weekend wrapup

Hola, amigos! Haven't rapped at ya for a while...
I could make some excuse about being busy or my camera batteries being dead but I don't want to sound like Dabby. By the way, Dabby, if you're reading this (and I know you are) please post some of your pictures and video from the weekend, I want to see them on a bigger screen. Update : done and done.
I have to say that for all the bitching I do about "bike culture" I certainly had a fun bike centered weekend. The mustache ride was incredible, then after too little sleep the team hit the dusty trails of Scappoose for a mini-epic. Mary Lou made his triumphant return, cleaning a 3 jump set on the north shore and Drew enjoyed the 'Poose for the first time, at one point exclaiming "Why haven't we been coming here all summer long? Fuck Washington!" I agree, fuck Washington, the 'Poose is where it's at.
As you well know nothing is better after an exhausting mountain bike ride than a little bike polo. We got back so early that polo hadn't started yet but we gave it a kickstart and some spirited games were played. A little too spirited for me in fact, perhaps people are getting amped up for the Westside tournament.


On the way to the Mustache ride.


Self portrait with mustache. That's about 5 days growth. Just enough to make you take a second look and think "eww...creepy"

The start of the 3 legged race. After this my batteries died, which is perhaps for the best, as some of the things I observed later would not be fit for this blog audience. I can tell you that Disco won the beanbag toss, I won foursquare, some guy from Washington DC won best mustache. I can't remember who won the 3 legged race but it was very entertaining. We all won when some nice woman approached us at Laurelhurst park and said "Our picnic is winding down and we still have beer, can you guys help us drain three kegs?" Perfect timing once again.

Tom got these sweet tapes from a free box.


This looked so good that I took a bite before remembering to take a picture.


Do you see that peak in the middle, the fifth layer of mountain? I'm going to ride my bike there soon and get a picture of the farm. Aunt Karen sys it's Dorn Peak, I thought it was Condenser Peak, that's a cooler name.


This is an attempt at being artsy. See how my shadow echoes the form of the house and eucalyptus?

If you think bikes are a pain in the ass right now, you wait.

(photo by Jaden)

Dabby forwarded this weird, funny Craig's List rants and raves posting.

Here's what I predict. You know how bikes are supposed to stay right in their lane? Gone. It is being proposed, right now, as I type this, that a cyclist is going to be given a right-of-way to the whole lane they use. This is going to be aimed at deterring the swerve pass. You know how bikes have to stop at red lights? Gone. It is now being proposed that bikes will be obliged to treat lights like a stop sign. That after an initial stop, they are free to proceed regardless of the light. You know how much you like shopping in short SE? Gone. I'd look for Morrison, Belmont, and Hawthorne to become bike-only from SE 52nd west to the river. You know what's going to pay for that don't you? That's right. Gasoline tax. You know how Oregon recently became a no-fault state? Gone. Bike v. Motorist altercations are going to be sorted out like accidents involving a rear-ending. It is going to be, by default, the motorist's responsibility for ANY accidents involving bikes. The youngest and most pro-active of our new city commissioners is an avid cyclist.

If you think bikes are a pain in the ass right now, you wait. In a decade, cars will be second class citizens of the roadway everywhere in this country. Just like you always have been. You are in-line behind the professional drivers, the school busses, the emergency vehicles, hell the funeral procession has more rights than a car driver does. You grudgingly share the road with these people, and you will for bikes too. You have no choice whatsoever, and you know it. THAT is why you are being such dicks about it!

Fear from the rear

"Bicycle crash studies, first performed in the 1970's and continuing to the present show that the "fear from the rear" is not justified by fact."

I happened across this vaguely interesting bicycle safety site. It included some terrific pie charts and photos.

"Be my guest"

Ride the 'Poose

Team Wreck heads for the Scappoose Natural Forest this Sunday at 10am (sharp) from the Polo Haus. Here's your last chance to qualify for a TW t-shirt before the Westside. It'll be a shortish trip, aiming to be back at polo by 3-4pm.

Black Rock Bike Fest

Here's a possible Team WRECK activity. Not so much the shuttling and camping but we could ride there from the farm, take some pictures, check out the beer garden. I like Falls City and would like to support the bike culture of Polk County. Plus if it's warm there's great swimming in the Little Luckiamute just below the falls.

Oh wait, that's the same weekend as Disco and Matty's wedding...never mind.

Mustache rides

The second annual Mustache Ride is Saturday August 25th, 4pm at Col. Sumner's Park. According to the flyer there will be prizes and a party at the Polo Haus afterward with lawn games and jello wrestling. That's a definite step up from the ramen wrestling of last year.

If I ever get my fictional alter ego listed on Wikipedia I'll know I've made it. I've arrived.
Mustache Commander

swag

The long promised Team WRECK t-shirt may finally become reality. I happened to be sitting between C. Murder and Chas as they were discussing Westside shirts. Then Mary Lou made this awesome design with two days notice. It'll be printed on American Apparel shirts at a cost of $6 per.
After much thought and a consultation with Drew I'm going to go against the egalitarian creed espoused by my team name and make them only available to team members for now. A limited edition, like Stumptown t-shirts.
This means I have to define team member, so here goes. If you've been on a mountain bike ride with me in the past year, if you've attended a Death March or if you've played in a polo tournament or raced in an alleycat as Team WRECK then you are a member. If you meet any of these criteria and you want a shirt (or several shirts) please let me know what size. I haven't decided on colors yet but I'm leaning toward Josh's suggestion of dark heather gray with maroon ink, or possibly UPS brown with cream ink. Drew suggested forest green and I've always been partial to pale blue and safety orange. Let me know in the comments or in person what size and color you prefer and I'll try to make it happen.

a day in the life

That must taste salty.



Hinoki cedar at sunset.



A red tailed hawk taking off. The next day as I was climbing Orchard Heights I was startled by a loud whooshing noise and great horned owl flew right over me and landed in a nearby tree. I threw my bike in the ditch and scrambled up the hill. I got really close to it and it's head swiveled around to look at me with huge, yellow, slowly blinking eyes. Of course I didn't have my camera.

An interesting NY Times article about Floyd Landis.

fun with photoshop

This showed up in my email box this morning. Thank you, Bicyclejesus, whoever you are.

The Golden Compass

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't so excited for the movie but I am now that I've seen Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coulter and Sam Elliot as Lee Scoresby.

Beware the vortex engines.

Another interesting post on the freakonomics blog. And again their commenters put you people to shame. Can I get a little vitriol around here?

I think this is the most ridiculous idea anyone has ever come up with. Has the world gone mad?

This blog post and comments may well be the most frenzied display of science illiteracy I have ever encountered in print.

I don’t understand how this would work, as potential temperature increases with height. Wouldn’t the air parcels lifted by the tornado cool adiabatically?

I had to look that one up.

Republic of Doom

Dr. Doom is Team WRECK for life. He was the anchor on our championship polo team. Now I hear he's not only coming back for the Westside this year but also sponsoring with a vest and three belts for the polo champions.

East Coast Update

I keep forgetting to check in at MessNYC. I've got to move them up in my bookmarks. Here is a synopsis of the ECMC, Whitesnake style, and some terrific photos by Andy Zalan.

The Natural Evolution?

Dabby sent me this video of some euro doing completely ridiculous urban tricks on a trials motorcycle. I'm a real sucker for this kind of thing.

A day at the Polk County Fair

Jaden and Uncle Bill discussing the bows J made out of Filbert wood and twine.


There is no corndog quite like a county fair corndog.


That is a sweet tractor.


Nice plumage.

Bill pointed out that this rabbit had a built in pillow. Photo by Jaden.

Photo by Jaden.

A boy and his cow.


Jaden took this and announced "This one's for Dabby"


Photo by Jaden.

Photo by Jaden.

Photo by Jaden.

J and Uncle Cleanhead.
J on the zipper, I felt nauseous just watching.


Our farm really needs a new tractor.

Apparently this is for making corn into silage. Very impressive.


Bill interfacing with a "robot".

Jaden finally worked up the courage to explore the secret room behind the shower.



Photo by Jaden. He found these dessicated remains among other things.

If You Were a Terrorist, How Would You Attack?

I spent way too long last night reading comments on the new freakonomics blog on the NY Times. They led with a post asking readers to comment on possible targets and tactics for terrorists. The results were varied to say the least. If I could get comments like these my blog would be a lot more entertaining. Here are a few of my favorites.
_____________________

Such statements border on treason. If such random acts of violence do occur it is likely that a form of martial law would go into effect and such irresponsible statements even on the internet may be grounds for arrest.

— Posted by earl nielsen

1. Release a couple truckloads of lions, tigers, panthers, etc in various locations in the major cities (NY, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston, etc…).
2. Hack cable and network broadcasters in a coordination with some violent events (lions, or random snipers etc). Whenever you see this happen in a movie it’s pretty damn scary.
3. Break the internet.
(the above ideas are not meant to be humorous)
— Posted by buster

What a presumptuous, naive and dangerous form of solipsism! It’s not the number of potential terrorists that count, it’s what they do with the information you and your readers serve up in this irresponsible folie a beaucoup. You are a traitor and should be prosecuted for treason.

There are 3 easy ideas.
1. I think it is very easy to set off explosions at baggage claim.
2. Bicycle riders use water bottles and leave them with their bikes on bike racks. Poison the water bottles
3. In the summer American on coastlines visit boardwalk amusements in mass. Set fire to boardwalks.
— Posted by JimBob

Enough carrot, more stick!

As commander of Team WRECK I'm considering instituting something like this armband of shame for team members who don't show up for rides after saying they're going to. What do you think, Dabby?

Trailblazers Update

D. Miles' new ride. I guess you can buy a lot of stupid shit with 48 million dollars.
As an optimist I really hope D. Miles gets in shape and plays some minutes for the Blazers this year. We need some help at small forward and he has so much unrealized potential.

An Excursion to Syncline.

In usual Team WRECK style we got out of town late. We made it to Hood River around noon and collected Mace. He and Junko are nearing completion on the condo project they've been working on. Their reward is a 5 month vacation in Japan and Mexico.

That post isn't going anywhere.


Entering the Krep's Ranch.


Cowboy pointed out this lizard. I wanted to call it a skink, is that right?


View from 2200 feet.


Cowboy on the climb.

Mace was a soldier.

Tough going.


Almost at the top.


I thought the lines on the hills were caused by water runoff but Cowboy thought it was trails made by cows, looking for fresh grass and shade. He's probably right.


Here Cowboy stuffs pine cones and leaves into his tire in lieu of a tube. We both had several weird valve stem related flats. I gave him my spare tube after his first and after his second he stuffed the tire. Then I got another flat and we both walked for a while until he gave me his other tube, which was nice of him, and we headed up the trail only to be told by a helpful hiker that we were going the wrong way. Cowboy threw his bike into a few trees and we proceeded back down. At this point I left the Cowboy, I felt a little guilty but I did give him my tube earlier and I felt confident that if anyone in our party could make it out of these hills it was he. After several more wrong turns, some unnecessary climbing, some high speed descents and another flat tire (1/4 mile from the car so that's fine) I made it back. Much to the joy of my team mates, as I had they key to the car, enabling them access to cold beer, beef jerky, cookies, clean clothes, sandals, etc. It took Cowboy about an hour to make it back but he was in high spirits when he did.