For the second year Troop 820 (Thomas’ Boy Scout troop) held an unofficial “family camp” in June. If you recall, last year we went to Idaho for three days of biking. This year we drove to La Pine, OR, where we camped in the “high desert” at 4100 feet. I was huffing and puffing there for two days before I realized that the altitude was the problem. During a bike ride to the shower I figured out that deep breaths counteract the lack of oxygen. Once I knew that, I no longer dreaded getting off my ass and walking to the next campsite. While we were there, the boys enjoyed a long bike ride and floating down the Deschutes River. It wasn’t really that warm but I think the altitude made it feel warm.

In July, Thomas got to attend his first real rock concert – at least the first one that he will remember. Thomas, Tina, his friend, Ziad, and his mom went to see Coldplay at the Clarke County Ampitheatre. Coldplay is a favorite band for both of them so they really enjoyed it and talked about it for days after.

A week later Thomas was off to Camp Meriwether on the Oregon coast for a weeklong stay at Boy Scout camp. Tina and Graham were close by at Adventure Cove where they spent the week at Cub Scout camp. I stayed home with the cats and work. My company is suffering from the economic situation much like everyone else and one of the ways that they have tried to minimize the impact on their bottom line is to have employees take days off each month. As a result of that policy I don’t have many vacation days in the bank. Happily, they changed the policy recently to exclude people like me with low vacation balances.

At the end of July, Portland saw a heat wave unlike any I’ve seen since I’ve been here. We broke the record for most consecutive days of 90º or higher with 10 days. We peaked in the mid-100′s for three days and had several nights where it didn’t get below 75º. This was very unusual for Portland where it seldom get’s over 80, much less 90. For years Tina and I have had an ongoing argument about whether we should have central air conditioning in the house. My position has always been that it’s only hot (although usually that’s 90′s not 100′s) for one or two weeks a year which doesn’t justify the cost. Of course, for all those years I’ve been working in an air conditioned office while she’s stuck at home with a couple of window units and a whole lotta fans. I made it through the ordeal with no complaints, though, and we still don’t have central air.

When we started to cool off, Thomas and a group of the older boys in Troop 820 embarked on a “high adventure trek” up one of the Three Sisters mountains. Last year they had hiked partially around Mount Jefferson but that was quite a bit easier than what they hoped to accomplish this year: 50+ miles in 5 days. All was well after the first day of hiking 10 miles. The boys were swimming and goofing around in a lake when Thomas says he tripped over something. He continued to play for awhile but noticed that his foot hurt a little. When he look at it, there was a large laceration on the ball of his foot from his big toe to about the third toe. Luckily, one of the adult hikers was a doctor and they cleaned and bandaged it, but Thomas was unable to continue the trek. The assistant Scoutmaster called me that night and we agreed to meet in Sisters the next morning.

I was home alone because Tina and Graham were at the Bike MS ride in Stayton, OR. Tina raised over $1000 for the cause and was planning on riding 35-50 miles the first day of the ride. I had to work the Friday that they setup camp in Stayton but I had planned to join them on Saturday. Since it was possible to pass through Stayton on our way home from Sisters, I still held out hope of that happening. To prepare for that possibility, I stopped at the Plaid Pantry (Oregon’s answer to 7-11) and filled our cooler with ice and beverages, including a few bottles of Viso to keep my awake on the road. The trip to Sisters took over three hours but I enjoyed listening to NPR’s Saturday morning lineup including “Car Talk” and “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.” When I got to Sisters, Thomas was in good spirits and was anxious to get home. He had to hike 6 miles back down the mountain to a spot where one of the adult hikers picked up he and the assistant Scoutmaster. The assistant Scoutmaster advised that I should take the route to I-5 on the way home as it was faster. It also passed right through Stayton but Thomas wanted to get home rather than stop and see Tina and Graham. Besides that, I was anxious to consult a doctor about Thomas’ foot so we did not stop in Stayton. We did, however, pass through just as Tina sent me a text message telling me she had crossed the finish line after riding 35 miles. I cheered silently for her as Thomas continued to sleep. We stopped for drive thru lunch a short time later and were home by three or four o’clock.

Tina really enjoyed herself on the ride but really had to push herself, at times even getting sick from the effort and heat. Graham enjoyed volunteering for the riders but they were both glad to come home early the next day. Thomas’ doctor told us to just watch for infection since it was too late for stitches. He limped around for only a few days before the pain started to go away. He’s still got it bandaged but it has healed very quickly. The wound was deep, perhaps a quarter inch, but was at an angle and mostly cut the thick layer of skin Thomas has on the balls of his feet.

This week is supposed to bring another heat wave but this one will be of the 90º variety which should be very tolerable. Tina’s dad is going to visit in a couple of weeks and then summer will almost be gone.

• Stanton to 162nd
• 162nd to Main
• Turnaround
• 162nd to Stanton

Wait? What’s that? Someone is spraying me with water.

“What the hell!?!?!”

I think I just woke up Tina. She asks me what’s going on.

“The wind blew the fly off the tent.”

Get up and get dressed. Wait, what was that? Is that someone outside? I better get fully dressed then. Where’s my shirt? Where’s my flashlight. Shit. I think it’s just a shadow. Shorts are good enough. It’s raining hard and all the bedding is getting wet fast.

Unzip the door and go outside. Zip it back up to keep the rain and wind out. Where’s the fly?

Looks like it slipped to the back of the tent. It’s still connected to three corners. OK. Slide it back over to the front and go connect it.

Find the hooks. Oh, this is corner where one of the hooks tore off. That may explain why it came loose. Find the loop and connect the hook. Where is the loop? Fuck! I can’t get the loop. Stop. Think.

Loop the hook line under the stake and attach the hook to the line. OK. How about the support lines for the fly? Where are the stakes? Fuck it. Let’s just wrap it around this cooler and get back inside.

There. Fly is all fixed. Let’s get inside and get back in bed.

Shit! What happened to the zipper on the door? Jesus, it broke again and now the two sides are off by like 4 inches. WTF?!?!? OK, let’s deal with this from inside.

OK, this is better. Nice and dry now. Just slide the zipper back and forth a few times and tug on the uneven side. There, it’s fixed for now. We need a big “X” on this door so we know to use the other door instead.

Can’t slide into the sleeping bag because I’m too wet. Unzip and roll in. Can’t reach the bottom to zip up. Fuck it. I’ll hold it together for the rest of the night.

Now I’ll just lay here for awhile and watch the tent. It’s surprisingly bright from the street light across the way. That wind is unbelievable. The tent is totally rocking. The gusts feel like they’ll lift the whole tent into the sky. Still, I think I can drift off again when my heart stops racing…

Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like moonbeams in our eyes.

Shit! What was that? Damn. Wind whipped up again. Is the fly still attached? Looks like it. OK. Calm down. Close your eyes. Relax.

And then you’ve ask me… just to leave you
To set out on my own
And get what I needed.
You want me to find what I’ve already had.

“Dad. If you want pancakes, you have to get up now.”

Route:

• I-84 bike path to NE Fairview Parkway
• Fairview Parkway to Sandy Boulevard
• Sandy to 223rd Ave
• 223rd to Blue Lake Road
• Blue Lake Road to Blue Lake Park
• Rode trails in Blue Lake Park
• Marine Drive to 158th Ave
• 158th through subdivision to Fremont
• Fremont to 156th Ave
• 156th to home via “the private drive”

• 164th to Old Evergreen Highway
• Old Evergreen Highway to Interstate 205
• Interstate 205 bike path to Airport Way
• Airport Way to 158th Ave
• 158th through subdivision to Fremont
• Fremont to 156th Ave
• 156th to home via “the private drive”

Tina’s only “must-see” in southern California was the La Brea Tar Pits in the middle of Los Angeles. La Brea was closed on New Year’s Day so we visited it on our way out of town. Despite the fact that their gift shop is full of dinosaur memorabilia, nobody has ever found dinosaur bones at La Brea. In fact nothing older than 60,000 years has been found there.

Outside the museum we watched the methane gas bubble up in the little lake and marveled at tar pits that had only recently appeared in the grass. As I repacked our luggage in the roof rack, I asked Tina if we should use the tarp. A passerby in the parking lot asked where were going. When we told him “Oregon”, he said that we were headed into a big storm and that we should definitely use the tarp.

It took forever to get back onto the freeway but we did finally see that elusive “Hollywood” sign. After grabbing some Thai food, we finally found the freeway and began the long drive to Redwood City in the Silicon Valley to visit my friend, Rob, whom I’ve known since my first day as a freshman at Wartburg College.

Predictably, we were behind schedule and the drive took longer than expected, so we didn’t arrive at Rob’s until evening. Even so, we spent several hours with him playing on his PS3 (Ratchet & Clank, Guitar Hero 3), watching David Letterman’s first show since the writer’s strike started and just talking. Finally, at 3:00 AM, Rob, Thomas and I retired because at least two of us had a long drive ahead of us the next day.

• Alder to 1st
• 1st to Salmon
• Salmon to Hawthorne Bridge
• Hawthorne Bridge to Springwater Corridor
• Springwater Corridor to Powell Butte
• Various trails over Powell Butte to 162nd
• 162nd to home

What a glorious sunny afternoon to ride my bike the long way home. It was a tremendous effort to climb Powell Butte – one that found me laying down, gasping for breath on the side of the trail at one point – but it was well worth it. On my way down the north side of the Butte, I wondered how hot my brake pads were getting. My rims were plenty hot when I got to the bottom and as I touched the front rim, I heard the distinct sound of air leaking from the front tire. At least it didn’t blow out when I was flying down the hill at 35 mph.

It took me about 15 minutes to pull the tube out and install my spare. I was actually pretty refreshed when I got back on and pedaled towards home. How surprised was I when I came upon this at 162nd and Division:

The picture is pretty blurry (you can click on it to get the full-size version), but it’s a car that had run up a telephone pole and came to rest in a vertical position. Somebody at the scene reckoned he must have been going 100 mph or better. I asked around and they said it had happened about 15 minutes before.

Now picture this: me in the bike lane at that moment had my bike tire not gone flat 15 minutes before. Freaky, huh? More pictures on my Flickr page.

• 162nd to Halsey
• Halsey past I-84 overpass
• 80th to Glisan
• Glisan to 76th
• 76th to Everett
• Everett/Davis to Floral Place
• Floral Place across Burnside to Ankeny
• Ankeny to Grand
• Grand to Burnside
• Burnside to Broadway
• Broadway to office

This was the second morning in a row that I took this route (instead of jumping on the Max). I mostly felt good but lagged on some of the hills. All the aches and pains from the weekend are gone and it was much cooler than yesterday (when I looked down to see 93º on the bike computer). Overall, a beautiful ride.

• 162nd to Powell Butte
• Rode in circles for 30 minutes
• Old Holgate Trail down to Holgate (wow!)
• Holgate to Buddy’s house
• Buddy’s house to Foster Road
• Foster Road to Woodward/Clinton
• Clinton to Springwater Corridor
• Springwater Corridor to Hawthorne Bridge
• Waited 10 minutes for bridge to close
• Waterfront to Oak
• Oak to Broadway
• Broadway to work

I originally intended to ride down to the Springwater Corridor and take that into downtown but taking 162nd south ran me right into Powell Butte. Powell Butte is a park with many trails suitable for biking. It hooks up with Springwater Corridor on the south side, so I decided I would ride over it. It opens with a really steep, but paved hill that will literally take your breath away (from pedaling). After I took a five minute break, I zig-zagged the rest of the way up the hill. Once I got to the top, though, it was easier going. I grabbed the paved trail and went on my way. After riding for about 20 minutes, I was very close to where I had started. Powell Butte has many trails to choose from and I had no idea which to choose. Except it occurred to me that the “Old Holgate Trail” might take me down to Holgate Street which is south of Powell. It did and I came out very close to Buddy’s house. I was going to stop and leave a copy of the Constitution in his door (my new calling card) but his truck was in the driveway and his front door was open. He doesn’t work on Friday so we chatted for a few minutes while I plotted my new course with my bike map. I didn’t think I had much left in the tank so I threw out the Springwater Corridor course, which jogs south a few miles, and adopted a new course crossing southeast Portland into downtown. As it turned out, I was not very fatigued as I pedaled up the ramp to the Hawthorne Bridge. Sadly, they had the drawbridge open and were doing some sort of maintenance which took a very long time. I stood patiently and listened to Handsome Boy Modeling School.

• 162nd to Halsey
• Halsey past I-84 overpass
• 80th to Glisan
• Glisan to 76th
• 76th to Everett
• Everett/Davis to Floral Place
• Floral Place across Burnside to Ankeny
• Ankeny to Grand
• Grand to Burnside
• Burnside to Broadway
• Broadway to office

• 162nd to Halsey to Gateway Transit Center
• MAX to NE 7th Ave
• NE 7th to NE Lloyd Blvd.
• Lloyd to Waterfront Bike Path
• Crossed the Steel Bridge
• Zig zag to Broadway

• 162nd to Halsey
• Halsey past I-84 overpass
• 80th to Glisan
• Glisan to 76th
• 76th to Everett
• Everett/Davis to Floral Place
• Floral Place across Burnside to Ankeny
• Ankeny to Grand
• Grand to Burnside
• Burnside to Broadway
• Broadway to office

• 162nd to Halsey
• Halsey past I-84 overpass
• 80th to Glisan
• Glisan to 76th
• 76th to Everett
• Everett/Davis to Floral Place
• Floral Place across Burnside to Ankeny
• Ankeny to Grand
• Grand to Burnside
• Burnside to Broadway
• Broadway to office

• 162nd to Halsey to Gateway Transit Center
• MAX to NE 7th Ave
• NE 7th to NE Lloyd Blvd.
• Lloyd to Waterfront Bike Path
• Crossed the Steel Bridge
• Zig zag to Broadway

• 162nd to Halsey
• Halsey past I-84 overpass
• 80th to Glisan
• Glisan to 76th
• 76th to Everett
• Everett/Davis to Floral Place
• Floral Place across Burnside to Ankeny
• Ankeny to MLK
• MLK to Morrison
• Morrison to Water
• Water to Eastbank Esplanade
• Esplanade to Hawthorne Bridge

Sighted: RV Bike, Vera Katz statue

Thomas saved money from Christmas, his birthday and allowance. At first, his goal was to buy a Wii, but that became unnecessary when we got one for Christmas. After weighing his options, he decided he wanted a new iPod. Especially after his friend, Andrew Barton, got an iPod Video. On Monday I ordered a 30 Gb iPod Video via the Apple Developer Hardware Purchase Program, where we get a slight discount. We weren’t expecting to receive it until next week, but it came on Thursday. Thomas has been ecstaticly exploring its many options since it arrived. I helped him download some shows from our Tivo and he’s learned all about the various video formats out there.

Meanwhile, Tina has been furiously working on a ten minute movie for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet tomorrow. She gathered a slew of pictures and a few videos and has set them to music in iMovie. She’s enjoyed it immensely, I think, and has been spending alot of her free time working on it. I think it will be well-received tomorrow night. I borrowed a projector from work to enhance the experience, so we’re all excited to see it.

I’ve been enduring the Oregon winter weather in the morning and evening. The rain seems never-ending at this time of the year, but I’ve been taking the shortest possible routes in order to minimize my exposure to the elements. I took Tina’s advice and bought a balaclava which helps keep my head and neck toasty-warm. Last weekend I accidentally broke my crappy front fender and have been riding fenderless all week. I repaired the crappy fender once before so this time I’m going to get something that will last longer. I need to get it soon, though, because I’m getting tired of the mud that’s flying all over.