Ride Reports for 2017
Monday Morning Rides in November
Nov 27 - The Monday morning crowd (of three tandems) was met with cold and cloudy weather. So the obvious route to ride was up Mt Tabor where we discovered it could actually get colder and cloudier. At the top, the temperature was just a little below 40 degrees and we were in a pretty thick fog. Jack was commenting he was having a rough day, his computer had pick up a nasty bug and his electric gloves wouldn't get warm. So none of us were too surprised when he got a flat tire on the Springwater. But, everything felt much better when the sun came out and we made our stop at Blue Kangaroo Coffee. AZ
Nov 20 - One of the best things about the Monday tandem ride is the pressure one feels to not bail out. The
regulars know to alert the other riders well in advance that they have an excuse and will not be riding
the following Monday. More than once, we’ve all proclaimed “we knew you’d be here in spite of the
weather.”
This morning, the Monday regulars exhibited a newfound flexibility. Facing strong winds from the south
and heavy rain at 8:00 am, Alan proposed a delay until 1:00 pm when rain was promised to end. Due to
some afternoon conflicts a bit of negotiation resulted in a start time of 10:30 am. Four tandem teams, Al &
Ally, John & Valerie, Jack & Robin, and Peter & Jane, assembled at the usual starting point where
Caruthers Street terminates at the Willamette River, just north of OMSI and adjacent to the Portland
Opera.
All of us commented on the beautiful rainbows we’d seen as we left home and how surprised we were
to have encountered rain a few minutes before we reached the starting point. We pedaled south along
the Willamette River and spotted blue skies again before we reached the Sellwood Bridge. We followed
the Trolley Trail route with our usual turnaround at Cross Park adjacent to the Sandy River in Gladstone.
As usual, we stopped at the Spring Creek Coffee House in Milwaukie. A short rain shower ensued during
our break. We avoided rain during our rides home. JR
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Nov 13 - We had three tandems show up despite the pouring rain an hour earlier. We rode the rain route, which is the trolley trail ride. At any point if there is too much rain, we short-cut the ride and head for coffee. But we were lucky again and made it to the coffee stop without getting too wet. It rained pretty hard while we were inside, so we waited for a clearing and made a quick trip home before the next downpour. AZ
Oct. 30 & Nov 6 - Monday Morning Ride
We had 6 tandems show up for our October 30th Monday ride. It seems pretty conclusive that an advertised food option increases ride attendance.
We
got off to a bit of an awkward start. Ally and I followed Tom and Sean
as they hunted for a parking spot, while Jack and Robin waited for Tom
and Collette who were having electronic shifter issues. The plan was to
ride east and it wasn't until we were halfway
up Mt Tabor before the group managed to get back all together. We rode
out the the Gresham Fairview Trail and then south to the Springwater
Trail. With 9 miles left to go, half of the group picked up the pace to
get to Peter and Jane's so they could start getting the pancakes ready.
John and Valerie and the rest of us continued at a more leisurely pace
and arrived in time for the first batch of pancakes hot off the grill.
It was a delightful ride with a delicious ending.
The following Monday ride
had fewer riders. Just Ally and me. Maybe it was the dampness or the
40 degree start temperature. Or maybe everyone else was busy. Maybe I
should have told everyone we were planning on going to the Original
Hotcake House afterward.
We ended up doing a short ride to the top of Mt. Tabor and back down the way we went up. The weather was cold but the omelet and hotcakes were nice and warm. AZ
Nov. 4 - The Verboort Sausage Ride
The Verboort Sausage Ride may be the last major ride of the summer season, or it maybe the first winter ride
for the diehard all-season cyclist. Clearly, however you look at it,
last Saturday, wool, fleece, booties, warm gloves and throat warmers
were all welcome additions in cycling apparel.
Tom and Esther Phillips joined Ted and Nancy Magnuson for the Verboort Sausage Ride
Saturday November 4. Many roads do lead to Verboort. Some took a
circuitous 36 mile route winding through North Plains and Roy while
others preferred the direct 8 mile route.
In either case, the beeline worked well for returning to Shute Park, our starting point.
For those considering participating in this festivity in the future, ticket sales open at 10:00 am (no telling how long the line is then), but if one waits (like we did) to buy the tickets at noon or 1:00pm, there is a two hour wait for the sit-down dinner or a 45 minute wait for take-out.
The town of Verboort was as festive as ever; indeed, despite the cool
weather, the place was jam-packed with sausage supporters. And it is all
for a good cause, to promote the Verboort Parochial School.
Oct. 2, 9, 16 & 23 - Monday Morning Ride
So far October has been a great month for our Monday rides. On
the first Monday we had three tandems and two single bikes. Jane and
Peter brought two friends, Russ and Margaret. John and Valerie joined
us also as we rode our favorite route out to Gladstone along River Road,
and back along the trolley trail. And we made our usual Trolley Trail
stop at the Spring Creek Coffee House.
The
Second Monday was the same group, minus the two singles. We took a
route we haven't done for a while. We rode around Mt Tabor, then Mill,
Market, and Main to the Gresham-Fairview trail, and back on the
Springwater trail. Instead of the usual coffee shop stop, Peter and
Jane asked us if we wanted to see their new house. So we all grabbed
something at Grand Central Bakery on Woodstock Blvd before riding the last
few blocks to their house.
The Third Monday,
Jack and Robin joined the group after missing the last two weeks. The
weather was awesome, so we decided to experiment with a new ride.
We headed north along Williams Ave to NE Portland, then east along
Holman to the Concordia neighborhood. At this point we weren't too sure
about the best route to get us back to SE Portland. At 32nd Ave, we
discovered a new bike route the city had recently put in, so we followed
it. It ended up being a great way to go. It stayed on quiet tree-lined streets. And our timing couldn't have been better with the autumn
colored leaves. We ended up at the Blue Kangaroo in Sellwood for
coffee.
We had another nice day for the fourth
Monday. We decide to head out the Springwater trail with no specific
destination in mind other than "as far as we felt like riding." That
ended being as far as the Jazzy Bagel in Gresham. The route back was
the way we came, along the Springwater.
October 14 - Rowena Crest Ride
The weather in Portland metro had been damp prior to Saturday, October
14; an opportune excuse to visit through The Gorge and over the
mountains to the Historic Columbia River Highway; home of the Mosier
Twin Tunnels.
Nancy and Ted Magnuson were joined by John and Beulah Hess Yoder.
It was reassuring to see that at least from the highway, The Gorge had
not lost much of its scenic luster; a few stands here and there of
standing burnt trees.
Multnomah Falls and Eagle Creek were closed but the town of Hood
River had waived parking fees all week long as an enticement to
out-of-town visitors such as ourselves. Here we are on our way up Rowena
Crest and some views from the ride. Hope
to see you next time! Ted
Sept. 25 - Monday Morning Ride
Four tandem teams and one tandem captain on a single bike participated in Monday’s ride. Tandems were Alan & Allison, Jack & Robin, John & Valerie, Peter & Jane. The solo rider was George, riding his newly built Rodriguez single bike ordered when the shop hosted an ice cream social at the NW Tandem Rally.
The
assembly point was the intersection of Caruthers Street and the
Eastbank Esplanade (aka Springwater Corridor) just south of the Tillicum
Bridge and OMSI.
As usual, the route selection was made just after 9:00 am. This week’s ride
was “The Trolley Trail,” a route of about 22 miles through SE Portland
and Milwaukie to Gladstone. The route is a loop with no backtracking.
The southbound route is between the Willamette River and Highway 99 and
crosses Highway 99 at Arlington Street within sight of Oregon City. The
northbound route is mostly east of Highway 99, but crosses to the west
of Highway 99 at Jennings Street. Most of the northbound trip is on The
Trolley Trail, one of the additions to the trail system implemented in
connection with TriMet’s Orange Line.
The Spring Creek Coffee House was the site of the end-of-ride
refreshments. Al & Al had to skip it this week, but the rest
participated. The featured topic of the week was recycling with ample
discussion of locations on the east side readily accessible to Peter
& Jane, newly relocated to SE Portland.
For those wondering about the photo from Alan’s ride
report last week, the photo was taken by Alan inside the elevator
Lafayette Street Pedestrian Bridge, which allows bicyclists and
pedestrians to cross TriMet’s Orange Line and the UP rails in SE
Portland. JR
Sept. 23 - Newberg Dundee Bypass
It turned out to be a nice sunny day for the open house on the bypass, Ted and Nancy Magnuson joined us on the ride. About three miles of the bypass was open to the public, and it was fun to see the new road and bridges. They did a nice job. Apparently it will open sometime this winter, so I’m guessing in November. I took a video of the ride, which you can see here. Brian & Carrie P. & Co.
Sept. 18 - Monday Morning Ride
As you probably recall, last Monday was the first Monday in months
we have had any rain. As Allison and I prepared our bike for the ride
to OMSI, the weather turned from a heavy drizzle to a major downpour.
We hadn't heard from any of the other regular riders that they weren't
coming because it was too wet to ride, and we
certainly weren't going to be the ones to chicken out, so we quickly put
on our rain gear and headed out. When we arrived, Jack and Robin were
patiently waiting in the rain and John and Valerie arrived soon after.
Instead of deciding on what ride
to do, we tried to decide which coffee shop to end up at. But there
was no clear consensus, so we started riding up to Mount Tabor and
figured we could decide as we rode. It didn't take long for the rain to
let up which made the ride much more enjoyable. Jack led us on a different route where we stopped for this photo:
Any guesses as to where it was taken? (The answer will be revealed at the October meeting).
Riding to the top of Tabor, got me all warmed up. By then we had decided to ride
back down towards Portland and stop off at the coffee shop in Ladd's
Circle. Any warmth that was gained was quickly lost on the descent and
by the time we reached the coffee shop we were all ready for something
warm.
We often have four tandems on our ride
when Peter and Jane join us, but they were busy this Monday. If you
would like to make it five tandems, we would love to have you join us
(single bikes welcome too). And don't let the rain scare you. It
rarely rains on us (much).
If you do a tandem ride,
tandem activity, or have some interesting tandem related news or
information, please share it with the group and sent it to the email
list. And, if you have an interest in taking on the duties of the
newsletter, contact Dave and he can give you the details.
Alan and Allison
