Ridin' in the Rain




 I'm riding in the rain
Just riding in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ridin' what I love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
The road's practially all mine
I've a smile on my face
I ride down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just ridin',

Ridin' in the rain

==========================

Well, they did say it would rain, starting Sunday and we would pretty much have a wet week. This morning was quite wet with wind, ouchy, the rain stung a few times as it was blown into my face. Fortunately the temperature was not too bad and I stayed fairly comfortable in my rain gear. Well, except, once again, my knees. I think I've figured out that the vents pull too tight and allow water to capillary in. Argh, how frustrating. I'm going to try my other hiking rain pants and see if there is much difference. If my knees stay dry, I may send the rain pants back to Showers Pass.

Continue to feel stronger on my rides, especially with my hip getting back into correct alignment. Of course, I may have relapsed some as I had a bit of a fall this weekend while installing a new garage door opener. I took my tumble being about 2-1/2 to 3 feet off the ground and landed on my right side. A few bruises and sore spots, so I moved my chiropractor/acupuncture appointment up from Friday to Wednesday.

Ride summary, morning, as I said, rain with wind. Felt like I was rolling along with a good pace, not over doing my exertion as I don't shower at work, just remove the rain gear and go to work. Lot's of water on the roads and there was some deep puddling in spots. Only saw a few other bike commuters out this morning.

This afternoon was relative mild, even with the rain as the wind had calmed down a lot. I made a bit longer ride as I detoured to my pharmacy on the way home. Once again, wet knees, which sucks, but everything was comfortable and dry. I started using my backpack, again, and with the rain cover everything stayed nice a dry. Just in case, I did have my clothes inside plastic garbage bags, back up never hurts. I like having the weight off the bike as the responsiveness is much, much better, which is more important to me. I also realize I keep my upper body fairly still even when maneuvering about so the extra weight does not seem to affect me as much as I notice the extra weight on the bike.

Week Ends with Pretty Darn Cold Wind

No bike commuting Thursday as Portland got her "big" little snow storm. Just enough to close all the schools, so I stayed home so Evan could play. Pretty funny as he was up like with no effort, quite different than your standard school day, hahaha.

He actually had to wait a bit before he called his friends as they were still sleeping.

Our big travel was to get the sleds out, finally, and walk up to Mt. Tabor Park (7 blocks worth). Not really enough for great sledding, but they got a few runs in and had some fun with as much of the snow as possible.

After some sledding and a few crashes, they decided to roll some big snow balls. Initially, they wanted to make a 4-section snowman, or is it snowperson?

That soon turned to rolling huge snow balls, or at least until it was getting too hard to roll something that heavy.

Then, they wanted to roll them back home. One of the snow balls crashed before they got past the first park roadway crossing. Evan had the only draggable sled, so that was used to load up the snow ball and drag along, still pretty heavy. They were the hit of quite a few and the subject a few picture opportunities. In the end, the final snow ball only made it about a 1/4 mile as any further would be a challenge because of the steep hill. They launched it, safely, over the edge and watched it break apart.

As they played around and searched for the perfect sledding hill, I wandered along and took pictures. There were some nice areas and scenes. This one above is on the west side by Mt. Tabor's soapbox derby track, looking west toward downtown Portland (off in the background).

Friday, February 25, 2011

Today's ride was cold with some wind. Evan is amazing, he seems to have instant energy when we start off. A few blocks in the cold and I am gasping, watching him just pedal along. Wind seem to stay pretty steady around 10mph from the East/North-East. Brrrr.

Still, nice to be out on the bike. A block from school, one of Evan's friends caught up and he road along the rest of the way to school. We parted there and I continued on to work. Definitely a few less bike commuters out today and only 2 other bikes in the storage room when I got to work.

Even with the cold wind, I was warm going home, must be the hills and the extra work.

Uneventful riding day, that's always good, and with the sunny skies a beautiful day for riding.

No Snow, Barely Any Rain - Thursday Maybe?

Well, here is what our afternoon looked like. There was only a bit of rain today, mostly partly sunny. The wind was a bit cool, but overall a pretty nice day - the calm before the storm?

Weather report says snow today after 10:00pm, so we will see. Evan's fingers are still crossed for a snow day tomorrow (Thursday).

Good session with my doctor today. Some recovery from Saturday's tree planting overwork and the hip is getting better and I am able to sit longer.

I used the backpack today just in case I needed to use public transportation. Putting the bike on and off transit is easier without using the panniers. Sure do love the handling of the bike without panniers, hmmm.

Rode home with Evan and the only negative was the wind, but even that was not too bad. Ah, lovin this bike commuting.

The Big Storm or Not Big Storm

That is the question, what will tomorrow be? Today was a pretty nice day, overall. Knowing the weather is suppose to have high chance of snow, for sure rain, I enjoyed today's ride, both directions.

The image above is, again, below the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge toward downtown Portland.

When I got home and started up my email, I did receive an email from TriMet about my little close call incident. The information is being forwarded to the driver lead of the #73 route. Hopefully, they will remind the drivers to be careful out there.

The riding seemed to help my hip today, at least I felt better after riding. I suspect the cycling motion is good therapy. My home therapy routine basically moves the muscle is a similar fashion, at least it works the same muscle groups.

If all goes according to weather reports, Evan just may get his snow day, woohoo!

Dry and Blue Skies - Ow, Some Hip Relapse

No school for Evan, but we still rode together as he needed to go to home number 2 today. He led the whole way, so I guess he's got to route down pretty well now. His pedalling style is pretty smooth, I would ride with him anytime. Do you suppose I am a little biased, though? haha.

Comfortable ride in, bikes worked flawlessly. I did do a good clean up on them this past weekend. The previous mega rains and hail definitely took their toll. For Evan's, it was clean the dirt off, wash down the rims and brake pads, then I also readjusted his rear hub bearings, adding a bit more grease while we were there. One of the bearing lock nuts had loosened, so we fixed that. Then clean and lube the chain, pretty grimy.

About the same for my SUB, though no bearing tear down. Chain was pretty washed out and some very, tiny surface rust. Lubing took care of that. I also did a little re-wrap on the handlebars, to clean up the wrapping around the shift levers.

The intro picture above was taken a bit after 4:00pm from Waterfront Park looking east. Nice clouds, heh? Temp-wise, I think was in the mid-40's.

This image was taken along the floating Eastbank Esplanade back toward the Steel Bridge. The light was very nice and made for an enjoyable ride home.

Hip-wise, I think I had a bit of a relapse over the weekend, maybe from over use from our SOLV tree planting on Saturday. Seem to have picked up a bit of a dull, constant discomfort and I have lost some sitting duration time. In general, though, I  think it is still on the positive side of healing and getting better.

Riding strength seems good, as a fun test, I used just the 36 x 17 gearing combo from Evan's to work and then from work to SE 21st and Harrison, which was the start of the climb toward home. Even climbing Harrison I was able to spin up without dropping to my lowest gearing so that is a good sign.

Kind of disappointed, have not heard anything back from TriMet from my note to them about my close call with the bus the other day. Will see if anything comes up this week.

Well thoroughly enjoyed the lovely weather riding today, will see what the rest of the week brings and the weather folks are saying rain starting tonight or tomorrow with possible snow Wednesday and/or Thursday. Evan is totally hoping for snow and no school - surprise, surprise.

Buses and School Zones

Just a few minutes before I snapped this picture (so about 2:50pm, 2/18/2011) I had quite a fun time with bus 2138, rolling along Route 73.

I had left work, crossed the Steel Bridge, ridden through the Rose Quarter area and was heading east along Multnomah St, in the bike lane I might add.

I heard the bus behind me and rather than slowing and waiting a few seconds, the driver rushed ahead and then crossed into the bike lane and abruptly stopped to pick up a passenger. I hit my brakes and moved to the left, and into the left lane to go around the bus. Fortunately, no car was in that lane, otherwise I would have been one of those statistics and the talk of local forums on the merits and evils between motorized vehicles and the human powered two wheel vehicles.

I snapped this about 2 stops after the "event" stop. At a previous light, the bus was maybe 2 cars back and I turned and just looked. I may send the same pic in to TriMet with a letter expressing my disappointment in this particular driver and not willing to give me, the bicyclist, the right of way in "my" space. Schedule or no schedule, that dang bus is way bigger than little ol' me. I understand the bus' need to pull to the curb for passengers, I wish more understood they are crossing into a non-vehicle space to do so and to give the proper occupants of that space right of way.

I suppose I am seeing more and more of the things I use to read about because I am, after all, on the road everyday now and having to navigate the trials and tribulations of competing for space.

Well as long as I am soap-boxing today, I've decided that my least favorite time and place to try and ride is around schools when they are about to let out in the afternoon. OMG! OMG! All those parents trying to compete for those few available spaces or getting to and into the parking lot to pick up their kids. They are not watching around them so much and the streets go from quite spacious to narrow gauntlets of cars pulling in and out, stopping in the road, doors flying open, blindered kids and parents crossing the streets barely even looking for cross traffic.

Well, thank you very much, I would rather be riding on the expressway, okay, maybe not, but afternoons around schools are sure intense.

Other than that, a good ride today, dry and cool in the morning and quite pleasant to be riding. Some drizzle/sprinkles this afternoon. Yay for the weekend, and some rest for my hip, which is totally getting better and better.

Snow, Rain, Wind, Hail, Mild, Sunny -- Must be Portland!

Wow, talk about your weather extremes. Yesterday, Wednesday, had bits of snow in the rain during the morning commute, which turned to plain rain. Then, it seemed sort of dry when I left to meet up with Evan, but a few minutes after we left for home, hail.

Of course, neither of us had our rain pants on. Here we are on NE Broadway, just beyond 50th, I think, and I decided I should take a picture. Hey, we were already getting wet.

The worse part was my legs (thighs) were getting not just wet, but just a little cold. Evan was wishing it was snowing rather than hailing.

We still had fun and enjoyed the ride. See, even got Evan to let me take his picture, and, yes, he is smiling.

Thursday - Wow, a Dry Day
We had a much drier ride in today, no rain and not too cold, either. Today was going to be a travel day, because I have another doctor appointment at noon.

Pleasant ride in, uneventful, a good thing. Then, I had some delays getting out for my appointment, so I missed the MAX at 11:32am. Well, decided to go ahead and bike out.

It was actually nice, somewhat warm and some clearing. More progress on the hip, things are getting there. Need to keep exercising the left heel, but everything is progressing nicely. From there, I went home to do some work before heading back to Evan's school and ride back home with him. The picture above was taken as I headed to Evan's school. Nice to have some sunny weather to ride in to break up the grey, cloudy and rainy days.

As we got closer to home, I got the camera out of my pocket and snapped a picture of Evan as we rode along.

So today's total miles ended up at 26. So glad the weather was nice, those extra miles are far more pleasant that way.

Be Predictable, Fellow Riders

Okay, not a picture of today's ride (this was the view back on the 8th). The ride was too rainy for me to want to stop and take any pictures in either direction, so I'm using one that makes me long for a few clear days.

Weather folks are saying more rain the rest of the week with a slight chance we could actually see some snow in the mornings, especially in the slighty higher elevations. I imagine Evan is strongly wishing for snow in the Portland area.

The ride in this morning went along pretty well, fairly normal and uneventful. But, I suppose it was bound to happen, especially since I left 1/2 hour later than normal. I had just crossed over the Steel Bridge and was about to make my normal right hand turn to go under the bridge to cross Naito. The path also went straight to follow the wall along Waterfront Park. Just as I started toward the right all of a sudden I heard a desparate, "On your right!" All I could say was, "Whoa!" and make a sudden correction to the left. The rider was not even turning right, he continued on straight!

Hey, like be predictable and pass on the left like everyone else!

He's lucky I have fairly quick responses and have a few years of road riding experience. Otherwise, he would have been the one going down, because his front wheel would  have hit my rear. I guess rush hour can be crazy even when you are not on the roads.

The hip be getting better, I could actually sit more today. Still cannot stand on that left heel. The discomfort is definitely a lower grade pain, but when I feel it, it takes a bit to move around and get it to subside. I could sit in the car this evening to and back from the grocery store. That is pretty significant, since over the weekend I could not really do that at all.

Good ride home, felt like I had a bit more power than recently, hills weren't too bad. The updated shifters position is working out and am loving having the drop bars back for the variety of hand positions and just the improved hand/wrist comfort. Go SUB!

Wind and Rain, Finally Can Sit for Brief Moments

What I saw when I was leaving work this late afternoon, just before 5:00pm. Blowing rain, woo hoo!

Today's visit with my chiropractor/acupuncturist was great - more adjustments, will need at least a couple more. Getting there, when I got home, I could actually sit at my computer. At work, I could sit at an angle for a bit longer - several minutes rather than several seconds.

Tallied up 16 miles today, as I biked to my doctor's, which is about 3 miles in the opposite direction of work. From there, decided it would be nicer to bike to work than just ride over to the MAX station and ride MAX into work. Lightly drizzling on the way in, so not too bad.

The adjusted brakes were much better and I am so much more comfortable using the drop bars than the flat bars. Glad I made the change back to the drop bars. With all the rain and water, had to keep tapping the brakes to keep the water film down and have responsive brakes.

The ride home was WET! I need to write to Showers Pass, again, and see if maybe the soaked knees is because there isn't enough space at the knees. Maybe I need to size up?

Back in the Drops

Well, here we are, the SUB has her drop bars back on. Aesthetically, I like the look of the drop bars on the bike much better than the ftat bars.

What's different now than before? I did a little cable re-routing, plus replaced the generic cable housings with Jagwire cable housings. The cable pull feels a bit smoother (of course, that could be the pyschology of buying something new, so it must be better syndrome - haha).

You can see that I have rotated the thumb shifters quite a bit forward, so shifting is an up and down motion rather than the original fore and aft movement.

Rotating the shifters eliminated routing the brake cables along the front of the bars, so I routed them along the bottom of the bars. I used the shifter clamp area as a cable guide and to try and keep the cables as close to the bars as possible.

Once I had all the cables routed and back on, I took a quick spin up and down the street, just to make sure braking was good and I could shift through the gears.

I readjusted the brake arm angles and position of the center pull hangar. I did some internet research and found information on adjusting the right mechanical advantage. Braking feels much better than before. I guess I took the long way around, should have researched first, might have saved me the interim bar swap.<shrug, oh well>.

After all the major adjustments and cable routing testing, it was time to re-wrap the bars. Wrapping around the shifter clamps was a little tricky and while the bumps look a bit dorky, the cushioning is better than hanging on to bare metal.

I like the unobstructed top part of the bars, which is where most the pressure is anyway when my hands are there. I can comfortably reach and shift through the gears.

The cables routed nicely, and as if by design, wrap nicely around my headlight. I did another test spin up and down the street really pulling hard on the brakes from the tops, or at least attempting to stop quickly. Definitely feels like it has more stopping power now with less effort than before. Will know on Monday when I am back to commuting.

I hope the SUB does not feel too bad with all the tweaks, mods and adjustments. It just means I care.

Foggy, Cold -- Healing -- I Want My Drop Bars Back

A chilly, foggy morning to start Thursday's ride. Note the frost on the car. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, though, we have it pretty mild here in the Pacific NW compared to the eastern side of the states.

Evan and I bundled up and made our trip to school, then I continued on to work. Gosh, I feel slow, I think the hip pain is getting to me mentally. I can't wait until I don't have to think about it anymore. I mean, I just want to ride.

Of course, just being able to sit at my desk for more than a few minutes would be nice, too. Then, because I am standing so much, I am so tired at the end of the day. My hat is off to those that are on their feet all day, like wow.

At the Steel Bridge we all had to wait as the lower section was raised as a tug approached. You can just make it out coming down river through the fog. Everyday there seems to be something new and different.

Even with the less than 100% of my current situation, I must be riding okay. When I was a bit away from work heading toward Evan's school (about Multnomah and MLK) I noticed a shadow behind me.

He proceeded to stay behind me for the next mile and a half. I'm thinking, "Hey, go ahead and pass." I think he was using me to push himself along or a lazy wheel sucker. Anyway, about a block from where I was going to turn right, he did decide to finally push past me. He said something inaudible, I thought to myself, "Ya poop! You suck the wheel of an invalid and then when you are all rested, you go hammering by, without offering to pull?"

I think it is good I am back riding the SUB and using my panniers. At least I am not putting any extra pressure against my back and, thus, my hip area. Hopefully, this will help speed up the healing. Friday's ride was uneventful, except this morning, Evan led the whole way! I guess he's got the route down, now. I don't often get to ride behind him and watch his riding style. The dude is pretty strong and pretty smooth. Sorry, it ws too cold for me to get the camera out and snap a picture.

Well, my experiment of going back to my SUB's flat bar is not working out so good for my hands. So, this weekend's plan is to do some adjusting to maximize brake efficiency when I am riding on the hoods. While I am there, I am planning to make a modification to where I mount the shifters (original, Shimano thumb shifters) so I can create the most room for my hands across the bar tops.

Brake-wise, I think I just have to fine-tune the brake arm positions so I am pulling with the most leverage. Since I had the bars off (Cinelli Little Wings), I decided to fill-in the front and back cable grooves, which I never really liked. I used some liquid metal filler. This is a picture of the back of the bars and that flat looking section is where I filled in the cable groove.

 

Here you can see the extremely rotated thumb shifters. This puts the levers on the front side of the bars rather than across the top. This will hopefully provide the full bar top for my hands and still provide relatively easy access to the shifters.

Next step is to fit up the cable housings, run the cables, make the adjustments and do a quick around the block test for positioning. Once I've got it pretty close, I will re-wrap the bars and be ready to ride. (Okay, until the next time I get a "gotta change something" itch - hahaha).

Slow and Steady -- Gets Me There

A pretty nice day to be riding the bike. This morning was on the cool side, about 30 degrees out. Amazing how much lighter it is getting in the mornings. I guess my morning lights pictures will have to wait until I decide I want to get up really early now.

This was taken in the afternoon as I was leaving work.

Felt kind of slow today, I guess my muscles are all still healing and not quite up to 100% ability. Seems like everyone was passing me today. I just kept to my lower gears and not pushing too hard. Give the body some time to heal, be kind and gentle.

The hip seemed a little better today. Still cannot stand on my left heel, which is my guage at the moment. Work is pretty challenging and my work space is looking pretty crazy. I have my chair adjusted so I can almost lay flat, then put my left leg up on a rolling 2 drawer cabinet; I have a seat cushion from a broken chair that I use to kneel on, and I have a loaner laptop on top of my tall cabinet so I can stand and do my work. By the end of the day, I am pretty tired. I cannot wait to be able to just sit at my desk -- it's the small things in life.

So, I have to rant about bike headlights. What's the deal with people having their lights aimed toward what would be an auto driver? Do they not realize that is such a pain and does not do anything for their cause of being seen? Do they not understand light does not have to be aimed directly at you for you to see it? Do they think they are the only ones that matter out here, especially on a narrow MUP (multi-use path)? Makes me want to get a mega spot light with a push button switch, so I can blind those cyclists with poorly aimed headlights. Geez, give the rest of us a break?

Sure miss my drop bars, though I like having reliable brakes. Will have to take some time to test to see if I can get my drop bar brake levers to work more effectively when I am riding on the brake hoods. Either way, I so love riding the bike and getting to commute by bike gives me that opportunity without necessarily having to plan or schedule a special ride time.

Even better is riding on nice sunny days like today. Today was even better because it was meet up with Evan after school and ride home.

No Flats, Nice Day After All

Bits of rain on the morning ride in. Daylight is definitely coming sooner and sooner; I left in the dark and by the time I got to downtown, the sky was lightening up.

Since the bridge was up anyway, I stopped on the floating boardwalk and took this picture of the tug heading toward the Steel Bridge.

The new tires held up fine, they rode nicely enough. As I rode, I kept thinking about my current hip/pelvis issues and how, gee, how will my riding be if my body is back to mostly normal. My doctor says I've been out of whack for quite a while, I'm thinking at least most of January.

Pretty much kept the bike in lower gears and spun along without pushing too hard, try and take it a bit easy. At times felt like everyone else was flying by me.

The ride home was about the same, except the weather was very nice. The sun was out and the temperature was quite pleasant.

I stopped along SE Harrison St. and took this picture looking east, the direction I was headed. Having nice weather makes going slower and easier much more pleasant.

Too Many Flats!!!!!

Wow, no sooner do I get back on the SUB, ride with Evan to his school, then ride to work, then I check on the bike in the afternoon and what do I find?

The front tire is flat! The only saving grace is the fact it is sitting in the nice, warm bike storage room. I think that means the last 4 times I've ridden the SUB, I have  had a total of 6 flats.

Time to buy new tires, for sure. So, the SUB is sportin' Serfas, 26 x 1.5. Funny, the Michellin Kenda 26 x 1.5's I took off are actually wider and taller. Bad as buying clothing, each tire manufacturer interprets a relatively standard size differently.

One funny thing about these tires is they remind me of the 70's and 80's muscle cars and their raised, white lettering on the sidewalls (haha - vroom, vroom).

Oh, I suppose you noticed that the SUB now has its original flat handlebar back on. The reason I did this is because I was not highly happy with the amount of braking effort that was required with the Tektro drop-bar levers. I felt a little at risk, so I put my original bars and the original MTB brake levers back on. Much better braking feel and response.

I figure my wrists will be okay since any longer rides I'll likely use the road bike. I do need to put a longer stem on though. When I stand to pedal, the handling on the front is a bit weird to me.

Seems like quite a few more bike commuters out these days. Again, a guy passed and said, "Wow, those are some awesome lights!" Go Dinotte! Yay for my B&M headlight.

So, how's my hip/back pain? PITA! Apparently my whole pelvis is out of whack, high on the left side, forward on the right. My awesome chiropractor/accupuncturist got things moving back, but I'm going to need a few sessions. Still pinches a nerve when sitting, including driving.

It was kind of a fun excursion getting to my chiro doc. Left home with Evan by bike and we rode to his school. Then from there I decided to go ahead and ride to work. Then I walked across the street from work and hopped on our light rail, MAX, heading back east out to 102nd Avenue. From there I walked a few blocks to the doctor's office. Then I reversed the MAX ride back to work.

Looking forward to being mostly back to physical okayness, hate this current hip pain stuff, for sure.

Hip Pain is a PITA! -- Build Up New Tool Pouch

Argh! The sharp pain in my left hip when sitting is a royal PITA! A bit better today (Sunday), but still there. As long as the angle of hip and leg is basically straight, I feel no real pain or discomfort. Sad I could not get in to see my chiropractor/accupuncturist Friday, but I am scheduled for Monday morning. Is it even related to my bike commuting? Maybe, will ask my doctor.

Well to alleviate as much load as possible, I re-setup the SUB by transferring my lights and prepping my panniers. I guess I am glad I have the option of two different bikes.

Not one to leave well-enough-alone I decided to work up a new bike kit pouch. My goal is to have something that keeps everything together, can be placed easily between the various carry methods I use (panniers, messenger bag, backpack), and is aesthetically pleasing to me. I have hordes of various bags that I have acquired and, at their time, served their purpose quite well. Rather than have them just sitting around, I found one that looked like I could convert easily to a tool pouch.

Most of this pouch was actually the front section of an Overland Equipment shoulder bag. I first pre-tested how well my various bike stuff would fit, then figured out where to cut the stitches and what pieces I would need to re-sew.

Here's the tool pouch, note that lower and upper flaps, and the main pouch are wholly intact. I attached two pieces on the sides to fold in from left and right to ensure everything stays inside.

Here the top flap is opened up and you can see the side flaps that I added. Just sticking up is the tip of my Portland Design Works combo CO2 pump.

Here all flaps have been opened up. The nice thing is the lower flap has a mesh zippered pocket, which is great for the patch kit and my multi-tool (with the 2 halves separated). Plus, if I use a patch, the garbage pieces can be place in the pocket rather than leaving crap out on the road.

There is a large, open pocket behind the smaller pockets which is great for carrying the spare tube. Note the pump, the pocket next to the pump holds 2 CO2 cartridges.

Here you can see all my stuff laid out.

I would like to say I cut and sewed all of this up, but I cannot. I trimmed some excess material. I sewed on the side flaps, then sewed on the black seam ribbon. That's really it. All the pockets and stuff were already there.

Well, that's my re-use project, putting a no-longer used shoulder bag into daily use as my bike kit pouch.

A Normal Sort of Bike Commute Day

A bit chilly this morning, but otherwise, comfortable ride in with Evan. We calculated it takes us about 20-25 minutes from home to his school, and that's without really trying.

I've noticed that we actually chat a bit more on the bike than when we make the trip by car. And it's not like we never talk when in the car. I guess we are both just a bit more awake.

Altered the route slightly between Evan's school and work. I tested getting to the Steel Bridge through the Rose Quarter transit center. Not too bad a route, a bit more confusing because one section has both bike traffic directions on the same side of the street, a cycle track of sorts. The confusing part was whether I could make my left turn by using the crosswalk or waiting for the light, cross the street, then wait for that light so I could cross again onto the cycle track.

Back still giving me fits when I am sitting at the desk, so I had to get up and try and stretch a bit. Will have to see how fast and well it heals through this. Might be time for a visit to my chiropractor/acupuncturist. The messenger bag is working okay, not any worse than the backpack, maybe a little better right now cuz I do carry the weight a bit lower.

One nice thing is I made a stop at the store between work and Evan in the afternoon. Putting the few things in the messenger bag, getting to my purse/wallet is easier with the messenger bag than with a backpack.

Oh, the picture above was taken in the afternoon just after leaving work. The bridge lift was up and a tug just went under. Fortunately, I arrived just before the bridge section was lowered. While waiting I snapped a few pictures. With all the clouds, the light is a bit flat, The up side, temps were mild, 45 degrees and there was not much wind.

Still loving this bike commuting thing, learning some things, especially about what to wear that works for me to be not too cold, but also not too hot. Plus figured out how to carry all my bikey tools so they are all in one, easy to get to place and learning what to carry for just in case (rain gear, spare gloves, stuff like that). I do keep a sweater at work just in case, also.

At times I feel like I could just keep riding around, forget that whole work thing, because I'm on the bike, enjoying the sights and sounds that are the different parts of Portland.

Lighter Earlier, Clear and Cold - Ouch Having Some Back Pain

Another gorgeous morning ride into work. Still some wind, but a whole lot less than yesterday. Temps will be cool, it's low 30's this morning.

With the lighter mornings, seem to be seeing a few more cyclists out, either that I must be leaving a bit later or something. Came upon on cyclist, she seemed to be fiddling with her panniers. I asked if everything was okay. She asked if I had a zip tie - nope, maybe I should? She said thanks anyway and I continued on when the light turned green.

I still say there is just something about morning light. Maybe it is because there are fewer people hustling and bustling about, the river is calm, just peaceful. I made several stops to take some morning pictures. I think some of the regulars thought I must have been a crazy tourist.

The ride home was still cold, and there was still some east wind, maybe 9-10 mph, enough to know it was there. Headed up to meet Evan and then on to our ride home. Low gears and spinning the pedals, to conserve energy. I'm likin this riding with him. Having someone to talk with totally overrides the extra time because of wind. Basically, don't even think about the time. Of course, I find I don't really think about the time at all when I am on the bike.

Yesterday and today I've had some back pain issues, especially worse when sitting. I have had to get up and stand and walk to relieve pressure. Bummer. I think I'm going to go back to riding with the messenger bag to see if my lower, left back pain subsides. If it does, then I think I have to rule out the comfy backpack. I suspect, if it is the backpack, the reason is that I am carrying everything above my waist which is likely compressing the spine a bit too much, especially as I am leaning forward. With the messenger bag, I carry it fairly low so a lot of weight is below my waist and below the problem vertebrae. Again, all theory at the moment.

Sunny Blue Skies - A Windery Bike Riding Day

Weather was windy and cool and dark as I prepped to head to work this morning. Living on the edge, here I am with a very light, summer tank top and light cotton sweater and a jersey skirt. I am wearing my knee warmers which go up to my upper thighs and my wool ski socks. The Showers Pass jacket is laying across my bike.

As it turned out, the wind was cool but not too bad as I was heading in the same direction. I do pack a few extra clothes, so I felt I would be okay for the ride home directly into the wind - brrrrrrr.

Another pleasant ride, the night is definitely getting shorter, as it seems to be getting lighter earlier each day. This works out great as the heavy congested area near MLK can be pretty intense moving about with the 4 wheeled traffic, so being easier to see brings a bit of peace of mind.

I stopped just past the Hawthorne Bridge along the Eastbank Esplanade and took this picture of the city across the Willamette River. Very peaceful, could just sit and enjoy buuuuuut, yep, gotta get in to work.

Winter light is sure picturesque. I think the blue sky is richer than during the warmer months of Spring and Summer.

River traffic was quiet this morning, too. Just a few Canada geese cruising along up river. I'll have to say, being on the bike allows me to notice so much more, to be able to stop and enjoy those distractions on my ride.

I know it's really only been a bit over a month of bike commuting, but, I really see something different each day, even though I am basically riding the same route. Will see after a few more months if the feeling changes any. Buuuuut, until then, we'll enjoy and take advantage of each day's newness and surprises.

The backpack was great, again. Very comfortable and with the "air zone" my back does not get overheated and sweaty, okay, at least not anymore than if I was not using a pack.

Well the end of my work day came and it was still nice and clear, but woah Betty! was it ever still blowin' out there. Of course, nice and steady coming down the Columbia River Gorge.

I bundled up a bit more - putting on my neck buff - and headed out. Yep, nice east wind coming right at me. Well, I just set my gearing to near low and spun along, focused on enjoying the ride. I did hope that as I got to the start of the Harrison St climb I would have some shelter - one can hope anyway.

Well turns out, the hill just made the wind confused, not any weaker. Sometimes it felt like it was coming from the left, then the right, then straight ahead. All the while, I trying to go uphill. Even with all that 24mph wind, I think I did pretty good, made it up the hill okay and was not totally spent out. Well, the weather is for much less wind tomorrow, but looks to be pretty cold, especially in the morning. Will probably dress a bit more for warmth tomorrow. The nice thing is I meet up with Evan in the afternoon, so we can keep each company on the way to home.