A Derby Queen with Her King, An Artist with Her Apprentice, A Stubborn Political Party with Their Turf & Many Questioners...all on the Little Arlington Mambo

DartreDame with Bellingham Bay as backdrop from atop Chuckanut Drive.

DartreDame and I tackled the Little Arlington Mambo 200k Permanent on Sunday, and we had a blast. The weather held out better than expected, and we encountered some curious fellows. One man, in a pickup with his wife, asked me to pull over so he could admire my bike. Turns out he is a 650B convert-to-be, and he is all over the kind of bike I just built up. He ID'd my Nitto water bottle holders, my 55mm Honjo fenders, and my MAFAC brakes without prompts. He was stumped as to my rear hub until I told him it was a Maxi-Car. At that, he questioned whether I was the famous Jan Heine?! Not so, said I, though by him much I have learned.

My ride, in case you too want to admire. Here sporting the Ostrich saddlebag for larger carrying capacity than my little Berthoud pouch allows.

Later in La Conner, Dartre and I sat ingesting some calories from the Pioneer Market and a couple approached. The man, a marathoner and self-described "recreational cyclist", inquired as to whether we were "ultra-cyclists"? I demurred, assuming those RAAM crazies are the ultra-cyclists; we are mere randonneurs. But I suppose it may be one's point-of-view.

As for point-of-view, we happened on these two artists below between Conway and La Conner.

 I particularly like how I captured the tilt of the little girl's head as she takes in her putting down.

Who painted these cows (Belted Galloways or Belties)?

 A cupola in a field.

Never having participated in a barn raising--though my grandfather was raised in Amish country--it made me wonder. Does one build the barn from underneath? Was this fellow just planning ahead? Or could it be that all we see is the exposed cupola that sits atop a buried building like my mother so admires? Hmmm.

Yes, those are Dartre's arms as she stretches in front of the chicken coop. Can you read the yellow sign?

 Our Rivers Court Fishing Derby Queen with her winning King Salmon and winning Smile!

And here's my idea of an emerging political party: a stubborn group that stakes out the high ground and defends it!

As a Capricorn, maybe I should start a new party...? How about the Billy Goat Party?

This was Dartre's third ride of 200 kilometers! Congrats to DartreDame! And her secret training secret? She doesn't train! Go figure.

And as to the details of my no-longer-so-new bicycle, I promise to dedicate some future posts to the details.

Keep it on the High Ground,

CurioRando

Summertime...and the Living is Easy: The SIR Summer 200k Brevet

"Summertime...and the living is easy."

I saw the rope hanging from the tree over this crick, and Gershwin's tune came to mind in the heat of the day. This was a summertime brevet, and the fish were jumpin' and the crops (if not cotton) were high. I've always been struck by the irony of the high cotton. Easier to pick, but still picking the master's cotton. According to Wiki, it can also mean that the price is higher. This 200k Brevet (7/24/10) sponsored by the Seattle International Randonneurs was indeed a hot one.

These two sisters had just left Seattle headed for California. It's great to come across touring cyclists. First, it changes my perspective from "I'm really on a long ride, probably longer than that cyclist." to "Wow, imagine what they are doing!". Second, it feeds my dreams.

Hay, in ordered bails in neat fields.

A hay disorder.

Fox, or young Coyote? Tough summer for some. Another rider said Fox after I suggested Coyote. Looking again now, I think her Fox guess is right.

Old Growth Forest Wayside Mini-Park. A cooling oasis.

A mini-nap by my companion-for-a-while, Chris. Unfortunately, Chris didn't finish.

Chris told me he'd been working 90-hour weeks for a while prior to this brevet. This confirms my Physical Therapist's theory that our ability to perform depends much more on the amount of rest we get in the weeks leading up to an athletic event than a little sleep loss the night before. I use this to comfort me as I toss and turn with excitement the night before. I am happy to report that Chris came bgack the next weekend and slew this DNF demon by completing the same route as a Permanent, then finished the challenging Three Volcanoes 300k the following week, and to top it off completed RSVP the week after that!! Something tells me I caught the only time Chris was on his back in four consecutive weekends!!

A young Great Blue Heron also didn't make it across the road. I came upon this beautiful bird shortly after it was hit. Unlike a Great Snowy Owl I came across one cold winter night in Oregon that felt remarkably "light as a feather" for its size, this Heron felt about as heavy as I imagined by looking at it.

Oregon Trail era cabin.

Yep, that's coon gut stretched out there. For tennis fans, have you played with rackets strung with "Catgut"? Wiki tells us catgut isn't made from cats' guts. Any guesses whose guts do make fine racket strings?

My new tree-hugging Pereira.

I ended up hooking up with another posse, and together we formed a group lanterne rouge.

At the finish, we were greeted by Brevet Organizer Josh. Last time you saw him here he was helping to fix my sunglasses on an early season permanent. Thanks for your brevet organizing, Josh! It was a great ride!!

Keep it heavy with summertime heat,

CurioRando

Not So Wily Nor Badgering Anymore

DartreDame, left, and the SingingCyclist who finished his first ever 50 mile ride!

We rode from Enterprise, Oregon North up the Lewiston Highway and back.

During our lunch stop.

See those big front claws?

Nasty teeth too!

See the Bison in the background?

Not so wily anymore. According to the Wiki post on Badgers Coyotes and Badgers will hunt cooperatively for the same prey! Wow, that was a revelation to me. Do you think this Badger and this Coyote offered to help one another crossing the road and they both double crossed one another? Given their respective reputations...?

Keep it building,

CurioRando

Physical Therapy: A Cyclist's Best Friend

Wiki ankle diagram.

So, no more shin pain after yesterday's 200k brevet (post forthcoming)! Could be that it was half the elevation of the Mt. Rainier Sunrise Climb. But I think it is mainly because of my physical therapy session this week.

Here is how Dartre's and my PT, Betsy, describes what she did:

I did a basic subtalar manipulation (traction).

Sometimes that joint can get slightly off causing there to be decreased dorsiflexion range of motion which causes the anterior tibialis and or posterior tibialis muscles to overwork. It often makes the ankle feel stiff and we will try to get motion wherever we can in the rest of the foot/leg complex.

All I know is I'm happily pain free. She described it to me at the time as there are some techniques that you know whether they work immediately. This, a rapid tug on my ankle on the exhale of a deep breath, seemed to work right away though I was less sure due to the residual inflammation.

Yippee, is what I say!

Keep it tugged,

CurioRando

Dreaming of My First 1000k

Photo courtesy of Geoff Swarts and his Green Hornet Randoing blog.

I am itching to do a 1000k. And the wacky thing is I haven't even done a 600k yet! How crazy is that?

Well, I am working toward the Seattle International Randonneurs Sept 24 Crater Lake 1000k, and Geoff and Vincent Muoneke just pre-rode it. To see their pre-ride report, check out Geoff's website.

Thanks, guys for putting all the details together, and for whetting the appetite. I am both terrified and excited. Perfect!

I may end up having a work conflict, but otherwise, I plan to be there!!

Keep it deeply blue,

CurioRando

Vicariously Visting Vancouver Island for 1200 Grand Kilometers

The caption for this photo from the BC Randonneurs Cycling Club VanIsle 1200 website reads: "Van Isle 1200, July 21, 2010. Dewain patiently waiting for me while I take photos of riders passing by the Saanich Inlet."

Dartre and I have a special passion for Vancouver Island from a very particular visit there once. It means a great deal to us.

On another visit I had a pretty interesting black bear encounter while fishing along a bear-frequented river. It is a wild and special place with storied Steelhead streams and lots of open space.

The BC Randonneurs Cycling Club's VanIsle 1200 website has ride reports, fresh photos from the 1200 kilometer grand randonnée that began yesterday and continues into Sunday. Do check them out.

And until I get to ride this one myself, I'll be visiting that special island vicariously through these fabulous rando ride reports and photos. If you're unfamiliar with the sheer size of Vancouver Island, grab a globe and you'll be astounded.

Go get 'em randos!!!

Keep it grand,

CurioRando

Is This You, Seattle Rando, Flying Down Mt. Rainier?

Unknown Seattle Rando bedecked in new SIR lightweight jersey.

UPDATE: I'm told this is Elaine Jameson.

DartreDame and I took a run at Mt. Rainier last Saturday, but not as particpants in the Seattle International Randonneurs  #0243 Sunrise Climb Group Permanent. After tea and the newspapers in bed, we had breakfast. After breakfast and fiddling around, I packed our gear in the truck. After that I looked at the clock and realized...whoa, we had better hurry!

It was almost 11am, and we had to drive to Mt. Rainier, ride to the summit, descend, and return home for what we discovered was to be a fabulous wine-paired meal prepared by our now very good friends. Included in the dinner was a raucus Tour de France analysis about the battle between Contador and Schleck as it turned out that Steve (his wife Tanmeet and he prepared the fabulous meal!) was an avid Tour watcher. I could go on and on so wonderful were the food, wine and companionship of that evening, but we've got to get DartreDame, my wife Pramila, up Mt. Rainier right now.

Another pair of unidentified flying Seattle Randos.

So after the clock-checking, we had to "hustle our bustles" as my 8th grade English teacher Ms. Seneff used to say. I had wanted the day to be the antithesis of a time-bound brevet so Dartre and I could relax together, but my poor planning doomed us to hustling.

In fact, as we were about to leave the parking lot at the base of Rainier, Jansen, one of the readers of this blog, stopped to say a friendly hello after he recognized my new Pereira bicycle I've been bragging about here. Poor Jansen, I was so harried by my poor planning that he understandably assumed we were on a time-bound brevet. Not so. Jansen: I thought later I should have taken a photo of YOU for this post, but I spaced it. Next time, and thanks so much for reading this blog. I can't overstate how rewarding it is to be recognized simply by my bicycle and jersey by a reader of this blog. It is an honor to know folks read this. Thanks, Jansen!

Does anyone know this Seattle Rando? I know it isn't Dylan because I didn't whip out my camera in time for a shot of him.

And as for riding with us Seattle Randos, Jansen: don't wait. You've prepared enough. Even if you're not sure whether you're fully prepared, you'll learn more by trying than by waiting. Give it a go! I think that sometimes folks both inside and outside the Rando tent build up this randoing a little too much. It sure is tough at the longer distances, but a 200k to get started is well within most riders' grasp. Come join us!!

See the cue sheet? Yet another Seattle Rando. But who?

Sorry for the poor photo quality but I took these as we were riding up and getting the timing right to capture the descenders was tricky.

Here's Dartre on the early part of the ascent.

Getting closer.

Approaching Sunrise Point.

Made it to the first elevation sign!

Tired, but still willin'.

Climbing isn't easy.

The final approach.

Me, back in the lower elevations.

Mt. Rainier starting to dominate the skyline.

Hard to capture just how the mountain presses upon you near the summit. Really a full presence.

Dartre summits at 6400 feet. I think we started at 3500 feet.

I'm proud of Dartre. She toughed it out despite my poor planning. It wasn't relaxing at all like we wanted, but she reached down and did it, and did it in the hottest time of the day. The things she puts up with, me and my cycling obsession. The descent, however, was sweet. Another milestone for Dartre!

For an account of my solo summit as part of my Sunrise Climb Permanent, complete with elevation chart and map, go to this previous post.

Keep it well-planned,

CurioRando