May 15th Newbie Ride

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As stated in Troubadour's last post, Saturday May 15th was the Second Annual Mid-Valley Newbie Ride spearheaded by our very own Bolty, aka tbolt.

A few of us met for coffee and a tasty fresh made French pastries at Le Patissier here in Corvallis before venturing to the designated meeting spot of the old Creekside Coffee location (now closed due to landlord/leasing issues). While at a quick petrol stop at Safeway we tried to see if there were any bikes waiting. We didn't realize until we ventured closer that there was a huge group compared to last year. I think the first thing I said to Troubadour when seeing the parking lot was "holy crap!" Three different areas in the parking lot were being utilized.

Turns out we had approximately 30 bikes show up. Some newbie riders, some who were experienced but hadn't done much, if any group riding, and some experienced riders who just wanted to ride the route. We saw old friends and met new ones. We even met Bluekat and her husband who came along for the ride. (Welcome! It was a pleasure to finally meet you.) Here is a picture of Bluekat and her hubby Ron with Bolty in the foreground.

Soon Bolty had us gathered around for some last minute instructions. You know.... dos, don'ts, what different hand signals meant, a bit on the planned route and also information on how she would like to see everyone broken into smaller groups depending on comfort level of their riding skills.

When taking the photos, I tried to get pictures of the people we were riding with and not just the bikes.

We had 4 groups total. One experienced group and three newbie groups that were categorized into fast, medium and slow. Bolty led the slow speed newbies and Troubadour led the medium speed newbies. Our friend Darren lead the fast newbies and I am not sure who started out leading the experienced riders. Here is a photo of Bolty and Troubadour before the ride.

We were hoping that Troubadour would be riding sweep so that I, riding pillion, could take some action shots of the newbies and even some video, but alas it was not to be. I think Troubadour enjoyed being our fearless leader that day, so it's all good. Soon enough we were on our way. First the experienced riders left, then about 10 minutes later the fast group of newbies left and so on.

40 miles of sunny, twisty back roads later we rolled into Monmouth to Burgerville for the lunch stop. Troubadour and I decided we weren't hungry so opted for a short walk to Dutch Brothers Coffee for a blended iced coffee. Hit the spot on a 70˚+ day. We then mingled and took a few more pictures.

Here is a little video of the faster group of newbies heading out after the lunch stop.....

The long meandering ride back to the coffee shop was uneventful for our group. A nice pace was set and a good time was had by all. After arriving at our destination we waited for about 15 minutes for the slower group to arrive and 30-45 minutes for the faster group. One of riders in the faster group had mechanical trouble and some improvising had to be done to get him back on the road. Kudos to our impromptu mechanics.

We couldn't have asked for better weather or a better group of riders. A big thank you to all those who led, rode sweep, organized and participated. I am sure there will be a Third Annual Newbie Ride next year.

I hope to participate as a rider and not just as a passenger next year. I didn't have enough miles under my belt this time. As a general rule they like all newbies on the ride to have at least 1,000 miles and I am not there yet. This summer, if the rain ever lets up, will be a good time to rack up some miles and gain experience and confidence. I am looking forward to watching the miles increase on the TU.

Au Revoir

"Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success." ~ Author Unknown
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Rhodies & Potheads

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Now, by that title you might have thought I was writing about a concert series or some such activity, but no, I am writing in regards to a trip to the Oregon Gardens that Troubadour, Rick and I took several weekends ago.

It started out a normal Saturday, get up and get ready for coffee with the group. A look outside showed us we had a visitor....

Squirrels are not a normal occurance for our yard. Basil is too scared to keep them at bay but I think they remember that Baxter would have chewed their furry butts when he was alive and hung their tails as a trophy... so they stay away. This is only the second time we've seen a squirrel in the yard in the 4 years we've lived here. We did see a chipmunk once but Baxter was chasing it and we made him drop it when he caught it. Run little chipmunk run. The chipmunk lived to tell the tale and we've not seen another since.

We finished watching the squirrel raid the sunflower seeds from the feeder and rode to coffee. Coffee was the same as it usually is on Saturday morning.... we solved the world's problems and wondered what to do for the rest of the day. Troubadour mentioned we were thinking of going to the Oregon Gardens in Silverton since they were having a day with free admission to kick off Earth Week. Rick inquired about joining us and we were off .... decision made.

We rode home and got in the car then picked Rick up and decided to stop at our favorite sushi place in Salem for lunch. Rick had never been to Sushi Kyo before so we had to introduce him to the Salem Roll they serve. Yummy! It is a sushi track or 'Kaiten Sushi' type of place and you can also order off the menu. I highly recommend it if you are in Salem. Bellies full we piled back in the Versa. With Troubadour at the controls and Rick navigating we found our way to the Gardens.

Rick has good parking karma and we managed to find some free parking by the entry gate. A short walk and we were in. Even after living in and around Corvallis for over 9 years we'd not been to the gardens before so we were intrigued. The weather was typical Spring weather for Oregon, cloudy... then windy... no wait... sunny... no.... maybe a little sprinkle here and there. "Wow, do you see those black clouds to the west?"

Due to our unusually chilly Spring there weren't as many things blooming as we'd hoped but I did manage to get a few pictures of Rhodies (Rhododendrons).

You can tell the changing weather just by looking at those two pictures. It went from overcast to brilliant sunshine within minutes.

In our meanderings we also found blooming Fothergilla:

and Choisya (aka Mexican Orange):

and even a Davidia (aka Dove Tail or Hankerchief Tree):

Troubadour took a nice photo of a water tower in the distance:

While I was taking pictures a crazy little bird came up and was interested in the shiny lense. You may have seen him before.....

As you can see, this was not a timid bird and he was not detered by the camera. Troubadour really was as close as he seems and the zoom was out a bit too. I honestly didn't think the camera would focus but was pleasantly surprised when we downloaded it.

As well as having a plethora of plants the Oregon Gardens also has fountains:

and monuments/objects d'art:

and as promised in my title.....potheads:

Of course, these weren't the only potheads at the gardens that Saturday but they were the only ones that didn't smell like patchouli bush.

-Au Revoir

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." ~ Terri Guillemets
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Oh, Basil.....

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A week or two ago when I was out taking pictures of spring blooms and foliage Basil decided he needed to follow me around. He finally jumped up on an old weathered adirondack chair and decided to get all cute for the camera. What follows is the series of photos I managed to take. As soon as I'd get the camera focused he would move before I could get the shutter snapped so I didn't get as many candid shots as I'd have liked.

He'd had enough by that last picture and wandered off..... until I made my way inside, by then he was hoping it was feeding time.

-Au Revoir

" I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days." ~ Bill Dana

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Group Ride to the Coast

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By now most of you who read this blog have seen Troubadour's blog post documenting the ride to the coast on Sunday. He posted up his great video so I thought I'd share a bit more narrative and some still photographs. You know, we ladies have a tendency to be a bit more wordy than the men, well except in Irondad's case, his compositions tell you he can confabulate with the best of them.

A group of 6 of us on 5 bikes met up at the former Creekside Coffee. This was our usual meeting place all last year for group rides and has since closed. We still use it as a meet and greet though due to location.

We headed south to Alpine to meet up with the Eugene group. The day was nice and sunny and we left Corvallis at about 9:15 or so. We arrived at the little town of Alpine shortly thereafter. As we waited for the group from Eugene I took a few pics of the bikes.

After an approximate 45 minute wait, which we didn't mind too much because of the warm sunshine, the Eugene group arrived. Our consolidated group consisted of 13 riders on 11 bikes. We headed west around Alsea Falls at a brisk pace. We didn't stop to take any pictures but I do have one from a ride Troubadour and I took around there last year.

Once around the falls we were at the junction with Highway 34, and with a left turn we were heading west toward the coast at a fairly quick pace. Troubadour was courteous and left the saddlebags off the Triumph so that I could get a better grip on the passenger pegs. A better grip for his passenger means he can ride at a quicker pace. Before we knew it we had arrived in Waldport and stopped for a restroom break. Troubadour managed to grab the camera and get a few shots. Me, I was digging in the tail bag for the water bottle.

Another member of our group took this picture of the bikes and riders:

Troubadour snapped this pic of me when I was admiring the vastness of the ocean. Yes, the ocean is still there. It doesn't matter how long it has been since I've seen it, it is always waiting.

One rider headed back as he was on a timeline and the rest of us had a discussion on where to eat lunch. It was decided that Mo's is for tourists so we headed south to Florence for lunch at the Bridgewater Seafood Restaurant. Troubadour and I were there for lunch on a group ride last year too. They always welcome our large group and the food is excellent. I would highly recommend it if you are in Florence. Just venture down to Old Town and relax and enjoy a great meal. They even had a live musician on Sunday afternoon.

One of the Eugene riders grabbed a pic as we all sat down to peruse the menu. Not quite in focus but it will do.

After a relaxing hour or so and with all our bellies full we continued on our way. We headed east towards Eugene. A few split up from the group and headed a more direct route home to Eugene on Highway 126, the remaining took the twisty route around Triangle Lake. The route was a little rough and the frost heaves had the ground quite uneven in some spots. Made for a wallowing cruiser on some stretches. We made it around the lake and everyone stopped to regroup.

From here we broke up into two groups, one group heading east and south to get back to Eugene and a group of us heading north back to Corvallis. We arrived home about 4:30. It was great day with a great group of riders. By days end we were exhausted. We had had a full day at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton the day before. I'll save those pics for a future post.

Still waiting on my new boots. They shipped and are set to deliver on Saturday by Fed-Ex. Of course they are. I had them shipped to my office thinking that is where I am everyday. Murphy's Law dictates they will attempt to deliver to the office on Saturday. I will call them tomorrow or Friday and see if they can hold it for personal pick up on Saturday or hold it and deliver to the office on Monday. We'll see.

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Please everyone - go out and hug a tree and worship some dirt.

-Au Revoir

" I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ Elwyn Brooks White, Essays of E.B. White, 1977

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Spring flora

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We've been doing a lot of weeding in the shrub beds in our backyard lately and noticing all the plants that are budding up or already blooming. Yesterday afternoon I took advantage of our brilliant Oregon sunshine and wandered around and took a few photographs. Getting the shots I wanted without my shadow in the frame was no easy feat. I managed to get the following when all was said and done.

Erysimum Linifolium (Siberian Wallflower):

Magnolia Stellata 'Rosea Jane Platt' (Star Magnolia):

Robinia Pseudoacacia 'Lace Lady' Twisty Baby (Locust)

One of Troubadour's favorites - check out the thorns:

Cornus Florida 'Cherokee Chief' (Cherokee Chief Dogwood):

Ribes Sanguineum (Flowering current):

And last the Daphne Odora:

As I was taking the picture of the Daphne, Basil followed me and decided to ham it up for the camera. I took several pictures of him rolling around on one of our weathered Adirondack chairs looking all cute and fluffy. I'll share those in a future post.

We went to the Oregon Gardens today for earth day and took a few pictures there as well. They are still in the camera and if any turned out I will share in a future post as well.

Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful and 71˚ so a group ride is in store to the coast. We'll see if we get many photo ops on the way. We'll be going two-up as I do not have enough miles under my belt solo for a group ride. That will come in time and my new boots will too, hooray. You'll have to wait and see which ones I ordered later. I will do a review. I just hope they fit as they were ordered off the internet. Should arrive by next Friday. Until next time....

- Au Revoir

" Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out-values all the utilities of the world." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

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