Eight is enough ride

My riding buddy and I met at Baker & Spice and I got my Friday Mocha.  Despite that it’s in a SB stainless mug, it did come from the bakery’s espresso machine.  My bike is locked outside in the parking lot.  I also picked up a loaf of the bread my wife enjoys to take back home, that’s it in front of the handlebar bag.  Total (for the whole day) mileage was 22.2 miles with an elevation gain of 1,899 feet.

The mocha, handlebar bag, and Hillsdale Loaf

 We delivered the goods to her and then took a longer ride down to the Willamette River through the cemetery.  It’s amazing how fast going down the same route is compared to climbing the 450 feet.

Then across the river on the 2 year old Sellwood Bridge, with bike lanes in both directions as well as 10ft sidewalks on both sides of the bridge.  It replaced a two lane with one 3 ft sidewalk on the north side, so passing pedestrians and other cyclists was quite the challenge.  The cars, of course, are always in a hurry to get somewhere else, so only the hearty would dare taking a traffic lane.

Then we connected to the Springwater Corrridor, an early rail to trail in this area that now goes from downtown some 22 paved miles to a town called Boring.    We went toward downtown and made the nearly seamless connection to the Vera Katz East Side Esplanade,  Another great piece os cycling/ pedestrian infrastructure.   Crossing the river on the Steel Bridge, the only double lift bridge in a large area.  The train level can rise independently of the traffic deck, when tall ships come by.

Then my buddy needed to pick up fixings for his dinner at New Seasons market at NW Raleigh and 21st Avenue.   From there we decided to climb to the Pittock Mansion.   An early lumber Barron had this mansion built with lots of new features for a house built at the turn of the last century.  It has a rather commanding view over our fair city.

Pittock Mansion grounds

Just a few steps away, through the crowd, this is the view from there.  Even Mt Hood makes an appearance.

View over downtown Portland and Mt Hood

Here’s the “proof” that both of our bikes made it up there.  You have to trust that we rode them.  The last quarter mile is for the smallest chainring on the triple that our Surly Disk Truckers have.  The forward motion is about as fast walking up as it is riding in that gear.    But it’s definitely a huffer/puffer of a hill.

From here we lost a couple hundred feet of gain only to need to make it up again and get to Skyline and descend onto the Sylvan gap, where US 26 freeway crests, and there’s a Starbucks up there.  My riding buddy lives to the west, so we parted and I went south before a screaming descent to get back to where I started.

Seventh 2019 Coffeneuring adventure

Today, another choir practice, and this time it’s from a Seattle’s Best coffee from a vending machine, cheaper and better than the Starbucks affiliate the the VA Canteen service runs.  Total mileage was 9.2 miles and elevation gain of 978 feet.

It’s been colder, so this time with both leg and arm warmers.

Just added the photos on my iPad. Sorry they are all sideways. At least got the order corrected on my desktop PC.    In the last photo of the building, I was headed back home.

The vending machine that brewed it. 

Transferring to my mug. 

A view of the rear entrance.

Sixth 2019 Coffeeneuring Ride Friday

I felt the "need" to get my Friday Mocha and rode over to the west to the next community that has another SB.  Took a more round about way to stay on the quietest of streets and it worked out well.

Round Trip was 4.5 miles and total elevation gain was 422ft.  There was a 10-15 NE breeze to make things seem cooler than the high 50's that is is today.

Coffee, helmet, and Surly against the fence.

At SW Capitol Hwy and 34th Ave Starbucks in Multnomah Village, Portland

Fifth 2019 Coffeeneuring ride

It's a Friday and starting my third week, it's on my training route I call the SW Ramble, it's rouighly an hour long and about 1,000 ft of climbing.  I've worked out some changes to avoid the busiest, narrowest hill climb, so today my GPS told me I'd gone 11.4 miles and climbed 1,254ft.  It took 1:48 including my 27 minute stop to order and drink my Friday Mocha.

It's a neighborhood coffee house in the Maplewood district of SW Portland,  I've been by it many times, but vowed to make it my first visit.  The coffee was good and the place was quite busy with customers.  The building is an old convenience store and Post Office from the past.  the password for the WiFi indicates that is had been a Post Office in 1911.  At that time, it would not have been incorporated into the city limits of Portland.

Some photo evidence that i got there by bike. That's my handlebar bag on the table.  My maroon Surly locked on the noodle outside.and the Mocha in the mug I'd brought along.

A view out the window to the right of me is below and shows that it really is a neighborhood place.

Fourth Coffeeneuring ride of 2019

this time it started out as a ride to the nearest Post Office to send off some items for my better half.  Then back to my old stomping grounds and I was early enough to add some elevation gain to the ride there.  Got the same bike locker and had another choir practice, then walked across the sky bridge to the Starbucks located in the Doernbecker Children's Hospital.  The decorations there are very nice and they really are not flying around the room.  I included the top of my re-usable cup (and got $0.10 off)for having it) is in the foreground.

Distance was 12.1 miles and 1,064 ft of gain.  I finished the coffee while making the return ride back to home.

Third Coffeeneuring ride of 2019

In addition to satisfying my need for a Friday Mocha, I rode over to my credit union to deposit some cash that I felt was better to have in the bank than in a drawer.  The weather was overcast and showery, but I was lucky that I didn't really get wet, nor did I have to fight the SW wind very much.  The leaf fall was the riskiest feature, along with the showers made for a lot of the bike lanes full of wet leafs, not something I wanted to make turns on.

Got to bank then rode back to a Starbucks at NW 21st and Lovejoy, to explore a different one.  Took this photo and got my Grande Mocha.   My Surly is the red frame on the noodle on the sidewalk.with the orange lock around the top of the noodle and my maroon Surly top tube.

 After that headed toward downtown again to make it back, then decided to try taking the dedicated lane that is open to cyclists along Naito Parkway, adjacent to Tom McCall Park, on the west bank of the Willamette River.  Then I came back op along side the newest MAX (light rail) line that has cycling paths to connect the largest university in Oregon, Portland State University. to the river crossing.  It was along that stretch, that my riding buddy texted me to meet him at our neighborhood bakery,  Baker & Spice..  Good chatting and did not have another coffee/

Then is was another 1/2 mile to get home through the parking lot of Wilson High School.

Mileage total was 15.4 miles with 1,278 feet of elevation gain.

2nd Coffeeneuring adventure of 2019

Here we go. Took the hill climbing route to get to the bike locker in the VAMC parking garage I had used when I was still a working stiff.

Locker #51.  Then to shower and change to go to my second VA Voices choir practice for a Christmas song performance in December.   Mali Kalikimaki.

6.2 miles (683 ft of gain ) to get there  and 3.4 miles to get home. Makes a total of 9.6 miles for the round trip.

Here’s a vague view of Mt Hood just above the grass plant.  From the front side of the VAMC on the 3rd of nine floors. And they had the good sense to put all the in-patient rooms on this side of the hospital.

Day 1 and first Coffeeneuring ride of 2019

On errands to shop and return deposit bottles after collecting enough to match the 20 lb. limit on the Bottle Drop bag, where they count the number of deposit containers contained in their plastic bag, then credit my account.  They do charge $0.35 per bag, so it’s most efficient to maximize the number of deposit containers therein.

Then went shopping at the neighboring Fred Meyers ( a Kroger store) with the Travoy trailer  and picked up 4 2 liter bottles of club soda.  Then it was to the Starbucks for my Friday Mocha.  That’s why that second segment took so long.  More time at the hardware store across the street from the Starbucks and then back up our 200 ft hill to get home.

I did use my Garmin VivoActive watch to record the ride, as it automatically loads it to RWGPS.
The image is a screen shot from my phone’s Garmin Connect app.  The 0.92 miles was to go down the hill with the empty bottles. And the 1.80 is for the trip from Fred Meyers to Starbucks to the A-Boy hardware to home.

The SB and hardware stores are at the corner of SW Barbur & Terwilliger in Portland, OR

Chief Cook & bottle washer reporting in.  Been off the bike for over a month, now.

And the rain seems to have returned for the season.

Update of 28October.   Last week was actually sunny and dry and it looks like we'll have a dry Halloween evening.  It just got colder today with a wind from the gorge and interior WA and OR.

Saturday in spring

Pizza night.  Having fun with yeast for the dough and Kombucha!