Photos From the Week

With a full week of good weather things lined up nicely to acquire some quality saddle time.  Although I was "Riding and Thinking," rather than post any particular thoughts I decided to share a few photos from the week. Nothing earth shattering just some doodling with the camera.

The one above is the oil cooler radiator vents.  After doing the brakes last Saturday I washed and waxed the bike.  If you look closely you'll see the haze of dried wax yet to be polished. Kind of a different view.

Yesterday while working in Corvallis I parked under a large shaded area.

Something caused me to look up and I noticed how the branches seem to be leaning toward the sun. These old trees make a nice big shade canopy.

Before leaving Corvallis I like to stop at Great Harvest Bread to get something before hitting the road for home.  Instead of taking the Interstate I took the country way through small towns.  I happened to get behind a guy on a cruiser bike.  Out in the country we rode at a good pace but in the towns he went pretty slow and kept a large distance away from the car in front of him.  I try to learn what I can from these experiences.  I realized that I tend to drift in a little too close sometimes when following traffic.  The obvious problem with this is when traffic stops suddenly.  The other issue, which I don't think of as often as I should, is road debris.  It's harder to see and react when following too closely.

This was today behind one of the hospitals I visit.  It would have been nice if I could have gotten the bike in that lift.  Looks like it's waiting in line for the next ride.

Today I had lunch at a mall.  While walking back to the bike I noticed the light gently bouncing off the back wheel.  This shot looks a little lonely but in my humble opinion the mall is actually a happy place.  The sun didn't show up today so everything had the Northwest shade of gray. 

Just some doodling with the camera while on two wheels.

God's speed.

Rusty Memories

Today I was in Irondad's neck of the woods.  The morning started in Albany visiting the usual customers; the jail, the hospital, and the college.  After that it's a short hop on a highway to Corvallis, the home of the Oregon State Beavers, where I visit basically the same sort of customers. The above photo was taken at Oregon State near all of the shops in the facilities department.  Monochrome gives it more of a state government parking lot look.

I had one of these when my wife and I were dating and first married.  Mine wasn't rusty and it was a convertible. The first time she got in it on our first date she asked if it was a Karmann Ghia. That wasn't a cool thing to ask a Porsche owner but I forgave her. We still laugh about that car mix up.

There's one thing that motorcycle owners have in common with Porsche owners. Most of us wave to other motorcyclists. Porsche owners blink their lights to each other.  It's a recognition that you have an affiliation. I like that.

While riding home I stopped to take some photos of this landmark. The car marks the entrance to the property of a guy and his son who restore old Porsches. There isn't a sign for the business so the car looks out of place near the road. Too bad it has to rust away.

I should pull in this place with a Karmann Ghia and ask if they'll work on it!

Portland Leaf Status

We're more than halfway through fall and not all of the leaves are down in Portland. In the early 80's we lived in Connecticut for a short time. I remember most of the trees being bare by Halloween. It seems here in the Northwest the changing of the leaves is a slower process than in the East. Our milder temperatures probably contribute to that.

The beauty in the scenery this time of year mixed with the long shadows produces quite a few photo opportunities. All of this comes together so quickly it can be easy to miss unique moments.

It's a call to those who enjoy taking pictures to keep a camera handy at all times. Which reminds me of a recent post by Chuck Pefley who took a camera to his dentist appointment. You wouldn't think you'd find too many photo opportunities at the dentist, but he got a great shot of a high-flying window washer doing his work right outside the window.

On the ride to the county jail this morning in the crisp fall air, I think I got a slight scent of bacon cooking while I was passing by a house. A little further ahead I smelled smoke from a wood burning stove. And shortly beyond that a couple of wedges of Canadian Geese were flying over the Jackson Bottom Slough. They were coming in for a landing, arriving I think from Bobskoot's area.

Enjoying little experiences like this makes me grateful for recently re-discovering the joys of riding. I was starting to waffle on riding everyday because of the weather turning colder and wetter. But I've decided to ride as much as possible as we head toward the dark days of winter.

The above photo was taken a few years ago in Corvallis. The age of the car and the neighborhood gives the feeling that it might be the 50's. Not that I would know...I've only seen cars from the 50's on TV. Okay I was around in the 50's.

Seeing all these leaves makes me realize I need to rake.

Meeting Irondad

Yesterday was a great day!  The forecast called for rainy, windy weather but I knew that at then end of the 70 mile ride to Corvallis I'd be having lunch with Dan. I was really looking forward to meeting him. We've been kind of thinking about getting together for a couple of months. It turns out that we know some of the same people in the line of work that we each do.

We met at a Subway sandwich shop at noon and didn't part ways until almost 2:30. For me that time just flew by.

 

From the moment you meet Dan you can tell that he's a great guy with a big caring heart. He's passionate about riding and sharing his knowledge to help others. But of course all of you who have followed his blog through the years already know this.

 

On the way back to the Portland area I stopped by my favorite off-the-road spot when coming back from Corvallis. The rain that we were suppose to have didn't materialize until evening.

I'm new at blogging and fairly new to riding. Dan offered tips in both of these areas. On the trip home I even managed to keep my nose pointed in the direction of the exit on a couple of turns and hold it there. It really works! More stability and confidence!

Thanks Dan, it was good to meet you. See you out there again soon.

Thursday in Corvallis

Today I worked in Corvallis, home to the Oregon State Beavers. I left the house later than I had planned and almost took the car. I thought it would be a repeat of yesterday which was cool with light rain.  Eighty miles of steady wet weather was not on the to do list today but by the time I got on I-5 and headed south, I was glad I took the bike. It turned out to be a nice dry day.

The first stop was Good Samaritan Hospital. It's an encouraging sign that many hospitals in Oregon are undergoing remodeling including this one.

The next two stops were the school district and the university.  The route I take through campus goes right by the football practice field. I saw some of the players beginning to hit the blocking sleds; getting ready for Arizona State this weekend. Not having a professional football team in the state makes both the Beaver and Duck fans serious about these teams.

This is the Brew Station, a popular coffee and pub spot in the village just off campus. I had to stop and put the bike in line and snap a photo.

 

This is Robnett's Hardware, established in 1853 by J.C. Avery, the founder of Corvallis. I like hardware and I really like old hardware stores. They've bought from our company for many years. The Robnett family has owned it since the 1950's.

 

The wood floor is from the 1920's and makes a nice creaking sound. It's a shame many of these mom-and-pop hardware stores have disappeared. In spite of a Home Depot in town, this one is doing well.

The ride home was on Hwy 99 which runs along the west side of I-5.  I usually ride to Corvallis on 99 and make stops in small towns along the way, but today I reversed it. I wonder if most who ride on two wheels like to take a different way home. It's the anticipation of exploring new roads and scenery that adds to the enjoyment.

Mike