Where's Lacomb?

The weather was ride-conducive so I grabbed my atlas and looked for a low-elevation destination that's never been visited by moi. I chose Lacomb, Oregon, nestled at the base of the Cascade foothills northeast of Lebanon.

The ride through Molalla, Silverton, Stayton and Scio was old hat so I didn't engage my Zumo GPS until just south of Scio. The roads were of the two-lane country variety and were in great shape, passing through farmland and dotted by small hills. Although patches of road were still wet from recent rain, the sky was mostly cloudy but rain-free.

Lacomb is a community rather than a town per se, at least I didn't see any indication of it. There is a small BP gas station and store, so I stopped for a Snickers. Their selection was minimal, however, so I had to settle for a Reses Peanut Butter Cup. The guy working there seemed very surprised that I had taken a day trip all the way from Sandy. I got to ride through an historic covered bridge near Lacomb as well so that was another first.

The ride back was fine, although I had to pass some slow people that were going 10-15 mph under the speed limit. It boggles the imagination how they can think it's safe to do that. I got home safely, however, and very happy. There's nothing like time spent on two wheels to put a smile on your face.

13 degrees

I rode to work today. The sign on the bank on my way into Gresham said 9 degrees, but the weatherman said it was 19 in Portland. My home gauge in Sandy said it was 10. Weather.gov said it was 13 degrees. Not sure what the official temp was (I'm still looking for a good thermometer to mount on my bike) but I know that it was cold. Either way it shatters my previous cold-ride record of 25 degrees.

My gloves did great, my insulated Fieldsheer Booster pants and Aerostich Darien jacket did great. The only cold part on my body was my cheekbones. There's a tiny draft of air that seeps in my HJC Sy-MaxII helmet that I can't seem to get rid of.

Really, the only problem with my ride this morning was my face shield fogging slightly and then freezing. I rubbed shaving cream on the inside and that helped, but I think sometimes when it gets below a certain temperature even that can't completely eliminate fogging. What I need is a breath guard inside my helmet, or one that I wear on my face.

Cold and foggy

I've been busy most weekends so I haven't had much chance to ride in a recreational capacity. This time of year I tend to get most of my miles in while commuting to work. This morning was cold and foggy and I had a fair bit of moisture on the windshield by the time I got to work. It was dark when I left the house, too. For some reason I enjoy riding in the dark.

Gold in the Gorge

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful Fall day in the Pacific Northwest. Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and when it's good in Oregon it's great. I took a very circuitous and winding ride to Multnomah Falls along the Historic Columbia River Highway mid-day. The riding was somewhat slow because of wet leaves on the pavement but the beautiful fall colors and amazing scenery go better with the slower pace anyway.

Visiting family

I left work Friday just before 10am under cloudy skies with occasional rain drops on my face shield. The first part of my trip involved interstate freeways: I-84 westbound to I-205 northbound over the Columbia River. Then I merged onto Washington SR14 and headed east, following the river to my first pit stop, a Chevron food-and-gas at North Bonneville.

Once I had a frappucino inside me I continued on until I got to Lyle, Washington where I turned north onto highway 142 and followed the scenic Klickitat River. There were several vehicles parked on the side with small boat trailers behind them, and I saw several drift boats and pontoon boats on the river; fly fishing is popular on the Klickitat.

Once I got to Goldendale I grabbed a quick bite to eat at McDonalds and filled up my gas tank (so I wouldn't have to worry about it two days later on the journey home). I got to my sister's house at 1:15 pm.

An uncle and two aunts on my father's side of the family were visiting from out of state as was my niece and her husband. It was a great visit. My sister's house is fairly small, however, so I brought my small tent and sleeping bag and camped out on the back deck. It was an unusual arrangement but it worked well. I heard quite a few coyotes barking, yipping and howling both nights, some of which were fairly close to the house and barn.

I left at 10am Sunday morning and retraced my steps. I ate lunch at the Big River Grill in Stevenson, Washington -- a grilled salmon salad with coffee -- and crossed back over into Oregon via the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks. I had a few more sprinkles to deal with but they were minor and barely got the pavement wet. I was home by 1:30 that afternoon.

Over and back again

I had hoped to go for a long bike ride during my day off yesterday but people at work kept calling me with tech support requests. I still managed to go for a ride but I had a late start.

The weather turned out to be perfect. It was sunny without much wind yet it was cool enough to wear all my gear without being too warm. I rode up the Clackamas River Road to Ripplebrook Ranger Station, then headed south on FS46 toward Detroit.

Rather than go all the way to Detroit, however, I cut east on FS42 which follows the old Oregon Skyline Road in several places to come out near Timothy Lake and connect with Highway 26. I took a quick break at CJ's Chevron, then headed up and over Government Camp to traverse the Cascades a second time in less than two hours. There were a few slow pokes on 26 coming down the mountain but that's nothing new.

I filled up my gas tank in Sandy as I neared home so the bike would be ready for the next ride. Maybe today.

Too tired to ride home?

We've had great Fall riding weather lately but I've been concerned about commuting to work. I've been working so many hours that I'm afraid I'd be too fatigued to make it home safely. Sometimes I'll get home and not remember the drive.

Riding motorcycles is a great thing but you need to maintain a sense of awareness of when it's okay to ride and when it's not okay.

I'm taking a couple days off later this week and hope to get some good day rides under my belt. It's perfect riding weather and like to hit some area mountain roads before they get covered with snow for the winter season.