Tuesday, as I was sitting in the back seat between Henry and Bennett we were discussing the concept of "it takes a village". Here's how the conversation played out:

me: Henry, you have a village.
Henry: nope
Mary: Yes you do Henry. Who are your people?
Henry: Gramma, Boppa (grandpa), Mama, Dada...
me: Aren't I in your village?
Henry: nope
me: Well I'd like to be in your village. How do I get in?
Henry: Open the door!

I'm not Mark. Or Vinnie, Or Geoff. And certainly not Kole!

2010-04-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last year when some of my rando buddies started riding crazy amounts I kept saying they were nuts and that I needed time to recover between long rides. At least a week, maybe two, and three weeks in between would be lovely. I don't know when that logical approach got away from me but when I returned from Switzerland in mid-March I rode a very sensible 200k brevet and didn't feel trashed afterward. Knowing the Bellingham organizers were planning to target a nice day for their workers' ride (pre-ride) for the 300k I asked to join in. Turns out that would be only 4 days after my 200k. Luckily the group included Ralph and Carol on their tandem and Mark T so I had plenty of great drafting companions. Still, I was pretty tired by the time we finished and then still had to try to rustle up something to eat, drive home from Burlington, and get cleaned up before hitting the sack at about 3am. Luckily my sweetheart of a husband answered the 5:20am call from my sister for a ride to the airport so I could sleep a bit longer. A few more days rest and I headed out for a "short" weekend ride with the Cycle Tuesdays gang - which means intensity! I was still feeling like I had recovered well so when Mark sent out a note to the SIR list for a mid-week permanent on Thursday before the big storm hit I just fell right into the trap.

Company was great, route was good, weather wasn't quite as nice as we'd hoped but manageable and we got to see lots of friends along the way. Michael Gray, Mark, Vinnie, Dave Harper, and myself rolled out from University Village at 7:30, stopped in Snohomish at the bakery for some fuel and a tube change for me and then on to Granite Falls. I was doing pretty well and even taking a few pulls for the team but any uphill made my legs feel like lead. After Granite Falls we did the undulations along Lake Roesiger and hit some very nice pastoral roads heading into Monroe. By this time Dave had to take up babysitting duties and paced me nicely along trailing after the other riders. Early in the morning we'd seen Kole (after having ridden a 400k the day before - as had Vinnie!) on his way to work. Along the Snoqualmie River Road we came across Kent Peterson out for a jaunt planned to intersect our gang. We spent some time chatting with him and enjoying refreshments in Carnation.

Next up, Issaquah-Fall City Road. A road that meets my definition of the Irish "a terrible beauty". It is a quiet, forest-lined road that kicks my butt every time. As said butt was already dragging a bit the kicking didn't take much effort. Vinnie managed to adjust his usual quick climbing pace to my slow slog and kept me company all the way. That's after he'd already waited for me before Carnation when I dropped off chatting to Kent and then getting stuck at a light. After this we saw Mike McHale and Jim Rupert just finishing up an afternoon ride and they turned around to ride with us for a short time and say hi. That left just getting to the I-90 path, a little jaunt around Mercer Island and back north to University Village. Now Mark was on duty shepherding me along as I got slower and slower on each hill. When we reached Mercer Island I called Robin at work so he could meet up with us on the other side of the lake and join us for dinner at the end. I started off in pretty good shape through the winding curves on the east side but once we hit the rollers on the west side of the island the wheels completely fell off and it was a real slog-fest from there to the finish. Mark showed incredible patience (as had all the guys the entire day) and got me back in one (albeit pitiful) piece. A big mug of beer and a bacon blue burger never tasted so good!

Next morning result - yes I do it for the glamour! If only my bike and I could defy gravity on the hills the way my hair defies gravity after going to bed with it damp!

Now, I'm going to take a long recovery break - really - don't even think about asking me to do a long ride - I mean it!

On Human Kindness

2010-03-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

I don't read or watch the news every day. Too much emphasis and top stories about war, hate, violence, and other bad stuff. A step outside into the "real" world time and again gives me a perspective I much prefer. A little example from yesterday:

My travel itinerary was a car ride from Lucerne to Zurich, flight from Zurich to Frankfurt, flight from Frankfurt to Washington DC, flight from Washington DC to Seattle. The first 2 steps went off without a hitch. In Frankfurt we deplaned onto the tarmac and caught a shuttle bus to the terminal where I went down various hallways, several flights of stairs, and was halfway down a "disappearing into the horizon" moving walkway when I realized I didn't have my purse. Yes, the purse with my passport, money, credit cards, phone, boarding passes, etc. I swung a leg over the handrail, jumped off the moving walkway (long legs come in handy at times like this), and headed back the way I had come but didn't REALLY know where I had come from. I found the Lufthansa gates and was told I needed to go to lost and found. Funny thing is - lost and found wasn't easy to find - ironic? yes, I think so. I eventually found Lufthansa's Baggage Tracing desk. I had kept it together pretty well until then but after getting out that I had left my purse on the plane or the shuttle bus I could no longer speak without the threat of a full tearful breakdown. The lovely Lufthansa agent asked which flight I'd been on and I couldn't remember the number - just that I had come from Zurich. A nice man behind me stepped up with his boarding pass from the same flight and asked if that had been the one - yes, thanks! Then she wanted my name but I couldn't spit it out. "Just write it down" she urged pushing a pad and pen towards me. Then she said she needed to go to another location to make some phone calls and for me to wait. I was there about 20 minutes trying to stay calm as the time for my connecting flight got ever closer. I was wondering just what one does in a foreign country with no ID and no money - would I need to get to the American Embassy? have Robin come from Lucerne to bail me out? live at the airport ala Tom Hanks in Terminal? When the Lufthansa agent returned she told me she was waiting to hear back from several areas and that I should go to my connecting flight gate and if they found it they would send it there. I tried to return the way I had come but, as that would return me to a secured area I couldn't get in (I did try but set off an electronic warning). I realized I wouldn't be able to get to my gate without my ID and boarding pass so returned to the Baggage Tracing desk. The woman was on the phone and gestured to me to wait. A few minutes later she walked over and told me they had found my purse! I was SO relieved. She had to go get it and didn't know exactly where it was so I was again instructed to wait there. Another 20 minutes or so and she was back with my purse. I had missed my connecting flight so she instructed me to go to rebooking. At the rebooking desk I explained what had happened and at first the agent told me she couldn't do anything for me. Apparently a flight booked with miles and missed due to your own stupidity doesn't qualify for rebooking (makes sense but wasn't what I wanted to hear). She then started looking closer and said the original itinerary was one that probably shouldn't have been booked in the first place as the connection time was too close - and my incoming flight had been a few minutes late - so she decided to rebook me anyway! I was so grateful! I ended up with a better itinerary on Air Canada through Calgary on a half-empty plane.

Whew - too much drama! But mostly alleviated due to the kindness and honesty of total strangers. That's the kind of news I'd like to read about more often.

Scotland

2010-03-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Doing some backtracking here. For two weeks last August Robin and I drove visited Scotland and had a few adventures. Our friend Barbara Blacker reminded me that I had yet to share any pictures so here goes:

Sunday August 2 we drove from Farnborough to Kelso, home of the ruined Kelso Abbey.

Before driving on to Edinburgh we did a walk along the coast from the fishing village of St Abbs.

August 4-5 we stay in a cool small hotel in Edinburgh and tour the castle, Royal Mile, Carlton Hill, and the HMS Britannia.

View from our hotel room:

Walking around town:

The castle:

August 6-8 we take the overnight ferry (very NICE!) from Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland Island and spend 3 incredible days walking and touring around these rough, remote, and beautiful islands.

In Aberdeen a statue of William Wallace and a beautiful lamp post:

The Aberdeen skyline as we depart for the Shetlands:

Of course, a Shetland pony (baby) and first stop - Sumburgh at the southern end of Shetland to look for puffins. We saw some but not very close up. The nesting season has ended early this year and there aren't many left.

We make a trip to the northernmost inhabited island of Unst and do a walk of a nature reserve. Absolutely deserted, wild, and beautiful. A boardwalk (in the process of being replaced with Trex-like decking) to protect the bog leads us to the cliffs:

Here we get to see some puffins up close. They are very fun to watch. They have a distinctive flight with stubby wings for "flying" underwater and beautiful beaks. We kept missing them as they'd fly out from the burrows to fish and we couldn't tell where they returned in all the different headlands. Robin watched one take off and directed me towards the burrow while he stayed in place. I got about 20 yards from it before the puffin returned and I called Robin over. The bird left again and we ventured closer. A puffin returned and stood on the edge of the cliff looking at us with tiny sand eels in its beak. We wondered why it didn't return to its burrow. It took off again in a wide circle out over the water then flew back towards us. We watched in anticipation to see where it would land so we could get a close look. The puffin flew in fast and hot right into a burrow nearly under my foot! We had accidentally stood nearly on top of its burrow so in order to avoid the stupid tourists it had to dive bomb into its burrow rather than make a nice landing and walk in! Sorry Puffin!

A little taste of walking on the island of Unst:

Robin checks out a turf field and we do our best to keep the Shetlands clean by "dunna chucking bruck":

After a "day off" and then a rainy and traffic-filled drive down the east side of Loch Ness we spend August 11-12 in Glasgow. We saw a piping competition and did a walking tour of the city. On the way we stopped at Culloden - the battlefield where the Scottish received the trouncing that would signal their final defeat at the hands of the English and the end of their independence. We didn't go into the museum but instead walked around the battlefield itself which included some markers with indicators of where the opposing forces established their lines and where clashes took place. Not many of the visitors actually walked the battlefield so it was quiet and a bit eerie.

Scenes in Glasgow:

To wrap up our trip we spent 2 nights with Dick and Lucy McTaggert whom we met prior to PBP 2007. They took us on a walking tour of Galashiels and then a nice walk around St Mary's Lake despite Dick's aversion to traveling on 2 feet rather than 2 wheels.

Fridays with Henry

2010-02-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Since August 2008 I have traded every other Friday with my sister in caring for her grandson, Henry. It has been great to be a part of his evolving life and watching him develop. My Henry Fridays have been a delight and about twice a month alone with a baby and now a toddler is just about right.

Here are a couple of pics from our early days (can't wait til he's about 16 and sees these!).

He has been very helpful with the housework but on this particular day his curiosity resulted in injury. Up to that day he'd never been able to get the desk drawer open because he tried pulling on just one handle. Ever since this owie it has been a running joke to ask him where he has gotten an owie because the answer is always "Amy's house" - no matter where it happened!

My last Henry day before the arrival of his baby brother. Trying out Amy's helmet.

Enjoying hot chocolate on a cold day.

It'll be interesting to see how Fridays play out once momma returns to working and there are 2 little boys involved!

One Lucky Rando Girl

2010-01-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

The three mega mileage amigos (Geoff, Mark, and Vinnie) were planning to baptize the new Three Rivers Cruise V2 route last Saturday. Earlier in the week looking at the weather forecast I thought Sunday looked better and managed to talk them all into switching the day. As the weekend drew near dire changes were shaping up on the weather front and I was facing the prospect of not only being scorned by my riding mates but also not being able to do any weather whining. Saturday turned out to be a pretty good day and the forecast early Sunday was still unfriendly. Okay, load all the rain gear and get ready to gut it out.

I was picturing a pretty wet and miserable day of about 11-12 hours. But no, Lucky Rando Girl emerges from the phone booth! Robin and I drove up to Arlington to find not only those amigos but a few others as well - Dan Jenson, Mike Richeson, Kole Kantner, and Ward Beebe had heeded the siren call. Notice all the male names there??? Like I said, Lucky Rando Girl! Another point of luck, they are all nice, intelligent, handsome, and look great in lycra!

A little bit of head wind and a very cold arrival in Darrington (which didn't prevent Kole from feasting on an ice cream sandwich - brrrrr) and I was still anticipating the rain at any moment. Lucky Rando Girl would not be so easily defeated - we changed direction here heading north and suddenly the wind was at our backs and seemed to stay there for the entire rest of the ride. Bits of blue sky appeared and we had fantastic views of snow capped Mt Baker while also sighting eagles along the Sauk River. Another change of direction (west now and still a tailwind) had us zipping along the Skagit River. Well, we were zipping once Robin got Mike and me in hand and pulled us up to the leaders...

We descended upon the Skagit Valley Co-op in Mt Vernon for a nice lunch break and then back out on the road, this time basically south but still with a tailwind - how is this happening??? At this point we had visions of getting back to Arlington before dark and the rest of the group would easily have done that but my legs were beginning to feel the efforts of the pace and they very kindly slacked off a bit for me. Now we had views of snow geese and Mt Pilchuck to delight the senses. Still, I was on the edge, just hanging on, and as we climbed a freeway overpass (it was a BIG one, I'm tellin' ya!) as we entered Stanwood I saw the group pull away. Well, it looked more like they were shooting out of a canon while I rolled backwards! After Stanwood I saw a tail light ahead and Mike had backed off to wait for me. Not much further along Robin was there and when we hit Silvana the rest of the crew was hanging out and harassing the locals. They could have been in Arlington already but they waited so we could all finish together - what a bunch of sweeties! I felt just a few raindrops as we neared Arlington and there was even a lingering bit of light in the sky as we pulled into the Haggen's parking lot.

What a Lucky Rando Girl.

Ain't no pretty here

2009-10-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

I completed my slowest 200k ever today - bully for me. Included in today's route is a section of road with which I have a most curious relationship. I have ridden Issaquah-Fall City Road many many times and never well. My efforts on that climb from Fall City up and over the lump between it and Issaquah range from the low end of Embarrassingly Pathetic to a high end of Merely Pitiful. Those rare times in my cycling career during which I've gained some kind of climbing acumen (read about 2 days in total) have never coincided with riding this road. I always arrive at the bottom in a state of trepidation. I grovel and tuck my tail firmly between my legs never daring to raise my eyes. It regards me with true and undisguised disdain. As I move up the road quickly exhausting my supply of low gears I am forced to rise out of the saddle to maintain some sort of forward momentum. This effort it greeted by a derisive snort. I somehow claw my way forward while gravity gains strength with each pedal stroke. The bit of asphalt just passed over now attaches itself like velcro to my butt trying to pull me back. I begin to whimper and whine and degrade myself in every way possible in hopes of appeasing the road and somehow gain that little section that likes to pretend it is the top. I begin to rejoice in my success and am quickly slapped back down to my natural level. The road tilts up again. I begin to despair but salvation comes in the form of a caterpillar or a slug or, on very bad days, some road kill that calls out "on your left" as it slips effortlessly by me seeking higher ground. The road is momentarily distracted or perhaps has become so bored with me that I begin to make headway. Yes, the end is in sight. I have triumphed (?) once again! Take that you old so and so - until we meet again!

Visiting Open Gardens

2009-07-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

One of the things I was really looking forward to on this visit to the UK was visiting gardens. Being summer (well, British summer anyway) it is the height of open garden season. The National Gardens Scheme (founded in 1927 and patronized by HRH The Prince of Wales) raises funds by opening gardens to the public. The funds support several health and garden-related charities. On Sunday July 12 we set out to take part in this charming tradition.

We had 2 gardens on our list to visit that day and the first was just outside one of our favorite villages, Dogmersfield. We started with a country walk planned to circle around and deliver us to Whispers (name of the house) just in time for its opening. It was a dry and comfortable day and we enjoyed our usual walk routine of starting off with a plan and then diverting from it until we were lost. At one point I stopped to take a panoramic video to illustrate how the public footpaths actually pass through different fields and properties so that you are walking well away from towns, houses, and roads at times.

We arrived at Whispers just a bit after opening, purchased our entry, and entered a real beauty of a private garden. John, the owner, is a former nurseryman who used to own the next door property. When this property went on market he didn't want to see someone build something he might not like next door and he wanted a retirement project so he and his wife purchased it, built a new home, and set about creating a real paradise. Of course "teas" were for sale featuring homemade cakes provided by friends and family for purchase. We wandered the garden and sat on the back patio enjoying our tea and the gorgeous water feature which drained magically under the flagstones and got a chance to talk to John for a bit. He was a wonderful character and reminded us a lot of Robin's dad.

We tore ourselves away from the garden and teas to make our way to our 2nd garden for the day at Farleigh House just outside Farleigh Wallop. This property is the family seat of the Earl and Duchess of Portsmouth so we knew this garden might have a different feel than Whispers. It is a very nice property and an impressive house but we both felt we preferred the personal touch and care of Whispers.

The teas offered at Farleigh House were in the barn down the road. We stopped in there and felt the clear demarcation of the public having tea in the barn as opposed to sharing in it with the owners on the patio was a bit too much for our American sensibilities so we skipped the tea! Uppity revolutionists we!

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

2009-07-20T02:35:00.000-07:00

After Robin knocked off work on Friday, July 10 we, along with Brian and his son Harrison, headed up to Hampton Court Palace - the favorite crib of Henry VIII (after basically stealing it from Cardinal Wolsey - it's good to be the king!). Brian and Harrison went to visit the palace while Robin and I were there to attend the world's biggest annual flower show. Robin got a bit itchy at first as the crowds around the 6 themed gardens for the 6 wives of Henry VIII were a crush but things cleared out away from there and we happily wandered around enjoying the display gardens, nursery booths, and vendors. Here are 2 of the queen themed display gardens:

We sat in on a floral arranging presentation and one of the displays there was a sweet "tea" made completely from flowers:

An interesting part of the show was dodging the "wheelie boxes" that so many of the show attendees had to carry their purchases. When I stopped to take a picture of these 3 ladies with their wheelie boxes the one on left caught me in the act and came over to chat. I said "they look handy by they seem a menace" and she agreed and said they had just bought them out of self-defence! Walking amongst the crowds it would be very easy to trip over their boxes as they trailed behind them.

I really liked the display gardens in the sustainability area. One that featured a water fountain coming out of a wall-mounted Royal Mail box and another edging fences made from woven willow:

After the flower show closed up we wandered a bit on the grounds of the palace which looked much nicer than when I visited them in the winter time:

As we left and returned to the car we were kicking ourselves for not thinking ahead like many of the others and bringing along our table, chairs, tea sets, and snacks and cakes to enjoy before heading back home! We made up for it by stopping into one of my favorite pubs, The Swan in Ash Vale, for dinner.

Finding a new rhythm

2009-07-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Robin and I have been in England since mid-June and it has taken me a while to figure out my daily "routine". Just before we left home I got 2 new contract jobs lined up but had kind of put them on hold while we did some work on the garage (repairs and painting) and I tried to make up for a whole spring of neglect in the yard and garden. We have a wonderful housesitter this time who is an avid gardener (and horticulturist by training) so I wanted something she could get into and maintain (and as a bonus have some homegrown vegetables awaiting our return!).

The first week and a half here Robin was working 2nd shift and we both struggled with sleeping since it is getting light here around 4:30am and we are used to getting up early anyway. This week he switched to first shift which suits our personal styles better especially for these long summer days.

I am finding a completely different rhythm of life here this time around. My first long trip here I was training for Ironman Canada which gave me a very structured schedule and the 2nd and 3rd trips I was fortunate enough to make fast friends with first Brenda and then Rachel (other Boeing spouses) giving me some wonderful pals to explore and play with. Rachel was due to come this time as well and I was very much looking forward to spending time with her again but her mother became gravely ill and she instead went to Tennessee to spend her last days with her. A blessing for both of them. After getting the apartment set up the way we like I got stuck in with a daily work schedule trying to get a firmer handle on the more demanding of my new jobs (still working on that!) and this week I have incorporated an exercise routine as well so finally I am in a groove.

So, what exciting things have we been up to since we got here?

We've done a couple of nice walks with Steve - one to a beerfest and another past one of my favorite houses - Dipley Mill. I've only ever seen Dipley Mill zooming by on the road on our bikes so taking a walk that actually went around 3 sides of the property was a treat. Here we are on the little humpy bridge in front of Dipley Mill.
and a photo of the house and garden. We pretty much think our place will be looking like this soon...

Over the weekend we drove to Wales to watch the British Cycling Road Race Championships. We arrived on Saturday just in time to see the Junior Men finish their race and then the Women had their race in the afternoon. The women's' race ended with 2 circuits of the town and we found a great place to see them pass by a couple of times and then got to the finish line to see Nicole Cooke take her 9th consecutive national title and 10th altogether. Nicole is also the reigning Olympic and World Champion and is Welsh so we were very surprised at the lack of crowd there to witness the event. I had deliberately reserved a B&B in a neighboring town to avoid what I assumed would be a zoo in the host town of Abergavenny. A few pictures of the day:

The start/finish in town:

The start of the Women's Race - that's Nicole in white and the world champion stripes:

Walking around Monmouth Robin liked this wonderful 4-story skinny building:

Sunday was the men's race and there were a few more people around but still not at all what we expected with big names like David Millar, Bradley Wiggins, and Mark Cavendish - all big Tour riders. We stayed in the lovely town of Monmouth, visited the ever-present local castle ruins, had a great dinner, got a bit lost on a walk, and had time the next morning to drive to Skenfrith and ride the 13 miles to Abergavenny. We watched the start and then headed out to catch the action on the big climb up and over Iron Mountain. That's where we finally saw some crowds as many people drove and rode to the top. We got there early at about noon and decided to go to the nearby pub for some lunch. I made the mistake of skipping the prepackaged sandwich and ordered the jacket potato (that's a baked potato back home). The result - we missed the race going by! Oh well, back down the mountain and into town to catch the 10 finishing circuits which were very exciting and then the finish.

At the start line for the Men's race one of the neutral support mechanics is put to work before the race starts:

Here are some folks riding to the top of Iron Mountain to catch the action:

The view from Iron Mountain over the southern Welsh countryside:

The longtime race leader on the finishing circuits - cruel fate dictated he ended 4th on the day:

We both thought the ride back to the car might be a bit of a grind but the quiet road over the rolling hills with the fabulous views of the Welsh hillsides dotted with farms and sheep was very enjoyable. Back in Skenfrith the ruined castle was now a bustling local craft fair with lots of folks out enjoying the warm and sunny afternoon. Two boys were hitting a tennis ball against the side of the castle - how casual is that?

Back in Farnborough on Monday evening I grilled some sausages from the organic farm shop and Robin fixed some greens then proceeded to eat THREE of the sausages which he immediately regretted. He was sick for the next 2 days! I did my best to nurse him and he seems back to his usual self now. No pictures to share of that you'll be thankful to know!

So, life goes on here with extensive coverage of Wimbledon on the telly and the Tour de France starting this weekend seeing us spending a bit more time on our fannies than we should! Pair that with my complete lack of will power when in comes to the plethora of high quality cakes and goodies here and I'll be having a hard time wearing anything but a (large) sack soon!

As I've been typing this Serena Williams has been playing her semi-final match against Elena Dementieva and she just won a very tough match! Oops - it has taken me a day to get the pictures loaded and since then now Venus Williams won her semi-final making a Williams' Sisters Final on Saturday and tonight Andy Roddick upset British favorite Andy Murray and will meet Roger Federer on Sunday. GREAT tennis watching and a guarantee of at least 1 and possibly 2 American Wimbledon Champions this year!

How Goeth the Proclamation?

2009-05-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Signs 2 and 3 have come to pass. Sign 1 experienceth issues. The battle against the dark forces continues and I shall triumph in the end.

Proclamation

2009-05-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

The reign of the Queen of the Failed Endeavor ends today. You shall count three signs over the next week which shall serve as proof. The number of the counting shall be three and three is the number thou shalt count. Precedence for the counting hath been set here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk

The first sign shalt be the arrival of a 2009 Kestrel Talon. The Talon shalt endeavor to fill the mighty shoes of the Kestrel SCI.

The second sign shalt be the overcoming of the obstacles set forth by those naughty in our sight (Boeing and British Airways) to securith a seat on an airplane bound for the British Isles.

The third sign shalt be the finalizing of lodgings for visiting family members in August.
Let it be so.

Staying up all night

2009-04-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you stayed up all night? and why? Now in my 5th decade on earth the reasons to stay up all night have changed since my teens and twenties. Back then the only time I would stay up all night would be either to finish a paper or project for school or to party. These days I am either doing a long bike event or I am at the hospital with my mom. Staying up all night is weird if you are the standard daytime person. 24 hour places like hospitals and even convenience stores don't seem to really notice that they are out of step with the rest of the world. They carry on as if most of those around them aren't snoozing peacefully in their beds respecting the circadian rhythms of their bodies.

Last weekend I rode the Fleche Northwest put on by my club, SIR. My team captain, Geoff Swarts did a great writeup so for the full story go here: http://greenhornetrandoing.blogspot.com/2009/04/amy-et-ami-food-friends-fun-and-biking.html.

Amy et Amis Fleche Team in Westport around 11pm. Nice how I managed to get on a team with 4 tall guys eh??? Notice the stylish matching reflective ankle bands - nice!

After catching up on sleep Saturday and Sunday nights it was off to Lacey on Monday where my mom was scheduled for hip replacement surgery. Cut on Monday, PT on Tuesday, and home by Wednesday was the surgeon's schedule. My mom doesn't follow schedules well. Short on sleep Monday night I was happy to get back home on Tuesday evening to my own bed again. Wednesday did not bring a hospital release for my mom. Back to Lacey and a night in a recliner in my mom's room to help monitor and make sure she got back on track. Luckily I have lots of siblings and the overnight guard could be switched daily. She is back home as of yesterday - yay!

In future if I get the choice I'd much rather be out riding and taking catnaps in Denney's at 4am rather than hanging at the hospital. Those in power - please make a note of it...

DNS

2009-04-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

DNS stands for Did Not Start and that is the status I had for Saturday's 300k brevet. All conditions were perfect - weather forecast right on, some confidence in my legs, and Robin was planning to come out and ride the start. Bikes ready to go and alarm set for 4am - all systems go.

Okay so 10pm is a little later than I wanted to hit the hay with a 4am alarm but I could sleep all I wanted Saturday night. For the first couple of hours in bed I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting to sleep. I'd think I had drifted off and then something would wake me up. I finally figured out it was my sweet hubby. He is feeling a bit overwhelmed at work and also realizing the effects of just getting back into his riding routine after 6 weeks off. He was so stressed out that every time he started falling asleep he was jerking himself (and me!) back awake. Another couple of hours trying to get him to relax but no real success. By the time the alarm went off I figure we each had about 1 hour of sleep in 2-3 minute intervals. It was a "no go" decision. I suggested he go in to work for a few hours of uninterrupted time to get some things under control and we could head out in the afternoon for a ride. Seemed to do the trick because after that we both fell soundly asleep for the next few hours.

We did get up to Mukilteo (about 9 hours late for the start) and caught the ferry to ride some of our favorite roads on south Whidbey. A GORGEOUS day out on beautiful rolling roads. We got back to the mainland in time to see the fastest riders finishing up the brevet. Sad not to be among them (although I wouldn't have been among them anyway - I would still have been at least 3 hours out from the finish) but happy to have had a nice ride with my hardworking man.

It would have been nice to gain the confidence from the 300k to help me out mentally with the upcoming 24-hour Fleche (380km) in two weeks but what can you do? Just a tad worried that one of my Fleche teammates - Ward - was there with the extra fast boys on Saturday. He did claim that the Fleche is an entirely different animal so hopefully he and my other teammates will have all the patience they will need to drag along the Amy Anchor.

PBP Memories

2009-03-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

I was looking at some of the pictures from PBP07 this morning and it brought back so many memories of that year and of the year I did it in 2003. I plucked a few of the pics that seemed to demonstrate the highs, lows, and in betweens of riding 1200 km in 90 hours or less.

Arriving in France is so great.

Here is the SIR gang the day before start day full of anticipation and nervous energy.

And then the real start line.

Many highs, high fives, and smiles.

And a few lows: Shermers neck and examples of carnage (carnage with energy bar wrapper, carnage by road signs, cafeteria carnage).

And finally the triumphant (?) finish!

The agony and the ecstasy. It is a strange sport.

Broken Bones & Bikes

2009-03-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

My hubby Robin broke his collar bone and fractured both wrists about 5 weeks ago from crashing on his bike. Just a couple of weeks after that my good buddy and sometime tandem partner, Peter, crashed his bike in CA and broke his scapula.

After Mark R broke his pelvis last year from a bike crash I began to mentally compile a list of bones that ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BROKEN. You know, fingers, maybe an arm, or the frequently broken clavicle are not such a big deal (although I have never broken a bone, knock on wood, so am no expert) but there are those bones that are integral to the structure of the human frame that really ought not to be broken. Pelvis, skull, scapula, femur - those just really need to remain intact. I actually cringe when I hear that someone has broken one of those. Just goes to reinforce my motto on each ride - keep the rubber side down.

Back to my friend Peter. He is a very enthusiastic rider, loves to ride, has a great positive attitude, and is a big powerful guy. Two days before SIR's season starter 200k ride Peter emailed me to see if I would captain him on the tandem. I asked if he had clearance from his wife, Anita, and from his doctor. Without really answering the question he steamrolled the process and next thing I knew we were set to ride together. I hadn't captained the tandem for nearly a year and was VERY rusty. Combined with Peter's weight (all muscle Peter!) and my lack of recent experience I was doing a lot of oversteering and manhandling of the bike. Peter did confess that he hadn't consulted his doc about doing the ride and that Anita, while not forbidding it also did not give her blessing. So I got to add not just a little bit of trepidation about dumping my broken friend or just hurting him further by covering 200k of a pretty challenging bike course.

The weather was GREAT! After a winter of WAY too much snow and COLD we actually saw evidence of spring after the fog cleared. Sun and temps up to 50 degrees added to my stoker's sunny attitude to make even the tough parts of the ride fun. The last few climbs to Greg's house near the finish were looming large in our minds but we handled 218th better than expected (no walking!) and the hill on 240th passed quickly as we spent the time gossiping about our rando friends (what happens on the tandem stays on the tandem - right Peter).

No bravado here though, I was definitely wasted but pleased with our day. Always a pleasure to ride with Peter and all the other randos with terrific support and a great finish line chili feed at the Cox house. Not quite ready to think about 300k in two weeks...

Fun at the Emergency Room

2009-02-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday started off in the usual fashion of late - layer on tons of clothes and bike down to the Southcenter Starbucks to meet up with the Charly Miller gang for a training ride. Rolling along Frager Rd in Kent events took a dramatic turn. I was on the front of the group chatting with Elaine when we heard a huge comotion behind us. After getting slowed and turned around my stomach lurched as I saw Robin on the ground. He'd had a bad fall on ice just a few weeks ago and was still healing up from that and it was obvious he wasn't jumping up from this one. A stick or something had gotten picked up by his wheel and when it met up with the fender stays and the fork the bike came to a sudden stop while Robin continued on the forward trajectory up and over the handle bars until he too came to a sudden stop on the pavement.

One of our favorite new riding companions, Vincent Mouneke, was on the scene immediately doing a status check. Vincent is a plastic surgeon but we have called on his medical expertise and calm demeanor more than once on a bike ride. After the initial all over shock Robin's main complaint was his right shoulder. We were in a portion of the road blocked from vehicle traffic so Mark rode ahead to find the nearest access point which he reported was about 1/4 mile away. Robin did not want to call an aid car and I was having a hard time watching him in pain so Peter Beeson and I rode back to his van and then drove to the access point by which time Robin, with help from the rest of the group, had walked under his own steam. Don Jameson had also hit the ground but seemed to be in good shape. Robin and his bike were loaded into the van and Peter brought us home where I got Robin into some dry clothes and he had a little rest before we headed to the Emergency Room at Valley Medical Center. X-rays showed a broken right clavicle and small fractures in both wrists. We left with pain meds, wound dressings, and various slings and braces. Sunday night was pretty uncomfortable for him and he got up Monday feeling pretty stiff and sore. Since then he has used only ibuprofen and has been doing amazingly well. The wrists are in fairly good shape and we'll go into the orthopedic specialist again in a week or so to get new x-rays on the clavicle to make sure it hasn't shifted and is in a good position to heal.

Thanks to all our fellow riders who took such good care of us and the staff at Starbucks who let us stow our bikes there while we took care of Robin. Hopefully in about 6 weeks he'll be back good as new. In the meantime he has a rather abused bike to concentrate his energies on.

Oh what a beautiful morning

2009-02-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

That's what kept running through my head as a bunch of weekday ne'er do wells headed south along Lake Washington Boulevard from Leschi Wednesday morning on a 200km ride. As the sun came up it turned the lake orange while scant white clouds dotted the sky. A short time later majestic Mt Rainier loomed ahead with a chorus of bird song and the chatter of randos for background effect. I know there are many beautiful places in the world and wonderful places to live but at that moment I sent up a prayer of thanks for this being my home. Later in they day we passed by lakes, swollen fast-moving rivers and streams, and the always impressive Green River gorge. For a few hours the early February sun produced heat I could actually feel on my skin and all was right with the world.

With the exception of yours truly everyone was riding strongly and only the last few of us rolled in to the finish after dark - but just barely so I was feeling good to post a sub 11-hour time. I enjoyed chatting a bit with Urs for a while before he decided to pick up his pace after Ravensdale to ride with Thai. In Auburn Vincent joined the fast boys leaving the rest of us to ebb and flow for the rest of the day: tandem team Ralph and Carol, Kristie, Martin, Mike Richeson, Dominic, Mark, Andy, Frank, and Steve Davis (thanks Mark...).

A grand day out indeed.

Back on fhe R-12 train

2009-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Got derailed in December and starting over in January wasn't looking good after an attempt last Sunday (see Mark's account here: http://rusa64.blogspot.com/2009/01/not-as-planned.html. But thanks to Mark, Vincent, Ralph, and Kristie I got a 200k done on Thursday. It was freaking cold all day. Our "high" temp was 34 degrees and we were in fog and at or below freezing for all but about an hour. I was feeling pretty wimpish about anything that looked even faintly like ice on the road so the downhills (usually my forte) were slow and anxious. Leaving Granite Falls as the light was beginning to fade and the fog thicken even more I was having thoughts of quitting but Vincent, with his amazing power of positive thinking, got me believing I could make it.

Vincent not only gave me a ride to the start but loaded and unloaded my bike each time and had a cold orange juice waiting for me in his truck in the morning. Throughout the ride he played shepherd at the back to make sure I didn't fade away. Mark was his usual wonderful company and provided many many good pulls for me and Ralph was a complete angel pacing me up the hills at what had to be a painfully slow speed for him. Kristie was terrific company and even tried to make me feel better by pretending to be tired towards the end.

Thanks to my 4 riding companions for a great day out with warmth of friendship to make up for the cold in the air. Now I gotta get Robin healed up and back onto the R-12 train too.

Baby It's Cold Outside - or how my R-12 attempt met its end

2008-12-24T10:00:00.001-08:00

Saturday Dec 20 - already snow on the ground in the Seattle area for a week and this is what my thermometer showed at 7:35am - yes that says 17 degrees F! 2 days later early in the morning as I was looking at the window surveying the beautiful winter scene I heard an ominous drip drip drip from the window. Our gutters were full of ice and snow and the downspouts were completely frozen solid. Since our house has no eaves that means it backed up right onto (and into!) the walls and was coming in the house. Out we go with ladders, flashlights (it was still dark), drill, sharp objects, etc. We disconnected the downspouts and and thawed them in the garage until we could empty out the ice and reattach them. Next day I was on "downspout duty" and emptied one out before it got clogged - got about a 3 foot long section of "ice tube" intact - pretty cool.

Anyway, all this equates to no 200k ride for me this month (there is no chance for me before the end of the year now I'm afraid) so I'll be starting my R-12 quest over in January. Wouldn't it be great if Santa put a new bike under the tree to take up where the Kestrel let off????

Women's Bike Camp - June 12-14, 2009

2008-12-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Last year Lisa Brudvik and Bridget Herzog put on a women's bike camp near Leavenworth in the tradition of Estelle Grey. I was one of the coaches for the event and it was great. It was a small group and every woman there gained skills and confidence in cycling. This year Bridget had to bow out and Lisa extended me the honor of asking me to partner with her to present the camp again in 2009. If you or someone you know might be interested please check out the website here:
http://www.coachlisab.net/bicycle_retreat/
or feel free to contact me for more information.

RIP Kestrel 1993-2008

2008-12-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years I had begun to wonder about the state of my sexy fun summer bike - a red Kestrel first generation carbon fibre bike. In my quieter moments I had to balance my thoughts between visions of a catastrophic failure on a fast windy descent vs $0 in the budget for a new bike. The fates now have taken the balance scales out of my hands and firmly yanked on the chain of the failure side (fortunately without the aforementioned adjective).

A couple of months ago Robin complained of my bike "creaking". I didn't hear it but sometimes you don't - you ride away from the noise I guess. He thought the crank was moving too much so diagnosed a worn out bottom bracket. No problem, off to our favorite bike shop - Sammamish Valley Cycles - place an order, and even get personal delivery from Mark Thomas before our weekly group ride on Sunday. Sunday evening Robin heads to the basement to install the new bb. About 45 minutes later he comes looking for me and finds me flopped in front of the TV - uh, wait - I mean preparing a 4 course dinner while tutoring an underpriveleged youth in calculus and listening to classical music - yes, that's it. Anyway, he reports the aluminum cylinder that hods the bottom brackets has delaminated from the carbon fibre frame (or whatever) and the bike is toast. A great many and mixed emotions accompany this news. Hopeful that Kestrel will offer some kind of replacement under their lifetime guarantee thus possibly securing a new bike, relief that the end didn't manifest itself in one of the painful and gory ways I had previously imagined, guilty at having secretly plotted ways to replace it (although not successfully), and lastly and mostly sadness since this is the nicest bike I have ever owned (or more correctly stolen from my husband) and I've had hundreds of fantastic rides on it. I conquered the Death Ride on it, rode my very first brevet on it, joined in many fast and fun group rides on it, redeemed a DNF of 1000km brevet on it, and completed the bike leg of Canada Ironman on it.

It is red, sleek, and shiny and always got attention even when lighter, newer, and fancier bikes were around. My dear Kestrel, you will be missed.
The ever patient Kestrel leaning on the picnic table in Ashford waiting to carry me to Paradise and beyond.

Who's afraid of Charly Miller?

2008-12-13T15:49:00.001-08:00

Some of the SIR folks (including Robin) have plans of setting a Charly Miller time at PBP in 2011. Charly Miller was the first American to ride PBP at its second edition in 1901 and got 5th place (it was a professional race back then) of 56 hours 40 minutes. RUSA now recognizes American riders who make that time or better as members of La Societe Charly Miller. Getting an early start on things Robin has been organizing weekend group rides with the goal of fostering riders who can work together to achieve the goal. Personally I'm just showing up to spend time with some of my favorite folks and try to keep in shape over the winter. While Robin was in England I got the rides off the ground and it was quite social and friendly. When he got back he started putting into practice his vision for the rides and things got a little more serious and that seemed to scare a few folks off. They shouldn't be scared - if I can hang on these rides anyone can. It is great to be out riding with such a fine group too. In the midst of a weekend of record cold temperatures and winter storms we managed to catch a window this morning to ride. Yes it was cold (see the photo of me refilling my water bottle at the slush filled water fountain at Flaming Geyser Park) but we stayed dry and had a good time. Thanks to Robin, Bob, Peter B, Peter M, and Ralph. Sorry Mark couldn't join us as he had to take care of the injured women of his household but he did show up at the start to BS and deliver my new bottom bracket - what a guy!

Living on Island Time

2008-12-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

After a 6-week separation while Robin was in England and then a few days suffering together with nasty colds we were eagerly anticipating our mini vacation on Whidbey Island. A very generous friend had offered the use of his weekend place (NOT a beach cabin - rather a luxury multi-level home right on the beach). Up til the last minute we were plotting how to include a RUSA permanent ride to continue our quest of the R-12 but then bagged it and headed up with no bikes. A stop at the Skagit Co-op store in Mt Vernon (a premium store) for supplies, a short visit and lunch with friends in Anacortes and then back south along the island to our desination.

It was fabulous. NO agenda (last time we could remember a vacation like that was our honeymoon 19 years ago - ack!). Walked on the beach, watched waves, sea animals, and birds, read, sat by the fire, slept a LOT - it was incredibly quiet, ate, talked, laughed. Absolutely brilliant. Thanks to our benefactors for use of their home and to Dian and Steve for the yummy lunch and always fun conversation. We even got to stop in to see Bellevue fugitives now living on Whidbey, Greg & Kathy and tour their place with the incredible view.

Now, still gotta get that permanent in before the end of the month...can you say hypothermia???

We've got the suds

2008-11-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

We've had some great bike rides recently but I haven't taken the time to post anything and now Robin and I are both sick. When we are in the UK we can watch Spongebob Squarepants (we don't get the channel here) and in one episode Spongey gets the suds. That's how we feel.

Hot Chocolate Stand

2008-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I blew it on Sunday. The newly established SIR Team Ride was scheduled to start at 9am at Great Harvest Bread in Lake Forest Park. I'd been there once before but I got balled up on the way there, thinking I'd gone too far along 522, turned around, stopped to ask, and when I finally got there I'd already seen the gang about a half mile down the road starting their ride. No problem, I headed out on my own and explored some roads I hadn't ridden before, found a cool pedestrian bridge over 405 and ended up on the Sammamish River Trail after an hour or so of hill climbing. Great! As I headed back towards Lake Forest Park near the end of the Sammamish Trail before it meets up with the Burke Gilman there was a guy with his 2 young kids. They'd made a hot chocolate stand out of an abandoned door. It was really cool and the kids were as cute as could be. I had to stop but then realized I only had a $20 buck bill. They insisted on giving me one on the house and told me they'd be there next weekend too.

I likely won't be riding up there next weekend but if you are be prepared with $.50 to buy a hot chocolate. And if you ride, run, or walk by and don't buy one SHAME ON YOU! In fact, give them $.50 for me and I'll pay you back.

U-Haulin'

2008-10-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I flew to Santa Rosa, CA to help my niece, Courtney, move back up to Washington. Stepping off the plane to 80 degree weather was heavenly! The first day and a half were pretty easy. Courtney and her mom and gotten most of her things packed up over the weekend and had hired some movers to pack the U-Haul trailer. That left us with cleaning the apartment and getting the last few items crammed into the trailer and the jeep. Things got a little ugly there and a few items were left behind because they just wouldn't fit. After the apartment inspection on Thursday morning we were on the road. The 12 foot trailer was not as bad to handle as I had feared but we were limited to about 60mph to keep it under control. After a night in beautiful Roseburg, OR we got to the Portland area around 11 am. That's when things got really interesting as we had several stops to make related to Courtney's new job and temporary living arrangements. Unloading the trailer at a storage facility was a challenge as the unit was approximately the same size as the trailer. I announced at one point that we weren't going to get everything in and Courtney went off to find out about renting an additional unit. In the meantime I just started cramming stuff in the unit all the way up to the top and somehow managed to actually get it all in. I am terrified of what I did in there however and have given grave warnings to any who might be there to unpack it in a couple of months. The last item was placed right up to the doorway as we back out and shut the door, yikes!

So, mission accomplished and Wednesday Courtney leaves to do a 2 week Italian cruise working as a sign language interpreter before returning to Vancouver/Portland for the next phase of her career. After moving the contents of her 1-bedroom apartment I am thinking I either need to stay in this house until I die or get very serious about a clean out. Craigs List here I come!

The Quest for the Dry R-12

2008-10-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Update: a few photos nicked from David Rowe's (readytoride) flickr account:

Randonneurs USA (RUSA) offers an award to those members riding a minimum 200km qualifying ride each month for 12 consecutive months. I've decided to add a twist to my pursuit of this award and have declared I will attempt a Dry R-12. Living in the Pacific Northwest this is a lofty goal but a worthy one in my opinion. I have the 4 easiest months in the bag (June, July, August, and September) and managed to squeak an absolutely gorgeous 200km permanent ride in yesterday (October 1) to start the questionable months off right.

A surprising number of riders showed up on a midweek day at the Black Diamond Bakery to share in a beautiful and WARM ride up to Sunrise. We even finished in the daylight which was a wonderful bonus, especially given the fact that we were quite leisurely in our stops. Thanks to Mark for organizing and to Robin and Matt for patiently riding my pace and even supplying a push or two.

So, month 5 of the R-12 down and now to retire the shorts I was wearing that my husband kindly waited til after the ride to tell me had grown a bit too thin in the butt area. Like spandex swimsuits we must rely on the kindness of others to tell us when things are becoming revealing. Friends don't let friends ride or swim with see-through spandex.

MS Ride

2008-09-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Robin and I used to be very involved with the MS Society in planning, organizing and riding the 1 and 2 day bike fundraiser events. After several years of being frustrated with the seeming lack of commitment on the part of the organization to dedicate resources and move the event forward we finally gave up and turned our efforts elsewhere. A few years ago my friend Desiree started riding the newly revamped MS Ride after a family member was diagnosed. I got the feeling from her stories that things had changed and was curious about it. Finally this year I asked to join her company's team (Point B) who were also presenters of the event. It was great to see just how much this event had turned around!

During the MS150 days we were thrilled when we got 400 riders. The MS Ride now gets 1500! I'm sure the dedication of both the MS administration and a strong and active board have been the keys to this turn around - all for the benefit of MS research and support. The format has changed drastically from a 2 day rolling event requiring riders to do a minimum of 75 miles each day to a centralized event with route choices from 20 to 100+ miles. Usually at funraiser events the riders tend to be pretty novice so this makes the event much more palatable for them. Having a central location where you return each night to familiar surroundings is another plus. They now get many more teams and corporate sponsors involved making it professional and just a little glitzy. A big rider village with team hospitality tents, information booths, and eating and entertainment venues really make it nice for the riders. Prior to the ride MS had a very user-friendly way of setting up a webpage and sending out emails to friends and family for your fundraising use. It made that part of it much easier than going around with my little sheet and envelope for money in the past.

Desiree's company put up a great beach/tiki themed tent complete with music, leis, and a frozen margarita machine. They fed us snacks and provided a fabulous catered dinner on Friday. I had 2 great days of riding in the sunny Skagit Valley with Desiree and her husband Steve. I saw a few folks I know from randonneuring and from other bike events and enjoyed riding some roads I've never been on before.

If you'd like more information about MS and/or you'd like to donate to my efforts (pledges can be paid until October 21) please visit my page at:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/WASBikeEvents?px=5415474&pg=personal&fr_id=7600

Labor Day in Rockford IL

2008-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day in Rockford IL to celebrate an aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. All of my siblings and their spouses or significant others went along with my dad so we had 14 of the Seattle/Portland area Carolan clan on the flight together. It was a great weekend starting with a family gathering at the McGuire home in Rockford. Aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, out-laws - they were all there.

Saturday was the big day. Other family members arrived and we spent the day greeting them walking around Rockford first with my cousin Mary Ann and then with brother Paul and his girlfriend Anne.

Saturday evening we attended mass at Boylan Catholic High School where my uncle Vince was the Principal until his recent retirement and then back to the Lexington Cliff Breakers hotel for dinner, dancing, and partying.

On Sunday Robin and Scott required some "down time" to recover from all the family exposure but they bounced back quickly and then it was back to the McGuire home for some goodbyes.

Then off to Boylan again for a pool party and BBQ.

Finally on Monday Rockford could rid itself of us but first I had to get a photo of Alan with the famous "spitting boar" of Rockford before we gathered at the Stockholm Inn for breakfast and then the drive to O'Hare to head back home.

MIA? - you'll be sorry you asked...

2008-08-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my blog for over a month and I really have no excuse except letting everyday life run its course and I really have been trying to get our deck repairs finished so we can claim the remainder of our insurance money but the kitchen/sunroom project is still not finished either and we got our appliances delivered but there was something wrong with the range, fridge, and dishwasher and we need to do some wiring work before we can install the microwave so that can't be checked off the list yet and when I went to order a section of Trex deck railing I found out I could only order it in "sets" with a bottom rail section and brackets which I don't need and I emailed Trex for help and they called and said they'd GIVE me a top rail which is really cool but that was over 2 weeks ago and still no deck railing and Robin has been working a ton of overtime so when he finally has some time at home I don't like to hound him about the things that I need his help on and of course (on a good note) we like to get out and ride bike like we did Saturday to celebrate RUSA's 10th anniversary and rode a 200k on the tandem and had a great day and also got to spend an hour and a half at the BBQ/beer stop near Poulsbo and then dragged our sorry butts the rest of the 21 miles into the end of the ride and Robin will be leaving for England sometime in early September and the trip is "only" 30 days so I don't get a ticket and I'm getting grumpy because not only is he barely home now but soon he'll be gone for a full month and the utility folks have been ripping our street up for the past 2 weeks replacing gas lines and rattling the house with their equipment and I've been on the phone for literally hours over the past month and a half battling my mortage company because they decided to reserve the maximum amount allowed on our escrow account and when I enquired about closing it and paying my own insurance and taxes they wanted to charge me $250 and they have yet to give me a satisfactory answer as to exactly what authority they have to do that and it is really making me cranky and I've been trying to keep the yard and garden in good shape and the Olympics are on which I totally love but I've been spending WAY TOO MANY hours in front of the TV and staying up too late but man those athletes are phenomenal and I can't tear myself away and we had some out of town visitors for a couple of days and I had my great-nephew Henry for the day on Friday and we had fun but it was a bit hot for him the last couple of hours before his mom came to rescue him and he was SO tired but wouldn't take a nap and wanted to be held but we would just stick together in the heat but we had a great day together anyways and Robin's folks visited for a few days for the annual Hoquinault Tandem Ride and Robin rode tandem with his mom and they tried to bust a move on me on the way back but I happened to catch them in my mirror so they didn't get too big a jump on me and I was able to shut the dogs down and it was great weather at Lake Quinault and I helped out at the finish of the Cascade 1200 and it was great to see old friends and meet new ones as they finished up a a VERY challenging ride and then I got to help organize a 200k with my pal Peter McKay who was unfortunately not able to ride the pre-ride with us due to an ankle injury and the summer seems to be running away from me and I'm not ready to give it up yet so here's hoping for a return of summer weather soon and may it last until mid October and I hope the huckleberries have time to ripen before the cold weather returns and maybe I'll actually do a "real" blog one of these days with pictures and everything but for now that's about it.

World Harmony Run

2008-06-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday I was riding across Stevens Pass with a group of friends (I'll blog about that later when I can filch some pictures from the other participants) when I noticed a guy standing in the shade with a torch. Hmmm. Further down the road I saw a runner carrying a torch so I crossed over to find out what it was all about. He was running very smoothly with a huge grin on his face. He told me about the World Harmony Run (more info here: http://www.worldharmonyrun.org/). He even let me carry the torch. How fun to encounter other folks out enjoying the beauty of the outdoors - only these guys had a much bigger agenda then just having fun.

Permanently RAMRODed

2008-06-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Among the ever expanding list of riding opportunities offered by SIR is a Permanent (a brevet that can be ridden at any time) that cover the RAMROD route. Mark Thomas felt a need to ride that route and put a call out to any interested parties earlier in the week. Friday afternoon I was finally feeling confident enough in the weather forecasts to call and say Robin and I would join him. With a 4-day mountain pass tour coming up and a lack of climbing in my legs I needed a big ride day. Robin and I had ridden the newly opened Stevens Canyon road up to Paradise 2 weeks before along with 2 of his co-workers and the girlfriend of one. We got drenched. Of course that was one of the few nice Saturdays we'd had in these parts this year but Mt. Rainier is a law unto itself when in comes to weather and it made sure we knew it that day.

I guess we paid our dues on the Stevens Canyon day because, although thick dark clouds loomed as we drove to Enumclaw we were not long on the road before large patches of blue took over and even more quickly gave way to all out blue sky and warm sun. 6 of us rode together out of Enumclaw: me and Robin, Mark T, Mark Roberts, Steve Davis, and Rick Blacker. Wait a minute - looks like Amy and her boyz ride again! As we approached Ashford magnificent Mt. Rainier towered over us with her glacier and snow covered flanks contrasting sharply with the tree covered lowlands and bright blue skies. Wow!

Mark driving towards dark clouds.

Relaxing in Ashford. Rick is feeling groovy.

After entering Mt. Rainier National Park we all settled into our own climbing pace enjoying the beautiful scenery and low traffic. Snow was in evidence even a the lowest elevations due to the huge snowpack this winter and the 2-3 feet added just the weekend before.

Rick enjoying the views. Tatoosh Range from Paradise

Avalanche path in Stevens Canyon

Steve waiting for the group before the climb up Cayuse.

Grove of the Patriachs

A quick descent of Stevens Canyon soon immersed us once again in the joys of climbing. I, however, wasn't quite so joyful as on the earlier climbs of the day. My legs were tired and by back getting tight but luckily the mountain continued to treat us to her show of natural wonders. At my much slower pace I enjoyed the numerous water falls, forest smells, chipmunk antics, and several glacier lillies. Mark T and I were the last to summit Cayuse Pass and I was pleasantly surprised to see the rest of the posse waiting with patience (and a chill) for our arrival. Back on with the extra clothes and a charge down to Greenwater for our penultimate control of the day. Despite the dropping temperatures a little celebratory ice cream hit the spot before we made a six bike paceline charge back to Enumclaw.

Mark T and Amy at the Grove of the Patriachs - last climb still to come.

What a terrific day and what a tip top way to experience my first Permanent. Thanks to my fun, patient, and most importantly STRONG riding companions.

Driving Lessons - Do It RIGHT!

2008-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Pet peeve: 2, 3, 4, and even 5 lanes of traffic all moving at the same speed. I'm not talking about during rush hour traffic jam. I'm talking about the typical American driver who enters a multi-lane roadway and immediately moves over to whatever lane he or she thinks she needs to be in - with absolutely no relation to what speed current traffic is traveling. I have observed that most of us have an almost visceral fear of being "trapped" by anyone else - God forbid we are held up one nanosecond by someone else. So, despite these words taken directly from the Washington State Driver's Guide: "On a road with two or more lanes traveling in the same direction, stay in the right lane except to pass. On a road with three or more lanes traveling in the same direction, if there is a lot of entering or exiting traffic, use the center travel lane." (my emphasis) I rarely see any drivers move to the right when there is room for them to do so after passing or worse, they are cruising along obliviously going the same speed as the vehicle in the lane to their right, or even 2 or 3 lanes to their right. Taking this fear of the right to the extreme I have observed the bizarre behavior of drivers dropping passengers at Sea-Tac Airport from the 2nd or 3rd lane out from the curb - even if there is space at the curb! I guess they think someone will pull up on their left and they will be trapped, perhaps forever, listening to the recorded airport drive announcements again and again and again.

People, PLEASE - there is a better way! If you want to stay out of the furthest right lane to allow free access for those entering and exiting well bully for you but don't drive in the furthest left lane or lanes unless you are actively passing someone. After you have passed, move right. If you see another car come up behind you traveling faster than you, move right. If you are being passed on the right, move right. If a driver behind you flashes their lights at you, move right. Once we are all on the same page with this there will always be the opportunity to move left to pass a driver in front of you. Really, it works, I've seen it in action. Oh, and please use your turn indicators - it is safe and polite - 2 things we could all use more of on our highways and biways.

Now exiting the soap box. Comments in support of my position only accepted. Happy driving!

Amy and Her GIRLZ

2008-06-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was one of 4 coaches at a women's bicycle camp in Plain, just outside of Leavenworth. Lisa and Bridgett did a great job of putting together an agenda to help these mostly beginner cyclists face their fears and move to a new level of confidence. It was fun to be there and watch them all blossom. We all stayed together in one house so in addition to the presentations, drills, and riding together we also got to have time to relax and socialize. Lisa's mom, Virginia, served as "den mother" and kept us all fed. The last bit on Sunday included a presentation on climbing skills and then we all rolled out to conquer Chumstick Pass. Unfortunately for Sarah she broke her chain at the start of the climb and I was recruited to fix it. I had just demonstrated on Saturday how to use a chain tool so here was a great opportunity to use my "skills" in real life. I was so excited that I actually got the kinked link out and got the chain back together without a stiff link until I realized I had misrouted the chain through the rear derallieur. As Sarah's chain didn't have a master link (and I didn't know to simply remove the pulley to reroute the chain) I detached another link but this time I pushed the pin all the way out and then it was "game over". I was about the transfer my chain to her bike but she said we were out of time and everyone would be heading back to the lodge soon. We took the "walk of shame" through downtown Plain before Lisa caught up to us and sprinted onward to retrieve the truck and get Sarah and her bike back to the lodge. Sarah was totally sweet and not upset about not doing the climb but I felt like a turd. My lesson learned is that I'm going to carry a spare master link with me from now on in my seat bag.

We had pretty good weather and it was stellar compared to the west side of the mountains. I got to do a small loop on Friday with Peggy before the other gals showed up and on Sunday Robin and Mark Thomas picked me up with the plan that we would conquer a partly unpaved route from Entiat to Lake Chelan. Mark had stayed up all the night before supporting SIR's 600k ride so he was very tired and decided to forgo a ride. Robin and I switched plans then and just did a climb over Old Blewitt Rd. It was lovely and warm and followed by a burger and pie a la mode at the Liberty Cafe.

I'll post some pictures if I get some from the other women at the camp.

Bike Trails and Beards

2008-05-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met up with Mark Thomas in the U District for a meandering ride. We started leisurely enough with a stop after about 2 miles for lunch at Agua Verde and then another stop at the visitor center of the Arboretum for a bathroom break. After that the ride took off in earnest as we headed south along Lake Washington, crossed I-90 and the north end of Mercer Island, continued south to Renton where we caught the Cedar River Trail then up and over Cedar Grove Road. We made a short stop at the grocery mart there for water before heading north to Issaquah. Of course I got a flat on the busiest road of the ride but had plenty of willing help from Robin and Mark so didn't even get my hands dirty! Thanks guys! A cruise along East Lake Sammamish assured us our adopt-a-road section looked in good order before cutting through Marymoor Park and hitting the Sammamish River Trail. Mark turned off for home in Redmond while Robin and I continued to link up to the Burke Gilman Trail back to our car in the U District. Mark whined at one point that I had promised a sunny ride. Pretty cheeky if you ask me considering it WAS sunny some of the time AND the ride we did at his behest on Saturday was a soaker. You just can't please some people. I don't think I've ever ridden that many miles of trail and I kept noticing guys with grey or white beards cycling by. There were so many of them I began to wonder if there weren't just 3 or 4 that kept circling around. No kidding I bet I saw 2 dozen white bearded cyclists on the various trails. The rough road along Lake Washington (especially around Leschi) and the root ruffled Burke Gilman combined to rattle my bones and I was short on food and getting close to bonking as we finished up. Robin suggested a smoothie and I had seen a sign for smoothies just down the road from where we parked. It turned out to be a cheesy Thai place (note to self: advertising for Bubble Tea not a good sign) whose smoothies were more like slurpies. They had these really fat straws that guaranteed brain freeze about every 4th sip. After watching Robin clutch his forehead for the 3rd time I finally located a smaller straw and things went better after that. A funny kind of ride day but it was great to be out there.

Cranky in East Wenatchee

2008-05-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

SIR hosted its annual spring training camp for cyclists in East Wenatchee last weekend. It's called Northwest Crank and every year I've had a great time getting in some dry and warmer weather riding. This year it was desperately needed. My body is extremely low on both fitness and sun exposure (yes, I mean pale and flabby - nice picture huh?). Not much less than a full freckle merge will cure the pale part but 3 good days of riding helped to start the flab banishment program.

Our intention was to hit the road very early Thursday to arrive in time for the first ride of the event. Robin's been working loads of overtime though and was beat when he got home Wednesday night with nothing packed so we took it easy and ended up getting there about 3pm. The riders coming in were looking a little beat up by the strong winds so we hopped on our bikes to go see if our buddy Mark was out there battling it and might be happy for a little help the last few miles. We found him in good shape and not needing help but we enjoyed chatting him back to the hotel anyway. Friday brought the lovely Stemilt climbs.

The Adventure Ride crew: l to r: Wayne Methner, Mel Kydd, Paul Carolan (my little bro), Jan Acuff, Jim Rupert, Eric Anderson, Robin, Bob Brudvik, Mark Thomas

The crew heading up Badger Mountain

Saturday we pulled out the tandem for the adventure ride (some unpaved and very steep roads) up Rock Island Grade and topping out on Badger Mountain. We had a nice group for this ride and enjoyed suffering together. Saturday night was the banquet and White Elephant gift exchange. Chris Ragsdale had crafted a poster of Mark Thomas riding a small bike with training wheels complete with a daisy border. I managed to nab it and Robin and I spent the rest of the evening watching Mark try not to cry over the loss of the poster. Next day I made him sign it and then presented it to him under the promise that it had to be displayed somewhere. Sunday Robin led a rebellion by chosing NONE of the advertised rides and getting all but about 3 of the riders to defect with him. We had a great pace line up the west side of the Columbia before hitting the Navarre Coulee climb up to Lake Chelan where Pete Rankin was waiting with snacks and drinks. Coming back down over the rollers was a scream with a double pace line. I opted not to ride on Monday planning to provide support and rest my sore legs. Now hopefully we'll get some of that sun over on this side of the Cascades.

Renton Culture

2008-04-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

We persuaded our friends Anne & Will to make the trek north from Montesano to join us for Renton's version of culture. After dinner at home we headed down the hill and across town to Carco Theater and Valley Community Players' production of Funny Money. The venue is great and the play was good - I was disappointed to see so many empty seats but the playbill announced it was their 44th season so it seems they are on firm footing (no thanks to the Piepers I might add). We were all up past our bed time and had to forgo chocolate and tea before heading off to bed. Now that is serious! Next morning after breakfast we once again hit the town of Renton for a visit to the Renton History Museum. A short car tour of our latest development, The Landing, and then off to West Seattle for lunch with our friends Christine and David and their girls Marissa and Erica. A great way to spend a stormy and cold weekend.

When Banking Was Fun

2008-04-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I had lunch yesterday with 2 of my former US Bank comrades. It was great to see them, have some laughs, and get caught up with what they are doing and try to trace the routes of various former co-workers. It really reminded me of the many years in my banking career when I really had it good - fun challenging jobs, great bosses, outrageous co-workers, and a bit of zaniness every day. Okay, well zaniness as defined by a banker (switching debits and credits around, making a photocopy of your elbow - you know, stuff like that - pure LUNACY!). I think the pinnacle was when these 2 ladies, Colleen McEvoy and DeAnna Poling were on the same team with me under the erstwhile leadership of Bob Pfau. Most team meetings broke up with us in tears from laughing at Gary's extremely non-PC ad-libs. If that atmosphere and ability to actually do my job the way I thought it should be done still existed I'd probably still be there. Since that time I've moved on to whatever the heck it is I do now, DeAnna is forging ahead to world domination at Key Bank and Colleen does her best to keep John P and Tom G in line in the Media/Telecommunications finance world - not an easy trick when she doesn't usually arrive in the office til about noon...

Amy & Her Boys part III

2008-04-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

Really I thought this was only going to be a 2 part gig but lo and behold it happened again! How lucky can a girl get? After the road clean up a few of us went out for lunch where Mark began hounding me about being in his Fleche team (a 24 hour team bike event with a lot of fun and funky rules brought to us by our friends in France). The only reason I think he wants me to do these things is that, in one of the longest standing incidences of sexism, females garner more points for a club than do males in the same event. Mark is a little competitive and wants SIR always at the top of the list. Long range weather forecasts were daunting and the memory of my dismal performance during the 12 hour event was fresh in my mind so I put him off. Later in the week I agreed to transport overnight bags for Robin's team to the end point in Port Townsend and the weather was looking more agreeable - in fact Saturday was looking to be the first day of the year over 70 degrees! I started thinking "heck, if I'm going to be heading to Port Townsend anyway I guess I may as well get in on the act" so I emailed Mark seeing if he still had room on his team (teams are limited to 5 "machines", no matter how many riders are on each "machine"). His team was full but he didn't let that get in the way as he quickly called Greg Cox to see if he'd be up for riding tandem with me. All this was happening behind my back but Greg was willing and he is a very strong rider and experienced tandem captain. All systems go! Greg and I talked and agreed to use my tandem. I asked if he wanted to provide his own saddle but he assured me anything would be fine - famous last words eh Greg? Robin and I got the tandem set up for a night ride and Robin adjusted the shifting a bit so it was running like a champ.

Friday morning I took Robin to the train station since his team was starting in Kelso at 10am. I gathered everyone's overnight bags and headed back home to get my own things together. Mark picked me up at 1pm and Rick met up with us at my house too. Got the tandem loaded and off to pick up Greg at work. We got to the ferry terminal in plenty of time to stroll down the street and take advantage of the Starbucks gift cards Rick had received for his birthday. Of our 2 other team mates, Tom was driving himself and Jon lives in Port Townsend and would meet us at our starting point in Port Hadlock. We grabbed dinner at Scampi and Halibuts, handed the car keys over to Carrie and Laura and got on the road at 7pm.

The gang on the road:

As Greg was willing to captain I had set up the bike to put him on front first with the idea being we'd switch at some point later in the ride. We cruised over the Hood Canal Bridge, through Bremerton and Belfair (with a couple mechanicals for Mark and Tom) and then made the challenging climb up to Mason Lake and Greg's cabin where we could rest for an hour or so and enjoy Mary's fresh blueberry muffins, yum! We set off again about 2am and it was COLD!!! We were all piling on as many clothes as we had with us and Greg added the timeless accessory of baggies over his socks to keep his feet warm. Next we hit Shelton and then a fairly long stretch to Montesano just as the sun was coming up.

Rick and Tom arriving in Montesano- here comes the sun!

Greg did a great job with the tandem and the team kind of yo-yo'd and did very little riding all together. Breakfast at the Beehive set us up for the next run to Matlock and then Hoodsport and everyone's favorite Hood Canal coffee shop. I was still wearing my coat but finally was able to shed it as we left Hoodsport. We also decided to switch captain and stoker duties here. By this time Greg was definitely feeling the folly of letting me chose his saddle for him! The more familiar Brooks saddle on the back was a bit better but I'm afraid his butt was already too far gone for much comfort.

The boys in Hoodsport (Mark is happy, Greg is sleepy, and all get caffeine!)

The lumpy bits between Hoodsport and Brinnon have never been my friend but, mysteriously, even though I am out of shape, they weren't quite as nasty as usual. I must remember to attach that Greg motor more often! In addition to Greg's great skills on the bike and his strength he also provided nearly non-stop entertainment in the form of bad jokes, political commentary and discussion, and general silliness. Even when he claimed to be sleepy the banter continued which was much appreciated and made the time pass quickly and the hard parts much easier. We had times throughout the ride of being with any combination of team mates and enjoying talking with them or commiserating about the cold, our tiredness, sore butts, or whatever. The climb up Walker Pass went fairly well and the descent was terrific. At Quilcene we hooked up with Mark for a bit and it finally got warm enough I removed my leg warmers. Yikes!

The team regrouped at our 22 hour checkpoint and hung out on Fat Smitty's display clearly marked with numerous signs telling us to keep off. Of course we sprawled all over it and I wish I'd gotten a photo! We were there for nearly an hour before we were within 2 hours of our official finish time and could carry on. Getting back on the bike was tough - muscles and joints had stiffened and Greg's butt was in a sorry state. I thought we pretty much had it made despite the fact that our route had us coming into town via Cape George Road. I've ridden that road before and knew it was an unrelenting series of climbs but memory failed me in terms of how hard it really was. Greg and I huffed, puffed, and groaned our way up all of them in the lowest available gear. I was sure we'd have to walk at some point but somehow Greg always found a reserve of power to keep us going.

We arrived at Jon's house to collect the car and on the way to our lodgings at Fort Worden we came upon Robin and his team walking to town. After more than 8 hours after their ride they were looking pretty chipper and refreshed. We all got cleaned up and joined them for dinner in town. Eyes at the table were beginning to droop before long so back to Fort Worden for bed. A fabulous brunch on Sunday along with hearing the stories of the other teams topped off the weekend.

Team Circling the Hood (l to r: Jon, Mark, Amy, Greg, Tom, Rick)

Sometimes it IS easy being green

2008-04-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Several years ago a friend gave me an idea for water saving that I just finally put into practice in February. Keep a bucket in your shower to collect the water that is otherwise wasted while it is warming up. Remove it from the shower and keep it by the toilet to use for flushing. This is so amazingly simple and effective. Even though I often shower at my club rather than at home it still amounts to at least one flush saved per day and more on the weekends. Try it!

Working on the Chain Gang

2008-04-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last year I convinced SIR to do adopt a road through King County and we got a section along East Lake Sammamish Parkway. The first clean up came last fall when I just happened to be out of the country and I got no end of grief about it so I had to make sure that this time around I was on hand.

Sunday was our big day on the road and 9 other great folks joined me to pick up cigarette butts, kiddie wading pools, unidentified chunks of rubber and plastic, and being a popular cycling route a couple of inner tubes and empty gel packs. It only rained once for a short time while we were out and a few of us got together after for some beers and great mexican food so altogether a stellar day.

Here are Mark, Kristie, and Robin with the official sign indicating we have arrived in the world of road cleanup:

Amy and her boys - parts I and II

2008-04-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Two recent bike outings put me in the company of my hubby and some other wonderful male friends. Although I sometimes lament the dearth of females in many of my activities there are advantages to hanging out with the boys.

Part I: On March 22 I joined Robin, Mark, Peter, and Bob for a 12-hour team event with SIR and ORR called a Dart. We started early catching the 6am ferry from Seattle to Bremerton but it was more leisurely than it sounds. First, the ferry was late so we sampled the culinary delights of the McDonald's (while waiting for Robin who had to hustle back to the house to get the car key I'd left behind - doh!), relaxed on the ferry eating the Irish soda bread I'd baked (and Peter napped), then stopped for coffee at Starbuck's just a block up from the ferry on the Bremerton side. We did finally get rolling and enjoyed a lovely route, dry weather, quiet roads, and good company. I especially appreciated the efforts of my friends in pulling me along and keeping my spirits up when my strength was failing. To add to all that I must share one of the biggest advantages of all to riding with boys:

nice butts in spandex! One is missing - he is too shy...

We ended the day in Centralia at McMeniman's Olympic Club where we met up with other teams enjoying the same event - all riding different routes.

Part II: The next Sunday (March 30) Robin and I rode to Tom Baker's house for his usual weekend ride. The day was dry and cold but not bad by the recent weather standards so I was surprised that it was only 5 of us - me, Robin, Tom, and 2 Johns. Once again I took up the rear guard position as we set off for a South Lake Washington loop with Mercer Island. Although a much shorter ride than the Dart it was at a much higher intensity with me doing all I could do to hang on to the back of the group. Once we hit the hills on Mercer Island I was off the back like I was shot from a cannon. Tom and later Robin slowed to let me catch up and then Robin pulled us back up to the 2 Johns who were probably struggling to stay warm riding at such a slow pace. I was sweating and panting (and it wasn't JUST the nice butts in spandex). Always nice to ride the island and especially with some strong steady riders to pull you along. The boys were all ready to take on another loop when we reached the east side of the island but I called it a day and rode home alone at a very sedate but happy pace.

Riding in heat and sunshine still seems a distant dream here in the Seattle area this year but hope springs eternal!

Nevada Sunshine

2008-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

We spent last week visiting Robin's parents in Carson City, NV. We had sun every day and temps into the low 60's! It was great! We had a couple of days of biking, one day of spring skiing conditions at Heavenly, a couple of days working on Wes & Faye's new house, and several walks. I even got to try out the Carson City Aquatic Facility which was very impressive - 50 meters long by 25 yards wide. The day I swam it was set up as lanes crossways at 25 yards so there were loads of lanes and I had one completely to myself for an hour. I also had 2 nice runs. We flew home Monday and guess what - it was raining! Well, my skin needed to replenish on water so it wasn't totally unwelcome. Maybe spring will come here to Seattle soon...

A Romantic Evening - dinner, a star-lit stroll, and frogs

2008-03-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Robin did a long ride after work on Thursday, coming back along the Interurban Trail, where he heard the unmistakable herald of early spring - FROGS - and loud ones!

After a dinner tonight at our favorite Thai place we took a stroll along the section of the trail just north of 180th St. Sure enough the frogs were still at it - looking for love, or at least the frog equivalent. We timed our adventure perfectly under starry but partly cloudy skies between rain showers. We took lights but had no luck actually spotting any of the noisy, web-footed romeos.

There's a New Kid in Town

2008-02-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am a Great Aunt for the 4th time. Well, I've been a great aunt for a long time but since my oldest niece, Kalin, had her first son Carter in 2000 I've had the official title. Today my niece Megan had her son, Henry. I'll get to visit tomorrow. Here is proud grandma holding Henry.

Ya Ya Weekend

2008-02-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

My Ya Ya weekend was terrific! Glo, Dian, Paula, and Carol spent the entire weekend here and we were joined part of the time by Terri, Laurie, Lisa, and Sheila. Marcia got caught on the wrong side of the mountains Friday afternoon and never made it, industrious Deb was working in Tucson, and Kathy was on her annual luxury spa weekend so we missed having those 3 with us.

We started with dinner at my house on Friday and stayed up way past my bedtime drinking way too much wine. After throwing together a breakfast on Saturday we took a long walk followed by a tour of downtown Renton and a visit to the glass blowing place - a great place for another possible get-together. Back home we cleaned up then headed off for dinner at Armondo's and a play at a very good local venue - Carco Theater. We got back home about 11pm but found that wine supplies had been restocked which required a couple of hours to take care of. Sunday morning was mellow time with Carol whipping up eggs and Lisa bringing over pastries before the gang slowly started to disperse.

To my beautiful Ya Ya's - you are fabulous!

table set and ready for the Ya Ya's

Terri making smoothies

Short Ya Ya's in my kitchen

Dian, Glo, and Carol

me, Glo, Paula, Laurie, Dian, Carol, Lisa

The YaYa's are coming! The YaYa's are coming!

2008-02-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

With Robin safely out of town I have organized a gathering of a group of friends called the YaYa's. Friday night will bring 10 crazy broads to my house for a weekend of eating, drinking, biking, skiing, catching a play, and whatever else we come up with and weather allows. Myself, Glo, Dian, Paula, Laurie, Terri, Sheila, Marcia, Jackie, Carol, and Lisa will be terrorizing the general Renton area all weekend so if you see us coming, run the other way! We will miss our pals Deb and Kathy who aren't able to join us.

Robin wanted to know why he needed to be gone for me to organize this. I told him it would warp his little male mind forever.

If there are any pictures that can be allowed to the general public I will post them next week.

Have a great weekend!

Winter Wonderland

2008-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

I spent the last few weekends riding my bike and being cold. Inspiration struck when my brother Paul invited me to go cross country skiing. A remote corner of my brain sprang to life as if to say "Oh yes, now I remember! When it is cold outside and water is freezing in the air and on the ground the wise sportster will mount long slick boards to her feet with the purpose being to slip and slide rather than try to avoid it." I had hopes Sonia would join us but our departure time was a bit too early for her sleepy head. Paul, Anne, and I went south to the Mount Tahoma ski trails. What a fantastic alternative to the I-90 zoo! Robin and I have skiied there in years past and love it. Sadly they lost a bridge during the big rainstorm a couple of years ago so the south district is inaccessible and that is my favorite skiing. This was my first ski of the year (in fact, I hadn't skiied since New Year's Day 2007!) and it was great. We had entertainment in the form of a couple dozen jeepers trying to pull their jeeps on trailers behind trucks and getting stuck in the road. We imagined the conversation to go something like this:

Clem: Dang it Joe, I'm stuck.
Joe: Shucks Clem, whadarwegonnado?
Clem: Let's stand around outside the trucks a while and pick our teeth.
Joe: Good idear Clem!

Okay, so I have friends that are 4-wheelers - but admit it - it's not far off is it???

We crossed paths with Lou who is a volunteer there. Paul and I had met Lou during Tour BC last summer. His favorite jersey says "Cranky Old Bastard". Lou is a great crusty old guy. He road his bike from Yelm WA to the start of Tour BC in Penticton BC, Canada for the weeklong adventure and then road back home. Makes me feel pretty wimpy!

Great snow conditions, lunch with a view, redneck entertainment, super company - it was a grand day out. Thanks Paul and Anne!

Diminishing Mental Capacity

2008-02-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Driving down the road today I had an inspirational idea for a blog posting. Problem is I can't remember what it was. Last night before I fell asleep I remembered I needed to return a phone call so I threw my current book on the floor (my "string around the finger"). I woke up this morning, saw the book on the floor and knew it was a reminder but couldn't remember what I was to be reminded of. It took until nearly noon before it finally came to me. Last night my sister Mary and I took our brother Tom to dinner. We had a gift card from Mary's daughter Megan that we wanted to repay to her. It took us about 4 attempts to figure out who owed whom how much money after I paid the balance on the bill after the gift card, Mary and I were to split the total and get $25 back to Megan. When we returned from our last England trip just before Thanksgiving I went to my gym to workout. I could remember the combination for my locker but not the names of at least 2 women there that I've known for several years. I have seen these women naked for Pete's sake. I mean, unless you're a medical doctor or heavy into pornography shouldn't you remember the names of people you've seen naked??? Or is it enough that I remember that I've seen them naked???

My main form of daily exercise is going up and down the steps because I can't remember why I went there in the first place, got back down (or up), and repeat as necessary until I remember or I forget that I forgot and carry on to something else. If I'm going to go down this path I wish it would accelerate to the point that I don't know how feeble-minded I'm getting and just get to the part where I'm happy happy happy and each day is a new adventure! Gotta go, I may have left the bath running or a pot boiling on the stove...

Sleepless in Renton

2008-01-30T16:56:00.001-08:00

Robin left for England on Monday. He'll be gone for 3 weeks. I didn't sleep well on Monday night. Funny thing is for about the first 15 years we were married I slept better without him - maybe a symptom of marrying relatively late. Now I've finally gotten used to the guy I guess. He flew first class on British Airways. Full size bed in private space, turndown service, even jammies! He said it was a very bumpy flight. Poor baby, wonder if his personal crystal bottle of designer label water slipped off the engraved silver coaster?? Such a bother...

Tonight I'm off to my last Landscape Design class. I'm very excited about the design I came up with for our property. It certainly won't become reality anytime soon but now that I have a "master" plan I can gradually work towards it instead of just patching things together as the mood strikes. We'll see what my instructor thinks! The final product would result in an underground garage with access to the basement, our property sub-divided and cut down by about 1/3, and a lower maintenance but cohesive design. Wow, sounds great doesn't it???

When friends become pests

2008-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Early in the week the weekend forecast was looking grim - cold fronts approaching from the north and the south with moisture trapped in between. The SIR "Stupid Winter Training Series" ride was scheduled for Saturday morning from Stanwood and going around Camano Island. I was planning NOT to take part. My pals had other ideas. Correspondence with Mark and Peter went like this: me: I'm not riding Camano this weekend. mark: what time are we meeting to carpool to Camano? me: let's meet by phone at 6:30 in the morning. peter: you want us to call from your driveway at 6:30 when we are there to pick you up? me: silence. Later the forecast showed Camano Island might be one of the few places for some dry weather Saturday morning so I caved and went along. It was COLD but the company of Peter, Mark, Robin, Wayne, Bob and others made it all worthwhile. Gotta say, hanging out with a bunch of smart, athletic, fun, and good-looking guys in tight clothing ain't such a bad way to spend a day. Thanks for being pests!

Progress in the kitchen

2008-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

We spent most of Robin's holiday break installing new countertops in the kitchen. We got a screamin' deal on Paperstone buying factory 2nds directly from the manufacturer in Hoquiam. Plenty of excitement getting the 400 pound piece unloaded from the top of rack on my brother's truck but no injuries to persons or product.

Old countertops removed

testing the new sink fit

sweet undermount sink

fine adjustments

Overall the kitchen is looking good. I especially love my new pantry and wall cupboard.

A Wet But Wonderful Ride

2007-12-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Good news all around. Mom gets to go home tomorrow - just in time for her many children and their families to descend upon her for our traditional Christmas Eve gathering. I know she is looking forward to it and we're looking forward to her continued recovery.

Robin organized a bike ride today with me, Mark, Peter, Bob, Wayne, and Robert. He promised a flat and mellow ride which he delivered. Good thing since my fitness level is at the lowest it has been for years! It was fun to ride and chat with my good riding buddies. It was pretty wet which was the only drawback but I suppose expecting anything else in the Pacific Northwest in December would be silly. We met up at Greenfresh Market in Renton, fueled up on our choice of hot beverage and then headed south to Flaming Geyser Park. A short stop for more hot beverages along the way and yummy soups and goodies in a nicely heated deli at Greenfresh made for a nice social ride. Just the minimum of whining scored me a ride up the hill in Mark's car complete with heated seats and an extra jacket while Robin played the true randonneur by riding back home. A hot shower followed by a nap and I'm nearly good as new - except for the large pile of soaking wet riding clothes I need to deal with...

If any of you usually get a Christmas letter from us and are wondering where it is don't hold your breath. We will be sending some kind of New Year's greetings this year! Of course it was planned that way!

Merry Christmas and wishing you love, peace, and health in 2008!

Mom in recovery

2007-12-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss about posting. My mom's surgery on Wednesday was tough but they successfully installed a new valve in her heart. I've been spending lots of time with her and dad while trying to stay on top of things at home and not neglect Robin too severely. It is a hard time but my mom is a strong woman (you don't raise 7 kids if you're a wimp!) and my dad, brothers & sisters, and I are leaning on each other. Thoughts and prayers from extended family and friends have been more helpful than you could know. As of this morning mom is still in Critical Care. The staff there have been terrific but it is not a restful place. Hoping for mom to progress to be able to move to a regular room where she might be able to get some real sleep. Other siblings are with mom and dad over the weekend so I will be catching up with some friends, riding my bike, and putting up some Christmas decorations before heading back to Lacey on Wednesday. I'm very thankful to have the scheduling freedom to be with mom and dad right now.

Home Sweet Home

2007-11-29T18:08:00.001-08:00

We've been back home now for about a week and a half and hit the ground running. Two fabulous full-on Thanksgiving blow outs, a couple days of nose-to-the-grindstone-take-advantage-of-the-good-weather yard clean up, a short visit from Robin's parents, sink purchase for the kitchen remodel, practice work with the new countertop material, MAJOR dustbunny eradication program in the house, several Mt Rainier-sized piles of laundry, family time, sorting through 3 months of mail (holy CR*P there was a lot of paper wasted for the recent election!), and various other sundry activities all pointing to the very happy fact that we are HOME!

Braving the predicted freezing weather we'll be leading the SIR "meet the teams ride" on Saturday. Check out more info on the SIR website (linked to the main blog page).

On Wednesday next week my mom goes in for major heart surgery. All prayers, good vibes, and pagan rituals on her behalf are appreciated. It'll be a long recovery but I and my siblings have a time-tested strong tag team to hopefully provide all the support and help needed for mom and dad. There outta be some pay off for raising 7 kids right?

Hope to get a few more pics from England posted soon.

Coming Home update

2007-11-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

The test that Robin is on is finishing up early so he gets to come home with me on Monday - yippey!

I've been meaning to do a very witty post about some observations on a couple of things but just can't seem to get enthused for it. I think this ankle/foot injury is getting me down. I'll be seeing the orthopedic doc the day after we get home so hopefully he'll get me straightened out! See y'all stateside!

Winding down in England

2007-11-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

I'll be heading home in a week and Robin will follow whenever the test is finished here (supposedly before Thanksgiving!). We are both ready to be home. I do always enjoy our trips here and the great opportunity to see new things and experience a different culture more intimately than as a tourist but home is home and I am missing mine. It is harder to stay current with friends and family than I had imagined it would be even with phone calls and emails - I really feel out of the loop.

Catching up on our activities here: One night I answered the door to a guy from a farm in Devon who comes around every few months selling meats and goods from the farm. I wasn't in need of anything but he was quite the talker and he ran through about a dozen different topics in the 10 minutes he was here. One thing that stuck in my head was his mention of a museum that is preserving examples of English homes from various periods. A little searching uncovered the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum just about an hour's drive from us. On Sunday 11/4 we hit the road to find it. The museum consists of 45 homes dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries that have been rescued from demolition and rebuilt on museum land. It is spread out over tens of acres in beautiful rolling countryside. The museum also conducts various demonstrations and courses on traditional crafts, trades, and everyday skills. When we showed up a man just ahead of us handed us a coupon from a local paper allowing one free entry. Great! Then even better the man at the reception desk just put both our names on the coupon and let us both in free. Gotta love it - a great day out and free to boot. We didn't even get to spend money in the shop because we wandered around until after the museum was officially closed and it was all buttoned up.

Nice horsey

Now that's a pizza oven!

On Saturday Nov 10 Robin got the ball rolling by suggesting we drive to Brighton to see what it has to offer. Brighton is on the south coast and is a huge resort area in the summer time. There were still plenty of people on a bright sunny day in November. We walked west along the beach enjoying all the different activities and sights. Juggling, skateboarding, dogs playing, bicyling, kite flying, surfing, jogging, and above all - ice cream eating! We walked a couple of miles and my ankle/foot started aching (yes, that is on the list of things to sort out when I get home) so we turned around and got back to Brighton Pier as the sun was setting and all the lights were coming on. Our 2006 Rough Guide (published in 2004) indicated that the West Pier was to be renovated by 2006 but those plans had obviously been foiled and, in fact, damage from a couple of severe storms seemed to put that dream out of reach. The remains of the pier and what appeared to be a dome lay charred and twisted in the water - very cool looking I thought.

Taking in the fresh sea air at Brighton

Amy at West Pier

Huh?

How to Contribute to Reward Fund for Cyclist Shooting

2007-11-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Tim Hennings the reward fund for finding and convicting the criminals that shot Peter McKay is a reality. Please join us in making a contribution to the fund. Here is a copy of the email Tim sent to the SIR mail list on Wednesday, Nov 7 with all the details:

Hello generous cyclists! Shan reports that we're over $5,000 for the reward
fund, and the pledges are still coming in. Not bad at all for 48 hours and
our modest sized group. Just imagine if we really tried to get the word out
to cyclists far and wide.

Back to the mechanics of this reward thing: The problem we've had this week
is that the two principal leaders of the local Crimestoppers who would
normally handle a special reward such as this are at a conference out of the
country. But we are now set to go despite that setback. Special thanks to
Leticia at Crimestoppers who took hours out of her day off to help us out.

I've been in touch with the person at Bank of America (First Hill
branch) who normally handles these reward accounts with Crimestoppers. We
are initially setting up the BofA account with the $1,000 contributors. That
should be in place Thursday morning. The rest of us contributors should send
checks to BAW, per Kent's offer, as follows:

- Payable to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington (NOT to the BofA
account)
- Mailed to this address: BAW, PO Box 2904, Seattle, WA 98111
- You can also pay via PayPal <https://www.paypal.com/> (pay to
donation@bicyclealliance.org).
- Either way, the amount should be noted as being for the
"Crimestoppers - Cyclist Shooting Reward".

*Please do this within the next day or two.* Kent will then make a single
deposit to the account at Bank of America. (Sorry - it is not possible for
all of us to make our deposits directly to the account at BoA; that would be
a much more complex set up process and has other disadvantages.)

Mark Thomas is handling the account setup. We all know and trust him (well,
sort of...) so he will be the signatory on the account (not me!). We have
yet to work out the details of reimbursement if the reward is not collected.
We have to wait for the Crimestopper people to get back in town, and meet
with them and the BoA exec. There will be a time limit, say 12 or 18 months.
We should not expect 100% reiimbursement of course, because there are going
to be some transaction fees in all this.
Leticia at Crimestoppers has promised to make the posters tomorrow. Bill
Dussler, who lives in Burien near where the shooting took place, has offered
to put up the posters in that area if he gets them before Friday afternoon.
So if everything goes like clockwork, we'll have posters up announcing the
reward almost exactly one week after this awful incident took place.

I will ask Leticia what the normal process is for contacting the media about
spreading the word. Depending on the quality of the Crimestopper poster, we
might also want to design our own poster and distribute it throughout
western Washington. I think we all agree that we are aiming higher than
nailing Peter's assailants. We want everyone in the region to know that
cyclists are taking this incident very, very seriously. Who knows, maybe
we'll even have some impact on the crazies who throw bottles at us from fast
moving cars. If this works, maybe one day we should work with Crimestoppers
to set up a standing reward for information about attacks on cyclists.

Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas. And huge thanks to
everyone for their pledges! Peter - hope you get well soon and you're not
too appalled by all this activity!
Tim

A ride through the falling leaves AND a reward fund

2007-11-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

I blogged a few days ago about the assault on my friend Peter while riding his bike. There have been some newspaper articles and tv news spots about it (which Peter has handled with laudable grace) and a lot of chat on cycling message boards and email lists. On the SIR list people have started making pledges ranging from $50 to $1000 to create a reward for information leading to a conviction of the shooter. Details are being arranged and the vehicle for collecting pledges and advertising the reward is still being worked out. Once they are I will publicize it here in my blog so if you want to be involved stay tuned - at last count pledges totaled over $2100.

Cycling today on the other side of the Atlantic was superb! A chilly but bright morning lived up to the weather forecasters' predictions so we layered up and headed out. Robin has been uncharacteristically unmotivated to do any road riding so I have enjoyed the position of getting us out the door and deciding on the route. Today we headed south through North Camp and Aldershot and then southeast through the villages of Tongham, Seale, and Puttenham. Winding sun dappled lanes were the order of the day featuring crunchy orange and golden leaves under the wheels and more blowing down from the trees providing a soft (and dry!) autumn shower. Past Puttenham Common we turned west through Sands and Runfold then north again back through Tongham, Ash, Ash Vale, and Frimley to return to the Lodge and lunch. Lovely!

Bonfire Night

2007-11-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

Bonfire Night is fast approaching here in the UK. Actually, it seems to be more of a Bonfire Month as fireworks have been going off regularly for over 2 weeks. One might reasonably ask "what the heck is Bonfire Night?" and as I am a reasonable person (its my blog - I can make any claim I want!) I did indeed ask the question. It is a commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot which was foiled on November 5, 1605. In a nutshell the plot was to blow up parliament with the King (James I) present in hopes of ending repression of the Catholic faith. If you want more detail see: http://www.bonefire.org/guy/index.php

Guy Fawkes was a member of the plot and was caught red-handed in the cellar with the gunpowder. That's when the REAL fun starts British style. After "due process" Guy, and some of his co-conspirators were found guilty of treason and sentenced with the ever-popular "hanged, quartered, and drawn" treatment. Do your own research on this if you like - it is gruesome.

Bonfire Night (which much like many holidays and commemorations in the US is basically an excuse to party and blow stuff up) traditionally consists of parading through the streets with an effigy of Guy Fawkes followed by throwing the effigy on a huge bonfire. Entertainment for the whole family - including traditional bonfire foods!

On Saturday night Robin and I decided to head to nearby Farnham for their celebration so we could experience the spectacle in person. Of course it wasn't on the actual night and Farnham went with the fireworks show rather than the bonfire but that seems to be a popular substitute. We gathered with several hundred (thousands?) others near the town centre. Big wax torches were available for sale along with various neon glowy things. The torches were impressive - about an inch and a half thick and 18 inches long - they put out a good flame. With loads of people carrying them the heat and light were amazing. Following a pipe band (bag pipes that is) we paraded through town and up to Farnham Castle. Going up the hill was really cool cause you could see a wall of people and torches both ahead and behind. We hadn't bought tickets for the fireworks so we turned around and headed back into town. Now if there'd been a good old fashioned effigy burning on the agenda I would have been all over it but didn't feel like shelling out for a fireworks show. Still hoping that between now and the 5th I'll get to witness the "real McCoy". My part in the spectacle was along the lines of honoring the revolutionary spirit and throwing off the bonds of repression. Vive la revolution!

Hate Crimes Against Cyclists

2007-11-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was going to blog today about being bored and grumpy because I didn't allow proper time for my twisted ankle to heal up and I've been resting and elevating it for the 3rd day. As I logged on to my pc however I found out that my good buddy, Peter McKay, was SHOT with bb's while commuting home from work on his bicycle. Peter was injured but appears to be okay. You can read Peter's account here: http://www.petermckay.blogspot.com/

I am so very sad, angry, disgusted, upset, and frightened by this crime. I guess it is a good thing that I cannot understand the mind that would view this action as acceptable (and perhaps even FUN???). It will not keep me off my bike but it will add a new dimension to the cascade of emotions I experience when cycling, especially when motorists act agressively towards me.

I've had several British cyclists comment about how bad it is to cycle in England - the drivers are dangerous and don't cooperate with cyclists. It may be their perception when compared to the superb treatment of cyclists in France but I do set them straight - compared to the US, cyclists here in England have it made. And my experience is cycling on the West Coast which is recognized as much more cyclist friendly than the rest of the nation.

I am thankful my pal Peter is going to be okay and my thoughts are with him and his family. Peter has served as my stoker on the tandem a couple of times and we have a date for Dec 1 so fingers crossed this will not hold him down for long. To all the other cyclists out there - keep on pedaling, be safe, be legal, be seen, and don't let the turkeys get you down. In the words of Rodney King "Can we all get along?" "We're all stuck here for a while. Let's try and work it out."

Ever heard of the Seattle Tower?

2007-10-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

When we had Ken, Barbara, and Shaun over for dinner recently I presented them with some of the stylish new SIR lightweight wool socks. As I pointed out the inclusion on the top of the foot of the Space Needle they were a bit confused. They then told me they recognized the building but they know it as the Seattle Tower. Now how the heck did that come to be? Those of us in the Seattle area have never known it as anything other than the Space Needle. What other internationally recognized landmarks are operating under aliases away from their homelands - inquiring minds want to know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:VolunteerParkNeedle.jpg

Back to the Bat Cave

2007-10-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

Today we resumed our interrupted walk to find the collapsed Greywell Tunnel on the Basingstoke Canal. The canal was built starting in 1787 as a means of transporting goods from the Northeast Hampshire area into London. It entailed 29 locks and a 1200 yard long tunnel to raise the water 245 feet. The arrival of railway was the death of the canal as a commercial enterprise but, thanks to enthusiastic (and mostly volunteer) collaboration most of the canal has been retained and/or reinstated to allow for public enjoyment. Read more about the canal here: http://www.basingstoke-canal.co.uk/index.htm l

Odiham Castle along the Basingstoke Canal. Also known as King John's Castle (early 13th century). Currently work underway to arrest decay.

Greywell Tunnel collapsed in 1932 and over time became completely blocked. It is now an important winter habitat for hibernating bats. More about the tunnel here:
http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/tunnel.html

Greywell Tunnel

We got there without incident this time (after spraining my ankle last time). It was a clear sunny day with lots of birds and fish in the canal. We couldn't see far in to the tunnel but it was interesting just to see where it was. We could hear a couple of guys inside the tunnel doing some work but couldn't see them. Couldn't see any ba ts either, dang.
Robin above Greywell Tunnel and looking along the canal towards Odiham.

Homeward bound - but when?

2007-10-29T03:01:00.000-07:00

On this trip to England we were originally scheduled to return home October 26. We were fairly sure that would be extended which it was - to November 16. Now that date is uncertain as Robin's boss has asked him to stay just a few more days to see out the end of a second short test. Not sure of a date yet and I am still without a ticket at all. Oh well, I am learning to be slightly more sanguine about having little to no control over the schedule of my own life. In any case we're here for around about 3 more weeks. The summer clothes I had packed in mid-August are languishing in the closet of despair while the 2 items of warmth are on rotation between body and laundry. I'd really like to experience some late spring/early summer weather on one of these jaunts - maybe next year?

New source for SIR blue wool jersey!

2007-10-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

On a recent walk we found a new, direct, source for the hard-to-obtain SIR blue wool jerseys. You may have to try several before you find the right fit - and wait for the blue to spread and mature throughout the wool...

No "do-overs"

2007-10-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

Generally I don't like to try to repeat experiences that I found really great their first time out. Today was a lesson in the wisdom of that philosophy. We went back to the Roman ruins, this time taking along friends Steve and Rachel. While the day as a whole, the pretty country walk, and the company were all wonderful it altered our impression of the main attraction. When we uncovered the mosiac tile floor we found that someone had chipped away a part of the mosiac. I actually felt a little sick. It wasn't a huge part gone (and there had been some gone already) but the fact that it was fresh and had happened just since our last visit was very disheartening. Then, as w e were leaving, we passed a couple heading towards the site and their walking sticks reminded Steve he'd forgotten his so he went back while we waited just a ways up the trail. He was some time in coming and we figured he was talking to the other walkers which he was. He reported back that he'd gotten quite a bit more information about the ruin from them. All of the mosiacs from the site had been taken up and transported to nearby Sudeley Castle and then lost (not sure about that details of that). At some later point this portion was found and it was then reinstalled (along with the adjoining rebuilt walls). It kind of put a little cloud over it all for me. It was much more exciting and romantic to have envisioned this little treasure right here for a couple thousand years untouched. Oh well, reality prevails again! We did enjoy the time with Steve and Rachel and later that evening we were treated to a lovely dinner. Our friends Jean and Robert took us to the Red Lion in Oakhangar which provided a great meal, a warm fire, and entertaining company.

A natural "heart" in the bark of an oak.

Cruisin' for a pint

2007-10-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Hogsback Brewery in search of a gift for our mail carrier at home. The US Postal Service only provides for 30 days of mail hold service but our carrier agreed to work with us to hold for longer which we really appreciate. My sister Mary contributes to this scheme too because she goes by the post office every couple of weeks to pick up accumulated mail - but she's not a beer drinker so didn't figure in to this outing. This last minute outing turned out to be one of the English experiences I treasure.

While browsing around the shop at the brewery Robin picked up and was reading the quarterly newsletter of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). An older gentleman starting chatting with him and told him he was the one responsible for checking on and reporting on about 40 pubs in the area. The newsletter always has member's notes about the pubs they've been visiting. He seemed quite proud of his responsibility and contribution. Robin mentioned we'd be meeting some friends this weekend at the Red Lion in Oakhanger and that was given a good review by our resident CAMRA expert so that was good news! From there we headed north. I was driving and wasn't exactly sure where I was going but generally heading in the direction of home via Ash and Ash Vale. I've done a bit of cycling through these villages but I am always lost. I suggested we were heading in the general direction of the Swan (a nice pub on the Basingstoke Canal) and Robin thought he could use a pint on such a cold, grey, and drizzly day. We'd been to the Swan before but had gotten there by hook and by crook because it is a bit off the beaten path. I kept heading north just following my nose. As we passed through Ash Vale village a small black car in front of us began maneuvers to parallel park. We waited and both commented on what a cute little car it was but couldn't actually determine the make. We continued on and the road became a little narrower and more winding. Robin had just made the comment that I had gotten us good and lost when what should loom into sight but the Swan! Ha! Just like I knew what I was doing! We pulled in laughing and trying to figure out how that had happened. It was about 11:40 so the place was empty. We ordered some beers and read the menus and boards to decide what the have for lunch. Our timing was perfect because within another 20 minutes the place was packed! And then guess who should arrive but the man with the cute little black car! Robin had a little chat with him while we waited for our food. We happened to be walking out of the pub at the same time so went to have a closer look. He was quite happy to tell us all about his little Austin. It was a retirement project and he'd had it 7 years. He said he took it out a couple of times a week. We mentioned we'd seen him in the village and he rather sheepishly admitted he'd stopped there to pick up "a crunchy (or crusty?) roll and a naughty cake" before heading to the pub for a couple of pints. What a great character! He even let Robin sit in the driver's seat for a photo:

This was a great day for cars too as we'd seen one of my little Nissan Figaro's for sale in North Camp earlier. I must find a way to get one of these!

In search of Bat's Hogsty

2007-10-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ordnance Survey maps are marvelous. They are extremely detailed maps originally created by the government for military purposes. Long available to the public they show details of roads, contours, buildings, footpaths, and points of interest. A must-have resource for outdoor activities in the UK. The one drawback is that they are expensive so I was delighted to recently discover that I can get parts of them for free online (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/). Our local map shows something called Bat's Hogsty. A walking guide has this to say about it: "Bat's Hogsty is a curiosity amongst walkers because of its name and because they cannot find it; amongst archaeologists because they cannot decide what was for. It is a rectangle of about 3/4 acre enclosed by four mounds with three ditches between them, externally 300' x 270', in total about 1 3/4 acres." Now how can you resist a challenge like that? Well, we couldn't.

We called Rachel to see if she wanted to join the adventure, drove by to pick her up and headed south to Aldershot. We started at the Wellington statue. This sucker is huge (40 tons and about 30 feet tall!) and but seems to be stuck off in a very out-of-the-way place. When it was first made in 1846 it was taken by grand procession to London and installed atop the Constituion Arch. Some people were unhappy that it seemed out of proportion to the arch but there it stayed until the arch was moved to the corner of Hyde Park in 1882-3 and the statue was removed and later reinstalled in its current location. Wellington, of course, is a war hero, most famously from the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. He later entered political life and was Prime Minister - but apparently not a very popular one. I suspected it was the change in his popularity that resulted in the this kind of exile however I have since discovered that its current location used to be much more visible from the main roads before the surrounding trees grew tall enough to obscure it. Anyhow, here it is:

From there we went on our quest. It wasn't far and in the end we decided that we had indeed found Bat's Hogsty but it was a bit of a letdown. The site was on a scale made it hard to distinguish the four mounds bu the ditches were quite clear. It is in the midst of military lands that have been used extensively for training so there are remnants of old buildings and trenches and foxholes everywhere making the terrain of this particular point of interest kind of blend into its surroundings. It was also quite grown up in trees, ferns and shrubs that also masked the underlying land. We enjoyed walking around the area though and seeing the evidence of the changing season. Here are Robin and Rachel making their way towards Bat's Hogsty:

A lovely ride

2007-10-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Robin hasn't been enthusiastic about road-riding lately. Maybe 1200km in France was enough for a while? Tuesday was looking like the last sunny day for the week so I blasted him out of the house to do a loop I'd been thinking of for sometime. Heading south from Farnborough we revisited our old English home base of Aldershot then hit Bourley Road - one of my favorites. It has a bit more traffic than is ideal but it isn't intrusive. The road rolls up and down through a deciduous forest which was very pretty with the yellow leaves floating down and the sun peeping through. From there it was a tour through some of our favorite country villages - Church-Crookham, Dogmersfield, Odiham, and Winchfield. To make it a loop we returned along Robin's favored route through a new housing development called Elvetham Heath. This development goes on FOREVER! There are even signs pointing "way out" at the round-a-bouts. I'm thinking if there are any heavy drinkers living there they may have a hard time finding their way home from the pubs! It was nice to be out in the sun even though it was cold and my tootsies were frozen. Back home we rustled up some lunch and got Robin off to work and I settled in for the long and drawn out process of getting 2 loads of laundry done. No lie - it took over 6 hours - and that's with a separate washer and dryer - not one of the crazy combo machines. Sheesh.

No pumpkin pie for you!

2007-10-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

We hosted friends Ken & Babara Robson and Shaun Bonney for dinner Sunday night. All three are friends we've met here in England through cycling. While (or should I say whilst?) trying to decide what to make for dessert Robin requested pumpkin pie which seemed a great idea as that is a distinctly North American thing. I've been having groceries delivered for the last month or so from Tesco. I didn't find any canned pumpkin while doing my online shopping but they did have "culinary" pumpkins plus all the other ingredients I needed. Delivery Saturday morning brought a subsitution of plain old Halloween pumpkins (which I rejected). I'm no expert on pumpkins but I'm pretty sure those wouldn't have the right flavor for a pie. Sunday morning we're off to the stores to try to find the missing key ingredient - no luck. We had a nice dinner though - fun guests and good conversation - and we settled for banana cake (bread) with cream and ice cream for our "pudding". Maybe I'll drag over a can of pumpkin filling if we are here in the autumn again.

Just call me Grace

2007-10-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Out for a walk today along the Basingstoke Canal near one of our favorite villages, Odiham. We were looking to get to the end of the navigable portion of the canal where a tunnel collapsed in 1932 and was never repaired - it now serves as a winter habitat for bats. We're walking along enjoying the clear, sunny, and warming day. We both look up at a bridge ahead and see a sign for The Swan Pub. I think we were both pondering at the same time about this because there is another Swan Pub along a different section of the canal where we've eaten. It was one of those things that twist your mind for a second because we weren't in the right place for that pub (simple explanation - it was a different Swan Pub - there are only about a billion of them). Anyway, it was enough of a distraction for my meager "walking and chewing gum at the same time" skills that I stepped off the path and rolled my left ankle. I used to do this a lot when I was playing soccer but haven't had a really good one (and by that I mean bad one) like this for a while. I was nearly in tears and felt nauseated and light-headed with the pain. Robin got me hobbled up onto the road and over to a nice sunny bench outside the damned Swan Pub so he could run back for the car and pick me up. Well, we still got to have a nice lunch at the Grapevine in Odiham so all was not lost. Back home to ice packs - fun!

Driving in your right mind?

2007-10-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

So if I'm driving on the left here in the UK does that mean I'm driving in my right mind? Somehow I doubt it. The British are excellent drivers as a whole so I can't fault that (or maybe Americans are just so horrible anything looks great in comparison). They pay attention and adjust to circumstances without a big fuss or that old American standby - the one fingered salute (possibly accompanied by gunfire). It is the system that is nuts. Car parks have very small parking spaces (and by the way, if it is a pay and display lot you'd better not have even one tire resting on a white line or it's ticket time baby - right Robin?). Many have one-way ailes. So why the heck aren't the spaces angled??? No, you get to squeeze into a space approximately 10 centimeters wider than your car and have fun executing a 10 point turn to get lined up right. Of course many people get around this by just parking on the sidewalk (called "the pavement" here - huh??? aren't the roads paved???), or a median, or whatever. Driving on these is also practiced when the situation warrants and is very rewarding. We haven't noticed that drivers react much to emergency vehicles (that might just be because the catchy "move right for sirens and lights" doesn't work here). Anyway, check out #4 on this website to see an example of some of the fun you could have driving British roads: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/210607/worlds_worst_junctions.html#

Getting Wet

2007-10-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

Getting back in swimming shape is a drag. We left for England/France in mid-August and even before then my swimming routine had been pretty spotty for a couple of months. So, no swimming for 3 weeks then back to England to find the pool at my club here was closed for the entire month of September. Aargh. So, I finally get back in the pool in October and I am a total turd in the water. Time off the bike doesn't seem to have as much an impact - or maybe its just that swimming is the only thing I have some competency in to start with. Anyway, with that much time off I have spent the last few weeks feeling like I'm fighting my way through jello most the time instead of that lovely slipping through the water feeling, floating on top, and gliding effortlessly. The last couple of workouts have felt somewhat better but still not back completely. How about a little humor to shake off the downer? Check out this Clif Bar commercial depicting what it feels like to be part of a mass start open water swim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk

Remains of a Roman Villa in situ

2007-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

During our trips to England we've seen a couple of Roman ruins and/or museums. They are interesting and amazing but you are definitely removed from the artifacts themselves. Reading Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" I made special note of his reference to a walk that led him to the remains of a Roman villa where a good section of a mosiac floor was still intact unmarked and unofficiated out in the woods. A little googling gave me more information along with a marvelous new resource - Ordnance Survey maps online! Armed with some detailed mapping we set out for Winchcombe - a small village in the Cotswolds. We got off to a bit of a rough start finding it hard to locate the footpath we wanted to follow but soon enough had it sorted and we were on our way. A little over an hour later and we had found the area of the remains. A couple of very small side paths led to remains of walls and then to the area of the floor. At some point admirers had constructed a small shelter covered in corrugated tin about 5 feet above the floor and covered the tiles with tar paper held in place with rocks. We uncovered the floor and found a real treasure. The mosiac covers an area about 4 feet square and is very well preserved especially considering its exposed situation. It was terrific to be able to touch the mosiac and try to imagine the site as it would have been during the 1st century AD. While we were there other walkers passed by on the main path oblivious to the historical wonder just yards away. It felt like a real secret.

Our first clue: remains of a wall and steps (look closely).

Robin contemplating the mosiac floor.

Details of the floor, with Amy's red wellies for a bit of modern contrast.

On the way back home we did a short walk to Belas Knap, an prehistoric burial mound - the biggest in Britain. Our timing was perfect - heading towards twilight and no one else around. We didn't get any pictures but you can see it and read more about it here: http://www.prehistoric.org.uk/gloucestershire/belas_knap.html

We finished the day with yet another failed attempt (I think this is the 3rd) to have a meal at the Highwayman pub. We ate there once in 2006 and really liked it but we have had dismal luck since then in finding it open. We quickly found a substitute in the handy Pub Guide I'd had the foresight to throw in the car and I finally got to have some of the fabled Banoffee Pie - quite delicious!

Cycle London and Kew Gardens

2007-10-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

We went to Cycle in London today. Like Bike Expo in Seattle only WAY MORE EXPENSIVE! By the time we bought tickets, paid for parking at the end of the tube line and then bought a tube ticket we were in it for about $60. The show was okay, only a couple of really interesting things - mostly the major manufacturers showing all their most up to date stuff - which translates to fast and fun but not usually practical for the every day cyclist, commuter, or randonneur. Nicole Cooke made an appearance. We had lunch there which was a bust. So, feeling rather discouraged by the day's events we hopped back on the tube but decided to get off at Kew Gardens. The money spent there was a much better investment! It was a lovely warm, still, fall day (of course no one here would say fall - the season is autumn) and the many trees were in various states of changing colors. The gardens cover several hundred acres and were very open and inviting for strolling around. There was an outdoor exhibit of 28 sculptures by Henry Moore. The Princess of Wales Conservatory housed a huge variety of plants from different ecosystems including some really interesting orchids. After leaving Kew we roamed around Richmond (where the car was parked) looking for a spot for dinner and stumbled upon Fish Works. They sell fresh seafood as well as serve it in their restaurant. Most of the fish available here in restaurants and in the stores is farm raised so it was a treat to order wild caught sea bass. On the way out I chatted with the young man working at the fresh fish counter as he was opening a huge pile of oysters. I asked how many he had done that day and he said he had lost count but that he was opening 3 boxes now (looked like a box contained about 100 oysters). So then I asked if he'd ever found any pearls. His answer (as well as his slight accent) gave away that he wasn't British (or American!). He said "The only pearls I have found are all you pretty ladies walking by". He was Brazilian. Sorry but gotta make a huge generalization here: Anglo Saxon men don't say stuff like that and if they tried it would come out sounding sleazy. Those of Latin background - they can do it.

Of Mice and (repair)Men

2007-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Update on the mouse situation: We got a mouse in the live trap and set it loose in the woods behind the house. After the fright of Robin opening up the trap to reset it, thinking there was nothing in there and coming nose to nose with the mouse, we are hoping he/she will decide to find nibbles elsewhere...

Have you ever seen a dormouse? They are the cutest things ever. Here is a photo of three in a torpid state (the little guy on the right looks like he might be snoring):

My record with all things house related continues to be poor here in the UK. A leak in the roof of the conservatory of our holiday rental has progressed into several leaks and currently there are 4 separate rain catchers spread about and the furniture rearranged to prevent damage. The owners are aware of the problem and have checked with me that we're not bothered by leaving it until they return in November. We're not at that room isn't very inviting in the grey and damp weather - just looks a little strange. The more immediate problem is a nibbling visitor. Seems we have a mouse (or possibly a hyena but that's just my overactive imagination when I'm home alone at night - I hope) making visits. We think access is coming from under the sink so we've set a live trap but no activity in the last couple of days. Perhaps my stomping about and poking at things a few days ago scared it off - or maybe it decided our preference for organics isn't to its liking. Of course there are 2 cats in the neighborhood so there is always the possibility that it met a feline foe. Well, the fun just never ends!

Packages!

2007-10-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

What is it about a box or package in the mail that is so exciting? When I get one, even if I know it is something I ordered and am expecting, I get a thrill when it arrives. The moment before you open the box you can't be exactly sure what is inside. Along those lines today was a red letter day. The postman (yes, they still call them postmen here - I think) brought not 1, not 2, but 3 packages! The Royal Mail has been on strike off and on the last couple of weeks so possibly these were piling up but the end result for me was like Christmas! One package was an order I had placed so nothing too surprising but still fun. One package had a return address of our friends Mark & Laurie. Now Laurie had asked for our mailing address and wondered if a package would make it here before we return home but somehow after that exchange of information it slipped my mind until the package arrived. It contained some decadent Theo chocolates and a cool new plastic wallet that I had admired as well as a return of the British Museum guide I had lent to them during their stay here. Lastly was a complete surprise of a "care package" from Mom, Dad, and the Coddingtons. Sweet treats and autumn goodies. What fun!

200k the Scottish Way

2007-10-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

We met Lucy and Dick McTaggart online while planning our journey from Farnborough to the start of Paris-Brest-Paris. We met up with them in Evreux and rode together to St. Quentin-en-Yvelines along with Ian, Tom, Francis, and Sheila. Lucy and Dick made the mistake of inviting us to visit them in Scotland. Robin saw that Lucy was organizing a 200km AudaxUK ride so we decided that would be the perfect opportunity but we were a bit late in contacting them so lost out on a free bed. No matter, we made a reservation at a nearby guest house, loaded the bikes, packed some clothes, grabbed the road atlas and headed north to the Scottish Borders. 7 hours later we arrived in Galashiels where we were treated to a great spaghetti dinner chez-McTaggart along with Nigel, Mark, Louise, and the late-arriving George. George is in his 70's and had ridden 200km that day to get to Galashiels. I could tell immediately that George was one of those guys that you may pass early in the ride but in the end, he will have well and truly kicked your butt, which is exactly what happened.

Early Sunday morning we enjoyed porridge, eggs, toast, and tea at the Watson Lodge Guest House before joining the riders at 8am for our day's adventure. We immediately settled in with Lucy and Dick (good strategy there - stick with the organizer and you won't get lost), Nigel, and Louise (Mark was sitting this ride out with a broken arm). The air was wet and misty to start out but soon dried up and it was dry all day long. A bit cloudy but that just added to the drama of the beautiful and mysterious countryside. Every turn brought a new series of sharply rolling hills crisscrossed by stone fences and fields hosting winter wheat and grazing sheep. The sky was full of various shades of grey while the hills were a patchwork of greens from fresh spring green to nearly black. We travelled over very quiet single wide country lanes sprinkled with leaves and tiny, quaint villages. Although we only spent 1 full day in Scotland we felt we got a good view of that area of the country. Our little group consisted of both Scots and English (and us as the token Americans) and we enjoyed their ongoing banter and jabs. Our experience with the Scots we have met to date has left a wonderful impression of friendliness, warmth, humor, and more than a little craziness. I personally could listen to them speak for hours - they have such charming expressions and accents.

Our official time on the brevet is 12 hours. That is the longest 200km I've ever done by at least 2 hours. A killer combination of unrelenting hills, warm and cozy pubs and tea houses, and a broken spoke that had me working against my rear brakes for a time resulted in a longer than expected day out. Regardless of that we enjoyed the company and the ride to the fullest. We ended the ride at the chip shop where we loaded up on fish & chips to take back to Lucy and Dick's place. Warm food and good conversation were quickly followed by sleepiness so we were back to the guest house, showered and in bed very soon after.

Robin was due at work at 2pm on Monday so we were up early again and back on the road. A long drive for a short weekend but well worth it. We will be looking for a chance again to visit Galashiels when we can spend a bit more time. Link here to see a map of the area we covered on the brevet http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/78423 (photo to come shortly)

$120 parking ticket

2007-10-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

On Friday friends Des & Steve along with their friends Brett & Mary Kay were in London for one night on their way through to Croatia so we decided to go in to town to meet up with them. I found out where we could park near a tube station for the cheapest way to get there. We drove to Richmond, found the car park (that's parking lot in American English), and took our credit card over to the pay machine. That's where the trouble started. The machine rejected our credit card so we stepped back to dig out some cash and let another customer use the machine. He pulled a paper stub out of the machine and asked if it was ours. We took it and thought, well, maybe our credit card did work. Then we saw that no, it showed the last 4 digits and it wasn't our card but hey, it was only a few minutes prior to when we got there so we thought someone else had paid and then left their stub in the machine. Happy days for us right? Free parking! We put the stub on the dashboard and skipped off to the tube station. There we were confronted with another payment machine. We put our card in and were just getting ready to push the buttons to get 2 travelcards but before we did the machine spits out 2 tickets. Well, we couldn't figure out how it knew we wanted 2 but off we went. Robin sailed through the automated gate but I would put my ticket in the slot and then slam up against the non-opening gate. I showed my ticket to an attendant who informed me it was only a receipt. Doh! Okay, back to the machine to get another travelcard. By the time we got into central London my brain had started asking "was it possible that our "free parking" ticket back in Richmond was only a receipt???" Not only possible but it actually was only a receipt as confirmed by the 60 pound "penalty charge notice" on the car when Robin returned several hours later. Ouch! Okay, if we pay it within 14 days it is "only" 30 pounds (still over $60!). Needless to say I am appealing using the "we are stupid American tourists" defence. Keep your fingers crossed - this could be the difference between good english ale in the pub vs yucky tasting tap water at home for the next month!

The British are truly whacked!

2007-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Apologies to my British friends but I've had further proof today that, as a whole, the British are whacked! Robin and I went to B&Q which is basically a Home Depot. We spotted this item for sale.

We could not figure out why someone would come up with a butt shaped rain barrel with a spigot coming out the "business end". Goggling "rain barrel butts" when I got home shed some light on the subject. In Britain a rain barrel is called a water butt. Okay, so that explains the "double entendre" but still...

Newbury Cycle Sportive

2007-10-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

We rode the Newbury Cycle Sportive on Sunday. Our friends Ken and Barbara Robson were organizing so we knew it would be a good event. Cycle Sportives are organized to encourage cycling at all levels and to provide a competitive (although technically not a racing) challenge to those that want it. Robin rode the 115 mile event and achieved the silver medal standard (discovering after that he missed gold by only a little over 2 minutes) and I rode the 75 miler achieving the bronze medal standard (missing silver by 4 minutes). Since neither of us bothered checking to see what the time standards were ahead of time we weren't really aiming for anything. Robin rode hard to challenge himself while I enjoyed the countryside and rode a different paces matching along to different people to chat. A good day out followed by my favorite English beer - Kings Down. Kings Down is brewed by Arkell and is only available in a handful of pubs - none really close to our place in Farnborough unfortunately (?). Maybe I like it so much because so far I've only had it after a full day of cycling! Cheers!

A Walk at Fleet Pond

2007-09-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

We set out one morning for a walk around Fleet Pond before Robin went to work. It was a nice day and a lovely walk - but somewhere along the way I lost my favorite Smith Bazooka Slider sunglasses. I suspect this guy but he never cracked under interrogation.

Love at first blog?

2007-09-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to be more timely with webpage updates I am giving Blogger a try. If all goes well I'll get some pictures and words up from the last 9 months that I haven't gotten around to posting on the traditional webpage. Starting with way back in winter 2006...

A W(h)ale(s) of a Time

2007-09-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

The windtunnel broke down for a couple of days and the weekend was open so we decided to drive to Wales. A couple of years ago Robin visited a village called Hay-on-Wye in Wales that is famous for its many and varied book stores. Right up my alley! We arranged a B&B for 2 nights and hit the road. As we got close to Hay I saw signs for "Arthur's Stone" so once we settled in we got out the bikes and headed out on our "quest" to find it.

The terrain in Wales is quit unforgiving to cyclists. Very narrow roads with steep steep pitches. Plenty of great scenery but you are either in oxygen-debt trying to get up a hill or holding on and watching out for rocks, holes, cars, fences, and sheep on the way down. At the bottom of one hill was a sign that said Not Suitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles (also sometimes referred to as HGVs). As I ended up pushing my bike part way up this hill I've determined I must be an HGV.

Arthur's Stone was the name given to a Neolithic burial site. It was in use many many years before the legend of King Arthur ever came to be but it is a good name anyway.

One of Robin's co-workers, Dave, was in Hay that night too so we had a nice dinner with him. Next morning Dave was heading back to Farnborough but we were doing a bike loop that would bring us back to Hay through the Black Mountains. More unforgiving hills and sheep but a very cool ride. We visited a little church tucked way back in the hills that had this intricately carved wooden screen, St. Issui in Partrishow. A little further north we saw the ruined Tintern Abbey.

Next morning we looked in a few book shops before leaving town but didn't buy anything. Stopping in Ross-on-Wye we found a plague cross in the churchyard. It is a plain stone cross commemorating more than 300 townspeople who were buried by night in unmarked graves during the plage.

We were about 45 minutes from Farnborough when Robin's boss, Rick, called on the mobile to say the wind tunnel was back up and running. Good thing we'd decided against staying one more day in Wales!

Mark and Laurie come for a visit

2007-09-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our friends Mark and Laurie had arranged to come for a visit here in England combined with a week in Paris. They were due to arrive on Friday Sept 7 but missed their connecting flight in Chicago so we were robbed of one day with them. Still we made the most of their time here:
A day's outing seeing the sights of London, here at the Tower Bridge
and here at the Tower of London where we saw the first ever female Beefeater, only appointed or commissioned or whatever the previous week.

A lovely day out on a countryside and town ramble.
A visit to Stonehenge (including special pre-arranged access to the stone circle prior to official opening time).

We also took a drive in the country followed by lunch at one of our favorite pubs, Saturday evening at the Hatch Warren Beer Festival and visited Hampton Court (one of Henry the VIII's cribs),

Thanks for visiting guys!