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Went on a bike trip with Shawn into the Gorge for a few days. Random bits and bobs:
Started the day by having a tube blow-out while waiting for Shawn in front of the coffee shop near his house. Never actually witnessed the "BANG!" before. It's quite startling, let me tell you. My tires are supposed to be 115psi according to the sidewall. I've had one blow at 110, and this one blew after I'd inflated it to a whopping 90 several days ago! Heat really makes air expand, damn. Also: 700x20/25 tubes fit 27x1 tires. Woo metric vs. non-metric.
Ainsworth State Park was full of mosquitoes. I am not exaggerating when I saw have I have over a dozen bites on my legs. I have constellations of mosquito bites. I itch like crazy, especially around my ankles, despite allergy medications, hydrocortisone cream, and a baking soda paste. Had we known how bad it would be, we would have tossed the natural hippie shit and bought fucking DEET.
Biking over the Bridge of the Gods: Kinda terrifying. Imagine the grating of the Hawthorne Bridge, but with no sidewalk, and muuuuuch higher. Yeah. Shawn told me "Don't look down" enough times that of course I had to look down. Every time I did, I death-gripped my handlebars ('cause that totally helps, right?).
It's really easy to cook corn over a campfire, if you have a fire pit with metal grating. Wait until the flames aren't quite reaching the grating, put corn (with husk still on) on grating, turn a few times as the husks start to scorch. The corn inside is cooked and super yummy even without butter/margarine and salt. ALSO: Those fire-starter thingies are awesome.
The ride from Stevenson, Washington, to Beacon Rock State Park: about ten-ish miles, blacktop highway with little to no shoulder, almost no shade, the only breeze an occasional headwind, and 96F. At one point I seriously thought I might pass out.
The ride was worth it though--there's some pretty hiking at Beacon Rock, including a couple very beautiful waterfalls with very cold water.
Biking the I-205 bridge is just plain surreal. From a distance, or riding under it, I-205 is almost post-apocalyptic, it's so high up and has concrete supports the width of a house. The bike path to it is this forgotten-looking weedy thing that meanders around, and then suddenly you're up, up, up and at the level of the highway! I didn't even know there was a bike/pedestrian path going through the middle of it! At one point there's a cute tiny sign with a bicycle that says "Welcome to Oregon." It was really loud from all the traffic, and the air definitely felt dirty and gross. It was also really damn hot.
In terms of fancy bike clothes: I have a real biking jersey (yay for naked lady/clothing swap parties) and I really think it helped in the heat, plus the back pockets are super handy for things like lip balm. I can only see myself wearing this kind of thing on longer rides, of course. If I start wearing padded shorts etc just to get around town, slap me. Actually, what I find interesting is how much I felt the part in the shorts and jersey. I'm not just some idiot on a bike, I'm a Cycle Tourist! ....I still feel half-dressed when I walk into a supermarket dressed that way, though.
I need a better sleeping pad. I actually had dreams last night about trying to find a real bed. That crappy styrofoam five dollar thing isn't enough.
Started the day by having a tube blow-out while waiting for Shawn in front of the coffee shop near his house. Never actually witnessed the "BANG!" before. It's quite startling, let me tell you. My tires are supposed to be 115psi according to the sidewall. I've had one blow at 110, and this one blew after I'd inflated it to a whopping 90 several days ago! Heat really makes air expand, damn. Also: 700x20/25 tubes fit 27x1 tires. Woo metric vs. non-metric.
Ainsworth State Park was full of mosquitoes. I am not exaggerating when I saw have I have over a dozen bites on my legs. I have constellations of mosquito bites. I itch like crazy, especially around my ankles, despite allergy medications, hydrocortisone cream, and a baking soda paste. Had we known how bad it would be, we would have tossed the natural hippie shit and bought fucking DEET.
Biking over the Bridge of the Gods: Kinda terrifying. Imagine the grating of the Hawthorne Bridge, but with no sidewalk, and muuuuuch higher. Yeah. Shawn told me "Don't look down" enough times that of course I had to look down. Every time I did, I death-gripped my handlebars ('cause that totally helps, right?).
It's really easy to cook corn over a campfire, if you have a fire pit with metal grating. Wait until the flames aren't quite reaching the grating, put corn (with husk still on) on grating, turn a few times as the husks start to scorch. The corn inside is cooked and super yummy even without butter/margarine and salt. ALSO: Those fire-starter thingies are awesome.
The ride from Stevenson, Washington, to Beacon Rock State Park: about ten-ish miles, blacktop highway with little to no shoulder, almost no shade, the only breeze an occasional headwind, and 96F. At one point I seriously thought I might pass out.
The ride was worth it though--there's some pretty hiking at Beacon Rock, including a couple very beautiful waterfalls with very cold water.
Biking the I-205 bridge is just plain surreal. From a distance, or riding under it, I-205 is almost post-apocalyptic, it's so high up and has concrete supports the width of a house. The bike path to it is this forgotten-looking weedy thing that meanders around, and then suddenly you're up, up, up and at the level of the highway! I didn't even know there was a bike/pedestrian path going through the middle of it! At one point there's a cute tiny sign with a bicycle that says "Welcome to Oregon." It was really loud from all the traffic, and the air definitely felt dirty and gross. It was also really damn hot.
In terms of fancy bike clothes: I have a real biking jersey (yay for naked lady/clothing swap parties) and I really think it helped in the heat, plus the back pockets are super handy for things like lip balm. I can only see myself wearing this kind of thing on longer rides, of course. If I start wearing padded shorts etc just to get around town, slap me. Actually, what I find interesting is how much I felt the part in the shorts and jersey. I'm not just some idiot on a bike, I'm a Cycle Tourist! ....I still feel half-dressed when I walk into a supermarket dressed that way, though.
I need a better sleeping pad. I actually had dreams last night about trying to find a real bed. That crappy styrofoam five dollar thing isn't enough.
