Up, up and away...in my beautiful, my beautiful....

Bicycle??? Well as the song goes a balloon would have been a lot easier but I have to confess it was fun in a morbid, self torturing sort of way. I set out to accomplish something that has

long been on my "to do" list or as they now call it "bucket list".

I have always had the desire to ride up Hurricane Ridge on my bike and this 

year with all the commuting under my belt I thought it was high time!

The elevation at the ridge is 5100 ft. The City of PA is 32 ft. That about sums up the ride.

Up!

So the day before the ride I got this idea to attach a camera 

to the front of my bike a video. So below are some photos and the

video. It is a little lengthy but hey, at least you don't have to do the ride to see it!

Me! And yes I was crazy enough to carry a pannier. I needed something to hold gear for going down!

 One of the tunnels that you travel through on the ride up the ridge. I have a cool video on going through the tunnels on the way down!

Victory photo at the top!!

The Video!!  Enjoy!

Victory Breakfast! Swedish Pancakes!!

And YES!!! A stupid flat at Mile 2.5!

Surprising....with this being the day after....I was expecting some soreness.

I was pleasantly surprised to only be fatigued this morning an gone this afternoon.

Guess all that daily riding has paid off after all!

Christmas in July (well I guess August now!!)

New Stuff!!

Everyone loves new stuff!  I just received a package in the mail today

and I was very excited about it! It contained new bike stuff.

I usually wait until fall to buy new stuff but I couldn't wait.

The WSDOT has had a serious problem keeping the side of 

road clear this summer. There is tons of debris on the shoulders, ranging

from glass shards to rocks. Perfect combination for a flat tire. And

I've had a few lately. Last week I had one that made me decide

it was time to make the BIG purchase. Puncture proof tires.

The main reason I haven't purchased them is the cost.

I took the plunge and bought them over the weekend.

Good thing too, cause on Monday I had 2 flat tires on my ride

to work. Yes, 2 flats, same tire, different locations, different holes.

I gave up, caught the next bus, and walked the rest of the way to work.

This evening my wonderful husband put my awesome new tires on....

Now....we wait and see!

(Oh, I also got new gloves, and a new CO2 repair kit!)

Blogger's Block

Definition: ~verb  The inability to obtain sufficiently entertaining information to post to a blog.

I'm not sure if it's the weather, or the lack there of, that has contributed to my blog block but lately I have had a hard time coming up with topics.  Maybe it's the fact that I haven't been riding my bike ALL the way to work lately that has been a problem. When I'm riding, I split the time between watching my rear view mirror and thinking about topics. Don't get me wrong, I have some topics that are floating around in my head but they haven't reached full maturation yet.

It's not like I have given up commuting. If you ask the cyclists I'm a failure since, unlike the 100+ miles a day Tour de Lance, I mean France riders or my patient's daughter who just completed a 400 mile 30 hr endurance ride,  I have been doing the riding the 5 miles to town and catching the bus senario! But to the bus riding crowd, I'm a nut case for the extra trouble of having a bike to deal with on the bus!

I have had some amusing things happen on the bus this week, and while you may not find them entertaining, I did and since this is my blog, I'm going to write about them.

Monday~ A guy was angry that the bus driver let any bikes be put INSIDE the bus, and while it didn't disrupt his seating, when he got off the bus in a huff, he put on the most entertaining jiggity jig on the sidewalk using every imaginable flipping off symbol known to man at the whole bus. I've never been on a bus where that many people were laughing at once!

Tuesday~ Had to remind the bus driver (at the top of my voice, which can be quite loud) that he is suppose to stop at the bus-stops when people pull the signal instead of cruising right by....I almost told him to stop his major flirting conversation about all the "art" he makes on the side and pay attention but I thought I might be pushing my luck!

Wednesday~ Oh, today was fun, fun, fun!  A guy sat next to me this morning who talked non-stop about music. Not just any music but Banjo music. I'm sorry to all you banjo lovers out there, but 5 minutes of that is about all I can take. I really never knew there was that much to talk about! It all sounds the same. I told him that and guess what? He agreed.

Still Wednesday~ First time EVER on the bus, after I pulled the stop cord I got up (holding on to the holding rails!) and the bus driver(different one from Monday) told me in his not nice bus driver voice to sit down and not be standing while he was driving! If I wasn't so shocked I would have laughed. In all the hundreds of times I have ridden a bus I have never been told by any driver to sit down. Exactly what does he think the rails are for, and what would happen when all the seats were full.....I was going to mention that to him...but his not nice voice convinced me I should probably save it for another day.  (don't worry, I'll bring it up!!)

So, there you have it....nothing earth shattering...just life on the bus. I think tomorrow I'll ride to work.

Thanks...but I'll pass!

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110629/NEWS/306299991/it-8217-s-not-easy-being-green-drivers-bicyclists-introduced-to

While I applaud the city of Pt. Angeles for trying to "Go Green" I have my 

concerns about these lanes. I for one am NOT going to pull

myself out in front of the cars to wait for the light.

We do not have 25 cyclists that are crowding for a safe position at the light!

This is the Olympic Peninsula! The population here is tipped towards the aged.

Frankly, most people here do not know how to deal with or handle cyclists. 

Granted...there are some obnoxious cyclists that give the rest of

us a bad name...but generally most cars don't see us or pay attention.

The "Green" lanes look nice with the new paving...

But I'll be sticking to the shoulder!

A Penny Saved...

The phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned" 

has been recorded in the original as 

George Herbert's Outlandish Proverbs, circa 1633. 

A penny spar'd is twice got.

Today was a penny milestone! A year ago I purchased a 

wireless odometer for my bicycle and today it turned over 1500 miles!

 I made a point of pulling over to the side and take a photo of the occasion!

So what have I saved in the last year....

hmmmmmm.

1500 miles =

My car gets 25 mpg so I would have purchased 60 gallons of gas @ $3.79=

$227.40 (shoot, not as much as I'd hoped!)

More importantly that's 1500 miles less on my car tires, engine, ect...

How about calories burned....

Well 1 hr of cycling at 10-11.9 mph = 136.36 hours spent

At my current weight that is 354 calories per hour for a whopping total of....

48,271.44 calories

WOW! That should make me feel better!

So if it takes 3500 burned calories to loose 1 lb. I technically should be stick thin!!

I should have lost 13.79 lbs.

Oh well....here's to more riding!

National Dump The Pump Day

What are you doing today??? As no surprise I am headed out on my bike!

I know I look half asleep....maybe cause its so early...no worries I'll be awake soon in the fresh air!
Happy Thursday everyone!


National Dump The Pump Day

Olfactory Overload

I knew when I decided to commit to public transportation that I would encounter problems.  The one that effects me the most severely occurred today. Smells....

There are various smells to be encountered on a public bus. In the early AM you smell coffee, shampoo, perfume (from the receptionist and hospital desk worker ladies) and even smoke from the die hard chain smokers.

The afternoon can be quite different.  Like any transit system you have a range of riders. The morning has the daily work commuters: County workers, hospital employees, students and such. The afternoon brings out the students again but usually the skills center students, the homeless, the disabled and then a roving group of generally obnoxious young adults.

The smells of the afternoon usually center on 2 things. Cigarettes and B.O.  Not quite sure if they are related but they sure seem to go together.  Today I was running late and managed to arrive at the bus with only a few minutes left to spare before departure. Like any other regular commuter I have my "preferred" seat locations. Today they were all taken and I was subjected to sit towards the back....not my favorite but neither is not being able to look out the window which makes me car/bus sick.

Some people have good excuses for the B.O. If your homeless you don't have many opportunities for cleaning up really well. I know that the YMCA in Pt. Angeles has times that it offers showers to the homeless but other then that it would be hard to stay clean. Most of them manage to stay fairly clean. Many of the handicap and elderly seem to have a more difficult time with cleanliness.  This is sad to me.  With stained clothing and greasy hair you know that they are not bathing on a regular basis.

The worst for me is the smoke. Its such an addicting habit that eats your money, health and looks its hard to understand the draw. To see and hear the obnoxious ones that complain about life, jobs and money while using colorful "F" filled language is perturbing to say the least.

Let's just say....today was a gum sort of day.

Following the Rules...

Many towns have bike lanes, and as the above video shows (in a slightly dramatic re-enactment) that the lanes do not always have the safety of cyclists in mind.  Many times I have noticed that you can't even see where the lanes begin and end do to fading paint. If I can't see it I'm sure that neither can a car!  While I do try to stay in bike lanes as much as possible, this guy is correct, sometimes to do so would provide more injury for myself then avoiding them.

Down with the Ferrari Fund!

Even as the price of oil is dropping there hasn't been much relief at the pump. I took these photos on my ride to work this week.

One of the amazing things about all this is that top oil executives continue to receive ginormous bonuses even as most Americans are reorganizing their traveling habits to accomodate the rising cost to fill up!

Two British Petroleum executives have been put on notice of investigation because of receiving bonuses of L100,000 or US $162,400.  The shareholders have a right to be disgusted and in an uproar!

So how can you fight back? Well, we know that these executives will probably continue to receive these bonuses but you can hurt them just a little if you follow a little advice that I read in the latest issue of Bicycling magazine.

If only 5% of the population would use an alternate form of transportation for the 2 mile radius from their home we would save 5.8 millions gallons of gas. Pish, posh my husband said, that's not even a drop in the bucket! Well, buck up folks! Can you imagine what 

could happen if it was MORE then 5%?

5.8 gallons of gas @ $4.00 gallon=$23.2 millions of dollars

Surely that would cut someone's bonus money!

So gear up folks! Ride to work, walk to the store, skate for fun! Let's cut 

someone's Ferrari fund!

Danger danger danger!!!

Many times I hear from people how dangerous it is to ride my bike. After witnessing a very stupid cyclist yesterday who will probably be a statistic if he keeps on riding, I decided to do a little research. I know the photo below is a little blurry but I'll explain.

This is what I consider to be the most dangerous section of my ride. As you can see the road narrows from having very large shoulders to basically none as you cross the bridge. I will not cross the bridge if there are cars coming in my lane. It's asking for trouble. In this photo is the bus that I ride usually one way, mostly home (today was the exception cause it was so nice I decided to ride home!) The idiot in question not only rode across the bridge when there was traffic but did it against the cars and when the bus was crossing! Poor bus driver slowed almost to a stop to avoid from hitting him! Like I said....his biking lifespan will be short lived if he keeps this up!


As a result of being a witness to this stupidity curiosity made me look up 
some statistics that I will share with you.

• An average of 115 persons die each day in motor vehicle crashes in the United States -- one every 13 minutes. According to the World Health Organization about 3000 people die in crashes each day worldwide.
• 537 people in plane crashes on average (obviously a whole bunch can die at once!)
• 4008 people on motorcycles died in 2008 
• Approx. 600-700 cyclists died every year on average between 2000-2004. 
• 89% of these fatalities were male (hummmmmm)
• The greater the concentration of cyclists in an area on a regular basis the less likely for a crash regardless of helmet use.
• Riding the wrong way (aka dumb bell I saw yesterday), and riding on sidewalks is more dangerous then on the road
• Most deaths occur at night

http://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/almanac-safety.html

So...the bottom line is this....

I'm less likely to die on my bike then in my car or on a motorcycle. 

Especially since I'm female, 

ride during the day,

and stay on my side of the road minding my P's and Q's

and keeping an eye on those pesky cars!

 

Because the last statistic is this:

• Cars are responsible for 90% of all car/cycle accidents

Nothing's free...not even air!

What kind of world is this now that you have to pay for air! I discovered that yesterday as I was once again fighting the battle of the flat tire!  Let me rewind....on Monday on my way to work I had a flat tire. I was in between Safeway and Les Schwab. Of course, I tried to repair it myself first...checked the tire for punctures blah blah blah found nothing and decided to just blow the stupid thing up and ride to the gas station. I wasted a CO2 cartridge to discover that this was a MAJOR flat...I decided to see if Schwabies was open.  It wasn't but I convinced someone to come to the door. I tried real hard to look pathetic and it must have worked. Turns out it was the manager. I would like to say he was super helpful but I'm pretty sure the man hasn't changed a bike tire in a really long time. My husband says he was probably grumpy because I kept telling him how to fix it, but seriously, this is a TIRE store! Oh well, he helped me out and for that I am grateful.  Rode to work, all was well. Finished work..tire was flat AGAIN!!!  At home the spouse and I worked on the bike              tire...repaired the pinched tire...blah blah blah. Next morning...FLAT!  I must say that I am getting this tire changing thing down! In 8 minutes I was on the road again only to be a mile and a half from home to discover it was going flat. Frustrating! I know the bus schedule and knew one was on the way so I jumped aboard with the intent of stopping at the gas station and taking care of business. Got off at the station to work on the bike and discovered that one now has to pay for air. It cost be $1.00 to use air for 3 seconds! Wow! That's a load of money to be made on air! Lucky for me I carry bus money and had the correct change. I pulled out a brand new tube, installed it, used my 3 seconds of air and off I went. The tire has been good ever since.  I must say though...I should go into the business of selling air. For as many flat tires as I have had lately there could be a mother load!

Cycle Friendly Cities!

A couple of weekends ago I traveled to Portland, OR for the Oregon Dental Convention for some C.E. credits. According to data from the Alliance for Biking and Walking’s Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2010 Benchmarking Report; the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly America project; Portland is listed #2 in the U.S. for cycling friendliness. Being the cycling commuter that I am I decided that I would be on the alert for all the cycling friendly things that I could see. I took along my trusty camera and snapped a few shots.

This is something that I've never seen....special spots in parking garages for bikes!

Everyone needs a good map!

This display was being set up in another part of the convention center! I'm sure it would have been fun to stay and see what all was going to be there!

The Max light rail system serves Portland commuters! Even the cycling type with racks on board for you to hook up your bike and ride indoors! Great for the longer distance commutes!



Way to go Portland!

20 Millionth Rider???

I've ridden on the Clallam Transit system off and on since they started in the the 80's. As a kid I would ride sometimes with my friends to Pt. Angeles to check out the stores or to hang out. The bus system use to even include our small grade school on the local route for several years when quite a few students rode in from Pt. Angeles. For a small community we are blessed to have such a good transit system. It runs fairly frequently, is relatively cheap and reliable. Now as an adult I have again ridden off and on, mostly with my bike on the rack, for a couple of years. On Monday the transit system celebrated its 20 millionth rider. I usually don't ride later in the day but as chance would have it I had a hair appointment so I ended up at the downtown station in time for the 4:40. Also in time to notice the start of the build up for this event. Several of the "regulars" were all touting their loyalty and desire to be chosen as the "20 millionth" rider. While, I too would have loved the free goodies and even more the free yearly pass I think the person chosen was a good one.

Forks man tabbed as 20-millionth fare for Clallam Transit -- Port Angeles Port Townsend Sequim Forks Jefferson County Clallam County Olympic Peninsula Daily NEWS

Commuters Abroad

I haven't been neglectful of my blog....I've actually been gone. My sister and I took my dad on a trip for his 75th birthday to Honduras where we worked with Maranatha on a school building and also held medical/dental clinics and VBS. 

Other countries have such a different view of transportation then we do here in the US. While most Americans would never dream of riding a bike or bus to work I think we are an exception. Everywhere I looked in Honduras people were commuting. Whether it be by walking, catching a taxi or bus, or by riding a bike.

In town you would see groups of people like this just rolling down the streets...competing with the cars for right of way.

Speaking of right of way...

Something cool I saw was designated bike lanes...I thought this happened only in places like Portland, OR where biking is hip!  Nope! In Honduras they had some biking only mini roadways on the side of the main roads.  But alas, while this looks like a good idea...its really ride at your own peril...they are crazy crazy drivers of any vehicle and I have to admit that I now feel safer riding my bike in town at home then anywhere in that country!

And I think the next time I feel like I'm pulling to much weight on my bike I'll think of this guy...

I think they were headed to recycling...at least I can only hope!

I have to admit though that my most fun form of commuting came unexpectedly on the last Friday there....our translator offered to take us to the beach...via her pick up truck....

I think the last time I rode like this was on my aunt and uncles farm in eastern Washington when I was 10. While definitely not a safe way to travel, it is by far one of the most popular in many foreign countries!

3rd Times a Charm

Flat tires are the bane of a cyclist's existence.  I've had three in the last month. Not cool! It's not that I mind the whole tire changing process, but not when they happen at the most annoying times and places!

Flat #1- The first time was about a month ago, I had just worked a late day and was rushing to catch the bus. I had ten minutes to rush out the door and done the road eight blocks to make my connection. I whipped out one of those cool Co2 cartridges that I have never in all my cycling years used! It was slick and within under a minute the tire was inflated and I rushed off to catch the bus!

Flat #2- Again, leaving work I noticed I had a flat. Well, this time it was anything but smooth. I hadn't replaced my cartridge nor had I replaced the stupid pump on my bike that I know doesn't work. So much for my being prepared.  It's only eight blocks to the bus so I started to walk. A super nice school district bus driver pulled over and gave me and the bike a lift down to the gas station where I was able to refill the tire.  At home while changing the tire I noticed that there was eight or nine patches on the tire deemed it was time to retire (ha ha). I purchased new cartridge's, ditched the bogus pump, and took a regular hand pump to work for a back up. I was ready.....well....so I thought.

Flat #3- Today, barely a week since my last flat, I noticed on the ride to the bus this morning that it was getting a little rough riding and sure enough....FLAT!!!!  I thought, no problem, I'll whip out one of those awesome Co2 gadgets and I'll be on my merry way. What a joke! Mind you, the last one I used  was almost ten years old and gave a burst of air that could have pumped up 10 tires....this wimpy one I bought last week couldn't even fill my up tire half way. It was enough to get me to work, and the hand pump was able to insure my return home.  I enlisted the wonderful husband in the changing process this time to make sure there wasn't something I was missing that was causing this awful reoccurring process.  While he was giving my grimy bike a good degreasing I discovered the culprit, a tiny piece of metal had pierced the tire and caused the flat.  Glad to know I ran over something and it wasn't something I had missed the last time!

I was reading Reader's Digest at lunch today and there was a survey of commuters around the world.  An interesting tidbit was that in the United States none of the female respondents rode bikes to work but in Mexico none of the men did.  I don't think that women commute on bikes as a general rule for many reasons.  Changing clothes, getting dirty and probably changing tires. I hope this third time works, because it's definitely NOT charming!

The Skinny on Snow

On the days that I ride I wake up around 5 ish am. Monday mornings can sometimes be a little brutal. This one was no exception as I stepped outside to walk the dogs and discovered a skiff of snow on the ground.  This may cause schoolchildren to dance and cheer but to a cycling commuter its a death sentence.  Last night I had diligently set out all the necessary supplies to ride this morning so I was mentally prepared for the trip. I decided to brave it anyways but switched to using my mountain bike for one main reason, skinny tires on snow is a no-no. I have a fellow commuter that has studded tires for his bike, but his bike is one of those comfort touring bikes not a former race bike.  I always forget that riding my mountain bike not only takes longer because it doesn't cruise along as well, but it gives me much more of a workout!  The bike trail  still had chunks of snow and ice on it this morning and at one point I had to get off and walk. Anyone who knows me well, knows I hate to push my bike. But pushing was better then a broken arm or leg! By the time I arrived at work big fluffy flakes were falling at a regular rate. Within a few hours, the snow had turned to rain and once again the promise of spring is just around the corner.

Gearing Up

I figure that I've been commuting as long as I've had this bike, which would be since 2000.  I bought this Specialized Allez (French for go) for doing triathlons but its racing duty days are over and I've transformed it into a daily commuter.  It's been trial and error for gear over the last ten or so years and there has definitely been some things I've learned.

1. Living in the Northwest means rain. Every year I treat myself to something for my commute. I figure that since I'm saving so much gas money I can afford the small luxuries. This year I purchased a new coat. I've been balking because I'm a cheapskate when it comes to spending on myself. The coat has been AWESOME! It is from Showers Pass and is breathable and water resistant, which if you know anything about outdoor gear is a hard feat to accomplish.  It has under arm vent zippers, good pocket locations and is wind proof to 100 mph. I even wore it as a top layer skiing this winter. The only downside of it was that I had to purchase the attachable hat seperately, which was a total fail. Last year I bought great pants from O2. When you buy pants be sure and buy them large enough to wear warm under layers.

2. Light up the world and you'll arrive in one piece. I have this theory, if your not prepared it will happen, if you are, it won't! So....I am lit up. Being hit by a car is on my most NOT wanted list, but by riding a bike I realize that it is a real possibility. It's funny because you think that being on the highways would be the most dangerous, and its true, being hit by a car at a high rate of speed would be lights out, but to be honest, city driving is by far the most dangerous. However, most days, my greatest danger in the morning is things unseen (especially in the winter). We are blessed to have a biking trail and I use that to ride into town to catch the bus. Branches, bumps, garbage cans, and blackberry brambles are always in the lurch ready to accost me at any moment.  I wear a 1 watt headlamp that also comes with a flasher which I can tell works well because it sends most cars almost into the ditch. I think that people focus on the light and drift towards the ditch! I also have covered my bike in reflective tape and added additional tape on my helmet. I have a flasher on my helmet as well as a rear flasher on my bike.  I have had people comment that they can see me and that's a good thing.

3. Wet feet equals misery.  Nothing worse then arriving to work and having to start the day with cold feet. I am lucky to have a washer and dryer at work so I can always dry my clothes if needed, but just wearing the right thing to start is even better.  Socks that come up to mid calf, shoes that are water proof and if that's not enough those silly looking shoe covers. They may look silly but they work! And at my age comfort is MUCH better then looks!

4. A bike lock...no explanation necessary.

5. Carry every thing you need but no everything you don't. You need the basics like flat tire repair equipment including either a WORKING (mine didn't) bike pump or the instant cartriages. Extra socks (for the times you forgot #3), snacks for waiting at the bus, toothbrush and floss, and an Ipod (to drown out the other commuters) and water.

So there  you have it.....geared up and ready to go! Join me if you dare!

The Bicycling Beginnings

I was talking to my daughter the other day about her blog alexaluke.blogspot.com and commenting on how much I enjoyed it. She told me I should start a blog and I said, "Why would I write about?" She said, "I don't know, just anything." I told her, "No one would read my blog.." And of course, being the wonderful and amazing person that she is said, " I would mom..." So here I am....


So here are my basics guidelines for my blog....


1. I am a horrible speller and even though there is a spell check there is no guarantee that I will use it.
2. Along the same lines, grammar is not my thing either.
3. This will be a chronicle of my commuting adventures. 


Those are my disclaimers. 


I have been a commuter, mostly a cycling/bus commuter off and on for several years. Depending on my mood, the space availability and the weather I either ride my bike to work, ride my bike to the bus stop and then ride the bus to work, and the same on the way home. It's very mood dependent.  I have had umpteen unusual experiences on the bus. If you have ever taken public transportation you know what I mean. My daughter has made the profound statement that she will NEVER ride the bus....to many strange people.


Well...this is mine and their stories....


Pedal on...