Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Ha ha.

My family watched and loved this show together when I was younger.

CCY Jr. Team TIME TRIAL FUNDRAISER

We got snowed out last time, but THIS time the forecast is 45 degrees and partly cloudy!

Come race and hang out with us THIS SATURDAY-- more info at the team blog.

Light Experiment Update

CLOSET LIGHTS installed at the rack eyelet.

These closet lights actually did a nice job

of lighting the area around my front wheel.

I didn't use them for very long, though--

so I don't know how long they would have

remained bright.

The screw tended to jostle loose

and was inconvenient to get to.

Some Loctite could have fixed this,

but I ultimately couldn't stand the

tackiness, even though they were

dang bright for $2.50

6volt FLASHLIGHT, clamped on. 

This gave me a nice, confident spot

for cars to see me.

But the beam was narrow enough that

it didn't work for seeing my own path

as I thought it might.

Ultimately, though--

I like all the space on the handlebars that I can get.

And this just took up too much room.

SMALL LED FLASHLIGHT, held on with rubber bands.

The rubber bands worked remarkably well!

It was only the flashlight that gave in.

I used this light in wet conditions

and it began to dim dramatically.

If I found a more waterproof/tight flashlight,

I would do this again.

Now, this isn't a light-- but this is what is currently gracing my handlebars:

$0.45 BASKET held on with TWINE and some springy thingies.

Previous to this basket, I had 'hacked' another

$2 plastic basket using old metal basket clamps

and ending up doing a lot of ugly cutting and taping.

It was too hideous to post on this blog.

However, I have been on the HUNT for JUST the right basket.

I found it today. $0.49 including tax.

It is held on with nothing more than twine and

some springy end thingies that you find on jackets.

It is resting, and tied to, my shifter cables

in addition to the handlebars.

It is remarkably stable!!

I have not tested it with weight or contents.

I don't plan to put anything heavy in it.

I DO have an XTRACYCLE after all.

I think it needs a lid-type thing to keep things from blowing away.

More Xtracycle bike on bike action; and an advert.

Part of what I like about the Xtracycle is just how easy it is to 'toss' anything on there. The long bags swallow up anything from a bag-less grocery store trip, to large coolers. The long deck has lots of surface area for your friend's bum, to set your purse down as you rummage through it, or-- for a bicycle.



There IS a technique for 'towing' a bike behind the Xtracycle, by strapping the front wheel in and letting the rear wheel roll. I, unfortunately, have not been able to accomplish this. My bike has ended up skidding instead of rolling in just seconds. The key, I've been told, is to make sure the front wheel is strapped in well. I think I will continue to scheme my own "Tray Bien", though I will give the towing method a try soon.

If you're wondering what it is, other than a bicycle, I've got strapped on there-- it's an advertisement! I do plan to take it back after only a few days, though. Once any surface is written on, it only invites more writing-- so I am, sadly, anticipating vandalism on the bike and perhaps some missing parts. (Although I did put some rubber cement in the seat tube...)

Thank you mom & dad.

My parents bought me my first road bike as a high school graduation present.

A blue Specialized Allez.

My parents bought me my second, faster road bike, as an 'early' college graduation present.

A silver Orbea Lobular.

My parents also bought me my digital camera when I actually graduated college.

A Canon PowerShot that fits nicely into a jersey pocket.

My favorite thing to do-- is to go for a bike ride with my camera in my pocket.

Thank you parents.

Bicycling Walla Walla in the Winter

On Thursday, the hills glowed like amber instead of shivering blue.

Today, I wore short-fingered gloves on a 3 hour ride.

And just a few days ago, my friend Jim heard a sparrow's mating call.

I used to loathe the coming of winter in Walla Walla. The snow, the ice, the cold-- it meant riding indoors, watching whatever half-entertaining movie the library had to check out. Now, with my Surly, my studs, and my cyclocross bike-- winter in Walla Walla has become something else entirely. It's a time for silent roads and frosted grass. So here is the first FOND farewell of the belly of winter in Walla Walla.

Oh, yes-- there is more cold and chill to come. And don't get me wrong-- boy am I ready for bare legs any day now. But nevertheless. I close a chapter.

MUSIC: Coldplay, "Life in Technicolor" on Viva La Vida

*A larger, better resolution version is viewable on Facebook.

Couse Creek

I took my junior team out for a longer base ride than they're used to and invited Whitties (Whitman College students) along for the ride. Inevitably, as it goes, we went a bit faster than "base," but it was far more exciting to fight wind with a group than on your own. Also a good day to learn about drafting. :)

-click for larger image-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! :)

HEY! COOL!!

Currently on the Adventure Cycling homepage it says:

JILL HOMER
An Adventure Called Bicycling blog recently reviewed Jill Homer’s book Ghost Trails chronicling her grueling and transformative experience in the 2008 Iditarod Trail Invitational. For a very compelling but quick version, check out Homer’s incredible online journal detailing her journey.

Hah! I'm glad that Jill's book is getting more coverage-- but it's extra cool that Adventure Cycling even bothered to mention my blog as their means of finding it!

For me, this is like getting passing name mention in Velonews (which, incidentally, I have had just a few). Though instead of being a page away from George Hincapie, I get to be a paragraph away from Willie Weir. 

Adventure Cycling, by the way:

• Makes amazing touring maps for cyclists.
• Publishes an Extra Cool magazine. (Actually, it's called "Adventure Cyclist," but I think it is Extra Cool.)
• Leads Crazy Amazing tours.
• Does a proud amount of outreach.
• AND, they answer your e-mails! There are PEOPLE to answer your questions! And they're FRIENDLY! (I am really picky about bike shop/etc. service, which is why this is so thrilling to me.)

A while ago now, I actually made it my mission to work for Adventure Cycling. Really.

Step one: ride across the country. :)

Bike on Bike

I don't have a "TrayBien," which is an accessory made by Xtracycle for carrying bicycles on your bicycle. I do have a fork clamp, with "someday" plans of making my own. Meanwhile, I just strap them in. I've gotten quite a bit faster at figuring out the best configuration. 

Get yer stickers!

Right now on eBay you can buy one, several or all of these amazing stickers:

These stickers are designed by ME. They are narrow (1.5" x 5") with bicycle frames in mind and spread a POSITIVE bicycle message (rather than the haughty attitude of many such 'message' stickers).

I am selling these stickers for two reasons:

1) To spread some bike love.

2) To raise a little bit of money for my trip across the US by bicycle this summer!

I have thought about fundraising for a cause as well, but I need to at least be able to GO on the trip first! I have most everything I need-- except RACKS-- which are pretty important for touring.

So. Support my adventure. Spread some bike love.

Spread some bike love!

ride HAPPY

ride HAPPY

BIKE Walla

The current price for these are a minimum $2.99 plus 50cents for shipping/handling. You are more than welcome to donate more :) . If you would like more than one, you are welcome to bid on one sticker and let me know over e-mail that you are bidding on more than one sticker (at a minimum of $2.99 per sticker).

Go to eBay now!

A Book Review: Ghost Trails, Journeys through a lifetime; By Jill Homer

Men in oil-stained Carhartt jackets and shiny snowmobile suits crowded around the counter, filling half the building with traditional Alaskan values and amused facial expressions. On the other side of the bar, which was set up restaurant style, were table after table of Europeans in down jackets and ski boots, skinny cyclists in knee-high overboots and lycra-clad runners wearing sneakers when it was 20 degrees outside.

Ghost Trails, Journeys through a lifetime is not just Jill Homer's account of the 2008 Iditarod Trail Invitational. 

“If my daughter wanted to do that, ride a bike across the tundra,” the man said as he nudged another guy sitting next to him, “I’d kill her. I would. It would be a less painful way to die.” His friend laughed.

It's a story of a young woman..

Something broke. I broke. I fell off my bike a final time, knelt into the snow, and just sat there.

breaking herself

“Cause, you know, money really doesn’t matter,” Geoff said. “You don’t need a whole lot for food and shelter. You can eat grilled cheese and sleep in a tent.”
“I don’t like grilled cheese.”

and figuring out what she wants from life. 

Homer is a "suburban Utah girl," who is honest about her weaknesses and questions herself frequently. Nestled between each chapter on the Iditarod trail, Homer shares a story from her younger years. These stories build the foundation for how she came to pedal the Iditarod, not just literally or physically, but emotionally and perhaps spiritually. When we do share the trail with Homer, we see a human portrait without pretense. 

I recommend this book not only to those interested in ultra racing and adventure, but those open to asking the bigger questions about where their life is going and how to savor it.

“Hippy Lady! Hippy Lady!”It took me a moment to realize that I was the one she was calling Hippy Lady. This girl, who just a few years earlier I would have considered my peer, was calling me Hippy Lady.

Visit Jill Homer's website to read her blog and buy her book!