Critters of the Night Brevet 200k, PBP Qualifier #2

Yep, I saw another Bobcat while riding a brevet in Oregon. I spied one on my first 400k (the same brevet I ran over a weasel). This time it was on Geiger Road at 3:30am where the road crosses a small stream. What a rush! I love nighttime riding on lonely country roads.

This route was put together by Marcello of the Oregon Randonneurs. Come to think of it, I met Marcello on this very 400k while I was photographing a Turkey Vulture. But this brevet last night was his night-starting 200k. I needed a 200k Qualifier for Paris Brest Paris, and I like the idea of practicing night starts as that's what it will be in Paris.

Only six of us started at 5pm--I wonder why more didn't join us?--and we jumped out fast. Once again, despite telling myself to start slowly I got into trying to hang with the faster guys. My rationale was that since we faced a stiff headwind, it'd be worth it. And it would have been if I wasn't too slow.

So I peeled off after 20k and rode the rest on my own. The weather held, and despite getting a spit of rain now and then, mostly we saw stars.

Before it got dark, I captured the picture above of a chawed tree along a bridge crossing a small stream. I'm guessing beaver since it was near the stream and porcupine often chew bark higher up the trunk, but I'm not certain. What do you think? Below is a closer look.

Reminiscent of a previous post featuring a beaver-chawed tree. Is there more beaver activity now, or am I just tuning in to beavers now that I've seen their handiwork while riding? Am I experiencing a rando version of the familiar Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon again?

I also really like the sounds. Lots of frogs last night. Once, it was quiet, and I was riding along when a frog croaked right next to me all of a sudden and very loudly. Maybe I startled him, but I know he sure startled me out of my pedaling reverie!

Like to hear some frogs I recorded last night? Check this audio file out!

Also saw a raccoon that crossed a road in front of me--from a wooded area along a stream on one side to an open field on the other. When he understood that he'd be out in the open by the time I got to him, he spun around and loped back from whence he came back into the brush and stood there staring at me in that scornful, defiant way they do.

It was a cold night--frost on my window after my 1.5 hour nap before driving back home to Seattle.

But it was nice and toasty in Marcello's and his wife Kathy's house. I was the last finisher, and she conjured up some biscuits and jam and hot tea for me. Really hit the spot. And as I ate she regaled me of their chicken-raising adventures. I was really interested as I've been contemplating chickens, even getting Dartre's blessing. But in the end, even though Kathy reminded me of how affectionate they can be (I really took to the chickens when I visited the farm where my grandfather grew up in Oxford, PA when I was a wee lad), I think I've come to the realization that we just don't need more responsibility in our lives.

On the way home from this nighttime brevet, I was pretty beat. But as I came upon the exit for the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge I had to stop. I used to visit there years ago, but they recently removed the dikes and opened up the area for reclamation by Puget Sound. The Ranger told me they doubled the amount of esturay in the Southern Puget Sound in this one restoration. Perhaps as much as 750 acres of restoration, I'm not certain.

I was too pooped to go for a stroll--I really wanted to be back home with the family--but I put it on our family to do list: visit the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. As I was leaving I saw an older couple with cameras and huge wildlife lenses. They were fixated on the little pond adjacent the Info Center. There, just in front of us was a pair of Wood Ducks. Talk about beautiful! They said they were told that they had just descended on this spot for the first time this year.

Perhaps the most beautifulest of all the ducks (though the Harlequin is right in there), the Wood Duck is stunning.

But all the critters great and small have their habits, whether they be wild or domesticated. I am enchanted by them all.

Night brevets are cool!

Photo of Bobcat courtesy of National Geographic. Wood Duck photos courtesy of Wiki.

Keep it croaking,

CurioRando

Women Welcome!

Back in the saddle after an injury break, and here's what I found.

Spring is doing it's best, and so was I.

Good to be on the road with bits chirping, new signs on old trails.

Keep it springing,

CurioRando

Fenders and Mudflaps!

Went for a little spin yesterday through some puddles. Pictured above is the spray from the front tire hitting the mud flap. What you don't see is street water hitting my shoes...because it mainly doesn't.

I love my fenders and mudflaps. I know most folks hate fenders, but I believe that they just haven't experienced quality fenders mounted properly. They make a rainy day that much more enjoyable.

And then when I ride behind somebody without fenders on a rainy day, I just think it's plain discourteous of them. Why should my bike, my handlebar bag and I get muddy? Why should I get dirty glasses and eat grit, etc. because they go fenderless?

Yes, I could stay farther behind them, except not if I'm going to pass them on a busy road. I mean I live in the Pacific Northwest for crying out loud: it rains. Of course it's worst on a brevet or other group ride where a paceline might be in order. Damn near impossible to stay clean among the unfendered.

And even many of the fendered bikes aren't set up adequately. Many of the fenders don't go down far enough or the fender is a poor design. Part of the problem is also that quality fenders aren't sold most places. The demand isn't there. But they are out there, and if you're one of those unfendered riders who rides in the rain (how not in this neighborhood?), how about giving those of us in your wake a break so we don't have to give ourselves a brake!

Thus endeth the Fender and mudflap rant. I do love my fenders and mudflaps! And so do others. On a recent brevet, a guy walked up to me who had passed me in his truck to say how much he admired my dashing (hammered) fenders. They're just cool!

PS: You can't quite see the mudflap, but it extends out to the left of the fender. You can see the farthest left splash point. That's how far it extends.




Keep it diverted,

CurioRando

Big Blue Schwinn, Little Blue Schwinn



At the Puget Consumer CoOp in Seattle.





Close-up of Little Blue Schwinn.




I wish I had this helmet!


Keep it to scale,

CurioRando

Wisconsin Governor Walker Cuts Bicycling Funding Too

Photo by AP photographer John Hart.

The photo above is of 100,000 or so folks at Madison, WI this past Saturday protesting Governor Walker and the Republican legislature's attacks on collective bargaining rights and his my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing. As to highways, his "Wisconsin is broke" budget will increase spending on highway construction--a payoff to his highway construction campaign funders.

This same budget cuts bicycle funding as this Milwaukee-based cycling blog, Over the Bars in Milwaukee, describes.

From my 11 days in Wisconsin, I can tell you this: this struggle for the soul of civil society in Wisconsin is far from over. Efforts to recall the Republican 8 are going very well from my observations. I haven't witnessed such an outpouring of previously inactive residents taking matters into their own hands in a long, long time. Folks don't like being hoodwinked or shoved around, and that is how they feel in Wisconsin. You can fairly taste it, it's so pervasive.

Keep it fair and for the greater good,

CurioRando

I Opened a Local Bike Shop Specializing in Randonneuring

Then I woke up, and realized I was in Madison, Wisconsin. I don't own a bike shop, but I did stumble upon this Williamson Bicycle Works (my name is Williamson) in my travels. I'll bet actually owning a bike shop is a pretty tough row to hoe these days.

Below is the sorry photo I took of the actual shop I saw. I didn't realize they had two locations, and the lovely photo from their website above is obviously the more beautiful shop.

I also discovered a local fried fish shop where I got dinner. Yum. I had wondered why there were so many varieties of fried fish until I remembered the Great Lakes. Now, I just have to find some of that squeaky cheese or Wisconsin Cheese Curds. In that wiki story they allude to a New York Times story about how the sound of eating cheese curds is like "balloons trying to neck"! First I heard of them was yesterday from a local who told me you have to get them fresh to experience the squeak.

So off I go in search of fresh and therefor truly squeaky cheese!


Keep it squeakin'

CurioRando

Fall City, Granite Falls, Falling in Love with Fall, Part 2

This is Part 2 of a post I began months ago. For a refresher of Part 1, please go here. Hint, there were cool pictures of horses' heads poking out from a barn.

Given it has been so long since the earlier post, this post will be a little disjointed. Mainly pictures.

Do Woolly Worms predict Winter's severity? I sure don't know, but I wasn't taking any chances. I avoided every one I came across. Then, I got down for a closer look. Legend has it that it is the size or color of that middle band that is the tell-all. Clearly, this one has a rather funky middle band, don't you think?

Eventually, I figured why not just ask him/her. This tiger moth caterpillar, the proper term, didn't answer but just balled up when I queried. Maybe that is the answer. Maybe he/she was telling me I better curl up this year. I don't have a control from another milder year to compare/contrast, so who knows? Now that we've had our Winter, mostly, did this little furry guy correctly predict for us?

These fellows weren't saying either.

OK, if you squint and look for two narrow reddish-orange fishy-looking things in the middle of this photo you'll spy two spawning Sockeye salmon. They certainly know Winter is on its way, whatever the severity.

At the Alaska in Pictures website, they have this picture below of a spawning Sockeye.

Fall Flowers.

But here, I do remember what I was going to say. This is the Skykomish River looking downstream toward Two Bits, an old Steelhead fishing hole of mine and many others.

Here's the Sky looking upstream. All this Fall day moodiness and fishy-smelliness reminds me of my old fishing pal, Boz (no, I didn't mean to say he is moody or fish-smelly). Sadly for me, he moved to New York. It was understandable, as he and his wife needed to be back East with grandkids and such. But I sure do miss fishing or plotting to go fishing or reminiscing about fishing with Boz.

Remember these old Northwest, fishy haunts, Bozzie? Of course you do. You are nothing if not a genuine adventure-is-just-around-the-corner kind of guy. I love that spirit, and we had some times together. I learned Steelhead fishing at your wadered knee, and I loved it all. Best to you and yours in New York. And don't bother with getting all the facts straight as you regale your kith and kin of all your Northwest fishing legends. Facts don't matter, but the spirit of exploring our natural world with good friends sure does! Tight lines, buddy!

 Here, I came along this beaver-chawed tree right along the roadside. I guessed the "X" meant this tree was designated by the authorities for removal. Or could it be the beavers mark their trees first?



Here is my bike for scale. This is one large tree this ambitious beaver was taking on. On a later ride, the tree was gone, neatly sliced off by a chain saw. Efficient, but not nearly as charming.

Keep it spirited,

CurioRando

The Hills of Pittsburgh

This is Dan of the blog ranDanneuring. As you can see he's at the top of one of Pittsburgh's hills, Mt. Washington maybe?

I checked out his blog the other day, and his Ground Hog Day post has a great video from a TV show on WQED TV. This is the public station I was weaned on, so it was cool to see. But the video is fantastic.

I will say no more but you ought to check it out. And you gotta love those Pittsburgh accents!

Here's the video. I hope yunz enjoy it.


Keep it climbing,

CurioRando

Indians on Indian Cycling Phenomenon

Rohan Kini owns a the local bike shop in Bangalore, and I tried visiting with him on our last trip. Sadly, we missed him. He tweeted about the latest story in the Financial Express called "Wheels of Change".

To get Indians sense of the state of cycling in India today, it is a good read.

I Got the Call: "You're Going to Wisconsin, so Pack Your Randonneur Woolies!"

As you might imagine of a lifelong trade unionist, I was ready for that call. Wisconsin is now emblematic of the struggle between corporate powers--like the Koch brothers--and working people. I wanted to be in the thick of it. This is a struggle without borders. Folks are flocking to Wisconsin from all over joining the tens of thousands of Wisconsin protesters, because that's how Americans have always protected our rights.

But there is a randonneuring connection for me. The randonneur who has taught me the most about randonneuring, and mostly on lonely wooded lanes during the middle of brevets and often at night, is a public sector worker. He told me about his job in the way we randonneurs do on a brevet when it's just us two. I think he and others like him are nothing short of public heroes. There just aren't many people who choose to be Special Education School Teachers in the public school system. Could you do it? Could Wisconsin Governor Walker do it?

All my life I have relied on public sector workers: teachers, of course, but also health care workers, garbage collectors, snow plowers, street workers, social service workers, tax collectors, city planners, engineers, NASA employees, the Armed Forces, forest and other natural environment protectors, letter carriers and mail handlers, food safety inspectors, parks employees, transportation workers, and police and firefighters. Apologies to all those I haven't called out here.

Where would I be without them?

This struggle has been ongoing for a long time. But the rhetoric has changed dramatically. Corporations, and in this case their Republican governors and state legislators, are blaming public sector workers for our current financial woes.

So yes, when I got the call to go to Wisconsin I took it as my very minor paying back for all the good that I have received from our collective endeavor we call democratic government and the people we hire to make that endeavor work. Damn right I'll go and protect their right to bargain collectively for their wages, hours and working conditions. I don't know a one of them that is getting rich working for...well, ultimately, working for me.

Now as to the reason for all this brinkspersonship, I think we must analyze root causes.

Does Wisconsin Governor Walker think everyone has forgotten the housing crisis that was a direct result of unfettered and unregulated greed: derivatives and the making of fortunes for a few at the expense of millions who are losing, or are in danger of losing, their homes? Or the resulting tanking of our overall economy and the acommpanying stubborn and painful unemployment? Or the serious decline in corporate taxes that are contributed to state coffers due to tax loopholes and such? Or the decline in the percentage of taxes paid by the wealthier?

Scapegoating is an old tactic, and it seems that public sector workers are now being set up to be the goat so that we'll turn away from sensible ideas like re-regulating the financial industry, closing unwarranted corporate tax loopholes, and investing in ourselves, our infrastructure and our future.

Well, we'll see. Governor Walker has been caught on tape acknowledging that he and others had considered bringing in troublemakers. The Governor of a state admits to considering bringing in agents provocateur? The American people don't cotton to elected officials who conspire or stoop to pretense.

The fact of the matter is that the Wisconsin public worker unions have agreed to all of the Governor's economic demands so that he will get his balanced budget, even though as I say they are not to blame. But to continue to insist on eliminating their rights to collective bargaining is going just way too far.

I'll have more to say about this soon (hopefully from Wisconsin), but there is another randonneuring connection. My orders to fly to Wisconsin included the following phrase: "be advised to pack warm clothes and coats !!!" I could have figured that out, but you know where my mind went: wool randonneuring clothing, baby!

Wool upper undies, CHECK!
Wool lower undies, CHECK!
Wool cap, CHECK!
Wool balaclava, CHECK!
Wool mittens with fingerless option, CHECK!
Wool glove liners, CHECK!
Wool socks, CHECK!
Wool arm warmers, CHECK!
Wool knee warmers, CHECK!
Wool iconic blue Seattle Randonneurs long-sleeved cycling jeresey...well, I think I'll keep our cycling club out of it.

In the meantime, let's take a hard look at the decline in tax revenue from corporations due to unwarranted tax loopholes that don't generate jobs. Let's remember why we're in this financial morass. And let's not let the downturn turn us into self-haters. It is We, the People, after all, not We, the Corporations.

Keep it united,

CurioRando